An ancient Scottish manuscript, the Book of Deer, will return to its original north-east homeplace next year after more than 1,000 years.
The artefact, which is thought to be Scotland’s oldest manuscript, will be displayed in Aberdeen Art Gallery over the summer of 2022.
Community heritage group, Book of Deer Project, secured £128,588 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to bring the 10th Century text back to the north-east.
The manuscript will be loaned from the Cambridge University library where it has been kept since 1715.
The return of the Book of Deer is part of the Year of Scotland’s Stories, which is due to take place throughout 2022.
A privately produced pocket gospel, the text contains the oldest surviving example of written Scots Gaelic in the world.
Several community cultural events have been planned across the north-east to celebrate the temporary return of the text and its heritage.
Alongside the celebrations, an archaeological dig is to be undertaken at the Abbey of Deer in Aberdeenshire.
The location is thought to be the site of an ancient medieval monastery where the ancient text was annotated with the earliest written Gaelic.
A community excavation will take place over 10 weeks during the summer of 2022 in hopes of finding the Monastery of Deer which has alluded archaeologists for 11 years.
Books return after a millennium
Anne Simpson, chairwoman of the Book of Deer Project, said: “We act as the catalyst for renewed interest, research, and community engagement surrounding the book in the north-east of Scotland and beyond.
“The central objective of our project is to celebrate the book and its heritage in a modern context. Ours is a small corner of the world, but it is an important one.
“The return of the Book of Deer and the exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery, along with the community dig and cultural programme will allow us to celebrate the manuscript’s links with north east Scotland in a manner it deserves.”
Anne Stirling, chairwoman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities Committee, said: “The Book of Deer Project has been working to increase the profile of this internationally significant book for many years, so the award of lottery money to bring it back to the north-east in such a high profile way is fantastic and testament to all the hard work that’s gone in so far.”
“Just imagine how exciting it would be if the community dig taking place next summer was finally able to identify the site of the Monastery of Deer, adding further to the fascinating story of the Book of Deer and its legacy in the north-east.”