Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage & Museum has welcomed a donation of fossils from Dingwall Museum that is set to delight visitors to the former home of the renowned Scottish geologist, in Cromarty, near Inverness.
The National Trust for Scotland will share the fossil specimens found on the Cromarty foreshore and around the Black Isle with visitors when they go on display for both the Scottish Geology Festival and Hugh Miller’s 222nd birthday from Wednesday 3 September to Sunday 13 October, with access to the small exhibition included in the museum admission fee.
The collection of twenty-four fossils spanning two historical worlds, from Lake Orcadie of the Devonian period to the coastal lagoon of the Jurassic period, will be on display alongside the other artefacts and objects from Hugh Miller’s life.
The donation includes an example of a Pterichthyodes Milleri; named after Hugh Miller who first discovered the fish on the Cromarty foreshore.
This ancient fish had a head and body that was covered with bony armour and lived at the bottom of lakes scavenging food from the lake floor.
Debbie Reid, National Trust for Scotland Visitor Services Manager at Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum, said:
“We are thrilled to receive these fossils from Dingwall Museum.
“The fossils will form part of our celebrations for the Scottish Geology Festival and will be a very welcome addition to our handling collection.
“The team at the museum is busy cataloguing the donated fossils and ensuring they’re in display condition as they make their debut at the museum in September.
“The fossils will be used as a handling collection allowing visitors to get up close with the fossils and see intricate details from tiny fish scales to delicate coral.
“We hope the new collection will encourage the community to explore Hugh Miller’s story and discover more of the Black Isle and its story of incredible geodiversity.”
Stonemason, geologist, writer, and social justice campaigner, Hugh Miller was born inside a thatched cottage in Cromarty in the early 19th century.
Starting from humble beginnings, he became one of Victorian Britain’s greatest minds and a leading voice of the Scottish people.
Donations like this help support the National Trust for Scotland’s vision to care for, share and protect Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage, as outlined in its strategy launched in 2022, and contributes to its engagement objectives to provide access and enjoyment for everyone.
Further information about Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Cottage and Museum, as well as other events taking place over the Scottish Geology Festival, is available on the National Trust for Scotland’s website at www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/hugh-millers-birthplace
