Christian Maclagan

Christian Maclagan
Born1811
Braehead, Denny, Scotland
Died10 May 1901(1901-05-10) (aged 89–90)
Ravenscroft, Stirling, Scotland
NationalityScottish
Occupation(s)Archaeology, Antiquities

Christian Maclagan (1811–10 May 1901) was a Scottish antiquarian and early archaeologist,[1] described by one author as "the earliest female archaeologist in the British Isles."[2] She is known for her collection of rubbings of Celtic crosses and Pictish stones from across Scotland, and was a pioneer of stratigraphic excavation.[3] Although she lost the use of her right hand due to a medical condition she nevertheless produced numerous drawings, sketches and paintings with her left hand.[4] She took action to help those affected by poverty in Stirling.[5] She refused to sit for portraits although one obituary described her as tall. She was a suffragist. She wrote an autobiography but the script remains lost.[6] She was nominated to be one of Scotland's Heroines honoured at the National Wallace Monument's Hall of Heroes.[7]

  1. ^ "Christian Maclagan Sensation of Scotland: Dibarred but Determined". TrowelBlazers. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  2. ^ Elsdon, Sheila M. (2004). Christian Maclagan: Stirling's Formidable Lady Antiquary. Pinkfoot Press. ISBN 978-1-874012-43-6.
  3. ^ Maclagan, Christian (1898). A Catalogue Raisonné of the British Museum Collection of Rubbings from Ancient Sculptured Stones ... Edinburgh: D. Douglas. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Drawings by C MacLagan". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  5. ^ MacKie, Euan W. (2004). "Book Review: Sheila M. Elsdon Christian MacLagan: Stirling's formidable lady antiquarian". Scottish Archaeological Journal. 27 (1). doi:10.3366/saj.2005.27.1.102.
  6. ^ Davies, Mairi Helen. "An archaeological analysis of later prehistoric settlement and society in Perthshire and Stirlingshire" (PDF). Durham e-Theses. Durham University. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  7. ^ "Scotland's Heroines – Fourteen Remarkable Women". The National Wallace Monument. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.