Pink marble with dark green grains of clinopyroxene, from Ballyphetrish, on Tiree

The presence of marble on Tiree, a small Hebridean island belonging to the Duke of Argyll, was first noted by Reverent Dr John Walker in 1764. The high stakes attached to mineral prospecting in Scotland attracted adventurers such as the German author, antiquarian and mineralogist (better known as the author of Baron Munchausen) Rudolf Erich Raspe, who offered his services as a mining expert for the Duke of Argyll. Two tiny trial quarries were opened around 1790, but the venture swiftly folded.