 In 1824 John Shanks , an Elgin <unk> and an important figure in the conservation of the cathedral , started his work . <unk> by local gentleman Isaac <unk> , Shanks cleared the grounds of centuries of rubbish dumping and rubble . Shanks was officially appointed the site 's Keeper and <unk> in 1826 . Although his work was highly valued at the time and brought the cathedral back into public focus , his <unk> clearance work may have resulted in much valuable evidence of the cathedral 's history being lost . He died on 14 April 1841 , aged 82 . A fortnight later , the Inverness Courier published a commemorative piece on Shanks , calling him the " <unk> or <unk> of Elgin Cathedral " , and writing : 
