Here doth lye the bodie Of John Flye, who did die By a stroke from a sky-rocket, which hit him in the eye-socket. Raymond Lamont-Brown: Scottish Epitaphs. Chambers; Edinburgh, 1990
Mary, lift my head
The story of a Viking Princess, a white cow and a love death could not part - Craigmonie This is an ancient site. Not a graveyard in itself but a place of death: Craigmonie, sometimes spelled Craigmony, a small hill at the back of Drumnadrochit. A beautiful and well-marked walk (1) takes you there. After... Continue Reading →
rock by the sea
St Monans is probably the church in Scotland which is closest to the sea. So ist the surrounding graveyard. A dramatic setting for a church built in 14th century. Dramatic is a term often encountered here. The church, named after Saint Monan, an Irish monk who had come here in 9th century and was slain... Continue Reading →
greyfriar’s grandiose grave garden
Colourful is not the first word that comes to mind where graveyards are concerned. But it should. At least in Dundee. The Howff is probably the most colourful graveyard in Scotland - lush, vibrant and opulent. And yes, it is a graveyard, right in the middle of Dundee City Centre. It started with one rather dull... Continue Reading →
your death is my life
mors tua vita mea
Macdonald’s in his grave!
The following lines were read in 1746 in Kilmore churchyard: If Heaven be pleased when sinners cease to sin, If Hell be pleased when sinners enter in, If Earth be pleased to quit a truckling knave, Then all be pleased; Macdonald’s in his grave. Otta F. Swire: Skye - The Island & its Legends, Birlinn;... Continue Reading →
straight to the grave
Kildrummy old churchyard bathed in summer sunlight, a beautiful place to be and to rest. Final resting place graves are often called. coffin carrying rite Kildrummy is more than more than a final resting place for the dead. It was also very much a resting place for the living, especially the men carrying the coffins,... Continue Reading →
Hill of blood, Dunfallandy      Â
Most people will travel to Dunfallandy to see the Pictish stone. But a far more bloody tale tells the burial enclosure right next to the ancient marker of the Picts. The graveyard is not signposted for it is the private burial enclosure of the Fergussons of Dunfallandy. There has been an early chapel on this... Continue Reading →
The secret vault of the Sutherlands
Dornoch Cathedral and graveyard Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, is certainly one of the most notorious and controversial figures of Scottish history. She was incredibly rich, owned most of the county of Sutherland although she was rarely present. She was born in Edinburgh in 1765 and was buried in Dornoch Cathedral in 1839. So was... Continue Reading →
to be remembered
This is a story of maltreatment, anger, revenge and the thirst for power - a story about clan men and a disastrous battle. At the center of this story emerges a woman - Sidheag, sister of the MacLeod of Lewis and wife of Angus Mackay, 6th of Strathnaver. A woman trying to live within the... Continue Reading →
Graveyards of Scotland 
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