Nae Day Sae Dark Nae day sae dark; nae wüd sae bare; Nae grund sae stour wi' stane; But licht comes through; a sang is there; A glint o' grass is green. Wha hasna thol'd his thorter'd hours And kent, whan they were by, The tenderness o' life that fleurs Rock-fast in misery? William... Continue Reading →
William Wallace’s fourth part
The Scottish warrior and hero of a nation was captured by the English and suffered an atrocious death. Taken to London and hanged, drawn and quartered, his head was put up on London Bridge, the four parts of the body taken to four different places of the realm: Berwick, Perth, Newcastle seem certain. The fourth... Continue Reading →
Letitia, the sailor’s daughter from Granton
Grim death, to please his liquorish palate Has taken my Lettice to put in his sallat. Raymond Lamont-Brown: Scottish Epitaphs. Chambers; Edinburgh, 1990
in Durness churchyard, Sutherland
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 →


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