This is certainly one of the oldest cemeteries in Scotland. People buried their dead here for 4000 years and the markers of these tombs remain to this day, like headstones on a contemporary cemetery. A reminder of a distant and little known past. sacred site These Bronze Age graves near Inverness are amongst the best... Continue Reading →
Shetland – windswept archipelago north of the Scottish Mainland. It is in many ways closer to Norway than it is to Scotland or the UK. Geography, history, and culture make Shetland feel more Scandinavian than Scottish. But whatever it feels like to its inhabitants, it certainly feels remote to visitors. wet and windy The islands... Continue Reading →
Tingwall is an ancient place that bears a Scandinavian name as many places do on Shetland. The first church stood here as early as 1200, a place of worship and power. The Archdeacon of Tingwall was in charge of all Christianity in Shetland. This office dated from 1215 AD until 1690 when Presbyterianism was established... Continue Reading →
the saint In the late 1040s a little girl was born in exile, in Mecseknádasd in Hungary to a family of royal English blood. Margaret should become one of the most famous women in Scottish history. She came to England with her family but had to leave for Scotland after the Norman invasion. She met... Continue Reading →
This church, as probably many others all over the country, has seen decisive events in the history of this nation. A king was crowned within these walls when he was just over a year old; a baby still. The Protestant Church of the Holy Rude (founded at 1129) was the stage where the son of... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
It is the year 1845. Leipzig celebrates the première of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto in E minor, the Glasgow School of Art opens its elaborate doors, “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe is published and anaesthesia is used in childbirth for the first time. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visit Wartburg Castle in Germany.... Continue Reading →
Vision is an essential part of greatness. Being able to see what others can not makes all the difference and even more so, having the courage to see it through. Men and women with such a powerful vision are still remembered long after their death. Alexander Mackenzie was such a daring man with a vision... Continue Reading →
Lindisfarne graveyard on Holy Island, Northumberland, symbolizes centuries of faith and history, overlooking Lindisfarne Priory’s ruins. A significant site since the 7th century, it holds the remains of islanders and clergy. The graveyard fosters reflection and connection to St Cuthbert, attracting visitors seeking inspiration and tranquility amid a sacred legacy.
Bamburgh, with its dramatic coastal setting and rich history, has revealed yet another fascinating chapter of its past. Decades of dedicated research by the Bamburgh Research Project and Durham University, in collaboration with the Bamburgh Castle Estate, have shed light on the lives of Anglo-Saxons who inhabited this area over a thousand years ago. The […]
Grace Darling, born in 1815, became famous for her courageous sea rescue of Forfarshire survivors in 1838. She passed away in 1842 and is buried in Bamburgh, where a monument marks her legacy. Celebrated in literature and art, her story inspires future generations, symbolizing bravery and compassion.
Graveyards of Scotland 
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