When at the end of the Second World War the United States of America and the Russian Federation divided the Japanese occupied Korea into North and South, the conflict was by no means at an end. North Korea, with the authorisation of Josef Stalin, invaded South Korea to bring the south under communist rule. The... Continue Reading →
Killin Old Kirkyard is not in use anymore, the last burial took place in March 1994. Then the graveyard was closed; no more bodies to be interred here. On the banks of the River Lochy, behind the Killin Hotel, Killin graveyard is entered through an old gate. Sometimes hotel staff sneak out here for... Continue Reading →
The name Ollaberry derives from Old Norse Olarfsberg, the hill of Olaf. It is a small settlement on the Northmavine peninsula of Shetland Mainland, the land north of the isthmus Mavis Grind. Northmavind offers spectacular views. There is arable land around Ollaberry but the sea still is and always has been both livelihood and death... Continue Reading →
There are a number of burial plots for just one family in Scotland and Leckine is one of them. Situated on the land that belonged to the MacLarens of Ardveich for centuries it has been the burial ground for generations that lived in the area around Lochearnhead. Leckine burial ground is not easy to find,... Continue Reading →
morthouse A morthouse (the name implies it) houses the dead, but only for a short period of time. In the days of body-snatcher and resurrectionists (19th century) who would dig up freshly buried courses to sell them for good profit to surgeons for clinical studies, they were a means of protecting the dead. They were... Continue Reading →
In an vault underneath Lie several of the Saunderses Late of this parish - particulars The last day will disclose. Amen. Raymond Lamont-Brown: Scottish Epitaphs. Edinburgh, Chambers; 1990
In the late 18th century the element Strontium was discovered here, in Ardnamurchan in the tiny Scottish village Strontian, hence the name. The place-name is of Gaelic origin, Sròn an t-Sìthein, meaning nose or point of the fairy hill which makes the chemical element strontium the only one with a Scottish Gaelic etymology. It is therefore... Continue Reading →
The Lindsays were a very popular family in the 15th century, influential with substantial property in Angus and the Mearns. For generations they were locked in a feud with the Ogilvies and their supporters. But the Lindsays had an even more powerful enemy – the King. tiger and king James II of Scotland was monarch... Continue Reading →
Place names of Shetland are almost all Norwegian in origin. Local boats descend from Viking built ships, Shetland belonged to Norway for centuries in the past. The Norwegian connection is strong. Particularly in Lunna churchyard. A tall building towers above the small graveyard by the edge of the sea. Lunna House dates back to 1663 and... Continue Reading →
Shakespeare’s sonnet Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? is all-encompassing, expressing love and evanescence, life and death. A more than apt poem for a beautiful graveyard on sunny Scottish summer’s day: Dervaig burial ground. And summer’s lease hath all too short a date The temptation of monochrome is easily desisted... 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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