Battle of Falkirk, 22nd July 1298 This is the grave if Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll who died a hero’s death in the Battle of Falkirk where he had fought alongside Sir John de Graeme (buried a few metres away) and William Wallace who never got a burial at all. Sir John commanded the Scottish Archers that... Continue Reading →
The Hart Stone The Hart Stone is a heartbreaking testimony to the harsh and often deadly conditions in the time of the Jacobite Rising in Scotland. Romantically portrayed in Diana Gabbaldon’s novels and Outlander, but these times were not easy to survive in, especially when there was no nurse from the future attending the sick.... Continue Reading →
This graveyard is a very peaceful one, snuggling between the river and the old town of Callander, the Parish church is long gone. But there is a small building in the old graveyard wall, that tells a gruesome story. Not by day but by night. Callander old kirkyard once was haunted by very creepy... Continue Reading →
The drowning of a young shepherd and his brother at Gripdyke, Lochlee. The first body to be interred in the graveyard of the new church of Lochlee was the Rev Inglis‘ mother in 1808. Many deaths followed, a few still very vividly remembered in the area for their futility and tragic circumstances. It is always... Continue Reading →
S coma nair no àit' ar n-eung dhuinn 'S greadhnachas gun fheum ar tòrraidh. The time or place of our death doesn' t matter, since happiness doesn' t need a funeral. Bàrdachd Mhgr. Ailein. The Gaelic Poems of Fr Allan MacDonald. Transcribed, translated and published by John Lorne Campbell; 1965
Here snug in a grave my wife doth lie, She is at rest, and so am I, Who for beneath this stone doth rest Has joined the army oft he blest. The lord has taken her to the sky; The Saints rejoice, and so do I Tears cannot restore her, therefore I cry. Raymond Lamont-Brown:... Continue Reading →
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 →
But what if it wasn’t?? This is the story of Donald Robertson who died at the age of 63 and was put to rest at Cross Kirk Cemetery in Eshaness on Shetland. So far there is nothing sinister or intriguing about the story. It was the year 1848, a time for fascinating discoveries in medicine,... Continue Reading →
Urns were en vogue in the 19th century, not only in Scottish graveyards. It was common in the United States to decorate the grave with an urn. These urns were quite independent from the crematory aspect as they rarely contained ashes but were used as symbols only. An urn is reverential, sombre, elegant and has... Continue Reading →
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