Quite apart from the throbbing life of Strathpeffer lies Kinettas graveyard, an old burial ground on the fringe of town. There must have been a church here at one time, but no traces remain. It was probably one of the Culdee order, an old Celtic order that slowly disappeared as orders from the continent were introduced into Scotland. But there is no documentation to prove that theory to be correct.
This stone marks a burial place of importance. Who the deceased was will remain unknown forever. He or she was buried about 1.500 years ago in rural Aberdeenshire. There is nothing spectacular to his place but it is remarkable in many ways. Standing stones rarely mark burial spots. Most of them have been moved to... 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 →
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 →
The cross might have been the very first symbol man used. A line and another line crossing it – a saltire (the Scottish flag to this day); like a cross to mark a spot or to draw attention to something. The cross must have been the first stage of written communication man has developed. A... Continue Reading →
Graveyards of Scotland 
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