Claymore Project

Balquhidder Old Kirk and graveyard is in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. It is a traditional burial place of Clan MacLaren and there are memorials to Rob Roy MacGregor, his wife and two of his sons, and the grave of Isobel Kirk, the first wife of 17th century “fairy minister” Rev. Robert Kirk.                              

Fergussons, MacIntyres and Stewarts were also buried here and somewhere, location unknown, lies Alexander Stewart of Glenbuckie. Glenbuckie’s death by a musket shot to the head while he was staying at a house near Callander, during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, remains a mystery to this day.            

The Old Kirk was built  in 1631, most likely over the remains of an earlier medieval church. It was replaced by the present parish church in 1855, and is now a picturesque ruin.  According to tradition, Christianity was  brought to the area by St Angus, although his origins remain obscure. The presence of carved stones with Christian symbolism suggests that there has been a religious site here since the early medieval period.  The tradition of worship in the area around the Old Kirk, however, may be even older.  There is a knoll above the modern parish church, Tom nan Aingeal, which is often translated as hill of brightness or light, and this may have been where sacred fires were lit during the Celtic festivals of Beltane (1 May) and Samhain (1 November). 

The aim of the Balquhidder Graveyard Claymore Project is to locate and identify pre-1800s grave-slabs, and to use photogrammetry (3D modelling) to provide a more detailed record of carved symbols and inscriptions. A key objective is to communicate the results of the project in ways that make them accessible to both the community and visitors, and to compile a digital and paper archive which will be of value to future research and will enhance our knowledge of this special place.

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