Burial Ground Of The Macnabs, Innes Bhuidhe, Killin

Burial Ground of the Macnabs, Innes Bhuidhe, Killin

This important burial ground of the Macnab Clan is located on an island in the Dochart River, probably dating largely from the late 18th century, though the site has ancient origins. The location is spectacularly positioned and reflects contemporary Romanticist ideals. Access from the Bridge of Dochart is marked by a pair of large rubble piers with ball finials, followed by passage through a rubble screen wall spanning the island with three segmental archways, the largest at the centre. This arrangement creates the effect of a ceremonial procession leading to the burial ground. The composition represents a carefully conceived design set on a historically significant site, making it not only important to Clan history but also arguably the epitome of its type, clearly distinguished from contemporary burial grounds.

The burial place itself, which may date from the early 18th century, stands at the far end of the island and consists of a near-square rubble enclosure open to the elements. There are no openings except on the south elevation, which has a central gated entrance flanked by a pair of segmentally arched openings. Atop the centre of the walls to the west and east are two stone heads of Neish's or savages, which form part of the Clan crest and the arms of the Chief. The enclosure contains 15 graves, nine of them clan chiefs, including an apparently medieval slab effigy. A grave for Finlay Maknab (died 1573-4) is located within. A number of graves are also situated just outside the enclosure.

The central part of the island is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, believed to contain two prehistoric forts. The date when Inchbuie was first used as a burial place is unclear. Burials may have taken place here from the medieval period onwards, but the formalisation of the island with its processional pathway, screen wall and enclosure appears to have been created in the late 18th century as a response to Highland Romanticism. Dorothy Wordsworth was impressed by the site in 1814, describing it as "altogether uncommon and romantic - a remnant of ancient grandeur: extreme natural wildness - the sound of roaring water, and withal, the ordinary half-village, half-town bustle of an everyday place". Early drawings show the island without its present tree cover, making the burial place far more visible than it is today.