Screen wall and gatepiers, Innes Bhuidhe, Killin

Screen wall and gatepiers, Clan Macnab Burial Ground, Inchbuie, Killin

This important burial ground occupies a spectacular location on an island in the Dochart River, dating probably largely from the late 18th century, though situated on a site with ancient origins. The composition reflects contemporary Romanticist ideals and is carefully conceived as a ceremonial approach to the burial place of the Macnab Clan chiefs.

Access from the Bridge of Dochart is marked by a pair of large rubble piers with ball finials. Beyond these stands a rubble screen wall spanning the island, featuring three segmental archways with the largest in the centre, creating a processional approach before the burial ground itself is reached.

The burial place, which may date from the early 18th century, is situated at the far end of the island and consists of a near-square rubble enclosure open to the elements. The south elevation contains 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 representing Neish's or savages, which form part of the Clan crest and the arms of the Chief. Within the enclosure are 15 graves, nine of them belonging to clan chiefs, including an apparently medieval slab effigy and a grave for Finlay Maknab (died 1573-4). Additional graves are situated just outside the enclosure.

The central part of the island is a Scheduled Ancient Monument believed to contain two prehistoric forts. The timing of Inchbuie's initial use as a burial place is unclear, though burials may have occurred from the medieval period onwards. The formalisation of the island with its processional pathway, screen wall and enclosure appears to have been created in the late 18th century in response to Highland Romanticism. Dorothy Wordsworth visited in 1814 and was impressed by the site, describing it as "altogether uncommon and romantic - a remnant of ancient grandeur: extreme natural wildness - the sound of roaring water". Early drawings show the island without its present tree cover, making the burial place far more prominent than it appears today.