View Full Version : strange grave
In a Balachley Churchyard in Acharavich, (maybe that's not the way it's spelt) there is a grave. There is no name on the gravestone, only the words 'This grave must never be openned'
Does anyone have any info on this?
highlander
19-Oct-07, 12:31
Gawd i am pulling my hair out here, i remember hearing about the reason for this but cant remember the story, lets hope someone can shed some light on this or i wont sleep tonight. Grrrrrrrrr
I remember something about that from when I was a bairn. I will ask my parents and see what they can mind. We used to visit people in Ballachly and that cemetery was soooo spooky on a misty or dark night, the older kids used to have us young uns up to high doh :eek:
northener
19-Oct-07, 12:43
I'm intrigued.
Also, I can't find these places on my trusty AA roadmap.
So I'm intrigued and lost.
Maybe the person who died had some very infectious disease.! OR may be an old folk law about being a witch or something like that. Very spooky though, cant wait to find out the real reason....jan x
highlander
19-Oct-07, 13:51
This has been going round and round my head wondering where i read about this, i am sure i read about it on ccws, someone had wrote an article about lay-lines and churches and came across this gravestone, there was some folklore about it, maybe this will jog someone's memory reading about this too.
Maybe the person who died had some very infectious disease.! OR may be an old folk law about being a witch or something like that. Very spooky though, cant wait to find out the real reason....jan x
But surely even if they died of an infectious disease, they would still have a name and date? This is so intriguing. Could it be a vampire - or a weir wolf? the mind boggles!
Didn't know there was standing stones up there - hmm the plot thickens.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/celynog/scotland/achavanich.htm
highlander
19-Oct-07, 13:59
YES!!! this is where i read it, dont know if this is any help but could maybe help you further in your quest
http://www.maknap.com/MysteryTV/places/caithness/articles/ssca_12_more_caithness_mysteries.htm
sassylass
19-Oct-07, 15:26
I've seen that grave and supposed it was written because of plague, but would be interested to know the real reason.
northener
19-Oct-07, 15:30
So where exactly is this graveyard?
Katarina, you have us all curious now.
I too would have guessed that the inscription was for the purpose of trying to contain the spread of an infectious disease, but if that was the case I am sure that it would be a fairly common notation on other graves of the era.
very interesting. We pass there all the time but have never stopped in to look. Will pop by tomorrow when on our way to badbea village. Lots of interesting things and places on your own doorstep.
Scary with the grave, in time for halloween
In a Balachley Churchyard in Acharavich, (maybe that's not the way it's spelt) there is a grave. There is no name on the gravestone, only the words 'This grave must never be openned'
Does anyone have any info on this?
please someone enlighten us all you knowlegable people out there
Mister Squiggle
19-Oct-07, 18:12
It's not that I hang around old graves as a hobby or anything, but out of interest:
(a) where is Achnavarich? I can't find it on my admittedly dodgy map but perhaps someone could describe how to get to it; and
(b) slightly off subject, but I wanted to take my daughter to see the legendary Selkie's grave in Castletown - I thought some Orger might know where the graveyard is? The grave is apparently always wet because she was a selkie ... the kids are fascinated by the story.
Hey mr squiggle the selkie's grave is in the oldest part of the cemetary in castletown, I haven't been there in a few years but i think there is a board on the gate that tells a bit about the story and also where to locate it,if not it is behind the old ruined church in the graveyard,have alook it's not hard to find it honest!There are lots of old graves around about it that have skull and cross bones on them but my memory won't get up to speed right now to give exact locations although I could find it in a second if i went there!half the fun is in the looking though so happy hunting x
It's not that I hang around old graves as a hobby or anything, but out of interest:
(a) where is Achnavarich? I can't find it on my admittedly dodgy map but perhaps someone could describe how to get to it; and
(b) slightly off subject, but I wanted to take my daughter to see the legendary Selkie's grave in Castletown - I thought some Orger might know where the graveyard is? The grave is apparently always wet because she was a selkie ... the kids are fascinated by the story.
It's spelt Achavanich Type it in to google maps to find out where it is exactly
The proper spelling is Ballachly, its is a wee graveyard in a field, the graveyard itself is surrounded by a wall, to get to it, you turn off at Loch Stemster and follow and a dirt track roughly for about 3 miles, you will come to Ballachly farm, and on the left you will see it. The grave itself which should never be opened, it is a family who suffered from cholera. My ancestor is also buried in the graveyard at Ballachly
To get there you either turn onto the road marked "Achavanich" which is just as you leave lybster to the south, or from the Causewaymire, turn off onto the road marked "Lybster". Theres only one loch along the road, and its close to the Causewaymire end, so not hard to miss.
northener
19-Oct-07, 19:30
Thanks for the directions.
Must go and see it.
It's not that I hang around old graves as a hobby or anything, but out of interest:
(a) where is Achnavarich? I can't find it on my admittedly dodgy map but perhaps someone could describe how to get to it; and
(b) slightly off subject, but I wanted to take my daughter to see the legendary Selkie's grave in Castletown - I thought some Orger might know where the graveyard is? The grave is apparently always wet because she was a selkie ... the kids are fascinated by the story.
Best take them on a rainy day, because if the grave isn't wet ..one more childhood belief shot to pieces!:)
kariax
Best take them on a rainy day, because if the grave isn't wet ..one more childhood belief shot to pieces!:)
kariax
The grave is always wet lol even on a hot day, I take it you have never visited it yourself?
The grave is always wet lol even on a hot day, I take it you have never visited it yourself?
If that is true can I suggest that you contact Environmental Health without hesitation.
karia
Why, its local legend and just about everyone who is from Caithness knows about it:confused
I have even been there on a hot day with friends and seen it myself
OLRIG KIRK (http://www.caithness.org/atoz/cemeteries/olrig/index.htm)
On the north-west gable of ruined Kirk are date (1633) and the initials of the then minister David Bruce. A medieval Kirk probably existed on the site before this date and may have been dedicated to St Trothan. Despite very strong influence of the Kirk, superstition and legends abound. The old kirkyard at Olrig is the scene of the tale about the Selkie Woman. Found as a baby swaddled in a sealskin, she was subsequently banished from the kirk as a devil worshipper and ultimately died giving birth to her first child. A small hollow on the stone reputed to cover her grave is said to never dry out
Not denying your veritas Sam!
Just ensuring that you don't catch anything nasty from a leaking sump!:D
The answer may well be provided by the existence of the 'hollow'
I am sure that you have an ongoing interest in such historical matters and will conduct an in depth study..the results of which ..
..we await with interest!:)
karia
your sarcasm becomes you Karia as usual[disgust]
The grave is always wet lol even on a hot day, I take it you have never visited it yourself?
And that's not sarcasm sam?:roll:
I find it sad that you can't hold a debate or discussion without resorting to negative repping folks!
But hey ho!:)
karia
Karia I am not about to take this thread off topic and yes i do find your post sarcastic.[disgust]
I only asked a question, I take it you havent visited the grave or you wouldnt of made the remark you made.
Mister Squiggle
19-Oct-07, 22:27
So, if you see me lurking around Castletown tomorrow with two excited children, you'll know it's me on the Selkie trail ...
The story of the Selkie came up in Thurso High School's "Petermas" production which was brilliant. They did such a magical telling of it.
Just to confirm - do I head up past Castletown primary school towards Olrig House? There's a ruined church opposite the school on the Wick/Castletown road - am I getting warmer?
Karia I am not about to take this thread off topic and yes i do find your post sarcastic.
I only asked a question, I take it you havent visited the grave or you wouldnt of made the remark you made.
Why wouldn't I?:confused
If the grave is always wet..then you must contact Environmental Health.
It is all well and good to enjoy myths and Legends but a grave site that is wet..all year round, is a public health hazard and needs investigation!
People are talking of taking their Kids there for goodness sake!:eek:
My husband was an Environmental Health Officer and I am appalled by your lack of concern.
Karia
if you go up past the school and take the first turning on your right you will go along to the cemetery the grave is in the old part of the cemetery
Mr squiggle,yes you are on the right track,go up past the school and take 1st turning on right then the 1st turning on the left and that's where the oldest part of the cemetary is,there should be a info board on the outside gate x
If it bothers you that much Karia why dont you contact the Environmental Health.
It has been like that for years if it was of that much concern then i think it would of been reported long ago.
northener
19-Oct-07, 22:35
So, if you see me lurking around Castletown tomorrow with two excited children, you'll know it's me on the Selkie trail ...
The story of the Selkie came up in Thurso High School's "Petermas" production which was brilliant. They did such a magical telling of it.
Just to confirm - do I head up past Castletown primary school towards Olrig House? There's a ruined church opposite the school on the Wick/Castletown road - am I getting warmer?
Go up the road past the school towards Olrig house, take the next road turning on your right which you then need to follow on to the turning on the left. Take this turn. You should have the cemetery on your right with the old kirk on your left.
You might want to pop up to "windy haa" as well,the story of the piper of windy haa is a good story and many people swear to have heard him :eek: x
sassylass
20-Oct-07, 04:08
The proper spelling is Ballachly, its is a wee graveyard in a field, the graveyard itself is surrounded by a wall, to get to it, you turn off at Loch Stemster and follow and a dirt track roughly for about 3 miles, you will come to Ballachly farm, and on the left you will see it. The grave itself which should never be opened, it is a family who suffered from cholera. My ancestor is also buried in the graveyard at Ballachly
That's the place. Last time I was there it was overgrown and surrounded by nettles, also the gate was almost completely rusted. Better take heavy gloves. The unsettling part is there was bits of cloth poking up through the ground, that's when I got spooked :eek:. I did hear it was cleared up quite a lot and I'm glad, as I also have relatives there.
I think whether the grave needs to ber reported to environmental health is a wee bit too PC?
If its been that way for years then why stop it now?
Have never visited it myself but certainly sounds interesting, next time i fancy a wee jaunt in the car I will be there.
I better be quick before it is surrounded by a 10ft security wall and massive signs in 50 languages telling you "its wet" :)
northener
20-Oct-07, 09:16
Karia, I know what you're concerned about, but if my memory serves me correctly, the water collects in a hollow in the slab as opposed to leaching out of the ground. Also, the cemetery has not been used for aeons now and is in a remote rural location.
Going off at a slight tangent, I notice the council have seen the light and removed all those ridiculous wooden fences around anything over 2ft high in our local cemetery.
Is this one of those rare victories for common sense over jobsworths?
The proper spelling is Ballachly, its is a wee graveyard in a field, the graveyard itself is surrounded by a wall, to get to it, you turn off at Loch Stemster and follow and a dirt track roughly for about 3 miles, you will come to Ballachly farm, and on the left you will see it. The grave itself which should never be opened, it is a family who suffered from cholera. My ancestor is also buried in the graveyard at Ballachly
So is that the mystery solved was it Cholera ?
This might be of some help
http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=181 (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=181)
As sassy says, we have relatives buried at Ballachly. It's a beautiful location, especially in the mist, and well worth a drive out to see it. Seems to me we climbed over a gate, scared a few sheep accidently, beat down nettles as high as our waist and lifted a rusty gate completely off its hinges. sassy got spooked when she saw clothing bits on the ground, and i got spooked when i saw gun cartridges all over. we think someone used it as a hunting blind.
Very interested in why that grave says never to be opened, and odd that there is no name or date. -Helen
Welcomefamily
21-Oct-07, 00:04
I have to go and have a look, I like things like that
According to my dad the "grave never to be opened" was indeed a family who died of some disease, and they were afraid the disease might come back if it was opened, but also that it was the end of a family line, and they didnt want anyone else to use the grave.
If it was the end of a line then surely the family name would have been on it as well? More likely to be a disease of some sort I would've thought.
An overview of a report from the Statistical Account for the Parish of Latheron 1791-99 by the Rev. Mr Robert Gun
It started in late autumn of 1766.
A local girl named Jamesina Norland was the first to go. She a simple girl and suffered fits from an early age. Working with her father and mother on their farm, they had grown to understand her form of speech or perhaps her form of communication would be a better description.
It was not unusual for her to wonder off during the day and return late at night, soaking wet and freezing cold. More than once she had been returned by the local minister after he found her slumped asleep in the parish church.
Late one evening she had returned to the house in a state of aggravated derangement. She hauled a large stone with her and refused to let it go. It took her parents and two of the farm hands to finally subdue her.
First it was a few of the lambs. Then 4 or 5 ewes would go missing each week. Torn and blood stained wool started becoming a common sight. Rumours of a large, ravenous wolf spread through the county. Fleeting glimpses, shadows, strange sounds and a faint whiff of death had the children dreaming of blood-stained canines and the parents propping logs against the inside of their doors at night.
It didn’t take long for the stone that Jamesina had returned with to be recognized as being one of the smaller stones from the local “field of stones.” Local legend had it that the field of stones was an ancient prison for an evil creature. The positioning of the stones was different from most others of its type. Many in the community now held that by the idiot girl’s removal of the stone it had released something terrible.
One night Jamesina didn’t return. Her remains were found strewn around the “field of stones.”
A young farm-hand by the name of William (Willie) Sutherland seemed without fear of the unnatural plague that had attached itself to community. He set about spending his time with the goal of catching or killing the creature.
To cut a long story short, after several months of being unsuccessful in his bid, he enlisted the help of a local stone mason.
The stone mason had created a stone crypt, more by way of practice than for a practical use, which had lain outside his bothy for several years.
A hole was dug in the ground, the open crypt facing upwards in the hole was the snare that would do for the creature. Within the vault William Sutherland had laid a small circle of stones in the likeness of the “field of stones.”
Again there was zero success until Young Willie Sutherland used himself as the bait.
What exactly happened on that terrible night can never be known. Those who were there would never speak of it again. It is thought that the stone mason himself closed the sarcophagi in that awful moment, entrapping William Sutherland and whatever evil lay within. Unreasoning screams were heard throughout the area, and the crypt was buried on that very night right were it lay.
The stonemason marked the grave site with the words “This Grave Never To Be Opened.”
(All of the above is completely fictional and manufactured for your amusement.)
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript
highlander
23-Oct-07, 18:06
Thank very much saveman for finding that story, so interesting but also very scary to think of that happening.
If it was the end of a line then surely the family name would have been on it as well? More likely to be a disease of some sort I would've thought.
No, disease was everywhere in those days but graves marked not to be opened are rare. I don't know about this grave but I've come across it before done at the request of the deceased.
My guess would be that the last of the line bought the grave and the stone before he died and left money with the stone mason for an inscription to be put on after his death and that for some reason the stone mason didn't or couldn't complete the job, I've come across that before as well. If there were no living relatives there wouldn't be anyone to make sure the grave got an inscription.
helenwyler
23-Oct-07, 18:57
(All of the above is completely fictional and manufactured for your amusement.)
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript
Hehehe!
Nice one Savemann[lol]!
Proving once again that it is important to read the small print!;)
karia
Margaret M.
23-Oct-07, 19:27
And very amusing it was, Saveman! :)
highlander
23-Oct-07, 19:31
Saveman i want my good rep back lol, gawd talk about one born everyday you got me hook, line and sinker there lol just goes to show alwaysssssssssss read the small print!! (now i am going to slounk in a corner and cringe) LOL
Dog-eared
23-Oct-07, 20:05
To find the Selkies grave.
Take the side road down past Castletown school and go towards Olrig hill, turn first right, then first left at the new cemetery and the old cemetery is further on at the left.
The roadside here has lots of wild garlic. Small but strong!
Nice stone collection container inside L of gate.
Take the path straight on through the graves and go around to the left of the roofless chapel.
The selkies grave is in the middle of this area at the side of the chapel.
Its a flat stone with a rectangular hole cut in it.
Its always wet and smells strangely of fish. :eek:
thebigman
23-Oct-07, 23:07
Why wouldn't I?:confused
If the grave is always wet..then you must contact Environmental Health.
It is all well and good to enjoy myths and Legends but a grave site that is wet..all year round, is a public health hazard and needs investigation!
People are talking of taking their Kids there for goodness sake!:eek:
My husband was an Environmental Health Officer and I am appalled by your lack of concern.
Karia
I suspect that an EHo might just take a wander up to the graveyard the next time he's in Castletown.
The proper spelling is Ballachly, its is a wee graveyard in a field, the graveyard itself is surrounded by a wall, to get to it, you turn off at Loch Stemster and follow and a dirt track roughly for about 3 miles, you will come to Ballachly farm, and on the left you will see it. The grave itself which should never be opened, it is a family who suffered from cholera. My ancestor is also buried in the graveyard at Ballachly
I went there to have a look but when i got to the loch it has a sign saying "authorised vehicles only" so never went up there just in case. Was that the right track?
thebigman
24-Oct-07, 15:33
The orgers and Selkie can rest in peace. The Selkie's grave is no wetter then any others in the old graveyard so unless all the deceased in Castletown in the 1800's were having unnatural relations wi seals it's an early urban myth about the moisture content.
sassylass
25-Oct-07, 01:11
I went there to have a look but when i got to the loch it has a sign saying "authorised vehicles only" so never went up there just in case. Was that the right track?
You would pass the loch, but I don't recall a sign. Either we did not heed it, or they put it up after ht and I scared the sheep :eek:
What a wasted day I have just had!!!!
Went to achnavanich, went about 2 miles up a road that was like the surface of the moon to be greeted by sheep and 2 massive heilan coo's wi horns!!!!.
Decided to turn back down after one of them spoke to the other in a very gruff gaelic twang something about "dinner".Drove my wee xsara (which by now thought it was a 4x4)down said mountainous road avoiding the snipers from the hilltops.
Bad start to my day.
Decide "hey lets go to the selkie instead"maybe our luck will change.WRONG :(
Drove over causewaymire, through gillock towards Castletown.
Found the graveyard no problem, but......................
Couldnt find the grave!!!!!!!
I must just be unlucky was gonna take pics and post here but my days of Grave hunting are over!! :)
Hope all the orgers out there enjoy my tale of woe!!!!!!!
Poor Hotrod!It isn't hard to find the selkie's grave,you must have just overlooked it somehow :( You should have gone yesterday when the EHO was there he would have shown you where it was ;) x
Poor Hotrod!It isn't hard to find the selkie's grave,you must have just overlooked it somehow :( You should have gone yesterday when the EHO was there he would have shown you where it was ;) x
Surely your joking about an EHO being there?
Please tell me your joking? If so looks like hundreds of years of Tales and stories might be gone 4ever, hope not.
The Selkie's grave can only be located by those who enjoy the music of Seal.
"....so you want.......to be free...."
The Selkie's grave can only be located by those who enjoy the music of Seal.
"....so you want.......to be free...."
[i]..No were never gonna see selkie, unless..................we get a little crazy[i]
So thats what that song was all about :)
Surely your joking about an EHO being there?
Please tell me your joking? If so looks like hundreds of years of Tales and stories might be gone 4ever, hope not.
I kid you not Hotrod,he was up a wee looky after reading about it on the thread :) x
thebigman
25-Oct-07, 23:00
Aye he was. He picks up a lot of info lurking about on here :-)
You would pass the loch, but I don't recall a sign. Either we did not heed it, or they put it up after ht and I scared the sheep :eek:
I might have seen a sign but am pretty sure it didnt mean us lol. We had come too far to miss the chance. Besides, our mother used to say, Act now and apologise later. (I apologise to the sheep that sassy shooed off the road.)
northener
26-Dec-07, 13:26
Walked up to the graveyard yesterday morning (Xmas day), we couldn't have picked a better day.
Sharp frost, clear blue skies and views for miles.
Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to clear up the graveyard. All the trees have been cut down and the overgrown ground cut back.
The grave was very easy to find, and because it was covered in frost, the inscription stood out as though it had been written in the ice. I also noticed that at the very bottom of the stone next to this one, the words "do not remove" were clearly visible.
.
I would love to go see this but am too much of a coward :(
northener
26-Dec-07, 15:55
I would love to go see this but am too much of a coward :(
Go there!
It's a lovely 20 minute walk from the layby at Achavanich Stones and there's absolutely nothing 'spooky' about the setting. In fact, it's rather a sad place.
I will see if I can find someone to come with me, I watched to many horror films as a teenager to be in anyway rational about graves with unusual markings or words :(
danc1ngwitch
26-Dec-07, 16:51
An overview of a report from the Statistical Account for the Parish of Latheron 1791-99 by the Rev. Mr Robert Gun
It started in late autumn of 1766.
A local girl named Jamesina Norland was the first to go. She a simple girl and suffered fits from an early age. Working with her father and mother on their farm, they had grown to understand her form of speech or perhaps her form of communication would be a better description.
It was not unusual for her to wonder off during the day and return late at night, soaking wet and freezing cold. More than once she had been returned by the local minister after he found her slumped asleep in the parish church.
Late one evening she had returned to the house in a state of aggravated derangement. She hauled a large stone with her and refused to let it go. It took her parents and two of the farm hands to finally subdue her.
First it was a few of the lambs. Then 4 or 5 ewes would go missing each week. Torn and blood stained wool started becoming a common sight. Rumours of a large, ravenous wolf spread through the county. Fleeting glimpses, shadows, strange sounds and a faint whiff of death had the children dreaming of blood-stained canines and the parents propping logs against the inside of their doors at night.
It didn’t take long for the stone that Jamesina had returned with to be recognized as being one of the smaller stones from the local “field of stones.” Local legend had it that the field of stones was an ancient prison for an evil creature. The positioning of the stones was different from most others of its type. Many in the community now held that by the idiot girl’s removal of the stone it had released something terrible.
One night Jamesina didn’t return. Her remains were found strewn around the “field of stones.”
A young farm-hand by the name of William (Willie) Sutherland seemed without fear of the unnatural plague that had attached itself to community. He set about spending his time with the goal of catching or killing the creature.
To cut a long story short, after several months of being unsuccessful in his bid, he enlisted the help of a local stone mason.
The stone mason had created a stone crypt, more by way of practice than for a practical use, which had lain outside his bothy for several years.
A hole was dug in the ground, the open crypt facing upwards in the hole was the snare that would do for the creature. Within the vault William Sutherland had laid a small circle of stones in the likeness of the “field of stones.”
Again there was zero success until Young Willie Sutherland used himself as the bait.
What exactly happened on that terrible night can never be known. Those who were there would never speak of it again. It is thought that the stone mason himself closed the sarcophagi in that awful moment, entrapping William Sutherland and whatever evil lay within. Unreasoning screams were heard throughout the area, and the crypt was buried on that very night right were it lay.
The stonemason marked the grave site with the words “This Grave Never To Be Opened.”
(All of the above is completely fictional and manufactured for your amusement.)
http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp/?monospace=&twoup=&nohighlight=&account=1&transcript
loved it :eek:
In line with the theme,I seem to mind seeing a referance to a headstone that said-he never killed anyone who dident need killing.Makes you wonder.
Walked up to the graveyard yesterday morning (Xmas day), we couldn't have picked a better day.
Sharp frost, clear blue skies and views for miles.
Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to clear up the graveyard. All the trees have been cut down and the overgrown ground cut back.
The grave was very easy to find, and because it was covered in frost, the inscription stood out as though it had been written in the ice. I also noticed that at the very bottom of the stone next to this one, the words "do not remove" were clearly visible.
.
Oh, it sounds so beautiful! Wish I'd been there to see it too. Someone told me that the graveyard would be cleared up nicely, very glad they've done it. When I was there in summer, the overgrowth was so rank, we were crawling under and over branches. Thanks for posting the pic. -H
A story in last weeks Groat with picture reporting that Iain Sutherland and a group had recently been cleaning up Ballachy Graveyard
Bill Fernie
27-Dec-07, 09:48
Walked up to the graveyard yesterday morning (Xmas day), we couldn't have picked a better day.
Sharp frost, clear blue skies and views for miles.
Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to clear up the graveyard. All the trees have been cut down and the overgrown ground cut back.
The grave was very easy to find, and because it was covered in frost, the inscription stood out as though it had been written in the ice. I also noticed that at the very bottom of the stone next to this one, the words "do not remove" were clearly visible.
.
The graveyard at Ballachly was recently given a tidy up by Iain Sutherland (the former chairman of Wick Heritage Society) and a band of volunteers. He has already done other graveyards and is steadily moving through the county tidying them up. As usual Iain is just getting on with things without any fundraising or great campaigns as he did with the Trinkie and the North Baths that was put back in order a couple of years ago. He is always happy to have as few helpers as we have seen in the past he is relentless once he starts on a project. He is once again showing that if the will is there you can do anything to improve things. Such task as clearing up all the old grave yards in the county would certainly be too big a project for many. There was an article in a recent John O'Groat Journal on his latest quest.
All I can say is thanks to Iain and all his helpers for making it possible to get into and see round these places that were becoming over-grown.
northener
27-Dec-07, 15:15
The graveyard at Ballachly was recently given a tidy up by Iain Sutherland (the former chairman of Wick Heritage Society) and a band of volunteers. He has already done other graveyards and is steadily moving through the county tidying them up. As usual Iain is just getting on with things without any fundraising or great campaigns as he did with the Trinkie and the North Baths that was put back in order a couple of years ago. He is always happy to have as few helpers as we have seen in the past he is relentless once he starts on a project. He is once again showing that if the will is there you can do anything to improve things. Such task as clearing up all the old grave yards in the county would certainly be too big a project for many. There was an article in a recent John O'Groat Journal on his latest quest.
All I can say is thanks to Iain and all his helpers for making it possible to get into and see round these places that were becoming over-grown.
Yup, well done Iain & co!
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....is there an expiry date on the stone? (Just joking) Perhaps the poor soul was worried about grave robbers who would remove his remains for anatomical study at the Aberdeen Medical School
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