Introduction

St. Devenick-on-the-Hill was one of the earliest “Free Kirk” churches established after the Disruption of 1843, being built as early as 1844. Unusually for a Free Kirk, it also had its own burial ground, with the earliest burials dating from the 1850s. The burial ground is still in occasional use, although the church has been converted into a domestic residence. A first draft reading of St. Devenick’s was made some years ago. With the prospect of the June 2008 “Graveyard Picnic” to Portlethen being over-subscribed, the opportunity was taken to re-map the kirkyard, so that an “Expeditionary Force” could be diverted to check the readings and add any new stones. In 2008 some previously unrecorded stones were found, including a couple of recent burials, so publication was temporarily delayed, but a further visit in June 2013 established that in the intervening 5 years there had been just 2 new stones erected, and additions made to the inscriptions of just half a dozen of the existing stones. It was therefore decided that, while the booklet could be rendered technically incomplete within months of completion, the balance of advantage was with publication. Gavin Bell