Introduction

The ancient and picturesque kirkyard of Kildrummy has long attracted the attentions of antiquarians and family historians. The earliest to go into print was Alexander Laing, whose “Donean Tourist”, a rather ramblimg compendium of history, legend and topography, published in 1828, includes a few epitaphs from Kildrummy. Half a century later, he was followed by Andrew Jervise, who includes information on just under 30 stones in the first volume of his “Epitaphs and Inscriptions”. And in 1897, Sir William Fraser, in “Elphinstone Family Book of the Lords Elphinstone, Balmerino and Coupar Volume 1 – Memoirs” gave versions of inscriptions in the Elphinstone Aisle. In more recent times, an incomplete version of the memorial inscriptions of Kildrummy was produced by Sheila Spiers, and this was later partly overhauled by Alison Philip. Finally, the kirkyard was taken in hand by Allan Hepburn, who re-surveyed every stone and has produced a definitive version of every inscription which is still in any way readable in the old kirkyard. Many stones in the ancient kirkyard are now, unfortunately, eroded or flaked beyond the point at which anything useful can be made out, and some have disappeared entirely. In such cases, we have supplemented the actual readings with versions from one or other of the above transcriptions. This booklet also includes stones in the first extension to the kirkyard, which appears to have come into use in the early 1900s, and where only occasional burials now occur. Most burials are now in the second extension, whose inscriptions are not included in the present publication. Gavin Bell MI Co-ordinator