PHOTOS: Dramatic transformation of ancient graveyard of the Grants of Shewglie in Drumnadrochit with spectacular views along Loch Ness - with incredible report from a funeral in 1825 from the Inverness Courier
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AN ancient graveyard with links across the globe has been restored.
The Cnocan Burraidh, which houses the graves of the Grants of Shewglie, has been transformed from its dilapidated state into a place of interest for locals and visitors.
Cllr David Fraser, who worked with a team of people on the project, said the restoration was testament to community determination to bring the resting place back into its former glory.
The land that the cemetery is on measures 40ft by 40ft and everyone buried in the plot has a link back to James Grant 3rd of Shewglie who died in 1689.
On Saturday November 13 a ceremony to mark completion of the restoration on the Cnocan Burraidh burial ground in Drumnadrochit was held.
The service started with a prayer by the Rev Allan Maclean as not only was this the burial ground for the Grants of Shewglie it is set in an area where there had been Christian churches for over 1,000 years, stretching back to the time of Saint Marstaig.
Duncan Macdonald, president of the Glenurquhart Heritage Group, thanked everyone who had played a part in the heritage project, not just repairing and restoring the walls, railing and central monument but capturing the long history of the site and its people.
Mr Macdonald told the gathered crowd of about 40 - 50 people, that the crowd was well short of the first time the Inverness Courier reported from Cnocan Burraidh.
In April 1825 the Courier reported on the funeral of Colonel Hugh Grant of Moy, the report read: "The obsequies [funeral] of the late Colonel Grant of Moy were recently celebrated in Glen-Urquhart it may be noticed as another lingering instance of a genuine Highland funeral, besides the gentlemen who attended from all parts of the country it is calculated that about 4000 Highlanders were assembled, chiefly from Kintail, Strathglass, Glenmoriston and Glen-Urquhart.
"The quantity of whisky expended on this occasion is variously estimated. As most of our readers are tolerable judges of Highland capacities when excited by zeal it is data sufficient to mention that the whole funeral train were according to their own ideas comfortable.
"The gentlemen who rode off the scene of action late in the evening give a very ludicrous account of the appearance of the field, the first return of killed wounded and missing was truly alarming, we are glad to hear from subsequent accounts that only one individual, a native of Abriachan was immolated to the manes of the Colonel.
"The wounded have recovered and the missing have been found.
"One of those last, having slumbered out the night of the funeral and the whole of the succeeding day and night, awoke at a late hour on the third day, and found himself cradled under the falls of Divach, in a situation to which no sober person would have clambered, much less have chosen for a place of repose."
Chris Grant, a major donor to the project, then gave a brief history of the Grants of Shewglie, from their time of ownership of Urquhart Castle in the early 1500's through.
He mentioned Patrick Grant of Lochletter a Jacobite soldier who fought and survived the battles of Preston Pans, Falkirk and Culloden.
Mr Grant is currently writing a book about the betrayal following Culloden of the 80 men from Glen Urquhart and Glenmoriston by the Chief of the Grant Clan. Chris then explained how the Grants had senior positions in the Honourable East India Company at a time when it was one of the biggest companies in the world.
This is how they funded the cemetery and its marble monument.
Cllr David Fraser, who remembers playing in the graveyard as a boy, thanked all the helpers and funders and outlined the next steps which will include interpretation panels and a community presentation of a series of short films that have been made telling some of the stories.
He said: "The influence of the people buried here covers the Jacobite battles, the development of the British Empire in India, ownership of many local houses such as Shewglie, Lochletter, Bearnock, Hazelbrae and Polmaily as well as the Kessock Ferry and Redcastle.
"There are links to Australia, the Back Hole of Culcutta, the Napoleonic Wards and newspaper ownership including The Sun at a time when Charles Dickens was a reporter.
"More recent history included senior positions in a tea plantation, early electric car manufacture, the Garden City movement, National Savings scheme and head of the army in Scotland when WW2 broke out."
This was followed by a talk from Rev Allan Maclean about the work done by his parents in recording all the details on the graves, this essential work was carried out in the 1980s and without it some wording would have been lost forever.
Councillor Margaret Davidson thanked all involved and invited everyone to enter the cemetery and see the work that had been undertaken.
