Kilmuir Cemetery

No visit to Trotternish should be without a visit to the beautiful Kilmuir Cemetery. Just 7 miles north of Uig on the A855 you can combine it with a visit to the Skye Museum for Island Life . The museum is currently closed due to Covid-19 but we’ll be making a visit when it reopens. Perhaps take the opportunity to visit the Kilvaxter Souterrain first instead.

Access at Kilmuir Cemetery

There is a gravel footpath which runs alongside the road between the Skye Museum and Kilmuir Cemetery. You can park at one and walk to the other or vice versa. Alternatively you can park easily at either end. Kilmuir’s new cemetery is level access with level gravel paths so is relatively easy to navigate. The original cemetery is much harder to get around. To be honest you need to be able to manage half a dozen steps with a handrail and cope with uneven ground.

Why visit Kilmuir Cemetery?

The cemetery at Kilmuir has amazing views over The Minch, a peaceful sanctuary for reflection and remembrance. In 2010 after the tragic death of Fashion Designer Alexander McQueen his ashes were scattered in the newer cemetery at Kilmuir. A very striking headstone was erected, he was back home on his Father’s island of birth. Despite being born in London McQueen stayed true to his father’s Skye roots. You could often see the Scottish influences in his collections.

Across the road in the older cemetery the history goes back a few more centuries but is nonetheless intriguing. The imposing Celtic Cross which dominates the skyline is the headstone for Flora MacDonald.

Who was Flora MacDonald?

Flora MacDonald was know for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape from Scotland in 1746. This was after the Jacobites were defeated at the Battle of Culloden. Bonnie Prince Charlie had led the second Jacobite uprising to defeat King George II in 1745 but ultimately failed. He fled from the battlefield in Culloden, arriving in South Uist after 2 months on the run. It was here in South Uist he met Flora MacDonald. Her family had fought for King George so Flora was a surprising ally for Charlie.

With the Prince disguised as Betty Burke, an Irish spinning maid. They set sail in a small boat from Benbecula on 27th June 1746, not to the mainland but to Skye, landing in Kilmuir at what is today called Rudha Phrionnsa (Prince’s Point). They hid overnight in a cottage, then the Prince was able to get a boat to the island of Raasay and from there, passage back to France. Charles is said to have presented Flora with a locket containing his portrait. They never met again. Charles died in Rome on 31 January 1788.

The turbulent life of Flora MacDonald.

When news of the escape broke, Flora was arrested. Firstly she was imprisoned at Dunstaffnage Castle, Oban and then briefly in the Tower of London. She was released in 1747 and returned to Scotland. In 1750 she married Allan MacDonald and her fame was spreading. In 1773 she was visited by the celebrated poet and critic Samuel Johnson. Later in 1774 the family emigrated to North Carolina with their elder children, leaving the younger ones behind in Scotland. They arrived in the New World as the American Revolution was starting up and like many Highlanders, took the side of the British. Flora’s husband Allan joined a regiment of Royal Highland Emigrants. He was captured at the battle of Moore’s Creek. Flora was forced into hiding while the American rebels destroyed the family plantation and she lost everything.

In 1779 Flora returned with her daughter to Dunvegan Castle here on Skye. Flora’s adventures continued on this journey. The ship she was travelling on was attacked by French privateers. It is said that she refused to go below during the fighting and was wounded in the arm. In 1783, newly released, her husband Allan followed her back to Scotland. Flora MacDonald died on 5th March 1790 and is buried at Kilmuir on Skye, her body wrapped in a sheet in which Bonnie Prince Charlie had slept. Samuel Johnson’s tribute to her is engraved on her memorial:

‘Flora MacDonald. Preserver of Prince Charles Edward Stuart. Her name will be mentioned in history and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honour.’

Other Headstones of note as you walk around the cemetery

Perhaps the most interesting historic feature is the Maclean Burial Enclosure, notable for the date 1793 on the lintel. Look for the gravestone to Dr John MacLean. Perhaps the most interesting grave marker is a late medieval effigy of Angus Martin, or ‘Angus of the Wind’, The nickname came from his habit of going to sea no matter what the weather. Martin is said to have married a Danish princess.

The cemetery is also the burial place of the MacArthurs, pipers for the MacDonalds of Duntulm. Look for the grave slab to Charles MacArthur, the last hereditary piper. The epitaph is unfinished, supposedly because MacArthur’s son, who was paying for the work, drowned before it was completed and the mason stopped work.

Take your time and carefully explore both sides of the cemetery The detailed stonework and ageing headstone are a beautiful sight to behold. Pause for a moment to drink in the view and have a little bit of time to reflect before heading back out into the busy world.