Mortlach Churchyard, Dufftown, Highlands
Visited August 2016
Mortlach church, on the outskirts of Dufftown (a town in the Highlands more famous for its whisky distilleries than anything else) is one of the oldest sites of continuous Christian worship in Scotland, with a church being founded here around 566AD. The current church dates to the Victorian period, but apparently contains older memorials from former churches on the site. Sadly the church is kept locked outside of services, so I wasn't able to view these.
The churchyard is mainly 19th and 20th century, and has been extended to a cemetery down the hill from it. There are a few older gravestones, and in the lower part of the churchyard there is a Pictish stone known as the Battle Stone - you need to visit when the light is good to see it properly, I didn't and so can't say first hand what's on it! There's apparently also one inside the church, along with a stained glass window showing Pictish beasts.
In the churchyard there's a 19th century watchman's hut, built so a watchman could guard recent burials from grave robbers, although it's locked up now - hopefully those services are no longer required!
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