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Kilmartin

The area surrounding Kilmartin is said to be Scotland’s richest prehistoric landscape. Within a six-mile radius of the village over 150 prehistoric and 200 later monuments are to be found. The whole place is scattered with standing stones, stone circles, cairns, henges, burial mounds, forts, crannogs, cup and ring markings, castles, carved grave slabs and crosses.

A church has stood in the village for centuries, though the present Parish Church was only built in 1835. Within it is a decorated cross that dates from about the 9th century, and within the kirkyard are three further crosses, dating also from the 9th century. Also in the kirkyard is the finest collection of carved medieval grave slabs in Western Scotland. Most date from the 14th or 15th century, though there are some which might be older. They might come as a surprise to people who imagine Scottish warriors to be wild Highlanders in kilts who brandish broadswords as they dash across the heather. These warriors are dressed in the kind of sophisticated armour found all over Europe at the time. Only the well-off could have afforded it. The other carvings on the slabs, such as swords, coats-of-arms and crosses, bear out their aristocratic lineage.

Behind the Kilmartin  Parish church is the Glebe Cairn, a circular mound of stones dating from 1500-2000BC. It forms part of what is known as the linear cemetery, a collection of such cairns, which stretches for a mile along the floor of Kilmartin Glen. The others are Nether Largie North Cairn, Nether Largie Mid Cairn, Nether Largie South Cairn and Ri Cruin Cairn. All are accessible by foot. In addition, there is the Dunchraigaig Cairn, just off the A816, which doesn’t form part of the linear cemetery.

The Temple Wood Circles, south of Kilmartin, date from about 3500 BC. There are two of them, with the northern one possibly being used as a solar observatory when agriculture was introduced into the area. Burials were introduced at a later date. The Nether Largie Standing Stones are close to the Temple Wood Circle, and the Ballymeanoch Standing Stones are to the south of them. Of the seven stones, six still survive in their original positions.

If you find all these stone circles, cairns, castles, carvings and burial mounds hard to comprehend, then you should visit the award winning Kilmartin House Museum next to the church in the village. Using maps, photographs, displays and artefacts it explains the whole chronology of the area from about 7000 BC right up until AD 1100.

To the north of Kilmartin are the substantial ruins of Carnassarie Castle (Historic Scotland), an outstanding example of a 16th century fortified house. Although the castle was sacked during the Monmouth rebellion of 1685, enough remains to give a good idea of what the house was like with features such as the huge open fireplace in the kitchen, large enough to roast a whole ox. The castle was originally built for John Carswell, Protestant Bishop of the Isles and the man who translated Knox’s Book of Common Order (his liturgy for the reformed church) into Gaelic. It was the first book ever to be printed in that language.