Killiechassie Burial Ground contains individual graves of descendants of the four sons of the Reverand Robert Stewart of Killiechassie and Pitcastle (1650 – 1729) and his wife Anna Campbell of Edramuckie (died 1730).

The burial ground holds 6 graves, 5 covered with recumbent flat slabs (Graves 1 to 5 in the key plan above) and one having an upright stone set into the west wall (Grave 6).

Large Memorial Stone (North wall)

The north wall of the Burial Ground has a large memorial stone which was erected in 1884 by James Stewart-Robertson of Edradynate “as a memorial of his ancestors and kinsfolk”. It records the deaths of Reverend Robert Stewart, his wife Anna Campbell and their four sons and their wives and children. this has an inscription relating to the individual gravestones described below and to many other family members who may also lie here.

The inscriptions of those whose names are highlighted are also memorialised on individual stones (Graves 1-6) described below.

The inscriptions on this memorial stone are best displayed in 3 sections:

Top section

Main section (left)

Main section (right)

Recumbent Gravestones: 1 to 5

Grave 1

James Stewart-Robertson was a great grandson of Rev Robert Stewart of Killiechassie, by his 4^th son Robert Stewart of Derculich and Robert’s son James.

Robert Stewart of Derculich was born 6^th December 1704 at Killin. On 25^th April 1729 he married Jean Campbell (born 1705) youngest daughter of Robert Campbell of Auchlyne, Perthshire, who was a first cousin of John Campbell, first Earl of Breadalbane; Robert Campbell’s father, Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy, and John Campbell’s father, Duncan Campbell of Auchlyne, being the eldest and youngest sons of Sir Robert Campbell, 3^rd Baronet of Glenorchy.

Robert Stewart died 22^nd May 1767 and his wife Jean on 23^rd February 1788. They had several sons, all but one of whom died young and unmarried. Their eldest son, James Stewart, was born at Derculich on 30^th October 1730 and on 12^th December 1755 he married his cousin Agnes, second daughter of Duncan Campbell of Auchlyne. Agnes died 17^th February 1777 without leaving male issue. James married again on 11^th December 1778 to Margaret, only daughter of Duncan Robertson of Edradynate, who was descended from Alexander Robertson, fifth laird of Struan.

James and Margaret had several sons, all of whom died unmarried except James Stewart who was born 14^th March 1783 at Derculich. His maternal uncle, James Robertson of Edradynate, died in 1788 and left his estate to his nephew on condition that he assumed the surname Robertson, which he did on coming of age in March 1804 (i.e. James Stewart-Robertson). Derculich was sold by James Stewart in 1805 and he died in 1806, his widow dying in March 1830.

James Stewart-Robertson, now of Edradynate, was Captain in the Grenadier Company of the Royal Perthshire Militia from 1805 to 1814, when the regiment was disbanded. He became a JP and Deputy Lieutenant for Perthshire. On 18^th March 1817 he married his second cousin Dorothea (Grave 2), born 1782, youngest daughter of Adam Stewart of Blackhill and Cluny (Grave 5). James died 10^th June 1862 and Dorothea died 29^th August 1864 leaving an only son James Stewart-Robertson of Edradynate (Grave 3) born 15^th May 1823, several daughters having predeceased them.

The Robertson family has a private burying-place in Logierait churchyard, with a fine example of a sculptured stone; on one side is a knight on horseback spearing a snake, across which is a sceptre, and on the other side a large cross.

Grave 2

“Dorathea” is the spelling on this gravestone and also on the large memorial stone. In his book “Historic Memorials of the Stewarts of Forthergill Perthshire, and their Male Descendants” edited by Charles Poyntz Stewart, and published in 1879, the spelling is “Dorothea”.

Grave 3

James Stewart-Robertson of Edradynate was the son of James Stewart-Robertson (Grave 2) and Dorathea Stewart (Grave 3). In 1852 he married Mary Jane Cun(n)inghame, younger daughter of Robert Cunninghame of Ballanorris, Isle of Man, and they had four daughters and one son.

In 1874, on the death of his mother’s sister, Mrs Stewart-Hepburn, James inherited the estates of Cluny and Blackhill (by his grandfather Adam Stewart’s deed of entail) and also inherited the properties of Colquhalzie and Glenquey (by Mr Stewart-Hepburn’s deed of entail).

James was a lawyer, magistrate, philanthropist and Deputy Lieutenant for Perthshire. He was also an accomplished musician, studied the fiddle under Duncan McKercher and became first President of the Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society. He composed many tunes and edited and published “The Athole Collection”, concerned that interest in Scottish fiddle music was waning.

It is he who, in 1884, erected the large memorial stone in the graveyard “as a memorial of his ancestors and kinsfolk”. 

James and Mary’s only son, also James Stewart-Robertson, was born in 1856, becoming JP for Perthshire and an officer in the Royal Perthshire Militia and Athole Highlanders. He was the last remaining male heir of Rev. Robert Stewart and on 11 October 1880 he married Janet Beatrice Murray-Allan of Glenfeochan, Argyll. He died at Edradynate in 1940 aged 83 leaving a daughter Dorothy Campbell Stewart Robertson (1891-1977) but no male issue. In 1921 Dorothy married Lieut-Colonel Walter Loyd Sinclair Meiklejohn.

Grave 4

This stone in the south-east corner of the Burial Ground has no legible engraving – it may never have had an inscription or, if it had an inscription, that has been lost.

Grave 5

This is the only horizontal recumbent stone on the west side of the graveyard. Robert was a great grandson of the Rev. Robert Stewart of Killiechassie, by his 3^rd son Alexander Stewart of Cloichfoldich and Alexander’s only son Robert.

Willielmina was the daughter of Willielma Maxwell who married John, Viscount Glenorchy, eldest son of the Earl of Breadalbane (and therefore a Campbell). Willielmina came from Auchlyne (see wording on large memorial stone) which was part of the Breadalbane estate near Killin.

Grave 6

Adam Stewart of Blackhill and Cluny, father of Dorathea Stewart (Grave 3) was born at Blackhill, the grandson of Rev. Robert Stewart by his second son Duncan. He obtained a commission in the 42^nd Royal Highlanders on 24^th July 1758 and served in America and the West Indies until 1765, when he retired on the regiment returning home.

On 24^th October 1766 he married Helen, only daughter of John Hepburn of Colquhalzie, Perthshire. They had several sons who all died young and unmarried and they had 4 daughters, two were unmarried, one died without issue and only Dorathea left an heir.

Adam was the middle son of Duncan Stewart. Robert, the eldest, died young; Rev. James Stewart, the youngest, was Chaplain to the 42^nd Royal Highlanders and afterwards Minister of the parish of Dull. He died 14 September 1768, unmarried. The male line of Duncan, second son of Rev. Robert Stewart, thus became extinct.

Both Scotland and England used the Julian Calendar until 1752; Scotland adopted 1^st January as the start of the year in 1600 but England continued to use 25^th March as the start of the year until September 1752 when both countries adopted the Gregorian Calendar. Both calendars allow for leap years, although there were 2 consecutive days of 24^th February until the concept of 29^th February was widely established. For these reasons there are many date discrepancies prior to 1752, particularly between January and March, but the date of 29^th February 1733 on this headstone is likely to be a simple mistake, as the large memorial stone shows 1732.

Links to other KBG pages:

Contents Page

Introduction

The Stewarts: Lineage of the Stewarts of Fothergill

The Estate: Timeline for the ownership of Killiechassie Estate

Chapel and Burial Ground: Timeline of Killiechassie Chapel and Burial Ground

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Sources of Information