Chisholm Burial Ground
The burial monuments of chiefs and other members of the Chisholm clan are built on the site of a mediaeval motte-and-bailey castle, consisting of a wooden or stone tower on an artificial mound (the motte), surrounded by a ditch, with an adjoining bailey or enclosure.
The motte is some 280m north of Erchless Castle. On the north and west sides there is a sharp drop to the Erchless burn while the south and east sides were protected by a ditch up to 10m broad and 4m deep. The burial ground is 25m in diameter.
The Gaelic name for the motte is Cnoc an Tighe Mhoir (‘hill of the big house’).
It was probably constructed in the 12th or 13th century by the Bisset family, who owned these lands before the Chisholms. The feudal lord and his family would have lived in the tower, with other clan members living and working in the bailey.
The landscape has changed dramatically over the centuries and apart from the summit area the motte today is overgrown with trees and scrub. The inhabitants of the motte would have had a clear and commanding view over the surrounding area. The ground drops away from the motte to where the castle is situated and where the main settlement would have been located. The image above shows an example of how things might have looked.
Abandoned in the later Middle Ages when larger stone castles became the norm, the motte was reused as a burial ground for the Chisholms in 1838 although newspapers of the time suggest earlier burials had taken place (See the excerpt from the Inverness Courier). Prior to the creation of the burial ground the Clan Chiefs were interred at Clachan Comar and Beauly Priory.
There are three Clan Chiefs interred within the burial ground: Alexander William Chisholm (XXV 1810-1838), James Sutherland Chisholm (XXVII 1806-1885) and Roderick Donald Matheson Chisholm (XXVIII 1862-1887) all in the rear section. James Sutherland’s widow, Annie Cecilia is next to her husband while their children’s graves are in the forward section.
The first named chief is commemorated by a tall, polished granite obelisk erected by his brother and successor Duncan MacDonnell Chisholm (XXVI 1811-1858). After Duncan’s death the male line was broken and by deed of entail succession followed to descendants of the Muchrachd branch of the family.
Each cross is decorated on the shaft and nimbus (halo) with a variety of Celtic knotwork panels together with the familiar boar’s head from the Chisholm crest with the Latin ‘VI AUT VIRTUTE’ (By force or virtue) below. A medieval heraldic sword is a key feature on the memorial to Roderick Donald.
Prior to the creation of the burial ground the Clan Chiefs were interred at Clachan Comar and Beauly Priory.
These were the last of the chiefs buried in Strathglass.
The Estates passed to the Chisholm-Batten family in 1935 and were sold two years later except for the burial ground.
Site Information
SHA Site No: 1
Site Status: 
Location: NH 4106 4108 Landranger OS 26
Three words: sped.affords.trudges
Period: Industrial/Modern & Early Medieval
Date: 18th Century & 13th Century
Site Owner: Nick & Sara Chisholm-Batten
Open: All year 24/7
Access: Path from roadside
Grade: Short distance but slight gradient
Parking: Adjacent to site
Notes:
Location Map
