Kirkyard
The kirkyard of Crail’s historic kirk is the site of some of the most important Renaissance funeral monuments in Fife. Although their regional and national importance has been recognised since the nineteenth century, preserving them for the future is an ongoing challenge. The Crail Preservation Society is currently taking the lead in ensuring that they are preserved and restored for future generations and will be fundraising for a systematic repair scheme over the next several years.
Crail Kirkyard is recognised as a significant burial ground that carries the evidence of how affluent a trading town Crail was in earlier centuries. Crail Kirkyard has a significant number of Mural Monuments, 17 in total, whereas most other Kirkyards in Scotland would have maybe one or two.
We are very fortunate that in 1893 Erskine Beveridge completed a photographic survey of Crail Kirkyard memorials. Erskine Beveridge was a Dunfermline factory owner with a fascination for Scottish antiquities and a keen interest in early photography. His book can still be purchased, The Churchyard Memorials of Crail, it has many interesting details on Crail Church and Crail Kirkyard.
Explore different aspects of the kirkyard below...
Explore the map below produced by Crail Preservation Society. This details the location(s) of significant memorials within Crail Kirkyard.
