Fury at plan for burial ground in shadow of the Devil's Hoofmarks (Scotland)

The Scotsman ^ | Fri 8 Apr 2005 | FRANK URQUHART

[nickcarraway]

Key points
• Outrage as funeral company plans burial site beside ancient stone circle • Funeral company claims plans will not damage stone circle

Key quote
"This is a commercial development which just doesn’t belong here. Local people are extremely alarmed and angry about what is being proposed. It has no sensitivity to the local area and the people here - quite the opposite. It would encourage the use of a remote graveyard by persons who have no connection to this area or to the people here." - LOCAL RESIDENT

CONTROVERSIAL proposals to site a burial ground next to one of the most imposing neolithic stone circles in Scotland have caused a storm of protest.

The circle at Cothiemuir Wood, a tranquil wooded glade on the Castle Forbes estate near Keig in Aberdeenshire, is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular ancient sites in the north-east of Scotland.

Flanked by seven upright monoliths hewn from red granite, the 20-tonne basalt recumbent stone at its centre is one of the largest in Britain. The distinctive markings on its outer face are known as the "Devil’s Hoofmarks".

Furious locals fear that the site could be destroyed by plans by Native Woodland, an Edinburgh company, to develop a natural burial ground at Cothiemuir Hill within 15 yards of the ceremonial site, a scheduled ancient monument.

Native Woodland, which has still to receive planning permission for its scheme, offering an alternative to the traditional cemetery, is already advertising Cothiemuir on its website as a "simply unique" burial ground, saying it is the only one of its kind in Europe.

The company is offering "rights of burial" for the interment of human ashes in plots to be laid out in concentric rings around the ancient site, and full interments in a dedicated grassland area to the east of the stone circle.

The plan has provoked an angry backlash from residents in the area, who are forming an action group to have the proposals thrown out by Aberdeenshire councillors.

One resident told The Scotsman: "What would happen if whoever owns the land surrounding Stonehenge went for a commercial burial scheme? It beggars belief."

The campaign against the burial ground plan is being led by Jo Stover, of nearby Auchnagathle Farm. She said: "We are a close-knit community here and I think that is why people are quite appalled and really quite upset about what is being planned.

"This is a commercial development which just doesn’t belong here. Local people are extremely alarmed and angry about what is being proposed.

"It has no sensitivity to the local area and the people here - quite the opposite. It would encourage the use of a remote graveyard by persons who have no connection to this area or to the people here."

She added: "The company claims the burial site will not physically damage the stone circle, but it will be changed for ever by this development."

The burial scheme is being backed by the local laird, Malcolm Forbes, the Master of Forbes, whose family has owned the estate incorporating the land surrounding the stone circle for about 600 years.

Colin Turnbull, another local resident, said: "This is being advertised as an up-and- running burial site when it is still at the planning application stage. I regard that as immoral."

Ian Walls, the director of Native Woodland, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

His letter to Aberdeenshire Council, in support of the planning application, states: "The site at Cothiemuir has been selected due to the outstanding natural and cultural setting.

"This being so, the main objective behind our proposals for the site is for the change of use to have as little impact on the landscape as is practically possible. We aim for the changes to be imperceptible."

[nickcarraway]

[PistolPaknMama]

Colin Turnbull, another local resident,

Is this the author Colin Turnbull? Anyone know?

[MacDorcha]

Celtic Ping list!

(Very late, but I had to do some catching up after some school work.)

[Salamander]

Barbarians.

[and I don't mean that in a "nice" way this time]

[Rebelbase]

More pix at this link:

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=815

[Bald Eagle777]

Ping! Check out the Battle of Bannockburn, June 1314.

http://www.burkes-peerage.net/sites/common/sitepages/re_battleofbannockburn.asp

http://www.royal-stuarts.org/bannock.htm

http://www.scotclans.com/history/1314_bannockburn.html

http://www.braveheart.co.uk/macbrave/history/bruce/bannock.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-of-bannockburn

[shibumi]

Apart from endangering the archeological/historical significance of this site, I don't think that being buried under the "Devil's Hoofmarks" exactly qualifies as hallowed ground.

DUH!

[Beowulf9]

Hey, thanks for the ping list MacDorcha! I just am able to get to this, hope they don't get away with it. Besides who would WANT to be buried under the devils hoofmarks? Seems an ominous marker, don't you think?

[MacDorcha]

Np :)

And yes, I can't imagine any person in Scotland wanting to be buried there. Even Wiccan and other Pagan cults teach that the Devil is bad and to be feared to the point of avoidance.

And to my knowledge, witchs don't believe in traditional burial, as ties to the world would mean they can't come back in another form (or as another witch later)