Skye Gravestones

Here, you'll find records and photographs of inscriptions on headstones in burial grounds and cemeteries on the Isle of Skye, Raasay & Scalpay, islands off the west coast of Scotland. There are over thirty burial sites (click on Albums for list) with about 2900 images online.

Below are notes to help you in using the database. The Parishes & Burial Grounds pages can be accessed from the buttons below.  The Burial Grounds page lists burial grounds by parish. In 2018, we introduced a map showing the distribution of the Burial Grounds (link on Burial Grounds page).

All contributions of images are appreciated.

I hope you enjoy using the website, whose format is identical to its sister site www.rosscromartyroots.co.uk.

Huge thanks to Plexus Media, Cromarty, for this great web format.

There is no charge for accessing the website. If you want to copy a couple of images, fine, but please attribute the source to this site. Industrial 'borrowing' on to other websites is not acceptable. If you are looking for more information go to info@rosscromartyroots.co.uk. Please note that I do not carry out detailed research.

For a similar website covering Ross & Cromarty, go to www.rosscrmartyroots.co.uk.

Roddie Macpherson

GAELIC TRANSLATION....ANY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH THIS, please get in touch.

 Disclaimer: the information displayed on this site is provided in good faith. Mistakes can arise in transcription of inscriptions. Skyegravestones cannot be held responsible for any loss arising from such error.

More about the searchable image database.

The database is searchable by surname in the Quick Search box. The Advanced Search accepts combinations of personal names, year (of death) ranges, places, and burial sites.  The searches can be sensitive to differences between eg. Macl, Mcl, McL, mac, mcl etc.

Above each selected headstone picture are details of who contributed the image, the year it was put on the website, and the name of the graveyard.  The picture number is unique to that image (stone) and can be used in the Quick search box for easy access. You can add a particular image page to your own Album; first register your Album, via the My Album button below, then click on 'Add to my Album' on the image page.

Under a particular photograph, there are a title, and a full record of the inscription, as far as it is legible.

Below the transcription, you can add Comments, for example, about relevant research you may have done about the same, or, linked families. Comments are vetted by the Administrator prior to publication.  Any contributor receives email notification when further Comments are published on an image they have commented on; alerts are also given to those with that image in their Album selection. In this way, useful collaborations can arise across the globe - a powerful tool for family researchers.

Some other points to note

Photographs: the legibility of the inscription depends upon the material and colour of the stone, and its surface condition. Polished light-coloured granites are especially difficult due to excessive reflection, and lack of contrast of the lettering. Even where legibility is poor, a photograph is included.

Cut off date: the database and photographs cover dates of death up to 31 December 1979* (unless the family wish to have the more recent information displayed). Therefore, some headstones images may be ‘cut-off’ to exclude later deaths, others may have sections of the image 'painted out'.  Where this occurs, that part of the inscription will be designated "recent" in the description.

*[April 2018: planning to drop the cut-off date and, with the help of volunteers, bring inscriptions up to date over coming months].

Lost information: headstones deteriorate through time; vegetation can encroach quickly; stones fall over and become covered by moss and grass. Where information is included from earlier surveys, it is enclosed by double asterisks **............**. Where part of an inscription is difficult to read, it is shown with a best guess, followed by a query - [guess?]. Blanks within the inscription are illustrated by a series of dashes ------- .

Plans of Burial Grounds: Where a plan is available for an image, the relevant number or section will be added to the description on the image page.  There will be a direct link from the image page to the appropriate plan.

General caution: Be aware that some inscriptions may contain wrong information, particularly about date of death, where errors can arise.