Information Board at Muirkirk's New Cemetery

Image: © Becky Williamson Taken: 13 Feb 2011

Information on the board: Muirkirk audio tour New cemeteries One of the things you will notice is the obelisk shaped monument erected in 1887 to commemorate the Covenanters. It reminds us of the 1680s when Muirkirk was a hotbed of religious unrest. The Reformation of 1560 was one of the most pivotal points of Scottish history as it put an end to Catholicism as the national faith of Scotland. What followed was many years of unrest. Southwest Scotland remained stalwart to the Covenant throughout these times (the 1680s became known as the “killing times.”) A Government army of 8000 Highlanders was sent to Ayrshire to quell the rebellions. The moors between Muirkirk and Sanquhar became a hiding place for those they sought. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 restored the Presbyterian Church to Scotland but by then an estimated 18,000 people had been lost to the cause, 82 from the small parish of Muirkirk.

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