The Killearnan Church Morthouse
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Situated on the shore of the Beauly Firth in the graveyard of Killearnan Church of Scotland, this neglected structure is believed to be the last remaining example of a morthouse in the Highlands of Scotland. Built in the early 1800's, its purpose was to provide a safe repository for the newly dead until such time as the corpses could be moved to their final resting place.
These were solid and secure windowless buildings designed to store the corpses for a short period of time before they were finally interred in order to protect them from being disturbed. Possible reasons for this interim stage could have included the following.
(1) Grave Robbers
In the early 1800's there was a thriving trade in fresh corpses as these were the early days of dissection and medical research into human physiology. Under the cover of darkness, resurrectionists (aka body snatchers) would dig up and open the coffins of the freshly buried and transport the bodies to researchers and medical schools who paid them handsomely without too many questions being asked regarding the provenance of the corpse. In order to give the body the time to putrefy and to make it unsuitable for sale, the family could have it placed it in an impregnable structure called a morthouse and leave it there until decomposition had done its work before then putting it in the ground. Unlike the morthouses located close to the medical schools further south, Killearnan was many days travel from potential buyers so it is thought unlikely that they were a significant threat to a body in this area.
(2) Temporary Storage
It could have taken some time for the details of a newly deceased to be circulated to remote parts of the Highlands and for the mourners to then travel to the burial site. The morthouse would have provided secure storage in between the date of death and the final internment of the deceased.
(3) Frozen Ground
Given the low temperatures experienced in the Highlands, it was quite possible that frost could have made the business of digging a grave all but impossible for some weeks until such time as a thaw allowed. The morthouse could have provided secure storage until a thaw set in
The Background To This Website
In July 2024 an initiative was proposed by the Black Isle Men's Shed to invite other local Men's Sheds to join them in a project to clear the rampant vegetation which was covering the building so that it could once again be viewed in its entirety. Highland Council were approached in order to seek their permission as the owners of the graveyard but this was refused on the grounds of Health and Safety. (See link below for information on morthouses.)
Current Situation
Although the Men's Shed project to cut back the jungle surrounding the building has been abandoned, some clearing of vegetation has been undertaken by concerned locals. Information gleaned from research seemed to claim that there are actually two morthouses extant in the Highlands with the other being at Boleskine near Foyers (and close to the infamous Boleskine House!). Although there are various web pages which claim that the Boleskine morthouse is still standing, it seems that the building has been destroyed at some time in the past few years and through this album, I would like to present the case that the Killearnan building is now the sole remaining example of its type anywhere in the Highlands. (For reasons explained in the comments attached to a photo, I do not believe that the building in the Boleskine graveyard described as a morthouse but that it is far more likely to be a watch house.)
This would leave the morthouse at Killearnan as the only reasonably intact example of its type in the Highlands.
Future Actions
Assuming that it is in fact the last remaining building of its type, it can only strengthen the case for action to be taken to preserve and stabilise the structure so that future generations can continue to visit this rare piece of local social history. Obviously this will take a significant investment of cash so part of the rationale for this website is quite simply to try and generate some awareness of the building and of its history. Killearnan Church, the graveyard and the morthouse are in fact Grade 2 listed so hopefully this will encourage the responsible authorities to find and spend the money on the outstanding repairs.
Further Reading
An excellent article on the High Life Highland website which gives a comprehensive overview of the the subject. Click here
To see The University of Cambridge's take on some of the finer details of medical research which gave rise to body snatchers activities, click here. (Not for the faint hearted!)
Killearnan Church was built in the 13th Century but this beautiful and historic old building has now been earmarked for closure by the church authorities. Click for more
Disclaimer : Some of the information in the descriptions has been gleaned from various sources on the web whilst some descriptions are based on my opinions and assumptions so I am happy to be challenged on any of the contents!!
These were solid and secure windowless buildings designed to store the corpses for a short period of time before they were finally interred in order to protect them from being disturbed. Possible reasons for this interim stage could have included the following.
(1) Grave Robbers
In the early 1800's there was a thriving trade in fresh corpses as these were the early days of dissection and medical research into human physiology. Under the cover of darkness, resurrectionists (aka body snatchers) would dig up and open the coffins of the freshly buried and transport the bodies to researchers and medical schools who paid them handsomely without too many questions being asked regarding the provenance of the corpse. In order to give the body the time to putrefy and to make it unsuitable for sale, the family could have it placed it in an impregnable structure called a morthouse and leave it there until decomposition had done its work before then putting it in the ground. Unlike the morthouses located close to the medical schools further south, Killearnan was many days travel from potential buyers so it is thought unlikely that they were a significant threat to a body in this area.
(2) Temporary Storage
It could have taken some time for the details of a newly deceased to be circulated to remote parts of the Highlands and for the mourners to then travel to the burial site. The morthouse would have provided secure storage in between the date of death and the final internment of the deceased.
(3) Frozen Ground
Given the low temperatures experienced in the Highlands, it was quite possible that frost could have made the business of digging a grave all but impossible for some weeks until such time as a thaw allowed. The morthouse could have provided secure storage until a thaw set in
The Background To This Website
In July 2024 an initiative was proposed by the Black Isle Men's Shed to invite other local Men's Sheds to join them in a project to clear the rampant vegetation which was covering the building so that it could once again be viewed in its entirety. Highland Council were approached in order to seek their permission as the owners of the graveyard but this was refused on the grounds of Health and Safety. (See link below for information on morthouses.)
Current Situation
Although the Men's Shed project to cut back the jungle surrounding the building has been abandoned, some clearing of vegetation has been undertaken by concerned locals. Information gleaned from research seemed to claim that there are actually two morthouses extant in the Highlands with the other being at Boleskine near Foyers (and close to the infamous Boleskine House!). Although there are various web pages which claim that the Boleskine morthouse is still standing, it seems that the building has been destroyed at some time in the past few years and through this album, I would like to present the case that the Killearnan building is now the sole remaining example of its type anywhere in the Highlands. (For reasons explained in the comments attached to a photo, I do not believe that the building in the Boleskine graveyard described as a morthouse but that it is far more likely to be a watch house.)
This would leave the morthouse at Killearnan as the only reasonably intact example of its type in the Highlands.
Future Actions
Assuming that it is in fact the last remaining building of its type, it can only strengthen the case for action to be taken to preserve and stabilise the structure so that future generations can continue to visit this rare piece of local social history. Obviously this will take a significant investment of cash so part of the rationale for this website is quite simply to try and generate some awareness of the building and of its history. Killearnan Church, the graveyard and the morthouse are in fact Grade 2 listed so hopefully this will encourage the responsible authorities to find and spend the money on the outstanding repairs.
Further Reading
An excellent article on the High Life Highland website which gives a comprehensive overview of the the subject. Click here
To see The University of Cambridge's take on some of the finer details of medical research which gave rise to body snatchers activities, click here. (Not for the faint hearted!)
Killearnan Church was built in the 13th Century but this beautiful and historic old building has now been earmarked for closure by the church authorities. Click for more
Disclaimer : Some of the information in the descriptions has been gleaned from various sources on the web whilst some descriptions are based on my opinions and assumptions so I am happy to be challenged on any of the contents!!
