Kirk’s tomb looks towards Doon Hill, the site where he died. The memorial dates from 1793, just over a century after his death – and just over two centuries from the present time. On the opposite side of the church sits the memorial to Robert Kirk. Outside the old entrance to the church are two large mortuary weights, used in olden days to stop thieves from making off with freshly interred bodies to sell to medical science. Even its now roofless inside has now become part of the cemetery. The “Old Church” has since become too small to accommodate the faithful.

The church where Kirk was the minister of sits just off the river Forth, which makes it way through Aberfoyle. Kirk himself stated that the belief in faeries was not incompatible with Christianity. A strict interpretation of the Christian faith had made its force felt in every corner of the nation, but Kirk is a living reminder that the “old ways” were not easily destroyed. The tomb of Robert Kirk Scotland in the 17th century had been a country in religious turmoil. The locals believed that the book was a great crime, as the fairies had thus been spoiled of their secrets for sure, the fairies would exact their revenge. The detailed their customs, including the food they ate. Though Kirk wrote “The Secret Common-wealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies” in 1691, the book itself was not published until 1815. Kirk is also known as the first man who translated the Bible into Gaelic. They had one son, who later became the minister of Dornoch.

He later married with a daughter of Campbell of Fordy. They had two children, before Isobel died in 1680. First to Isobel, daughter of Sir Colin Campbell of Mochaster, in 1670. He graduated in 1664 as a Doctor of Divinity, at the age of 20. He was then granted a bursary by the Presbytery of Dunblane, which he used to study theology at St Andrews University. Nevertheless, Robert was able to go to school, then to the High School Dundee, to continue his education in Edinburgh, graduating with a Master of Arts degree in 1661. It was a remarkable career for Robert, as his parents were extremely poor. Want to know your future? Try my free online Rune Readings!

The secret commonwealth by robert kirk