A Shot of Rum

This is a view of Kilmory on the north end of Rum, which is visited in chapter 28 of book 1. At the center is the burial ground, and far off to the upper right the peaks of Hallival and Askival can be seen.

The Kilmory burial ground has an ancient cross-stone. There is also another historic stone here, one that marks the grave of the Matheson children. Murdoch Matheson had been the Kilmory shepherd from 1855 to 1875. As of September 7, 1873, the Matheson’s had eleven children. Over the next three days they lost five to diphtheria. The tombstone, inscribed with all those young names, is a grim reminder of island life a century ago.

Matheson Tombstone

REBECCA WHO DIED SEPT 1873

AGED 18 YEARS
JOHN WHO DIED SEPT 1873
AGED 12 YEARS
CHRISTINA ANN WHO DIED SEPT 1873
AGED 8 YEARS
MURDO WHO DIED SEPT 1873

AGED 6 YEARS

WILLIAM JOHN WHO DIED SEPT 1873
AGED 4 YEARS

ALL WHICH DIED OF DIPTHERIA

BETWEEN THE 7th AND THE 9th OF SEPT 1873

ARCHIBALD DUNCAN WHO DIED APRIL 1871

AGED 7 MONTHS

SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME

AND FORBID THEM NOT: FOR OF SUCH

IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN