I go to Logie Kirk to visit my big sister and Great Granny and Granda. My big sister is called Baby Jane, as she died of cot death when just 10 months old and is buried here with Great Granny and Granda because the local minister refused to bury my poor sister. My Mum and Dad were distraught at losing their child and then this, all because my big sister wasn’t yet christened. Thankfully, the Minister at Logie church buried Baby Jane here, with her Great Granny and Granda.
From there, I walked down to the Auld Logie Kirk to explore what lies beyond the modern church.
In loving memory Of Beloved husband Robert Baxter Crowe. Died 21 February 1943 76 years. Janet (Jessie) McMillan. Died 12th October 1949 Aged 85.
Baby Jane is Jane Campbell Rush
The Auld Logie Kirk
The remains you see today belong to a church largely rebuilt in the late 17th century, with evidence pointing to work around 1684. A reused stone dated 1598 suggests an earlier phase of building before that reconstruction. The parish built a new church nearby in 1805 and abandoned this one..
But this site is much older than the visible ruins.
Records show a church here by the 12th century, and the shape of the churchyard, with its curved boundary, suggests an even earlier medieval origin. Archaeological evidence shows people used this site for burial from at least the 11th century, and likely much earlier.
What you are standing in is not just a ruined church. It is a place of continuous use for hundreds of years.
The Hogbacks at Logie (the Vikings were here!)
Within the churchyard lie two rare early medieval grave markers known as hogbacks. Hogbacks date to the 10th or 11th century and reflect Anglo Scandinavian culture. They appear mainly in areas shaped by Viking influence, especially along the Forth and Clyde.
At Logie, one hogback survives intact, while the other has broken into fragments. People carved them from grey sandstone, now covered in moss.
The complete stone is shaped like a long, curved house. You can still see faint carved detail along the sides, including patterns that resemble roof tiles. These stones are thought to represent buildings or halls, possibly reflecting Norse house forms.
Hogbacks are rare in Scotland.
Their presence here shows that Logie was already an important burial site during the Viking Age, long before the later church was built.
What Are Hogbacks?
Hogbacks are early medieval grave markers from the 10th and 11th centuries. People carved them to look like long, curved houses. The shape rises in the middle and drops at both ends, like the back of a hog, which is where the name comes from. Along the sides, you often see carved patterns that look like roof tiles.
They are solid, heavy stones, usually carved from sandstone, and shaped with clear intention. People set these stones over graves to mark important burials.
They are closely linked to the Viking Age. You find them in places where Scandinavian influence was strong, especially across northern England and parts of Scotland along key routes like the Forth.
Some show more detail, with carved end beasts or ridged roofs. Others, like those at Logie, are simpler. They are rare, and when you see one, you are looking at a burial marker that connects Scotland directly to that wider Viking world.
Memento Mori and Later Gravestones
The churchyard does not stop with the early medieval period. It carries on through the centuries.
Many of the later gravestones display strong examples of memento mori symbolism. These carvings were designed to remind people of death and the passing of time.
You will see skulls, hourglasses, bones and symbolic tools. Each one reflects beliefs about mortality, faith and the afterlife. Some stones also include trade symbols, showing the occupation or identity of the person buried there.
These carvings are not simply decorative.
Deciphering a Memento Mori Grave Stone
At the top of stone, crossed bones sit beside a skull and an hourglass. They say exactly what they are meant to say. Death is certain. Time runs out.
Below that, a date appears, likely 1717 (?), along with the initials RM and EM (?). These mark the initials of the husband and wife.
Lower down, the carving shifts to the person’s life. A pair of dividers and a trowel point to possibly a mason or builder. This was skilled work.
A Site That Spans Centuries
Logie Old Churchyard brings together multiple layers of history in one place. Early medieval burial, Viking influence through the hogbacks, post-Reformation church rebuilding, and later gravestone traditions all sit within the same ground.
Auld Kirk Noticeboard information
Logie Old Churchyard is part of the Historic Kirkyards Trail, a route that links several burial grounds along the Hillfoots of the Ochils, including sites at Alva, Tillicoultry, Dollar and Muckhart. This places Logie within a wider landscape of long used kirk sites rather than as a stand alone location. The trail also highlights the presence of late Norse influenced hogbacks at Logie Old Kirk, with another example recorded at Tillicoultry Upper. Together, these sites point to strong Scandinavian connections along this stretch of the Forth Valley.
Today, the Logie Old Graveyard Group continues to care for and preserve the site, carrying forward a place that has already been used for burial and remembrance for centuries.
References
- Historic Environment Scotland
Logie Old Church, church and churchyard 30m SE of Garden Cottage (SM2798)
https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM2798 - Historic Environment Scotland
Trove Scotland entries for Logie Old Church
https://www.trove.scot/place/47164/
https://www.trove.scot/place/47165/ - Megalithic Portal
Logie Old Kirk (Stirling)
https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=47535 - Ceangail CIC
Logie Old Churchyard
https://my.scot/logie-old-churchyard/
P.S.
There is clear evidence that, historically, some unbaptised or stillborn children in Scotland were buried outside consecrated ground or in separate areas. Archaeological research by the Scottish Archaeological Research Framework confirms identified burial sites in parts of the Highlands. You can read more here: https://scarf.scot/regional/higharf/post-medieval/10-6-religion-and-ritual-evidence/10-6-2-burial-evidence/
Church teaching across Britain and Ireland also influenced this practice for centuries, with unbaptised infants historically excluded from consecrated burial, although attitudes began to change in the mid twentieth century. A useful overview can be found in this research briefing: https://www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalassets/documents/raise/publications/2013/culture_arts_leisure/14613.pdf