30-05-2025
Falkirk councillors leads service to remember 1500 people in 'paupers' grave
Baillie Billy Buchanan is determined that those buried in common ground will be 'forgotten no more'
A service to remember nearly 1500 people who were given a "paupers' burial" in unmarked graves is being held in Larbert on Saturday, June 6.
The ceremony will unveil a simple Celtic cross that has been put in place by Falkirk councillor, Baillie Billy Buchanan, who represents Larbert and Bonnybridge and has a passionate interest in local history.
The former Provost was shocked to discover 1,466 bodies had been interred in a small part of Larbert Cemetery and pledged that they would be "forgotten no more".
The common ground - once referred to as a paupers' grave - contains people who did not have the means to pay for a burial, so were buried in common ground in the cemetery just off Muirhead Road.
The names of the people who were buried are all recorded but there is no indication of where exactly in the site they were buried.
Some of those who are buried there had been resident in one of two large hospitals nearby, either the Royal Scottish National Hospital (RSNH), where children were cared for, or Bellsdyke, the former psychiatric hospital in Larbert.
However, members of the public not associated with either institution are also interred there and there are also records which show the RSNH and Bellsdyke bought lairs in the main part of the cemetery.
Alongside the Celtic cross, there will be information boards to tell people more about the site.
The ceremony in Larbert Cemetery, Muirhead Road, Stenhousemuir, on Saturday, June 6, will start at 10.45 am.
It will be led by Baillie Billy Buchanan and the Strathcarron Singers and piper Kevin McLean will also be attending.
