Graveyard
Dundonald's Graveyard
The graveyard has an air of tranquillity about it and some of the inscriptions make interesting reading.
The graveyard has approximately 275 lairs with a further two or three burials under the Church itself.
Notable Burials
| Plot | Person Interred |
| 1 | Margaret Wilson – the authoress of the song ‘My Ain Wee Hoose’ |
| 2 | Rev. Dr. Robert Duncan – Minister of Dundonald 1783-1815, the Duncan deep in the Burns’poem ‘The Twa Herds’ |
| 3 | Rev.Alex Willison – Minister of Dundonald 1841 – 1866 |
| 4 | Rev. John Syme – Minister of Dundonald 1866 -1904 |
| 5 | John Templeton – Ninian, a local beekeeper, whose headstone was raised by public subscription. |
| 6 | James Hodge – built the present Church building in 1804. |
| 7 | David Dunlop – the leader of the Loans smuggling gang. |
| 8 | David Boyle, Lord Shewalton (1772 – 1853), also known as ‘The Black Man’ due to his ruthless sentencing. After studying at the University of St. Andrews (1787-89), David Boyle came to Glasgow to study Law. He was called to the Scottish Bar in 1793, and became Solicitor-General for Scotland in 1807. He was appointed to the Court of Session in 1811 as Lord Boyle and, in 1837, succeeded to the family estate taking the title Lord Shewalton. He was Member of Parliament for Ayrshire from 1807 – 1811, Lord Justice Clerk from 1811 – 1841, and Lord Justice General from 1841 – 1852. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1820. |
| 9 | Dr. James McAdam – former President of the Medical Board of Bombay, India, whose generous Bequest became the basis of Dundonald Church’s Benevolent Fund. |
Other Burials
It is believed that the first Earl of Dundonald is buried beneath the Church itself and the man who built the Church, James Hodge, is buried near the south east corner of the Church.
Also interred here are members of the Allan family who founded the Allan Shipping Line, and Matthew Hay, a well known smuggler hanged for murder at the end of the 18th. century. The Hay headstone has long since disappeared.
A fuller layout diagram can be found here (The grave that is circled is that of Margaret Wilson, poet).
More Information
More information can be found in a record made by Mr. Robert Kirk in 1972 which can be read here.
Many of the stones are still legible but more information regarding the inscriptions and locations can be found in the Troon & Ayrshire Family history Society publication “Monumental Inscriptions, Dundonald Parish Church, Incorporating the notes of W.W. Clearie” (ISBN 1 900171 50 3), a copy of which is held by the church. We also hold some records for the surrounding graveyards that used to be within Dundonald Parish but which cannot be placed on the website for copyright reasons. We will be happy to check these for specific names etc. upon request. Please use the “Contact us” link to email the Webmaster.