Archaeological suggest that the burial of the dead in association with the Scottish church could have begun as early as the eighth century, but it was during the twelfth century that invading tribes were given land throughout Scotland and it was these new land owners who built chapels and churches on their new estates and it is from here onward that we see the use of simple stones as markers. By the seventeenth century heraldic devices were frequently used as well as symbols such skulls and faces like the one seen here at Blair Drummond, also appearing were the inscription of the name, date of birth and often the address of the deceased, these markers were becoming more like the grave stones we all recognise.
A century later the traditional gravestone could be found almost everywhere, usually made out of sandstone, but these, as with all the older markers, have been eroded away over time. There are stones made from marble and granite but this was mostly restricted to the south of Scotland.
By the end of the eighteenth century even the poor would have a grave stone and the wealthy now had crypts and elaborate monuments.