Round about Falkirk

Close by the east gate of the burial-ground may be seen the tomb, now sadly dilapidated—in fact, quite sunk in dust and rubbish—of the old Laird of Abbotshaugh. It contains a long inscrip- tion, purporting that it is erected to the memory of Patrick Muirhead, of Rashiehill, in 1723. Rashiehill was rather a considerable man in his day, and like a number of the neighbouring gentry, had his town residence at the east end of the town, where Rashie- hill Close still preserves his name. Connected with the funeral of the worthy squire there was a some- what amusing incident. Although the distance from Abbotshaugh to the Churchyard is little beyond a couple of miles, it was two days after the corpse had been removed from the house ere it reached the scene of interment. On the afternoon that had been fixed for the burial, the funeral party, en route to the grave, got “jolly” over the customary refreshment, and the corpse, which was being carried shoulder high, was necessarily left in a “half-way house ” till the following afternoon. The morrow, however, brought with it a drifting snow-storm, and thus the funeral party were again prevented from proceeding on their burial errand. The third day the church- yard was safely overtaken, and the poor old laird entombed with a reverently murmured “ Peace to his manes! ”

Person	Claim	Date	Detail	Age
Patrick Muirhead	Death	Mar 12, 1723	age 70, of Rashyhill. "they were remarkable for piety and liberal in charity, by their industry they acquired a plentiful estate which they left to their gs Geo. Preston yr. in Valleyfield who in turn ordered this tomb to be erected to honour their memory, Rashiehill, Slamannan, Stirlingshire, Scotland [112]