The recorded history of the Dunalastair site goes back several centuries. Dunalastair or "Mount Alexander" was the site of the "Hermitage", the home of our Poet Chief, who raised the clan for the Stuart cause in the 1689, 1715 and 1745 risings and died in 1749. Near his original home site, is the quiet walled enclosure on the wooded knoll overlooking Loch Tummel which contains the graves of two Donnachaidh Chiefs. While the site had been voluntarily maintained by members of the Rannoch & Highland District Branch of the Society since 1974, many members of the Clan felt that, because this maintenance responsibility should more properly belong to and be provided for by the Clan Society and not a few dedicated individuals. The site has so much meaning for the clan, particularly because the Chief who founded our Society is buried there. With this in mind, negotiations began with Captain Ian de Sales La Terriere, owner of the Dunalastair Estates, for the purchase of the burial grounds. At the Annual General Meeting at Bruar in June 1992 the deed to the site was presented to Struan by Dr. Hugh Robertson and Jim Fargo. At that time Struan presented Captain La Terriere with an honorary membership in the Clan Society. A separate trust fund was also established, the income from which will provide for the maintenance and repairs to the pathway, grounds and the enclosure in perpetuity. The immediate repairs to and repainting of the iron railing surrounding the stone wall enclosure was funded by the Mid-Atlantic Branch. Benches are at the site so visitors can sit and enjoy the beautiful views. There are three grave markers within the stone walled enclosure of the burial grounds. The oldest is for George Duncan Robertson of Struan, who became the 18th Chief of the Clan in 1842 and died without heir in 1864. The second grave is that of his wife, Mary Stewart Menzies Robertson, who died in 1892. In 1855, this Chief built a new Victorian baronial home "Dall House" on the southern shore of Loch Rannoch, which is now part of the Rannoch School. Dall was planned to be the Chief's seat after the sale of Dunalastair. The Dunalastair estate was subsequently sold to Lieutenant-General Sir John Macdonald of Dalchosnie. Sir John, a veteran of Waterloo, had married Adriana, one of the daughters of James McInroy of Lude in 1826 and in 1858 they moved into their impressive new mansion at Dunalastair, which now sadly, is in ruins. This Chief, as part of the sale, reserved the right and privilege of interment and access to this "family burial ground" for succeeding chiefs and their families. George Duncan was succeeded by his half uncle, Alexander Gilbert as the 19th Chief in 1864. Alexander Gilbert had been living in Jamaica and returned with his family to settle on the last remaining family estate at "Rannoch Barracks" located at the western end of Loch Rannoch. In 1884, at the age of 21, Alastair Stewart Robertson of Struan succeeded his father as the 20th Chief and subsequently died without issue in 1910. He was the founder of our Clan Society in January 1893 and his is the third and last grave marker in the Dunalastair cemetery. The following verse is from a poem written by clansman Alasdair Stuart Robertson and published in the 1973 Clan Annual. It clearly states our feelings toward this treasured site.
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