Restoration plans for grave of Rob Roy heiress

An appeal has been launched to restore the final resting place of a tragic young heiress kidnapped and forced to marry the son of Scotland's most infamous outlaw.

A statue of the outlaw Rob Roy

Jean Key was just 19 years old when she was abducted by Robin Oig MacGregor, the youngest son of outlaw and folk hero Rob Roy, in 1751.

The young widow was targeted by MacGregor for her vast inheritance. The criminal and his brothers forcibly abducted her from her home and forced her to marry in a sham wedding.

Ms Key died only months later and was buried in her family’s lair in the Old Kippen kirkyard in Stirlingshire. The Kippen Heritage Group is now trying to raise £24,000 to repair stonework on the ruined belfry and restore the 300-year-old churchyard to its former glory.