Scottish links hides plague burials

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- An Edinburgh golf course in one of the city's most attractive parks may hide the remains of plague victims buried in mass graves.

Bruntsfield Links, with views of the historic castle that looms over the Scottish capital, is believed to be the world's oldest short-hole golf course. It was laid out by the Burgess Golfing Society, which was founded in 1735.

The Scotsman reports local stories about the burial site are at least partly backed up by historical records. The course is the remaining open part of Burgh Muir, an oak forest that was used to isolate victims of the bubonic plague from the 15th through the 17th centuries.

During those centuries, the plague struck Edinburgh and the Port of Leith more than 10 times.

Burgh Muir, outside the city walls, became the last home and final resting place of victims of the deadly disease. They were escorted there on carts and housed in wooden huts, with their clothes and bedding sterilized by boiling in huge vats.