View of gravestone commemorating Janet Ranken, 1730, in the churchyard of Inchture Church.

Description View of gravestone commemorating Janet Ranken, 1730, in the churchyard of Inchture Church.

Date 1986

Collection Papers of Betty Willsher, historian, St Andrews, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 1552871

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 34345

Scope and Content Detail includes double winged souls over armorial crest. Gravestone of Janet Ranken, Inchture Church and Churchyard, Perth & Kinross This gravestone features a pair of winged souls, which represent the spirit of the deceased ascending to Heaven (represented by the two stars) after death. In the lower panel is a shield surrounded by a helmet and mantling (leafy drapery) bearing a pair of crossed scythes (probably the emblems of a farming family). The scroll (centre) is inscribed: 'Comite they work to God'. At the sides of the stone are two columns surmounted by discs carved with stars and fleur-de-lys. The top border is intricately sculpted with a dentil-(tooth) patterned border. The armorial panel on this gravestone does not conform to rules of heraldry, and is an adaptation of a traditional style used by masons for its connotations of wealth and power. Country masons probably copied and adapted the designs from the tombs of the aristocracy, substituting trade emblems, hearts and initials in the panel usually filled with a shield or crest. This gravestone commemorates Janet Ranken, who died in 1730. It is inscribed: 'Erected by/Thomas Ranken & Euphan Young his wife/and their son Thomas in Cotton/in memory of their daughter Janet who/died 4th day of September 1730 aged/13 years'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1552871

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap