View of gravestone commemorating James Carmichael, 1724, with winged soul above 'Memento Mori' ribbon, two crosses and the sock and coulter of a plough, in the churchyard of Forgandenny Parish Church

Description View of gravestone commemorating James Carmichael, 1724, with winged soul above 'Memento Mori' ribbon, two crosses and the sock and coulter of a plough, in the churchyard of Forgandenny Parish Church

Date 1985

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

Catalogue Number SC 2234661

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 7871

Scope and Content Gravestone of James Carmichael and Margat Broun, Forgandenny Parish Church and Burial-Ground, Perth & Kinross This very primitively carved gravestone features a strange winged soul with skull-like head, long neck and cross-hatched wings and torso. It represents the spirit of a dead person ascending to Heaven after death. The panels at the side are incised with further initials, indicating that the stone marks a family burial plot. Below a ribbon inscribed: 'MEMEMTO MORI' (remember you must die) are carved two crosses and the sock and coulter (metal parts) of a plough. The crosses may be Christian symbols, or perhaps represent 'moulines' (the metal brace which supports a millstone), as the deceased was a farmer. Scottish gravestones feature a wealth of imagery and symbolic devices which represent trade emblems, symbols of death and resurrection, and Biblical scenes. They offer a fascinating insight into how our ancestors saw themselves and how they wanted to be remembered, as well as providing a store of information for people interested in family or local history, and folk art. This gravestone commemorates James Carmichael, who died in 1724, and Margat Broun, who also died in 1724. It is inscribed: 'HERE LYES THE DUST/OF JAMES CARMICHAEL WHO/DEPARTED THIS NO 10 1724/OF AGE 77 AND MARGAT/BROUN HIS SPOUSE WHO DEPAR/TED THIS LIFE OCT 3 1724/AGE 75 FARMER/EAST MAINS OF ADDERA'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/2234661

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap