View of gravestone commemorating Andrew Gemmel who died 1793, in the churchyard of Roxburgh Parish Church.
A 34279
Description View of gravestone commemorating Andrew Gemmel who died 1793, in the churchyard of Roxburgh Parish Church.
Date c. 1986
Collection Papers of Betty Willsher, historian, St Andrews, Scotland
Catalogue Number A 34279
Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images
Copies SC 1535220
Scope and Content Gravestone commemorating Andrew Gemmells, Roxburgh Churchyard, Scottish Borders This gravestone commemorates Andrew Gemmells, who was a 'gaberlunzie' (a wandering beggar) of the bedesman class, who died in 1793 aged 106. Immortalised as Edie Ochiltree in Walter Scott's 'The Antiquary', the stone was erected in 1849 by a local farmer. On the reverse face is a portrait of Andrew and his dog. He wears his bedesman's gown, traditionally made of a rough blue cloth, and carries a walking staff and his meal bag which he holds outstretched. Bedesmen were a special type of beggar, whose numbers equalled the king's age. Once chosen, they held the right to beg anywhere in Scotland without hindrance, each year receiving money equal to the king's age. In return they prayed for the King's health. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
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Attribution: © HES (Betty Willsher Collection)
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