Killean Old Parish Church. Detail of headstone of sailor.

Description Killean Old Parish Church. Detail of headstone of sailor.

Date 1967

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number AG 1859

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 801624

Scope and Content Gravestone of Alexander McKinnon, Killean Old Parish Church, Argyll & Bute This gravestone features a large, naïvely-carved sailing ship, (probably a 'yawl'), and a square panel filled with set-square and compasses (used for reading charts). The inscription reads: 'Walk by/this &c' This strange epitaph may be a kind of gravestone shorthand, whereby passers-by could fill in the blanks as the verse was a familiar one, and the sculptor did not feel it necessary to record it in full. 18th and-19th century sailors' gravestones and those of their relatives frequently display quite accurate depictions of the ships they sailed upon, emblems of compasses and anchors (also used as an emblem of Hope). The style of the carvings can be compared to those found on scrimshaw (incised whalebone) of the same period. Killean Old Parish Church dates from the 13th century, but fell into disuse in 1770 when the roof collapsed. This gravestone in the churchyard commemorates Alexander McKinnon, tenant in Gortinfall, who died in 1788. It was erected by his son, William McKinnon, a sailor. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference Inv. plate

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/627018