Crail, Marketgate, Churchyard. John Douglas' Monument.

Description Crail, Marketgate, Churchyard. John Douglas' Monument.

Date c. 1885

Collection Papers of Erskine Beveridge, antiquarian, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 739336

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of F 1958

Scope and Content Inscription on the Mural Monument to Bailie John Douglas, Crail Parish Churchyard, Crail, Fife The old tree-lined churchyard of Crail Parish Church contains an important collection of mural monuments dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Scottish photographer, Erskine Beveridge, made a detailed photographic record of the mural tombs and their epitaphs on a visit to the churchyard c.1885. The inscription on the mural monument to Bailie John Douglas, who died in 1621, is in Scots with raised capitals. It may have been written by the local schoolmaster, minister or someone who fancied his rhyming skills, and reveals something of the character of the deceased. It reads: 'OF DOUGHTY DOVGLAS KYND HE CAM AND SO HE DID WEL PROVE, HE LIVED ALVAY IN GOOD FAME AND DIED VITH AL MENS LOVE'. In common with most 17th-century lettering on Scottish mural monuments, there is a stop after each word in the form of a dot, and occasionally a word is carried on to the next line without reference to syllables. The letter 'U' appears as 'V', and the 'W' as overlapping 'Vs'. The 'LL' at the end of a word is cut to 'L', and there is often binding between the two uprights of the letters 'H' and 'E', and 'M' and 'E'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/739336

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap