View of gravestone commemorating the Greig children 1752, in the churchyard of Monikie Parish Church.

Description View of gravestone commemorating the Greig children 1752, in the churchyard of Monikie Parish Church.

Date 1988

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

Catalogue Number B 4001/1

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 2236203

Scope and Content Gravestone of the Grieg children, Parish Church and Burial Ground, Monikie, Angus This gravestone features a pair of winged souls (symbols of the spirit ascending to Heaven after death) with a central sun motif, known as a 'Radiance', an emblem of Paradise. Each soul is flanked by stars, further emblems of eternity and paradise. The square plaque under the 'Radiance' is inscribed: 'MEMENTO MORI' (remember you must die). The armorial panel below features a central flaming heat (symbolic of eternal love) and a small carving of the sock and coulter (metal parts) of a plough. 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 the eight Grieg children, who died between 1736 and 1777. It is inscribed: 'THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY/ALEXANDER GRIEG & ISOBEL JOHN/STON IN WESTER DENSIDE IN MEMORY/OF THEIR CHILDREN VIZ: THOMAS WHO/DIeD ANNO 1736 GOING IN THE FOURTH/YEAR OF HIS AGE, KATHERINE DIeD 1736/AGED 4 DAYS, MARGARET DIED 1737 AGED 3/DAYS, ALEXANDER DIED 1740 AGED 4 DAYS/PATRICK DIED 1742 GOING IN HIS 2 YEAR/JOHN DIED 7 JANY 1753 AGED 7 DAYS/ALSO HERE LIES JAMES GRIEG WHO/DIED 2 JUNE1758 aged 14 And/David Grieg who died 7 Decr 1777/aged 26'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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