View of gravestone. Digital image of B 4394/1

Description View of gravestone. Digital image of B 4394/1

Date 1991

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

Catalogue Number SC 801035

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 4394/1

Scope and Content Gravestone commemorating John Gibson and family, Libberton Parish Church and Churchyard, South Lanarkshire Here, a winged skull, symbolising death's sudden and often unexpected swiftness, echoes the sentiments of the inscription below. While these represent the death of those commemorated on this gravestone, they were also intended to offer the viewer a reminder of their own mortality. Memorial inscriptions can offer a wealth of often subtle information beyond ages and dates of birth and death. Tenant farmers often simply stated themselves to be 'in' a particular farm, while the owner would be 'of' a place. Until the 19th century, most married women were commemorated under their maiden names, a tradition which may relate to this being their baptismal name. Spellings of words can reflect accents and local dialects, while the style of lettering used shows influences and changes through time. The use of Roman-style letters probably became widely known through printed books, most commonly the Bible, and newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries. This gravestone commemorates the family of John Gibson, a tenant farmer, who died in 1741 aged 45. Also buried here are his son-in-law John Gibson, also a tenant farmer, who died in 1783 at the age of 70, his wife Janet Gibson, who died in 1795 aged 76, and the couple's son John Gibson, who died in 1759 aged 16. Seven unnamed children who died as infants are also commemorated. In the past it was customary for children only to be commemorated when an adult member of their family died. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/801035

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap