View of gravestone. Digital image of B 4393/23

Description View of gravestone. Digital image of B 4393/23

Date 1991

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

Catalogue Number SC 801056

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 4393/23

Scope and Content View of a gravestone commemorating John Chasels, Lesmahagow parish church, Church Square, Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire Although the winged figure at the top of the stone has suffered from weathering, there is enough surviving detail to see that it was once finely carved, and appears to have long curled hair. Below, the emblems are framed by a pair of pilasters, a type of architectural decoration resembling flattened Classical pillars. The skull is an evocative metaphor for death, and in this case the mason's artistic skills are evident. Below, a coiled snake appears to hold an apple in its mouth, which could be interpreted as being an allusion to the Fall of Man, and a suggestion that sin and death are bound together. Normally the Fall of Man is depicted with Adam and Eve on either side of a fruit-laden tree with the serpent coiled around the bough, offering a fruit to Eve's extended hand. Depictions of Adam and Eve appear to have been far more popular in Scotland than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, and these were not limited to gravestone art. Examples are known from school books, religious works and even everyday objects, such as crockery and furniture. The scene carries a variety of meanings, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways. One reading may be as a stern reminder of original sin and the need to guard against temptation at all times. Another interpretation might offer some solace to those wondering why their loved ones had died, or endured a difficult life by reminding us that death, hardship and pain were not in God's design for this world: such things came to pass through man's disobedience. This gravestone commemorates John Chasels, who died in 1704, aged 56. The inscription reads: 'HERE LYES/JOHN CHASELS/WHO DEPARTED/THIS LIFE THE/YEAR OF GOD 1704/AGED 56/RENEWED BY JOHN CASSELS in/DILLARBURN/1810'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap