Killean Old Parish Church. Detail of headstone of sailor. Digital image of AG 1860.

Description Killean Old Parish Church. Detail of headstone of sailor. Digital image of AG 1860.

Date 1967

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

Catalogue Number SC 801616

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of AG 1860

Scope and Content Gravestone of Niell McGill, Killean Old Parish Church, Argyll & Bute This gravestone features crossed dividers and set square (or perhaps a sextant), and hourglass (emblem of the brevity of life), and a sailing ship (probably a gaff cutter). The deceased man was a sailor, and traditional seafarer's emblems and verse have been chosen for his memorial to record this. 18th and-19th century sailors' gravestones and those of their relatives frequently display 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 Niell McGill, who died in 1759, and his son Rodger, who died in 1738. A verse on the lower part of the tomb reads: 'THOUGH BOR[EAS] BLAST/AND NEPTUNES HAND DID/TOSS ME TO (AND) FRO IN SPITE OF/BOTH BY GODS DECREE I/HARBOUR HEAR BELOW'. 'Boreas' is the ancient name for the personification of the cold north wind. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference Inv. plate 44a

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/801616

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap