Essil Churchyard. Tablestone, Bessie Clep and John Shand, 1704 and 1729.

Description Essil Churchyard. Tablestone, Bessie Clep and John Shand, 1704 and 1729.

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

Catalogue Number SC 801646

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 42928/21

Scope and Content Table tomb of Bessie Clep and John Shand, St Peter's Church and Burial-Ground, Essil, Moray This shows part of the top of the table tomb. It illustrates a number of emblems of death, neatly arranged around a skull and crossed bones. They include sexton's (gravedigger's) tools, 'deid' (dead) bells, which were rung at funerals, coffins and an hourglass (emblem of the brevity of life). 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 table tomb commemorates Bessie Clep and John Shand, who both died in 1704. It is inscribed: 'HERE LYES BESSIE CLEP SPOUS TO/JOHN SHAND FEWAR IN GARMOUTH/WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE THE 3TH/APPRIL 1704 YEIRS AND THE SAID/JOHN SHAND WHO DEPARTED THE YEAR/1704 AND OF AGE 75'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/801646

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap