Banff Churchyard. Mural monument. Digital image of BWA 504.

Description Banff Churchyard. Mural monument. Digital image of BWA 504.

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

Catalogue Number SC 801691

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Detail of mural monument to an unnamed sea captain, St Mary's Church and Burial-Ground, Church Street, Banff, Aberdeenshire This panel is beautifully carved from white marble, indicating that the deceased was a man of great wealth and standing in the community. It depicts a 'trophy' of sea-related items and scrolling foliage. The objects carved include cannons firing, fallen masts, a trident (emblem of Neptune, god of the sea) and a large anchor. 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 cannons in this example suggest a sailor engaged in active combat. This white marble mural monument (a memorial stone fixed onto a wall) probably dates from the late 18th or early 19th century. Unfortunately no inscription survives, but from the symbolic objects carved upon the stone, it is clear that the deceased was a naval officer. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

External Reference BWA/504

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/801691

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap