View of headstone of Andrew Hay, 1736, with gardener's tools and heart.

Description View of headstone of Andrew Hay, 1736, with gardener's tools and heart.

Date 1988

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

Catalogue Number B 4270/11

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 801886

Scope and Content Gravestone commemorating Andrew Hay, Churchyard, Traquair Parish Church, Scottish Borders Beneath a large heart, a token of love and also an emblem of the soul and immortality, is a crossed shovel and a rake, the tools of Andrew's trade. He was probably employed by one of the large estates in the area, perhaps even Traquair House. Post-Reformation gravestones like this are an important part of the nation's heritage, documenting the lives of ordinary Scots who would otherwise leave little record of their existence. Through the decorative carvings and inscriptions it is possible to learn more about the lives of these people, what they did for a living and, in this case, even the clothes they wore and what they looked like. This gravestone commemorates Andrew Hay, who died in 1756 aged 70, Margaret Hotson his wife, who died in 1754 aged 78, and their son Robert, who died in 1722 aged 2 months. The inscription reads: 'HERE LAYS/ANDREW HAY LATE GARDINER/IN TRAQUAHIR WHO DIED THE/5TH DAY OF MAR 1756 AGED 70/ALSO MARGARET HOTSON HIS SPOUSE/WHO DIED MARCH 9TH 1754 AGED 78/& THEIR SON ROBERT WHO DIED 7TH/MARCH 1722 AGED 2 MONTHS'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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