Arngask Old Parish Churchyard. General view of gravestone. Insc: 'D M P H'. Digital image of A 9450

Description Arngask Old Parish Churchyard. General view of gravestone. Insc: 'D M P H'. Digital image of A 9450

Date 1975 to 1976

Collection List C Survey

Catalogue Number SC 803295

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 9450

Scope and Content Gravestone of 'D P' and 'M H', Old Parish Churchyard, Arngask, Perth & Kinross This gravestone features heavy Ionic pilasters and a shaped pediment with a scrolled bracket (the other has broken away). Within the deep recess formed by the pilasters are carved an hourglass and skull in high relief. The hourglass symbolises the brevity of life, and the skull is an emblem of mortality. The flower in the centre of the pediment symbolises rebirth and renewal. 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 elaborate gravestone commemorates 'D P' and 'M H'. No other details are available. The monument dates from the early 18th century. Within the churchyard stands a watch house, built here in 1830. This would be used to watch over the graveyard at night to prevent body snatchers stealing the corpses of the recently deceased to sell to medical schools. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/803295

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap