Detail of headstone for John Murray, 1771. Digital image of A 34982 PO

Description Detail of headstone for John Murray, 1771. Digital image of A 34982 PO

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

Catalogue Number SC 803741

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 34982 PO

Scope and Content Gravestone commemorating John Murray, Kells Churchyard, Dumfries & Galloway Depicted in wonderful detail, it is plain that John's long years of service were probably as a ghillie or gamekeeper. Along with his fishing rods are his flintlock rifle and powder flask, used for shooting grouse, as well as the faithful gun dog for retrieving the downed birds. The excellent quality of these carvings shows how highly the Gordon family thought of their long-serving ghillie. After John's death, there was a competition held in the parish to compose a fitting epitaph for this magnificent memorial, which was won by the minister, who was evidently something of a poet. His verse portrays the ghillie as a true 'salt-of-the-earth' character. It reads: 'Ah John what changes since I saw thee last/Thy shooting and thy fishing days are past;/Bagpipes and hautboys thou canst sound no more/Thy nods, grimaces, winks and pranks are o'er./Thy harmless, queerish, incoherent talk./Thy wild vivacity and trudging walk/Will soon be quite forgot; thy joys on earth/A snuff, a glass, riddles and mirth/Be vanish'd all, yet blest I hope thou art,/For in thy station weel thou plays't thy part'. This gravestone commemorates John Murray, who died in 1777 aged 61. The inscription reads: 'In memory of John Murray/who died at Kenmore Janry 3rd 1777/aged 61 years and who for 46 years/had been a faithfull servant to the/family of Kenmore. Erected by the Hon-/ourable John Gordon'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/803741

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap