Headstone for Margaret Gordon.

Description Headstone for Margaret Gordon.

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

Catalogue Number A 34978 PO

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 803800

Scope and Content Gravestone commemorating Margaret Gordon, Old Parish Church and Burial-Ground, Minnigaff, Dumfries & Galloway Although Thomas McCreddie probably never had a coat of arms, the gravestone he erected for his wife is carved with what could be mistaken for a heraldic device. Here, the intricately carved main panel uses a variety of blacksmith's tools. Beneath the crown and hammer are crossed files and rasps with crossed hammers, pliers and chisels hanging on fine tasselled cords. These are set against a large piece of draped cloth, arranged into the shape of a shield. The cloth is shown with fringed edging, and could perhaps be a representation of a mort-cloth, articles which were usually crafted from fine materials. As a blacksmith, Thomas may have belonged to a body known as the Incorporation of Hammermen if one existed in Newton Stewart. The Hammermen took the crown and hammer as their emblem, though some trades used the crown and the tool of their own trade. Such emblems can be found on plaques set into buildings which were once workshops, and often have the motto 'By Hammer and Hand do all Crafts Stand'. Embracing a variety of trades, the Hammermen included any craftsmen whose work involved hammer upon metal, and encompassed a range of trades from watchmakers to blacksmiths. This gravestone commemorates Margaret Gordon, who died in 1767 aged 36. The inscription reads: 'Here is Interred the Body of /Margaret Gordon Spouse to/Thomas McCreddie Smith/in Newton Stewart who died/June 1767 aged 36 years'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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