Kelso, Abbey Row, Burial Ground, Walls And Gate Piers

Memorials dating back to the seventeenth century can be found in the old parish burial-ground in Abbey Row. The memorials, many now heavily weathered and eroded, document the lives of Kelsonians from centuries ago. Traditional emblems of death and immortality, such as the skull, bones and winged soul, illustrate their religious beliefs while symbols relating to various trades also appear. Often these are simply the tools that the craftsmen used in their daily work, such as hammers and anvils for blacksmiths. Inscriptions show that there were many who worked on the land or as servants in the mansions in and around Kelso.

Older memorials used only the local sandstone, a soft material, and these have not survived as well as those made from harder materials such as granite, the use of which is relatively modern. Clearance of fallen or unstable stones has probably also reduced the numbers of older headstones within the burial-ground.

Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project