A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Rank and File

Yesterday we talked about those who perhaps couldn't afford a headstone or were unfortunate enough to be buried in mass graves with no one knowing where their final resting place actually is. 

I mentioned at the end of the post that there is a cemetery at Quarriers Village. This was a children's home and one that actually transported children across the sea to be farm workers in Canada. Quarriers was a self-contained village on the outskirts of Paisley (which would have been the nearest town). The village had a school, a hospital, a store, a laundry facility, a fire hall, a church and with the church, a graveyard. 

I visited Quarriers on my most recent visit to Scotland, back in April. And, like any genealogist worth their salt, I wandered through the graveyard. 

Mr and Mrs Quarrier are interred in the cemetery along with their family:

Here we see the gravestone for William Quarrier and his wife, Mary. It is not terribly ornate as headstones go but certainly more ornate that most in the cemetery. The only symbol is the wreath, which symbolizes victory over death. 

This is the gravestone for the Quarrier's daughter, Mary. Again, not terrible ornate and the only symbol is the celtic knot and cross

This one is for the Quarrier's daugher Agnes and her husband, James and also for their three sons.

This stone is for the village's pastor, David Findlay and his wife, Isabella. A young man is also mentioned, presumably their son, who died in war. Isabella was not only David's wife but was also daughter to Mr & Mrs Quarrier as well as sister to Mary and Agnes.

Others in employ of the village are also interred in the kirkyard:

Gravestone for the Village's Superintendent, James McFadzeam and his wife, Jane. Note the draped urn which is the vessel carrying the soul to glory and the drape signifies the veil between life and the afterlife 

Headmaster John Kennedy and is wife, Peterina

These two stones memorialize workers in the village

These two slabs are more ornate than the others in that they show the family crest. These are for the McLay family. Father Joseph was a Baron and son John a Viscount. Both men were chairmen of the Board for the Village. 

And then we have the gravestones for the children. The rank and file of the village. 

Here we can see the layout of the numerous children's graves on the left side of the photo contrasted with the more regal headstones of the Quarriers, Minister, Headmaster and staff of the Village. 

The children are laid out in rows. Sometimes one is marked on a headstone, sometimes two. No dates, no accolades, no symbols, no mention of "a life well lived" or markings to suggest that their souls have also found glory over death. They are neat and orderly, much like I image that they were expected to be in life. No sense of individuality. Nothing "between the dash" as it were.