A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Deeply Regretted

While Scottish gravestones can be an absolute goldmine of genealogical information and may also give us an insight into the personality of the deceased, there are some words that we certainly would never expect to find today.

One such example is this stone from the Old Kincardine Kirkyard. It has not particularly stood the test of time but the bottom of it reads:

“Thus had enclosed the ashes of his Deeply Deplored Relations” 

The use of the phrase deeply deplored today would be taken as him not having a particular fondness for his relations. However in 1813, it would have meant that they were in deep mourning – having deeply deplored his loss. 

And a wonderful example of the deceased being Deeply Regretted (meaning their death was deeply felt) is this gravestone in Old Calton Cemetery in Edinburgh for the Rev'd Thomas Thomson

It reads:

Sacred to the memory of the Rev’d Thomas Thomson

Minister of the Relief Congregation

St James Place, Edinburgh 

After a long illness which was borne 

with Exemplary patience, 

He Departed this Life on the 16^th of April

 1819 

In the 62d of his age 

and 40^th of his Ministry,

Deeply Regretted

By all his Friends and in particular by

His congregation

Who in token of their respect 

for the Piety and Worth of his Character

 All of their grateful recollection

 Of his Fidelity and Tenderness as a 

Pastor

Erected this Monument As a Mournful Tribute of Affection

 to his Virtues.

 

Also sacred to the memory of 

his widow

Ann Drummond Smith

Born 13^th July 1779. Died 8^th May 1848.

And their second son

The Rev’d Thomas Drummond Thomson

Born 29^th June 1814. Died 25^th July 1847

And then the gravestone gives the parameters of the lair:

Size of Ground 8 Feet by 10

 

 

 

A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Old Calton Cemetery, Edinburgh

 At one time, Calton was its own separate village at the east end of what is now Princes Street, and at the base of Calton Hill. In 1718, the Society of the Incorporated Trades of Calton bought a half acre of ground for use as a burial ground for the village. A century later, a new road was to be built which would run through the centre of the cemetery. It was decided that a new cemetery should be built where bodies from part of the cemetery affected by the road could be relocated. 

Like many of the cemeteries in Edinburgh, Old Calton is the final resting place for many of the city’s important citizens.

A Month of Scottish Gravestones - Calton Weaver's Cemetery

There is a cemetery on Abercrombie Street in Glasgow's east end. Where it is situated would have been between a cotton mill and an iron foundry. The cemetery was set up by the Calton Corporation of Weavers and often gets referred to as the "Weaver's Cemetery". 

Weavers are not the only profession buried here, so the moniker is a bit misleading. However, the weavers certainly have the biggest story in so it is easy to see how the profession came to be the only one associated with the cemetery. 

At the peak of Calton’s prosperity, wages for weavers had risen to nearly £100 a year. However, industrialization and an ever expanding trade market caused a severe downturn for the weavers. The East India Company was importing cheap Indian muslins, causing the price of Scottish cloth to drop. This then saw the weaver's pay being cut accordingly. In June 1787, Manufacturers announced a further cut in pay. A full 25%. Recognizing that this was not going to allow the weavers to afford to feed and house their families, they decided to strike. 

On September 3, 1787, thousands of protesting weavers gathered in Glasgow Green and resolved not to work for starvation wages. The Lord Provost of Glasgow learned of the rally. He and his magistrates showed up at the Green to intervene and quell the crowds, but were immediately pelted by rocks, thrown from the gathering crowd. The magistrates then sent soldiers of the 39th Regiment of Foot who were sent to quell the crowd of protesting workers. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing three weavers and seriously injuring three others. Over 6,000 people attended the funeral for these men.

This incident was really the first major industrial dispute in Scottish history. As such, the slaughtered men became Scotland’s first working-class martyrs. There is a memorial to them within the cemetery. 

 

Tombstone Tuesday - David Hume

This tomb belongs to one of the important Scottish Game Changers:  David Hume

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist known especially for his ph...ilosophical empiricism and scepticism. 

 David Hume's aim was to found the 'Science of Man' - the study of human nature by scientific means. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment.

A statue of Hume stands on the Royal Mile.

 

His tomb, which is quite grand, is in the Old Calton Cemetery in Edinburgh

 

Old Calton Burial Grounds

This Calton Burial Ground was established in 1787 by the Calton Incorporation of Weavers. The cemetery is also referred to as the Weaver's Cemetery.

 

 

One month after the opening of the cemetery, there was a deadly incident involving weavers. The East India Company was importing cheap Indian muslins, causing the price of Scottish cloth to drop. This then saw the weaver's pay being cut accordingly. In June 1787, Manufacturers announced a further cut in pay. A strike ensued.

On September 3, 1787, thousands of protesting weavers gathered in Glasgow Green and resolved not to work for starvation wages. The Lord Provost of Glasgow learned of the rally. He and his magistrates showed up at the Green to intervene and quell the crowds, but were immediately pelted by rocks, thrown from the gathering crowd. The magistrates then sent soldiers of the 39th Regiment of Foot who were sent to quell the crowd of protesting workers. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing three weavers and seriously injuring three others. Over 6,000 people attended the funeral for these men.

Weavers stone tells the tale of the three weavers (John Page, Alexander Miller and James Ainsley) who were killed during a protest for better wages.

When upgrades and maintenance were done on the cemetery in 2010, these stones were placed along a walkway to commemorate the weavers of Calton and the importance of their place in Glasgow's history

 

 

There are a number of very interesting old stones in the cemetery:

 

 

 A tomb with a view?

 

 

 

A wealth of genealogical information