endlessrarities | A Real Renaissance Man...

'Don't give up your day job' is the polite refrain granted to those who embody all that is worst about the word 'amateur', Watching the likes of 'X-Factor' demonstrates that there's a load of folk out there who should really heed that advice, though it's sometimes hard to believe these days, when 'celebrities' seem to be able to turn their hands to anything, often thanks to the efforts of computer-modified vocals and talented ghost writers.

But sometimes you get evidence of real talent in unexpected places, and during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Scotland, there seems to have been an abundance of courtiers and lesser landowners who used their intellectual faculties in all sorts of activities. People like the poets Robert Sempill of Beltrees (the REAL author of 'Auld Lang Syne'!) and Alexander Montgomerie (who wrote 'The Cherry and the Sloe') spring to mind, but there were others whose interests carried them in quite different directions.

This is a nineteenth century well which stands in the centre of West Linton:-

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the carved figure in the recess is quite different in character from the rest of the monument. She's known as 'Lady Gifford', and she's the only surviving figure from an earlier cross - presumably a mercat cross - which featured the 'Laird of Gifford', Lady Gifford and five of their sons.

Here's a close-up:-

What's unusual about this figure is that she was carved by the 'Laird of Gifford''s own hand. Okay, it's not exactly Michaelangelo's David, but hey, we're talking seventeenth century Scotland here, not Renaissance Florence...

James Gifford wasn't a baron as such. According to my source, the splendid and comprehensive volume Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders by John Baldwin (The Stationery Office, 1997 - part of the Exploring Scotland's Heritage Series), he was a farmer, though presumably a rather wealthy and successful one. He sculpted stone in his spare time: it's a pastime which seems a bit outlandish for a farmer, but... It's probably not that surprising: by this time, Freemasonry was becoming increasingly amongst the gentry and nobility, and West Linton does sit in the same general area as that pinnacle of the stone mason's art, Roslin Chapel.

Perhaps the most outstanding example of Gifford's work is the sculpted panel which has now been incorporated into the side of a house in the main street. Unfortunately, it's difficult to appreciate his work properly as the wall sits tight against the road and there's no pavement, so you're taking your life into your hands when you try and take a close look!

I haven't reduced it too much so you can get some idea of the detail involved. It's a lovely thing - it's still in quite good condition, too, though Gifford's features (to the left in the central panel) are sadly eroded. It also provides us with a great snapshot of contemporary Scots costume - the lady's veil and head-dress are particularly fine.

More from West Linton tomorrow!