Some Gravestones in West Linton (i)

[endlessrarities]

Here we go again.  It's time for a graveyard tour.  This is the first of several posts devoted to the early gravestones in West Linton - I couldn't possibly introduce you to the delights of this graveyard in one night!

The church itself is clearly nineneenth century.  Here's a view of it in typical Scottish weather (i.e. dismal):-
 

But the site has much earlier origins.  A pair of gatepiers, marking the former entrance of the church, give an idea of its antiquity.  Here's a close-up of one, showing its carved date-stone:-

The photograph's a bit bigger than usual, so you can see the detail of the carving better.  There are depictions of roses and thistles in the corners, reflecting Scotland's changing relationship with England at this time.

The graveyard contains a lot of early gravestones.  Here's a view of it - don't worry, you'll be getting detailed images of some of the more interesting gravestones over the next few days!

The earliest gravestone I could find was dated to the 1660s - to 1667, in fact, a mere year after the Great Fire of London:-

 

The other side isn't particularly exciting.  It features the standard death's head and crossed thigh-bones motifs that are commonly encountered on tombstones of this time:-

Tomorrow, I'll show you some of the eighteenth century tombstones.