Scotland

Trades, occupations, and tools, from 18th C gravestones in Lanarkshire graveyards

Visited in July 2022

pacoulmag, wuzmi

• 2 min read
Trades, occupations, and tools, from 18th C gravestones in Lanarkshire graveyards
Scotland is famous for its decorated old gravestones, 18th C. Symbols or tools of the various trades may be seen.This page shows examples in South Lanarkshire mainly in Stone House churchyard. Here, probably symbols of a tailor with scissors and iron (Lesmahagow).
The carpenter's axe of Thomas Hamilton (St Ninian's Kirkyard, Stonehouse)
An axe for probably a woodcutter (St Ninian's Kirkyard, Stonehouse)
The tools of a stonemason: square, mallet, plumb , chisel, on the two sides of the stone (St Ninian's Kirkyard, Stonehouse)
More builders... with level, plumb,compass, axe, square and chisels (Thankerton Graveyard, Covington & St Serf, Dalserf)
The special knife or" half moon leather"knife,of a Shoemaker or cordiner (St Ninian's Kirkyard, Stonehouse)
Blacksmith tools (St Ninian's Kirkyard, Stonehouse)
More tools: gardiner (Symington), stone mason (Lesmahagow))
David Vesie was a miller, grave with symbol of his trade: the "rind", or "millrind" (Symington)