Th last of the grave slabs in this series is at the opposite side of the ‘John Fendour’ desk to the Burnet brother’s gravestone.

It is the one shown in this photograph and is for Marjorie Burnet. The inscription for her reads “Heir restis the bodie of Mariorie Bvrnet the loving wyf of Alexander Toasch departed [M]aii 9th 1683 and of her age the 24th yeir” The Bible verse reads “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance” (Psalm 112, verse 6).

The shield displays both the Burnet and Toash arms. The latter, to the left being those of the man, shows a galley and an arm with the hand grasping a heart, with a ring above. There is a slight difference in the Burnet arms from those shown previously in that this one also has a ring towards the top of the middle holly leaf. It can also be seen that the margin round the edge of the gravestone is blank. It would, as was the tradition, have been left to record the death of Alexander Toash, but the inscription was never made.

One small footnote – the Kirk and Bridge Work Accounts of the City of Aberdeen show that the burial took place on 11th May, just two days after she died, and that it cost £20.

This is the second of the series on grave slabs in St Mary’s Chapel. It records one of the more tragic incidents in Aberdeen’s history. The gravestone is shown here.

Around the edge the inscription reads “Heir lyes Thomas and Andrew Bvrnet brothers, bvrgesses of ABD qvho departed this lyf 13 Septr 1644″. The brothers were killed in the ‘cruell and bloodie feight and conflict quhiche was fochten betuixt the Crabstane and the Justice Mylnes”. The fight took place because Aberdeen (then dominated by the Covenanting party and reinforced by militia from Fife) refused to surrender to the Royalist Marquis of Montrose. In those days, to be a Burgess of the City meant that you had to be prepared to take arms and fight to protect the City. It was a tragic loss for the family.

Also mentioned on the gravestone is ‘Alexander Burnet, son of Thomas Burnet who died on 29th April 1686 and Sicklyke Agnes Moir, his wife, who died on 18th June 1686’.   The stone has been broken diagonally across the centre at some time, but it does show a finely carved representation of the Burnet arms (three holly leaves over a hunting horn – the horn of Leys) with a helmet and mantling together with the initials of the brothers.

Before the rebuilding of the West Kirk in 1755 and of the East Kirk in 1837  much of the flooring of the whole Kirk was provided by grave slabs some of which were removed and left in the churchyard. A number of these were taken into St Mary’s Chapel for better preservation when it was restored in 1898 and were incorporated into the floor. This series of posts will deal with the three most prominent of these.

This post shows the gravestone for Robert Burnet. The inscription reads “Here lyes Robert Bvrnet, merchant, Burg of ABD who departed the 23 of March 1674”. In the centre can be seen the arms of Burnet of Leys, (three holly leaves above a hunting horn) with, in this case, a square in the centre to differentiate this holder from the head of the family.  These are combined with those of Gray family arms (a lion rampant) together with the initials RB and MG of husband and wife The Latin motto can be translated ‘Courage grows by wounding’.

The stone itself is central in St Mary’s Chapel just in front of the desk which featured a few weeks ago in these posts.