Know
locally as the Irving Monument but only the central panels bear
Irving inscriptions.
The side panels have inscriptions relating to the Maxwell Family |
| The
following Latin inscriptions in raised letters are cut along the top
of the central panel |
INSIGNUM
IRVINGORUM EXEGSIS
ILICIS EN INSTAR VIVUS VIRTUTE VIREBAM
NUNC VIRCO EXELOPROVIDUS ANTE SOLO |
|
| The
inscription in the arch of this panel reads: |
| MEMENTO
HOMO QUOD CINIS ES ET IN CINEREM REVERTERIS |
F.
I. is cut in raised letters to the left of the death's
head symbol and A. R. on the right
These are the initials of Francis IRVING and A. RAINY his wife |
|
| This
panel carries Francis Irving's epitaph in both Latin and English |
| The
photograph below shows an inscription on the back of the monument
viewed from the street. |
|
|
 |
| MEMENTO
MORI |
| BE
MINDFUL OF DEATH |
| An
Admonition to the traveller |
A
tale that is told, a bubble, a cloud, vanity
A flower, smoke, a shadow, a dream
Here behold the flowing hour-glass of our being,
I am reduced to dry bones.
The sure coming, uncertain hour of death presses on thee,
So live that you may learn to die. |
|
| The
foliage 'decorating' the death's head symbol is, quite appropriately,
a living self-seeded wild flower. |
| Death's
dead symbols, hour glass and crossed bones are often found on 17th
and early 18th century gravestones. |
|
Such
devices found on gravestone panels are sometimes referred to as Mortality and Immortality Symbols.
Their meaning would have been quite clear to a relatively illiterate
population. The cherub head with wings represents the immortal soul leaving the
body after death. The book is either seen as the Bible, meaning the Word of God, or the Book of
Judgment. Skulls and bones remind the viewer of the inevitability of
their death. The hour-glass was intended as a
reminder that their time is limited and that they must be prepared
for death. MEMENTO MORI - be mindful of death. |
|
This
large monument occupies a prominent position on the boundary wall
overlooking the roadway.
In this case the inscription panel is easily read. One panel
is inscribed and the other is blank. |
|
 |