Wedderburn book > History

412
THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part ^
Chap.
The oldest monument, however, bearing the name, is just outside the limits of their
burying ground. This, which is one of the earliest stones in the Howff, is the flat
sculptured stone (No. 546 in 1834 Survey) which marks the tomb of James Anderson and
Grissell Weddei'burn, his wife. I have not been able to ascertain her parentage, but
some account of her has been given, ante, p. 85. The inscription on the stone, 1 of which
an illustration is given opposite, and which is very typical of the monumental sculpture
of the time, is as follows : —
Hie • Sitvs • Spectatvs ■ Vir ■ Iacobvs ■ Andersone • Cms ' Dei ■ Donanvs ■ Obiit ■ I • Die •
Mensis • Ianvarii ■ Anno ■ Domini ■ 1584 • ^Etatis ■ Sce ■ 73 — Ultimvs ■ Morborvm ■ Medicvs ' Mors. "
Hie • Sita • Probata ■ Matrona ■ Grisildis ■ Wedderbvrn ■ Conjvx • Dicti • Iacobi ■ Andersovn ■
Obiit ■ 4 ■ Die Ivnii ■ Anno ■ Domini ■ 1 572 ■ JEtatis ■ &v& " 54.
Close to this tomb is the burying ground of the family, which occupies a considerable
space, and contains in all nine monuments and two small foot stones. The arrange-
ment of the stones seems to have been much altered from time to time. Thus a plan
among J. W. papers shows what it was in 1824, but when, ten years later, he had it levelled
and set in some order, the position of the stones was changed, and the two small foot
stones, engraved J.W., were added, for what purpose I know not.
I proceed to describe each of these monuments.
(1) Monument to the Wedderburns of Kingennie. (No. 725 in 1834 Survey.)
This is the oldest and principal monument in the family burying ground. In 1891
it was in a most ruinous condition. Nothing was decipherable on the huge slab of granite,
which was slipping from the five pillars on which it originally rested. At one end of it was
a sculptured stone, almost crumbled away, but with a scythe and arrow just visible on it,
all that remained of a still older monument.
THE KINGENNIE MONUMENT.
1891.
The inscription on this tomb was legible early in this century, and some of it, as well
as of the sculpture on the stone, was still visible in 1834. J.W., who was then often in
Dundee, describes the slab as having in its centre the arms of Wedderburn and Ramsay,
surmounted by the crest of the former family, as engraved by him in his printed book (see
post, p. 427). Round the edge of the slab was a border of heraldic roses, while part of the
following inscription was still legible : —
CONDITUR HOC TDMDLO ALEXANDER WEDDERBURN DOMINUS DE EaSTER POWRIE, FAMILIiE SD^E
PRINCEPS, NUPERRIME HUIC URBI PRiEFECTUS, EJUSDEM AD PARLIAMENTUM PRIM0M SUPREMI DOMINI NOSTRI
REGIS CaROLI II. DELEGATUS. OBIIT I DIE ApRILIS ANNO DOMINI 1683 .ETATIS 66. HlC ETIAM CON-
QUIESOUNT OSSA ELIZABETHS RAMSAY ILLIUS PRIMI AMORIS UXORIS FILLS UNIOiE JOANNIS RAMSAY FRATRIS
DOMINI DE MURIE HUJUSQUE URBIS OLIM PRSTORIS, qVM OBIIT 2 DIE MENSIS APRILIS 1643 .ffiTATIS 22."
" It evidently (he says in his MS. memoir) succeeded an older and more elaborate
work, which I take to have covered the remains of the family from the earliest period of
their connection with Dundee. When the ground was levelled and improved in 1834 the
remains of the old monument were exhumed and erected at the end of this stone." He
further states that the arms on the stone are two generations older than the inscription,
this stone having (he says) been first erected in 1626 to Alexander Wedderburn, first of
1 In the Book of the Howff it is claimed by " Wm. Cathro, Brewer," on what ground does not appear.