Gibson-Craig Burial Ground (Formerly the Riccarton Estate), Edinburgh Monumental Inscription Index An A-Z Index of names inscribed on surveyed stones Heriot-Watt University Campus, off A71, Edinburgh EH14 4AS www.memento-mori.co.uk 1
Whether monuments or gravestones are very grand and ornate or are the humblest of stones tucked away in some forgotten corner of a Churchyard, they represent part of our heritage and although etched in stone, their inscriptions are disappearing at an alarming rate. Whilst some may still be standing, others have either toppled or have been laid flat, all eventually suffering from the elements, becoming so weathered or eroded that their inscriptions have faded or at worst, disappeared completely. The care and attention once given to tending that special place long gone shrubs and weeds taking over, obscuring or even hiding a once prominent site. In many old Churchyards, gravestones are removed or relocated to assist in the maintenance of the burial ground or because the land is up for re-development and can end up as nothing more than a path. Monumental Inscriptions or gravestones are far from being the permanent records our forefathers hoped would last forever so I hope my efforts over the past years in photographing and transcribing some of the old and not so old Churchyards, Cemeteries and Burial Grounds in Stirlingshire and a few surrounding areas may help to preserve this valuable information before much of it is lost forever. Photographs and complete Monumental Inscriptions available from info@memento-mori.co.uk For details on prices, how to order etc., see Page 6 From the inscription one can see the parents and their children, also that at least one, even if their only daughter, was married. Ages at death can assist in determining not only years of birth, but can indicate the time span over which children were born. On this particular stone, by using only the information on the inscription, the first child s birth (John) would have been in 1851, the last child (Samuel) in 1867, so this couple s family were born over at least a 15 year period. This information provides enough detail to make internet searches both faster and more economical particularly as the Marshall Family would appear on both the 1851 and 1861 Scottish Census Returns. This stone shows the common practice of repeated use of two particular forenames i.e. John and James. 2 Erected by William Marshall In memory of his children JOHN died in 1853 aged 2 years JOHN died in 1855 aged 2 years JAMES died 20 th August 1857 aged 2 years JAMES died 8 th July 1871 aged 21 months And his son SAMUEL MARSHALL Died 3 rd August 1888 aged 21 years And his son WILLIAM MARSHALL Died 19 th September 1898 aged 38 years Also his daughter MARION MARSHALL Wife of Alexander Rankin Died 25 th March 1901 aged 36 years The above WILLIAM MARSHALL Died 9 th June 1901 aged 74 years Also his wife JANET ROBERTSON Died 8 th December 1910 aged 84 years
Gibson-Craig Burial Ground Where possible and legible, Maiden Names and Married Names have been listed as separate entries, e.g. Smith, Jane (nee Jones) - Married Name being Smith, Maiden Name or nee, Jones Jones, Jane (Smith) - Maiden Name being Jones, Married Name, Smith 3 Died or Date of Age at Killed Name Death Death in War 1 BUCHANAN, Julia (Gibson-Craig) 04.09.1932 83 2 CARMICHAEL, Henry Thomas Gibson-Craig 05.09.1926 41 3 GIBSON-CRAIG, Anne 11.09.1925 81 4 GIBSON-CRAIG, Anne (nee Thomson) 1837 67 5 GIBSON-CRAIG, Archibald Charles 14.09.1914 28 WW1 6 GIBSON-CRAIG, Betsey Sarah Vivian 15.02.1895 77 7 GIBSON-CRAIG, Cecelia Helen 25.02.1894 90 8 GIBSON-CRAIG, Dulcie Eleanor 29.05.1941 60 9 GIBSON-CRAIG, Hermoione Dulcie Etta (Lucy) 30.03.1945 28 10 GIBSON-CRAIG, Henrietta Florence 30.04.1956 84 11 GIBSON-CRAIG, James 1850 85 12 GIBSON-CRAIG, James Henry 28.09.1908 67 13 GIBSON-CRAIG, Joanna 27.03.1894 88 14 GIBSON-CRAIG, Julia (nee Buchanan) 04.09.1932 83 15 GIBSON-CRAIG, Margaret 23.07.1871 69 16 GIBSON-CRAIG, Robert James 23.04.1900 18 Boer 17 GIBSON-CRAIG, Robert Julian Archibald Cuming 19.02.1930 28 18 GIBSON-CRAIG, William 17.03.1872 29 19 GIBSON-CRAIG, William 12.03.1873 75 20 GIBSON-CRAIG, William Buchanan 17.01.1879? 21 LUCY, Hermoione Dulcie Etta (nee Gibson-Craig) 30.03.1945 28 22 THOMSON, Anne (Gibson-Craig) 1837 67
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Midlothian Council, purchased the Riccarton Estate from the owners, the Gibson-Craig family and gifted to Heriot-Watt University in 1969. Riccarton House, the main house on the estate, believed to have been built in the 15 th Century had fallen into a state of disrepair and was demolished and in it s place now sits the University Library. Records for the Riccarton Estate date back to 1315 when it was gifted to Marjory, daughter of King Robert the Bruce on her marriage. Thomas Craig purchased the property around 1608 from the Wardlaw Family and was passed down through the Craig Family until the death of Robert Craig who died, unmarried, in 1823. On his death, the estate passed to James Craig, who assumed the name of Gibson Craig that same year on becoming a Baronet During the Second World War, Riccarton House was used as the Headquarters of the Scottish Command, and in the immediate post-war years was first a resettlement camp for ex-prisoners of War, then from 1947 to 1954, headquarters of the Royal Artillery 3rd Anti Aircraft Group. Sir Archibald Charles Gibson-Craig, Lieutenant 4th Bart. 2nd Battalion, Highland Light Infantry died in France on Monday, 14th September 1914. Age 31. (Son of the Sir James Henry Gibson-Craig, 3rd Bart. and Lady Gibson Craig, of Riccarton, Currie, Midlothian. He is commemorated at La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France and locally on a panel at Currie Civic Memorial (see: http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=510&highlight=gibsoncraig&mforum=warmemscot) Robert James Gibson-Craig, Second Lieutenant, Royal Scots was killed at Naauwpoort South Aftrica in the Boer War The Memorial Hall in the village of Currie was erected to his memory. 5
How to order Photographs & Monumental Inscriptions Please contact info@memento-mori.co.uk with your request Photographs (or set of photographs) will be sent by e-mail on receipt of payment through Prices Price per photograph (*or set of photographs) 5.50 GBP each (by e-mail) *Depending on the legibility/amount of detail on each stone. In some cases a single photograph will show the entire stone and the inscription will be readable whilst in others, due to either the size of the stone/amount of information/multiple sections or panels/illegibility etc., a set of photographs have been required. Accompanying each photo or set of photos will be a transcription of the full Memorial Inscription. In some instances, a copy of the lair or grave layout plan may be available, indicating the position of the grave, also, if possible, verification of the section and lair/plot number. Please Note: No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy of information transcribed from Monumental Inscriptions. http://memento-mori-scotland.blogspot.co.uk/ 2012/2013 6