Digging out Alexander

Well it was really was not so much digging out, more scraping away - lichen. I went to Maxton Churchyard where Alexander, brother of Robert Buchan, was said to be buried with wife Jane and son James. There is an image on FindAGrave. I could not find it, and I looked twice. There were about 40 headstones lying on the grass, and many were covered in lichen. Nearly an hour later I sadly drove away, thinking there had been an error.

The next day in Hawick, I went straight to the Monument Inscription book for Maxton Churchyard. Sure enough, it was there, and at least I now knew the surrounding names, and I had seen them!

Back I went that evening. I found all the names on the page except Buchan. I decided to scrape away lichen. Two headstones revealed the wrong names! And my finger nails were broken, but fear not, no blood. I tried the third, which had a small softwood stick lying across it. You can guess. Yes it was, and I was very careful as I removed the lichen. Fortunately it had fallen in a way to reveal the inscription, I am not sure all the fallen headstones would have done so. In the 30 years since the headstone was listed in the Monument Inscription book, and then photographed for FindAGrave, it had fallen and been covered over. Around it though were some very nice creamy portulaca-like flowers.

Chuffed, I then decided to place some flowers on the headstone, given that no-one had visited it for a very long time. Almost all, if not all, of his descendants moved to Canada. I drove to the nearest town and found some nice yellow and white ones, which was fitting given the brilliant fields of canola nearby. [Actually fields of canola are everywhere here, currently in full pulsating flower]. Job done. I couldn't pray as such, but I did think a few reverent thoughts.


I am only sorry I never thought to put flowers next to Isabella's.

I have no expectations of finding any more of the siblings' headstones. James, Helen, Robert, George and Andrew don't have them, and though William is buried in Edinburgh, I am not sure where. 

Comments

  1. SueMay 12, 2025 at 2:28 AM

    You need a cemetery cleaning kit or at least a toothbrush in the boot of the car!

    ReplyDelete

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