Gravestones
Gravestones are often small pieces of history hiding in plain sight.
Over the years, I have photographed many headstones and memorials in churchyards and cemeteries, particularly around Edinburgh and East Lothian. Some mark people whose stories are well documented; others contain little more than a name, a few dates and perhaps a tantalising clue to a life that has largely disappeared from the record.
This section brings those photographs together.
Where possible, I research the people named on the stones using historical records, newspapers and other contemporary sources. A simple inscription can lead to a surprisingly interesting story — a wartime death, an accident, a family connection, an occupation or an event once reported in the local press.
Not every gravestone has been researched. Some are included simply because the inscription, design or photograph is interesting. In these cases, I may add further information as I find it.
If you recognise a name or have information about someone featured here, I would be very interested to hear from you. Family knowledge can sometimes provide details that never made it into the official record.
The photographs are also intended to preserve the inscriptions themselves. Stone deteriorates, lettering disappears, and memorials can eventually be lost. A good photograph can become a useful historical and genealogical record in its own right.
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