Kirkintilloch: entrance to the Auld Aisle graveyard
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Kirkintilloch: entrance to the Auld Aisle graveyard by Martyn Gorman as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Kirkintilloch: entrance to the Auld Aisle graveyard
Image: © Martyn Gorman Taken: 31 May 2009
This 18th century gateway to the Auld Aisle graveyard is surmounted by a watchhouse and a belfry. The watchhouse, reached by steps built into the arch of the gateway, was intended to provide shelter to people guarding newly buried people against grave robbers. In the early 19th century there was a great shortage of corpses for anatomists and grave robbers, or resurrection men as they were called, made a living by stealing the newly dead and buried. The bell in the belfry may have been used to call for assistance or it may have housed the deid or mort bell which was tolled at funerals.
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Image Location
Latitude
55.93237
Longitude
-4.138494