The Sempill Enclosure

Image: © Lairich Rig Taken: 27 Mar 2017

The structure is near the centre of the kirkyard of Image On its near side, it bears the worn inscription "Restored by Maria Baroness Sempill MDCCCLIII", and the Sempill arms. The sun's illumination was at a favourable angle when I visited, but, without that, the worn inscription is hard to read, as exemplified by the published(*) pre-1855 MI records, which give "Mabel" as the name. However, "Maria" is the correct reading, as confirmed both by my close examination of the stone, and by independent sources. [(*) My comments above refer specifically to the Monumental Inscriptions records published in 1992; revised editions may have been issued since then.] The person named in that inscription is Lady Maria-Janet Sempill, born in 1790, daughter of Hugh, 14th Lord Sempill. She succeeded her brother Selkirk in 1835, becoming 16th Lady Sempill. She married in the following year, and died without issue in 1884. The first Lord Sempill was Sir John Sempill of Eliestoun, who was created Lord Sempill in c.1488. A detailed genealogy can be found in Crawfurd's "General Description of the Shire of Renfrew", and in Robertson's continuation of that work. The former site of a church, as marked on early OS maps, was just to the north-east of this enclosure, or, in terms of the present photograph, just behind the enclosure.

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