An old headstone in Earlston Parish Churchyard

Introduction

The photograph on this page of An old headstone in Earlston Parish Churchyard by Walter Baxter 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.

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An old headstone in Earlston Parish Churchyard

Image: © Walter Baxter Taken: 28 Jun 2008

This old stone is dated 1721 and displays emblems of mortality in the form of the Sexton's tools of spade and turf cutter, a skull with crossed bones and an hourglass. It is thought that when the hourglass is horizontal it indicates that time has ran out for the departed, but when it is upright it indicates time is running out for the passer-by. The flower is a symbol of immortality and the winged soul above is a symbol of the immortality of the human soul.

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