Meaning of the word "Lair".....

Churchyards and Monumental Inscriptions, Burial and headstone information

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Vscheipel
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Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Meaning of the word "Lair".....

Post by Vscheipel » Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:59 pm

Hi there!!

I recently obtained a copy of a last will and testament of one of my ancestors. In the will, my ancestor left his wife ownership of a "LAIR". Does anyone know what the term LAIR means in the context of a will?

Veronica

AnneM
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Location: Aberdeenshire

Post by AnneM » Sun Jun 26, 2005 7:19 pm

Hi Veronica

A Lair is a plot in a graveyard in which members of the family can be buried. Lairs hold differing numbers of people although I think now the norm is 3. A Lair can be bought at any time, if there is room in the cemetery and quite often people buy them for themselves while relatively young in anticipation of the inevitable need for them. They can also be purchased by a surviving member of the family just before a funeral.

In the graveyard in which most of my family are buried there is a lair which has a gravestone on it but the people who are due to be buried in it are still alive. I think this is taking foresight rather too far and the stone is in any event in very bad taste and arguably offensive to people attending funerals or tending their relatives' graves. It has a skull and crossbones carved into it and the names and birth dates of each of the couple (1950s) plus some nonsense about together in death as in life. It's enough to make one hope they get divorced!!

Anne

PS Sorry to get carried away on the topic but having been at a funeral for one of my uncles last week, I saw the damn thing again. It's very aggressively shiny black marble.
Anne
Researching M(a)cKenzie, McCammond, McLachlan, Kerr, Assur, Renton, Redpath, Ferguson, Shedden, Also Oswald, Le/assels/Lascelles, Bonning just for starters

Vscheipel
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:37 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Meaning of the word "Lair"

Post by Vscheipel » Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:11 pm

Thanks Anne

It all makes sense now. There were also two consecutive numbers listed in the will presumably indicating the locations of the plot(s) in the cemetery. Also what I had read as "Edinburgh Southern County" now when I look at it could be "Edinburgh Southern Cemetery".

That gravestone you mentioned sounded really creepy. I can certainly understand why it bothers you!

Veronica

JimM
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Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:11 pm
Location: Scotland

Post by JimM » Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:13 pm

HI Anne
I seen the headstone in question.. It didn't occur to me that they were still alive!

I honestly thought that they were a couple of Satanists or something.. the headstone is really morbid looking, totally out of place in such a beautiful cemetery.
Jim
researching
McIntyre, Menzies, Cowley, Pearson, Copland, McCammond, Forbes, Edgar etc. in Scotland
Skinner in Northumberland

AnneM
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Location: Aberdeenshire

Post by AnneM » Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:54 am

Hi Jim

The funeral I was at was of the husband of the aunt who is named after your great gran.

It's a beautiful cemetery as these things go, As you spotted my gran and grandad and my father and some of my aunts are buried there along with some of your other relatives. A nice peaceful spot to be.

Anne
Anne
Researching M(a)cKenzie, McCammond, McLachlan, Kerr, Assur, Renton, Redpath, Ferguson, Shedden, Also Oswald, Le/assels/Lascelles, Bonning just for starters