Location of house at "foot of Calton" Edinburgh

[stepmars]

I've now found a total of 7 burial records, all from South Leith Parish dating from 1812 to 1829. They all refer to burials within the same location and span 4 generations of this family. Although no monumental inscriptions have been found realting to the Calton Burial Grounds one of the records dated 1819 says: "William Marshall.......Buried in there [sic] own ground at the head stone..."

The earliest of these burials was 1812 which would have been the Old Calton Burial Ground as the New Ground was not created until 1817. Even if these graves were some of those moved to the New Ground it would appear that in 1819 there was a head stone in either the Old or New Grounds.

If there was a head stone shouldn't there be an inscription? Is it possible these burials were not at Calton? If so what other graveyards should I check?

Thanks,
Steve.

[LesleyB]

Hi Steve

If there was a head stone shouldn't there be an inscription?

There may have been a headstone, there may have been an inscription, but as many of the inscriptions for the books we now consult were not collected or collated until the 1960s, the surface of many stones have, in the period between the early 1800s and the 1960s worn away due to weather or natural wear and tear, quite apart from all the other disasters that can befall gravestones (e.g. being removed to make way for a carpark or motorway.... )

If the stone still exists, it may be that, like many other stones, the information upon it has long since disappeared.

In some cases all there is to see on a stone are initials - no long inscription or other details, often no blooming dates either....! In addition, in some areas some headstones were simply markers of a plot, with perhaps only initials on them to mark that it was "paid for" and that the lair belonged to someone - there are several examples of this type of stone at Rosyth Old Cemetery.

Best wishes
Lesley