When the workmen were engaged in
the restoration of the Wedderburn monuments in the Howff they came upon the
fragment of the old tombstone shown in our sketch.
It has apparently been one side of the sloping top of a
sarcophagus monument. The heraldic shield shows the arms of Auchinleck of
Woodhill, as distinguished from those of Auchinleck of that Ilk and Auchinleck
of Balmanno. The position of this shield at the (heraldic) left side of the
stone suggests that it has been the cognisance of a married lady, and as it was
found in the burying-place belonging to the Wedderburns, it has been concluded
that the lady was married to one of that family. A search in the Wedderburn
genealogy has shown that Barbara
Auchinleck was married about 1616 to Alexander Wedderburn, merchant, who was
Bailie and Dean of Guild repeatedly from 1613 to 1626. He was nearly related to
the Wedderburns of Kingennie and Blackness, while
his wife was the daughter, probably, of James Auchinleck of Woodhill, Provost of
Dundee in 1593, and sister of William Auchinleck, who was Provost continuously
from 1614 till 1625. A comparison of the lettering of this stone with that found
on other Howff monuments proves that it belongs to the first half of the 17th
century. Previous to that time the lettering was mostly in floriated Gothic
character, the plain raised letter being introduced about 1600, and giving place
to the incised letter about 1650. This Auchinleck stone has a literary as well
as heraldic value. The passage of Scripture will be at once recognised as that
beginning 'I know that my Redeemer liveth' (Job xix. 25-27); but in this case
the English Authorised Version has not been quoted. The existing fragment of the
stone measures 4 feet 3 inches by 2 feet, and when complete it would be at least
6 feet long. Supposing that the husband's shield were at the right (heraldic)
side, the remaining space would exactly leave room for the passage as it is
found in the Bishops'
Bible of 1572, which is as follows :
* For I am sure that my Redemer liveth and He sal rayse up at the leter day
thame that ly in the dvst. And thocht efter my skin the vormes destroy this body
yet sal I sie God in my fleashe whom I myself sal sie and my eies sal beholde
and none other for me thocht my reynes are consvmed vthin me. Job 19 chaptor,
25, 26, and 27 versis.' The only difference here from the printed version is the
Scottish form of the word 'though.' It is worthy of notice that the passage in
the Bishops' Bible differs considerably both from the Genevan translation
printed at Edinburgh by Alexander Arbuthnot in 1579 and from the Authorised
Version of 1611. This very interesting stone has
been presented to the Dundee Museum by Mr. Henry Scrymgeour- Wedderburn of
Wedderburn and Birkhill.
|