Gravestones of the Lothians – A Talk by John Kerry – on Friday, 07th November at 2:15pm in The Star Room of The John Gray Centre
John Kerry is Secretary of Temple Old Kirk Friends, a charity devoted to the conservation of Temple Old Kirk.
This talk will tease out some of the special characteristics of Lothian gravestones, and discover what makes them remarkable. The talk will be based on the work of Betty Willsher MBE – the doyenne of Scottish gravestone studies. (Betty’s writings, and her archive notes are now in the keeping of Historic Environment Scotland),
Temple Old Kirk is a late-medieval parish church built over the Preceptory of the Knights Templar of Balantrodoch, which was – until the suppression of the Order in 1312 – the headquarters of the Order of Knights Templar in Scotland.
Following a career as a documentary editor for the BBC, John moved to Temple and was amazed by the richness and variety of Scottish gravestones. Since then he has started to make a study of them, relying heavily on the invaluable work of Betty Willsher and Islay Donaldson.
The event is free for Members and £3.00 (cash only) for Non-Members.
As numbers are limited, please reserve your place by email to: jgcfriends@gmail.com