Armorial Bearings. 9-9 



List of Armorial Bearings Noted in Dumfriesshire 

 and Adjacent Counties.* 



By J. Bell Irving, Esq. 



The following paper is a list of armorial bearings noted 

 in Dumfriesshire, with a few in adjacent portions of Galloway 

 and Cumberland. They have been gathered from the church- 

 yards for the most part, and are the result of an examination 

 commenced in 1900 and still unfinished, but most of the work 

 was done in 1902. The list is neither complete nor without 

 errors, and is the result of what must be called a cursory 

 examination. A very large amount of time has been spent 

 in compiling it, but a very much longer time would be needed 

 to make it approach completeness, whilst actual complete- 

 ness, whatever the limits of space imposed, is practically 

 impossible. Many of the older stones are no doubt buried 

 out of sight, and many are so placed that considerable time 

 and labour would be needed for the examination of each one. 

 All the churchyards in the county have not been visited, and 

 in one or two cases those visited have been gone through 

 only partially, and many stones must have been overlooked. 

 Many old stones are known to have gone, and the loss still 

 continues slowly year by year. 



As to the list itself, the name given is not necessarily 

 that of the person to whom the stone was erected ; it may 

 have been, for instance, to a child. And similarly the date 

 given is to be taken as that which the inscription itself 

 suggests as the approximate date of erection. Each 

 stone mason had his own ideas and methods in design- 

 ing and cutting, and many excellent works have been pro- 

 duced. It is, however, sometimes difficult to decide what is 

 intended to be portrayed, and the presence of a bordure, for 

 instance, is often uncertain. A few of the shields are only 

 meant for conventional ornament, but these have been given, 

 as it is difficult to separate this class always satisfactorily. 

 In a few cases the arms shown seem to be those of the wife. 



* This paper was submitted on 21st April, 1911, and the first 

 half is now printed. The succeeding portion will appear in the next 

 issue. 



