Report of the Meetings for 1892. 41 



The use of the hearse now before you was discontinued in 

 1843, although lOs. 6d. was paid lor the repair of the harness 

 the same year. 



Three years afterwards the use of the mortcloths also seems 

 to have been discontinued. 



Amono- the older hinds of the county, when a stack or a cart 

 load of hay or straw is built rather out of the perpendicular, 

 it is commonly remarked, "You've built it all asklent like 

 the Bowton hearse." 



The body of the hearse is not unlike the stone box of a 

 roller mangle, hung on leather at front and back to large 

 bent pieces of wood, whose sides are carved in imitation of 

 modern carriage springs. The ring or hoop of the wheel has 

 been put on iii four sections, and from the ends of the splinter 

 bar, strong bars of iron connect it with the ends of the front 

 axle. The sides of the body of the hearse are plentifully 

 adorned with skulls, sand-glasses, "tears" (an inch long) and 

 mottoes — " tempus fugit," "memento mori," &c- An extension 

 of the body of the hearse to the front enabled the coffin to be 

 pushed into a confined breadth and steadied, and probably this 

 extension also answered when required for a seat. Otherwise 

 this old hearse contains no driver's box. Above the body or 

 box of the hearse the sides are open between small "turned" 

 wooden pillars, which support the now dirty, tattered roof or 

 canopy of black cloth, and the plumes which are now almost 

 frayed off, display plain turned pieces of wood to which the 

 plumes were nailed. The harness of the four horses required 

 for the hearse was also seen. 



The massive iron grave guards of the Burke and Hare 

 period lie in the hearse house. The one at Bolton is flat, 

 while in some neighbouring parishes they are convex. The 

 rods, of which there are about a score, are screwed both at 

 the top and bottom for nuts. 



Through the courtesy of the Eev. John B. Service, B.D., 

 minister of the parish, the Communion Plate was shown in the 

 church, as also an old Bolton Kirk Token, and the oldest of 

 the Session Books. I have since seen several of the Bolton 

 Tokens possessed by Rev. T. Clark, minister of Salton. 



The churchyard stands on a precipitous bank above the 

 Bolton Burn. The field on the opposite side is called Dalgowrie, 

 and the site of the small holding of Dalgowrie is marked by 

 G 



