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MONIKIE KIRKYARD, SCOTLAND

in the 1960's

Information from Rev. W. D. Chisholm, former Minister of the Monikie Parish and author of 'THE MONIKIE STORY'.

Monikie Kirkyard

When I arrived in Monikie in 1961, to take up my post of Minister, the Kirk Session was responsible for the upkeep of the Kirkyard.  Sadly, it was very rank, overgrown, and with many gravestones fallen, broken and generally in a bad way.  Andrew Moonie was an old Parish 'worthy' who lived at Brochie at Craigton of Monikie, and was a founder member of the Men's Club.  He had such large hands that he could hold two playing-bowls in one hand and, as the local gravedigger, he was responsible for scything the grass from time to time.

In the later 1960's (records will show that) the local authority - Angus County Council - took over the Kirkyard and became responsible for its upkeep.  Council workmen certainly cleared it up - they took away the broken stones and dumped them in a hollow at Kate Low's Brae, on the right hand side of the track from the main road, leading to the Robertson's at Ashbank, beside Guildy. The workmen also replaced the upstanding gravestones into straight rows to facilitate regular grass cutting that was to follow.

(A reader should therefore bear this in mind with any reference to the position or even the existence of a memorial which was written before this time.  Who can say if this 'tidying-up' approach had not been carried out at some earlier occasion/s, too.)

One special stone I should mention - the Maule Memorial - a flat table stone, surrounded by iron railings.  At this time it was left untouched, but later, the railings and nettles and other growth were removed, and the stone was raised to an upright position.  When I visited the Kirkyard in May 2001 the stone was weathering badly - the moss which had originally been on its surface may have helped preserve it.  (This is likely to be the stone referenced as  M6:SGS-64 on the Kirkyard page.)

Douglas Chisholm
July 2001

In a dry summer in the mid-1990's three flat gravestones 'revealed' themselves under parched grass.  These were subsequently 'unearthed' by Angus Council employees, but are now deteriorating due to weathering and 'exuberant' ground maintenance.  However, some of the photographs taken at the time, from the vantage point of a high step-ladder, can be seen on the Kirkyard page, reproduced by kind permission of J. Shepherd of Angus Council.

(Edited and additional material by webmaster)

Look here for a detailed list  of the Memorial inscriptions, and a few photographs, in the old Kirkyard

Read more about the Kirk

Two-in-one - the magazine of Monikie and Newbigging Church Congregation.

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This page was updated - 09 December, 2014