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  St Aidan's Churchyard

Broughty Ferry

 

Saint Aidan was born in Ireland and died at Bamburgh in 651. He was a monk in Iona by 635, was later made a bishop in Northumbria and founded a monastery on Lindisfarne. The monks weren't allowed to build up wealth and had to share everything with the poor.

St Aidan's churchyard was in use from 1831 until the Balgay Cemetery was established at the western end of Dundee. The Parish church situated in the cemetery dates from around 1837.

Sidney Cramer made a listing of the pre 1855 tombstones in 1951, I have included these stones along with some of the later headstones. Sadly the cemetery is falling into disrepair due to the effects of vandalism, which includes pushed over headstones.

Rather than use Sidneys' numbering system which is a bit here there and everywhere I have numbered them from the top right hand corner of the cemetery working left to right up and down the rows. I have about 5 stones still to be photographed and transcribed and some tidying up to do on the inscriptions.

 

 

 

 

The Howff, having undergone its remodelling in 1834 was still being heavily used, the town was requiring an extension to the burial ground. A site further up Constitution Brae Road was chosen. Originally the site of allotments, the land around two acres in size was purchased, by December 1835 tenders were being sent out to have the area enclosed.
The initial opening of the ground was in April 1836, however the enclosing walls were still being erected so a portion of the ground 80 yards square was fenced off to surround the first interments.
The west wall was built to around 10 feet in height and still survives today. This wall was purposely erected to this height to allow the erection of vaults and tablets. The south, east and north walls were erected with a parapet wall and railings. The east gate was to be the main entrance.
The ground was laid out in the stlye of a Victorian garden, with curving footpaths, planting of ornamental shrubs, trees and landscaping. A mortuary was built at the south side of the ground.
General burials stopped at the beginning of June 1864, however rights for burial were still retained for owners of lairs with the last burial being as late as 1938.
By the start of the 1960s plans were being put into place to clear the land to make way for a carpark this being completed by 1962. This carpark was eventually demolished and a multi-storey carpark and inner ring road built on the site.
The burials were exhumed and the remains were re-interred within the common ground in the Eastern Cemetery. The excess soil was removed and disposed of at the then Riverside Drive Reclaimation site. The soil was sifted through to remove any remains by students.

Thankfully before the site was cleared Sydney Cramer managed to transcribe 270 memorials within the cemetery and they have been reproduced here with very kind permission of Dundee City Archive.

 

Please click on thumbnails to bring up full sized images.

The image below shows how the New Howff cemetery appeared while in use, from around 1890.

Image is reproduced with permission of Dundee City Archives. 

Image showing how the area looks today.

  

A view up the hill looking from the entrance.

 

 

 The small parish church of Logie-Dundee was dedicated by Bishop David of St Andrews in 1243, it stood at the top of a steep slope, skirted by the road to Lochee. No trace of the church remains, but a burial aisle built by Major Fyfe of Logie Smithfield occupies its site. Although very little of this now remains.

Although no date can be given, a stone fragment of a coffin from around the 14th or 15th Century was found at Logie.

In the early 19th Century Logie was described as "the most desolate burial-ground in Scotland, as there was no enclosure to keep out man nor beast." During the day it was a grazing ground for cattle and at night it was a haunt for footpads (un-mounted highwaymen). In one corner was a dung heap and in another an extensive piggery. Accommodation was so limited that the footpaths were converted into burial pits. In 1837 an eight foot wall was built by public subscription and a small burn on the north side paved over and converted into a footpath

The cemetery was closed to interments in 1870.

Around the same time as the Howff, the vast majority of stones were given a number which was chiselled into the southerly edge. The highest number currently still visible is No.456, this gives an indication that the cemetery had at least this amount of plots. Over the years the cemetery has decayed and it would be safe to say that a great many have stones have disappeared.

In 1978 an MI list was compiled, which was published within Angus Monumental Inscriptions Pre1855 Vol 4 published by the Scottish Genealogy Society. This has the remaining stones renumbered from 1-137. This listing was used to enable some kind of order whilst visiting the ground.

During this survey carried out in 2001, it was noted that since 1978 a few more stones have either vanished or have become unreadable. In keeping with the SGS Vol 4 survey, the stones have been listed using the same index. This index number is denoted by an asterix on the relevant pages, with the original numbering if available being above.

 

 

THE NEW CEMETERY (New Howff)

in Constitution road

Remaining inscriptions

 

 

 

Surnames from remaining memorials.

BROWN, LOW, NEISH, SMALL, WALKER, WATSON.

 

 

The remaining memorials and inscriptions.

 Sacred

to the memory of

WILLIAM BROWN Esq

flaxspinner

Dundee

who died

on 13th November 1864

aged 73

 

 

In memory

of

JAMES WATSON M.D.

Their beloved son

who died

Edinburgh

on 23rd January 1865

of fever

caught while in the

discharge of his

professional duties

 

 

Erected by

PATRICK and MARGARET WATSON

Dundee

PATRICK WATSON

After a long useful and honourable life

during which he faithfully

served his congregation

and by his life and conversation

adorned the doctrine of God his saviour

died at Bristol 6th June 1886 aged 76 years

and was interred here

here also rest the mortal remains of

MARGARET LOW

his wife and true helpmeet

who died at Bristol 3rd Dec 1887 aged 78 years

Loving and beloved

??

 

 

In loving remembrance

of their younger children

CHRISTINA WATSON

aged 1 month

ANDREW LOW WATSON

aged 3 years and a half

JESSIE WATSON aged nine months

EUPHEMIA WATSON

aged 8 years and a half

 

 

In memory of

DAVID

infant son of

DAVID SMALL

Solicitor Dundee

who died June 1847

and was interred here

 

 

In memory of

MARGARET, JANE and HARRIET

Three beloved children of

HARRY WALKER and ABIGAIL NEISH

who were interred here

ABIGAIL NEISH

died 4th December 1876

and was interred

in the Western cemetery

 

 

In memory of CAROLINE WALKER

Elder daughter of

JAMES NEISH

of Laws and Ormachie

and JANET WALKER

who died 1858 aged 16

MARGARET NEISH

Sister of JAMES NEISH

was interred here 

 

 

 

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