Introduction

Producing the Memorial Inscriptions of Old Deer has been a process subject to repeated interruptions. A first version was produced, a good many years ago, by the indefatigable Sheila Spiers, but languished among the “draft MIs”, the exact status of both transcriptions and kirkyard plan unclear, so, in hopes of finishing off the job, the mapping of the kirkyard was overhauled, and the “graveyard Outing” for 2019 was set for Old Deer. This was, as ever, an enjoyable day out, much helped by the warm welcome offered to us by the congregation of Old Deer Kirk (particularly Kathleen Thom). But, as ever, while much useful work was done, various inconsistencies emerged between the draft and the new reading, and these had naturally to be re-checked. A particular problem was the large number of horizontal stones which had become heavily covered with moss or lichen, and progress with checking these was slow. But with autumn well advanced, help unexpectedly appeared in the form of an archaeological working party, led by Alison Cameron, which had just finished work on a nearby dig. With their help, we deciphered more of the horizontal stones, and, as a bonus, they identified a number of places where stones had been completely overgrown by turf. These were uncovered, read, and re-covered, and make a useful addition to the record. Then came Covid, which halted all further work on-site. And while graveyarding has become possible again, I have judged that, while further work might possibly allow a few more of the horizontal stones to be read, the balance of advantage lay with publishing what we had. In his volume of “Aberdeenshire Epitaphs and Inscriptions” published in 1909, John A. Henderson quotes inscriptions from a small number of stones. In a few instances, we have used his version to fill out details now not readable, and have included, at the end of the listing, his transcriptions of some stones which can no longer be found. Gavin Bell MI Co-ordinator September 2021