The use of headstones to mark graves only became fashionable in Scotland in the late 17th century. Early headstones were a sign of prestige, often stating who errected them before naming the dead they were dedicated to. Sometimes the headstone was put up before the person had died so that the still living could enjoy their fellow citizen's envy which went along with having a nicely carved stone. Early stones often cary symbols of death and the transience of life in the form of skulls, bones and winged hour-glasses. Memento mori - remember death! They also cary symbols of the trade of the departed (guns, bells, spades, sheafs of wheat, tools) and heraldic devices for the nobility. I love these old stones and have been poking around burial grounds and cemeteries in the Stirling area and more recently (since we moved to the Highlands) on the Black Isle and Cromarty. Here are some of my best shots! Martina