Atfoveran, Aberdeenshire, and Oathlaw, Forfarshire
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II. TWO INCISED SLABS: ATFOVERAN, ABERDEENSHIRE OATHLAWD AN , , FORFARSHIRE . EELESC . F Y ,B F.S.A. SCOT., F.R. HIST. S . While the early Christian monuments of Scotland have heen descrihed and illustrated with exhaustive fulness, and while the more elaborate class of mediaeval monuments has received what may he called a fair share of attention, there are two groups of stone memorials which have been undeservedly neglected, though in different degrees. The first is the large class of cross-bearing stones of mediaeval date which succeeded the early monuments of definitely Celtic character. The second group is that of mediaeval slabs, incised or carved in low relief, which seem to have occupied much the same place in the monumental art of Scotland as brasses did in that of England. followine th n I g note attempn a s mads mosi e t th describo et tf o o etw remarkabl thesf eo e slabs.1 1 Leaving out of consideration the monuments of the West Highlands, which form a separate class, incised followine slabth t sa g note e placeb y s havinda sma g already been illustrated:—Creich, David Barclay and Helena Douglas, 1400-1421, in Russell TWO INCISED SLABS AT FOVERAN AND OATHLAW. 309 FOVBEAN. This fine slab (fig. 1), which unhappily is cracked across the middle, is lying on a modern base in the south part of the churchyard of Foveran near the mouth of the Ythan in East Aberdeenshire. It is of a hard greyish sandstone, perhaps from Morayshire fee7 s i t 3t I J .inche s long, fee3 t 4£ inches broad 5d £ an ,inche s thick t bearI .incisee sth d figures of two knights in armour, and is traditionally said to represent two of the Turing f Foverano s a pape n ArchceologiaI n i r. Scotica, vol, .14 iii . p . where there is a very inadequate sketch of the stone (pi. 3, fig. 4), which was read in 1823, James Logan writes:— "Thsoute churcaislth n d a en ol h eo d sidehha , whic stils hi l inclosed wallw d contain witlo d slaan ,ol a hb n stonea s n memori ,r Si f o y Alexande d Samuean r l Eorbes, formerly laird f Foverano s . t i .. f I . really belongs to the Forbeses, I am puzzled at the arms represented." This aisle evidently still existed about 1730 Alexandes a , r Keits hi n hi View of the Diocese of Aberdeen 2 says, " Foveran has an aisle for the Turings of Foveran." 3 These figure showe ar s n standing unde a simplr e for f canopmo t no y unlik a windowe , wittrefoil-headeo tw h d lights unde a singlr e four- centred ogee-headed arch crocketed on the outside. The inscription has never been finishe t begini d: s " t^t Hi lacet: e thed - "an n stops abruptly. The middle panel of the tracery contains a shield charged with a bend, therd an s anothei e r smalle e outsidon r e canoplefe eth th t n sidyo f o e e stoneth . This slab, like other similar monuments s undoubtedlwa , y Walker, Pre-Reformation Churches of Fife ; Aberdalgie (low relief), Sir Wm. Oliphant, late fourteenth century froc,n i , Soc. Ant. Scot., vol ; .Dundrennan, 1 xxxix36 . p . Patrick Douglas, cellarer of Dundrennan (low relief), 1480, Hid., p. 366; a nun, 1440, ibid., p. 367 ; Longforgan, John Galychtly and Mariot his wife, 1401, ibid., vol. xxxir. pp. 4(33-6 ; Kinkell (Aberdeenshire), Gilbert Greinlaw, 1411, ibid., vol. xii. pi. viii. Collections for a History of the Shires of A berdeen and Banff, Spalding Club, 2 Aberdeen, 1843, p. 364. famile th r Turinf . Templeyo Fo W e e Thaiiagegse Th , f Fermartyn,o Aberdeen, = 1894 . 565p , . TWO INCISED SLABS AT FOVERAN AND OATHLAW. 311 painted of old, and further charges on the shield and even the completion inscriptioe oth f very nyma likely have been painted. The figures, which are drawn with a good deal of spirit, are slightly turned towards each other, and their hands are clasped in prayer. They e girdear e additioth d s a smalwit f ha o n he l swordsdaggeron d an ,. There are slight differences in the armour, but the type is that which prevaile fourteente d th lat n ei e fifteentearld th han n yi h centuriese Th . bascinets are high and pointed, and the camails of mail extend very low and cover the shoulders. The swords are of large size, and are sheathed ; right-hane th n i e th f do figurd buckle belen e eth e th shown s ti n th eo d an , belt is wound round the sheath of the sword. Slight differences between noted e figureo b y tw armoue ,e th sma especiall th f ro elbow e n o th t d ya san the insides of the legs. Scrolls, no doubt originally painted with inscrip- tions, are represented near the faces of the figures, but not issuing from their mouths. OATHLAW. This slab (fig. 2), now carefully preserved within the modern parish church of Oathlaw, was until recently lying in the corner of a field on, or close to, the site of the old church of Finhaven or Finavon.1 It is of local red sandstone, has been broken across in several places, and a small piece s missini g frosidee t I bearmon . e figur priesth a s f o eeucharistin i t c vestments, and an inscription runs round the edge between the lines that generally for ma borde slabn i r f thiso s class. Unfortunatel e piecyth e stone oth f e which containe secone dth surname dth hal f o f missings ei . The inscriptio follows a s ni s :— Hie 0 iacet 0 honora bilis 0 vir 0 dn recherds0 9 0 breic[h f\ .... vicarius de 0 fynnevyn 0 qui 0 obiit02°OdieO The church was rebuilt about 1380 by Sir Alexander Lindsay of Glenesk, who gave livine th Brechio g1t n Cathedra prebene th earle canons a th a l f ye do n I th par .f o t seventeenth centur churc w westere buils ne th ya hwa n ti ne parise parth th f n ho o t site of an old chapel of St Mary, and the parish thereafter became known as Oathlaw. The present church was built in 1815. No remains of the old church of Finavon exist. TWO INCISED SLAB FOVERAT A S OATHLAWD 3 AN N31 . s neveha t rI been finished n meditevaO . l monuments erectee th n i d lifetime personth f o es they commemorate unfinished inscriptione ar s common blane th , k spac e dat th ef deateo r lef fo t h never having been filled in. But in this case the inscription breaks off after the day of e mont th s added e figurwa h Th representes i .e d wit e heahth d resting o a ncushio n whic s tasselcornerse hande ha hth th folde e t d sa sar an , d on the breast. This monumen bees ha tn notice d illustratedan d , thoug a rathe n i h r unsatisfactory manner, by Jervise in his Epitaphs and Inscriptions in the North-East of Scotland, vol. i. pp. 334-5. His suggestion that the name vicae oth f r represente havy dma e mistakins beehi o nt Bruce e gdu th s ei apparel of the albe for a shield with the Brace arms, to which it has really very little resemblance e namTh e. seem o havt s e been Breich; impossibls i t i t moro d bu o eet than guess wha muco t t wasi i s t s f a o h, is gone. The vesting of the figure presents several peculiarities. These do not, however, for mucs ma hmighe guiddate on th s ea to et hav e hope d; for s a , knows i fas a r t presentna , ther littls ei nothinr eo foro gt mstandara f do comparison. The straight hair, cut straight along the forehead, but left rather long at the sides, is auggestive of the end of the fifteenth century r beginnino e sixteenthth f go e genera Th . l characte e vestmentth f o r s s undoubtedli y lated woulan , d support this dat r eveo e a laten r one. But the black-letter inscription and the medallions at the corners of the slab have not the appearance of being later than the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Looking at the vestments in detail, we may note that neither amice nor stol showne ear . Thi s mossi tcarelessnesso t likel e ydu . Apparels for amices are universal in Scottish inventories as in English. All English pictures show them, and they also appear in most Dutch and Flemish pictures, although in a peculiar short form visible at the back only. But even in these latter, as in the case of the unapparelled amices in late mediaeval French miniatures, the amice itself is large and prominent. In the figure before us there is only a suggestion of something like a 4 31 PROCEEDING , E SOCIETY190910 TH Y .F O SMA , small collar narrower sidee visibl thid fa on s an ,si n eo r tha apparey nan l would be. It looks as if the sculptor left the upper part of the figure till last, and then found there was only just room for the face after finishing the upper part of the chasuble.