VIII. THE HERALDRY IN SOME OF THE OLD CHURCHYARDS BETWEEN TAIINVERNESSD NAN MACDOTSTALDE y WB RA . , F.S.A. SCOT. The town of Tain stands on slightly elevated ground overlooking the Dornouh Firth, wit expans n sandha w lo yf eo link frontn si t containI . s thre churchesd eol ,believeds i all t i , , dedicate t DuthacS moste o dt Th . ancien e three th ground w quitf w lo o ,t no situate e s knola i th , n n o ei l ruinous and is surrounded by a modern cemetery. The other two stand in one churchyard on the higher ground close to the town. The larger, converted into a Collegiate Church in 1487, is in good repair, though not now used as a place of worship, while the smaller and more ancient is a roofless ruin. On the floor of the latter is a burial slab with marginal inscription in capitals :— HERALDR CHURCHYARDN YI S BETWEEN INVERNESSTAID NAN 9 68 . HEIO RH LYIE SAN NEST MAN CALLED DONALD ROSS BVR GES TAINF SO EQ VHA DEPAIRTIT THE 10 DAY OF SEPTEMBER 1649. The year is placed at the foot of the central portion of the stone and is inverted; near the upper end are two shields side by side, measuring 22 inches acros bearind san g arms (fig. 1) . Fig. 1. On Burial Slab at Tain. Dexter, Three lions rampant (for Koss). Sinister, Parted per e chier th palepe fd fes,an sformin g three divisions. 1stA , fountain. 2nd, A castle double towered. In the base, A chevron between three boar heads erased. Beneat e initiale shieldth hth e sar s DE, BF , HEIE Another stone lying beside the above has a marginal inscription, continued dow e centrenth , als capitaln oi s :— VOL. xxxvi. 44 690 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAY 12, 1902. HEIR LYEPROPEE SAN R GENTLEMAN CALLIT IHONE ROS ALDIF SO E SVMTYME PROTEST OF TAINE WHA DEPAIKTIT THIS MOR TAL LYFE VPPOE NTH 17 OF IVLY 16.54. Beneath this inscription are two shields with identical arms to those described above unded an , rinitials:—De thesth e ear R BF. FEAEN.—The most interesting feature remainin e Abbee th th n i s gyi tom f Abboo b t Finlay McFead (H42-U85). e monumenTh 1n o s i t the south wall of a chapel abutting on the south side of the Abbey Church, and called St Michael's Aisle. Under an arched and decorated canop e abboe effigth th yf to y restflaa n t so stone, alon e bevelleth g d edg f whiceo s inscribehi Gothin di c letters :— bt . ciace . finlaivt . m'faefs . quofc . aliasc . &2 e . ffea m. qv . obiitt . anncccm co. Ijjjv. At the ends of the canopy are two small shields now defaced, and in the centre a larger shield, 7|- inches wide, sloping inwards, and bearing the abbot's arms (fig. 2), viz. :— Between three stars a stag lodged. The abbot's crosier is represented in front of the shield instead of usuals behin i crosiee s heae th a th f ,t d i o d r appearing abov shielde eth , ane pointh d t extending belo , whilwit stafe representees th i f e th n o d face of the shield, but underneath the charges. This peculiarity in the representation of the crosier has led to incorrect blasoning of the arms, t havini g apparently been mistake tree.a r nfo 8 MacGibbon and Boss, Ecclesiastical Architecture, vol. ii. p. 546 (fig. 937). 21 For "abbas." 3 See the following Note in The Priori/ of Beauly, by E. Cllisholm Batten, p. 314 : "Fiulay MacFead (Faid or Fearii) sue. in or before A.D. 1442 .... died A.D. 148 t Fearii5a , interre t Michael'S n di s aisle there unde monumenta r , still existing, with effigy and inscription:—' Hie jacet Finlaius M fead abbas de Fern qui obiit c f ornamentao p annto n oo i nld x v, arccccan 'xx h1 c ove s rarmoria hi tom e bar l bearing , A.Ds copieme (a s . y 1840b d , when imich defaced)—a stag lodged behind HEEALDKY .IN CHUKCHYAKDS BETWEEN TAIN AND INVERNESS. 691 Withi e churchth n , nea e middle nortth rth f ho e walla shiel s i , d surrounded with two mouldings. It bears a lion rampant, the tail of whic s beeha h n chiselled off. o initialThern e r datar eo s o helt e p in identifying it. Possibly it may have originally borne the Royal Monumenn 2O . t Fearna t . a tree with three stars r lieraldicallyo ; ' az. a sta g arg. lodged withi a ngrov f o e trees vert and in chief three stars of the second' — arms of family of Fearn of Tarlogi n Ross-shiri e s recorde(a e n Lyoi d n Regd Nisbet'an . s Heraldry, vol. i . p. 333)." The Arms of Fairne of Tarlogie are Masoned in the Lyon Register, vol. i. 300p , as: — "Gule a ssta g Argent lodged withi grovna f treeo e s Vert chien i , f betwee e attireth n s three e secondstarth f o s . Nota. — Thet fielno s azui d d an r gules as above." 2 69 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH 12 Y F , O S1902MA , . Arms of Scotland, the tressure having been chiselled off, and converted int double oth e moulding. churce e Balnagouth th f o s hi e eas Ad th t en t n monument, occupying the centre of the wall. It has the following inscription (in script):— Nam Hie Jacet Dominus David Rossius BalnagounA Baro Inclitus Priscorum Rossite Comitum etc. etc. Iliusque Conjux Charissim<e Domina Anna Stewart Jacobi Moravia Comitis Illustris Filia Obiit Ille CatXIV Maij MDCCXIAn Ilia vero XVII Cal Septembris MDCCXIX. On the shield are the following arms impaled :—Dexter, Three lions rampant. 'Sinister, Quarterly. 1st and 4th, A lion rampant. 2nd, A fess chequy. 3rd. Three cushions lozenge-ways e cresthelmea Th n o ,. t front face with mantling brokew tombstona no n s o i n,e t offth bu ,n ei churchyard with the same arms the crest is a hind head cabossed. Supporters dexte savaga r sinisted ean hounda r . In the churchyard, on the south side of the church, a small wall has s beeha bee nt i inserten n i built d a dpanean , l bearine centrth n i eg a shield of arms impaled, viz. :—Dexter, Three lions rampant (for Eoss). Sinister, Three water budgets with a hawk head at fess point (also for Eoss) with initials T)E, ME; also various symbols, including that of a hand holding a hammer. NIGG CHURCHYARD.—The sculptured stone here1 is rather hidden 1 Stuart's Sculptured Stones, vol. i. jils. xxviii.-xxix. HERALDR CHURCHYARDN I Y S BETWEEN TAIINVERNESSD NAN 3 69 . churche encloses th i iro n f t a I o n .y ease d railingb dawa th en t t a y , but is a good deal dripped on by the trees. Fig . O3 . n Burial Sla t Niggba . 694 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MAY 12, 1902. On the south side of the church, near its eastern end, is a recumbent d sandstonre sla f o b e whic s originallha h y been sculptured wita h Gothi s agai csworda ha cros d nt I san bee. y sinkin b n f o mad ge us e circulaa r panel, within whic carves hi a dshiel f armo d s betweeo tw n branche f laurelo s , wit a hsmal l helme t a tope arm t:— e Th ar .sA fleur-de-lis wit a r hstathunderbol (o r t ?) in chief. e wholTh s 1i e surrounde raisea y db d circular band 21J inche n diametersi n whico , h is incised the motto SERO SED SERIO (fig. 3). Above this is incised the name, initials, and date as follows:— ALLEXANDER GAIR K MC0 1659 A rather handsome looking sarcophagus tomb, without armsd an , not of particularly good design, stands opposite the west end of the church, and there are also a few stones with the names Rose and Ross, of comparatively late date, bearing arms. Cromarty churchyard contains nothing specially noteworthy. e churchyarth n I f Kirkmichaelo d n Udalei , e e gableth th , f o s old church remain, t parbeini f o t g useburiaa s da soute l th vault n h O . boundary wall is a monument to Munro of Pointsfield, with arms, and date 1680, but it appears to have been renewed. t CullicuddeA n ther some saib e ear o dt e coat f armsso . Withi e groundth n f o Invergordos n e importanCastlth s i e t sculptured stone removed there from Hilto f Cao n d boll iji Easter Ross.2 It measures 92 inches in height by 55 inches in width. The I1 n the Lyon Register, vol. i. p. 310, is this entry:—Gair, Alexander, portioner of Nigg. Argent fleur-de-lia , s sable chiea n o , f e secomlofth mullea , e firstth f .o t Stuart's Sculptured Stones, vol. i. pi. xxv. 2 HERALDRY IN CHUBCIIYARDS BETWEEN TAIN AND INVERNESS 695 principal panel on one side contains a hunting scene, in which a lady r queeo s representeni horsebacn o d k seatea sidesaddle . on d , wito tw h trumpeters behin n horseo d n herd beneats me an wit, o htw h javelins followin a ghind , whic s piercei h a spear d pursuey b dan , dogsy b d .