Dunning Parish Historical Society in Perthshire Scotland has local Dunning history data including dunning village census and grave yard geneaology records Dunning history society logo text

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This item is by Simon Warren.

A 1680 Gravestone?

1680 Miller Gravestone
This stone has lain undisturbed in a local garden since some time before 1964 when the premises changed hands. The present occupant has no idea how long it had been there before that and of course the occupant from that time cannot now be traced. Apart from the obvious damage the lettering is remarkably clear, and as far as we can tell it says:

HEIR LYES THE BODY OF
DAVID MILLER SON TO JOHN
MILLER MEGEINGR IN DONING
WHO DIED UPON THE 14 OF OCT
1680 AND OF HIS A E THE
2 YEIR

(Could this be: father 2 years later?)

If the date on this stone is genuine then this is a very early gravestone. (The oldest dated gravestone in our local churchyard, and possibly the oldest in Scotland, is dated 1623. The spelling 'mistakes' and the running together of T H and E also suggest an early gravestone. But if so it has been remarkably well preserved, perhaps by being buried for almost 300 years. It might perhaps not have been used as a grave marker, for example if it was the work of an apprentice and rejected as unsuitable. Or perhaps it was a practice piece using a fictitious name and date, so the stone might perhaps not be nearly as old as it appears.

And of course it may not have been carved in Dunning. There is no stone in our local graveyard mentioning David or John Miller for which it might have been a previous attempt.

If anyone thinks they might be able to shed light on the origin of this stone or how it came to be in this garden we would love you to contact us at the email address on our home page.

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