A monumental inscription is the information recorded on a headstone, or crypt, within a graveyard or cemetery, which provides useful information for those who are researching their family tree.
The information recorded on a headstone may include the deceased’s date of death, their age, date of birth occupation and the town or place they lived. Many monumental inscriptions also record the deceased’s spouse, children, parents or other family members. While some modern headstones only provide basic information, several of the old headstones record entire families; or several generations of a family; and may include those who died during wartime or abroad. Occasionally you may come across one like that of Rev. Colin F. Campbell which provides a short biography of his life, along with the deaths of his wife and children.
Some monumental inscriptions record tragic deaths, such as that of seven-year-old Annie Mitchell in Irvine Old Parish Churchyard who died after accidentally stabbing herself in the head with a knitting needle while in the playground at school.
Where old gravestones have become illegible, the published monumental inscriptions might provide the only information available on your ancestor’s life.
The monumental inscriptions for North Ayrshire include the headstones from both the churchyards and cemeteries which were transcribed around 1985 by teams from Manpower Services on behalf of North Ayrshire Council. They are searchable by surname and includes a map of the graveyard or cemetery. Photographs are available for some, but not all, of North Ayrshire’s churchyards and cemeteries.
The monumental inscriptions and photographs are in book form and can be viewed at ‘Local History and Genealogy’ within Irvine Library. We also hold a collection of pre-1855 monumental inscriptions booklets for South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire.