Mary Young

"She lived regarded and dyed regreted".

In the 18th century in Orkney the newly emergent merchant classes were invited to pay a very substantial premium to have their loved ones buried inside the cathedral rather than out in the graveyard, and there is a series of beautiful headstones along the walls, heavily carved and inscribed, in accordance with their status.

This is my favourite, Mary Young, who died in August 1750. We see Mary as a maid of heaven, modestly dressed and in prayer. The 'memento mori' symbols of the skull and the egg-timer remind us all that death will claim us. The headstone adjacent to Mary's is similar, but also features hands bearing a crown descending from the heavens to mark her as one of the elect.

It's another beautiful, balmy, blue-skied day, windless and soft, the sun warm, and it's all so overwhelmingly lovely that rather than risk repeating myself (again) by waxing rhapsodic, I decided the only thing for it was to head indoors. Pessimism, sentiment, morbidity, and the dusty chill of stone - these all help balance the continuing perfection of outdoors...