Originally in an area known as
Conveth, the present church of Laurencekirk is located at the northern
end of the town. The name Laurencekirk is thought to have originated
from Lawrence of Canterbury who visited the land of the Picts about
605-619AD. The first church was built here in 1626 and eventually replaced
with the present building in 1804. The surrounding village in its present
location was began about 1770.The church itself seems to be in good physical condition
with nice touches such as the potted flowers seen on
my visit near the entrance bringing a colourful and caring touch to the
place. Well done to the person(s) responsible. The churchyard itself is roughly
rectangular in shape and on level ground. It
is however surrounded on all sides by the backs of shops, offices,
houses and semi-industrial establishments. Despite this
it is an oasis of peace and
quiet. The grounds are well kept apart from
some overgrowing shrubbery near the back and round one or two of the
more grand epitaphs. The tranquility of the place
however hides a sad truth. There is a sparse look to the graveyard with
many spaces and therein lies a clue. Since the
epitaphs were recorded in 1871 over half of them have 'disappeared'.
Vigorous upkeep can lead to broken and toppled stones simply being
removed or buried, to the great loss of future generations. It is a
dilemma that faces every graveyard, but it is sad to see the results of
such wholesale destruction.
A lesson for us all to record what we can and to try and preserve what is
left.
Access is easy with ample parking on the streets nearby. Main
entrance is from the main road (A94) all marked and not difficult to
find. As discussed above the graveyard is somewhat sparse but there are
some good examples of Victorian gravestone designs that are well worth
viewing. Definitely worth a browse.
If you require a specific gravestone photo from the above send me your relevant details and
I'll e-mail you what I have. Contact me
here
Click on photos below to enlarge
