Ramshorn Cemetery facts for kids
The Ramshorn Cemetery is an old and interesting burial ground in Glasgow, Scotland. It has been known by a few different names over the years, like North West Parish Kirkyard and St David's Kirkyard. It's also sometimes called Ramshorn and Blackfriars, which connects it to the old Blackfriars Monastery in Glasgow from long ago.
People were buried here from 1719 until 1915. In the 1900s, the cemetery was changed to be more like a park. Most of the old gravestones were moved to the edges. This made a nice open space, but it also meant the stones weren't always right where the person was buried.
In 1824, the beautiful St David's Church was built next to the cemetery. It was designed in a special Gothic style by an English architect named Thomas Rickman. A local architect, James Cleland, made some changes to the design.
The cemetery has three main parts. There's the original burial area and a central walled section where an old church used to stand. There are also two smaller walled areas next to the new church. Most of the monuments here are either flat stones on the ground or stones built into walls. There are also a few small, old stones from the 1700s that are partly sunk into the ground.
Even though the cemetery looks simple, many of the people buried here were rich merchants from Glasgow. The plain style of the graves shows the simple beliefs of Scottish Calvinism at the time.
Who's Buried at Ramshorn?
Many important people from Glasgow's history are buried in Ramshorn Cemetery. Here are a few of them:
- John Anderson (theologian and controversialist) (1668-1721) – A well-known religious thinker.
- John Anderson (natural philosopher) (1726-1796) – A scientist who studied nature.
- James Brash (died 1844) and his father James Brash – They were both booksellers.
- Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier (1690-1759) – A wealthy tobacco merchant and a city leader of Glasgow from 1740 to 1742.
- Robert Carrick (1737-1821) – A very rich banker.
- Rev Prof James Couper (1752-1836) – An astronomer who studied stars and planets.
- David Dale (1739-1806) – A merchant who also worked to improve society.
- Prof John Alexander Easton (1807-1865)
- Rev Prof Robert Findlay (minister) (1721-1814) and his son Robert (1745-1862)
- Rev James Fisher – The grandfather of Rev Ralph Wardlaw.
- Andrew Foulis (printer) (1716-1775)
- Robert Foulis (printer) (1707-1776)
- John Glassford (1719-1783) – Another wealthy tobacco merchant.
- Pierre Emile L'Angelier (1823-1857)
- William Logan and Jane Johnston – They started Logan and Johnston's Orphan Hospital.
- Henry Monteith (1764-1848) – A city leader of Glasgow from 1814 to 1816.
- Andrew Dryburgh Provand (1838-1915) – A politician who was a Member of Parliament.
- Simon Ross (died 1818)
- Moses Stevens of Bellahouston (1806-1871)
- Hugh Wylie (died 1782) – A city leader of Glasgow from 1780 to 1782.
Other Important Memorials
You can also find a memorial here for John A. Macdonald. He was born in the Ramshorn Parish in 1815 and later became a very important politician in Canada.
Images for kids
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Ramshorn Cemetery, Glasgow
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St David's Church and the entrance to Ramshorn Cemetery on Ingram Street, Glasgow
