Caerlaverock Parish takes its name from the nearby Caerlaverock Castle (Castle of the Larks). It may look a bit “utilitarian” but the setting ensures that it has a charm of its own. This is not the first church on this site, seemingly. The current church is very much in use and is a B listed building dated 1781 and renovated in 1894. There is a gabled former hearse house in the grounds and some good 17th-19th century stone monuments, including that of Robert Paterson, prototype of Sir Walter Scott’s “Old Mortality”.
Robert Paterson (1715–1801), known as “Old Mortality”, was a stonemason who took it upon himself to travel around lowland Scotland with his old pony, carving inscriptions for the unmarked graves of Covenanters martyred in the 17th century. Walter Scott made him a principal character in his novel Old Mortality (1816)
Photos-Poems-Haiku 
Fascinating series of churches Derek, I enjoy the details and of course the pictures.
“Wall” creates a lovely feeling, familiar mental images from walking alongside so many of these ancient divisions and boundaries.
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I particularly like the black-and-white series, so atmospheric. I hadn’t heard of Robert Paterson before.
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There’s a couple of statues of “Old Mortality” about here, one in Dumfries. Perhaps I should photograph one and include it in this post.
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I’d be interested in seeing it.
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Very nice photographs! I wish we had cemeteries like this in California.
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Very atmospheric places right enough. Centuries in the making mind you.
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