The Laing family

Some of the gravestones in the graveyard are quite sober, no decoration at all, only the inscriptions. When I first started to document the stones it was the imagery on them that attractedf me but over time I have come to appreciate the text just as much. This stone is no longer readable towards the bottom but the text from the top that can still be read says:

Erected

to the memory of

Robert Laing let Gard

ner of Spittelhaugh who

died December 26th 1810 aged

65 years          also

Elizabeth Laing who died

14th December 1788 aged 11 months also

George Laing who died 14th April 1804

aged 23 years. Also four grand child

ren who died in their infancy

also.......

The gravestone is located very close to the Spittlehaugh mausoleum building in the graveyard, and perhaps the stone was paid for by his employers there.

There is also text on the reverse of the stone which can be seen above. It says as best as I can decipher it:

In memory of

George Laing, born 1858, died 1905

George Laing his father died 1893

Jess Tait his mother died 1901

John Laing his grandfather died 1855

Helen Ranken Cairns his aunt died 1891

Charles Ranken Laing his uncle died 1892

and their relatives.



I'm guessing here but surmise that the grandfather was a son of the Robert Laing mentioned on the other side of the stone. And there must be some relationship with  some of the people mentioned within the Spilttlehaugh enclosure (see a previous post here). Am I being very romantic in imagining the great something grandson of the gardener eventually married a great something granddaughter of the landowner?