BONHILL PARISH CHURCHYARD, Main Street, Bonhill.
ACCESS : Easy access. This makes a great start or end point if walking along the riverside path from Dillichip Loan.
Listed B (along with church).
This churchyard encircles the parish church. There are several tombstones and some mausolea. Sadly so may are damaged by time with the added effort of the vegetation. But there is something almost spiritual in the way nature takes back even the very stones mankind places as memorials. Sad too, although not that uncommon a century or more ago, that there are so many children named amongst them.
There is a slab stone to covenanter Robert Nairn, who died in 1685, to the south side of the church. Built onto the south boundary wall are several buurial enclosures or mausolea. Some used to be roofed. All have the remains of stone features now scattered within.
The ARTHURS OF LEVENBANK MAUSOLEUM, dated 1797, has a classical pedimented form with fluted pilasters.
The TURNBULL MAUSOLEUM had a segmental-headed door and triangular section pillars and a angel sclupture.
The BUCHANAN OF ARDOCH MAUSOLEUM of 1808 has a classical, segmental-headed doorway with a triangular pediment above. There is an inscribed plaque on the inner wall.
Also see BONHILL PARISH CHURCH index.asp?pageid=718846
A general view looking back towards the church.
One of the plainer memorials on the south wall.
There is a row of mausolea down the south wall.
This an open enclosure, but with a gabled back wall and cast iron railings to the front.
This crest appears on the gable of the previous burial enclosure.
This mausoleum against the east boundary wall has plaques to members of the Martin family. It has been described as "Venetian Gothic".
It is not uncommon to have "tombstones" made of iron as this one.
BONHILL PARISH CHURCH website : https://bonhillchurch7.wixsite.com/bonhillchurch/history
BRITISH LISTED BUILDINGS with map : https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200331583-churchyard-bonhill-old-parish-church-main-street-bonhill-bonhill
HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND website for listed buildings : http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB1095
