More than 20 months ago, on 3 April 2014, the post on the blog depicted the large and impressive memorial to Revd Dr William Guild in the Kirkyard of the Kirk of St Nicholas. During the summer 2015 extensive work was undertaken to repair any deterioration and restore the memorial to its original condition. The memorial is to Dr Guild and his wife, Kathleen, in recognition of the legacy left to the City of Aberdeen in general and to the Incorporated Trades in particular. It was because of the latter that, each year, the current Patron proposes a toast to their memory and this year in particular it could be announced that the Incorporated Trades had undertaken to fund the work on the memorial. The result is quite spectacular. To show the difference it has made, the original photograph is shown alongside one taken in December 2015. If you would like to see it for yourself it is difficult to miss! Enter the Kirkyard from Back Wynd, turn left and it is there. We are indeed grateful for the generosity of the Incorporated Trades for what they have done to honour the memory of William Guild, their first Patron.

In the centre at the top of the memorial the Arms of William Guild and his wife is displayed. Beneath is a long inscription in Latin. A translation, from a book published in 1834, gives the text as

“Consecrate to the most holy and undivided Trinity and to the pious memory of William Guild who being born in this town and educate there and from his tender years nourished in holy studies first was advanced to the cure at the kirk of Kinedwar [King Edward] and having discharged the same by the space of 23 years he was called in to this town by the magistrates thereof formerly having been made doctor of divinity and chaplane to king Charles and he served the ministerial function here by the space of 10 years thence he was translated to the king’s colledge where he sustained the burden of being primar or principal for ten years till affairs being troubled here his integrity did not escape the envy of these times leaving therefore that place he settled the repose of his old age here where he got his cradle Yet he was not addicted to idle slothfulness but by mouth pen and spotless life was exemplary to others The far greatest part of his ample and innocently acquired patrimony he bequeathed to pious uses His wife also devoted what was hers to the same uses He lived 71 years And upon the day 25 of July in the year 1657 in hope of a most wished for resurrection fulfilled his mortality and died Katharine Rowen his surviving but most mournful and afflicted widow caused this monument to be erected for her most beloved husband with whom she had lived 47 full years It is neither virtue to have begun nor to have done but to have perfected This Burial place such as it is consecrate both to the memory of her most deserving husband and for her own the afternamed Katharine Rolland caused to be built who obtained the crown of immortality 24 December 1659”.