As part of the celebration of Christmas, Aberdeen City Council erects a Christmas Nativity scene in St Nicholas Kirkyard. It is located on the grass area by the main path from the Union Street entrance. It reminds us that at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The tableau also reminds us of the conditions which today would be classed as appalling and yet is still reality for many around our world. The bright lights, presents, parties etc. are another way of celebrating – but not the reason.
The Nativity Scene depicts the stable, with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, with the shepherds and wise men in attendance. This year the Blessing of the scene was organised by Aberdeen Churches Together in association with the Council. There was a short act of worship with the main participants being pupils from Aberdeen primary and junior schools gathering to sing carols, hear the Christmas story from the Gospel of St Luke and witness the blessing. Afterwards, they enjoyed refreshments in the Kirk of St Nicholas.
The photograph was taken last Christmas on a dark morning in the hope that the inside of the ‘stable’ would be clearly visible. Unfortunately, there is also some unavoidable reflection from the Perspex screen.
The Board of the OpenSpace Trust wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas.
In St Mary’s Chapel, there is a brass plaque on the wall in the south aisle commemorating Margaret Mansonia Brotchie, a member or ‘sister’ of the Guild of St Margaret. The plaque is shown in the photograph. The Guild was started in 1882 during the first year of the innovative ministry of Revd. James Cooper, but Margaret Brotchie had only been a member for 18 months when she died in July 1886.
This Guild is believed to have been the earliest guild for women in any Scottish parish church and was active 6 years before the formation of the Women’s Guild at national level. The intention was that it should provide a focus for mutual support and encouragement for women who were engaged is some aspect of church work – Sunday school teaching, district visiting, soup kitchen, knitting or sewing garments for the poor, etc. In addition to these practical activities, they were also devout, frequently meeting for worship, for which they even had their own printed service book. Much of the activity of the Guild was centred in the Mission Rooms in Guestrow and it was there that the memorial was initially placed. However, when the Rooms closed it was appropriately moved to St Mary’s Chapel in which many of the Guild services were later held.
The brass plaque in memory of Margaret Brotchie now in St Mary’s Chapel
Very little is known of Margaret herself: she was born on 7th April 1835 daughter of John Brotchie, parochial schoolmaster in Kintore, and died at 134 Crown Street at the age of 51. At a meeting of the Council of the Guild on 13th September 1886, in noting her death, mention was made of ‘her goodness and kindness of heart’ as having won the respect of all. It was agreed to send an expression of sympathy to her brothers, and with their agreement, to erect a brass memorial tablet. The cost was estimated at £3 and it was later calculated that that could be raised if each member contributed 6 pence. It was shown to members, prior to erection, on 7th February 1887 and was ‘much admired’
There is a tendency to think that cancer is a relatively new disease, but this is not the case. It is certainly true that there has been a growth in its incidence in the ‘developed world’, but whether this is due to better diagnosis or to lifestyle is a moot point. It may not have been expected that the archaeological record would produce evidence of cancer. However, the human remains i.e. bones, found during the archaeological dig in the former East Kirk during 2006 do show a few cases of cancer affecting bone.
The prostate gland is a small gland located just below the outlet of the bladder in males. The prostate gland was first described anatomically in 1536. Prostate cancer was not specifically recorded until 1853. Prostate cancer occurs when a growth starts within the gland. In most cases the only problem it is likely to cause is with urinating. However, like other cancers, it can spread outside the prostate into the lymph or metastasise into bone with the back and the hip the common sites of these bony metastatic tumours. It is at this stage that this cancer can become a threat to life.
Part of the pelvis of an old man showing evidence of prostate cancer
The photograph shows part of the pelvis of an older man. Towards the top left of the bone are ‘spicules’ – the roughened area – which are characteristic of metastatic prostate cancer. It is likely that he developed considerable pain in his pelvis as a result, a common indication of progression of prostate cancer. We do not know whether this is what caused his death. The date when this man died is not known, but it was somewhere between 15th and 18th century, so was well before the disease was recognised.
(The photograph is copyright Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections and is used with permission).
In the former East Kirk there is a beautiful ‘arts and crafts’ stained glass window featuring the ‘three graces’ of Faith, Hope and Charity. This blog completes the explanation of the tryptic.
The definition of the word ‘hope’ indicates that it is an expectation and desire of receiving something good. Conversely, hope can be refraining from despair and not giving up. It is not about certainty, but about an assurance that something is likely – it is not wishful thinking. For a Christian, hope is clearly based on the belief that God’s word and His purpose in their life can be trusted. Thus, hope gives a Christian a foundation for their life, to avoid despair and cynicism and to strive for good. It becomes something which they ‘hold on to’ through thick and thin, trusting in God’s promises. This meaning of hope is different to the secular meaning of ‘I hope it happens’ because it is not wishful thinking.
The ‘Hope’ window in the former East Kirk
How can artists represent this? They have used a number of different symbols, including a harp, a flaming brand, an anchor, a palm frond, or hands with fingers closed together. In this window, the unknown artist has used an anchor, which Faith holds across her chest.
Discussion of Love (Charity) was put on the Blog for Valentine’s Day on 14th February 2016 and Faith on 3rd August 2016, where some of the background to the window was included. Finally a photograph of the whole window is shown here, so that the three figures can be seen in context. At present it is not possible to see the window, but it will be a feature on the ground floor of the completed Mither Kirk Project.
Recently a diseased tree was removed from just inside the Back Wynd gate into St Nicholas Kirkyard. As a result a number of gravestone have become much more visible than they were previously. An elaborate one on the wall will be shown at a later date, but whilst photographing it, another memorial was noticed almost hidden at ground level, and partly covered by the sawdust from the tree removal. One of the people interred there is a significant person in the life of the city of Aberdeen and, indeed, his town ‘lodgings’ are in the news at the moment as well.
He is Sir George Skene of Fintray and Rubislaw, better known as Provost Skene, whose ‘house’ is being surrounded by the new Marischal Square development, and which is to house a new museum celebrating famous Aberdonians over the centuries. Provost Skene’s House is quite close to the former East Kirk which will complement with the stories of the development of Aberdeen – its buildings and people.
George Skene was born in 1619 at the Mill of Potterton in Aberdeenshire. His father died when he was just 12 years old and his half-brother arranged for him to be apprenticed to George Aedie who had strong trading connections with Danzig (modern day Gdansk, Poland) in the Baltic. Living there, he proved to be a very able trader and became a wealthy man. He returned to Aberdeen in 1665, then aged 36, and the following year purchased the Wester Fintray estate (near Kintore) with some of the money he had made. Three years later, in 1669, he purchased a mansion on Guestrow – now known as Provost Skene’s House. The house had been built in 1545 and has a fascinating history. Not only was George Skene a significant trader, he also became involved in the civic life of the area becoming Provost of Aberdeen in 1676, a position he held until 1685. During this time he used the house on Guestrow as his town ‘lodging’. He was also a benefactor of King’s College and the University of Aberdeen in general. He was knighted in 1861 by James, Duke of York (later James VII of Scotland). After ‘retiring’ as Provost, he bought the house and estate of Rubislaw in 1687 and used this as his main residence. George Skene never married, but supported his brother’s children. However, his nephews disappointed him, so much of his wealth was passed to his niece’s sons and his property to the family of his former employer. When he died on 9th April in 1707, aged 88 years, he also left 1,000 merks to the Kirk Session of St Nicholas to be used for the poor of the parish. A merk was worth 13 shillings and 4 pence, that is two thirds of a Scots Pound.
The gravestone which features ‘Provost Skene’
Because of its position, it is very difficult to photograph George Skene’s tombstone properly, and it has many other people listed on it. The two photographs show the whole stone (just inside the Kirkyard to the Union Street side the Back Wynd gate) and a closer view of the part of the inscription about George Skene taken when there was a low morning sun.
The inscription related to Sir George Skene of Fintray and Rubislaw
It is surprising how many diseases, even relatively uncommon ones, can be identified in human remains uncovered during an archaeological dig. That was particularly true of the large dig which took place in the former East Kirk of St Nicholas in 2006. This blog deals with one of these less common conditions – usually known as Perthes Disease, but more properly known as Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (after the three doctors who identified the condition). The medical term is avascular necrosis.
The condition arises in childhood, between the ages of about 2 and 10, with the highest incidence in the range of 4-8 years. At this age, the bones are still growing, so anything which interferes with this is likely to cause problems. Perthes disease affects the head of the femur – the ball of the thigh bone which fits into the hip. For a reason which is not understood, there is an interruption of the blood supply to this actively growing region of the bone. That causes the bone cells to die – that is where the term avascular necrosis comes from. So the bone stops growing and there is a loss of bone mass resulting in a weakness and wearing away of the bone. At this stage a child will suffer aching in the hip (similar to ‘growing pains’) and may develop a limp. However, with time the blood supply re-establishes and the bone starts growing again. But damage will probably have been done to the bone during the phase when it was dead, often a change of shape will have occurred, so a deformity is a common outcome.
Damage to the head (ball) of the femur – seen on the lower left
The photograph shows one of the examples found in the dig. This is of an adult man – it is more common in men – and the deformity of the ‘ball’ is quite clearly seen. The hip end of the femur is to the left, and the knee end to the right. At the head end of the bone, the ‘ball’ is pointing downwards. Obviously this is supposed to be round, but it clearly is not. The consequences for the sufferer is an initial shortening of the leg (it usually only affects one leg) giving a pronounced limp and there could be quite limited movement depending on the severity of the deformity. Longer term it is likely that osteoarthritis will develop with all the pain and difficulty which that will bring.
The east end of the building looking from the north-east
The east end of the Kirk of St Nicholas building seems rather austere with its fairly plain granite walls, although the windows do have some nice sandstone tracery. The walls at the east end date from 1837, although towards the west of the side walls there may have been some rebuilding or repair after the fire in 1874. For the most part the granite seen is simply the outside of the solid granite wall. However, at the lowest level, around St Mary’s Chapel at the top of Correction Wynd, the granite is a cladding on the outside of the 15th century wall which still remains on the inside.
However, this plain exterior is deceptive if one looks right up to the top of the east end. The first photograph shows a general view of this end of the building looking from the north-east. At roof level and above, it can be seen to have some quite elaborate adornments. These also are in granite. A close up, before cleaning and repointing work, of one of these is shown in the second photograph.
Detail of one of the finials before restoration
Looking more closely at the first photograph it can be seen that there is quite a complex roof structure above the apse, with three separate gables set at right angles to each other, facing north, east and south). This produced some interesting dilemmas during the roof replacement because there are hidden sumps in the gullies between the gables. These require drains for the rainwater and the building design requires these to be internal.
Interior view of gables and roof structure
The third photograph was taken inside the roof space during the preparation for the roof repairs. It shows the interior structure of one section of the apse roof. The stone wall towards the left is the interior of the north gable wall (shown in the first photograph it is partly in shadow) whilst the stone wall towards the right of the photograph is the inside of the east gable wall (facing left in the first photograph). Between is the ‘V’ shaped timber of the ‘north’ sump. On the first photograph this is hidden behind the buttress which supports the pinnacle between the two gables discussed. Also in the third photograph the internal drain can be seen going across this wall, draining from the ‘north’ sump (left) to the ‘south’ sump (not visible) from where there is a connection to the external downpipe. Buildings may look simple from the outside, but the hidden internal structures can be complex!
In February this year, we featured Charity from the window featuring Faith, Hope and Charity in the former East Kirk. This blog looks at the left hand light – ‘Faith’. It is shown in the photograph.
Faith as shown in a window in the former East Kirk
In Christianity, Faith, Hope and Love are known as the ‘theological virtues’. These three virtues are highlighted in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13. All three virtues point people towards God and Paul exhorts his readers to aim likewise.
How we move from Paul’s written word to the artistic depictions of the ‘three graces’ of Faith, Hope and Love is more difficult. There are early Roman writings about three martyred female saints bearing these names (Fides, Spes and Caritas in Latin). Their mother was Sophia (Greek for Wisdom). Some sources suggest their martyrdom was commemorated on 1st August, whilst the Eastern Orthodox Church had the feast day on 30th September. As with most of these early saints there is scant reliable information. Nevertheless, the history, real or otherwise of these women, produced icons featuring them. These would then lead to these more recent depictions of these three early martyrs in works of art in various media.
What is ‘faith’? It is difficult to be precise and also succinct, but it has been defined as ’the theological virtue by which a Christian believes in God’. Most acutely, this shows in accepting the redemptive act of Jesus in his crucifixion and resurrection. It is, therefore not surprising that most artistic representations of ‘Faith’ include an empty cross. Another common feature is a lamp, candle or chalice. The representation of Faith in this window in the former East Kirk is no exception – Faith is seen holding a cross in her right hand and what appears to be a lamp in her left hand (unfortunately the support bar partially blocks this part of the picture). Her expression is beautifully tranquil.
High on the west wall of Drum’s Aisle in the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting is an elaborate monument, as shown in the first photograph. This memorial relates to two members of the distinguished Aberdeen Gregory family, five generations of whom became professors. To the left of the monument reference is to Elizabeth Gregory, nee Forbes, who was married to John Gregory. The latter was professor of medicine at King’s College in Aberdeen and then moved to Edinburgh University. The section to the right refers to James Gregory, son of Elizabeth and John Gregory. The inscriptions are in Latin, and for James Gregory it records that he visited the place where his mother was buried and, together with his wife and surviving children, to mourn the passing of his daughter Jane MacLeod Gregory in 1813 at the tender age of eight (see below).
Like his father, James Gregory was an Aberdeen-born physician who achieved great distinction. The family had moved to Edinburgh in 1764 when James was 11 years old. He graduated in medicine from Edinburgh University in 1774. His father died whilst he was still a student and he delivered the lectures his father should have given. Just two years after graduating he was appointed to the chair which his father had held. Later he became first physician to the king of Scotland (George III), a position renewed by George IV in 1820. James Gregory died in April 1821 and is buried at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
Close up of the Latin inscription (translation to the right)
A closer view of the section referring to James Gregory is shown in the second photograph. The translation of the Latin reads: “Here also her son James Gregory, MD, FRSE, Professor of Medicine in the University of Edinburgh and His Majesty’s principal physician in Scotland – who when a boy, as yet a stranger to sorrow, had paid the just dues to his beloved mother – after 52 years, now an old man, and not unacquainted with misfortunes, but glad to revisit with his wife and children this district and his native city, surrounded by four of his sons and a circle of weeping friends did sorrowing pay the same just dues to his eldest daughter Jane MacLeod, a child most winsome, of highest promise, her father’s delight, her mother’s other soul, by cruel death snatched away in the eighth year of her age, 27 August, 1813”
During his academic life James was popular with students but often not far from controversy. However, he is probably best remembered for his popular remedy of Gregory’s Powders also known as Gregory’s Mixture. This is a mixture of powdered Rhubarb root (2 parts), Light Magnesium Carbonate (6 parts) and Ginger 1 part. The normal dose was about 1 to 4 g. The powder mixture could be taken as such with a draught of water, or dispersed in the water before taking. It was used as a stomach sedative and also had mild laxative properties. It did not taste good – but there is the old adage that if it tastes bad it does you good! Along with many ‘traditional’ medicines, it has fallen out of use in the last half century.
Ankylosis is the medical term used to describe an abnormal adhesion and rigidity of the bones in a joint. The potential causes are many, but frequently arise from injury or disease. Initially in ankylosis there is inflammation in the joints affecting the tendons, muscles and the membranes lining the surfaces of the bones. This is often associated with swelling and pain. The consequence of this is that the bones do not move easily and so they tend to become fixed in one particular position, which may be the one which causes least pain. However, this immobility can then lead to the bones fusing together. When this has happened no movement is possible in the joint, although surgical intervention can sometimes re-establish movement, such as with an elbow or shoulder. There are several different types of ankyloses. One of the common forms arises when the person has an inflammatory disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis which most often affects the fingers and wrist. During the archaeological dig in the former East Kirk a number of examples of ankylosis were found among the human remains, but they were affecting the feet.
Two metatarsal bones (to the right) fused to two tarsal bones (to the left)
The accompanying photographs show two examples of the completely fused bones in the foot which were found. The first one shows two metatarsals (the long bone in the mid-foo, to the rightt) fused to tarsal bones (in the ankle, to the left), whilst the second photograph shows a toe.
A toe showing the bones completely fused together
There is a tendency to imagine that this type of disease is ‘modern’ and confined to humans. The examples shown were of individuals who lived several hundred years ago. However, paleopathologists have found evidence of ankylosis in the fossil record, including one example of the famous dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex!
(The photographs are copyright Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collections and are used with permission).
