The photo above is another of the collection sent in by Simon Sinclair-Lockhart whose family used to own the Priory. The photo shows Major General Sir Graeme Sinclair-Lockhart CB, the gentleman at the front with the white beard, who had served during the Indian Mutiny and Persian campaigns and died in 1904. The lady in the carriage is his wife Lady Emily Udny Sinclair-Lockhart. The couple are buried in the now sadly derelict Cambusnethan mausoleum of which only the slabs with the carved stone crosses and the yew trees remain.
Another of the photos from Simon Sinclair Lockhart shows Major General Graeme Sinclair-Lockhart and his wife Emily in the grounds of Cambusnethan Priory. Doesn't it mean so much more when you see the actual people who the mausoleum was intended for?
The mausoleum was accidentally destroyed by woodland contractors 30 years ago and since then has been subject to vandalism. It is believed that the bodies were removed and reburied elsewhere - can anyone confirm this?
There was an obituary notice in the Wishaw Press, stating that "Lady Emily Udny Sinclair Lockhart had died on the 18/6/1904, and her remains were interred beside those of her husband's, in the little mausoleum within the castle grounds, which Sir Graeme caused to be constructed a short time before his death." It went on to say that "The oaken coffin was carried on the shoulders of the estate employees....through the grounds and up the hill to the "Monks' Mound" where the mausoleum is romantically situated".
James Allan explains the reason behind the construction of the mausoleum: "General Lockart was married to a french woman called Emily Udny Brebner. She could not be buried in the family crypt in Lanark as she was a commoner. General Lockart built a small mausoleum down the bluebell woods where they were buried side by side. His tombstone was a beautiful marble cross with an ornate sword and scabbard, hers was a glass cover with forget me nots inside which is a sign of immortality"
In the photos from 2012 you can still see the carved forget-me-nots on the cross, it is a lovely story and it's a real shame to see that the graves were not respected.
Thanks to Jill Williams who notified the council about the state of the graves and managed to get some work done in clearing the piles of bricks there and Janice Finlayson who has tried to tidy up the graves regularly. At least the yew trees, an emblem of immortality, remain.
Together we can undo the destruction of the last 30 years on the Cambusnethan estate!
Click here for a lovely set of photos of the Cambusnethan Mausoleum taken by James Brown.
Thank you to Janice Finlayson for the picture of a brick from the mausoleum. The brick itself was made by WM Hudspith & Co. Wishaw - Wishaw Pottery and Brickworks, Wishaw.