Dedicated to Researching Rosslyn Chapel, The Knights Templar and Scottish Freemasonry

There were four graveslabs at Kilmun which only bore the outline of a sword. Unfortunately the day the Rosslyn Templar who visited and took these photographs could not find said graveslabs. They are now overgrown with grass. There was one slightly exposed and the outline of the sword was not revealed in the photograph taken.

Such sword graveslabs are claimed (particularly in the book: The Temple and The Lodge), to be the graves of deceased Knights Templar as are similar graves at Kilmartin.

The above gravestone (not graveslab - to read a discussion on the difference click here) like most such gravestones is post-Reformation (1559). At first glance it would appear that the symbolism refers to Freemasonry. There are a square and compasses, a chisel, an axe, a hammer and a 24inch gauge. Fortunately the other side of the gravestone bears an inscription which is still legible and which informs us that the stone was erected in 1758 and marks the burial place of Daniel Taylor, a ship carpenter in Greenock. If the symbolism was attributable to any group other than a trade it would be the Free Carpenters rather than the Free Masons. However, as the gravestone specifically mentions the deceased trade of a ship carpenter and that other similar gravestones also exist it is safe to assume that these relate to his trade rather than any organisation of which he may have been a member.