Wednesday 31 March 2010

McCain Headstone in Templastragh Graveyard

Barry R McCain of Oxford, Mississippi, has just sent me the following notes about an inscription that was recorded in the Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 1899:

Here's something I found in the 1899 U Journal of Archaeology, a transcription of the large tombstone in the middle of Templastragh ruin. (a good thing too as it is now too weathered to read properly)

... Here lyeth the Body of Cathrine McCain who departed this life th 9th of November 1811 Aged 61 years wife to William McCain Late of Bushmills who Departed this life Ye 17th of March in the year 1813 Aged 70 years...

Notes: Writing is stylised. Some abbreviations above the first letter, Ye = the, written with the Y over the E. the Th of 9th and 17th, over the numbers, other little oddities such as that. That McCain family part of those McCains out near Ballyleckan, kin to the Adams in Ballywatt today, etc., part of my family.