Burial Details

for

Archibald James Lamont

and his wife

Mary Jane Kirkpatrick

Western Necropolis Cemetery,

Glasgow, Scotland

Archibald James LAMONT and Mary Jane KIRKPATRICK were married in Rothesay, Buteshire, Scotland, on 20 January 1863.

The dates and circumstances of their deaths had been known within family circles for many years, but knowedge of the circumstances and locations of their burials was almost negligent.

Mary Jane Lamont died at 85 Doncaster Street, District of Kelvin, Glasgow, at 8:20 in the evening on 21 November 1900.¹ She was said to be the daughter of Joseph Kirkpatrick, and Eliza GREER, both of whom were from Ireland, and both of whom were dead by this time. Mary Jane, who had also apparently been born in Ireland, was reported to have been 54 years old when she died (so a year of birth is arithmetically calculated as '1846'). Mary Jane was enumerated in Govan, Lanarkshire, during the Census of 1891, along with her husband and 2 sons (the eldest of 3 having married in 1889 and established his own home). On Census Day in 1891, Mary Jane's age was recorded as '45 years', which again suggests a birth year of about 1846. No evidence has been found to suggest that a death notice or obituary was published in any Glasgow newspaper after Mary Jane's death.

Archibald James Lamont died at 932 Govan Road, District of Govan, County of Lanark, at 5:45 in the morning, on 12 October 1912.² He was said to be the son of  Peter Lamont, and Elizabeth STEWART, both of whom had died in Rothesay, Buteshire, Scotland, some time between about 1842 and 1851. Archibald James was reported to have been 78 years old when he died (he was in fact born in Rothesay on 28 November 1833). Archibald James was enumerated during the 1911 Census of Scotland as a 77 year old widower residing in a room with 2 windows located in a large block at 144 Harmony Road. The significance of the address '932 Govan Road' is not presently understood. No evidence has been found to suggest that a death notice or an obituary was published in any newspaper in Glasgow after Archibald James' death.

Archibald James & Mary Jane's oldest son Joseph Kirkpatrick Lamont (born in Rothesay, on 19 October 1863, he married in Glasgow in 1889) was the one who informed the respective Registrars about the deaths. When Joseph registered his mother's death on 22 November 1900, he was said to be living at 786 Garscube Road (which was apparently 'just around the corner' from 85 Doncaster Street). In 1912, Joseph was noted to have been living at 56 West End Park Street in Glasgow. He declared that he had been present when both deaths occurred.

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After his mother's death on 21 November 1900, Joseph Kirkpatrick Lamont arranged with William James Dobbie, a 'Funeral Undertaker & Carriage Hirer' in Glasgow, to oversee the disposition of Mary Jane [nee Kirkpatrick] Lamont's remains.

The image below shows William Dobbie's Statement on the account of Mr Joseph Lamont for November, 1900. This indicates that Joseph was charged a total of  9 pounds 7 shillings and 6 pence on 23 November, to have his mother's remains buried - 3 pounds for a coffin (50 shillings), a name plate (1 shilling 6 pence), and dressing the body (8 shilllings 6 pence); 30 shillings for the hire of a hearse, and 33 shillings for the hire of 2 coaches; the burial site - the Lair, in the Western Necropolis, was the single most expensive item at 42 shillings; 20 shillings covered the cost of opening the Lair to a depth of 8 feet; and Title to the Lair was 2 shillings 8 pence. The invoice was dully stamped and annotated when Joseph paid the bill on 7 December 1900. Disapointingly, the Invoice shows no evidence of where Joseph Lamont was living at that time, and no indication of when or where in the Western Necropolis the burial took place. 

The next image, below, shows the Certificate of Ownership that was issued on 12 December 1900 to Joseph Lamont for the Lair in question - No. 374, Class II, Section O. Joseph Lamont's address at that time was said to be '85 Doncaster Street'. Because this is the address given as the place of Mary Jane [nee Kirkpatrick] Lamont's death, it seems apparent that Mary Jane was living within her son Joseph's household when she died.

The oval hand-stamp in the upper left corner above shows us that the funeral was handled through William J Dobbie's Branch Office, located at 710 New City Road, Glasgow.

This Certificate - Number 7320, also shows us that Joseph Lamont, of 85 Doncaster Street, was the Certified Owner of One Lair, Number 374 (Class II) in Section O of the Western Necropolis. The details concerning Mr. Lamont's ownership of this single Lair were apparently dutifully recorded on Folio 7042 in the Register Book of Lairholders [ see below.... ].

A booklet detailing the 'Western Cemetery Company's Rules and Regulations for the Western Necropolis' was issued by the managers of The Western Cemetery Company (Limited) for the Western Necropolis, to Joseph Lamont on 12 December 1900. This indicates that in addition to the purchase price of the Lair, Mr Lamont was required to pay a Registration Fee of 2s. 6d. [Rule I]. Rule IV states that "no coffin shall be laid nearer to the surface than three feet, measuring from the upper part of the coffin... and no more than three full-sized coffins shall be allowed to be interred in one grave, unless, at the first opening, the grave shall have been made of extra depth". A 'Scale of Prices' printed on the inside of the back cover of the booklet shows that a Class II Lair was 1 yard by 2½ yards on the surface. Nothing in the Rules details the standard depth to which Lairs would be dug.

The Rules [V] allowed for a Lair owner "to erect a head-stone, cenotaph, or other monument" on their Lair, within certain guidelines. There were 98,398 burials in the Cemetery by the middle of October, 1995, but today there are apparently only around 12,120 monumental grave stones in the Cemetery.³ No evidence has yet been found that a memorial stone was ever raised to the Memory of Archibald James & Mary Jane [nee Kirkpatrick] Lamont.

The following Statement shows that on 18 April 1903, Joseph Lamont apparently arranged with William J Dobbie for the single Lair where his mother's remains were buried, to be 'dressed', 'in perpituety' [sic]. This item also shows that payment was duly received by R. McNair on behalf of W J Dobbie.

The next item, below, a receipt from the Western Necropolis, shows that it was on 21 April 1903, that Joseph Lamont paid £1/10/0 to the Cemetery Company, the amount owing for 'Plain Dressing, in Perpetuity' of One Lair (Class II), No 374, Section O. This item also shows that Joseph Lamont's residential address at that time was '786 Garscube Road'. The Cemetery Company's Rule VI states that "The Company will, from time to time, cut the grass and rake the walks of the whole ground... All dressing or keeping of any Site or Vault or Lair, desired by any propiertor, will be done to order by the Company's sevants at the rates stated in the table of fees. Dressing by proprietors not allowed". It's more than likely that this charge for 'perpetual dressing' which Mr Lamont paid had more to do with keeping the ground level over the Lair, and the grass trimmed, than with the erection of any memorial stone. Neverthless, the 'Fees' contained within the Rule book indicate that the charge "For Dressing, Turfing, and Keeping in Order One Lair" of either Class I or Class II, was £3 annually, or £30 as a single payment. Mr. Lamont's charge of 1 pound and 10 shillings for 'perpetual dressing' seems like a bargain.

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The above images represent the full set of documents which pertain to Mary Jane [nee Kirkpatrick] Lamont's burial which are in the family archive. No similar items are known which pertain to Archibald James Lamont's burial.

From this point, we turn to records of Lair Holders and Interments that were developed by the management staff at the Western Necropolis Cemetery itself, and which today are held within the Archives of the City of Glasgow, in the Mitchell Library.

First on tap is a set of entries found in the Register Book of Lairholders [refer to the Certificate of Ownership, above]. There we find Entry No. 7042 [there are four entries on each page, the pages are not numbered, No. 7042 is the second entry on this particular page].

Here we find that the remains of Mary J. Lamont, said to have been 59 years of age (rather than 54, as recorded when her death was registered), were buried on 23 November 1900, to a depth of 8 ft in Single Lair 374 (Class II), Section O [Register of Lairholders, Western Necropolis Cemetery, Glasgow, Scotland; The Mitchell Library (Archives) Reference D-CEM 1/22/2/3/ (SBO)]. This was 2 days after she had died. Joseph Lamont was noted to be the Lairholder, and he was said to have been residing at 85 Doncaster Street, which was in fact the location at which Mary Jane had been living when she died.

And we also find, in very light (possibly pencil) writing, that the remains of Archibald James Lamont, 78 years, were also buried in that Lair on the 12th of October 1912 - the very day he died! Archibald's remains were buried to a depth of 7 feet.

Next, the Lair Register for Section O, shows on Page 387 details for Lair No. 374 (Class II). The purchaser, as we've seen above, was Joseph Lamont. And the details concerning this Lair were apparently entered in the 'Proprietor's Register', otherwise known as the Register Book of Lairholders, against No. 7042, as we also saw above. New information, though, is the date on which Joseph Lamont purchased the Lair - 23 November, 2 days after his mother died, the day of the funeral, and the day Mary Jane was buried. This item can be accessed and examined through <https://familysearch.org> at <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJS-MWC4?i=228&cat=1320978>.

The Cemetery's Register of Interments, 1882 - 1901, Page 363, shows that Mary J. Lamont, 59 years, of 85 Doncaster St, who died on the 21st of November 1900, was the 18,146^th person to be buried in the Western Necropolis when her remains were interred on the 23rd. The Register entry confirms again that Joseph Lamont was the 'Proprietor of the Lair',  Lair No. 374 (Class II), Section O. The entry ends with the notation that Mary Jane's remains were buried at a depth of 8 feet, and that a fee of £1 was paid. This item can also be accessed through <https://familysearch.org> at <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSX7-89Z3-B?i=25&cat=1320978>.

And finally, the same Register of Interments, 1901 - 1916, Page 321, shows that Archibald Jas Lamont, 78 years, of 932 Govan Road, who died on 12 October 1912, was the 36,819^th person to be buried in the Western Necropolis Cemetery. The Register confirms all of the other details about the Lair owner and location identification, and verifies that Archibald's remains were buried above Mary Janes', at a depth of 7 feet. A fee of only 16 shillings was paid this time. This item can also be accessed through <https://familysearch.org>, at <https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSX7-89C9-M?i=406&cat=1320978>. Curiously, this Register of Interments record shows that Archibald James was buried on the 14th of October, and not the 12th as found in the Register Book of Lairholders above. Clearly, whomever entered details about James Archibald Lamont's burial in the Register Book of Lairholders, recorded the date of death, rather than the date of interment.

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Sources:

¹ Register of Deaths, Scotland, Burgh of Glasgow, District of Kelvin, 1900, Page 488, No. 1463: Mary Jane Lamont, married to Archibald Lamont, Formerly Tarpaulin Work Labourer; 1900, November Twenty-first, 8 h 20 m P.M. at 85 Doncaster Street, Glasgow; F[emale]; 54 years; daughter of Joseph Kirkpatrick, Cotton Spinner (deceased) and Eliza Kirkpatrick M. S. Greer (deceased); cause: Pneumonia syncope, as certified by Arch. R Gunn, M. B. [CM ?]; Informant: Joseph Lamont, son, present at death, of 786 Garscube Road; Registered at Glasgow 22 November 1900, by Wm L Campbell, Assist. Registrar, initialled by Registrar Wm. Buchanan. [RD: 644 / 09].

^2. Register of Deaths, Scotland, County of Lanark, District of Govan, 1912, Page 333, No. 998: Archibald James Lamont (Formerly Tarpaulin Makers Labourer, Army Pensioner, Widower of Mary Jane Kirkpatrick); 1912, October Twelfth, 5 h 45 m A.M. at 932 Govan Road, Govan; M[ale]; 78 years; son of Peter Lamont, Gardener (deceased), and Elizabeth Stewart (deceased); cause: cerebral Haemorrhage, as certified by C Hope, M,B,C,M; Informant: Joseph Lamont, son, present at death, of 56 West End Park Street, Glasgow; Registered at Govan 14 October 1912 by Wm Maclaren, Assist Registrar, initialled by Registrar F B Crawford. [RD: 646 / 02].

³ The number of burials by this date is taken from the last entries in the most recent of the Cemetery's 'Register of Interments' which is accessible through <familysearch.org>. The number of memorial stones in the Cemetery is implied by information found as 'Number of Headstone Records' found at <https://billiongraves.com/cemetery/Glasgow-Western-Necropolis/171089>.