Life in Newburgh on Ythan

By Talpa

In the woods.

This is the Duff  Mausoleum which was built in the woods in 1793, a mile or so from the imposing building of Duff House located on the outskirts of Banff on the Moray coast
The mausoleum was built by the second Earl of Fife who was anxious to prove that he was descended from an ancient lineage related to the medieval earls of Fife. To do so he plundered several tombs from elsewhere, adding them to the mausoleum and passing them off as those of his ancestors. The extra shows a detail of one such  tomb added to the outside of the rear of the mausoleum. It is a 17th century memento mori depicting crossed leg bones, a symbol of our sure death, and ears of corn, a symbol of resurrection and new life.

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