Father Time, death emblems, angels and heraldry make this enclosed memorial one of Wick’s most concentrated works of funerary sculpture.
Quick facts
- Date
- Early eighteenth century; later nineteenth-century enclosure
- Architect / designer
- Unidentified sculptors, possibly craftsmen associated with Elgin
- Type
- Classical wall monument enclosed within a roofless stone structure
- Designation
- Listed building, Category A (LB44956)
- OS grid reference
- ND 36188 51137
Architecture and continuing use
Stylised Corinthian columns frame carved panels of Father Time, a skeleton and coffin. A broken segmental pediment carries the Dunbar arms, trumpet-bearing angels and flanking figures; the sculpture is protected by a later battered, Egyptian-influenced enclosure.
Its story
The monument commemorates Sir William Dunbar, who died in 1711, and Margaret Sinclair. It is thought to have been moved from an earlier parish church and enclosed when the nineteenth-century church was built.
Why it is included
Its unusually rich iconography and accomplished carving connect family status, regional craftsmanship and changing treatment of monuments within the churchyard.
What to notice
- Skulls, crossed implements and other memento mori.
- Figures of Father Time and the skeleton with a coffin.
- Dunbar heraldry and trumpet-bearing angels above the columns.
Reading the surroundings
Treat the churchyard as a place of burial. Follow authorised paths, do not touch or enter unstable masonry, and report damage to Highland Council.
Timeline
- Early eighteenth century The monument commemorates Sir William Dunbar, who died in 1711, and Margaret Sinclair. It is thought to have been moved from an earlier parish church and enclosed when the nineteenth-century church was built.
- Present Historic funerary monument in a council-managed burial ground.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The attribution to Elgin craftsmen is stylistic rather than documented. Routine access inside the enclosure is not assumed.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Dunbar Memorial, LB44956 — Designation status, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- Highland Council: Wick burial ground — Current council contact and reporting arrangements for the burial ground.
Location
OS grid reference ND 36188 51137 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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