Gordon Memorial Vault, Crossmichael Church

The Gordon Memorial Vault, located to the south of Crossmichael Church, is a large and finely detailed classical memorial and burial enclosure built in the mid 18th century for the Gordon family of Greenlaw and Culvennan. Dated 1757, it is attributed to S Rae, a self-taught artist and sculptor.

The south elevation of the memorial features a tripartite design with a taller central bay that has a mannerist pediment. It is constructed from rubble with rusticated quoins, and each bay contains an inscribed memorial tablet. The central bay is flanked by Corinthian columns that support a broken pediment, which is adorned with an elaborately carved heraldic panel in the tympanum. The main dedicatory inscription is framed by a finely moulded architrave with lugged and shouldered details, complemented by a shell and garland motif and a seraph above. The design includes deeply incised egg and dart moulding throughout, with pineapples at the angles and an urn at the apex.

Inside, the memorial is enclosed by square rubble walls that feature various memorial tablets.