A digital archive of 13,000 stones in 132 churchyards in Scotland has been established as a result of research carried out by Dr George Thomson of the Cumbrian Institute of the Arts. Now, results of his research are being put on to CD for general sale.

Thomson\'s long-term research project, supported by Scotland\'s Art & Humanities Research Board, goes under the name of Research in Inscriptional Palaeography (largely, you might suspect, so it can be known by its initials, RIP).

Thomson was inspired to carry out the research by a gravestone he saw in Kilmartin with an unusual style of lettering. He started looking at lettering more closely and then embarked on the project to record pre-1855 lettering on Scottish churchyard monuments. He has found examples of lettering dating back to 1241.

He has managed to identify the earliest and latest dates for various features of lettering and their geographical distribution and the development of script forms and ligaturing.

The results show how lettering evolved over several centuries and identifies distinct regional variations in areas such as Dumfries, the Borders and Lothians.

The research continues and Thomson is now studying the gravestones of Dumfries and Galloway in greater depth.

Anyone interested in purchasing the CD when it is available should contact: