McCrae went on to become the governor of Madras for the East India Company. When he resigned this post in 1730, he returned to Britain, and eventually settled in Ayr. Around this time, he donated an Equestrian Statue of King William III to the city of Glasgow, which now stands in Cathedral Square, just a short distance from Archbishop Law's memorial where this story started.
#glasgow #glasgowcathedral #momentomori #momument #memorial #pirates #pirateflag
As it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day today, it's a good time to explore where the skull-and-crossbones flag we now associate with pirates originated, and how this links to Glasgow.
This photo shows part of a memorial in Glasgow Cathedral for James Law, the city's archbishop between 1615 and 1632. So why does an archbishop's memorial have what we now consider a pirate symbol on it?
Cont./
#glasgow #glasgowcathedral #momentomori #momument #memorial #pirates #pirateflag
Perhaps unusually for a Scottish archbishop of his time, was not a staunch Calvinist, and in his early days he got into trouble for playing football on a Sunday, along with his friend John Spottiswoode, who also went on to become an Archbishop of Glasgow. This religious affiliation may explain why he has such an ornate and colourful monument, in contrast to many of the others in the city's cathedral.