Old Mortality and Sir Walter Scott (1836)

by James Thom (1802 - 1850)

Photo Caption: Photo Alec Rogers © 2014 for the Association for Public Art
  • Title

    Old Mortality and Sir Walter Scott

  • Artist

    James Thom (1802 - 1850)

  • Year

    1836

  • Location

    North Laurel Hill, in small building near entrance gate

  • Medium

    Limestone

  • Dimensions

    Sir Walter Scott: height 6′, Old Mortality: height 3′ (base 1’6″), Pony: height 4’2″

Gift of the artist to Laurel Hill Cemetery

Owned by Laurel Hill Cemetery

At A Glance

  • Inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s novel “Old Mortality”

  • Sir Walter is shown sitting on a grave marker to talk with an aged peasant who recuts faded names on tombstones

  • The sculpture was restored in connection with Laurel Hill’s 150th anniversary

The title character of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Old Mortality is an aged peasant who travels from one churchyard to another to perform the pious act of recutting the faded names of Scottish Covenanters on their tombstones. In James Thom’s sculptural group at Laurel Hill Cemetery, Sir Walter is shown sitting on a grave marker to talk with the old man, who has interrupted his work on the tomb beneath him. Between the two figures stands Old Mortality’s weary pony. As many decades passed, the aged tomb restorer himself came to need retouching. This was accomplished in 1986, when the Old Mortality figure was restored in connection with Laurel Hill’s 150th anniversary.

Sculpture of Old Mortality and Sir Walter at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Photo Alec Rogers © 2014 for the Association for Public Art

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