While some stones were easy to read, all too many proved difficult - and some impossible. The lettering was, particularly in the older stones, incised, ie that the face had been chiselled to cut out the letters. The depths of the chiselling varies. Others were in relief, ie that the letters were proud from the face. In most cases these were letters which had been attached to the face but in the older stones the carving had been such as to leave the letters proud and the face carved away. Again this should show on the photographs or in the description.

It was the sunlight, what there was of it, and the shadows, which made reading possible. Many had to be visited as often as five times to read and record.There was also a quandary. We had been advised not to disturb the lichens and the mosses because, by doing so, a more rapid erosion may occur and the 'records' would be lost. However, we concluded that in many cases the 'records' were already lost under the moss and they were there to be re-dicovered and placed under a more permanent record. The majority were cleaned but not with wire brushes. Bristle brushes, cloth and water proved adequate though, as one would expect, the wear and tear on the bristle brushes was rapid.

This treatment proved invaluable with perhaps the best example being on a table stone almost completely covered with a very thin layer of moss and which, when cleaned, proved to be that of the Rev. James Anderson who played an important part in the history of Rosneath Church and whose son set up the Anderson Institute at Glasgow University.

It was important to record exactly what was on the stones and not to assume anything. Where letters were missing or unreadable we left out; or we placed inside Square brackets that which we thought were the logical missing letters. This applied particularly to engraved quotations. Many stones had sunk into the soil and, where neccesary, trowelled clear to read the last one or two lines - and, of course, refilled. One stone leaning against a wall had to be eased back to read and proved interesting, that of Agnes Robson, spouse to William Robson a hammerman at Ross---, a local blacksmith.

There was sadness in the readings. Large families wiped out in a short period. So many infants recorded. This conjured up pictures of epidemics or very severe weather conditions.

There was unintentional if somewhat morbid humour. "Here lies the corpse of 'Joe Bloggs' and is the place appointed for his spouse and children." Did his spouse and children ever go back to visit the grave? With that admonition or invitation one would doubt it. Yet that type of engraving proved common.

Two table stones are in Latin but only one could be recorded. Too much of the other was so eroded that nothing could be made of it despite all efforts to clean or read in varying light conditions.

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