By 1890, the Society’s burial lot at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, in use since the 1840s, was full, with 216 interments. To continue providing a dignified burial for Scots in need, the Society purchased a new lot at Mount Hope Cemetery in Boston, dedicated on May 30, 1890.

The Monument

The lot is marked by a carved granite monument erected in 1891. At its center is the Society’s seal, bearing the words “Scots’ Charitable Society, Instituted 1657” around a thistle, ringed by Scotland’s motto, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (“No one provokes me with impunity”). Behind the seal, a draped St. Andrew’s cross rises up the stone, and thistles are carved at its base.

About Mount Hope

Mount Hope Cemetery lies in southern Boston between Roslindale and Mattapan. It opened as a private cemetery in 1852 and was purchased by the City of Boston in 1857, becoming the city’s first large municipal cemetery and its first laid out in the rural garden-cemetery style, with winding lanes and landscaped grounds. It has since grown from 85 to 125 acres and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Researching Family Buried at Mount Hope

The City of Boston Archives holds Mount Hope’s records, including cashbooks from 1886 to 1923 that list lot owners, undertakers, those buried, and lot locations, along with microfilmed interment and lot cards.

Visiting

The Society’s lot (Lot 7492) is in the Elm Grove section. Mount Hope Cemetery, 355 Walk Hill Street, Boston, MA · 617-635-7361