Here lie interred the dreadfully bruised and lacerated bodies ofWilliam BradburyandThomashis son, both of Greenfield, who were together savagely murdered, in an unusually horrible manner, on Monday night, April 2nd, 1832, old William being 84, and Thomas 46 years old.Throughout the land, wherever news is read,Intelligence of their sad death has spread;Those now who talk of far-fam’d Greenfield’s hillsWill think of Bill o’ Jacks and Tom o’ Bills.Such interest did their tragic end exciteThat, ere they were removed from human sight,Thousands upon thousands daily came to seeThe bloody scene of the catastrophe.One house, one business, and one bed,And one most shocking death they had;One funeral came, one inquest pass’d,And now one grave they have at last.
Here lie interred the dreadfully bruised and lacerated bodies ofWilliam BradburyandThomashis son, both of Greenfield, who were together savagely murdered, in an unusually horrible manner, on Monday night, April 2nd, 1832, old William being 84, and Thomas 46 years old.
The following on a Hull character is from South Cave churchyard:—
In Welton churchyard, near Hull, the next curious inscription appears on an old gravestone:—
Here lieth He ouldJeremy who hatheight times mariedbeen but now in hisould age he liesin his cage underthe grass so greenwhichJeremiah Simp-sondeparted thisLife in the 84 yeareof his age in theyear of our Lord1719.
According to “Shropshire Folk-Lore” (published 1883), Edward Burton, of Longner, Shrewsbury, died in 1558, and in the garden of Longner Hall is a plain altar-tomb, dated 1614. He was a zealous Protestant, and died suddenly of excitement on hearing Shrewsbury bells ring for the accession of Queen Elizabeth. Theminister of St. Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, refused to permit his body to be buried there; it was therefore taken home again and laid in his garden:—
Mr. J. Potter Briscoe favours us with an account of a Nottingham character, and a copy of his epitaph. Vincent Eyre was by trade a needle-maker, and was a firm and consistent Tory in politics, taking an active interest in all the party struggles of the period. His good nature and honesty made him popular among the poorer classes, with whom he chiefly associated. A commendable trait in his character is worthy of special mention, namely, that, notwithstanding frequent temptations, he spurned to take a bribe from anyone. In the year 1727 an election for a Member ofParliament took place, and all the ardour of Vin’s nature was at once aroused in the interests of his favourite party. The Tory candidate, Mr. Borlase Warren, was opposed by Mr. John Plumtree, the Whig nominee, and, in the heat of the excitement, Vin emphatically declared that he should not mind dying immediately if the Tories gained the victory. Strange to relate, such an event actually occurred, for when the contest and the “chairing” of the victor was over, he fell down dead with joy, September 6th, 1727. The epitaph upon him is as follows:—
The following lines to the memory of Thomas Stokes are from his gravestone in Burton churchyard, upon which a profile of his head is cut. He for many years swept the roads in Burton:—
Next we deal with an instance of pure affection. The churchyard of the Yorkshire village of Bowes contains the grave of two lovers, whose touchingfate suggested Mallet’s beautiful ballad of “Edwin and Emma.” The real names of the couple were Rodger Wrightson and Martha Railton. The story is rendered with no less accuracy than pathos by the poet:—
We are told that Edwin’s father and sister were bitterly opposed to their love. The poor youth pined away. When he was dying Emma was permitted to see him, but the cruel sister would scarcely allow her to bid him a word of farewell. Returning home, she heard the passing bell toll for the death of her lover—
The lovers were buried the same day and in the same grave. In the year 1848, Dr. F. Dinsdale,F.S.A., editor of the “Ballads and Songs of David Mallet,” etc., erected a simple but tasteful monument to the memory of the lovers, bearing the following inscription:—
Rodger Wrightson, junr., andMartha Railton, both of Bowes; buried in one grave. He died in a fever, and upon tolling of his passing bell, she cry’d out My heart is broken and in a few hours expired, purely thro’ love, March 15, 1714-15. Such is the brief and touching record contained in the parish register of burials. It has been handed down by unvarying tradition that the grave was at the west end of the church, directly beneath the bells. The sad history of these true and faithful lovers forms the subject of Mallet’s pathetic ballad of “Edwin and Emma.”[5]
Rodger Wrightson, junr., andMartha Railton, both of Bowes; buried in one grave. He died in a fever, and upon tolling of his passing bell, she cry’d out My heart is broken and in a few hours expired, purely thro’ love, March 15, 1714-15. Such is the brief and touching record contained in the parish register of burials. It has been handed down by unvarying tradition that the grave was at the west end of the church, directly beneath the bells. The sad history of these true and faithful lovers forms the subject of Mallet’s pathetic ballad of “Edwin and Emma.”[5]
In Middleton Tyas Church, near Richmond, is the following:—
This Monument rescues from Oblivionthe Remains of the ReverendJohn Mawer,D.D.,Late vicar of this Parish, who died Nov. 18, 1763, aged 60.As also ofHannah Mawer, his wife, who diedDec. 20th, 1766, aged 72.Buried in this Chancel.They were persons of eminent worth.The Doctor was descended from the Royal Familyof Mawer, and was inferior to none of his illustriousancestors in personal merit, being the greatestLinguist this Nation ever produced.He was able to speak & write twenty-two Languages,and particularly excelled in the Eastern Tongues,in which he proposed to His Royal HighnessFrederick Prince of Wales, to whom he was firmlyattached, to propagate the Christian Religionin the Abyssinian Empire; a great and nobleDesign, which was frustrated by theDeath of that amiable Prince; to the great mortification ofthis excellent Person, whose merit meeting withno reward in this world, will, it’s to be hoped, receiveit in the next, from that Being which Justiceonly can influence.
Webring together under this heading a number of specimens that we could not include in the foregoing chapters of classified epitaphs.
An epitaph on a brass in the south aisle of Barton Church, in Norfolk, is notable as being one of the oldest in existence in English, such memorials being usually in Latin at the period from which it dates. The inscription is as follows:—
In the churchyard of Stanton Harcourt is a gravestone bearing the following inscription:—
According to a letter from Gay, the poet, to Fenton, relating the death of the pair, who were lovers, this epitaph was written by Pope, and the memorial erected at the cost of Lord Harcourt on the condition that Gay or Pope should write the epitaph. Gay gives the following as the joint production of the two poets:—
“But,” wrote Gay, “my Lord is apprehensive the country people will not understand this; and Mr. Pope says he’ll make one with something of Scripture in it, and with as little of poetry as Hopkins and Sternhold.” Hence the lines which appear on the tomb of the lovers.
Our next example is from Bury St. Edmunds churchyard:—
From Bury St. Edmunds is the following inscription which tells a sad story of the low value placed on human life at the close of the eighteenth century:—
Reader,Pause at this humble stone it recordsThe fall of unguarded youth by the allurements ofvice and treacherous snares of seduction.Sarah LloydOn the 23rd April, 1800, in the 22nd year of her age,Suffered a just and ignominious death.For admitting her abandoned seducer in thedwelling-house of her mistress, on the 3rd ofOctober, 1799, and becoming the instrument inhis hands of the crime of robbery andhousebreaking.These were her last words:“May my example be a warning to thousands.”
A lover at York inscribed the following lines to his sweetheart, who was accidentally drowned, December 24th, 1796:—
In Holy Trinity Church, Hull, is an elegant marble monument by Earle, with figures of amother and two children. The inscription tells a painful story, and is as follows:—
Our John William,In the sixteenth year of his age, on the night of January 19th, 1858, was swept by the fury of a storm, from the pierhead, into the sea. We never found him—he was not, for God took him; the waves bore him to the hollow of the Father’s hand. With hope and joy we cherished our last surviving flower, but the wind passed over it, and it was gone.An infant brother had gone before, October 15th, 1841. In heaven their angel does always behold the face of our Father.To the memory of theseWe, their parents, John and Louisa Gray erect this monument of human sorrow and Christian hope. “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!”
Our John William,
In the sixteenth year of his age, on the night of January 19th, 1858, was swept by the fury of a storm, from the pierhead, into the sea. We never found him—he was not, for God took him; the waves bore him to the hollow of the Father’s hand. With hope and joy we cherished our last surviving flower, but the wind passed over it, and it was gone.
An infant brother had gone before, October 15th, 1841. In heaven their angel does always behold the face of our Father.
To the memory of these
We, their parents, John and Louisa Gray erect this monument of human sorrow and Christian hope. “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!”
The record of the death of the parents follows.
An accidental death is recorded on a tombstone in Burton Joyce churchyard, placed to the memory of Elizabeth Cliff, who died in 1835:—
A tombstone in Creton churchyard states:—
From Kingsbridge, Devonshire, we have the following:—
In the churchyard of Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire, a good specimen of a true Englishman is buried, named Samuel Cleater, who died May 1st, 1811, aged 65 years. The two-lined epitaph has such a genuine, sturdy ring about it, that it deserves to be rescued from oblivion:—
A monument in Bakewell Church, Derbyshire, is a curiosity, blending as it does in a remarkable manner business, loyalty, and religion:—
To the memory ofMatthew Strutt, of this town, farrier, long famed in these parts for veterinary skill. A good neighbour, and a staunch friend to Church and King. Being Churchwarden at the time the present peal of bells were hung, through zeal for the house of God, and unremitting attention to the airy business of the belfry, he caught a cold, which terminated his existence, May 25, 1798, in the 68th year of his age.
To the memory ofMatthew Strutt, of this town, farrier, long famed in these parts for veterinary skill. A good neighbour, and a staunch friend to Church and King. Being Churchwarden at the time the present peal of bells were hung, through zeal for the house of God, and unremitting attention to the airy business of the belfry, he caught a cold, which terminated his existence, May 25, 1798, in the 68th year of his age.
SHORTHAND EPITAPH IN OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH, SCULCOATES.
From a Photo by Wellsted & Son, Hull.
The old church of St. Mary’s, Sculcoates, Hull, contains several interesting monuments, and we give a picture from a specially taken photograph for this volume of a quaint-looking mural memorial, having on it an inscription in shorthand. In Sheahan’s “History of Hull,” the following translation is given:—
In the vault beneath this stone lies the body of Mrs.Jane Delamoth, who departed this life, 10th January, 1761. She was a poor sinner, but not wicked without holiness, departing from good works, and departed in the faith of the Catholic Church, in full assurance of eternal happiness, by the agony and bloody sweat, by the cross and passion, by the precious death and burial, by the glorious resurrection and ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the vault beneath this stone lies the body of Mrs.Jane Delamoth, who departed this life, 10th January, 1761. She was a poor sinner, but not wicked without holiness, departing from good works, and departed in the faith of the Catholic Church, in full assurance of eternal happiness, by the agony and bloody sweat, by the cross and passion, by the precious death and burial, by the glorious resurrection and ascension of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
We believe that the foregoing is a unique epitaph, at all events we have not heard of or seen any other monumental inscription in shorthand.
The following curious epitaph is from Wirksworth, Derbyshire:—
Near this place lies the body ofPhilip Shullcross,Once an eminent Quill-driver to the attorneys in this Town. He died the 17th of Nov., 1787, aged 67.Viewing Philip in a moral light, the most prominent and remarkable features in his character were his zeal and invincible attachment to dogs and cats, and his unbounded benevolence towards them, as well as towards his fellow-creatures.To the Critic.Seek not to show the devious paths Phil trode,Nor tear his frailties from their dread abode,In modest sculpture let this tombstone tell,That much esteem’d he lived, and much regretted fell.
Near this place lies the body ofPhilip Shullcross,
Once an eminent Quill-driver to the attorneys in this Town. He died the 17th of Nov., 1787, aged 67.
Viewing Philip in a moral light, the most prominent and remarkable features in his character were his zeal and invincible attachment to dogs and cats, and his unbounded benevolence towards them, as well as towards his fellow-creatures.
To the Critic.
At Castleton, in the Peak of Derbyshire, is another curious epitaph, partly in English and partly in Latin, to the memory of an attorney-at-law named Micah Hall, who died in 1804. It is said to have been penned by himself, and is more epigrammatic than reverent. It is as follows:—
This verse has been rendered thus:—
In Sarnesfield churchyard, near Weobley, is the tombstone of John Abel, the celebrated architect of the market-houses of Hereford, Leominster, Knighton, and Brecknock, who died in the year1694, having attained the ripe old age of ninety-seven. The memorial stone is adorned with three statues in kneeling posture, representing Abel and his two wives; and also displayed are the emblems of his profession—the rule, the compass, and the square—the whole being designed and sculptured by himself. The epitaph, a very quaint one, was also of his own writing, and runs thus:—
In the churchyard of Walcott, Norfolk, the following cynical epitaph may be seen:—
From Gilling churchyard, Richmondshire, is the following:—
The crime occurred in 1750, and the murderer was never discovered.
From a gravestone in Patcham was copied the following inscription:—
The real story of Scales’ death is given in Chambers’s “Book of Days,” and is as follows: DanielScales was a desperate smuggler, and one night he, with many more, was coming from Brighton heavily laden, when the Excise officers and soldiers fell in with them. The smugglers fled in all directions; a riding officer, as such persons were called, met this man, and called upon him to surrender his booty, which he refused to do. The officer knew that “he was too good a man for him, for they had tried it out before; so he shot Daniel through the head.”
The following inscription copied from a monument at Darfield, near Barnsley, records a murder which occurred on the spot where the stone is placed:—
A stone dated 1853, the Minster graveyard, Beverley, is placed to the memory of the victim ofa railway carriage tragedy, and bears the following extraordinary inscription:—
Near the west end of Holy Trinity Church, Stalham, Norfolk, may be seen a gravestone bearing the following inscription:—
The following singular verse occurs upon a tombstone contiguous to the chancel door in Grindon churchyard, near Leek, Staffordshire:—
On a stone in the north aisle of the church of St. Peter of Mancroft, Norwich, is the following pathetic inscription:—
Susan Browne, the last deceased of eleven children (the first ten interr’d before the northern porch) from their surviving parents, John and Susan his wife. She sought a city to come, and upon the 30th of August departed hence and found it.AoÆt. 19. Dm. 1686.Here lies a single Flower scarcely blowne,Ten more, before the Northern Door are strowne,Pluckt from the self-same Stalke, only to beTransplanted to a better Nursery.
Susan Browne, the last deceased of eleven children (the first ten interr’d before the northern porch) from their surviving parents, John and Susan his wife. She sought a city to come, and upon the 30th of August departed hence and found it.
From Hedon, in Holderness, East Yorkshire, is the following:—
Here lyeth the body ofWilliam Strutton, of Patrington,Buried the 18thof May 1734Aged 97.Who had, by his first wife, twenty-eight children,And by a second seventeen;Own father to forty-fiveGrand-father to eighty-six,Great Grand-father to ninety-seven,And Great, Great-Grand-father to twenty-three;In all two hundred and fifty-one.
In Laurence Lideard churchyard, says Pettigrew, is a similar one:—
The man that rests in this grave has had 8 wives,by whom he had 45 children, and 20 grand-children. He was born rich, lived anddied poor, aged 94 years,July 30th, 1774.Born at Bewdley in Worcestershire in 1650.
According to the epitaph of Ann Jennings at Wolstanton:—
The following quaint epitaph in Dalry Cemetery commemorates John Robertson, a native of the United States, who died 29th September, 1860, aged 22:—
The Rev. William Mason, the Hull poet, married in 1765 Mary Sherman, of Hull. Two years later she died of consumption at Bristol. In the Cathedral of that city is a monument containing the following lines by her husband:—
How different is the sentiment of the foregoing to the following, said by Pettigrew and other compilers of collections of epitaphs to be inscribed on a monument in a Cumberland church, but as a matter of fact it does not exist on a memorial:—
Here lies the bodiesOfThomas BondandMaryhis wife.She was temperate, chaste, and charitable;ButShe was proud, peevish, and passionate.She was an affectionate wife, and a tender mother:ButHer husband and child, whom she loved,Seldom saw her countenance without a disgusting frown,Whilst she received visitors, whom she despised, with anendearing smile.Her behaviour was discreet towards strangers;ButIndependent in her family.Abroad, her conduct was influenced by good breeding;ButAt home, by ill temper.She was a professed enemy to flattery,And was seldom known to praise or commend;ButThe talents in which she principally excelled,Were difference of opinion, and discovering flaws andimperfections.She was an admirable economist,And, without prodigality,Dispensed plenty to every person in her family;ButWould sacrifice their eyes to a farthing candle.She sometimes made her husband happy with her goodqualities;ButMuch more frequently miserable—with her many failings:Insomuch that in thirty years cohabitation he oftenlamentedThat maugre of all her virtues,He had not, in the whole, enjoyed two years of matrimonialcomfort.At LengthFinding that she had lost the affections of her husband,As well as the regard of her neighbours,Family disputes having been divulged by servants,She died of vexation, July 20, 1768,Aged 48 years.Her worn out husband survived her four months and two days,And departed this life, Nov. 28, 1768,In the 54th year of his age.William Bond, brother to the deceased, erected this stone,As aweekly monitor, to the surviving wives of this parish,That they may avoid the infamyOf having their memories handed to posterityWith aPatch Workcharacter.
In St. Peter’s churchyard, Barton-on-Humber, there is a tombstone with the following strange inscription:—
As may be inferred, no name is given; the date is 1777. A curious and romantic legend attaches to the epitaph. In the above year an unknown lady of great beauty, who is conjectured to have loved “not wisely, but too well,” came to reside in the town. She was accompanied by a gentleman, who left her after making lavish arrangements for her comfort. She was proudly reserved in her manners, frequently took long solitary walks, and studiously avoided all intercourse. In giving birth to a child she died, and did not disclose her name or family connections. After her decease, the gentleman who came with her arrived, and wasoverwhelmed with grief at the intelligence which awaited him. He took the child away without unravelling the secret, having first ordered the stone to be erected, and delivered into the mason’s hands the verse, which is at once a mystery and a memento. Such are the particulars gathered from “The Social History and Antiquities of Barton-on-Humber,” by H. W. Ball, issued in 1856. Since the publication of Mr. Ball’s book, we have received from him the following notes, which mar somewhat the romantic story as above related. We are informed that the person referred to in the epitaph was the wife of a man named Jonathan Burkitt, who came from the neighbourhood of Grantham. He had beenvalet de chambreto some gentleman or nobleman, who gave him a large sum of money on his marrying the lady. They came to reside at Barton, where she died in childbirth. Burkitt, after the death of his wife, left the town, taking the infant (a boy), who survived. In about three years he returned, and married a Miss Ostler, daughter of an apothecary at Barton. He there kept the “King’s Head,” a public-house at that time. The man got through about £2,000 between leaving Grantham and marrying his second wife.
On the north wall of the chancel of Southam Church is a slab to the memory of the Rev. Samuel Sands, who, being embarrassed in consequence of his extensive liberality, committed suicide in his study (now the hall of the rectory). The peculiarity of the inscription, instead of suppressing inquiry, invariably raises curiosity respecting it:—
Near this place was deposited, on the 23rd April, 1815, the remains of S. S., 38 years rector of this parish.
Near this place was deposited, on the 23rd April, 1815, the remains of S. S., 38 years rector of this parish.
From St. Margaret’s, Lynn, on William Scrivenor, cook to the Corporation, who died in 1684, we have the following epitaph:—
The next was written by Capt. Morris on Edward Heardson (thirty years cook to the Beefsteak Society):—
In St. John’s churchyard, Chester, is an inscription as follows:—
Under this stone lieth the BrokenRemains ofStephen Joneswho hadhis leg cut off without the Consent ofWife or Friends on the 23rd October,1842, in which day he died. Aged 31 years.Reader I bid you farewell. Maythe Lord have mercy on you in theday of trouble.
An inscription in St. Michael’s churchyard, Macclesfield, illustrates the weakness for the love of display of the poor at a funeral:—
Mary Broomfielddyd 19 Novr., 1755, aged 80.The chief concern of her life for the last twenty years was to order and provide for her funeral. Her greatestpleasure was to think and talk about it. She lived many years on a pension of ninepence a week, and yet she saved £5, which, at her own request, was laid out on her funeral.
Mary Broomfielddyd 19 Novr., 1755, aged 80.
The chief concern of her life for the last twenty years was to order and provide for her funeral. Her greatestpleasure was to think and talk about it. She lived many years on a pension of ninepence a week, and yet she saved £5, which, at her own request, was laid out on her funeral.
We give as the frontispiece to this volume a picture of the Martyrs’ Monument, in Greyfriars’ churchyard, Edinburgh. The graves of the martyrs are in that part of the burial-ground where criminals were interred, and an allusion is made to this fact in the inscription that follows:—
Halt, passenger, take heed what you do see,This tomb doth shew for what some men did die.Here lies interr’d the dust of those who stood’Gainst perjury, resisting unto blood;Adhering to the covenants and laws;Establishing the same: which was the causeTheir lives were sacrific’d unto the lustOf prelatists abjur’d; though here their dustLies mixt with murderers and other crew,Whom justice justly did to death pursue.But as for them, no cause was to be foundWorthy of death; but only they were foundConstant and steadfast, zealous, witnessingFor the prerogatives of Christ their King;Which truths were seal’d by famous Guthrie’s head,And all along to Mr. Renwick’s blood:They did endure the wrath of enemies:Reproaches, torments, deaths and injuries.But yet they’re those, who from such troubles came,And now triumph in glory with the Lamb.From May 27th, 1661, that the most noble Marquis of Argyle was beheaded, to the 17th February, 1688, that Mr. James Renwick suffered, were one way or other murdered and destroyed for the same cause about eighteen thousand, of whom were executed at Edinburgh about an hundred of noblemen, gentlemen, ministers and others, noble martyrs forJesus Christ. The most of them lie here.The above monument was first erected by James Currie, merchant, Pentland, and others, in 1706; renewed in 1771.Rev. vi. 9.—And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.10.—And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?11.—And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.Chap. vii. 14.—These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.Chap. ii. 10.—Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
From May 27th, 1661, that the most noble Marquis of Argyle was beheaded, to the 17th February, 1688, that Mr. James Renwick suffered, were one way or other murdered and destroyed for the same cause about eighteen thousand, of whom were executed at Edinburgh about an hundred of noblemen, gentlemen, ministers and others, noble martyrs forJesus Christ. The most of them lie here.
The above monument was first erected by James Currie, merchant, Pentland, and others, in 1706; renewed in 1771.
Rev. vi. 9.—And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.10.—And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?11.—And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Chap. vii. 14.—These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Chap. ii. 10.—Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
The following is stated to have been added to the monument at a subsequent date, but at the present time there is not any trace of it:—