,,search ,,of ,,gravestones ,,old ,,and ,,curious4 ,with ,one ,hundred and ,two ,illustrations ,,by ,w4 ,t4 ,,vincent1 ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,woolwich ,,district ,,antiquarian ,,society2 ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,records ,,of ,,the ,,woolwich ,,district1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,,london3 ,,mitchell ,,hughes1 #adj1 ,,wardour ,,street4 #ahif4 ,,in ,,search ,,of ,,gravestones ,,old ,,and ,,curious4 ,frontispiece4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,early ,,sample ,,at ,,higham4 7,page #aa47 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,old ,,gravestones #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,,gravestones #i ,,iii4 ,,artistic ,,gravestones #bj ,,iv4 ,,professional ,,gravestones #ca ,v4 ,a ,,typical ,,tramp ,,in ,,kent #ce ,,vi4 ,,more ,,typical ,,tramps #dc ,,vii4 ,,earlier ,,gravestones #di ,,viii4 ,,reform ,,among ,,the ,,gravestones #eg ,,ix4 ,,preserving ,,the ,,gravestones #fb ,x4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,in ,,ireland #gh ,,xi4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,in ,,scotland #hd ,,xii4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,abroad #ia ,,xiii4 ,,very ,,old ,,gravestones #ig ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,regulation ,,of ,,gravestones #aje ,,index #aaa ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,honourable ,,earl ,,stanhope1 ,f4,s4,a41 ,,lord ,,lieutenant ,,of ,,kent1 ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,kent ,,arch,,ological ,,society1 ,,etc41 ,,this ,,collection ,,of ,,old ,,and ,,curious ,,gravestones ,,is ,,by ,,special ,,permission ,,respectfully ,,dedicated4 ,,illustrations ,,of ,,gravestones4 ,,an ,,early ,,example ,,at ,,higham #a ,,and #b1 ,,newhaven #c1 ,,widcombe2 #d1 ,,newhaven2 #e1 ,,lewes #f1 ,,plumstead2 #g ,,and #h1 ,,dartford #i1 ,,frankfort2 #aj1 ,,east ,,wickham #aa1 ,,ridley2 #ab1 ,,hoo #ac1 ,,erith2 #ad1 ,,high ,,halstow #ae1 ,,frindsbury2 #af1 ,,higham #ag1 ,,shorne ,,and ,,chalk #ah1 ,,meopham2 #ai1 ,,stanstead2 #bj1 ,,old ,,romney #ba1 ,,crayford2 #bb1 ,,shoreham #bc1 ,,lewisham2 #bd1 ,,hornsey #be1 ,,teddington2 #bf1 ,,finchley2 #bg1 ,,farnborough #bh1 ,,chiselhurst2 #bi1 ,,hartley #cj1 ,,west ,,wickham2 #ca1 ,,hornsey #cb1 ,,horton ,,kirby2 #cc1 ,,cliffe #cd1 ,,darenth2 #ce1 ,,kingsdown #cf1 ,,fawkham2 #cg1 ,,swanscombe #ch1 ,,ashford2 #ci1 ,,cooling #dj1 ,,hendon2 #da1 ,,east ,,wickham #db1 ,,snargate2 #dc1 ,,east ,,ham #dd1 ,,wilmington2 #de1 ,,wanstead2 #df1 ,,southfleet2 #dg1 ,,wilmington #dh1 ,,lewisham2 #di1 ,,bunhill ,,fields #ej1 ,,woolwich2 #ea1 ,,longfield #eb1 ,,lydd2 #ec1 ,,bermondsey #ed1 ,,richmond2 #ee1 ,,ripley #ef1 ,,cobham2 #eg1 ,,barnes #eh1 ,,frindsbury2 #ei1 ,,sutton ,,at ,,hone #fj1 ,,bromley2 #fa1 ,,beckenham #fb1 ,,greeenford2 #fc1 ,,west ,,ham #fd1 ,,lee2 #fe1 ,,orpington #ff1 ,,st4 ,,mary ,,cray2 #fg1 ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,cray #fh1 ,,foot',s ,,cray2 #fi1 ,,bexley #gj1 ,,barking2 #ga1 ,,woolwich #gb1 ,,deptford2 #gc1 ,,west ,,ham #gd1 ,,and #ge1 ,,wanstead #gf1 ,,walthamstow2 #gg1 ,,broxbourne #gh1 ,,stapleford ,,tawney2 #gi1 ,,shorne #hj1 ,,bethnal ,,green2 #ha1 ,,plumstead #hb1 ,,cheshunt2 #hc1 ,,hatfield #hd1 ,,northolt2 #he1 ,,twickenham #hf1 ,,high ,,barnet2 #hg1 ,,kingston-,,on-,,thames #hh1 ,,swords #hi1 ,,drogheda #ij1 ,,bangor2 #ia1 ,,muckross ,,and ,,queenstown #ib1 ,,inverness2 #ic1 ,,braemar #id1 ,,stirling #ie1 ,,blairgowrie #if1 ,,laufen #ig1 ,,neuhausen #ih1 ,,heidelberg2 #ii1 ,,lucerne #ajj1 ,,the ,,bressay ,,stone2 #aja1 ,,lunnasting ,,and ,,kilbar ,,stones ,,preface4 ,i am a ,gravestone ,rambler1 and ,i beg you to bear me company4 ,this ,book is not a ,sermon4 ,it is a lure to decoy other ,ramblers1 and the bait is something to ramble for4 ,it also provides a fresh object for study4 ,old-lore is an evergreen tree with many branches4 ,this is a young shoot4 ,it is part of an old theme1 but is itself new4 ,books about ,tombs there are many1 and volumes of ,epitaphs by the hundred4 ,but of the ,common ,gravestones--the quaint and curious1 often grotesque1 headstones of the churchyard--there is no record4 ,these gravestones belong to the past1 and are hastening to decay4 ,in one or two centuries none will survive unless they be in ,museums4 ,to preserve the counterfeit presentment of some which remain seems a duty4 ,many may share the quest1 but no one has yet come out to start4 ,let your servant shew the way4 ,i begin my book as ,i began my ,rambles1 and pursue as ,i have pursued4 ,,william ,,thomas ,,vincent4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4 ,,newhaven4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #b4 ,,newhaven4 ,,in ,,search ,,of ,,gravestones ,,old ,,and ,,curious4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,old ,,gravestones4 ,i was sauntering about the churchyard at ,newhaven in ,sussex1 reading the inscriptions on the tombs1 when my eyes fell upon a headstone somewhat elaborately carved4 ,although aged1 it was in good preservation1 and without much trouble ,i succeeded in deciphering all the details and sketching the subject in my note-book4 ,it is represented in ,fig4 #a4 ,,fig4 #a--;,,at ,,newhaven1 ,,sussex4 ,the inscription below the design reads as follows3 ,here lyeth the remains of ,andrew ,brown1 who departed this life the #adth day of ,january #agfh1 aged #ff years4 ,also of ,mary his wife1 who departed this life the #c;d day of ,july #ahjb1 aged #hh years4 ,this was the first time ,i had been struck by an allegorical gravestone of a pronounced character4 ,the subject scarcely needs to be interpreted1 being obviously intended to illustrate the well-known passage in the ,burial ,service3 ,for the trumpet shall sound1 and the dead shall be raised 444 then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written1 ,death is swallowed up in ,victory4 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,the reference in another ritual to the ,lord of ,life trampling the ,king of ,terrors beneath his feet seems also to be indicated1 and it will be noticed that the artist has employed a rather emphatic smile to pourtray triumph4 ,it was but natural to suppose that this work was the production of some local genius of the period1 and ,i searched for other evidences of his skill4 ,not far away ,i found the next design1 very nearly of the same date4 ,,fig4 #b4--;,,at ,,newhaven1 ,,sussex4 ,the words below were3 ,to the memory of ,thomas1 the son of ,thomas and ,ann ,alderton1 who departed this life the #ajth day of ,april #agfg1 in the #acth year of his age4 ,the same artist almost of a certainty produced both of these figurative tombstones4 ,the handicraft is similar1 the idea in each is equally daring and grotesque1 and the phraseology of the inscriptions is nearly identical4 ,i thought both conceptions original and native to the place1 but ,i do not think so now4 ,in point of taste1 the first1 which is really second in order of date1 is perhaps less questionable than the other4 ,the hope of a joyful resurrection1 however rudely displayed1 may bring comfort to wounded hearts2 but it is difficult to conceive the feelings of bereaved parents who could sanction the representation of a beloved boy1 cut off in the brightest hour of life1 coffined and skeletoned in the grave6 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4 ,,widcombe4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4 ,,newhaven4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #e4 ,,lewes4 ,above the coffin on ,alderton's headstone is an ornament1 apparently palms4 ,it is not unusual to find such meaningless1 or apparently meaningless1 designs employed to fill in otherwise blank spaces1 though symbols of death1 eternity1 and the future state are in plentiful command for such purposes4 ,something like this same ornament may be found on a very old flat stone in the churchyard of ,widcombe1 near ,bath4 ,it stretches the full width of the stone1 and is in high relief1 which has preserved it long after the accompanying inscription has vanished4 ,the probable date may be about #afej4 ,,fig4 #c4--;,,at ,,widcombe1 ,,near ,,bath4 ,in ,newhaven ,churchyard1 though there are but these two striking examples of the allegorical gravestone1 there is one other singular exemplification of the graver's skill and ingenuity1 but it is nearly a score of years later in date than the others1 and probably by another mason4 ,it represents the old and extinct bridge over the ,sussex ,avon at ,newhaven1 and it honours a certain brewer of the town1 whose brewery is still carried on there and is famous for its ,tipper ale4 ,allowing that it was carved by a different workman1 it is only fair to suppose that it may have been suggested by its predecessors4 ,its originality is beyond all question1 which can very rarely be said of an old gravestone1 and1 as a churchyard record of a local institution1 ,i have never seen it equalled or approached4 ,,fig4 #d4--;,,at ,,newhaven1 ,,sussex4 ,under the design is the following inscription3 ,to the ,memory of ,thomas ,tipper1 who departed this life ,may y'e #adth1 #aghe1 ,aged #ed ,years4 ,,reader1 with kind regard this ,,grave survey ,nor heedless pass where ,,tipper',s ashes lay4 ,honest he was1 ingenuous1 blunt1 and kind2 ,and dared do1 what few dare do1 speak his mind4 ,,philosophy and ,history well he knew1 ,was versed in ,,physick and in ,surgery too4 ,the best old ,,stingo he both brewed and sold1 ,nor did one knavish act to get his ,gold4 ,he played through ,life a varied comic part1 ,and knew immortal ,,hudibras by heart4 ,,reader1 in real truth1 such was the ,man1 ,be better1 wiser1 laugh more if you can4 ,that these were all the especial eccentricities of this burial-place disappointed me1 but1 with my after-knowledge1 may say that three such choice specimens from one enclosure is a very liberal allowance4 ,suspecting that sculptors of the quality necessary for such high-class work would be unlikely to dwell in a small and unimportant fisher-village such as ,newhaven was in the middle of the eighteenth century1 ,i went over to ,lewes1 the county town being only seven miles by railway4 ,but ,i found nothing to shew that ,lewes was the seat of so much skill1 and ,i have since failed to discover the source in ,brighton or any other adjacent town4 ,indeed1 it may be said at once that large towns are the most unlikely of all places in which to find peculiar gravestones4 ,at ,lewes1 however1 ,i lighted on one novelty somewhat to my purpose1 and1 although a comparatively simple illustration1 it is not without its merits1 and ,i was glad to add it to my small collection4 ,the mattock and spade are realistic of the grave2 the open book proclaims the promise of the heaven beyond4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #f4 ,,plumstead4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #g4 ,,dartford4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #h4 ,,dartford4 ,,fig4 #e4--;,,at ,,lewes4 ,to ,samuel ,earnes1 died ,may #fth1 #ageg1 aged #ba years4 ,the coincidence of date would almost warrant a belief that this piece of imagery may have emanated from the same brain and been executed by the same hands as are accountable for the two which we have seen seven miles away1 but the workmanship is really not in the least alike1 and ,i have learnt almost to discard in this connection the theory of local idiosyncrasies4 ,even when we find1 as we do find1 similar1 and almost identical1 designs in neighbouring churchyards1 or in the same churchyard1 it is safer to conjecture that a meaner sculptor has copied the earlier work than that the first designer would weaken his inventive character by a replication4 ,the following1 which cannot be described as less than a distortion of a worthier model1 is to be found in many places1 and in such abundance as to suggest a wholesale manufacture4 ,,fig4 #f4--;,,at ,,plumstead1 ,,kent4 ,to ,elizabeth ,bennett1 died #agha1 aged #ec years4 ,it is obvious that the idea intended to be represented is figurative of death in infancy or childhood1 and illustrates the well-known words of the ,saviour1 ,suffer little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not3 for of such is the kingdom of ,god1 quoted on the stone itself4 ,in this and many similar cases in which the design and text are used for old or elderly people1 they have been certainly strained from their true significance4 ,the figure of a little child is1 however1 employed occasionally to represent the soul1 and may also be taken to indicate the new birth4 ,there is an almost exact reproduction of the foregoing example in the same churchyard1 even more remarkably at variance with ,scriptural interpretation4 ,it is dedicated ,to ,john ,clark1 died #agic1 aged #fb years2 and ,rebecca his wife1 died #agid1 aged #fa years4 ,the inscription adds3 ,what manner of persons these were the last day will discover4 ,gravestone plagiarism of this sort is very common1 and there is to be found at ,west ,ham1 ,essex1 the same symbolical flight of the angel and child repeated as many as five times4 ,the pilfering is not so weak and lamentable when the copyist appropriates merely the idea and works it out in a new fashion4 ,the term new can hardly be attributed to the notion of a plucked flower as a type of death1 but it occurs in so many varieties as almost to redeem its conventionality4 ,the sculptor of a stone which is in ,dartford burial-ground probably had the suggestion from a predecessor4 ,,fig4 #g4--;,,at ,,dartford4 ,to ,james ,terry1 died #agee1 aged #ca years4 ,but not far from it in the same burial-ground1 which is really a cemetery separated from the parish church1 and one of the oldest cemeteries in ,england1 is another imitation quite differently brought out1 but in principle essentially the same4 ,,fig4 #h4--;,,at ,,dartford4 ,to4444,callow1 died4444#agid4444 ,at the churchyard of ,stone 7or ,greenhithe71 two or three miles from ,dartford1 both these floral emblems are reproduced with strict fidelity4 ,this first chapter and the sketches which illustrate it will serve to introduce and explain my work and its scope4 ,in pursuing my investigations it was soon evident that the period of the allegorical gravestone was confined sharply and almost exclusively to the eighteenth century4 ,i have seldom met one earlier than #agjj1 and those subsequent to #ahjj are very rare4 ,of gravestones generally it may almost be said that specimens of seventeenth-century date are exceedingly few4 ,there are reasons for this1 as will afterwards appear4 ,but the endurance even of the longest-lived of all the old memorials cannot be very much longer extended1 and this may be my excuse for preserving and perpetuating the features of some of them as a not uninteresting phase of the vanishing past4 ,i do not claim for my subject any great importance1 but present it as one of the small contributions which make up history4 ,one other plea ,i may urge in my defence4 ,this is a branch of study which1 so far as ,i can ascertain1 has been quite neglected4 ,there are books by the score dealing with the marble1 alabaster1 and other tombs within the churches1 there are books of epitaphs and elegies by the hundred1 and there are meditations among the graves sufficient to satisfy the most devout and exacting of readers1 but the simple gravestone of the churchyard as an object of sculptured interest has ,i believe found hitherto no student and is still looking for its historian4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,,gravestones4 ,although there may be no expectation of discovering the germ of the pictorial or allegorical gravestone1 a section of the samples collected for this essay may be displayed to shew the earlier forms in which the ruder class of masons prepared their sculptured monuments for the churchyard4 ,there is little doubt that the practice originated in an endeavour to imitate on the common gravestone the nobler memorials of the churches and cathedrals1 the effort being more or less successful in proportion to the individual skill of the artist4 ,the influence of locality1 however1 must always be a factor in this consideration2 for1 as a rule1 it will be found that the poorest examples come from essentially secluded places1 while localities of earlier enlightenment furnish really admirable work of much prior date4 ,take1 for instance1 that most frequent emblem1 the skull4 ,i have not sought for the model by which the village sculptor worked1 but ,i have in my note-book this sketch of a skull1 copied from a sixteenth-century tomb at ,frankfort on the ,maine1 and there are doubtless a vast number equal to it in ,english cathedrals and churches of the same period4 ,,fig4 #i4--;,,at ,,frankfort1 ,,germany4 ,regarding this as our ideal1 the primitive work which we find in rural localities must be pronounced degenerated art4 ,generally speaking we may assume that the carver of the stately tomb within the church had no hand in the execution of the outer gravestone2 but that quite early there were able masons employed upon the decoration of the churchyard headstone is shewn in many instances1 of which the one presented in ,fig4 #aj may serve as a very early specimen4 ,,fig4 #aj4--;,,at ,,east ,,wickham4 ,to ,eliza and ,lydia1 the two wives of ,anthony ,neighbours1 died #ahth ,nov4 #afge and #aath ,march #agjb4 ,the dates are remarkable in connection with such an elaborate work4 ,east ,wickham is little more than a village even now1 and this carving is very creditable in comparison with other attempts of the same early period2 but the high road from ,london to ,dover runs through the parish1 and may have carried early cultivation into the district4 ,all the rougher illustrations which ,i have found have been in remote and isolated spots1 or spots that were remote and isolated when the stones were set up4 ,the first of these which ,i discovered was in the little churchyard of ,ridley in ,kent1 far from the haunts of men4 ,,fig4 #aa4--;,,at ,,ridley4 ,to the three sons of ,will4 ,deane1 died #agjd1 #agjg1 and #agji1 aged #b weeks1 #b years1 and #e years4 ,it is difficult to believe that the face here delineated was meant to represent a skull1 and yet1 judging by the many equally and more absurd figures which ,i have since met with1 there is little doubt that a skull was intended by the engraver1 for this and all others of the class are incised1 simply scratched or cut into the stone2 nothing so poor in drawing have ,i ever found which has risen to the eminence of relief4 ,it may1 of course1 be also surmised that the face here cut into the stone is meant for a portrait or to represent an angelic being4 ,the radial lines may have been intended for a halo of glory or a frilled cap1 but1 as will be seen by comparison1 the whole thing is easily to be classed with the skull series4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #i4 ,,frankfort4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aj4 ,,east ,,wickham4 ,it will be noticed that we have in this instance a form of headstone differing materially from those of later times1 and wherever we find the rude incised figure we nearly always have the stone of this shape4 ,such homely memorials are distinguished in nearly every instance by dwarfishness and clumsiness4 ,they are seldom more than #b feet in height1 and are often found to measure from #e inches to #g inches in thickness4 ,a prolific field for them is the great marshland forming the ,hundred of ,hoo1 below ,gravesend1 the scene of many incidents in the tale by ,charles ,dickens of ,great ,expectations4 ,it is called by the natives the ,dickens country1 for the great author dwelt on the hilly verge of it and knew it well4 ,the ,frontispiece shews the general view of one of these old stones at ,higham1 in the ,hoo district4 ,,frontispiece4--,,at ,,higham4 ,to ,philip ,hawes1 died ,june #bd1 #agcc1 aged #ai years4 ,in this case the top space is occupied1 not by a head or skull1 but by two hearts meeting at their points--a not unusual illustration4 ,at ,hoo is one of the coarsest exemplifications of masonic incompetency ,i have ever encountered4 ,,fig4 #ab4--;,,at ,,hoo1 ,,near ,,rochester ,to ,robert ,scott1 ,yeoman1 died #bd ,dec4 #afgg1 aged #gj years4 ,the nimbus or nightcap again appears as in the ,ridley specimen1 but1 whatever it be1 the teeth are undoubtedly the teeth of the skeleton head4 ,this stone has another claim to our notice beyond the inartistic design4 ,it marks one of the very rare efforts in this direction of the seventeenth century4 ,the prevalent shape of these old memorials and their almost contemporary dates seem to indicate a fashion of the period1 but they are met with in other places of various conformations4 ,there is one at ,erith almost square-headed1 only #b feet high1 #a foot #f inches wide1 and #g inches thick4 ,,fig4 #ac4--;,,at ,,erith4 ,it may be noted that this also is of the seventeenth century1 and the mode of describing ,john ,green's age is1 ,i think1 unique4 ,high ,halstow is a neighbour of ,hoo1 and has only of late been penetrated by the railway to ,port ,victoria4 ,from ,high ,halstow we have another curious and almost heathenish specimen1 in which we see the crossbones as an addition to the skull1 if skull it can be considered1 with its eyes1 eyebrows1 and cheeks4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4 ,,ridley4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ab4 ,,hoo4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ac4 ,,erith4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ad4 ,,high ,,halstow4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ae4 ,,frindsbury4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #af4 ,,higham4 ,,fig4 #ad4--;,,at ,,high ,,halstow4 ,to ,susan ,barber4 ,the date is buried1 but there is a similar stone close by dated #afii4 ,nearer ,rochester1 at ,frindsbury1 there is the next illustration1 still like a mask rather than a death's head1 but making its purpose clear by the two bones1 such as are nearly always employed in more recent productions4 ,,fig4 #ae4--;,,at ,,frindsbury4 ,to ,william ,david ,jones1 died #agba4 ,there is1 however1 another at ,higham of about the same date1 in which1 supposing a skull to be intended1 the inspiration of the bones appears not to have caught the artist4 ,the portrait theory may possibly better fit this case4 ,,fig4 #af4--;,,at ,,higham4 ,to ,mr ,wm ,boghurst1 died #eth of ,april #agbj1 aged #fe4 ,that some of the carvings were meant for portraits cannot be denied1 and1 in order to shew them with unimpeachable accuracy1 ,i have taken rubbings off a few and present an untouched photograph of them just as ,i rubbed them off the stones 7,fig4 #ag74 ,the whole of the originals are to be found in the neighbouring churchyards of ,shorne and ,chalk1 two rural parishes on the ,rochester ,road1 and exhibit with all the fidelity possible the craftsmanship of the village sculptors4 ,they will doubtless also excite some speculation as to their meaning4 ,my belief1 as already expressed1 is that the uppermost four are the embodiment of the rustic yearning for the ideal2 in other words1 attempts to represent the emblem of death--the skull4 ,nos4 #a and #b are from ,shorne2 ,nos4 #c1 #d1 and #e from the churchyard at ,chalk4 ,in ,no4 #a we have1 perhaps1 the crudest conception extant of the skeleton head4 ,the lower bars are probably meant for teeth2 what the radial lines on the crown are supposed to be is again conjecture4 ,perhaps a nimbus1 perhaps hair or a cap1 or merely an ornamental finish4 ,the inscription states that the stone was erected to the memory of ,thomas ,vdall1 who died in #agjd1 aged #fc years4 ,no4 #b has the inscription buried1 but it is of about the same date1 judging by its general appearance4 ,the strange feature in this case is the zig-zag toothing which is employed to represent the jaws4 ,doubtless the artist thought that anything he might have lost in accuracy he regained in the picturesque4 ,no4 #c1 in which part of the inscription ,here lyeth intrudes into the arch belonging by right to the illustration1 is equally primitive and artless4 ,the eyebrows1 cheeks--in fact all the features--are evidently unassisted studies from the living1 not the dead1 frontispiece of humanity2 but what are the serifs1 or projections1 on either side8 ,wondrous as it is1 there can be only one answer4 ,they must be meant for ears6 ,this curious effigy commemorates ,mary1 wife of ,william ,greenhill1 who died in #agag1 aged #dg years4 ,no4 #d is one of the rude efforts to imitate the skull and crossbones of which we find many examples4 ,it is dedicated to one ,grinhill 7probably a kinsman of the ,greenhills aforesaid71 who died in #agbj1 aged #ef years4 ,most strange of all is ,no4 #e1 in which the mason leaps to the real from the emblematic1 and gives us something which is evidently meant for a portrait of the departed4 ,the stone records that ,mary1 wife of ,thomas ,jackson1 died in #agcj1 aged #dc years4 ,it is one of the double tombstones frequently met with in ,kent and some other counties4 ,the second half1 which is headed by a picture of two united hearts1 records that the widower ,thomas ,jackson followed his spouse in #agdh1 aged #ee years4 ,upon a stone adjacent1 to ,mary ,london1 who died in #agca1 there has been another portrait of a lady with braided hair1 but time has almost obliterated it4 ,i mention the circumstance to shew that this special department of obituary masonry1 as all others1 was prone to imitations4 ,i may also remark that intelligent inhabitants and constant frequenters of these two churchyards have informed me that in all the hundreds of times of passing these stones they never observed any of their peculiarities4 ,it ought1 however1 to be said that these primitive carvings or scratchings are not often conspicuous1 and generally require some seeking4 ,they are always on a small scale of drawing1 in nearly every instance within the diminished curve of the most antiquated form of headstone 7such as is shewn in the ,frontispiece71 and as a rule they are overgrown with lichen1 which has to be rubbed off before the lines are visible4 ,it may safely be averred1 on the other hand1 that the majority of the old stones when found of this shape contain or have contained these remarkable figures1 and in some places1 particularly in ,kent1 they literally swarm4 ,there is a numerous assortment of them at ,meopham1 a once remote hamlet1 now a station on the ,london1 ,chatham1 and ,dover ,railway4 ,i have copied only one--an early attempt apparently to produce a cherub resting with outstretched wings upon a cloud1 but there are a good many of the same order to keep it in countenance4 ,,fig4 #ah4--;,,at ,,meopham4 ,to ,sarah ,edmeades1 died #agbh1 aged #ce years4 ,in the churchyards of ,hawkhurst1 ,benenden1 ,bodiam1 ,cranbrook1 ,goudhurst1 and all through the ,great ,weald these incised stones are to be discovered by hundreds1 very much of one type perhaps1 but displaying nevertheless some extraordinary variations4 ,i know of no district so fruitful of these examples as the ,weald of ,kent4 ,even when the rude system of cutting into the stone ceased to be practised and relief carving became general1 grossness of idea seems to have survived in many rural parishes4 ,one specimen is to be seen in the churchyard of ,stanstead in ,kent1 and is1 for relief work1 childish4 ,,fig4 #ai4--;,,at ,,stanstead4 ,to ,william ,lock1 died #agea1 aged #af years4 ,however1 the vast number of gravestones carved in relief are1 on the whole1 creditable1 especially if we consider the difficulty which met the workmen in having to avoid giving to their crossbones and other ornaments the appearance of horns growing out of their skulls4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ah4 ,,meopham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ai4 ,,stanstead4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bj4 ,,old ,,romney4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ba4 ,,crayford4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bb4 ,,shoreham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4 ,,lewisham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bd4 ,,hobnsey4 ,,fig4 #bj4--;,,at ,,old ,,romney4 ,to ,william ,dowll1 died #agaj1 aged #dj years4 ,the winged skull probably typifies flight above4 ,,fig4 #ba4--;,,at ,,crayford4 ,to ,john ,farrington1 died ,dec4 #h1 #agag1 aged above fourty years4 ,in the appropriate design from ,shoreham the same idea is better conveyed both by the winged head and by the torch1 which when elevated signifies the rising sun1 and when depressed the setting sun4 ,the trumpet in this case would seem to mean the summons4 ,the two little coffins are eloquent without words4 ,,fig4 #bb4--;,,at ,,shoreham4 ,the children of ,thomas and ,jane ,stringer1 died ,sept'r #aged1 aged #aj and #g years4 ,in ,lewisham ,churchyard is one of the death's head series almost sui generis4 ,,fig4 #bc4--;,,at ,,lewisham4 ,to ,richard ,evens1 died ,may #ah1 #agjg1 aged #fg years4 ,the chaplet of bay-leaves or laurel doubtless indicates ,victory4 ,not only is this an early and well-accomplished effort1 but it is remarkable for the presence of a lower jaw1 which is seldom seen on a gravestone4 ,the skull turned up by the sexton is usually the typical object1 and to that we may presume the nether jaw is not often attached4 ,it is found1 however1 on a headstone of a somewhat weak design in ,old ,hornsey ,churchyard4 ,,fig4 #bd4--;,,at ,,hornsey4 ,to ,mr ,john ,gibson1 whipmaker1 died ,oct4 #cj1 #agff1 aged #dd years4 ,the hand seems to be pointing to the record of a well-spent life which has won the crown of glory4 ,there is another of the lower jaw series at ,teddington1 which is also1 in all probability1 the only instance of a man's nightcap figuring in such gruesome circumstances4 ,,fig4 #be4--;,,at ,,teddington4 ,to ,sarah ,lewis1 died ,june #aa1 #agff1 aged #fc years4 ,the emblem of ,death was quite early crowned with laurel to signify glory1 and associated with foliage and flowers in token of the ,resurrection4 ,one at ,finchley is1 for its years1 well preserved4 ,,fig4 #bf4--;,,at ,,finchley4 ,to ,richard ,scarlett1 died ,july #bc1 #agbe4 ,another at ,farnborough is1 considering the date1 of exceptional merit4 ,,fig4 #bg4--;,,at ,,farnborough4 ,to ,elizabeth ,stow1 died #agdd1 aged #ge years4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #be4 ,,teddington4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bf4 ,,finchley4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bg4 ,,farnborough4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bh4 ,,chiselhurst4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bi4 ,,hartley4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cj4 ,,west ,,wickham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ca4 ,,hornsey4 ,a few others of the skull pattern with various additaments may conclude this chapter4 ,the cup in the ,chiselhurst case is somewhat uncommon4 ,,fig4 #bh4--;,,at ,,chiselhurst4 ,name obliterated2 date ,nov4 #aghf4 ,the conventional symbols in the next example are clearly to be read4 ,,fig4 #bi4--;,,at ,,hartley4 ,to ,eliza ,andersen1 died #agga1 aged #gj years4 ,the ,west ,wickham specimen has its prototype in the old churchyard at ,hackney1 and in other places4 ,,fig4 #cj4--;,,at ,,west ,,wickham4 ,to ,richard ,whiffen1 died #agcb1 aged #c years4 ,in ,fig4 #ca1 from ,hornsey1 the two skulls present the appearance of having been pitched up from the grave4 ,,fig4 #ca4--;,,at ,,hornsey4 ,to ,william ,fleetwood1 died ,jan4 #cj1 #agej1 aged #ae months4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,artistic ,,gravestones4 ,in the later half of the eighteenth century greater pains and finer workmanship appear to have been bestowed upon the symbolic figurement of the gravestone1 and the more elaborate allegorical representations of which a few sketches have been given came into vogue and grew in popular favour until the century's end4 ,nor did the opening of a new century altogether abolish the fashion2 perhaps it can hardly be said to have been abolished even now at the century's close1 but the evidences extant combine to shew that the flourishing period of the pictorial headstone lay well within the twenty-five years preceding ,anno ,domini #ahjj4 ,for the sake of comparison one with another1 ,i have taken1 in addition to the sketch at page #a 7,fig4 #a71 three examples of the device which seems most frequently to typify the resurrection of the dead4 ,in two of these the illustration is accompanied by a quotation explanatory of its subject1 but the words are not the same in both cases4 ,the stone at ,horton ,kirby1 near ,dartford1 depicted in ,fig4 #cb1 shews the inscription clearly4 ,,fig4 #cb4--;,,at ,,horton ,,kirby4 ,to ,john ,davidge4 died ,april #bb1 #agge1 aged #ge years4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cb4 ,,horton ,,kirby4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cc4 ,,cliffe4 ,in the second instance1 at ,cliffe1 the inscription has been in great part obliterated by time1 but the words written were evidently those of the chapter from ,corinthians which is part of the ,burial ,service3 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,they are1 however1 almost illegible1 and ,i have made no attempt to reproduce them in the picture4 ,,fig4 #cc4--;,,at ,,cliffe4 ,to ,mary ,jackson1 died ,march #bf1 #agfh4 ,there is a second stone of similar pattern in ,cliffe ,churchyard1 dated #agij4 ,it differs from the foregoing only in having the spear broken4 ,the sculptor of another specimen at ,darenth1 near ,dartford1 thought the subject worthy of broader treatment1 and transferred it to a stone about double the ordinary width1 but did not vary the idea to any great extent4 ,indeed1 ,horton ,kirby and ,darenth1 being next-door neighbours1 have most features in common2 the falling tower1 which symbolizes the ,day of ,judgment1 appearing in both1 while it is absent from the more distant examples at ,cliffe and ,newhaven4 ,the introduction of the omniscient eye in the ,cliffe case is1 however1 a stroke of genius compared with the conventional palm branches at ,horton ,kirby1 or the flight through mid-air of the tower-tops both at ,horton ,kirby and at ,darenth4 ,,fig4 #cd4--;,,at ,,darenth4 ,to ,john ,millen1 died ,june #aath1 #aghf1 aged #hb years4 ,outside the county of ,kent ,i have met with nothing of this pattern1 and pictorial art on a similar scale is seldom seen on the gravestones anywhere4 ,specimens from ,lee1 ,cheshunt1 ,stapleford ,tawney1 and elsewhere1 will1 however1 be seen in subsequent pages4 ,the day of joyful resurrection is prefigured possibly in more acceptable shape in the next instance1 no imitation of which ,i have seen in any of my rambles4 ,,fig4 #ce4--;,,at ,,kingsdown4 ,to ,ann ,charman1 died #agic1 aged #ed years4 ,no one to whom ,i have shewn this sketch has given a satisfactory interpretation of it1 but it will be allowed that the design is as graceful as it is uncommon4 ,that it also in all likelihood refers to the ,day of ,judgment may perhaps be regarded as a natural supposition4 ,even the open or half-open coffin1 shewing the skeleton within1 may possibly have some reference to the rising at the ,last ,day4 ,we have this figure employed in a comparatively recent case at ,fawkham in ,kent1 being one example of nineteenth-century sculpture4 ,,fig4 #cf4--;,,at ,,fawkham4 ,thomas ,killick1 died #ahji1 aged #a month #a day4 ,a crown is usually the emblem of ,victory1 but held in the hand1 as in this instance1 it indicates1 ,i am told1 an innocent life4 ,other coffins displaying wholly or partly the corpse or skeleton within are perhaps not intended to convey any such pious or poetic thought as do the two foregoing1 but simply to pourtray the ghastliness of death1 a kind of imagery much fancied by the old stonemasons4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cd4 ,,darenth4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ce4 ,,kingsdown4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cf4 ,,fawkham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cg4 ,,swanscombe4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ch4 ,,ashford4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ci4 ,,cooling4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dj4 ,,hendon4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #da4 ,,east ,,wickham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #db4 ,,snargate4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dc4 ,,east ,,ham4 ,,fig4 #cg4--;,,at ,,swanscombe4 ,to ,elizabeth ,hall1 died #aggi1 aged #gf years4 ,,fig4 #ch4--;,,at ,,ashford4 ,to ,stephen ,kennedy1 died ,sept4 #agia1 aged #fa years4 ,in the latter illustration there are three stars to which ,i can give no signification4 ,the snake-ring is1 of course1 eternity1 and the book1 as before surmised1 may stand for the record of a good life4 ,more ingenious1 more didactic1 and altogether more meritorious than these is another series of designs belonging to the same period of time4 ,they are not only as a rule conceived in better taste1 but are1 almost consequently1 better in their execution4 ,the following example from ,cooling1 a small village in the ,medway ,marshes1 is an excellent specimen of its class1 and a very exceptional find for a spot so remote4 ,,fig4 #ci4--;,,at ,,cooling4 ,to ,m'r ,richard ,prebble of ,cliffe1 died ,april #agge4 ,one of later date at ,hendon1 ,middlesex1 is also to be commended4 ,the lyre1 cornet1 and tambourine speak of music1 and the figures of ,fame and ,hope are hardly to be misunderstood1 but the large box in the background is not quite certain of correct interpretation4 ,,fig4 #dj4--;,,at ,,hendon4 ,to ,ludwig ,august ,leakfield1 ,esq41 died ,nov4 #bb1 #ahaj1 aged #dh years4 ,the following is rougher in form1 but seems to have suffered from the weather4 ,it needs no explanation4 ,,fig4 #da4--;,,at ,,east ,,wickham4 ,to ,thomas ,vere of ,woolwich1 shipwright1 died #ajth ,august1 #aghi4 ,the two next subjects are to be found in many variations4 ,the angel with the cross in each case may represent salvation proclaimed4 ,,fig4 #db4--;,,at ,,snargate4 ,to ,edward ,wood1 died ,sept4 #aggi1 aged #ej years4 ,,fig4 #dc4--;,,at ,,east ,,ham4 ,to ,mr ,richard ,wright1 died ,july #bh1 #agha1 aged #ci years4 ,the winged scroll in ,fig4 #dd is unfolded to display1 we may suppose1 a register of good and holy deeds done in an extended life4 ,the scythes and the reversed torches may be taken at their usual significance1 which is death4 ,this is copied from a stone in the churchyard of ,wilmington by ,dartford ,heath4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dd4 ,,wilmington4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #de4 ,,wanstead4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #df4 ,,southfleet4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dg4 ,,wilmington4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dh4 ,,lewisham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #di4 ,,bunhill ,,fields4 ,,fig4 #dd4--;,,at ,,wilmington4 ,to ,richard ,barman1 died #agic1 aged #ga years4 ,more elegant testimony is paid by the figure of a winged urn in ,wanstead ,old ,churchyard1 the flame which burns above indicating1 it would seem1 that though the body be reduced to ashes1 the soul survives4 ,,fig4 #de4--;,,at ,,wanstead4 ,to ,william ,cleverly1 died #aghj1 aged #dj years4 ,eternity is usually1 as we have seen1 represented by an endless ring--often as a serpent4 ,it is so in the ,southfleet sketch1 in which appear the two horns of the archangels1 and the living torch1 with some other objects which are not quite clearly defined4 ,,fig4 #df4--;,,at ,,southfleet4 ,to ,john ,palmer1 died #agha1 aged #fa years4 ,in another selection from ,wilmington the winged hour-glass may be read as the flight of time1 the cloud is probably the future life1 and the bones below convey their customary moral4 ,,fig4 #dg4--;,,at ,,wilmington4 ,to ,ann ,parsons1 died ,nov4 #c1 #aggg1 aged #fj years4 ,sometimes1 but not often1 will be found engraved on a stone the suggestive fancy of an axe laid at the foot of a tree1 or some metaphorical figure to the same intent4 ,an instance occurs at ,lewisham in which the idea is conveyed by the pick and shovel under a flourishing palm4 ,,fig4 #dh4--;,,at ,,lewisham4 ,to ,thomas ,lambert1 died ,nov4 #be1 #agha1 aged #ei years4 ,a symbol so simple and yet so significant as this is scarcely to be surpassed4 ,one almost in the same category is the following1 a small anaglyph in ,bunhill ,fields ,burial-ground1 ,london4 ,,fig4 #di4--;,,at ,,bunhill ,,fields1 ,,london4 ,to ,elizabeth ,sharp1 who died ,oct4 #bj1 #ageb1 aged #ca years4 ,it is easy to read in this illustration the parable of death destroying a fruitful vine1 and as a picture it is not inelegant4 ,it is more remarkable as being1 so far as ,i can find1 the one solitary instance of an allegorical gravestone among the thousands of gravestones in the vast and carefully guarded burial-place in the ,city ,road4 ,strictly speaking1 death's heads and crossbones are allegorical1 but these must be excepted for their very abundance and their lack of novelty4 ,possibly1 also1 the lichen1 damp1 and ,london climate1 which have obliterated many of the inscriptions in this old cemetery1 may have been fatal to the low relief which is requisite for figure work of the kind under consideration4 ,but ,bunhill ,fields and similar places in and near ,london and other great towns have taught me the law to which ,i have already referred--the law that the picture-tombstone was country bred1 and could never have endured under the modern conditions of life in or near the centres of civilization4 ,there are exceptions1 perhaps many1 to this ruling1 as there are exceptions to every other4 ,for instance1 a stone at the grave of a ,royal ,artillery ,officer in ,woolwich ,churchyard combines the emblems of his earthly calling with those of his celestial aspirations in a medley arrangement not unusual in rural scenes1 but hardly to be reconciled with the education and refinement of a large garrison and school of military science which ,woolwich was in #agfj4 ,this must be set down as one of the exceptions which prove the rule4 ,,fig4 #ej4--;,,at ,,woolwich4 ,to ,lieut4 ,thomas ,sanders1 late of the ,royal ,regiment of ,artillery1 who died ,march #agfj1 aged #fj 787 years4 ,there is a more recent case in which the same idea is pourtrayed in somewhat different fashion on a headstone in the obsolete graveyard of ,st4 ,oswald1 near the ,barracks at ,york4 ,it is dedicated to ,john ,kay1 a private in the ,royal ,scots ,greys1 who died ,july #i1 #ahcc1 aged #cd years4 ,but1 on the whole1 it may be accepted as an axiom that originality has shunned the town churchyards1 and the absence of curious varieties of the gravestone among the well-sown acres of ,bunhill ,fields and such-like places of the period at which they were by comparison so abundant in less considered localities admits of a simple explanation4 ,in the eighteenth century town and country were much more divided than they are now4 ,london and the rural districts were not on their present level4 ,taste in art and in the ordinary affairs of life was being cultivated in town2 it was not even encouraged in the country4 ,education and refinement were not thought to be desirable accomplishments in a rustic population1 but dwellers in cities had been for generations improving their manners1 and thus it was that no such provincial vulgarity as a decorated tombstone could be tolerated in the choice metropolis4 ,the clergy were always the masters in such matters1 and their influence is seen in many places1 even in the villages1 in keeping the churchyard free from ridicule2 but1 broadly speaking1 there is no doubt that the rectors and vicars in ,london and other large cities began quite a hundred years earlier than those of the villages that control and supervision over the carving and inscriptions on the tombstone which is now the almost universal rule4 ,it was unquestionably the adoption of this practice by the country parson1 late in the eighteenth century or early in the nineteenth century1 that put an end in rural places to the period of illustrated epitaphs which had long gone out of fashion1 or1 more likely1 had never come into being1 among the busier hives of humanity4 ,a rare variety of the cloud-and-angel series1 which are so frequent1 is seen in ,longfield ,churchyard on the ,maidstone ,road4 ,trumpets of the speaking or musical order are frequently introduced to typify the summons to resurrection1 but here we have the listener pourtrayed by the introduction of an ear-trumpet4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ej4 ,,woolwich4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ea4 ,,longfield4 ,,fig4 #ea4--;,,at ,,longfield4 ,to ,mary ,davidge1 died #aggb1 aged #fi years4 ,allegorical gravestones of recent date1 that is of the time which we call the present day1 are very seldom seen1 and such as there are do not come within the scope of this work4 ,there is one in ,west ,wickham ,churchyard devoted to a chorister1 and sculptured with a representation of the church organ-pipes4 ,memorials to deceased ,freemasons are perhaps the most frequent of late carvings1 as in the sketch from ,lydd in the ,romney ,marsh district4 ,,fig4 #eb4--;,,at ,,lydd4 ,to ,john ,finn1 died ,june #ith1 #ahac1 aged #cj years4 ,occasionally1 too1 some plain device appears on even a modern headstone1 such as the following1 which is one of the few ,i have from the ,london area4 ,the graves of the same half-century may be searched without finding many carvings more ambitious than this4 ,,fig4 #ec4--;,,at ,,st4 ,,james',s1 ,,bermondsey4 ,to ,charles ,thomas ,henry ,evans1 died #ahdi4 ,churchyards beside the ,upper ,thames are nearly all prolific in old gravestones1 the riparian settlements having been well populated during the favourable period4 ,this is especially the case at ,richmond and ,twickenham1 but of the great number of eighteenth-century stones in both churchyards there are few very remarkable4 ,richmond has a rare specimen of the full-relief skull4 ,the death's head has on either side of it the head of an angel in half-relief4 ,the stone is a double one1 and ,i have never met its fellow4 ,,fig4 #ed4--;,,at ,,richmond4 ,to ,annie ,smedley 7871 died #agaa1 aged #ij years4 ,as companions to this ,i present a pair of dwarf stones with full-relief heads of seraphs and cherubs--an agreeable change--from the same county4 ,,fig4 #ee4--;,,at ,,ripley4 ,to ,sarah wife of ,henry ,bower1 died #agda4 ,to ,henry ,bower1 died ,march #bcrd1 #ageh4 ,the ,rector of the parish passed as ,i was sketching these interesting objects1 and was surprised to find that he had anything so unusual in his churchyard4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eb4 ,,lydd4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ec4 ,,bermondsey4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ed4 ,,richmond4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ee4 ,,ripley4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ef4 ,,cobham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eg4 ,,barnes4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,professional ,,gravestones4 ,it is more than likely that somewhere will be found a pictorial accompaniment to the verse which has been often used as an epitaph for a village blacksmith4 ,i have met with the lines in two or three versions1 of which the following1 copied in the churchyard at ,aberystwith1 appears to be the most complete3 ,my sledge and hammer lie reclined2 ,my bellows too have lost their wind2 ,my fire extinct1 my forge decay'd1 ,and in the dust my vice is laid4 ,my coal is spent1 my iron's gone2 ,my nails are drove1 my worck is done4 ,there are many instances in which the implements of his craft are depicted upon an artizan's tomb2 these also for the most part being of the eighteenth century4 ,in the churchyard at ,cobham1 a village made famous by the ,posthumous ,papers of the ,pickwick ,club1 is a gravestone recording the death of a carpenter1 having at the head a shield bearing three compasses to serve as his crest1 and under it the usual tools of his trade--square1 mallet1 compasses1 wedge1 saw1 chisel1 hammer1 gimlet1 plane1 and two-foot rule4 ,,fig4 #ef4--;,,at ,,cobham1 ,,kent4 ,to ,richard ,gransden1 carpenter1 died #acth ,march1 #agfj4 ,this one may serve as a fair sample of all the trade memorials to which carpenters have been1 before all classes of mechanics1 the most prone4 ,the carvings bear the same strong resemblance to each other that we find in other series of gravestones1 but have occasional variations1 as in the following specimen1 which mixes up somewhat grotesquely the emblems of death and eternity with the mundane instruments of skill and labour1 including therein a coffin lid to shew maybe that the man1 besides being a carpenter1 was also an undertaker4 ,,fig4 #eg4--;,,at ,,barnes4 ,to ,henry ,mitchell1 died #agbd1 aged #gb years4 ,it was only to be expected that the prominent agriculturists of rural districts would be figuratively represented on their gravestones1 and this will be found to be the case in a number of instances4 ,the following illustration is from the churchyard of ,frindsbury1 a short distance out of ,rochester and on the edge of the ,medway meadows4 ,,fig4 #eh4--;,,at ,,frindsbury4 ,the inscription is effaced1 but the date appears to be #agea4 ,the overturned sheaf presumably refers metaphorically to the fate of the farmer whom the stone was set up to commemorate4 ,the old-fashioned plough is cut only in single profile1 but is not an ineffective emblem4 ,i imagine that the ribbon above the plough bore at one time some inscribed words which time has obliterated4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #eh4 ,,frindsbury4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ei4 ,,sutton ,,at ,,hone4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fj4 ,,bromley4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fa4 ,,beckenham4 ,the design invented by the sculptor at ,sutton at ,hone1 near ,dartford1 is less original and also less striking4 ,,fig4 #ei4--;,,at ,,sutton ,,at ,,hone4 ,to ,richard ,northfield1 died ,oct4 #ai1 #agfg1 aged #ga years4 ,in the case of ,john ,bone1 bricklayer1 of ,bromley1 ,kent1 it would probably be wrong to associate with his calling the tools engraved on his headstone4 ,they were probably meant with the rest of the picture to represent the emblems of mortality4 ,,fig4 #fj4--;,,at ,,bromley4 ,to ,john ,bone1 ,bricklayer1 died ,dec4 #ad1 #agid1 aged #dh years4 ,there is1 however1 one stone which may be included in the category of trade memorials1 though its subject was not a mechanic4 ,mr4 ,john ,cade was a schoolmaster at ,beckenham1 and appears to have been well liked by his pupils1 who1 when he prematurely died1 placed a complimentary epitaph over his grave4 ,the means by which he had imparted knowledge are displayed upon the stone1 and below are the lines hereinafter set forth4 ,,fig4 #fa4--;,,at ,,beckenham4 ,to the memory of ,john ,cade1 of this parish1 schoolmaster4 ,one skilled in his profession and of extensive ingenuity4 ,as he lived universally beloved1 so he died as much lamented1 ,august #bhth1 #agej1 aged #ce years4 ,several of his scholars1 moved by affection and gratitude1 at their own expense erected this in remembrance of his worth and merit4 ,virtue1 good nature1 learning1 all combined ,to render him belov'd of human kind4 ,greenford1 near ,harrow-on-the-,hill1 had quite recently a worthy inhabitant who was a gardener and presumably a beekeeper also4 ,accordingly a beehive appropriately decorates his gravestone4 ,,fig4 #fb4--;,,at ,,greenford4 ,to ,william ,king1 upwards of #fj years gardener of this parish1 died ,dec4 #afth1 #ahfc1 aged #hd years4 ,the next problem is rather more doubtful1 and in considering the possibility of the memorial indicated being professional1 we must remember that the parish of ,west ,ham1 now a populous place1 was quite out of town and almost undiscovered until a comparatively recent time4 ,its eighteenth-century gravestones are consequently for the most part rustic and primitive4 ,the skull and other bones here depicted1 decked with wheat-ears and other vegetation1 probably have some literal reference to the agricultural pursuits of the deceased1 although of course they may be only poetical allusions to the life to come4 ,,fig4 #fc4--;,,at ,,west ,,ham4 ,to ,andrew ,james1 died #aged1 aged #fh years4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,a ,,typical ,,tramp ,,in ,,kent4 ,this unpretentious work makes no claim to deal with the whole subject which it has presumed to open4 ,its aim is rather to promote in others the desire which actuates the author to follow up and develop the new field of antiquarian research which it has attempted to introduce4 ,as old ,weever says1 in his quaint style3--,i have gained as much as ,i have looke for if ,i shall draw others into this argument whose inquisitive diligence and learning may finde out more and amende mine4 ,this book1 then1 is not a treatise1 but simply a first collection of churchyard curiosities1 the greater number of which have been gathered within a comparatively small radius4 ,it is only the hoard of one collector and the contents of one sketch-book1 all gleaned in about a hundred parishes4 ,many collectors may multiply by thousands these results1 bring out fresh features1 and possibly points of high importance4 ,two chief purposes therefore animate my desire to publish this work4 ,one is to supply such little information as ,i have gleaned on a subject which has by some singular chance escaped especial recognition from all the multitude of authors1 antiquarians1 and literary men4 ,i have searched the ,museum libraries1 and consulted book-collectors1 well-read archaeologists1 and others likely to know if there is any work descriptive of old gravestones in existence1 and nothing with the remotest relation thereto can ,i discover4#a ,there are1 of course1 hundreds of books of epitaphs1 more or less apocryphal1 but not one book1 apocryphal or otherwise1 regarding the allegories of the churchyard4 ,can it be that the subject is bereft of interest8 ,if so1 ,i have made my venture in vain4 ,but ,i trust that it is not so4 ,footnote #a3 ,the ,rev4 ,charles ,boutell published1 in #ahdi1 parts #a and #b of a periodical work entitled ,christian ,monuments in ,england and ,wales1 proposing to complete the same in five sections2 the fifth to treat of headstones and other churchyard memorials1 with some general observations on modern monuments4 ,the two parts brought the subject down to the fifteenth century1 and were so ably written and beautifully illustrated as to intensify our regret at the incompletion of the task4 ,the second object is to recommend to others a new and delightful hobby1 and possibly bring to bear upon my theme an accumulation of knowledge and combination of light4 ,gravestone hunting implies long walks in rural scenes1 with all the expectations1 none of the risks1 and few of the disappointments of other pursuits4 ,from ten to fifteen miles may be mapped out for a fair day's trudge1 and will probably embrace from three to six parish churchyards1 allowing time to inspect the church as well as its surroundings4 ,saturdays are best for these excursions1 for then the pew-openers are dusting out the church1 and the sexton is usually about1 sweeping the paths or cutting the grass4 ,the church door will in most cases be open1 and you can get the guidance you want from the best possible sources4 ,a chat with the village sexton is seldom uninviting1 and he can generally point out everything worth your observation4 ,but the faculty of finding that of which you are in search will soon come to you4 ,in the first place1 the new portion of a churchyard--there is nearly always a new portion--may be left on one side4 ,you will certainly find no ancient memorials there4 ,in the next place1 you may by a little observation pick out the eighteenth-century stones by their shape1 which is as a rule much more ornamented and curvilinear than those of later date4 ,they may also be detected very often by the roughness of their backs as well as by their weather-beaten complexions1 and with a little experience and practice the student may guess correctly within a few years the age of any particular one seen even in the distance4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fb4 ,,geeenford4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fc4 ,,west ,,ham4 ,to tempt the reader therefore to take up the study which ,i have found so pleasant1 so healthful1 and so interesting1 ,i now propose to place in order the proceeds of a few of my rambles1 and shew how much success the reader may also expect in similar expeditions4 ,his or her stock-in-trade should consist of a good-sized note-book or sketch-book of paper not too rough for fine lines1 a ,b ,b pencil of reliable quality1 and a small piece of sandstone or brick to be used in rubbing off the dirt and moss which sometimes obscure inscriptions4 ,no kind of scraper should ever be employed1 lest the crumbling memorial be damaged2 but a bit of brick or soft stone will do no harm1 and will often bring to view letters and figures which have apparently quite disappeared4 ,if a camera be taken1 a carpenter's pencil may be of service in strengthening half-vanished lines1 and a folded foot-rule should always be in the pocket4 ,a mariner's compass is sometimes useful in strange places1 but the eastward position of a church will always give the bearings1 and a native is usually to be found to point the way4 ,a road map of the county which you are about to explore1 or1 if in the vicinity of ,london1 one of those admirable and well-known handbooks of the field paths1 is useful1 and the journey should be carefully plotted out before the start4 ,a friend and companion of congenial tastes adds1 ,i need not say1 to the enjoyment of the excursion4 ,my constant associate has happily a craze for epitaphs1 but does not fancy sketching even in the rough style which answers well enough for my work1 and ,i have had therefore no competitor4 ,together we have scoured all the northern part of ,kent and visited every ,kentish church within twenty miles of ,london4 ,the railway also will occasionally land us near some old church which we may like to visit1 and it was while waiting half an hour for a train at ,blackheath station that ,i picked up the accompanying choice specimen in the ancient burial-ground of ,lee4 ,,fig4 #fd4--;,,at ,,lee4 ,to ,eliza ,drayton1 died #aath ,may1 #aggj4 ,in this allegory ,time appears to be commanding ,death to extinguish the lamp of ,life4 ,the sun may mean the brighter life beyond4 ,the building to the right is an enigma4 ,often the first six or seven miles have to be encountered before we reach unexplored ground4 ,the ,cray ,valley1 for instance1 may be cited for one day's experience4 ,first a walk of seven miles to ,orpington1 one of the five sister churches of the ,crays--all said to be ,anglo-,saxon and of about one date4 ,i must not digress to speak of churches1 but it is only reasonable to suppose that the student who is capable of taking up as a pastime the investigation of churchyards has previously acquired something more or less of archaeological taste1 and will not fail to notice the churches4#b ,we reach the churchyard of ,orpington1 visit the church1 and then my companion and ,i separate for our respective duties4 ,i am not fortunate in securing any special prize1 but it is well to select some object if only as a souvenir of the visit1 and ,i jot down the following1 which may be classed among the commonest order of all figurative headstones1 but is nevertheless noticeable as a variant4 ,footnote #b3 ,there are several handbooks of church architecture1 and the rudiments of the various orders and dates are easily acquired4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fd4 ,,lee4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fe4 ,,orpington4 ,,fig4 #fe4--;,,at ,,orpington1 ,,kent4 ,to ,hosa ,mansfield1 daughter of ,john and ,martha ,mansfield1 died #bdth ,may #agaj1 aged #bf years4 ,also ,james ,mansfield1 son of ,john and ,martha ,mansfield1 died #cjth ,dec'r #agdf1 aged #dh years4 ,the work in this instance is crude1 and apparently done by an inexpert craftsman4 ,the stone is1 however1 decayed1 and it is possible that it is the draughtsman who has blundered4 ,the two skulls1 being of different sizes1 suggest the male and female occupants of the grave1 and would therefore assign the production to the later rather than the earlier date4 ,the two bones are not often found in so lateral a position1 and the vampire wings are clumsy in the extreme4 ,i have collected varieties of the skull and crossbone character in many places1 and seen the eccentricities of many masons in the way of wings1 but have met with very few so far astray as these4 ,while ,i am engaged in transferring the specimen to my book1 our epitaph hunter has been round and discovered a treasure4 ,i shall not trouble the reader with him henceforth1 but ,i may note just this one of his successes as a sample of the rewards which attend his part in the pilgrimage4 ,he has found a stone thus inscribed3 ,here lyeth the body of ,mary1 the wife of ,john ,smith3 she died ,march #agth1 #agee1 aged #eh years4 ,here lyeth ,mary1 never was contrary ,to me nor her neighbours around her2 ,like ,turtle and ,dove we lived in love1 ,and ,i left her where ,i may find her4 ,also ,john ,smith1 husband of the above4 7,date sunk underground47 ,a short walk through the village and by the ,cray ,river brings us to the church of ,st4 ,mary ,cray1 where ,i secure a new species1 in which ,death is doubly symbolized by the not infrequent scythe and possibly also by the pierced heart4 ,the latter might refer to the bereaved survivor1 but1 being a-flame1 seems to lend itself more feasibly to the idea of the immortal soul4 ,the trumpet and the opening coffin indicate peradventure the resurrection4 ,,fig4 #ff4--;,,at ,,st4 ,,mary ,,cray4 ,to ,thomas ,abbott1 died ,may #ba1 #aggc1 aged #ge years4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ff4 ,,st4 ,,mary ,,cray4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fg4 ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,cray4 ,only a short distance farther1 for the churches are small1 we reach ,st4 ,paul's ,cray1 the burial-ground of which shews that the foregoing allegory was immediately duplicated1 apparently by another hand1 with just a little variation to redeem the piracy4 ,the coffin is quite opened and empty1 instead of being slightly open and tenanted1 which is almost the only difference between the ,may and the ,september work4 ,,fig4 #fg4--;,,at ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,cray4 ,to ,john ,busbey1 died #ast ,sept'r #aggc1 aged #gj years4 ,foot's ,cray is a good long step beyond and does not yield much profit1 but ,i select the most novel specimen1 which is a combination of ordinary emblems1 with little attempt at symmetry1 or even arrangement1 other than the awkward juxtaposition of the cherubins' inner wings4 ,,fig4 #fh4--;,,at ,,foot',s ,,cray4 ,to ,elizabeth ,wood1 died ,february #h1 #agce-f1 aged #eh years4 ,the churchyard at ,north ,cray added nothing at all to my collection4 ,this was the only blank drawn that day1 but a beautifully kept ground surrounding a delightful church well repaid the visit4 ,a call at ,old ,bexley ,church completed the day's work1 and gave me one of the few sketches belonging to the nineteenth century which ,i have made4 ,,fig4 #fi4--;,,at ,,old ,,bexley4 ,to ,susannah1 wife of ,henry ,humphrey1 died #bfth ,december #ahje1 aged #eg years4 ,the anchor stands for ,hope1 the draped urn signifies mourning for the dead1 and the figure reading the ,holy ,book suggests consolation4 ,from ,bexley ,church to the railway station was but a brief space4 ,the day's tramp was ended4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fh4 ,,foot',s ,,cray4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fi4 ,,bexley4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,more ,,typical ,,tramps4 ,how far county divisions might affect the early fashions in gravestones was one of my first questions1 and1 having seen much of ,kent1 time was soon found for a scamper through the country bordering ,epping ,forest and along the backbone of ,essex4 ,at ,barking1 just within the old ,abbey gate1 ,i came upon an enigmatical illustration4 ,,fig4 #gj4--;,,at ,,barking4 ,inscription illegible4 ,date appears to be #agei4 ,the signification of the four balls ,i am unable to suggest1 unless they be connected in some way with the planetary system and point man's insignificance4 ,they appear to emanate from a cloud resting upon the hour-glass1 and may help the other emblems in symbolizing time and eternity4 ,the nickering candle is also of doubtful interpretation4 ,it may mean the brevity of life2 it can hardly be needed1 in the presence of the skull1 to indicate death4 ,the candle is sometimes employed alone1 occasionally extinguished4 ,at ,woolwich there is an instance in which the candle is in the act of being put out4 ,,fig4 #ga4--;,,at ,,woolwich4 ,to ,siston ,champion1 died #bgth ,feb4 #agdi-ej 7a few days after the birth of her child71 aged #bh years4 ,the candle is indeed commonly used as a simile of life's uncertainty in all countries1 and it may be that where it is represented in a state of burning it may be meant as a lesson on the number of our days4 ,it is seen with the skulls in the churchyard of ,st4 ,nicholas1 ,deptford1 and other places4 ,,fig4 #gb4--;,,at ,,deptford4 ,to ,william ,firth1 died #agbd1 aged #ba years4 ,in ,west ,ham ,churchyard may be seen the figure of the kissing cherubs rather prettily rendered1 but to be found in various forms in many places1 and always expressive of affection4 ,,fig4 #gc4--;,,at ,,west ,,ham4 ,to ,sarah ,moore1 died #agdi4 ,wanstead ,churchyard is remarkable for the abundance and originality of its old gravestones4 ,here is one 7,fig4 #gd7 which carries more distinctly the fanciful idea suggested at ,west ,ham 7page #cd1 ,fig4 #fc72 flowers and foliage1 and even fruit1 combining with the lowered torch and summoning trumpet to tell of life beyond the grave4 ,,fig4 #gd4--;,,at ,,wanstead4 ,to ,william ,bosely1 died #agab1 aged #gi4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gj4 ,,barking4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ga4 ,,woolwich4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gb4 ,,deptford4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gc4 ,,west ,,ham4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gd4 ,,wanstead4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ge4 ,,wanstead4 ,there are several other variations of the same symbol in the elegant enclosure at ,wanstead ,church2 but the most remarkable of the old stones is one which has at the top corners two projecting skulls1 the one facing nearly to the front and the other in profile1 both standing out in full relief1 carefully and accurately sculptured1 but too ghastly to be beautiful4 ,this one1 the ,richmond example1 and the two at ,ripley constitute my entire experience of full relief work on a mere gravestone4 ,,fig4 #ge4--;,,at ,,wanstead4 ,to ,william ,swan1 died #agae1 aged #af years4 ,other churchyards in the locality we found less fruitful1 and taking rail to ,buckhurst ,hill1 we struck across ,epping ,forest to ,chingford1 also without profit1 and walked on to ,walthamstow1 where another of the enfoliated death's-head pictures was found2 the novelty being two skulls with ivy sprays1 symbolical of evergreen recollections4 ,,fig4 #gf4--;,,at ,,walthamstow4 ,to ,jane ,redfern1 died #agcd1 aged #eb years1 ,in the ,broxbourne example on the same ,plate 7,fig4 #gg7 branches of oak1 bearing leaves and acorns1 are used with good decorative effect on either side of a porch in which is seated a mourning figure1 but ,i cannot undertake to explain the symbolical significance of the oak in sepulchral masonry4 ,,fig4 #gg4--;,,at ,,broxbourne4 ,to ,mrs ,rowe1 widow1 died #f ,may #agih4 ,my excursions into ,essex have been too limited in scope to trace or test peculiarities in that county1 but ,i have found by observation in a number of counties that1 although there are occasional evidences of local invention1 or at least of local modification1 in certain districts1 the same set of types which prevails in one county serves pretty well for all the rest4 ,it is well therefore to guard against disappointment4 ,pilgrimages like ours1 having for their real purpose healthy exercise and physical enjoyment1 are not to be counted failures when their ostensible errand seems to have borne no result4 ,it is necessary for the pilgrim to be armed with some such reflection as this against the shafts of discomfiture4 ,there have been occasions when1 at the close of the day1 conscious as ,i might be of the pleasant hours past1 the freshened brain and the body reinvigorated1 ,i have yet covetously mourned the scanty and valueless additions to my note-book4 ,other pilgrims may therefore take warning1 be prepared for blank days in barren coverts1 and sully not their satisfaction with regrets4 ,but it will be a blank day indeed which does not carry its pleasures with it and store the mind with happy recollections4 ,one walk on a winter's day over the hills from ,high ,barnet to ,edgware ,i reckoned sadly unproductive of the special novelties ,i sought1 but it afforded me the contemplation of some landscapes which ,i can never forget1 and it printed on my brain a little papier-mach-like church at ,totteridge which was worth going miles to see4 ,better fortune next time should be the beacon of the gentle tramp4 ,the long jaunt ,i had from ,chigwell ,lane ,station through the pretty but unpopulous country west of ,theydon ,bois1 uneventful as it was1 made an ineffaceable mark on my memory4 ,i picture now the long and solitary walk across fields and woodlands1 with never a soul to tell the way for miles and miles1 crossing and recrossing the winding ,roden1 startling the partridges from the turnips1 and surprising1 at some sudden bend in the footpath1 the rabbits at their play4 ,it is not without excitement to steer one's course over unknown and forsaken ground by chart and compass4 ,these needful guides then prove their value1 and in a hilly country an altitude-barometer is a friend not to be despised4 ,it is not without some pride in one's self-reliance to find one's self five miles from a railway station1 as ,i did at ,stapleford ,abbotts2 and1 though my special quest was all in vain at several halting-places that day1 ,i met with a ,norman doorway at ,lambourn ,church which archaeologists would call a dream1 the axe-work of the old masons as clean cut and as perfect as though it had been done last week2 and in taking a near cut at a guess across country for ,stapleford ,tawney ,i mind me that ,i lost my way1 or thought ,i had1 but the mariner's needle was true1 and emerging in a green avenue ,i saw before me a finger-post marked ,to ,tawney ,church4 ,i took off my hat and respectfully saluted that finger-post1 and was soon in the churchyard1 where ,i haply lighted upon one of the gems of my collection1 the headstone sculpture of ,the ,good ,samaritan4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gf4 ,,walthamstow4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gg4 ,,broxbourne4 ,,fig4 #gh4--;,,at ,,stapleford ,,tawney4 ,to ,richard ,wright1 died #c;d ,march #agha1 aged #gf years4 ,i have1 however1 an earlier study of the same subject from the churchyard at ,shorne ,village1 near ,gravesend1 which1 is here given for comparison1 and ,i have seen two others at ,cranbrook4 ,they all have some features alike1 but there are differences in the treatment of details in each case4 ,,fig4 #gi4--;,,at ,,shorne4 ,to ,mary ,layton1 died ,jan4 #ab1 #agfj2 ,joseph ,layton1 died ,may #ba1 #ageg2 and ,will4 ,holmes1 died ,aug4 #bf1 #ageb4 ,the stone at ,shorne being close to the church door is well known to the villagers1 by whom it is regarded as a curiosity4 ,the schoolmaster was good enough to give me a photograph from which my sketch is made4 ,but such rarities are seldom esteemed by1 or even known to1 the inhabitants of a place1 and are passed by without heed by the constant congregation of the church4 ,at ,stapleford ,tawney1 just named1 a native1 the first ,i had seen for a mile or two1 stopped at the unwonted sight of a stranger sketching in the churchyard1 and ,i consulted him as to application of the parable of the ,good ,samaritan in the case under notice4 ,his reply was that1 though he had lived there man and boy for fifty year1 he had never see'd the thing afore4 ,he condescended1 however1 to take an interest in my explanations1 and seemed to realize that it was worth while to seek for objects of interest even in a churchyard4 ,this was decidedly better than the behaviour on another occasion of two rustics at ,southfleet4 ,they had passed my friend jotting down an epitaph1 and the turn of a corner revealed me sketching a tombstone1 when one to the other exclaimed1 ,land sikes1 ,bill1 if 'ere ain't another on em6 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gh4 ,,stapleford ,,tawney4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #gi4 ,,shorne4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,earlier ,,gravestones4 ,although memorials of the dead in one shape or another have apparently existed in all eras of ethnological history1 it would seem that the upright gravestone of our burial-grounds has had a comparatively brief existence of but a few hundred years4 ,this1 however1 is merely an inference based on present evidences1 and it may be erroneous4 ,but they cannot have existed in the precincts of the early ,christian churches of this country1 because the churches had no churchyards for several centuries4 ,the ,romans introduced into ,britain their ,law of the ,ten ,tables1 by which it was ordained that all burnings or burials should be beyond the city1#c and the system continued to prevail long after the ,roman evacuation4 ,it was not until ,a4,d4 #gdb that ,cuthbert1 eleventh ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 brought from ,rome the newer custom of burying around the churches1 and was granted a ,papal dispensation for the practice4 ,the churchyards even then were not enclosed1 but it was usual to mark their sacred character by erecting stone crosses1 many of which1 or their remains1 are still in existence4 ,yet it was a long time before churchyard interments became general1 the inhabitants clinging to the ,pagan habit of indiscriminate burial in their accustomed places4 ,we hear nothing of headstones in the early days of ,christianity1 but there are occasionally found in certain localities inscribed stones which bear the appearance of rude memorials1 and these have been regarded as relics of our ,national ,church in its primitive state4 ,it is also suggested that these stones may be of ,druidical origin1 but there is nothing to support the theory4 ,among the aboriginal ,britons the custom of simple inhumation was probably prevalent1 but there are not wanting evidences in support of the belief that cremation also was sometimes practised in prehistoric times4 ,an instance of early interment was discovered in a tumulus at ,gusthorp1 near ,scarborough1 in #ahcd4 ,in a rude coffin scooped out of the trunk of an oak-tree lay a human skeleton1 which had been wrapped or clothed in the skin of some wild animal1 fastened at the breast with a pin or skewer of wood4 ,in the coffin were also a bronze spearhead and several weapons of flint--facts which all go to establish a remote date4 ,the absence of pottery is also indicative of a very early period4 ,regarding the skins1 however1 it may be remarked that ,csar says of the ,britons1 when he invaded the island1 that the greater part within the country go clad in skins4 ,footnote #c3 ,the ancient ,jewish burial-ground had to be no less than #bjjj cubits 7or about a mile7 from the ,levitical city4 ,christian burials1 as we have seen1 cannot be dated in ,england earlier than the eighth century1 and monuments at the grave may have possibly originated about the same period1 but there is nothing whatever to sustain such a belief1 and we cannot assign the earliest of existing memorials to a time prior to the eleventh century4 ,indeed it is very significant to find that the tombs within the churches are only a trifle older than the gravestones outside1 scarcely any of them being antecedent to the sixteenth century4 ,as burials inside churches were not permitted until long after the churchyards were used for the purpose1#d it is indeed possible that no memorials were placed in the edifice until ,tudor days2 but this is scarcely feasible1 and the more probable explanation is that all the earlier ones have disappeared4 ,those which can boast an antiquity greater than that of the common gravestone are very few indeed4 ,it might have been supposed that the sculptured shrine under the roof of the sanctuary1 reverently tended and jealously watched1 might have stood for a thousand years1 while the poor gravestone out in the churchyard1 exposed to all weathers and many kinds of danger1 would waste away or meet with one of the ordinary fates which attend ill-usage1 indifference1 or neglect4 ,this indeed has happened in a multitude of places4 ,who has not seen in ancient churchyards the headstones leaning this way and that1 tottering to their fall8 ,are there not hundreds of proofs that the unclaimed stones have been used1 and still serve1 for the floors of the churches1 and actually for the paving of the churchyard paths8 ,it was not thought strange1 even within the memory of the present generation1 to advertise for owners of old graves1 with an intimation that on a certain date the stones would be removed2 and vast numbers of them were thus got rid of--broken up perhaps to mend the roads4 ,but still greater perils have been survived by the earlier of those memorials which remain to us1 both without and within the churches4 ,the dissolution of the ,papal power in ,great ,britain was the cause of one of these hazards2 for1 towards the latter end of ,henry ,,viii4's reign1 likewise during the reign of ,edward ,,vi41 and again in the beginning of ,elizabeth's1 commissioners in every county were vested with authority to destroy all graven images and everything which seemed to savour of idolatry and superstition4 ,under colour of this order1 these persons1 and those who sympathized in their work1 gave vent to their zeal in many excesses1 battering down and breaking up everything of an ornamental or sculptured character1 including tombs and even the stained windows4 ,moreover we are told by ,weever#e that the commission was made the excuse for digging up coffins in the hope of finding treasure4 ,elizabeth soon perceived the evil that was being done by the barbarous rage and greediness of her subjects1 and issued a proclamation under her own hand restraining all ignorant1 malicious1 and covetous persons from breaking and defacing any monument1 tomb1 or grave1 under penalty of fine or imprisonment4 ,this checked1 but did not wholly cure1 the mischief2 and1 although in her fourteenth year of sovereignty she issued another and sterner edict on the subject1 the havoc was perpetuated chiefly by a sect or party whom ,weever describes as a contagious brood of scismaticks1 whose object was not only to rob the churches1 but to level them with the ground1 as places polluted by all the abominations of ,babylon4 ,these people were variously known as ,brownists1 ,barrowists1 ,martinists1 ,prophesyers1 ,solisidians1 ,famelists1 ,rigid ,precisians1 ,disciplinarians1 and ,judaical ,thraskists4 ,some who overstepped the mark paid the penalty with their lives4 ,one man1 named ,hachet1 not content with destroying gravestones and statuary1 thrust an iron weapon through a picture of the ,queen1 and he was hanged and quartered4 ,another1 ,john ,penry1 a ,welshman1 was executed in #aeic1 and of him was written3 ,the ,welshman is hanged ,who at our kirke flanged ,and at her state banged1 ,and brened are his buks4 ,and though he be hanged ,yet he is not wranged1 ,the de'ul has him fanged ,in his kruked kluks4 ,footnote #d3 ,the unhealthy practice of using churches for this purpose was continued some way into the nineteenth century4 ,the still more objectionable plan of depositing coffins containing the dead in vaults under churches still lingers on4 ,in #ahge ,i attended the funeral 7so-called7 of a public man1 whose coffin was borne into the vaults of a town church1 and left there1 with scores of others piled in heaps in recesses which looked like wine-cellars4 ,not one of the many mourners who shared in that experience failed to feel horrified at the thought of such a fate4 ,some of the old coffins were tumbling to pieces1 and the odour of the place was beyond description4 ,in the words of ,edmund ,burke3 ,i would rather sleep in the southern corner of a country churchyard than in the tomb of the ,capulets4 ,footnote #e3 ,weever's ,funeral ,monuments1 ,a4,d4 #afca4 ,and there was a danger to be encountered far later than that which was due to the anti-,popery zealots of the ,tudor dynasty4 ,on the introduction of the ,commonwealth there arose such a crusade against all forms and emblems of doctrinal import as to affect not only the ornaments of the churches1 but the gravestones in the churchyards1 many of which were removed and put to other uses or sold4 ,the ,puritans1 as is well known1 went to the extremity of abolishing all ceremony whatever at the ,burial of the ,dead4#f ,the beautiful ,service in the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 now used more or less by all the ,reformed ,christian denominations of ,england1 was abolished by ,parliament in #afde--that and the ,prayer ,book together at one stroke4 ,in lieu of the ,prayer ,book a ,directory was issued on the conduct of public worship1 in which it was said3 ,footnote #f3 ,there does not appear to have been any form of prayer for the dead prior to the issue of ,gaskell's ,prymer in #adjj4 ,the ,service now in use dates from #afaa4 ,concerning ,burial of the ,dead1 all customs of praying1 reading1 and singing1 both in going to or from the grave1 are said to have been greatly abused4 ,the simple direction is therefore given1 that when any person departeth this life1 let the body upon the day of burial be decently attended from the house to the place appointed for public burial1 and there immediately interred without any ceremony4 ,penalties were at the same time imposed for using the ,book of ,common ,prayer in any place of worship or in any private family within the kingdom--the fine being #e for a first offence1 #aj for a second1 and a year's imprisonment for the third4 ,the ,puritans1 however1 are to be thanked for stopping the then common practice of holding wakes and fairs in the churchyards--a practice traceable no doubt to the celebration of ,saints' ,days in the churches1 and for that reason suppressed as remnants of ,popery in #afbg-ca4 ,it need not be said that the ,burial ,service and the ,prayer ,book came back with the ,restoration1 but the discontinuance of fairs in churchyards seems to have been permanent4 ,many instances1 however1 have occurred in later years of desecration by pasturing cattle in the churchyards1#g and offences of this nature have been so recent that the practice cannot be said with confidence to have even now entirely ceased4 ,but we return to the gravestones4 ,footnote #g3 ,at the ,archbishop's ,court at ,colchester in #aedj it was reported that at a certain church the hogs root up the graves and beasts lie in the porch4 ,from one cause or another it is pretty certain that for every old gravestone now to be seen twenty or more have disappeared4 ,in ,gough's ,sepulchral ,monuments of ,great ,britain many instances are given of the wanton and wholesale destruction of church and churchyard memorials1 even late in the eighteenth century4 ,in some cases the church officers1 as already stated1 gave public notice prior to removal of gravestones1 in order that persons claiming an interest in the remains might repair and restore them2 but more frequently the stones were cleared away and destroyed1 or put somewhere out of sight without observation4 ,sometimes this was the act of the ,rector2 at other times individuals1 exercising rights of ownership1 have done the disgraceful work1 and occasionally the whole of the parishioners have been implicated4 ,gough says that the inhabitants of ,letheringham in ,suffolk1 being under the necessity of putting their church into decent order1 chose to rebuild it1 and sold the whole fabric1 monuments and all1 to the building contractor1 who beat the stones to powder1 and sold as much at three shillings a pound for terrace 787 as came to eighty guineas4 ,a portion of the fragments was rescued by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,clubbe1 and erected in form of a pyramid in the vicarage garden of ,brandeston1 in the same county1 with this inscription3 ,transcriber's note3 the following is enclosed in a narrow border ,indignant ,reader6 ,these monumental remains are not1 as thou mayest suppose1 the ,ruins of ,time1 ,but were destroyed in an ,irruption of the ,goths ,so late in the ,christian era as #aghi4 ,credite ,posteri6 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,reform ,,among ,,the ,,gravestones4 ,that the state of the old churchyards in this country1 down to the middle of the nineteenth century1 was a public scandal and disgrace1 is a remark which applies especially to ,london1 where burial-grounds1 packed full of human remains1 were still made available for interments on a large scale until #ahej or later4 ,the fact was the more discreditable in contrast with the known example of ,paris1 which had1 as early as #agfe1 closed all the city graveyards1 and established cemeteries beyond the suburbs4 ,one of the laws passed at the same time by the ,parliament of ,paris directed that the graves in the cemeteries should not be marked with stones1 and that all epitaphs and inscriptions should be placed on the walls1 a regulation which appears to have been greatly honoured in the breach4 ,in #aggf ,louis ,,xvi41 recognizing the benefit which ,paris had derived from the city decree1 prohibited graveyards in all the cities and towns of ,france1 and rendered unlawful interments in churches and chapels2 and in #agij the ,national ,assembly passed an ,act commanding that all the old burial-grounds1 even in the villages1 should be closed1 and others provided at a distance from habitations4#h ,other ,states of ,europe took pattern by these enlightened proceedings1 and ,america was not slow in making laws upon the subject2 but ,great ,britain1 and its worst offender1 ,london1 went on in the old way1 without let or hindrance1 until #ahej1 ,for fifteen years prior to that date there had been in progress an agitation against the existing order of things1 led by ,dr4 ,g4,a4 ,walker1 a ,drury ,lane surgeon1 living in a very nest of churchyard fevers1 who wrote a book and several pamphlets1 delivered public lectures1 and raised a discussion in the public press4 ,the ,london ,city ,corporation petitioned ,parliament in #ahdb for the abolition of burials within the ,city1 and a ,select ,committee of the ,house of ,commons was at once entrusted with an enquiry on the subject4 ,footnote #h3 ,in ,france in #aghb-c1 in order to check the pestilence1 the remains of more than six millions of people were disinterred from the urban churchyards and reburied far away from the dwelling-places4 ,the ,cemetery of ,pre la ,chaise was a later creation1 having been consecrated in #ahjd4 ,the following were the official figures shewing the burials in the ,london district#i from #agda to #ahcg1 and it was asserted that many surreptitious interments were unrecorded3 ,from #agda to #agfe #ehh1ebc #agff to #agib #fje1hcb #agic to #ahac #djb1eie #ahad to #ahcg #ejh1afb ,total #b1aje1aab ,in the same year 7#ahdb7 a ,export was presented to ,parliament by the ,select ,committee on ,the ,improvement of the ,health of ,towns1 and especially on ,the ,effect of the ,interment of ,bodies in ,towns4 ,its purport may be summed up in the following quotation3 ,the evidence 444 gives a loathsome picture of the unseemly and demoralizing practices which result from the crowded condition of the existing graveyards--practices which could scarcely have been thought possible in the present state of society4444 ,we cannot arrive at any other conclusion than that the nuisance of interments in great towns and the injury arising to the health of the community are fully proved4 ,footnote #i3 ,london was much increased in area by the passing of ,sir ,benjamin ,hall's ,metropolis ,local ,management ,act of #ahdi4 ,among the witnesses examined were ,sir ,benjamin ,brodie and ,dr4 ,g4,r4 ,williams4 ,in #ahdf a ,bill was prepared to deal with the matter1 but it was not until #ahej that an ,act was passed ,to make better provision for the ,interment of the ,dead in and near the ,metropolis4 ,powers were conferred upon the ,general ,board of ,health to establish cemeteries or enlarge burial-grounds1 and an ,order in ,council was made sufficient for closing any of the old churchyards either wholly or with exceptions to be stipulated in the order4 ,one month's notice was all that was needed to set the ,act in operation1 and in urgent cases seven days2 but it was found necessary in #ahea to pass another ,act for the purpose of raising funds2 and in #aheb a more stringent ,act was put upon the ,statute ,book to deal summarily with the churchyards4 ,this was1 in the the following session1 extended to ,england and ,wales1 the ,general ,board of ,health having reported strongly in favour of a scheme for ,extra-mural ,sepulture in the country towns1 declaring that the graveyards of these places were in no better condition than those of ,london4 ,consequently1 in the years which followed #ahej1 a general closing of churchyards took place throughout the ,metropolis1 and to a lesser extent throughout the kingdom1 and an active crusade against all similar burial-grounds was instituted1 which may be said to be still in operation4 ,the substitution of new cemeteries in remote and mostly picturesque places was of immediate advantage in many ways1 but it did little or nothing to remedy the dilapidated appearance of the old graveyards1 which indeed1 now that they brought in no revenues1 became in many cases painfully neglected1 dejected1 and forlorn4 ,happily1 in #ahhc1 the ,metropolitan ,public ,gardens ,association was established1 and its influence has been very marked in the improvement of the old enclosures and their conversion into recreation grounds4 ,the ,metropolitan ,board of ,works1 the ,london ,county ,council1 the ,city ,corporation1 public vestries1 and private persons1 have shared in the good work1 but the chief instrument has been the ,public ,gardens ,association4 ,of old burial-grounds now open as public gardens in the ,london district there are more than a hundred4 ,care is always taken to preserve the sacred soil from profane uses1 games being prohibited1 and the improvements confined to paths and seats1 levelling the ground and planting with trees and flowers4 ,the gravestones1 though removed to the sides of the enclosure1 are numbered and scheduled1 and all in which any living person can claim an interest are left untouched4 ,no stones are ever destroyed in the process of reformation1 but previous ill-usage and natural decay have rendered very many of them illegible1 and in another century or so all these once fond memorials will probably have become blank and mute4 ,to the middle of the nineteenth century may also be assigned the change which we now see in the character of our gravestones4 ,quite in the beginning of the century the vulgar and grotesque carvings and ,scriptural barbarisms of the eighteenth century had given place to a simple form of memorial in which it was rare to find the least effort at ornament2 but1 as soon as the ,burial ,acts were passed and the old churchyards were succeeded by the new cemeteries1 the tasteful and elegant designs which are to be seen in every modern burial-ground were introduced1 founded in great measure upon the artistic drawings of ,mr4 ,d4,a4 ,clarkson1 whose manifold suggestions1 published in #aheb1 are still held in the highest admiration4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,preserving ,,the ,,gravestones4 ,mankind in all ages and in all places has recognized the sanctity of the burial-place4 ,among the ,new ,zealanders1 when they were first revealed to ,europeans as savages1 the place of interment was tapu1 or holy4 ,the wild and warlike ,afghanistans have also a profound reverence for their burial-grounds1 which they speak of expressively as cities of the silent4 ,among the ,turks the utmost possible respect is paid to the resting-places of the dead1 and nowhere1 perhaps 7says ,mrs4 ,stone in ,god's ,acre71 are the burial-places so beautiful4 ,the great and increasing size of ,turkish cemeteries is due to the repugnance of the people to disturbing the soil where once a body has been laid4 ,the ,chinese and the inhabitants of the ,sunda ,isles 7says the authority just quoted7 seem to vie with each other in the reverence with which they regard the burial-places of their ancestors1 which almost invariably occupy the most beautiful and sequestered sites4 ,the graves are usually overgrown with long grasses and luxuriantly flowering plants4 ,in like manner the ,moors have a particular shrub which overspreads their graves1 and no one is permitted to pluck a leaf or a blossom4 ,the simple ,breton people are deeply religious1 and their veneration for the dead is intense4 ,they are frequently to be seen--men1 women1 and children--kneeling on the ground in their churchyards1 praying among the graves4 ,it may therefore be well believed that in the period of burial reform which overspread the ,continent in the earlier part of the nineteenth century there was great opposition in ,brittany to the establishment of remote cemeteries4 ,the thought of burying elsewhere than in the parish churchyard was to the minds of the parishioners a species of impiety4 ,when reasoned with they would answer3 ,our fathers were buried here1 and you would separate us from our dead4 ,let us be buried here1 where our kinsfolk can see our graves from their windows1 and the children can come at evening to pray4 ,in vain they were shewn the danger of accumulating corpses in a place which was usually in the centre of the population4 ,they shook their heads and cried3 ,death comes only by the will of ,god4 ,possibly1 to some extent1 this feeling is universal among mankind4 ,there is in our hearts an innate reverence for the burial-place2 we tread by instinct lightly over the sleeping-places of the dead1 and look with silent awe upon their tombs4 ,the feeling being part of our humanity1 we might suppose it to be universal1 and be apt to conclude that1 in our more primitive churchyards at least1 we should find some effort to preserve the whole or a large proportion of the memorials which are there dedicated to departed merit1 hallowed by love and made sacred by sorrow4 ,but it may truthfully be said that of all the headstones 7not to speak alone of decorated headstones7 which were set up prior to the beginning of the nineteenth century1 by far the greater number have disappeared6 ,indeed the cases in which the old churchyards have been the objects of any care whatever are lamentably few1 while attempts to preserve the old gravestones are almost unknown4 ,the ordinary experience is to find the churchyard more or less neglected and forgotten1 and the grey and aged stones either sinking into the earth or tottering to their fall4 ,it cannot be imagined that the clergy1 the wardens1 and the sextons have failed to see these things2 but they have1 presumedly1 more pressing matters to attend to1 and it seems to be nobody's business to attend to such ownerless and worthless objects4 ,some gravediggers will tell you that the natural destiny of the gravestone is the grave6 ,they will shew you the old fellows slowly descending into the ground1 and they have heard the parson say perhaps that the trembling of the earth will in time shake them all inevitably out of sight4 ,i have heard it mentioned as an article of belief among sextons that a hundred years is the fair measure of a head-stone's life above ground1 but this reckoning is much too short for the evidences1 and makes no allowance for variable circumstances4 ,in some places1 ,keston for instance1 the church is founded upon a bed of chalk1 and out of the chalk the graves are laboriously hewn4 ,it is obvious therefore that the nature of the soil1 as it is yielding or impervious1 must be a prime factor in the question of survival4 ,it may be granted1 however1 that our progenitors in selecting their burial-grounds had the same preference for a suitable site as we have in our own day1 and1 notwithstanding exceptions which seem to shew that the church and not the churchyard was the one thing thought of1 the law of a light soil for interments is sufficiently regular to give us an average duration of a gravestone's natural existence4 ,the term natural will apply neither to those fortunate ones whose lives are studiously prolonged1 nor of course to the majority whose career is wilfully1 negligently1 or accidentally shortened4 ,but that1 under ordinary circumstances1 the stones gradually sink out of sight1 and at a certain rate of progression1 is beyond a doubt4 ,two illustrations may help the realization of this fact1 such as may be seen in hundreds of our churchyards4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hj4 ,,bethnal ,,green4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ha4 ,,plumstead4 ,,sinking ,,gravestones4 ,the sketch of ,bethnal ,green 7,fig4 #hj7 was made just as the churchyard was about to undergo a healthy conversion1 and it marks a very long period of inaction4 ,the ,plumstead case 7,fig4 #ha71 though less extreme1 is even more informing1 as it seems to measure the rate at which the disappearance goes on2 the dates on the three stones coinciding accurately with their comparative depths in the ground4 ,whether the motion of the earth has any influence in this connection need not now be discussed1 because the burying of the gravestones may be accounted for in a simple and feasible manner1 without recourse to scientific argument4 ,it is undoubtedly the burrowing of the worms1 coupled with the wasting action of rain and frost1 which causes the phenomenon4 ,instead1 however1 of the sexton's supposititious century1 the period required for total disappearance may more accurately be regarded as from #bjj to #bej years4 ,it has been found by careful observation in a few random cases that the stones subside at the rate of about one foot in forty or fifty years1 and1 as their ordinary height is from #e feet to #e feet #f inches1 we can readily tell1 providing the rate rules evenly1 the date when any particular stone may be expected to vanish4 ,in confirmation of this theory is the fact that scarcely any headstones are discoverable of a date earlier than #afej1 and whenever they have been left to their fate the veterans of #aej years have scarcely more than their heads above ground4 ,wherever we find otherwise1 it may be assumed that conscientious church officers or pious parishioners have bethought them of the burial-ground1 lifted up the old stones and set them once more on their feet4 ,of recent years there has grown up and been fostered a better feeling for the ancient churchyards1 and the ivy-clad churches of ,hornsey and ,hendon may be cited as examples familiar to ,londoners in which the taste engendered by a beautiful edifice has influenced for good its surroundings4 ,in both churchyards are many eighteenth-century stones in excellent preservation4 ,neither place1 however1 has yet been restored or reformed in the modern sense1 and there is no reason why it should be4 ,in many places1 as the town grows and spreads1 it is well to convert the ancient graveyard into a public garden1 so that it be decently and reverently done4 ,but this ought never to be undertaken needlessly or heedlessly4 ,there are scruples of individuals to be regarded1 and a strong case ought always to exist before putting into effect such a radical change4 ,but it usually happens that transformation is the only remedy1 and nothing short of a thorough reaction will rescue ,god's ,acre from the ruin and contempt into which it has fallen4 ,yet we should ever remember that1 whatever we may do to the surface1 it is still the place where our dead fathers rest4 ,earth to earth and dust to dust1 ,here lie the evil and the just1 ,here the youthful and the old1 ,here the fearful and the bold1 ,here the matron and the maid1 ,in one silent bed are laid4 ,the utilitarian impulse1 though frequently blamed for the desecration of our churchyards1 is really less accountable for these conversions than the culpable neglect which in too many cases has forced the only measure of correction4 ,therefore they who would keep the sacred soil unmolested should take heed that it be properly maintained4 ,a churchyard is in hopeful case when we see the mounds carefully levelled1 the stones set up in serried ranks1 and the turf between rolled smooth and trimmed and swept4 ,there is no outrage in levelling the ground4 ,the ,christian feeling which clings to the grave1 and even to the gravestone1 does not attach to the mound of earth which is wrongly called the grave4 ,this mound is not even a ,christian symbol4 ,it is a mere survival of ,paganism1 being a small copy of the barrow or tumulus1 of which we have specimens still standing in various parts of our islands and the ,continent1 to mark the sepulchres of prehistoric and possibly savage chieftains4 ,no compunction should be1 and probably none is1 suffered when we remove the grave-mounds1 which is indeed the first essential to the protection and beautification of an obsolete burial-place4 ,but1 if possible1 let the churchyard remain a churchyard2 for1 of all the several methods which are usually resorted to for preservation1 the best from the sentimental view is that which keeps the nearest to the first intent4 ,there can be no disputing that a churchyard is in its true aspect when it looks like a churchyard1 providing it be duly cared for4 ,some persons of practical ideas will1 however1 favour such improvements as will banish the least elegant features of the place and range the more sightly ones midst lawns and flowers2 while others1 still more thorough1 will be satisfied with nothing short of sweeping away all traces of the graves1 and transforming the whole space at one stroke into a public playground4 ,the choice of systems is in some degree a question of environment4 ,wherever open ground is needed for the health and enjoyment of dwellers in towns1 it is now generally conceded that1 with certain reservations and under reasonable conditions1 disused churchyards--especially such as are neglected and deformed--shall in all possible cases be transferred from the closed ledger of the dead to the current account of the living4 ,the following lines1 which were written upon the restoration of ,cheltenham ,churchyard1 may be applied to most of such instances3 ,sleep on1 ye dead6 ',tis no rude hand disturbs your resting-place2 ,but those who love the spot have come at length ,to beautify your long-neglected homes4 ,how loud ye have been speaking to us all6 ,but the mammon and the fading pleasures ,of this busy world hath made us deaf4 99 99 99 ,forgive the past6 ,henceforth flowers shall bloom upon the surface ,of your dwellings4 ,the lilac in the spring ,shall blossom1 and the sweet briar shall exhale ,its fragrant smell4 ,e'en the drooping fuchsia ,shall not be wanting to adorn your tombs2 ,while the weeping willow1 pointing downwards1 ,speaks significantly to the living1 ,that a grave awaits us all4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hb4 ,,cheshunt4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hc4 ,,hatfield4 ,but in rural spots1 where there is abundance of room and almost superfluity of nature1 a well-kept churchyard1 with all its venerable features1 studiously protected and reverently cared for1 is one of the best inheritances of a country life4 ,illustrations of this may occur to most observers1 but as a case in point ,i may refer to ,cheshunt1 on the borders of ,hertfordshire4 ,some distance from the town-fringed highway1 the village church1 ancient and picturesque1 stands amidst its many generations of people--living and dead--hard by a little street of old-world cottages4 ,the spot and its surroundings are beautiful1 and the churchyard alone gives proof that the locality has been under the influence of culture from generation to generation4 ,in few places are there so many and such artistic specimens of allegorical carvings on the headstones4 ,the usual experience is to find one or two1 seldom more than a dozen1 of these inventions worth notice1 and only in rare instances to light upon anything of the kind distinctly unique2 but at ,cheshunt there are more than a hundred varieties of sculptured design and workmanship1 all the stones standing at the proper angle1 and all in good condition4 ,,fig4 #hb4--;,,at ,,cheshunt4 ,to ,mary ,lee1 died ,july1 #aggi1 aged #di years4 ,in the illustration ,i selected at ,cheshunt the left half of the picture appears to denote ,life and the right half ,death4 ,in the former are the vigorous tree1 the towers and fortresses1 the plans and working implements of an active existence4 ,in the latter the withered tree1 with the usual emblems of death and eternity1 emphasizes the state beyond the grave1 and in the centre are mushrooms1 probably to point the lesson of the new life out of decay4 ,hatfield is another instance of preservation without change1 none of the old stones having1 so far as one can judge1 been allowed to sink into the earth1 nor1 as is too often the case1 to heel over1 to be then broken up1 carted away1 or put to pave the church and churchyard4 ,there is quite a collection of primitive and diminutive headstones1 carefully ranged against the south wall of ,hatfield ,church1 dating from #afhg to #agjj2 and the specimens of carving in the older parts of the churchyard are of great number and many designs4 ,the one which appears in the sketch 7,fig4 #hc7 is curious by reason of the peculiar decoration which fringes the upper edge of the stone4 ,it is somewhat worn away1 and ,i cannot discover whether the ornament was intended for some sort of aigrette1 or1 which it closely resembles at the present time1 a string of skulls4 ,,fig4 #hc4--;,,at ,,hatfield4 ,to the wife of ,john ,malsty 7871 died #agac4 ,there appears here1 as elsewhere1 to have been a tendency at times to repeat unduly such familiar figures as the open book1 but1 as a whole1 ,hatfield is a good example of a country churchyard4 ,there are many other old burial-grounds thoughtfully kept in as good1 or even better1 order than the two here quoted2 but it is for the respect shewn to the ancient memorials of the village fathers1 rather than the churchyards themselves1 that ,i have ventured to select them as patterns for imitation4 ,there is another curious border on a stone in the secluded but well-kept country churchyard of ,northolt1 ,middlesex4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hd ,,northolt4 ,,fig4 #hd4--;,,at ,,northolt4 ,to ,william ,cob1 died #beth ,september #agji1 aged #fh years4 ,twickenham1 in the same county1 but now grown into a town1 has modified its churchyard to its needs1 without much change1 and ,i give it a sketch in recognition of a sufficient and not excessive well-doing4 ,neither of these two examples call for other remark1 being of simple interpretation4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #he4 ,,twickenham4 ,,fig4 #he4--;,,at ,,twickenham4 ,to ,elizabeth 787 ,haynes1 died #agda1 aged #ce years4 ,but while we find the few to be commended1 what a common experience it is1 on the other hand1 to come upon a neglected churchyard2 the crippled stones bending at all angles1 many of them cracked1 chipped1 and otherwise disfigured1 and the majority half hidden in rank weeds and grass4 ,in some places1 owing to climatic conditions1 moss or lichen has effaced every sign of inscription or ornament from the old stones2 and there are localities which appear to be really unfortunate in their inability to resist the destructive influence of the weather upon their tombs1 which1 perhaps because they are of unsuitable material1 go to decay in1 comparatively speaking1 a few years4 ,as a rule1 however1 these relics of our ancestors need not and ought not to prematurely perish and disappear from the face of the earth4 ,where the graveyard is still used as a place of interment1 or remains as it was when closed against interments1 the sexton or a labourer should have it in perpetual care4 ,the grass and weeds should be kept in constant check1 and the tombs of all kinds preserved at the proper perpendicular4 ,if not too much to ask1 the application of a little soap and water at long intervals might be recommended in particular instances2 but all such details depend upon circumstances1 and may be left to the individual judgment4 ,provided there is the disposition1 there will always be found the way and the means to make the holy ground a decent and a pleasant place4 ,reverence for the dead1 especially among their known descendants1 will generally operate as a check upon hasty or extravagant improvements1 and it may be expected that those responsible for the administration of local affairs will1 for the most part1 when they set about the beautification of their churchyard1 decide to do what is necessary with no needless alterations4 ,this plan of preservation1 as already intimated1 is probably the most desirable4 ,but we know instances1 especially in and around ,london1 where good work has been done by judiciously thinning out the crop of tombstones1 clearing away the least presentable features of the place1 and making the ground prim with flower-beds and borders4 ,to do this much1 and to introduce a few seats1 will leave the graveyard still a graveyard in the old sense1 and requires no authority outside the church4 ,it may be prudent to take a vote of the ,vestry on the subject as a defence against irate parishioners1 but1 if nothing be done beyond a decorous renovation of the burial-ground1 the matter is really one which is entirely within the functions of the parson and churchwardens4 ,moreover1 although it is not generally known1 the expenses of such works are a legal charge against the parish1 provided the churchwardens have had the previous countenance of their colleagues the overseers4 ,the account for the due and proper maintenance of the disused churchyard may be sent to the ,burial ,board1 if there be such a board1 and1 if not1 to the overseers1 and the cost will in any case fall upon the poor-rate4 ,converting the ground absolutely into a public garden is quite a different matter1 and1 notwithstanding its difficulties1 it is the course usually adopted4 ,first1 the consent of the ,vestry is imperative1 and every step is carefully measured by a stringent ,act of ,parliament4 ,a petition for a faculty must be presented to the ,bishop of the diocese1 and before it can be granted there must be an official enquiry in public before the ,diocesan ,chancellor--always a profound lawyer1 learned in ecclesiastical jurisprudence4 ,everybody who has any claim or objection as to any particular grave-space1 or to the whole scheme altogether1 has a right to be heard2 all reasonable requests are usually granted1 and the closing order1 if made1 is mostly full of conditions and reservations in favour of surviving relatives and others who have shewn cause for retaining this tomb and that stone undisturbed4 ,in practice it is found that there are not very many such claims1 but it sometimes happens that serious obstacles are left standing in the way of the landscape gardener4 ,one almost invariable regulation requires that places shall be found within the enclosure for all the old stones in positions where they can be seen and their inscriptions read2 to range them in one or more rows against the interior of the boundary fence is usually accepted as compliance with this rule4 ,injudicious arrangement occasionally obscures some of the inscriptions1 but they are all accessible if required1 and anything is better than extinction4 ,it is earnestly to be hoped that at least equal care is taken of the memorials in burial-grounds which are less ceremoniously closed4 ,where the work is thoughtfully conceived and discreetly accomplished1 much good and little harm is done to a populous place by clearing the ground1 laying out footpaths1 and planting trees and flowers4 ,but the gravestone1 the solemn witness ,sacred to the ,memory of the dead1 is a pious trust which demands our respect and protection1 at least so long as it is capable of proclaiming its mission4 ,when it has got past service and its testimony has been utterly effaced by time1 it is not so easy to find arguments for its preservation4 ,there is no sense or utility in exhibiting a blank tablet1 and ,i have seen without scruple or remorse such superannuated vestiges employed in repairing the church fabric4 ,but this1 be it understood1 is only when the stone is irretrievably beyond memento mori service1 and on the clear condition that it is employed in the furtherance of religious work4 ,it is true that a stone is only a stone1 whatever it may have been used for1 but a peculiar sanctity is in most minds associated with the grave1 and we ought not to run the risk of shocking tender-hearted people by degrading even the dead memorial of the dead to profane and secular purposes4 ,and yet1 what has become in too many cases of the old gravestones8 ,the very old ones we may perhaps account for1 but where are the middle-aged ones of the eighteenth century8 ,it cannot be doubted1 alas1 that they have in many churchyards been deliberately taken away and destroyed to make room for new ones4 ,districts comprising many parishes may be pointed out with all their old churches in the midst of their old churchyards1 but without one old gravestone standing4 ,the rule and practice have been to quietly remove the relics of the forgotten sires in order to dig new graves for a new generation4 ,the habit1 as just said1 rules by districts1 and this is the case in most matters connected with the subject of this essay4 ,it is a general and remarkable truth that good and bad churchyards abound in groups4 ,the force of example or the instinct of imitation may explain the fact1 but it affords a sad reflection upon the morality of the burial-place4 ,kirke ,white asks3 ,who would lay ,his body in the ,city burial-place1 ,to be cast up again by some rude sexton8 ,in my experience the chief sinner is not the city1 but the country1 sexton4 ,other memorials than the headstone are scarcely included in my subject4 ,few of the slate slabs which answer the purpose in ,wales and some of the bordering counties can maintain their inscriptions in legible condition for a very long period1 and they are in all respects inferior to stone in durability4 ,this thought would have given no anxiety to the writer of some ,chapters on ,churchyards which appeared in ,blackwood's ,magazine about #ahbj4 ,said he3 ,in parts of ,warwickshire and some of the adjacent counties1 more especially in the churchyards of the larger towns1 the frightful fashion of black tombstones is almost universal--black tombstones1 tall and slim1 and lettered in gold1 looking for all the world like upright coffin-lids4444 ,some village burial-grounds here have1 however1 escaped this treatment1 and within the circuit of a few miles round ,warwick itself are many small hamlet churches each surrounded by its lowly flock of green graves and grey headstones4444 some half sunk into the churchyard mould1 many carved out into cherubins with their trumpeter's cheeks and expanded wings1 or with the awful emblems1 death's heads and bones and hour-glasses4 ,of the so-called black tombstones ,i have seen none other than slate4 ,in a short tour through ,wales1 in #ahih1 ,i found very few old headstones4 ,most of the memorials in the churchyards were constructed of slate1 which abundant material is devoted to every conceivable purpose4 ,there is a kind of clay-slate more durable than some of the native stones1 and even the poorer slate which perisheth is lasting in comparison with the wooden planks which have been more or less adopted in many burial-places1 but can never have been expected to endure more than a few brief years4 ,wherever seen they are usually in decay1 and under circumstances so forlorn that it is an act of mercy to end their existence4 ,,fig4 #hf4--;,,at ,,high ,,barnet4 ,i conclude my ,english illustrations of the gravestones with one selected from the churchyard at ,kingston-on-,thames1 and ,i leave its interpretation to the reader4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hf4 ,,high ,,barnet4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hg4 ,,kingston-,,on-,,thames4 ,,fig4 #hg4--;,,at ,,kingston-,,on-,,thames4 ,to ,thomas ,bennett1 died #gth ,dec4 #ahjj1 aged #ac years4 ,the remainder of my unambitious book will be mostly devoted to impressions gained in ,ireland and ,scotland and on the ,continent in my autumn holidays4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,in ,,ireland4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hh4 ,,swords4 ,in entering upon a chapter dealing with ,old ,gravestones in ,ireland1 one is tempted to follow a leading case and sum up the subject in the words3 ,there are no old gravestones in ,ireland4 ,but this would be true only in a sense4 ,of those primitive and rustic carvings1 which are so distinctive of the eighteenth-century memorials in ,england1 ,i have found an almost entire absence in my holiday-journey ings about ,ireland--the churchyards of which ,i have sampled1 wherever opportunity was afforded me1 from ,belfast and ,portrush in the north1 down to ,killarney and ,queenstown in the south4 ,but there are unquestionably old gravestones of quite a different order of simplicity in the ,irish burial-places1 the most common type being the rough slab of stone1 several of which are here sketched at random from the graveyard of the large village or little town of ,swords1 ten miles or so north of ,dublin 7,fig4 #hh74 ,very few of these stones bear any inscription1 and1 according to the belief of the local residents1 never have been carved or even shaped in any way4 ,in one or two instances1 however1 the effort of trimming the edges of the stone is clearly visible1 and in rare cases we see the pious but immature attempts of the amateur mason to perpetuate1 if only by initials1 the memory of the deceased4#aj ,some such records still remain1 but many have doubtless perished1 for the material is only the soft freestone so easily obtainable in the district1 and the rains and frosts of no great number of years have sufficed to obliterate all such shallow carvings2 the surfaces of the laminated rock being even now in process of peeling off before our eyes4 ,footnote #aj3 ,in a barren record of facts1 such as this chapter is meant to be1 ,i avoid as far as possible deductions and reflections apart from my immediate subject2 but it is impossible to pursue an investigation of this character without being deeply interested both in the past history and present life of the people4 ,i cannot help saying that in one day's walk from ,malahide to ,balbriggan ,i learnt far more of the ,irish peasantry1 the ,irish character1 and the ,irish problem than ,i had been able to acquire in all my reading1 supported by not a little experience in the capital and great towns of ,ireland4 ,the village streets1 the cabins1 the schools1 the agriculture and the land1 the farmer and the landlord1 the poverty and the hospitality of the people1 were all to be studied at first hand2 and there were churches by the way at ,swords and ,rush which the archaeologist will seek in vain to match in any other country4 ,the ,bound ,tower 7,celtic no doubt7 at the former place1 and the battlemented fortalice1 which is more like a castle than a church1 at ,rush1 are both worth a special visit4 ,the cross and ,t4,l4 scratched on one of the stones appears to be recent work1 and the wonderful preservation of the stone to ,lawrence ,paine1 of #afhf1 can only be accounted for by the supposition that it has long lain buried1 and been lately restored to the light4 ,the stone is of the same perishable kind as the others1 and it is certain that it could not have survived exposure to the atmosphere1 as its date would imply1 for upwards of #bjj years4 ,it may even be found that the weather has chipped off the edges of the stones which now appear so jagged1 shapeless1 and grotesque2 but1 from recent evidences gathered elsewhere1 it is but too probable that these rude pillars have been1 and still are1 set up as they come from the quarry1 without dressing and free from any carving or attention whatever4 ,many instances may be found in which slabs of stone1 or even slate1 have been erected quite recently1 the edges untrimmed1 and the name of the deceased simply painted upon them more or less inartistically1 as in the sketch from ,drogheda 7,fig4 #hi74 ,such crude examples are the more remarkable in a busy and thriving port like ,drogheda1 and amid many handsome monuments1 than among the peasantry of the villages2 and it is easy to imagine that if nothing more durable than paint has been employed to immortalize the dead in past times all traces must have speedily disappeared4 ,the illustrations from ,drogheda give the whole inscription in each case1 neither having date nor age1 nor any other particular beyond the name4 ,the memorial on the left hand is of slate--the other two of freestone2 and the slate in the northern parts of ,ireland is the preferable of the two materials4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #hi4 ,,drogheda4 ,there are at ,bangor1 ten miles west of ,belfast1 many such slate records1 which have endured for more than a century1 and are still in excellent preservation4 ,one which attracted my especial notice at ,bangor was of the professional character here depicted1 and in memory of one of those bold privateers who were permitted to sail the seas on their own account in the old war times4 ,,fig4 #ij4--;,,at ,,bangor1 ,,ireland4 ,the following is the epitaph1 as clearly to be read now as on the day when it was carved on this slab of ,irish slate1 more than a century since3 ,born to a course of ,manly action free1 ,i dauntless trod ye fluctuating sea ,in ,pompous ,war or happier ,peace to bring ,joy to my ,sire and honour to my ,king4 ,and much by favour of the ,god was done ,ere half the term of human life was run4 ,one fatal night1 returning from the bay ,where ,british fleets ye ,gallic land survey1 ,whilst with warm hope my trembling heart beat high1 ,my friends1 my kindred1 and my country nigh1 ,lasht by the winds the waves arose and bore ,our ,ship in shattered fragments to the shore4 ,there ye flak'd surge opprest my darkening sight1 ,and there my eyes for ever lost the light4 ,captain ,george ,colvill of the ,private ,ship of ,war ',amazon1' and only son of ,robert ,colvill of ,bangor1 was wrecked near this ground #beth ,february #aghj1 in ye #bbnd year of his age4 ,a possible explanation of the long endurance of this slate slab may be found in the practice which prevails in this and some other churchyards of giving all such memorials a periodical coat of paint2 of which1 however1 in the case here quoted there is no remaining trace4 ,altogether1 primitive as they may be1 the gravestones of the last century in ,ireland1 so far as ,i have seen them1 compare favourably with the works of the hedge-mason in ,england which we have seen in earlier chapters4 ,even the poor pillar of rough stone1 unhewn1 ungarnished1 and bare as it is1 represents an affectionate remembrance of the dead which is full of pathos1 and has a refinement in its simplicity which commands our sympathy far above the semi-barbarous engravings of heads and skulls which we have previously pictured4 ,the immaturity of provincial art in ,ireland is at least redeemed by an absence of such monstrous figures and designs as we at the present day usually associate with the carvings of savages in the ,african interior4 ,but the eighteenth-century gravestones in ,ireland are not all of the primitive kind--many of them being as artistic and well-finished as any to be found in other parts of the ,british ,isles4 ,the predominant type is the ,i4,h4,s41 surmounted by the cross1 which appears on probably four-fifths of the inscribed stones of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in ,ireland4 ,the only instances which came under my notice bearing any resemblance to the incipient notions of human heads so frequently met with in certain parts of ,england were the three here copied 7,fig4 #ia74 ,nos4 #b and #c are taken from gravestones in the old churchyard near ,queenstown1 and the other appears in duplicate on one stone at ,muckross ,abbey by the ,lakes of ,killarney4#aa ,the stately wreck of ,muckross ,abbey has in its decay enclosed within its walls the tombs of knights and heroes whose monuments stand in gorgeous contrast to the desolation which is mouldering around them2 while on the south side of the ancient edifice is the graveyard in which the peasant-fathers of the hamlet sleep1 the green mounds which cover them in some instances marked by carved stones taken from the adjacent ruins4 ,both ,abbey and grounds are still used for interments1 together with the enclosure about the little church of ,killaghie on the neighbouring eminence--a church which 7like a few others7 enjoys the reputation of being the smallest in the kingdom4 ,footnote #aa3 ,the ,muckross stone 7,no4 #a7 was overgrown with ivy which quite covered up the inscription1 but its date was probably about #agej4 ,of the two from ,queenstown1 ,no4 #b is to ,mary ,gammell1 #agic1 aged #ec2 and ,no4 #c to ,roger ,brettridge1 #aggf1 aged #fc4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ij4 ,,bangor1 ,,ireland4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ia4 ,,muckross ,,and ,,queenstown4 ,i leave to the ethnologists the task of accounting for these abnormal carvings in the ,south of ,ireland1 and associating them with the like productions of the same period in the ,south of ,england4 ,or perhaps ,i ought rather to excuse my insufficient researches1 which1 though spread over a broad area1 are yet confined to but a few of the many spots available1 and may very probably have passed by unexplored the fruitful fields4 ,but1 in the words of ,professor ,stephens1 the apostle of ,runic monuments1 ,i claim for this work that it is only a beginning1 a breaking of the ice1 a ground upon which others may build4 ,my pages are but feelers groping out things and thoughts for further examination4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,in ,,scotland4 ,a very peculiar interest attaches to the old stones which survive in the burial-grounds of ,scotland4 ,regarded generally they are of a description quite apart from the prevalent features of their ,english and ,irish prototypes4 ,taking the same period as hitherto in limiting our purview of the subject1 that is from the latter part of the seventeenth to the early part of the nineteenth century1 it may perhaps be said that the ,scottish headstones are tablets of ,scottish history and registers of ,scottish character during a long and memorable time4 ,the one all-prevalent feature everywhere is indicative of the severe piety and self-sacrifice of an age and a people remarkable for one of the simplest professions of faith that has ever existed under the ,christian dispensation4 ,the rigid discipline1 contempt for form1 and sustained humility of the old ,covenanters are written deeply in the modest stones which mark the green graves of their faithful dead during a period of fully two hundred years4 ,the vainglory of a graven stone to exalt the virtues of imperfect men and women was to them a forbidden thing2 the ostentation even of a name carved on a slab was at variance with doctrine2 the cravings of a poor humanity to be remembered after death had to be satisfied with bare initials1 and initials are all that were written on the gravestones in many thousands of cases1 probably ninety per cent1 of the whole1 throughout the eighteenth century and approximate years4 ,but the rule was not without its exceptions1 often of novel and peculiar description4 ,the skull and crossbone series1 so common in the south1 have no place in ,north ,britain2 while the symbol of the cross1 so frequent in ,ireland1 is very rarely to be found in any shape whatever within the boundaries of a ,scottish burial-place4 ,i present four specimen types from the old chapel-yard at ,inverness4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ib4 ,,inverness4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ic4 ,,braemar4 ,,fig4 #ib4--;,,at ,,inverness4 ,on the stone ,no4 #b the tailor's tools--shears1 goose1 and bodkin--are clear enough1 and ,i was told that the figures on the stone in the lower left-hand corner 7,no4 #c7 are locally recognized as the shuttle and some other requisite of the weaver's trade4 ,inverness had spinning and weaving for its staple industries when ,pennant visited the place in #agei4 ,its exports of cordage and sacking were considerable1 and 7says ,pennant7 the linen manufacture saves the town above #cjjj a year1 which used to go to ,holland4 ,in the #afih example 7,no4 #a7 the short and 77 leaves no doubt that ,w4,f4 ,j4 ,mc,p4 7probably ,mc,pherson and his wife7 are there buried2 and the similar information is almost as certainly conveyed in the manifold cases in which appears the sign which occupies the same position in the two lower stones 7,nos4 #c and #d74 ,these1 however1 are all of later date1 and may be set down as developments1 or rather corruptions1 of the original form4 ,the same signs1 however1 constantly occur in all the northern graveyards4 ,scotland has also its cruder form of memorial in the rough unhewn slabs of native freestone1 which are used in all parts of the ,british ,isles wherever such material is readily procurable4 ,,fig4 #ic4--;,,at ,,braemar4 ,two of these slabs of different degrees are seen in my ,braemar sketch1 but both seem of one family and serve to shew us the unconscious evolution of a doctrinal law into a national custom4 ,the employment of initials1 originally the sacrifice and self-denial of a dissentient faith1 is here1 as in other instances1 combined with the ,catholic emblem of the ,cross4 ,this little graveyard of ,braemar1 lying among the moors and mountains which surround ,balmoral1 and accustomed to receiving illustrious pilgrims whose shoe-string the poor gravestone tramp is not worthy to unloose1 is still used for indiscriminate burials1 and furnishes several examples of ,roman ,catholic interments4 ,wherever such are found in ,scotland1 bearing dates of the eighteenth century1 they are usually of the rough character depicted in the sketch4 ,the recumbent slab in the same drawing is given to illustrate the table or altar stone1 which throughout ,scotland has been used all through the ,covenantic period to evade the ,covenantic rule of the simple anonymous gravestone1 for such memorials are almost invariably engraved and inscribed with designs and epitaphs1 sometimes of the most elaborate character4 ,but these are not mere gravestones3 they are tombs4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #id4 ,,stirling ,,fig4 #id4--;,,at ,,stirling4 ,in all parts of ,scotland at which we find departures from the conventional simplicity of the gravestone1 the variation inclines abundantly towards the symbols of trade and husbandry4 ,at ,stirling1 in the noble churchyard perched on the ,castle ,rock1 the weaver's shuttle noticed at ,inverness appears in many varieties1 for ,pennant tells us that in #aggb ,stirling1 with only #djjj inhabitants1 was an important factory of tartanes and shalloons1 and employed about thirty looms in making carpets4#ab ,occasionally the bobbin is represented alone1 but the predominant fashion is the shuttle open and revealing the bobbin in its place4 ,this is as it appears in ,no4 #a of the four sketches from ,stirling1 where it seems to indicate1 with the shovel and rake1 a mingling of weaver and agriculturist4 ,the other trade emblems speak for themselves1 excepting the reversed figure #d in the stone of #agaj 7,no4 #c74 ,this sign has been variously interpreted1 but the most reliable authorities say that it is a merchant's mark used not only in ,stirling but in other parts of ,scotland1 if not of ,england4 ,there are in ,howff ,burial-ground1 ,dundee1 and in many country churchyards round about that town and ,stirling1 numerous varieties of this figure1 some having the #d in the ordinary unreversed shape1 some with and some without the 991 some of both shapes resting on the letter ,m1 and others independent of any support whatever4 ,it has also been supposed to have some connection with the masons' marks frequently to be seen in old churches1 and is even regarded as possibly of prehistoric origin4#ac ,footnote #ab3 ,pennant pronounced the view from ,stirling heights the finest in ,scotland4 ,footnote #ac3 ,the vulgar explanation of the sign is #d;d4 discount on the shilling1 and some of the guide-books are not much better informed when they assume that it marks ,stirling as the fourth city of ,scotland1 for in the old roll of ,scottish burghs ,stirling stands fifth4 ,,fig4 #ie4--;,,at ,,blairgowrie4 ,the stone copied at ,blairgowrie is an enigma which ,i scarcely dare to unravel1 but it will admit of several interpretations4 ,i4,e4 probably stands for ,john ,elder and ,m4,h4 for his spouse1 but to set out ,john ,elder's name in full1 and at the same time to insert his initials1 shews either a misconception of1 or disregard for1 the principles and usages of the ,presbytery4 ,otherwise1 in some respects1 this example is almost worthy to be classed with the more degenerate forms of churchyard sculpture in ,england2 the skull1 the crown1 the hour-glass1 the coffin1 and the bones being all well-known and conventional signs4 ,the compasses may stand for ,john ,elder's profession1 but the figure which resembles a cheese-cutter1 just below the crown1 can only be a subject of conjecture4 ,this stone1 which is one of the least artistic ,i have met with in ,scotland1 is an evidence to shew that the rural sculptor was as ready in the north as in the south to blossom forth had he not been checked by the rigours of the ,church4 ,at times indeed the mortal passion for a name to live to posterity was too strong to be altogether curbed1 as we may see manifested even in the prescribed initials when they are moulded of heroic size1 from #h to #aj inches being no uncommon height4 ,remarkable also is the fact just mentioned 7page #hf7 that1 concurrently with the erection of these dumb headstones1 there were flat or table stones#ad allowed1 upon which not only were the names and virtues of the departed fully set forth1 but all sorts of emblematical devices introduced4 ,the table tomb was probably in itself a vanity1 and1 the boundary passed1 there appears to have been no limit to its excesses4 ,there are a great many instances of this at ,inverness1 ,aberdeen1 ,keith1 ,dunblane1 and elsewhere1 and the stone which appears in the sketch from ,braemar is only one of several in that very limited space4 ,such exceptional cases seem to indicate some local relaxation from the austerity of the period1 which was apparently most intense in the centres of population4 ,humility at the grave extended even to the material of the gravestone4 ,at ,aberdeen1 the ,granite ,city1 few of the last-century gravestones are of any better material than the soft sandstones which must have been imported from ,elgin or the south4 ,the rule of initials was almost universal4 ,in like manner1 when it became the custom to purchase grave-spaces1 the simplest possible words were employed to denote the ownership4 ,i noticed one stone in ,aberdeen bearing on its face the medallion portrait of a lady1 and only the words of ,isaiah1 chapter xl4 verse #f3 ,the voice said1 ,all flesh is grass1 and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field4 ,at the back of the stone is written3 ,this burying ground1 containing two graves1 belongs to ,william ,rait1 ,merchant4 ,aberdeen1 #ahjj4 ,the practice of carving on both faces of the headstone is very common in ,scotland1 and1 so far as ,i have observed1 in ,scotland alone2 but1 strange as it may seem1 ,scotland and ,ireland when they write gravestone inscriptions have one habit in common1 that of beginning their epitaphs1 not with the name of the deceased person1 but with the name of the person who provides the stone4 ,thus3-- ,erected by ,william ,brown to his ,father ,john ,brown1 etc41 etc4 ,footnote #ad3 ,it has been suggested to me that these tombs were the luxuries of the wealthier inhabitants4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ie4 ,,blairgowrie4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #if4 ,,laufen4 #a4 ,cut into stone4 #b4 ,anchor of iron on dwarf stone pillar4 #c4 ,heart and anchor of thin iron on dwarf stone pillar4 #d4 ,iron plate and rod4 #e4 ,wooden cross4 #f4 ,wooden cross4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,old ,,gravestones ,,abroad4 ,abroad is a big place1 and no sufficient treatment under the head of this chapter is possible except to one who has had very great experience and extended research4 ,nevertheless ,i may1 with all due diffidence and modesty1 tell the little ,i know on the subject4 ,my opportunities of investigation have been few1 and restricted to a limited area--so restricted and so limited that ,i cannot tell whether or not the observations ,i have made may be taken as indications of national habits or merely as idiosyncrasies of the people inhabiting the particular localities which ,i was able to visit4 ,all the churchyards which ,i have seen in ,france1 ,belgium1 ,germany1 and ,switzerland very much resemble each other1 and are altogether unlike the graveyards of ,great ,britain and her children4 ,it is to the villages we should naturally go for primitive memorials of the dead1 but in all the continental villages which ,i have visited memorials of a permanent character1 either old or new1 are scarcely to be seen4 ,occasionally a stone slab may be encountered1 but almost always of recent date4 ,at ,laufen in the ,canton of ,zurich1 near the ,falls of the ,rhine1 ,i selected almost at random the examples of memorials shewn in my sketch 7,fig4 #if71 one or other of which was at the head of nearly every grave4 ,,fig4 #if4--;,,at ,,laufen4 ,the average height of these mementoes was about #b feet1 and all the dates which ,i saw were of the last twenty-five years4 ,permanence indeed is apparently not considered as it is with us in the like circumstances4 ,the ,british gravestone is trusted to perpetuate at least the names of our departed friends down to the days of our posterity1 but the provision made by our neighbours seems to have been for the existing generation only4 ,posterity does not trouble the villagers of ,switzerland nor their prototypes of other nations around them4 ,this fact was strongly exemplified at ,neuhausen1 a small place on the other bank of the ,rhine1 five minutes from ,germany we were told4 ,,fig4 #ig4--;,,at ,,neuhausen4 ,in the churchyard at this place was one handsome tombstone1 shewn in the drawing1 erected apparently in #agij4 ,this was evidence of somewhat ancient art1 and ,i looked about for the old gravestones which should have kept it company4 ,erect in its place there was not one1 but in the remotest corner of the enclosure ,i came upon several stones lying flat1 one upon another1 the uppermost and only visible inscription bearing the recent date of #ahgj6 ,only twenty years or so on sentry at the grave1 and already relieved from duty6 ,there was likewise a miscellaneous heap of old crosses1 etc41 of iron and wood1 the writing on which had disappeared1 and they might reasonably have been condemned as of no further service2 but that gravestones in perfect preservation should have been thought to have served their full purpose in a little over twenty years1 and be cast aside as no longer requisite1 was a remarkable lesson in national character4 ,all the graves were flat1 and at the head of every recent one was a small iron slab bearing a number4 ,many of those which had crosses were hung with immortelles1 composed generally of glass-beads4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ig4 ,,neuhausen4 ,in ,neuhausen ,graveyard1 at the end of the row of graves1 are seen two rings protruding from the ground4 ,lying near is an iron shield with two similar rings surmounting it4 ,it is readily supposed that the first-named rings are also attached to a shield buried in the earth1 and so it proves4 ,in order that no space may be lost between the graves1 the shields are used alternately to serve as the dividing wall1 and are then drawn out1 thus enabling the sexton to pack the coffins close together4 ,the towns and cities abroad have their cemeteries beyond the outskirts1 as is the practice here4 ,occasionally an old churchyard is to be met with1 but never an old gravestone as we know it4 ,still there are instances in which ancient carvings of the same character have been saved by attachment to the church or churchyard wall4 ,several such are to be seen in ,german churchyards long since converted to purposes of recreation1 and one at ,heidelberg may be taken as an example4 ,,fig4 #ih4--;,,at ,,heidelberg ,to ,barbara ,fosterii1 died #agde1 aged #fg4 ,beneath is the text from the ,first ,epistle of ,peter1 chapter i4 verses #bd and #be4 ,all flesh is as grass1 and all the glory of man as the flower of grass4 ,the grass withereth1 and the flower thereof falleth away3 but the ,word of the ,lord endureth for ever4 ,at ,lucerne1 tinder similar conditions1 the striking figures of two skeletons1 partly in military garb1 keep guard over the tablet which records the virtues of a departed hero4 ,he was probably a soldier1 but the figure of a lictor on the left with his fasces of axe and rods seems to betoken some civil employment4 ,in ancient times the lictors walked in advance of the magistrates1 and executed sentence when pronounced4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ii4 ,,lucerne4 ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ih4 ,,heidelberg4 ,,fig4 #ii4--;,,at ,,lucerne4 ,to ,iodoco ,bernardo ,hartman1 died #ageb1 aged #fg years4 ,the two last-given illustrations may possibly belong to the category of mural tablets rather than that of gravestones1 being fixed apparently by original design1 and not by afterthought1 as in our converted burial-grounds1 against the outer walls of the church4 ,there are1 however1 no other remains which ,i could discover bearing any resemblance to the old ,british headstone1 and the evanescent character which seems to have attached for a certain period to the memorials of the dead among our neighbours abroad forbids the expectation that any such as those which have appeared in our earlier chapters are to be found in ,europe outside the boundaries of our ,empire4 ,in more modern observances1 especially in the centres of population1 ,english and continental manners more nearly approximate2 and in the many new cemeteries which are now to be found adjacent to the cities and large towns of ,western ,europe there are tombs and gravestones as many and as costly as are to be found in any round ,london4 ,in ,germany the present practice appears to be single interments1 and one inscription only on the stone1 and that studiously brief4 ,thus3 ,transcriber's note3 inscriptions below enclosed in a border ,eduard ,schmidt ,geb d4 #h ,oct41 #ahhf4 ,gest d4 #aj ,jan41 #ahhg4 ,this ,i copied in the cemetery at ,schaffhausen4 ,but at ,hendon1 a north-west suburb of ,london1 has recently been placed against the church wall a still simpler memorial1 a small slab of marble1 inscribed3 ,carl ,richard ,loose ,b4 #ba4 #a4 #eb3 ,d4 #ad4 #aj4 #ha4 ,for brevity in excelsis the following1 from the cemetery at ,heidelberg1 can hardly be eclipsed3 ,michael ,seiler #ahje4--ahhg4 ,sometimes the asterisk is used by the ,germans to denote birth1 and the dagger 7or cross7 for death1 thus3 ,hier ,risht in ,gott ,natalie ,brethke 99 #ahej #ahhd ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,very ,,old ,,gravestones4 ,although1 for reasons already explained or surmised1 the gravestones in our burial-grounds seldom exceed an age of #bjj years1 there has probably been no time and no race of men in which such memorials were unknown4 ,professor ,dr4 ,john ,stuart1 the ,scottish antiquary1#ae opines that the erection of stones to the memory of the dead has been common to all the world from the earliest times1 and there are many instances recorded in the ,old ,testament1 as when ,rachel died and ,jacob set a pillar upon her grave 7,genesis1 chapter xxxv4 verse #bj72 and another authority1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,r4 ,brash1#af in a similar strain1 comments on the sentiment which appears to have been common to human nature in all ages1 and among all conditions of mankind1 namely a desire to leave after him something to perpetuate his memory1 something more durable than his frail humanity4 ,this propensity doubtless led him in his earliest and rudest state to set on end in the earth the rough and unhewn pillar stone which he found lying prostrate on the surface1 and these hoar memorials exist in almost every country4 ,footnote #ae3 ,the ,sculptured ,stones of ,scotland 7two volumes71 by ,john ,stuart1 ,,ll4,d41 ,secretary to the ,scottish ,society of ,antiquaries4 ,footnote #af3 ,ogam ,inscribed ,monuments1 by ,r4,r4 ,brash2 edited by ,g4,m4 ,atkinson4 ,a remarkable instance is afforded by ,absalom1 the son of ,david1 who himself set up a stone to record his memory3 ,now ,absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar1 which is in the king's dale3 for he said1 ,i have no son to keep my name in remembrance3 and he called the pillar after his own name3 and it is called unto this day1 ,absalom's place 7#b ,samuel1 chapter xviii4 verse #ah74 ,professor ,stuart indeed declares that there is no custom in the history of human progress which serves so much to connect the remote past with the present period as the erection of pillar stones4 ,we meet with it1 he says1 in the infancy of history1 and it is even yet1 in some shape or other1 the means by which man hopes to hand down his memory to the future4 ,the sculptured tombs of early nations often furnish the only key to their modes of life2 and their memorial stones1 if they may not in all cases be classed with sepulchral records1 must yet be considered as remains of the same early period when the rock was the only book in which an author could convey his thoughts1 and when history was to be handed down by memorials which should always meet the eye and prompt the question1 ,what mean ye by these stones8 ,to such remote antiquity1 however1 it is probably undesirable to follow our subject4 ,it will no doubt be thought sufficient for this essay if we leave altogether out of view the researches which have been made in the older empires of the earth1 and confine ourselves to the records of our own country4 ,of these1 however1 there are many1 and they are full of interest4 ,in date they probably occupy a period partly ,pagan and partly ,christian1 and it has been conjectured that all or most of those discovered had their source in ,ireland1 with a possibility of an earlier importation into ,ireland by ,icelandic1 ,danish1 or other peoples4 ,many of these stones have been found buried in the ruins of old churches1 and most of them may be supposed to owe their preservation to some such protection4 ,the drawings of one or two may be given as samples4 ,those here sketched 7,figs4 #ajj and #aja7 are in the ,national ,museum of ,antiquities of ,scotland1 and occupy with others a considerable space1 being well displayed to shew the inscriptions on both sides4#ag ,it is by the fact of both sides being written upon that we assign to them the character of gravestones1 that is upright gravestones2 but it is also well authenticated by historical records that the memorial of a ,pagan chief in ,ireland was a cairn with a pillar stone standing upon it1 and there is little doubt that the ,irish invaders carried the practice with them into ,scotland4 ,it is indeed in ,scotland that a large proportion of these stones have been discovered1 and there are more than a hundred of them in the ,edinburgh ,museum4 ,in the ,museum at ,dublin there is also a good collection1 conveniently arranged2 but the ,british ,museum in ,london has less than half a dozen--only five--specimens4 ,the number in each of the three museums fairly represents the relative abundance of such remains in ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland4 ,marked on a chart the discoveries are thickly grouped in the ,north-,western parts of ,scotland1 in the ,south of ,ireland1 and on the ,south-,western promontory of ,wales4 ,in ,cornwall and ,devonshire1 along the coast line1 there have been found a goodly few1 and the others are dotted sparsely over the whole kingdom--,england1 as just indicated1 furnishing only a modicum4 ,footnote #ag3 ,the ,national ,museum of ,antiquities in ,queen ,street1 ,edinburgh1 is unequalled by any other collection of ,british and ,celtic remains4 ,all these memorial stones are carefully catalogued1 and have1 moreover1 the advantage of being described at length1 with full illustration1 in ,professor ,stuart's copious work 7previously mentioned7 on ,the ,sculptured ,stones of ,scotland4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bressay ,,stone ,,fig4 #ajj4 ,,lunnasting ,,and ,,kilbar ,,stones4 ,,fig4 #aja4 ,,ogam ,,and ,,runic ,,inscriptions4 ,the inscriptions upon such stones1 when they are inscribed1 are usually in ,ogam or ,runic characters4 ,an example of the ,ogam writing is shewn on the edges of the ,bressay stone 7,fig4 #ajj71 and also on the front side of the ,lunnasting stone 7,fig4 #aja;a74 ,the ,ogam style was used by the ancient ,irish and some other ,celtic nations1 and the ,ogams1 or letters1 consist principally of lines1 or groups of lines1 deriving their signification from their position on a single stem1 or chief line1 over1 under1 or through which they are drawn1 perpendicularly or obliquely4 ,curves rarely occur2 but some are seen in the inscription on the ,bressay stone1 which has been thus interpreted by ,dr4 ,graves1 ,bishop of ,limerick3 ,bentire1 or the ,son of the ,druid1 lies here4 ,the ,cross of ,nordred's daughter is here placed4 ,this stone was found by a labourer about #ahea1 while digging in a piece of waste ground near the ruinous church of ,culbinsgarth at ,bressay1 ,shetland4 ,the design is said to be thoroughly ,irish1 and the inscription a mixture of ,irish and ,icelandic4 ,the stone measures #d ft4 by #a ft4 #d-a_/b in4 by #b in4 ,it is attributed to the ninth century4 ,the stone #aja;a is a slab of brownish sandstone1 #dd in4 by #ac in4 by #aa_/b in41 from ,lunnasting1 also in ,shetland4 ,it was found five feet below the surface in #ahgf1 and1 having probably lain there for centuries1 was in excellent preservation4 ,the authorities1 however1 are unable to make a satisfactory translation4 ,the cross or dagger is also of doubtful explanation2 and ,mr4 ,gilbert ,goudie thinks it is a mere mason's mark4 ,it is1 however1 admitted on all hands that the stone is of ,christian origin1 and probably of the period just subsequent to the termination of the ,roman rule in ,britain4 ,it has been suggested that most of these ancient gravestones were carved and set up by the ,irish missionary monks not earlier than ,a4,d4 #ehj4 ,the ,ogam inscription on the ,lumasting stone has been made by one expert to read3 ,,eattuicheatts ,,maheadttannn ,,hccffstff ,,ncdtons4 ,a strange and inexplicable aggregation of consonants4 ,the stone represented below1 #aja b1 bears an inscription in ,runic characters4 ,runic is a term applied to any mysterious writing2 but there were three leading classes of runes--,scandinavian1 ,german1 and ,anglo-,saxon--all agreeing in certain features1 and all ascribed by some authorities to the ,phoenicians4 ,the stone #aja b was found in #ahfe1 at ,kilbar1 ,barra1 a remote island of the outer ,hebrides1 off the north-west coast of ,scotland4 ,it measures #f ft4 #e-a_/b in4 in height1 and its greatest width is #ae-a_/b inches4 ,mr4 ,carmichael has conjectured that it was probably brought from ,iona about the beginning of the seventeenth century1 and erected in ,barra at the head of a grave made by a son of ,mc,neil for himself4 ,but it is believed to have been in any case a ,norse memorial in the first instance1 though certainly ,christian1 for it reads3 ,ur and ,thur ,gared set up the stones of ,riskar4#ah ,may ,christ guard his soul4 ,footnote #ah3 ,riskar1 or ,raskar1 is a surname of the ,norwegians1 who were early settled in the ,western ,islands and adopted the ,christian faith4--,old ,northern ,runic ,monuments of ,scandinavia and ,england1 by ,dr4 ,george ,stephens1 ,f4,s4,a4 ,the ,barra stone has on the reverse side a large cross1 carved in plaited bands4 ,dr4 ,petrie has pointed out that the cross is not necessarily indicative of belief1 the ancient ,danes and other peoples having used various signs--the cross frequently--to mark their boundaries1 their cattle1 and their graves4#ai ,there is little doubt1 however1 that in most of these ,british and ,irish memorials1 although the stones may originally have been ,pagan1 the cross is typical of ,christianity4 ,we are told that it was not unusual for ,st4 ,patrick to dedicate ,pagan monuments to the honour of the true ,god4 ,on one occasion1 it is related1 on the authority of an ancient life of the ,saint1 that1 on coming to the ,plain of ,magh ,solga1 near ,elphin1 he found three pillar stones which had been raised there by the ,pagans1 either as memorials of events or for the celebration of ,pagan rites1 on one of which he inscribed the name of ,jesus1 on another ,soter1 and on the third ,salvator1 along probably with the cross1 such as is seen on nearly every ,christian monument in ,ireland4 ,in the same way on two of five upright pillars in the parish of ,maroun1 ,isle of ,man1 are crosses deeply incised4 ,this spot is traditionally associated with ,st4 ,patrick as the place where he preached1 and the stones appear to be remains of a ,druidical circle4 ,footnote #ai3 ,christian ,inscriptions in the ,irish ,language4 ,collected by ,george ,petrie1 and edited by ,miss ,m4 ,stokes4 ,this practice is quite consistent with the principles upon which the ,christian conversion was established by the early missionaries4 ,thus1 ,gregory1 in a letter from ,rome1 in #fja1 directed that the idolatrous temples in ,england should not be destroyed1 but turned into ,christian churches1 in order that the people might be induced to resort to their customary places of worship2 and they were even allowed to kill cattle as sacrifices to ,god1 as had been their practice in their previous idolatry4 ,hence also arose the system of establishing new churches on the sites previously held as consecrated by heathen worship4 ,of the five old gravestones in the ,british ,museum1 four are from ,ireland and one from ,fardell in ,devonshire4 ,the ,fardell stone was found about the year #ahej1 acting as a footbridge across a small brook at ,fardell1 near ,ivybridge1 ,devonshire--a district once inhabited by a ,celtic tribe4 ,it is of coarse granite1 #f ft4 #c in4 high1 #b ft4 #i in4 broad1 and from #g to #i inches thick4 ,it bears an ,ogam inscription on two angles of the same face1 and debased ,roman characters on the front and back4 ,it reads1 according to ,mr4 ,brash1 in the ,ogam1 ,safagguc the son of ,cuic2 and1 in the ,roman1 ,fanon the son of ,rian4 ,the three ,irish ,ogam stones were presented to the ,british ,museum by ,colonel ,a4 ,lane ,fox1 ,f4,s4,a41 who dug them out of an ancient fort at ,roovesmore1 near ,kilcrea1 on the ,cork ,railway1 where they were forming the roof of a subterranean chamber4 ,no4 #a cannot be positively deciphered or translated2 ,no4 #b is inscribed to the son of ,falaman1 who lived in the eighth century1 and also to the son of ,erca1 one of a family of ,kings and ,bishops who flourished in the ancient kingdom of ,ireland2 and ,no4 #c1 which is damaged1 is supposed to have been dedicated to a ,bishop ,usaille1 about ,a4,d4 #ded4 ,all the stones came probably from some cemetery in the district in which they were found4 ,it has been remarked that the distribution of these old stones marks clearly the ancient history of our islands2 their frequency or rarity in each case corresponding accurately with the relations existing in remote times between ,ireland on the one side1 and ,wales1 ,cornwall1 and ,scotland on the other4 ,further enquiry into the subject is scarcely to be expected in this rudimentary work4 ,to seek for the germ of the gravestone is indeed a far quest4 ,like the ignis fatuus1 it recedes as we seem to approach it4 ,in the sculpture galleries of the ,british ,museum there are several examples preserved to us from the ancient ,empire of ,assyria1 and one described as the ,monolith of ,shahnaneser ,,ii41 ,king of ,assyria1 ,b4,c4 #hej1 is almost the exact counterpart of the headstones which are in vogue to-day4 ,it stands #e ft4 #f in4 high1 is #b ft4 #i in4 wide1 and #h inches thick4 ,like the ,scottish stones of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it is inscribed on both faces4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,regulation ,,of ,,gravestones4 ,it has been already pointed out1 and is probably well known1 that the clergyman of the parish church has possessed from immemorial time the prerogative of refusing to allow in the churchyard under his control any monument1 gravestone1 design1 or epitaph which is1 in his opinion1 irreverent1 indecorous1 or in any way unbecoming the solemnity and sanctity of the place4 ,this authority1 wherever exercised1 has been subject to the higher jurisdiction of the ,diocesan ,bishop1 and presumably to the rule of the ,ecclesiastical ,courts2 but1 as we have seen1 the authority has been but indifferently employed1 and the inference is that the clergy have in times past been wofully ignorant or lamentably careless as to their powers and obligations4 ,a more healthy system now prevails1 and we seldom or never find anything in the way of ornament1 emblem1 or inscription of an offensive or ridiculous character placed in any of our burial-grounds1 the ,burial ,boards being as strict and watchful over the cemeteries as the rectors and vicars are in the management of the churchyards4 ,nor has there been1 so far as we have gone1 any difficulty in reconciling this stringency of supervision with the ,acts of ,parliament which have been passed in recognition of religious equality at the grave2 and it is not too much to hope that there is in the present day such universal prevalence of good taste and propriety under the solemnity of death as to ensure concurrence among all sects and parties in securing decorum in all things relating to interments4 ,to the incongruities which have been left to us as legacies from our ancestors we may be indulgent4 ,they are landmarks of the generations which created them1 and records of times and manners which we would fain believe that we have left behind in these days of better education and better thought4 ,they are therefore of value to us as items of history1 and1 though we would not repeat many of them1 we shall preserve them1 not only because we reverence the graves of our forefathers1 but because they are entitled to our protection as ancient monuments4 ,however uncouth they may be in design or expression1 they must be tolerated for their age4 ,it cannot be denied that some of them try our patience1 in the epitaphs even more perhaps than in the carvings1 and merely mock whom they were meant to honour4 ,two out of a vast number may be selected as painful evidences of a departed century's tombstone ribaldry4 ,the first1 from a village near ,bath1 is a deplorable mixture of piety and profanity1 sentiment and vulgarity3 ,to the memory of ,thomas and ,richard ,fry1 stonemasons1 who were crushed to death1 ,aug4 the #beth1 #aggf1 by the slipdown of a wall they were in the act of building4 ,thomas was #ai and ,richard #ba years4 ,they were lovely and pleasant in their lives1 and in death were not divided4 ,blessed are they that die in the ,lord1 for their works follow them4 ,a sacred ,truth3 now learn our awful fate4 ,dear ,friends1 we were first cousins1 and what not3 ,to toil as masons was our humble lot4 ,as just returning from a house of call1 ,the parson bade us set about his wall4 ,flush'd with good liquor1 cheerfully we strove ,to place big stones below and big above2 ,we made too quick work--down the fabric came2 ,it crush'd our vitals3 people call'd out shame6 ,but we heard nothing1 mute as fish we lay1 ,and shall lie sprawling till the judgment day4 ,from our misfortune this good moral know-- ,never to work too fast nor drink too slow4 ,the other is at ,cray ford1 and is as follows3 ,here lieth the body of ,peter ,isnet1 #cj years clerk of this parish4 ,he lived respected as a ,pious and a ,mirthful ,man1 and died on his way to church to assist at a wedding on the #cast day of ,march #ahaa1 aged #gj years4 ,the inhabitants of ,crayford have raised this stone to his cheerful memory and as a ,tribute to his ,long and ,faithful ,services4 ,the age of this clerk was just three score and ten1 ,nearly half of which time he had sung out ,amen6 ,in his youth he was married1 like other young men1 ,but his wife died one day1 and he chanted ,amen6 ,a second he took4 ,she departed3 what then8 ,he married and buried a third1 with ,amen6 ,thus his joys and his sorrows were ,treble1 but then1 ,his voice was deep ,bass as he sung out ,amen6 ,on the ,horn he could blow as well as most men1 ,so his horn was exalted in blowing ,amen6 ,but he lost all his wind after ,three ,score and ,ten1 ,and here with ,three ,wives he waits till again ,the trumpet shall rouse him to sing out ,amen6 ,the habit of imitation which we have noticed in the masonry of the gravestone is even more pronounced in the epitaphs4 ,one of the most familiar verses is that which usually reads3 ,affliction sore long time ,i bore1 ,physicians were in vain1 ,till ,death did seize and ,god did please ,to ease me of my pain4 ,these lines1 however1 have undergone variations out of number1 a not infrequent device being to adapt them to circumstances by such changes as-- ,affliction sore short time ,i bore1 etc4 ,the same idea has an extended application at the grave of ,joseph ,crate1 who died in #ahje1 aged #db years1 and is buried at ,hendon ,churchyard3 ,affliction sore long time ,i bore1 ,physicians were in vain3 ,my children dear and wife1 whose care ,assuaged my every pain1 ,are left behind to mourn my fate3 ,then ,christians let them find ,that pity which their case excites ,and prove to them most kind4 ,but the most startling perversion of the original text ,i saw in the churchyard at ,saundersfoot1 ,south ,wales1 where the stone-carver had evidently had his lesson by dictation1 and made many original mistakes1 the most notable of which was in the second line3-- ,affliction sore long time ,i bore1 ,anitions were in vain1 etc4 ,the following from ,hyden1 ,yorkshire1 is remarkable3 ,william ,strutton1 of ,padrington1 buried #ahth ,may1 #agcd1 aged #ig years1 who had by his first wife #bh children1 by his second1 #ag3 was own father to #de1 grandfather to #hf1 great-grandfather to #bc2 in all #aed children4 ,witty tombstones1 even when they are not vulgar1 are always in bad taste4 ,two well-known instances may suffice-- ,on ,dr4 ,walker1 who wrote a book on ,english ,particles3 ,here lie ,walker's ,particles4 ,on ,dr4 ,fuller3 ,here lies ,fuller's ,earth4 ,the same misplaced jocularity must be accountable for an enigmatical inscription at ,st4 ,andrew's1 ,worcester1 on the tomb of a man who died in #aghj1 aged #fe years3 ,h4,l4,t4,b4,o4 ,r4,w4 ,i4,h4,o4,a4,j4,r4 ,this1 we are told1 should be read as follows3 ,here lyeth the ,body of ,richard ,weston ,in hope of a ,joyful ,resurrection4 ,rhymed epitaphs have a history almost contemporaneous with that of the old gravestones1 having their flourishing period between the middle of the seventeenth century and the early part of the nineteenth century4 ,they were little used in ,england prior to the reign of ,james the ,first1 and it is supposed that ,mary1 ,queen of ,scots1 brought the custom from ,france4 ,she is also said to have been an adept at composing epitaphs1 and some attributed to her are extant4 ,it may be suspected also that other inventors have written a vast number of the more or less apocryphal elegies which go to make up the many books of epitaphs which have been published2 but this is a point wide of our subject1 and we must be careful in our ,rambles that we do not go astray4 ,,index4 ,abbotts1 ,stapleford1 #dg4 ,aberdeen1 #hi4 ,aberystwith1 #ca4 ,absalom's ,pillar1 #ih4 ,acts of ,parliament1 #eh1 #ei4 ,afghanistan1 #fb4 ,agricultural gravestones1 #cb1 #cc1 #cd4 ,amazon1 privateer ship1 #ha4 ,america1 #eh4 ,anglo-,saxon ,churches1 #ch4 ,artizaus' gravestones1 #ca4 ,ashford1 #bc4 ,assyrian tomb1 #ajd4 ,atkinson1 ,g4 ,m41 on ,ogams4 #ig4 ,balbriggan1 #gi4 ,bangor1 ,ireland1 #hj1 #ha4 ,barking1 #dc4 ,barnes1 #cb4 ,barnet1 #df1 #gf4 ,barra1 #aja1 #ajb4 ,bath1 #ajf4 ,beckenham1 #cc4 ,belfast1 #gh4 ,belgium1 #ia4 ,benenden1 #af4 ,bermondsey1 #bi4 ,bethnal ,green1 #fe4 ,bexley1 #da1 #db4 ,bishop of diocese1 #gc4 ,black gravestones1 #gf4 ,blackheath1 #ch4 ,blacksmith1 village1 #ca4 ,blackwood's ,magazine1 #ge4 ,blairgowrie1 #hh4 ,board of ,health1 #ei4 ,bodiam1 #af4 ,book of ,common ,prayer1 #ed4 ,boutell's ,monuments1 #cf4 ,braemar1 #hf1 #hi4 ,brandeston1 ,suffolk1 #ef4 ,brash on ,ogams1 #ig1 #ajc4 ,bressay stone1 #ajj4 ,bretons1 #fb1 #fc4 ,bricklayer's gravestone1 #cc4 ,british ,museum1 #ii1 #ajc1 #ajd4 ,britons1 aboriginal1 #ej4 ,bromley1 #cc4 ,broxbourne1 #de4 ,buckhurst ,hill1 #de4 ,bunhill ,fields graveyard1 #bf1 #bg4 ,burial in churches1 #ea4 ,burial ,service1 #ed4 ,burke1 ,edmund1 #ea4 ,cesar1 #ej4 ,carmichael1 ,mr41 #aja4 ,carpenters' gravestones1 #ca1 #cb4 ,cattle in churchyards1 #ee4 ,chalk1 parish of1 #ac1 #ad4 ,champion1 ,s41 #da4 ,cheltenham1 #fh4 ,cheshunt1 #bb1 #fi4 ,chigwell1 #df4 ,chinese1 #fb4 ,chingford1 #de4 ,chiselhurst1 #ai4 ,christian burial1 #ej4 ,city ,corporation1 #eh4 ,clarkson1 ,d4,a41 #fa4 ,cliffe1 #ba4 ,closing graveyards1 #ei1 #fj4 ,clubbe1 ,rev4 ,mr41 #ee4 ,cobham1 #ca4 ,colchester1 court at1 #ee4 ,colvill1 ,capt41 #ha4 ,commonwealth1 #ec4 ,continental gravestones1 #ia4 ,cooling parish1 #bc4 ,cornwall1 #ajj1 #ajd4 ,covenanters1 #hd1 #hf4 ,cranbrook1 #af1 #dh4 ,crayford1 #ag1 #ajg4 ,cray ,valley1 #ch4 ,culbinsgarth1 ,shetland1 #ajj4 ,cuthbert1 ,archbishop1 #di4 ,darenth1 #ba4 ,dartford1 #f1 #g1 #ba1 #bd1 #cc4 ,deptford1 #dd4 ,destruction of gravestones1 #ge4 ,devonshire1 #ajj1 #ajc4 ,dickens country1 #aa4 ,diocesan ,chancellor1 #gc4 ,disused graveyards1 #ga4 ,drogheda1 #hj4 ,drury ,lane1 #eh4 ,dublin1 #gh2 ,museum1 #ii4 ,dunblane1 #hi4 ,dundee1 #hg4 ,early churchyards1 #di4 ,east ,ham1 #bd4 ,east ,wickham1 #aj1 #bd4 ,edgware1 #df4 ,edinburgh ,museum1 #ii4 ,edward ,,vi41 #eb4 ,elgin1 #hi4 ,elizabeth1 ,queen1 #eb4 ,elphin1 #ajb4 ,epitaphs1 #d1 #ha1 #ajf4 ,epping ,forest1 #dc1 #de4 ,erith1 #ab4 ,essex1 #dc1 #df4 ,evolution of gravestones1 #i4 ,expense of preserving graveyards1 #gc4 ,fardell stone1 #ajc4 ,farnborough1 #ah4 ,fawkham1 #bb4 ,figure #d reversed1 #hg4 ,finchley1 #ah4 ,foot's ,cray1 #da4 ,fox1 ,col41 #ajc4 ,france1 #ia1 #aji2 graveyards in1 #eg4 ,freemasons1 #bi4 ,frindsbury1 #ac1 #cb4 ,fuller1 ,dr41 epitaph1 #ajh4 ,gardener's gravestone1 #cd4 ,gaskell's ,prymer1 #ed4 ,germany1 #ia1 #ib1 #ie1 #if4 ,goudhurst1 #af4 ,goudie1 ,g1 #aja4 ,gravediggers1 #fd4 ,graves1 ,dr41 #ajj4 ,gravesend1 #ba1 #cd4 ,gravestones1 abroad1 #ia2 agricultural1 #cb2 artizans'1 #ca2 bricklayer's1 #cc2 black1 #gf2 carpenters'1 #ca1 #cb2 evolution of1 #i2 destruction of1 #ge2 gardener's1 #cd2 grotesque1 #aj-af2 hunting1 #cf2 incised1 #aa2 ,kentish1 peculiar1 #bb2 neglected1 #fd1 #ga2 ornamented1 #c1 #gj1 #ga2 preservation of1 #fb1 #ga2 primitive1 #ab2 professional1 #ca2 rough1 #gh1 #hf2 schoolmaster's1 #cc2 sinking1 #fd2 unhewn1 #gh1 #hf2 very old1 #ig4 ,graveyards1 closing of1 #ei2 disused1 #ga2 early1 #di2 preserving1 #eg2 preservation expenses1 #gc4 ,greenford1 #cd4 ,gregory1 ,pope1 #ajc4 ,grotesque gravestones1 #aj-af4 ,gusthorp1 ancient coffin at1 #ej4 ,ham1 ,east1 #bd4 ,ham1 ,west1 #f1 #cd1 #dd4 ,harrow-on-the-,hill1 #cd4 ,hartley1 ,kent1 #ai4 ,hatfield1 #ag4 ,hawkhurst1 #af4 ,hebrides1 #aja4 ,heidelberg1 #ic1 #ie4 ,hendon1 #bc1 #bd1 #ff1 #ie1 #ajh4 ,henry ,,viii41 #eb4 ,higham1 #aa1 #ac4 ,high ,halstow1 #ab1 #ac4 ,hoo1 #aa1 #ab4 ,hornsey1 #ah1 #ai1 #ff4 ,horton ,kirby1 #bj1 #ba4 ,house of ,commons1 #eh4 ,howff1 ,dundee1 #hg4 ,hunting gravestones1 #cf4 ,hyden1 ,yorkshire1 #ajh4 ,incised stones1 #aa4 ,inverness1 #he1 #hi4 ,iona1 #aja4 ,ireland1 #gh1 #ij1 #ii1 #ajj1 #ajb1 #ajd4 ,irish monuments1 #ajb4 ,isle of ,man1 #ajb4 ,isnet1 ,peter1 #ajg4 ,ivybridge1 ,devonshire1 #ajc4 ,jacob and ,rachel1 #ig4 ,james ,i41 #aji4 ,jaw1 the lower1 #ag1ah4 ,jewish burial-ground1 #di4 ,keith1 ,scotland1 #hi4 ,kent1 tramps in1 #ce4 ,kentish gravestones1 peculiar1 #bb4 ,keston1 #fd4 ,kilbar1 ,barra1 #aja4 ,killaghie1 #hb4 ,killarney1 #gh1 #hb4 ,kingsdown1 #bb4 ,kingston-on-,thames1 #gf1 #gg4 ,kirke ,white1 #ge4 ,lambourn1 #dg4 ,laufen1 ,zurich1 #ia1 #ib4 ,lee1 ,kent1 #bb1 #ch4 ,letheringham1 ,suffolk1 #ee4 ,lewes1 ,sussex1 #d1 #e4 ,lewisham1 #ag1 #bf4 ,limerick1 ,bishop of1 #ajj4 ,london1 #bh1 #bi1 #eh1 #ei1 #ff1 #ii4 ,london ,county ,council1 #fj4 ,longfield1 #bh1 #bi4 ,louis ,,xvi41 #eg4 ,lucerne1 #id4 ,lunnasting1 ,shetland1 #ajj4 ,lydd1 #bi4 ,magh ,solga1 #ajb4 ,malahide1 #gi4 ,maroun1 ,isle of ,man1 #ajb4 ,mary1 ,queen of ,scots1 #aji4 ,medway ,marshes1 #bc4 ,meopham1 #af4 ,metropolitan ,board of ,works1 #fj4 ,moorish graveyards1 #fb4 ,muckross ,abbey1 #hb4 ,neglected gravestones1 #fd1 #ga4 ,neuhausen1 #ib1 #ic4 ,newhaven1 #a1 #b1 #c1 #d1 #ba4 ,new ,zealand1 #fb4 ,nightcap on skull1 #ah4 ,norse memorial1 #ajb4 ,north ,cray1 #da4 ,northolt1 ,middlesex1 #ga4 ,ogam inscriptions1 #ig1 #ajj1 #ajc4 ,old ,romney1 #ag4 ,ornaments on gravestones1 #c1 #gj1 #ga4 ,orpington1 #ch1 #ci4 ,padrington1 #ajh4 ,paganism1 #ej1 #fg1 #ih1 #ajb4 ,paris1 burial reform1 #eg4 ,pennant1 #he1 #hg4 ,penry1 ,j41 a ,welshman1 #ec4 ,pre la ,chaise1 #eg4 ,petrie1 ,dr41 #ajb4 ,phoenicians1 #aja4 ,pickwick ,papers1 #ca4 ,plumstead1 #e1 #fe4 ,portrush1 #gh4 ,port ,victoria1 #ab4 ,prayer ,book1 #ed4 ,preservation of gravestones1 #fb1 #ga4 ,primitive gravestones1 #ab4 ,professional gravestones1 #ca4 ,public ,gardens ,association1 #fj4 ,puritans1 #ec1 #ed4 ,queen ,elizabeth1 #eb4 ,queen of ,scots1 ,mary1 #aji4 ,queenstown1 #gh1 #hb4 ,rachel and ,jacob1 #ig4 ,rector's prerogative1 #gc1 #aje4 ,reform of graveyards1 #eg1 #ff4 ,rhine ,falls1 #ia4 ,richmond1 #bi1 #cj1 #de4 ,ridley1 #aj4 ,ripley1 #cj1 #de4 ,rochester1 #ac1 #cb4 ,roden1 ,river1 #dg4 ,roman ,catholic gravestones in ,scotland1 #hf4 ,romans1 #di1 #aja4 ,romney ,marsh1 #bi4 ,romney1 ,old1 #ag4 ,roovesmore1 ,ireland1 #ajc4 ,rough gravestones1 #gh1 #hf4 ,round ,tower1 #gh4 ,royal ,artillery1 #bg4 ,rubbings of gravestones1 #ac4 ,runic inscriptions1 #hc1 #aja1 #ajb1 #ajc4 ,rush1 ,ireland1 #gi4 ,st4 ,mary ,cray1 #dj4 ,st4 ,oswald1 ,york1 #bg4 ,st4 ,patrick1 #ajb4 ,st4 ,paul's ,cray1 #da4 ,saundersfoot1 ,wales1 #ajh4 ,scandinavia1 #ajb4 ,schaffhausen1 #ie4 ,schoolmaster's gravestone1 #cc4 ,scotland1 #hd1 #ajj1ajd2 antiquities1 #ii2 sculptured stones of1 #ig4 ,scots ,greys1 #bg4 ,sculptured stones of ,scotland1 #ig4 ,sects of sixteenth century1 #ec4 ,sexton1 the village1 #cf1 #fd1 #ge4 ,shahnaneser ,,ii4 of ,assyria1 #ajd4 ,shetland1 #ajj4 ,shoreham1 #ag4 ,shorne1 #ac1 #ad1 #dg1 #dh4 ,sinking gravestones1 #fd4 ,sir ,benjamin ,brodie1 #ei4 ,sir ,benjamin ,hall's ,act1 #eh4 ,skulls1 grotesque1 #aa4 ,slate slabs1 #gf1 #hj4 ,snargate1 #bd4 ,southfleet1 #be1 #dh4 ,stanstead1 #af4 ,stapleford ,abbotts1 #dg4 ,stapleford ,tawney1 #bb1 #dg1 #dh4 ,stephens1 ,dr4 ,g41 #hc1 #ajb4 ,stirling1 ,scotland1 #hg1 #hh4 ,stokes1 ,miss ,m41 #ajb4 ,stone's 7,mrs47 ,god's ,acre1 #fb4 ,stuart1 ,professor ,j41 #ig1 #ih1 #ii4 ,sunda ,isles1 #fb4 ,sutton at ,hone1 #cc4 ,swanscombe1 #bc4 ,switzerland1 #ia1 #ib4 ,swords1 ,ireland1 #gh4 ,table tombs1 #hf1 #hi4 ,tawney1 ,stapleford1 #bb1 #dg1 #dh4 ,teddington1 #ah4 ,thames1 ,upper1 #bi4 ,theydon ,bois1 #df4 ,tipper ale1 #c4 ,tombs1 age of1 #ea4 ,totteridge1 #df4 ,tramps in ,kent1 #ce4 ,tramps1 typical1 #ce1 #dc4 ,turks' graveyards1 #fb4 ,twickenham1 #bi1 #ga4 ,usaille1 ,bishop1 #ajd4 ,very old gravestones1 #ig4 ,victory over ,death1 #a1 #bj1 #ba4 ,villages and cities1 #bh4 ,wales1 #ge1 #gf1 #ajd1 #ajh4 ,walker1 ,dr41 epitaph1 #ajh4 ,walker1 ,dr4 ,g4,a41 #eh4 ,walthamstow1 #de4 ,wanstead1 #be1 #dd1 #de4 ,warwickshire1 #ge4 ,weald of ,kent1 #af4 ,weever1 antiquary1 #ce1 #eb1 #ec4 ,west ,ham1 #f1 #cd1 #dd4 ,west ,wickham1 #ai1 #bi4 ,white1 ,kirke1 #ge4 ,wickham1 ,east1 #aj1 #bd4 ,wickham1 ,west1 #ai1 #bi4 ,widcombe1 ,bath1 #c4 ,wilmington1 #bd1 #be 7#b74 ,woolwich1 #bd1 #bg1 #dc1 #dd4 ,worcester1 #aji4 ,york1 #bg4 ,zurich1 ,canton1 #ia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,now ,,ready1 ,in ,eighteen ,one ,shilling ,parts1 or bound in ,two handsome ,volumes at #bes4 ,,the ,,records ,,of ,,the ,,woolwich ,,district4 ,,by ,w4,t4 ,,vincent1 ,president of the ,woolwich ,antiquarian ,society4 ,comprising ,woolwich1 ,plumstead1 ,charlton1 ,shooters' ,hill1 ,westcombe ,park1 ,eltham1 ,abbey ,wood1 ,belvedere1 ,erith1 and ,bexley4 ,,with ,,five ,,hundred ,,illustrations4 ,the ,work is ,dedicated1 by permission1 to ,h4,r4,h4 ,,prince ,,arthur1 ,,duke ,,of ,,connaught1 and has been graciously accepted by ,,her ,,majesty ,,the ,,queen and ,h4,r4,h4 ,,the ,,prince ,,of ,,wales4 ,it has also been universally extolled in the ,press1 from which the following are a few extracts3-- ,,the ,,records ,,of ,,woolwich4--,mr4 ,freeman long ago suggested that it would be a useful division of labour if separate towns and districts were described by those in the several localities who had special knowledge on the subject1 and he himself led the way in carrying out the design4 ,of local guide-books so called there is no end1 but what is wanted in each case is an exhaustive history of the district1 its natural formation1 its antiquities1 and the many objects of interest that are sure to abound1 and that only want to be brought to light in order to form material for the future historian of the ,english nation4 ,this labour ,mr4 ,w4,t4 ,vincent proposes to perform for ,woolwich in a work which he entitles ',the ,records of the ,woolwich ,district4' ,mr4 ,vincent has been engaged in the task for twelve years4 ,this is the work of a writer who has studied his subject in all the places where information can be obtained4 ,the ,preface alone will gain the reader's attention1 even if the locality itself had no interest for him4 ,it appears that ,mr4 ,vincent had scented out the existence of a sealed packet of papers having reference to ,woolwich1 and1 after a long hunt1 ran the packet to earth in the ,british ,museum4 ,it was not until the authorities of the ,war ,office had deliberated for a month on the subject that ,mr4 ,vincent was allowed to see and open the packet1 which was more than a hundred years old1 and contained maps1 plans1 and views1 several of which he produces4--,the ,times4 ,we must resist the temptation to extract1 and conclude this notice by expressing our approval of the numerous facsimile reproductions of old prints illustrative of the text1 each on a leaf of plate paper1 while vignettes1 maps1 and plans are liberally dispersed through the letterpress1 which is executed by ,messrs4 ,virtue and ,co41 the well-known printers of the ,art ,journal4 ,as to the text1 the industry1 care1 research1 and observation expended shew that it has been a labour of love4 ,no prospect of profit could urge the production of such a work4 ,it is1 therefore1 doubly reliable as a contribution to the antiquarian1 topographical1 anecdotal1 pictorial1 and descriptive history of an interesting locality1 executed by a writer who is 'to the manner born4' ,we fully hope that ,mr4 ,thomas ,vincent1 whose name is not unknown in the literary world1 will reap his reward of fame and respect from his townsmen1 and of fair profit1 which his public spirit deserves4--,the ,morning ,advertiser4 ',the ,records of the ,woolwich ,district' deal with all the parishes which surround ,shooters' ,hill1 necessarily dwelling most fully upon the northern slope4 ,of ,shooters' ,hill itself1 and of all the other suburbs1 some novel and attractive tidings may be expected4--,the ,kentish ,independent4 ,there can be no doubt that such a work1 adequately and conscientiously executed1 is much needed1 and may be of great value4 ,it has been undertaken by ,mr4 ,vincent1 well known as a journalist in the locality1 and as the author of that useful directory ',warlike ,woolwich4' 444 ,the printing has been entrusted to ,messrs4 ,virtue and ,co41 the proprietors of the ,art ,journal1 a sufficient guarantee for its quality4 ,we are notified that there are over five hundred illustrations to be introduced1 including a series of maps and drawings1 included in the 'sealed packet1' and a hundred and fifty portraits of public persons1 past and present4 444 ,we hope the publication will command the success it deserves4 ,the object of the author is evidently not mere money-making2 he has undertaken the work from an earnest and enthusiastic desire to supply a worthy history of the locality with which he has been for his life connected1 and we congratulate him upon the excellent promise of his ,first ,number4--,the ,kentish ,mercury4 ,the elegance of the illustrations at once attracts attention4 ,the pictures1 not only in their abundance and their interest1 but in their exquisite presentment1 are really excellent4 ,take the first of them1 the charming view of ',pleasant ,little ,woolwich1' a steel plate engraved in #agih1 and now reproduced by photographic process4 ,the scene which it presents at a time when the author tells us this brick-covered1 hard-working1 dingy old town was a pretty village1 and actually a fashionable watering-place1 to which people came from ,london to recruit health1 as they now go to ,malvern and ,scarborough1 is delightful and refreshing beyond measure4 ,the whole of these illustrations are indeed full of agreeable contemplation and fruitful in speculation4444 ,he may honestly be congratulated on the product of his labours1 which1 he tells us1 have been his recreation for many years4 ,we can well believe it1 and assure him1 if he has any regrets at the impossibility of a pecuniary return1 that the satisfaction which his book will give will be a full reward4 ,such books seldom pay2 they are not expected to do so1 and any one may tell that there is no profit in the venture4 ,but it will supply a need1 and the writer's name will be handed down to posterity as having provided a very agreeable book4--,the ,woolwich ,gazette4 ,the neighbourhood1 rich as it is in historical material1 has hitherto met with scanty recognition from historians1 and we welcome ,mr4 ,vincent's efforts to supply the need1 and the generous spirit of his labours4 ,he has spared no pains to make the records complete4 ,patient research and much literary skill are combined in the letterpress and woodcuts1 engravings1 drawings1 and photographs1 with maps and plans1 which have been lavishly introduced by way of illustration4444 ,we content ourselves now with pointing out its great value and entertaining power4 ,the style is easy1 and the writer is happily successful in his endeavour to avoid any appearance of merely dry-as-dust research4--,the ,eltham1 ,sidcup1 and ,district ,times4 ,it is a work which should prove of vast interest in our district1 and we ought to say very far beyond it1 for there must be many who1 though not now residing in the area comprised in the ',records1' would be glad to possess the book on its existence becoming known4--,the ,erith ,times4 ,mr4 ,w4,t4 ,vincent's ',records of the ,woolwich ,district' is undoubtedly the first volume which pretends to give a full and concise history of the whole district4--,the ,bexley ,heath and ,erith ,observer4 99 99 99 99 99 ,order of ,mr4 ,w4,t4 ,,vincent1 #ahi ,burrage ,road1 ,woolwich2 of ,messrs4 ,,mitchell and ,,hughes1 #adj ,wardour ,street1 ,london1 ,w42 or of any ,bookseller4 ,,now ,,ready1 ,,volume ,,ii4 ,,of ,,the ,,kentish ,,note ,,book4 ,a ,,record ,,of ,,men1 ,,manners1 ,,things1 ,,and ,,events ,,connected ,,with ,,the ,,county ,,of ,,kent4 ,,edited ,,by ,g4,o4 ,,howell4 ,elegantly printed on toned paper1 and handsomely bound in green cloth1 gilt lettered1 #ddj pages1 demy octavo1 with ,frontispiece and several ,illustrations4 ,post free for #abs4 #f;d41 from ,g4,o4 ,,howell1 #baj ,eglinton ,road1 ,plumstead1 ,kent4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,extracts ,,from ,,press ,,notices4 ,one of the best works of the kind that has yet been given to us by the press4--,the ,kentish ,independent4 ,edited by ,mr4 ,g4,o4 ,howell1 which is in itself a guarantee of its excellence4--,rochester and ,chatham ,times4 ,the ,editor deserves to be complimented on the excellence of his production4--,gravesend and ,dartford ,reporter4 ,few antiquarian publications with which we are acquainted are more generally interesting or better conducted4--,cardiff ,weekly ,mail4 ,the information is gathered from all points of the compass in the county1 and is arranged with the care of a skilful and experienced hand4 --,chatham and ,rochester ,news4 ,the articles and notes present a rich fund of information1 which cannot fail to delight the archaeological mind1 and prove highly interesting to the general reader4--,gravesend ,journal4 ,,works ,,published ,,by ,,mitchell ,,and ,,hughes4 ,with ,illuminated ,plate of ,arms of the ,bishop of ,bath and ,wells and #aj other ,plates of ,arms1 etc4 ,imperial octavo1 #b #bs4 ,large ,paper ,copies1 #c #cs4 ,,wells ,,cathedral1 ,,its ,,monumental ,,inscriptions ,,and ,,heraldry4 ,,together ,,with ,,the ,,heraldry ,,of ,,the ,,palace1 ,,deanery1 ,,and ,,vicar',s ,,close4 ,by ,,arthur ,j4 ,,jewers4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,with ,,maps1 ,,portraits1 ,,views1 ,,and ,,coats ,,of ,,arms4 ,crown folio1 cloth4 ,volume ,i4 now ready1 price #c #ajs4 ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,island ,,of ,,antigua1 ,,in ,,the ,,west ,,indies1 ,,from #afce ,,to ,,the ,,present ,,time4 ,by ,,vere ,,langford ,,oliver1 ,m4,r4,c4,s41 ,l4,r4,c4,p4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,historical ,,introduction1 #afj ,,pages4 #hf ,,genealogies1 ,a ,,to ,f1 ,,with ,,index1 #caf ,,pages4 ,this ,volume1 issued at ,cost ,price1 has been limited to #aej ,copies4 99 99 99 99 99 ,crown folio1 ,roxburghe binding1 price #a #aes4 ,,the ,,history1 ,,description1 ,,and ,,antiquities ,,of ,,the ,,prevbendal ,,church ,,of ,,thame1 ,,the ,,county ,,and ,,diocese ,,of ,,oxford4 ,by ,,rev4 ,,frederick ,,george ,,lee1 ,d4,d41 ,f4,s4,a4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in crown octavo1 price #aes4 cloth4 ,,collectanea ,,cantiana3 ,,or ,,arch,,ological ,,researches ,,in ,,the ,,neighbourhood ,,of ,,sittingbourne1 ,,and ,,other ,,parts ,,of ,,kent4 ,by ,,george ,,payne1 ,f4,l4,s41 ,f4,s4,a4 ,,illustrated ,,by ,,photo-,,zincographs ,,from ,,the ,,author',s ,,drawings4 99 99 99 99 99 ,demy quarto1 a few copies at the reduced price of #a #es4 cloth4 ,,the ,,records ,,of ,,the ,,anglo-,,norman ,,house ,,of ,,glanville1 #ajej-ahhj4 ,with ,arms1 ,portraits1 ,coloured ,plates1 ,pedigrees1 etc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london3 ,,mitchell ,,and ,,hughes1 #adj ,,wardour ,,street1 ,w4 ,,under ,,the ,,patronage ,,of ,,her ,,majesty ,,the ,,queen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,third ,,series1 ,,enlarged ,,and ,,improved4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,published ,,quarterly4 ,superroyal octavo1 price #bs4 #f;d42 or by ,subscription1 #ajs4 #f;d4 per ,annum post free4 ,,miscellanea ,,genealogica ,,et ,,heraldica ,,illustrated ,,with ,,armorial ,,bookplates4 ,,edited ,,by ,,joseph ,,jackson ,,howard1 ,,ll4,d41 ,f4,s4,a41 ,maltravers ,herald ,extraordinary4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,press ,,opinions4 ,we have now before us the completion of the ,second ,series and the initial part of a new series1 to be published quarterly 4444 ,with regard to the new departure1 we are at one with those of ,dr4 ,howard's supporters who appear to have suggested the desirableness of such a change4444 ,we wish all prosperity to the ,third ,series1 so ably opened with the ,march quarter of the present year4--,notes and ,queries1 ,june #b1 #ahid4 ,that excellent and well-conducted journal1 ,miscellanea ,genealogica et ,heraldica1 has recently entered upon a new phase of its existence4444 ,we are pleased to bear testimony to the value of this periodical4--,journal of the ,ex ,libris ,society1 ,july1 #ahid4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,second ,,series--,,january #ahhd ,,to ,,december #ahic4 ,,vols4 ,i41 ,,ii41 ,,iii41 ,,iv41 and ,v41 complete1 with ,indexes1 in cloth1 price #a #es4 each1 or #e #ajs4 the set4 ,the ,numbers of this ,series are on sale1 price #as4 each4 ,,indexes1 etc41 to each ,volume1 separately1 price #gs4 #f;d4 ,cases1 #bs4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,press ,,opinions4 ,the volumes of the ,second ,series of our valued contemporary shew a good record of work on the ,editor's part in the necessarily difficult task of selection from the mass of material which comes to his hand4--,notes and ,queries4 ,the coloured plates given in the work are admirably executed1 and the whole bears evidence of having been prepared with care1 judgment1 and accuracy4--,morning ,post4 99 99 99 99 99 ,with elaborate ,indexes1 price #a #as4 each in cloth1 or #d the set4 ,,vols4 ,i41 ,,ii41 ,,iii41 ,,and ,,iv4 ,,of ,,new ,,series ,,of ,,miscellanea ,,genealogica ,,et ,,heraldica1 ,comprising ,memoranda relating to more than #ajjj ,families1 ,illustrated with upward of #ejj ,armorial ,bookplates1 ,engravings of ,arms1 ,autographs1 ,seals1 etc4 ,the ,numbers of this ,series are on sale1 price #i;d4 each4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,london3 ,,mitchell ,,and ,,hughes1 #adj ,,wardour ,,street1 ,w4