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Gravestones / Tombstones / Headstones & Epitaphs Thereon

I reckon that this bloke was gay and buried in the same grave as his partner, Iane, hence the code.
Could be that Iane stood for Jane - you rarely see Js on tombstones (an echo of Roman inscriptions?)

But she's described as consort, not wife, and I guess the stone dates from when 'Living in Sin' was taken more seriously than it is now.
 
Yes, never thought of that. I think however, that it was a bit late for a 'J' being replace by an 'I'. Consider also that the consort's name was Iaine. A spelling like that is hardly likely to be mistaken for Jane but such spelling to the name, Iaine, Iain, Ian, Ean, remains common in Scotland to htis day.
 
There's really no reply to this one...

Sacred to the Memory of
Major James Brush

Who was killed by the accidental discharge
of a pistol by his orderly.

Well done, good and faithful servant
 
Today I visited Gwennap. The map shows just a cross (for a church without spire or tower), and I expected yet another Methodist chapel, but in fact the church is much larger and much older. It also has a separate bell tower.

But its main glory is the graveyard, with elaborately carved tombstones and many trees. Very photogenic - I'm surprised it isn't more widely known. I only explored there briefly, and I know I missed a lot, but I did notice two gravestones which included carvings of two hands clasped as in a handshake, which is unusual in my experience.

ShakingHands.jpg


Does anyone know any more about this symbolism?
 
The instinct in all such cases, to be resisted, is to say 'it could be masonic', which of course it could...

However, a little googling (but without turning up any firm authority) suggests that the handshake represents leaving Earthly existence and welcoming the next life, while the spoked-wheel (not sure about the flower - possibly decorative) is suggestive of the cycle of life: birth - live - death - birth...

Does anyone know of a standard work on grave symbolism and epitaphs?

This may be of passing interest:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12978/12 ... 2978-h.htm
 
My first impression was that it could be "The sign of peace" that happens during a Roman Catholic mass (everybody does a little handshake with the people in their immediate vicinity and says "Peace be with you.")
 
Number_6_uk said:
My first impression was that it could be "The sign of peace" that happens during a Roman Catholic mass (everybody does a little handshake with the people in their immediate vicinity and says "Peace be with you.")

I thought that the "sign of peace" handshaking was a fairly recent thing in Christian churches i.e. introduced within the last 60 years (my lifetime so to speak). The gravestone looks considerably older than that.
But I may be wrong.

My immediate thought was "Masonic", too. I wonder if the deceased belonged to some sort of similar order -
"The Oddfellows" or !"The Buffs" or various others.
As theyithian said, it's the little flowery circle thing that needs real investigation.
 
That particular tombstone dates from 1902. And the church is CoE, not Catholic.
 
Recycled1 said:
"The Buffs" or various others.

I'd thought that was just a regimental nickname - is there a second group of which I'm unaware?
 
Yes -I only know about it because my late father in law belonged to it.
I gathered that it was vaguely similar to the Masons - but I wasn't told very much.
 
Anonymous~ said:
Over here in cemetaries the children's sections are often highly visible due to pinwheels, brightly colored balloons, things like that. People are rather limited with what they can do because the cemetaries have restrictive rules about what you can and can't plant on graves now, but they work around it.
Here's a post and pic I put on the other Graveyard thread:
http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewt ... 05#1012405
 
'Come and get your money': Spanish musician engraves tombstone with message to country's finance minister
Jose Maria Bejarano Martin delivers an angry message to the Spanish government from the grave
By Fiona Govan, Madrid
1:53PM BST 29 Aug 2014

A Spanish musician who died angry at the government’s tax policies sent a protest message from the grave directed at Cristobal Montoro, the country’s finance minister.
“Montoro, you -------, now come and get your money,” were the words chosen by Jose Maria Bejarano Martin to mark his grave in the village of San Pedro de Latarce, in the Castille y Leon region of northern Spain.

Before his death at the age of 66 last November, Mr Bejarano - known as “Chema” to his friends - gave clear instructions as to the message he wanted over his final resting place.
“When I die, I want you to put these words over my grave,” he told his wife and six children.

Mr Bejerano, a musician turned promoter, was spurred to take an “eternal dig” at Mr Montoro in protest at the decision by Spain’s conservative Popular Party government to raise VAT on cultural performances to 21 per cent.

A longtime supporter of PP, Mr Bejerano had become disillusioned with the party over their austerity measures.
“He felt let down when they introduced public spending cuts and tax hikes that directly harmed his business - like raising VAT on cultural events to 21 per cent,” his son, Eduardo, told El Norte de Castilla newspaper.
With outstanding debts for failing to pay his taxes and social security payments, the musician was declared insolvent.

A photograph of the epitaph has gone viral on Spanish social networking sites after being posted on Twitter last week.
The local mayor said the epitaph had sparked a “mini revolution” in the town of 533 residents.
“Personally, it is not how I would chose to make a protest, but each person is free to express themselves in their own way in a democracy,” said Mercedes Josefa de Castro, mayor of San Pedro de Latarce.
“It shows that he never lost his sense of humour, even in difficult times.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ister.html

:twisted:
 
I was in Whitby for the regatta this year, and while poking around I happened upon this cast iron grave marker:



It's a hollow box and the two bits of metal forming the top aren't attached to it, I nudged one and it slid a bit to reveal that the box has an opening in the top from one side to the other and about 3 inches wide... decided not to look in and put the lid back as I found it.

The only thing I can find about it is here which claims it's the grave of an engineer called George Chapman.
 
Baxtergate originally was completely residential until around 1700 and it is actually built on a sandbank with an old mooring post being discovered in the past during excavation. In the first part of the 19th century there was an iron foundry and an old Quay which belonged to Mr George Chapman who was buried under an iron cast tombstone in the old churchyard. Also currently you could find a clay pipe maker here by the name of Richard Hilton.

http://www.endeavourcottage.co.uk/whitby.html
 
I suppose this isn't strictly fortean, and I apologise for not having read through the thread entirely, but I'd be interested to see pictures of Very Old gravestones. This is the oldest I've ever snapped.... 1638, at Sweetheart Abbey in New Abbey, Scotland.

15001569877_27825f9fe2.jpg


(Full res version here.)
 
sweetnessbentdouble said:
I suppose this isn't strictly fortean, and I apologise for not having read through the thread entirely, but I'd be interested to see pictures of Very Old gravestones. This is the oldest I've ever snapped.... 1638, at Sweetheart Abbey in New Abbey, Scotland.

15001569877_27825f9fe2.jpg


(Full res version here.)

I recall several in Tullich Cemetery, near Ballater, Aberdeenshire, that were so old and worn you could barely read the date and the curious aspect of them was a skull and crossbone motif that always made me assume that it must have been a pirate - in actual fact it has nothing to do with high seas skullduggery. I think that we figured out the date around 1700 something though. Would have to check my photos.

One listed here says 1630...
http://www.historyfromheadstones.com/index.php?id=541

And here is one from 1644 in Connecticut.
http://www.ctmuseumquest.com/wordpress/ ... 11/eh1.jpg

Presumably some of the country's cathedrals will have bodies interred that would have older dates on them but for an average run of the mill gravestone in a regular church I guess early 1600s is going to be pretty hard to beat.

The graveyards in Whitby and Scarborough I recall having some canny old ones too.

An interesting thing to look out for in future!
 
McAvennie_ said:
......Presumably some of the country's cathedrals will have bodies interred that would have older dates on them but for an average run of the mill gravestone in a regular church I guess early 1600s is going to be pretty hard to beat.

The graveyards in Whitby and Scarborough I recall having some canny old ones too.

An interesting thing to look out for in future!

This makes me feel a little more proud of my discovery! I compulsively snap graveyards wherever I go so I'll keep a a closer eye out from now on :)
 
sweetnessbentdouble said:
McAvennie_ said:
......Presumably some of the country's cathedrals will have bodies interred that would have older dates on them but for an average run of the mill gravestone in a regular church I guess early 1600s is going to be pretty hard to beat.

The graveyards in Whitby and Scarborough I recall having some canny old ones too.

An interesting thing to look out for in future!

This makes me feel a little more proud of my discovery! I compulsively snap graveyards wherever I go so I'll keep a a closer eye out from now on :)

Can't find my ones from Ballater but this one in Scarborough* is only 1777, so you have my record beat by some distance!

https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... e=548E3196

I love graveyards and cemeteries. So fascinating, whenever we have visitors the first thing I tell them to do is go to Pere Lachaise and the first thing they do is give me a weird look but they always leave saying that was one of their favourite places.

* Actually that one was Tynemouth, not Scarborough!
 
Ahh, I love Père Lachaise; I've been a few times over the years. I'm also quite fond of Montparnasse and (of course) the catacombs. Paris, in general, has my heart!

I like the skull & crossbones on your pic - very effective, though a shame it didn't indicate a life spent plundering and pillaging :)

My second oldest spot on this particular holiday was this one, only 1687 this time... I'm not sure whether this was Sweetheart Abbey or another we visited.

14511185890_2d26183bb8_z.jpg


(Full res version here)
 
sweetnessbentdouble said:
Ahh, I love Père Lachaise; I've been a few times over the years. I'm also quite fond of Montparnasse and (of course) the catacombs. Paris, in general, has my heart!

They all have their charms, Montmartre and Passy as well within the city centre have some interesting tombs.

Still never been to the catacombs, they are always closed or the line is too long when I've tried :(
 
McAvennie_ said:
Still never been to the catacombs, they are always closed or the line is too long when I've tried :(

The catacombs are well worth a visit - I was lucky enough to get there just after opening time one quiet day either just before or after Christmas, about 10 years ago. I don't recommend walking through on your own though, like I did :/
 
Nope, I certainly won't be going in alone! :lol:

I'm expecting visitor numbers to increase now because of the new film "As Above, So Below" so might have to wait a bit longer before braving them. Legally anyway, I still hope to one day finally pin down a friend of a friend who supposedly knows how to get to the raves they have down there! 8)
 
sweetnessbentdouble said:
Ah, yeh, I really hope the film's not awful, but sadly I think it will be :/

I think I would've preferred this to the rave.....popcorn over glosticks these days for me :) http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/secret ... is-photos/

Wow! Looks cool. Will have to keep my eyes and ears open for anything similar in the future! :)

One of the big old tombs in Pere Lachaise with the staircase down into the crypt would be perfect for something like this... Rearrange the coffins into benches. Perfect!
 
I found this earlier article in the local press - it gives more info on Emidy's interesting life. I'll try to get a pic of his gravestone next time I'm in Truro.

SLAVE FOUND FREEDOM THROUGH HIS MUSIC
11:00 - 27 July 2007

The colourful life of a black musician who escaped slavery and settled in the Westcountry is the subject of a talk at the Dartington International Summer School on Monday.

http://tinyurl.com/ypvtqu

(And next two posts.) Today:
Joseph Emidy: From slave fiddler to classical violinist
By Miles Davis BBC News Online
21 June 2015

The remarkable life of a former slave who became a pioneer of classical music has been commemorated.
The "genius" violinist Joseph Emidy, from West Africa, was enslaved for two long periods of his eventful life.
But having finally gained his freedom in 1799, Emidy became "Britain's first composer of the African diaspora".
His achievements were marked at Truro Cathedral on Sunday with the erection of a 'boss' - a painted wooden carving featuring a violin and a map of Africa.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-33211440
 
I seem to have been sleeping through rynner's 2007 posts about Emidy with his photograph of the grave. I wrote the following to help fill out the recent bbc article. I see the appeal for his music does not seem to have met with much success. Yet manuscripts do tend to be preserved, often badly described, if catalogued at all. Maybe we have not heard the last of Emidy!


Truro prided itself on its Assembly Rooms, which were an oasis of culture from the late 18th Century onwards.

The name "Truro Philharmonic Orchestra" made me raise an eyebrow: it appears online only in articles about Emidy presumably because it appears on the plaque in the Cathedral.

Some sources state that the Greek-derived term Philharmonic dates only from the foundation of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1813. However, it does appear that Truro had a Philharmonic Society as early as 1797.

The orchestra would have been quite small and made up of gentlemen amateurs reinforced as necessary by hired musicians. The Western Morning News has an article with more detail here.

Curiously, Emidy's second period of slavery came about when he was kidnapped by British Admiral Edward Pellew, who kept him as a musical slave aboard the Indefatigable for a period of seven years

The illustration which heads the article is quite telling as it depicts Emidy in livery and the WMN article includes the text of an advertisement which reveals his daily bread was earned by miscellaneous musical services to the Cornish gentry.

It is certainly a fascinating story but Emidy's further ambitions were capped,

"During his 30 years in Cornwall he was a popular composer, violinist and teacher, and his music was taken to London by Cornish-born anti-slavery activist James Silk Buckingham and given a hearing by critics. However, while many were impressed by the work, Buckingham was advised that Emidy should remain outside the capital’s music circles because of his colour and background."

Noting the lack of mention in the BBC article, I wondered what had become of Emidy's compositions. The WMN
confirmed my suspicions, "Yet while various artefacts survive, including concert advertisements, press reviews and his gravestone, not a note from his symphonies and concertos has ever been discovered."
 
Here's one for a Pitman - it was in the Bedlington Cemetery, where my Dads buried - such a small reminder of a life that was possibly visited by hardship all his life.


The surname was one shared by my Grandma, which made it more personally poignant


IMG_6867_edited-1.jpg
.
 
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