The Project Gutenberg EBook of Curious Epitaphs, by Various

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org


Title: Curious Epitaphs

Author: Various

Editor: William Andrews

Release Date: April 25, 2012 [EBook #39532]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CURIOUS EPITAPHS ***




Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
generously made available by The Internet Archive.)

CURIOUS EPITAPHS.

MARTYRS’ MONUMENT, EDINBURGH.

Curious
Epitaphs

Collected and Edited with Notes

By William Andrews

LONDON:
WILLIAM ANDREWS & CO., 5, FARRINGDON AVENUE, E.C.
1899.

THIS BOOK IS
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF
CUTHBERT BEDE, B.A.,
Author of “Verdant Green,” etc.,
AS A TOKEN OF GRATITUDE FOR
LITERARY ASSISTANCE AND SYMPATHY
GIVEN IN YEARS AGONE,
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
W. A.

Preface.

Contents.

[Pg 1]

CURIOUS EPITAPHS.

Epitaphs on Tradesmen.

Many interesting epitaphs have been placed to the memory of tradesmen. Often they are not of an elevating character, nor highly poetical, but they display the whims and oddities of men. We will first present a few relating to the watch and clock-making trade. The first specimen is from Lydford churchyard, on the borders of Dartmoor:—

Here lies, in horizontal position,
the outside case of
George Routleigh, Watchmaker;
Whose abilities in that line were an honour
to his profession.
Integrity was the Mainspring, and prudence the
Regulator,
of all the actions of his life.
Humane, generous, and liberal,
his Hand never stopped
till he had relieved distress.
[Pg 2]So nicely regulated were all his motions,
that he never went wrong,
except when set a-going
by people
who did not know his Key;
even then he was easily
set right again.
He had the art of disposing his time so well,
that his hours glided away
in one continual round
of pleasure and delight,
until an unlucky minute put a period to
his existence.
He departed this life
Nov. 14, 1802,
aged 57:
wound up,
in hopes of being taken in hand
by his Maker;
and of being thoroughly cleaned, repaired,
and set a-going
in the world to come.

In the churchyard of Uttoxeter, a monument is placed to the memory of Joseph Slater, who died November 21st, 1822, aged 49 years:—

Our next is from Berkeley, Gloucestershire:—

The following is from Bolsover churchyard, Derbyshire:—

Here
lies, in a horizontal position, the outside
case of
Thomas Hinde,
Clock and Watch-maker,
Who departed this life, wound up in hope of
being taken in hand by his Maker, and being
thoroughly cleaned, repaired, and set a-going
in the world to come,
On the 15th of August, 1836,
In the 19th year of his age.

Respecting the next example, Mr. Edward Walford, M.A., wrote to the Times as follows: Close to the south-western corner of the parish[Pg 4] churchyard of Hampstead there has long stood a square tomb, with a scarcely decipherable inscription, to the memory of a man of science of the last century, whose name is connected with the history of practical navigation. The tomb, having stood there for more than a century, had become somewhat dilapidated, and has lately undergone a careful restoration at the cost and under the supervision of the Company of Clock-makers, and the fact is recorded in large characters on the upper face. The tops of the upright iron railings which surround the tomb have been gilt, and the restored inscription runs as follows:—

In an epitaph in High Wycombe churchyard, life is compared to the working of a clock. It runs thus:—

We have some curious specimens of engineers’ epitaphs. A good example is copied from the churchyard of Bridgeford-on-the-Hill, Notts:—

Our next is on a railway engine-driver, who died in 1840, and was buried in Bromsgrove churchyard:—

In the Ludlow churchyard is a headstone to the memory of John Abingdon “who for forty years drove the Ludlow stage to London, a trusty servant, a careful driver, and an honest man.” He died in 1817, and his epitaph is as follows:—

The epitaph we next give is on the driver of the coach that ran between Aylesbury and London, by the Rev. H. Bullen, Vicar of Dunton, Bucks, in whose churchyard the man was buried:—

Lord Byron wrote on John Adams, carrier, of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, an epitaph as follows:—

On Hobson, the famous University carrier, the following lines were written:—

In Trinity churchyard, Sheffield, formerly might be seen an epitaph on a bookseller, as follows:—

The following epitaph was written on James Lackington, a celebrated bookseller, and eccentric character:—

At Rugby, on Joseph Cave, Dr. Hawksworth wrote:—

The well-known blacksmith’s epitaph, said to be written by the poet Hayley, may be found in many churchyards in this country. It formed the[Pg 12] subject of a sermon delivered on Sunday, the 27th day of August, 1837, by the then Vicar of Crich, Derbyshire, to a large assembly. We are told that the vicar appeared much excited, and read the prayers in a hurried manner. Without leaving the desk, he proceeded to address his flock for the last time; and the following is the substance thereof: “To-morrow, my friends, this living will be vacant, and if any one of you is desirous of becoming my successor he has now an opportunity. Let him use his influence, and who can tell but he may be honoured with the title of Vicar of Crich. As this is my last address, I shall only say, had I been a blacksmith, or a son of Vulcan, the following lines might not have been inappropriate:—

If you expect anything more, you are deceived; for I shall only say, Friends, farewell, farewell!” The effect of this address was too visible to pass unnoticed. Some appeared as if awakened from a[Pg 13] fearful dream, and gazed at each other in silent astonishment; others for whom it was too powerful for their risible nerves to resist, burst into boisterous laughter, while one and all slowly retired from the scene, to exercise their future cogitations on the farewell discourse of their late pastor.

From Silkstone churchyard we have the following on a potter and his wife:—

On a poor woman who kept an earthenware shop at Chester, the following epitaph was composed:—

Our next is from the churchyard of Aliscombe, Devonshire:—

In the old churchyard of Bullingham, on the gravestone of a builder, the following lines appear:—

In Colton churchyard, Staffordshire, is a mason’s tombstone decorated with carving of square and[Pg 15] compass, in relief, and bearing the following characteristic inscription:—

In the churchyard of Longnor, the following quaint epitaph is placed over the remains of a carpenter:—

Here are some witty lines on a carpenter[Pg 16] named John Spong, who died 1739, and is buried in Ockham churchyard:—

Our next is from Hessle, near Hull, and is said to have been inscribed on a tombstone placed over the remains of George Prissick, plumber and glazier:—

On a dyer, from the church of St. Nicholas, Yarmouth, we have as follows:—

[Pg 17]In Sleaford churchyard, on Henry Fox, a weaver, the following lines are inscribed:—

Our next epitaph, from Weston, is placed over the remains of a useful member of society in his time:—

On an Oxford bellows-maker, the following lines were written:—

The next epitaph, on Joseph Blakett, poet and shoemaker of Seaham, is said to be from Byron’s pen:—

The following lines are on a cobbler:—

Respecting Robert Gray, a correspondent writes: He was a native of Taunton, and at an early age he lost his parents, and went to London to seek his fortune. Here, as an errand boy, he behaved so well, that his master took him apprentice, and afterwards set him up in business, by which he made a large fortune. In his old age he retired from trade and returned to Taunton, where he founded a hospital. On his monument is the following inscription:—

[Pg 19]

He died at the age of 65 years, in 1635.

In Rotherham churchyard the following is inscribed on a miller:—

On a Bristol baker we have the following:—

On the tomb of an auctioneer in the churchyard at Corby, in the county of Lincoln, is the following:—

In Wimbledon churchyard is the grave of John Martin, a natural son of Don John Emanuel, King of Portugal. He was sent to this country about the year 1712, to be out of the way of his friends, and after several changes of circumstances, ultimately became a gardener. It will be seen from the following epitaph that he won the esteem of his employers:—

The next is on the Tradescants, famous [Pg 22]gardeners and botanists at Lambeth. In 1657 Mr. Tradescant, junr., presented to the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, a remarkable cabinet of curiosities:—

We have here an epitaph on a grocer, culled from the Rev. C. W. Bardsley’s “Memorials of St. Anne’s Church,” Manchester. In a note about the name of Howard, the author says: “Poor John Howard’s friends gave him an unfortunate epitaph—one, too, that reflected unkindly upon his wife. It may still be seen in the churchyard.—Here lyeth the body of John Howard, who died Jan. 2, 1800, aged 84 years; fifty years a respectable grocer, and[Pg 23] an honest man. As it is further stated that his wife died in 1749, fifty years before, it would seem that her husband’s honesty dated from the day of her decease. Mrs. Malaprop herself, in her happiest moments, could not have beaten this inscription.”

[Pg 24]

Typographical Epitaphs.

The trade of printer is rich in technical terms available for the writer of epitaphs, as will be seen from the following examples.

Our first inscription is from St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster, placed in remembrance of England’s benefactor, the first English printer:—

To the memory of
William Caxton,
who first introduced into Great Britain
the Art of Printing;
And who, A.D. 1477 or earlier, exercised that art in the
Abbey of Westminster.
This Tablet,
In remembrance of one to whom the literature of this
country is so largely indebted, was raised,
anno Domini MDCCCXX.,
by the Roxburghe Club,
Earl Spencer, K.G., President.

In St. Giles’ Cathedral Church, Edinburgh, is the Chepman aisle, founded by the man who introduced printing into North Britain. Dr. William Chambers, by whose munificence this stately church was restored, had placed in the[Pg 25] aisle, bearing Chepman’s name, a brass tablet having the following inscription:—

To the Memory of
Walter Chepman,
designated the Scottish Caxton,
who under the auspices of James IV.
and his Queen, Margaret, introduced
the art of printing into Scotland
1507 founded this aisle in
honour of the King, Queen, and
their family, 1513. Died 1532.
This tablet is gratefully inscribed by
William Chambers, ll.d.

The next is in memory of one Edward Jones, ob. 1705, æt. 53. He was the “Gazette” Printer of the Savoy, and the following epitaph was appended to an elegy, entitled, “The Mercury Hawkers in Mourning,” and published on the occasion of his death:—

[Pg 26]It has been truthfully said that the life of Benjamin Franklin is stranger than fiction. He was a self-made man, gaining distinction as a printer, journalist, author, electrician, natural philosopher, statesman, and diplomatist. The “Autobiography and Letters of Benjamin Franklin” has been extensively circulated, and must ever remain a popular book; young men and women cannot fail to peruse its pages without pleasure and profit.

In collections of epitaphs and books devoted to literary curiosities, a quaint epitaph said to have been written by Franklin frequently finds a place. He was not, however, the original composer of the epitaph, but imitated it for himself. Jacob Tonson, a famous bookseller, died in 1735, and a Latin epitaph was written on him by an Eton scholar. It is printed in the Gentleman’s Magazine, February, 1736, with a diffuse paraphrase in English verse. The following is at all events a conciser version:—

The volume
of
his life being finished
here is the end of
Jacob Tonson.
Weep authors and break your pens;
[Pg 27]Your Tonson effaced from the book,
is no more,
but print the last inscription on the title
page of death,
for fear that delivered to the press
of the grave
the Editor should want a title:
Here lies a bookseller,
The leaf of his life being finished,
Awaiting a new edition,
Augmented and corrected.

The following is Franklin’s epitaph for himself:

The body
of
Benjamin Franklin,
Printer
(Like the cover of an old book,
its contents torn out,
And stript of its lettering and gilding),
Lies here, food for worms.
But the work itself shall not be lost,
For it will, as he believed, appear once more,
In a new and more elegant edition,
Revised and corrected
By
The Author.

But it is not at all certain that Franklin was not the earlier writer, for the epitaph was certainly a production of the first years of manhood—probably 1727. There are other epitaphs from[Pg 28] which he may have taken the idea; that, on the famous John Cotton at Boston, for instance, in which he is likened to a Bible:—

There is a similar conceit in the epitaph on John Foster, the Boston printer. Franklin would probably have seen both of these.

On the 17th April, 1790, at the age of eighty-four years, passed away the sturdy patriot and sagacious writer. His mortal remains rest with those of his wife in the burial-ground of Christ Church, Philadelphia. A plain flat stone covers the grave, bearing the following simple inscription:—

This is the inscription which he directed, in his will, to be placed on his tomb. We give a[Pg 29] picture of the quiet corner where the good man and his worthy wife are buried. English as well as American visitors to the city usually wend their way to the last resting-place of the famous man we delight to honour.

FRANKLIN’S GRAVE.

A printer’s sentiment inscribed to the memory of Franklin is worth reproducing:—

Dr. Franklin’s parents were buried in one grave[Pg 30] in the old Grancey Cemetery, beside Park Street Church, Boston, Mass. He placed a marble monument to their memory, bearing the following inscription:—

Josiah Franklin
and
Abiah, his wife,
Lie here interred.
They lived lovingly together, in wedlock,
Fifty-five years;
And without an estate, or any gainful employment,
By constant labour and honest industry
(With God’s blessing),
Maintained a large family comfortably;
And brought up thirteen children and seven
grand-children
Reputably.
From this instance, reader,
Be encouraged to diligence in thy calling,
And distrust not Providence.
He was a pious and prudent man,
She a discreet and virtuous woman.
Their youngest son,
In filial regard to their memory,
Places this stone.
J. F., Born 1655; Died 1744 ÆT 89.
A. F., Born 1667; Died 1752 ÆT 85.

It is satisfactory to learn that, when the stone became dilapidated, the citizens of Boston replaced it with a granite obelisk.

A notable epitaph was that of George Faulkner,[Pg 31] alderman and printer, of Dublin, who died in 1775:—

In the churchyard of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, is a good specimen of a typographical epitaph, placed in remembrance of a noted printer, who died in the year 1818. It reads as follows:—

Here lie the remains of L. Gedge, Printer.
Like a worn-out character, he has returned to the Founder,
Hoping that he will be re-cast in a better and
more perfect mould.

Our next example is profuse of puns, some of which are rather obscure to younger readers,[Pg 32] owing to the disuse of the old wooden press. It is the epitaph of a Scotch printer:—

Sacred to the memory of
Adam Williamson,
Pressman-printer, in Edinburgh,
Who died Oct. 3, 1832,
Aged 72 years.
All my stays are loosed;
My cap is thrown off; my head is worn out;
My box is broken;
My spindle and bar have lost their power;
My till is laid aside;
Both legs of my crane are turned out of their path;
My platen can make no impression;
My winter hath no spring;
My rounce will neither roll out nor in;
Stone, coffin, and carriage have all failed;
The hinges of my tympan and frisket are immovable;
My long and short ribs are rusted;
My cheeks are much worm-eaten and mouldering
away:
My press is totally down:
The volume of my life is finished,
Not without many errors;
Most of them have arisen from bad composition, and
are to be attributed more to the chase than the
press;
There are also a great number of my own;
Misses, scuffs, blotches, blurs, and bad register;
But the true and faithful Superintendent has undertaken
to correct the whole.
When the machine is again set up
(incapable of decay),
[Pg 33]A new and perfect edition of my life will appear,
Elegantly bound for duration, and every way fitted
for the grand Library of the Great Author.

The next specimen is less satisfactory, because devoid of the hope that should encircle the death of the Christian. It is the epitaph which Baskerville, the celebrated Birmingham printer and type founder, directed to be placed upon a tomb of masonry in the shape of a cone, and erected over his remains:—

Stranger
Beneath this cone, in unconsecrated ground,
A friend to the liberties of mankind
Directed his body to be inurned.
May the example contribute to emancipate thy mind
from the idle fears of superstition, and the
wicked arts of priestcraft.

It is recorded that “The tomb has long since been overturned, and even the remains of the man himself desecrated and dispersed till the final day of resurrection, when the atheism which in his later years he professed will receive assuredly so complete and overwhelming a refutation.”

In 1599 died Christopher Barker, one of the most celebrated of the sixteenth century typographers, printer to Queen Elizabeth—to whom, in fact, the present patent held by Eyre and Spottiswoode can be traced back in unbroken succession.

[Pg 34]

We will bring to a close our examples of typographical epitaphs with the following, copied from the graveyard of St. Michael’s, Coventry, on a worthy printer who was engaged over sixty years as a compositor on the Coventry Mercury:—

Here
lies inter’d
the mortal remains
of
John Hulm,
Printer,
who, like an old, worn-out type,
battered by frequent use,
reposes in the grave.
But not without a hope that at some future time
he might be cast in the mould of righteousness,
And safely locked-up
in the chase of immortality.
He was distributed from the board of life
on the 9th day of Sept., 1827,
Aged 75.
Regretted by his employers,
and respected by his fellow artists.

[Pg 35]

Good and Faithful Servants.

Our graveyards contain many tombstones inscribed to the memory of old servants. Frequently these memorials have been raised by their employers to show appreciation for faithful discharge of duty and good conduct of life. A few specimens of this class of epitaph can hardly fail to interest the reader.

Near to Chatsworth, Derbyshire, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, is the model village of Edensor, with its fine church, from the design of Sir Gilbert Scott, reared on the site of an old structure. The church and graveyard contain numerous touching memorials to the memory of noblemen and their servants. In remembrance of the latter the following are of interest. The first is engraved on a brass plate near the chancel arch:—

A tombstone in the churchyard to the memory of James Brousard, who died in 1762, aged seventy-six years, states:—

On a gravestone over the remains of William Mather, 1818, are the following lines:—

We obtain from a memorial stone at Disley Church a record of longevity:—

Here Lyeth Interred the
[Pg 37]Body of Joseph Watson, Bur-
ied June the third 1753,
Aged 104 years. He was
Park Keeper at Lyme more
than 64 years, and was ye First
that Perfected the art of Dri-
ving ye Stags. Here also Lyeth
the Body of Elizabeth his
wife, Aged 94 years, to whom
He had been married 73 years.
Reader take Notice, the Long-
est Life is Short.

On the authority of Mr. J. P. Earwaker, the historian of East Cheshire, it is recorded of the above that “in the 103rd year of his age he was at the hunting and killed a buck with the honourable George Warren, in his Park at Poynton, whose activity gave pleasure to all the spectators there present. Sir George was the fifth generation of the Warren family he had performed that diversion with in Poynton Park.”

We have from Petersham, Surrey, the next example:—

Near the tomb of
a Worthy Family
lies the Body of
Sarah Abery,
who departed this life
The 3rd day of August 1795
Aged 83 Years.
[Pg 38]Having lived in the Service
of that Family
Sixty Years.
She was a good Christian
an Honest Woman
and
a faithful Servant.

At Great Marlow a stone states that Mary Whitty passed sixty-three years as a faithful servant in one family. She died in 1795 at the age of eighty-two years.

Our next example is from Burton-on-Trent:—

Sacred
to the memory of
Sampson Adderly
An Honest, Sober, Modest Man
(A Character how rarely found;)
Whose peaceful Life a circle ran
More hallow’d makes this hallow’d ground
In Service thirty years he spent
And Dying left his well got gains;
To feed and cloth, a Mother bent
By Age’s slow consuming pains:
A tender Master, Mistress kind,
And Friends, (for many a friend had he)
Lament the loss, but time will find
His gain through blest Eternity
He was near thirty Years
a Servant in the Cotton Family
and died in its attendance at Buxton
the 30th of September 1760 Aged 48.
[Pg 39]Also adjoining to him
was laid his Aged Parent
who died the 21st of February following.

From a gravestone at Sutton Coldfield we have a record of a long and industrious life:—

Sacred
to the memory of
John Fisher, day labourer,
who died May 17th in the Year 1806
in the 91st Year of his Age,
having served two Masters at Moore Hall
in this Parish, upwards of fifty years,
Faithfully, Industriously, and Cheerfully.
He was in his Imployment
eight weeks before he died.
This Stone is inscribed to his Memory
by his last Master, as a pattern to Posterity.

Our next inscription is from Eltham, Kent:—

Here
lie the Remains of
Mr. James Tappy
who departed this life on the 8th of
September 1818, Aged 84.
After a faithful Service of
60 years in one Family,
by each individual in which,
He lived respected,
And died lamented
by the sole Survivor.

At Besford, Worcestershire, is a gravestone to the memory of Nathaniel Bell and his wife, both[Pg 40] of whom lived over sixty years each in the Sebright family.

At Kempsey, Worcestershire, is a tombstone on which appears the remarkable record of seventy-seven years in the service of one family:—

To the Memory of
Mrs. Sarah Armison,
who died on the 27th of April
1817
Aged 88 years.
77 of which she passed in the
Service of the Family
of Mrs. Bell
Justly and deservedly lamented
by them,
for integrity, rectitude
of Conduct, and Amiable
Disposition.

We have not noted a more extended period than the foregoing passed in domestic service.

At Tidmington, Worcestershire, is a gravestone to the memory of Sarah Lanchbury, who died at the age of seventy-seven years; she was the servant of one gentleman fifty-six years.

A stone in the old abbey church at Pershore, in the same county, bears an inscription as follows:—

To
[Pg 41]the Memory
of
Sarah Andrews: a faithful Domestic
of
Mr. Herbert Woodward
of this Place
In whose Service she died
on the 10th Feby, 1814
Aged 80
having filled the Duties of her humble
Station with unblemished Integrity
for the long Period
of
52 Years.

From Petworth, Sussex, we have the following:—

In the year 1807, died, at the age of eighty-five years, Mary Baily. She was buried at Epsom, and her gravestone says: “She passed sixty[Pg 42] years of her life in the faithful discharge of her duties in the service of one family, by whom she was honoured, respected, and beloved.”

A gravestone at Beckenham, Kent, bears testimony to long and faithful service:—

In memory
of
John King
who departed this Life 29th of
December 1774 aged 75 years.
He was 61 years Servant
to
Mr. Francis Valentine,
Joseph
Valentine, and Paul
Valentine,
from Father to Son,
without ever
Quitting their Service,
Neglecting
his Duty, or being
Disguised
in Liquor.

From the same graveyard the next inscription is copied:—

The poet Pope caused to be placed on the outside of Twickenham Church a tablet bearing the following inscription:—

To the Memory of
Mary Beach
Who died Nov. 5th 1725,
Aged 78.
Alexander Pope
whom she nursed in his infancy
and constantly attended for
38 years, in gratitude
to a faithful old
servant
erected this Stone.

When George III. was king, Jenny Gaskoin taught a Dames’ School at Great Limber, a rural Lincolnshire village. From the stories respecting her which have come down to us it would appear that her qualifications for the position of teacher were somewhat limited. It is related that in the children’s reading lessons words often occurred which the good lady was unable to pronounce or explain. She was too politic, [Pg 44]however, to confess her ignorance on such occasions, and had resource to the artful evasion of saying, “Never mind it, bairns; it is a bad word; skip it.”

Dame Gaskoin had a son who obtained the situation of a “helper” in the royal stables. For a slight offence the youth was whipped by the Prince of Wales, when in a momentary fit of anger. It would appear that the Prince regretted his conduct, for he promoted the boy to give him redress for the dressing he had bestowed. Young Gaskoin had the good fortune to be able to introduce his sister Mary into the service of the princesses. By exemplary conduct she obtained the esteem of the royal family. The maiden on one occasion ventured to observe that the rye-bread of Lincolnshire, such as her mother made, was far superior to that which was used at court. This caused the request to be made, or rather a command given, that some of the aforesaid bread should be forwarded as a specimen. The order was complied with, and gave complete satisfaction. The good schoolmistress was afterwards desired to send periodically up to town bread for the royal table.

During a visit to the metropolis to see her daughter the old lady had the honour of an[Pg 45] interview with the princesses. She wore a mob cap of simple form, which took the fancy of the royal ladies to such a degree that it was introduced at court under the name of “Gaskoin Mob-Cap.”

We have little to add, save that the daughter remained in the royal service, attending especially upon the person of the Princess Amelia, and the labour and anxiety she underwent in ministering to the princess in her last illness, combined with sorrow for her death, caused her to follow her royal mistress to the grave after a short interval. In the cloisters of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, is a memorial creditable to the monarch who erected it, and the humble handmaid whom it commemorates:—

King George 3^d
caused to be interred
near this place the body of
Mary Gaskoin,
Servant to the late P^ss Amelia
And this tablet to be erected
In testimony of
His grateful sense of
the faithful services
And attachment of
An amiable young woman
to his beloved Daughter
Whom she survived
[Pg 46]Only three Months
She died the 19th of February 1811
Aged 31 years.

Over the remains of freed slaves we have read several interesting inscriptions. A running footman was buried in the churchyard of Henbury, near Bristol. The poor fellow, a negro, as the tradition says, died of consumption incurred as a consequence of running from London!

“Here
Lieth the Body of
Scipio Africanus
Negro Servant to ye Right
Honourable Charles William
Earl of Suffolk and Brandon
who died ye 21 December
1720, aged 18 years.”

On the footstone are these lines:—

Our next is from Hillingdon, near Uxbridge:—

Many visitors to Morecambe pay a pilgrimage to Sambo’s grave. A correspondent kindly furnishes us with the following particulars of poor Sambo, who is buried far from his native land. Sunderland Point, he says, a village on the coast near Lancaster, was, before the advent of Liverpool, the port for Lancaster, and is credited with having received the first cargo of West India cotton which reached this country. Some rather large warehouses were built there about a century ago, now adapted to fishermen’s cottages for the few fisher folk who still linger about the little port. Near the ferry landing on the Morecambe side there is a strange looking tree, which tradition says was raised from a seed brought from the West Indies, and the natives call it the cotton tree, because every year it strews the ground with its white blossoms. Close to the shore, with only a low stone wall dividing it from the restless sea, is a solitary grave in the corner of a field, which is called “Sambo’s grave.” Poor Sambo came over to this country with a cotton cargo, fell ill at Sunderland Point, and died; and[Pg 48] there being no churchyard near, he was laid in mother earth in an adjoining field. The house is still pointed out in which the negro died, and some sixty years afterwards it occurred to Mr. James Watson that the fact of this dark-skinned brother dying so far from home among strangers was sufficiently pathetic to warrant a memorial. Accordingly he caused the following to be inscribed on a large stone laid flat on the grave, which indicates that he was a slave of probably an English master about a century before the days of negro emancipation in the colonies:—

[Pg 49]

Epitaphs on Soldiers and Sailors.

We give a few of the many curious epitaphs placed to the memory of soldiers and sea-faring men. Our initial epitaph is taken from Longnor churchyard, Staffordshire, and it tells the story of an extended and eventful life:—

On a Chelsea Hospital veteran we have the following interesting epitaph:—

Here lies William Hiseland,
A Veteran, if ever Soldier was,
[Pg 50]Who merited well a Pension,
If long service be a merit,
Having served upwards of the days of Man.
Ancient, but not superannuated;
Engaged in a Series of Wars,
Civil as well as Foreign,
Yet maimed or worn out by neither.
His complexion was Fresh and Florid;
His Health Hale and Hearty;
His memory Exact and Ready.
In Stature
He exceeded the Military Size;
In Strength
He surpassed the Prime of Youth;
And
What rendered his age still more Patriarchal,
When above a Hundred Years old
He took unto him a Wife!
Read! fellow Soldiers, and reflect
That there is a Spiritual Warfare,
As well as a Warfare Temporal.
Born the 1st August, 1620,
Died the 17th of February, 1732,
Aged One Hundred and Twelve.

At Bremhill, Wiltshire, the following lines are placed to the memory of a soldier who reached the advanced age of 92 years:—

The following inscription is engraved on a piece of copper affixed to one of the pillars in Winchester Cathedral:—

On one of the buttresses on the south side of St. Mary’s Church, at Beverley, is an oval tablet, to commemorate the fate of two Danish soldiers, who, during their voyage to Hull, to join the service of the Prince of Orange, in 1689, quarrelled, and having been marched with the troops to Beverley, during their short stay there sought a private meeting to settle their differences by the sword. Their melancholy end is recorded in a doggerel epitaph, of which we give an illustration.

In the parish registers the following entries occur:—

“The mode of execution was,” writes the Rev. Jno. Pickford, M.A., “it may be presumed, by a broad two-handed sword, such a one as Sir Walter Scott has particularly described in[Pg 53] ‘Anne of Geierstein,’ as used at the decapitation of Sir Archibald de Hagenbach, and which the executioner is described as wielding with such address and skill. The Danish culprit was, like the oppressive knight, probably bound and seated in a chair; but such swords as those depicted on the tablet could not well have been used for the purpose, for they are long, narrow in the blade, and perfectly straight.”

TABLET IN ST. MARY’S CHURCH, BEVERLEY.

We have in the diary of Abraham de la Pryme, the Yorkshire antiquary, some very interesting[Pg 54] particulars respecting the Danes. Writing in 1689, the diarist tells us: “Towards the latter end of the aforegoing year, there landed at Hull about six or seven thousand Danes, all stout fine men, the best equip’d and disciplin’d of any that was ever seen. They were mighty godly and religious. You would seldom or never hear an oath or ugly word come out of their mouths. They had a great many ministers amongst them, whome they call’d pastours, and every Sunday almost, ith’ afternoon, they prayed and preach’d as soon as our prayers was done. They sung almost all their divine service, and every ministre had those that made up a quire whom the rest follow’d. Then there was a sermon of about half-an-houre’s length, all memoratim, and then the congregation broke up. When they administered the sacrament, the ministre goes into the church and caused notice to be given thereof, then all come before, and he examined them one by one whether they were worthy to receive or no. If they were he admitted them, if they were not he writ their names down in a book, and bid them prepare against the next Sunday. Instead of bread in the sacrament, I observed that they used wafers about the bigness and thickness of a sixpence. They held it no sin[Pg 55] to play at cards upon Sundays, and commonly did everywhere where they were suffered; for indeed in many places the people would not abide the same, but took the cards from them. Tho’ they loved strong drink, yet all the while I was amongst them, which was all this winter, I never saw above five or six of them drunk.”

The diarist tells us that the strangers liked this country. It appears they worked for the farmers, and sold tumblers, cups, spoons, etc., which they had imported, to the English. They acted in the courthouse a play in their own language, and realised a good sum of money by their performances. The design of the piece was “Herod’s Tyranny—The Birth of Christ—The Coming of the Wise Men.”

A correspondent states that in Battersea Church there is a handsome monument to Sir Edward Wynter, a captain in the East India Company’s service in the reign of Charles II., which records that in India, where he had passed many years of his life, he was

Below, in bas-relief, he is represented struggling with the tiger, both the combatants appearing in the attitude of wrestlers. He is also depicted in the performance of the yet more wonderful achievement, the discomfiture of the “thrice twenty mounted Moors,” who are all flying before him.

In Yarmouth churchyard, a monumental inscription tells a painful story as follows:—

We have also from Yarmouth the next example:—

The next example is from Bury St. Edmunds:—

Edward Parr died in 1811, at the age of 38 years, and was buried in North Scarle churchyard. His epitaph states:—

A tablet in Chester Cathedral reads as follows:—

A British soldier lies buried under the shadow of the fine old Minster of Beverley. He died in 1855, and his epitaph states:—

 [Pg 59]

A GRAVESTONE IN BRIGHTON CHURCHYARD.

[Pg 60] 

[Pg 61]The stirring lives of many female soldiers have furnished facts for several important historical works, and rich materials for the writers of romance. We give an illustration of the stone erected by public subscription in Brighton churchyard over the remains of a notable female warrior, named Phœbe Hessel. The inscription tells the story of her long and eventful career. The closing years of her life were cheered by the liberality of George IV. During a visit to Brighton, when he was Prince Regent, he met old Phœbe, and was greatly interested in her history. He ascertained that she was supported by a few benevolent townsmen, and the kind-hearted Prince questioned her respecting the amount that would be required to enable her to pass the remainder of her days in comfort. “Half-a-guinea a week,” said Phœbe Hessel, “will make me as happy as a princess.” That amount by order of her royal benefactor was paid to her until the day of her death. She told capital stories, had an excellent memory, and was in every respect most agreeable company. Her faculties remained unimpaired to within a few hours of her death. On September 22nd, 1821, she was visited by a person of some literary taste, and the following particulars were obtained respecting her life. The writer states:—“I have seen to-day an extraordinary character in the person of Phœbe Hessel, a poor woman stated to[Pg 62] be 108 years of age. It appears that she was born in March, 1715, and at fifteen formed a strong attachment to Samuel Golding, a private in the regiment called Kirk’s Lambs, which was ordered to the West Indies. She determined to follow her lover, enlisted into the 5th regiment of foot, commanded by General Pearce, and embarked after him. She served there five years without discovering herself to anyone. At length they were ordered to Gibraltar. She was likewise at Montserrat, and would have been in action, but her regiment did not reach the place till the battle was decided. Her lover was wounded at Gibraltar and sent to Plymouth; she then waited on the General’s lady at Gibraltar, disclosed her sex, told her story, and was immediately sent home. On her arrival, Phœbe went to Samuel Golding in the hospital, nursed him there, and when he came out, married and lived with him for twenty years; he had a pension from Chelsea. After Golding’s death, she married Hessel, has had many children, and has been many years a widow. Her eldest son was a sailor with Admiral Norris; he afterwards went to the East Indies, and, if he is now alive, must be nearly seventy years of age. The rest of the family are dead. At an advanced[Pg 63] age she earned a scanty livelihood at Brighton by selling apples and gingerbread on the Marine Parade.

“I saw this woman to-day in her bed, to which she is confined from having lost the use of her limbs. She has even now, old and withered as she is, a characteristic countenance, and, I should judge from her present appearance, must have had a fine, though perhaps a masculine style of head when young. I have seen many a woman at the age of sixty or seventy look older than she does under the load of 108 years of human life. Her cheeks are round and seem firm, though ploughed with many a small wrinkle. Her eyes, though their sight is gone, are large and well formed. As soon as it was announced that somebody had come to see her, she broke the silence of her solitary thoughts and spoke. She began in a complaining tone, as if the remains of a strong and restless spirit were impatient of the prison of a decaying and weak body. ‘Other people die, and I cannot,’ she said. Upon exciting her recollection of former days, her energy seemed roused, and she spoke with emphasis. Her voice was strong for an old person; and I could easily believe her when, upon being asked if her sex was[Pg 64] not in danger of being detected by her voice, she replied that she always had a strong and manly voice. She appeared to take a pride in having kept her secret, declaring that she told it to no man, woman, or child, during the time she was in the army; ‘for you know, Sir, a drunken man and a child always tell the truth. But,’ said she, ‘I told my secret to the ground. I dug a hole that would hold a gallon, and whispered it there.’ While I was with her, the flies annoyed her extremely; she drove them away with a fan, and said they seemed to smell her out as one that was going to the grave. She showed me a wound she had received in her elbow by a bayonet. She lamented the error of her former ways, but excused it by saying, ‘When you are at Rome, you must do as Rome does.’ When she could not distinctly hear what was said, she raised herself in the bed and thrust her head forward with impatient energy. She said when the king saw her, he called her ‘a jolly old fellow.’ Though blind, she could discern a glimmering light, and I was told would frequently state the time of day by the effect of light.”

The next is copied from a time-worn stone in Weem churchyard, near Aberfeldy, Perthshire:—

The following is inscribed on a gravestone in Fort William Cemetery:—

Sacred
To the Memory of
Captain Patrick Campbell,
Late of the 42nd Regiment,
Who died on the xiii of December,
MDCCCXVI.,
Aged eighty-three years,
A True Highlander,
A Sincere Friend,
And the best deerstalker
Of his day.

A gravestone in Barwick-in-Elmet, Yorkshire, states:—

[Pg 66]The next is from Dartmouth churchyard:—

We find the following at Woodbridge on Joseph Spalding, master mariner, who departed this life Sept. 2nd, 1796, aged 55:—

In Selby churchyard, the following is on John Edmonds, master mariner, who died 5th Aug., 1767:—

Another, on the south side of Selby churchyard:—

In the churchyard, Selby, near the north porch, in memory of William Whittaker, mariner, who died 22nd Oct., 1797, we read—

Southill Church, Bedfordshire, contains a plain monument to the memory of Admiral Byng, who was shot at Portsmouth:—

To the perpetual disgrace of public justice,
The Honourable John Byng, Vice-Admiral of the Blue,
fell a martyr to political persecution, March 14,
in the year 1757;
when bravery and loyalty were insufficient securities for
the life and honour of a naval officer.

The following epitaph, inscribed on a stone in Putney churchyard, is nearly obliterated:—

Some time ago a correspondent of the Spectator stated: “As you are not one to despise ‘unconsidered trifles’ when they have merit, perhaps you will find room for the following epitaph, on a Deal boatman, which I copied the other day from a tombstone in a churchyard in that town:—

In memory of George Phillpot,
Who died March 22nd, 1850, aged 74 years.

A hero; his heroic life and deeds, and the philosophy of religion, perfect both in theory and practice, which inspired them, all described in[Pg 69] four lines of graphic and spirited verse! Would not ‘rare Ben’ himself have acknowledged this a good specimen of ‘what verse can say in a little?’ Whoever wrote it was a poet ‘with the name.’

“There is another in the same churchyard which, though weak after the above, and indeed not uncommon, I fancy, in seaside towns, is at least sufficiently quaint:—

The ‘human race’ typified by ‘our fleet,’ excites vague reminiscences of Goethe and Carlyle, and ‘our Admiral Christ’ seems not remotely associated in sentiment with the ‘We fight that fight for our fair father Christ,’ and ‘The King will follow Christ and we the King,’ of our grand poet. So do the highest and the lowest meet. But the heartiness, the vitality, nay, almost vivacity, of[Pg 70] some of these underground tenantry is surprising. There is more life in some of our dead folk than in many a living crowd.”

The following five epitaphs are from Hessle Road Cemetery, Hull:—

[Pg 71]

Our next example is from a stone in Castle Street burial-ground, Hull, which is so fast[Pg 72] decaying that already some parts of the inscription are obliterated:—

A gravestone in Horncastle churchyard, Lincolnshire, has this epitaph:—

On a sailor’s gravestone in the burial-ground at Hamilton, we are told:—

[Pg 73]

Epitaphs on Musicians and Actors.

A few epitaphs relating to music and the drama now claim our attention. Our first example is to be found in the cathedral at Norwich:—

In Wakefield Parish Church a tablet bears an inscription as follows:—

We copy the following from a monument in Holy Trinity Church, Hull:—

From a churchyard in Wales we obtain the following curious epitaph on an organ blower:[Pg 75]—

Our next epitaph records the death of a fiddler, who appears to have been so much attached to his wife that upon the day of her death he, too, yielded to the grim tyrant. Of this pair, buried in Flixton churchyard, it may be truly said: “In life united, and in death not parted.” The inscription is as follows:—

In the Old Cemetery, Newport, Monmouthshire, on a Scotch piper, the following appears:—

In the church at Ashover, Derbyshire, a tablet contains this inscription:—

To the Memory of
David Wall,
whose superior performance on the
bassoon endeared him to an
extensive musical acquaintance.
His social life closed on the
4th Dec., 1796, in his 57th year.

The next is copied from a gravestone in Stoney Middleton churchyard:—

The following was written in memory of Madame Malibran, who died September 23rd, 1836:—

Garrick’s epitaph, in Westminster Abbey, reads:—

A monument placed in Westminster to the memory of Mrs. Pritchard states:—

On a comedian named John Hippisley, interred in the churchyard of Clifton, Gloucestershire, we have the following:—

[Pg 80]

Garrick’s epitaph to the memory of James Quin, at Bath, is very fine:—

Several actors are buried in the churchyard of St. Peter of Mancroft, Norwich. On Henrietta Maria Bray, who died in 1737, aged sixty years, is the following epitaph:—

Anne Roberts died in 1743, aged thirty, and on her gravestone is a couplet as follows:—

[Pg 81]The Norwich actors, says Mr. James Hooper, were celebrated in their day, and their services were in great request. They used to play annually at the great Stourbridge Fair, at Cambridge, so vividly described by De Foe in his “Tour through the whole Island of Great Britain” (1722). The University Dons mustered in force to see the Norwich mummers, and part of the pit, known as “The Critics’ Row,” was reserved for Dr. Farmer of Emanuel, and his friends, George Stevens, Malone, and others, who never thought it infra dig. to applaud rapturously—a circumstance which shows Puritan Emanuel in a new light.[1]

In St. Mary’s Church, Beverley, a tablet is placed in remembrance of a notable Yorkshire actor:—

In Memory of
Samuel Butler,
A poor player that struts and
frets his hour upon the stage, and
then is heard no more.
Obt. June 15th, 1812.
Æt. 62.

Butler’s gifted son, Samuel William, was buried in Ardwick Cemetery, Manchester. A gravestone[Pg 82] placed to his memory bears the following eloquent inscription by Charles Swain:—

An interesting sketch of the life of Butler, from the pen of John Evans, is given in the[Pg 83] “Papers of the Manchester Literary Club,” vol. iii., published 1877.

In the Necropolis, Glasgow, is a monument representing the stage and proscenium of a theatre, placed to the memory of John Henry Alexander, of the Theatre Royal, Glasgow. He was a native of Dunse, Berwickshire, and was born July 31st, 1796. At an early age, says Dr. Rogers, his parents removed to Glasgow, where, in his thirteenth year, he was apprenticed to a hosier. With a remarkable taste for mimicry he practised private theatricals; and having attracted the notice of the managers of Queen Street Theatre, he obtained an opportunity of publicly exhibiting his gifts. In his sixteenth year he adopted the histrionic profession. For some seasons he was employed in a theatre at Newcastle; he subsequently performed at Carlisle, and afterwards in the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh. At Edinburgh his successful impersonations of Dandie Dinmont and other characters of the Waverley novels gained him the friendship of Sir Walter Scott. After some changes he accepted the managership of the Dunlop Street Theatre, Glasgow, of which he became proprietor in 1829. He rebuilt the structure in 1840; it[Pg 84] was partially destroyed by fire on the 17th February, 1849, when sixty-five persons unhappily perished. The shock which he experienced on this occasion seriously affected his health, and in 1851 he found it expedient to retire from his profession. He died on the 15th December, 1851, aged fifty-five. On his tombstone are inscribed these lines from the pen of Mr. James Hedderwick, the editor of the Glasgow Citizen:—

In many collections of epitaphs the following is stated to be inscribed on a gravestone at Gillingham, but we are informed by the Vicar that no such epitaph is to be found, nor is there any trace of it having been placed there at any time:—

The next epitaph was written by Swift on Dicky Pearce, who died 1728, aged 63 years. He was a famous fool, and his name carries us back to the time when kings and noblemen employed jesters for the delectation of themselves and their friends. It is from Beckley, and reads as follows:—

In our “Historic Romance,” published 1883, by Hamilton, Adams, and Co., London, will be found an account of “Fools and Jesters of the[Pg 86] English Sovereigns,” and we therein state that the last recorded instance of a fool being kept by an English family is that of John Hilton’s fool, retained at Hilton Castle, Durham, who died in 1746.

The following epitaph is inscribed on a tombstone in the churchyard of St. Mary Friars, Shrewsbury, on Cadman, a famous “flyer” on the rope, immortalised by Hogarth, and who broke his neck descending from a steeple in Shrewsbury, in 1740.

Joe Miller, of facetious memory, next claims our attention. We find it stated in Chambers’s “Book of Days” (issued 1869) as follows: Miller was interred in the burial-ground of the parish of St. Clement Danes, in Portugal Street, where a tombstone was erected to his memory. About ten years ago that burial-ground, by the removal[Pg 87] of the mortuary remains, and the demolition of the monuments, was converted into a site for King’s College Hospital. Whilst this not unnecessary, yet undesirable, desecration was in progress, the writer saw Joe’s tombstone lying on the ground; and being told that it would be broken up and used as materials for the new building, he took an exact copy of the inscription, which was as follows:—

An interesting sketch of the life of Joe Miller will be found in the “Book of Days,” vol. ii., page 216, and in the same informing and entertaining work, the following notes are given respecting the writer of the foregoing epitaph: “The ‘S. Duck,’ whose name figures as author of the verses on Miller’s tombstone, and who is alluded to on the same tablet, by Mr. Churchwarden Buck, as an instance of ‘poetic talent in humble life,’ deserves a short notice. He was a thresher in the service of a farmer near Kew, in Surrey. Imbued with an eager desire for learning, he, under most adverse circumstances, managed to obtain a few books, and educate himself to a limited degree. Becoming known as a rustic rhymer, he attracted the attention of Caroline, queen of George II., who, with her accustomed liberality, settled on him a pension of £30 per annum; she made him a Yeoman of the Guard, and installed him as keeper of a kind of museum she had in Richmond Park, called Merlin’s Cave. Not content with these promotions,[Pg 89] the generous, but perhaps inconsiderate, queen caused Duck to be admitted to holy orders, and preferred to the living of Byfleet, in Surrey, where he became a popular preacher among the lower classes, chiefly through the novelty of being the ‘Thresher Parson.’ This gave Swift occasion to write the following quibbling epigram:—

JOE MILLER’S TOMBSTONE, ST. CLEMENT DANES CHURCHYARD, LONDON.

“One would suppose the poor thresher to have been beneath Swift’s notice, but the provocation was great, and the chastisement, such as it was, merited. For though few men had ever less pretensions to poetical genius than Duck, yet the Court party actually set him up as a rival—nay, as superior—to Pope. And the saddest part of the affair was that Duck, in his utter simplicity and ignorance of what really constituted poetry, was led to fancy himself the greatest poet of the age. Consequently, considering that his genius was neglected, and that he was not rewarded according to his poetical deserts by being made the clergyman of an obscure village, he fell into a state of melancholy, which ended in suicide; affording another to the numerous instances of the very great difficulty of doing good. If the well-meaning queen had elevated Duck to the position of farm-bailiff, he might have led a long and happy life, amongst the scenes and the classes of society in which his youth had passed,[Pg 91] and thus been spared the pangs of disappointed vanity and misdirected ambition.”

Says a thoughtful writer, if truth, perspicuity, wit, gravity, and every property pertaining to the ancient or modern epitaph, were ever united in one of terse brevity, it was that made for Burbage, the tragedian, in the days of Shakespeare:—

“Exit Burbage.”

Jerrold, perhaps, with that brevity which is the soul of wit, trumped the above by his anticipatory epitaph on that excellent man and distinguished historian, Charles Knight:—

“Good Knight.”

[Pg 92]

Epitaphs on Sportsmen.

The stirring lives of sportsmen have suggested spirited lines for their tombstones, as will be seen from the examples we bring under the notice of our readers.

The first epitaph is from Morville churchyard, near Bridgnorth, on John Charlton, Esq., who was for many years Master of the Wheatland Foxhounds, and died January 20th, 1843, aged 63 years; regretted by all who knew him:—

Our next is written on Mills, the huntsman:—

A short, rough, but pregnant epitaph is placed over the remains of Robert Hackett, a keeper of[Pg 93] Hardwick Park, who died in 1703, and was buried in Ault Hucknall churchyard:—

George Dixon, a noted fox-hunter, is buried in Luton churchyard, and on his gravestone the following appears:—

On a stone in the graveyard of Mottram the following inscription appears:—

In the churchyard of Ecclesfield, may be read the following epitaph:—

Of the many epitaphs on sportsmen to be seen in Nottinghamshire, we cull a few of the choicest. Our first is a literal copy from a weather-worn stone in Eakring churchyard, placed to the memory of Henry Cartwright, senior keeper to his Grace the Duke of Kingston for fifty-five years, who died February 13th, 1773, aged eighty years, ten months, and three weeks:—

We next present particulars of a celebrated deer-stealer. According to a notice furnished in the “Nottingham Date Book,” the deeds of Tom Booth were for many years after his death a never-failing subject of conversational interest in Nottingham. It is stated that no modern deer-stealer was anything like so popular. Thorsby relates one exploit as follows:—“In Nottingham Park, at one time, was a favourite fine deer, a chief ranger, on which Tom and his wily companions had often cast their eyes; but how to deceive the keeper while they killed it was a task of difficulty. The night, however, in which they accomplished their purpose—whether by any settled plan or not is not known—they found the keeper at watch, as usual, in a certain place in the park. One of them, therefore, went in an opposite direction in the park, and fired his gun to make the keeper believe he had shot a deer; upon which away goes the keeper, in haste, to the spot, which was at a very considerable distance from the place where the favourite deer was, and near which Tom Booth was skulking. Tom, waiting a proper time, when he thought the[Pg 96] keeper at a sufficient distance for accomplishing his purpose, fired and killed the deer, and dragged it through the river Leen undiscovered.” Booth was a stout man, and by trade a whitesmith. The stone marking the place of his interment is still in good preservation, and stands in St. Nicholas’ burial-ground, against the southern wall of the church. It bears the following inscription:

Old Tom was so highly pleased with the epitaph, which was written before his death, that he had it engraved on the stone some months before its services were required. In addition to the epitaph itself, the head-stone was made to include Booth’s name, etc., and also that of his wife, blank places being left in each case for the age and time of death. Booth’s compartment of the stone was in due course properly filled up; but the widow, disliking the exhibition of her name on a tombstone while living, resolved that[Pg 97] such stone should never indicate her resting-place when dead; she accordingly left an injunction that her body be interred elsewhere, and the inscription is incomplete to this day.

Some time before Amos Street, a celebrated Yorkshire huntsman, died, a stone was obtained, and on it engraved the following lines:—

Poor “Old Amos” passed away on October 3rd, 1777, and was buried in Birstal churchyard. The foregoing inscription may still be read.

The Rev. R. H. Whitworth tells us: “There is an old monument in the south aisle of Blidworth Church, to the memory of Thomas Leake, Esq., who was killed at Blidworth Rocking, in A.D. 1598. He may be regarded as the last of the race who sat in Robin Hood’s seat, if those restless Forest Chiefs, typified under that name, can be supposed ever to have sat at all. Leake held office under the Crown, but was as wild a freebooter as ever[Pg 98] drew bow. His character is portrayed in his epitaph:—

The border of this monument is rudely panelled, each panel having some forest hunting subject in relief. There are hounds getting scent, and a hound pursuing an antlered stag; a hunting horn, ribboned; plunging and flaying knives, a crossbow, a forest-bow, two arrows, and two hunters’ belts with arrows inserted. This is his register—

Thomas Leake, esquire, buried the
4th February, 1598.

There is a captivating bit of romance connected with Leake’s death, which occurred at Archer’s Water. Although somewhat ‘provectus in ætate,’ he had won the affections of the landlady’s daughter, much to the annoyance of the mother. Archer’s Water was on the old driftroad[Pg 99] by Blidworth, from Edinburgh to London, that by which Jeanie Deans travelled, and over which Dick Turpin rode. Hundreds of thousands of Scotch cattle went by this way to town, and there was a difficulty connected with a few of them in which Leake was concerned, and a price being set upon his head, his mother-in-law, that was to be, betrayed him to two young soldiers anxious to secure the reward, one of whom was, in the mother’s eyes, the more favoured lover. Tom was always attended by two magnificent dogs, and went well armed. Thrown off his guard he left his dogs in an outhouse, and entering the inn laid aside his weapons, when he was set upon and overpowered, and, like many better men before him, slain. The name of a Captain Salmond of the now extinct parish or manor of Salterford is connected with this transaction. The date of the combat is 2nd February, being the festival of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, with which the highly interesting and historical observance of Blidworth Rocking is connected. Within the memory of living men, a baby decked with such flowers as the season afforded was placed in a cradle and carried about from house to house by an old man, who received a present on the[Pg 100] occasion. As the church is dedicated to St. Mary in connection with the Purification, the 2nd of February being the Feast Day, this is probably an interesting reminiscence of some old species of Miracle Play, or observance connected with the foundation. Anciently people from all neighbouring counties used to attend this season. Forest games were played, and amid the attendant licence and confusion, Leake came to his last grief. Not only in this church does this Ranger of the Blidworth Wood, for this was his office, possess a memorial. A large cross was erected, now standing at Fountain Dale, thus inscribed:—

Hoc crucis fragmen
Traditum a sylvicolis monumentum
Loci ubi in singulari certamine
Gladiator ille insignis
Tho. Leake
Mori occubui
Anno MDXCVIII.
Ab antiqua sede remotum
H. P. C.
Joannes Downall
Prid. Non Sext. MDCCCXXXVI.

What became of the daughter tradition sayeth not. Doubtless she died, as Tom Leake’s intended bride ought, of grief, and was buried under some grand old oak in Blidworth Forest.”

[Pg 101]Let us direct attention to another class of sportsmen. At Bunney, a monument is erected to Sir Thomas Parkyns, the well-known wrestler. It bears four lines in Latin, which have been translated thus:—

The next is copied from a stone in St. Michael’s churchyard, Coventry, on a famous fencing master:—

To the memory of Mr. John Parkes,
A native of this City
He was a man of mild disposition,
A Gladiator by profession;
Who after having fought 350 battles,
In the principal parts of Europe,
With honour and applause,
At length quitted the stage, sheathed his sword,
And with Christian resignation,
Submitted to the Grand Victor
In the 52nd year of his age
Anno Domini 1733.

An old stone bearing the foregoing inscription was replaced by a new one some years ago at the expense of the late S. Carter, Esq., formerly Member of Parliament for Coventry. In the[Pg 102] pages of the Spectator honourable mention is made of John Parkes.

In the churchyard of Hanslope is buried Sandy M’Kay, the Scottish giant, who was killed in a prize fight with Simon Byrne. A headstone bears the following inscription:—

We are informed that Byrne was killed shortly afterwards, whilst engaged in fighting.

From the prize-ring let us turn to the more satisfactory amusement of cricket. In Highgate Cemetery, Lillywhite, the celebrated cricketer, is buried, and over his remains is placed a monument with the significant emblem of a wicket being upset with a ball.

The following lines are said to be copied from a tombstone in a cemetery near Salisbury:—

[Pg 103]

The tennis ball is introduced in an epitaph placed in St. Michael’s Church, Coventry. It reads thus:—

We conclude this class of epitaphs with a couple of piscatorial examples. The first is from the churchyard of Hythe:—

In the churchyard of Great Yarmouth, under date of 1769, an epitaph runs thus:—

[Pg 105]

Bacchanalian Epitaphs.

Some singular epitaphs are to be found over the remains of men who either manufactured, dispensed, or loved the social glass. In the churchyard of Newhaven, Sussex, the following may be seen on the grave of a brewer:—

The next, on John Scott, a Liverpool brewer, is rather rich in puns:—

On a butler in Ollerton churchyard is the following curious epitaph:—

We will next give a few epitaphs on publicans. Our first is from Pannal churchyard; it is on Joseph Thackerey, who died on the 26th of November, 1791:—

The following is from the graveyard of [Pg 107]Upton-on-Severn, and placed to the memory of a publican. The lines, it will be seen, are a dexterous weaving of the spiritual with the temporal:—

In 1789 passed away the landlady of the “Pig and Whistle,” Greenwich, and the following lines were inscribed to her memory:—

On an innkeeper in Stockbridge, the next may be seen:—

From the “Sportive Wit; the Muses’ Merriment,” issued in 1656, we extract the following lines on John Taylor, “the Water Poet,” who was a native of Gloucester, and died in Phœnix Alley, London, in the 75th year of his age. You may find him, if the worms have not devoured him, in Covent Garden churchyard:—

Robert Burns wrote the following epitaph on John Dove, innkeeper, Mauchline:—

We extract, from a collection of epitaphs, the following on a publican:—

It is stated in Mr. J. Potter Briscoe’s entertaining volume, “Nottinghamshire Facts and Fictions,” that in the churchyard of Edwalton is a gravestone to the memory of Mrs. Freland, a considerable landowner, who died in 1741; but who, it would appear from the inscription, was a very free liver, for her memorial says:—

A gravestone in Darenth churchyard, near Dartford, bears the following epitaph:—

At Chatham, on a drunkard, good advice is given:—

[Pg 111]From Tonbridge churchyard we glean the following:—

From St. Peter’s Mancroft, Norwich, are the following lines on Sarah Byfield, who died in 1719, comparing life to a market:—

On a gravestone in the churchyard of Eton, placed to the memory of an innkeeper, it is stated:—

[Pg 112]Similar epitaphs to the foregoing may be found in many graveyards in this country. In Micklehurst churchyard, an inscription runs thus:—

In the old burial-ground in Castle Street, Hull, on the gravestone of a boy, a slightly different version of the rhyme appears:—

The churchyard of Melton Mowbray furnishes another rendering of the lines:—

The foregoing inscriptions, comparing life to a house, remind us of a curious inscription in Folkestone churchyard:—

[Pg 113]

In “Chronicles of the Tombs,” by Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, published in 1857, it is stated respecting the foregoing epitaph: “Smoke money or chimney money is now collected at Battle, in Sussex, each householder paying one penny to the Lord of the Manor. It is also levied upon the inhabitants of the New Forest, in Hants, for the right of cutting peat and turf for fuel. And from ‘Audley’s Companion to the Almanac,’ page 76, we learn that ‘anciently, even in England, Whitsun farthings, or smoke farthings, were a composition for offerings made in the Whitsun week, by every man who occupied a house with a chimney, to the cathedral of the diocese in which he lived.’ The late Mr. E. B. Price has observed, in Notes and Queries (Vol. ii., p. 379), that there is a church at Northampton, upon which is an inscription recording that the[Pg 114] expense of repairing it was defrayed by a grant of chimney money for, I believe, seven years, temp. Charles II.”

SIGN OF THE BOAR’S HEAD.

In bygone times the “Boar’s Head” was a common tavern sign, and this is not surprising for the animal figures in English history, poetry, romance and popular pastimes. The most famous inn bearing the title of the “Boar’s Head” was[Pg 115] that in Eastcheap, London. The earliest mention of this tavern occurs in the testament of William Warden in the days of Richard II., who gave “all that tenement called the Boar’s Head in Eastcheap to a college of priests, or chaplain, founded by Sir William Walworth, the Lord Mayor, in the adjoining church of St. Michael, Crooked Lane.” It was here that Prince Hal and “honest Jack Falstaff” played their pranks. At the door of the house until the Great Fire were carved figures of the two worthies. In the works of Goldsmith will be found a charming chapter called “Reflections in the Boar’s Head Tavern, Eastcheap”; anyone interested in this old place should not fail to read it. In his pleasant day-dreams he forgets the important fact that the original house perished in the Great Fire. In the Guildhall Library is preserved the stone sign from the old house, which was pulled down in 1831 to make way for the streets leading to the new London Bridge. We give a picture of this old-time sign on the opposite page.

A famous waiter of this tavern was buried in the graveyard of St. Michael’s Church, hard by, and a monument of Purbeck stone was placed to his memory bearing an interesting inscription. We[Pg 116] give a picture of the gravestone, which has been removed to the yard of St. Magnus the Martyr.

PRESTON’S TOMBSTONE AT ST. MAGNUS THE MARTYR.

The next example from Abesford, on an exciseman, is entitled to a place among Bacchanalian epitaphs:—

In the churchyard of North Wingfield, Derbyshire, a gravestone bears the following inscription:

The cause of the foregoing curious epitaph is thus explained. Thomas Clay was a man of intemperate habits, and at the time of his death was indebted to the village innkeeper, named Adlington, to the amount of twenty pounds. The publican resolved to seize the body; but the parents of the deceased carefully kept the door locked until the day appointed for the funeral. As soon as the door was opened, Adlington rushed into the house, seized the corpse, and placed it on a form in the open street in front of the residence of the parents of the departed. Clay’s friends refused to discharge the publican’s[Pg 118] account. After the body had been exposed for several days, Adlington committed it to the ground in a bacon chest.

We conclude this class of epitaphs with the following from Winchester Cathedral yard:—

THETCHER’S TOMBSTONE, WINCHESTER.

From a Photo by F. A. Grant.

[Pg 119]

Epitaphs on Parish Clerks and Sextons.

Not a few of our old parish clerks and sextons were eccentric characters, and it is not therefore surprising that their epitaphs are amongst the most curious of the many strange examples to be found in the quiet resting-places of the departed.

In the churchyard of Crayford is a gravestone bearing the following inscription:—

In addition to being parish clerk, Frank Raw, of Selby, Yorkshire, was a gravestone cutter, for we are told:—

The next epitaph, placed to the memory of a parish clerk and bellows-maker, was formerly in the old church of All Saints’, Newcastle-on-Tyne:—

On a slate headstone, near the south porch of Bingham Church, Nottinghamshire, is inscribed:—

From the churchyard of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, we have a curious epitaph to the memory of Robert Smith, who died in 1782, aged 82 years:—

In a note by Mr. Llewellyn Jewitt, F.S.A., we are told that with the clerkship of Bakewell Church, the “vocal powers” of its holders appear to have been to some extent hereditary, if we may judge by the inscriptions recording the deaths and the abilities of two members of the family of Roe, which are found on gravestones in the churchyard there. The first of these, recording the death of Samuel Roe, is as under:—

[Pg 122]

He had three wives, Millicent, who died in 1745, aged 22; Dorothy, who died 1754, aged 28; and Sarah, who survived him and died in 1811, at the age of 77. A gravestone records the death of his first two wives as follows, and the third is commemorated in the above inscription.

Millicent,
Wife of Saml Roe,
She died Sepr 16th, 1745, aged 22.
Dorothy,
Wife of Saml Roe,
She died Novr 13th, 1754, aged 28.

Respecting the above-mentioned Samuel Roe,[Pg 123] a contributor to the Gentleman’s Magazine wrote, on February 13th, 1794:—

“Mr. Urban,

“It was with much concern that I read the epitaph upon Mr. Roe, in your last volume, p. 1192. Upon a little tour which I made in Derbyshire, in 1789, I met with that worthy and very intelligent man at Bakewell, and, in the course of my antiquarian researches there, derived no inconsiderable assistance from his zeal and civility. If he did not possess the learning of his namesake, your old and valuable correspondent, I will venture to declare that he was not less influenced by a love and veneration for antiquity, many proofs of which he had given by his care and attention to the monuments in the church, which were committed to his charge; for he united the characters of sexton, clerk, singing-master, will-maker, and school-master. Finding that I was quite alone, he requested permission to wait upon me at the inn in the evening, urging, as a reason for this request, that he must be exceedingly gratified by the conversation of a gentleman who could read the characters upon the monument of Vernon, the founder of Haddon House, a treat he had not met with for many[Pg 124] years. After a very pleasant gossip we parted, but not till my honest friend had, after some apparent struggle, begged of me to indulge him with my name.”

To his careful attention is to be attributed the preservation of the curious Vernon and other monuments in the church, over which, in some instances, he placed wooden framework to keep off the rough hands and rougher knives of the boys and young men of the congregation. He also watched with special care over the Wendesley tomb, and even took careful rubbings of the inscriptions.

While speaking of this Mr. Roe, it may be well to put the readers of this work in possession of an interesting fact in connection with the name of Roe, or Row. The writer above, in his letter to Mr. Urban, says, “If he did not possess the learning of his namesake, your old and valued correspondent,” etc. By this he means “T. Row,” whose contributions to the Gent.’s Mag. were very numerous and interesting. The writer under this signature was the Rev. Samuel Pegge, rector of Whittington, and the letters forming this pseudonym were the initials of the words, T[he] R[ector] O[f] W[hittington].

[Pg 125]Philip Roe, who succeeded his father (Samuel Roe) as parish clerk of Bakewell, was his son by his third wife. He was born in 1763, and succeeded his father in full parochial honours in 1792, having, we believe, for some time previously acted as his deputy. He died in 1815, aged 52 years, and was buried with the other members of the family. The following curious inscription appears on his gravestone:—

Cuthbert Bede, B.A., says, “As a boy I often [Pg 126] attended the service at Belbroughton Church, Worcestershire, where the parish clerk was Mr. Osborne, tailor. His family had there been parish clerks and tailors since the time of Henry the Eighth, and were lineally descended from William FitzOsborne, who, in the twelfth century, had been deprived by Ralph FitzHerbert of his right to the manor of Bellem, in the parish of Belbroughton. Often have I stood in the picturesque churchyard of Wolverley, Worcestershire, by the grave of its old parish clerk, whom I well remember, old Thomas Worrall, the inscription on whose monument is as follows:—

It may be noted of this worthy parish clerk that, with the exception of a week or two before[Pg 127] his death, he was never once absent from his Sunday and week-day duties in the forty-seven years during which he held office. He succeeded his father, James Worrall, who died in 1806, aged seventy-nine, after being parish clerk of Wolverley for thirty years. His tombstone, near to that of his son, was erected ‘to record his worth both in his public and private character, and as a mark of personal esteem—h.l.F.H.& W.C.p.c.’ I am told that these initials stand for F. Hurtle and the Rev. William Callow, and that the latter was the author of the following lines inscribed on the monument, which are well worth quoting:—

A memorial record on the church of Holy Trinity, Hull, is as follows:—

[Pg 128] In memory of John Stone
Parish Clerk 41 years
Excellent in his way
Buried here 26 May 1727
Aged 78.

First amongst notable sextons is the name of Old Scarlett, who died July 2, 1591, at the good old age of ninety-eight, and occupied for a long time the position of sexton of Peterborough Cathedral. He buried two generations of his fellow-creatures. A portrait of him, placed at the west end of that noble church, has perpetuated his fame, and caused him to be introduced in effigy in various publications. Says a writer in the “Book of Days”: “And what a lively effigy—short, stout, hardy, and self-complacent, perfectly satisfied, and perhaps even proud, of his profession, and content to be exhibited with all its insignia about him! Two queens had passed through his hands into that bed which gives a lasting rest to queens and to peasants alike. An officer of Death, who had so long defied his principal, could not but have made some impression on the minds of bishop, dean, prebends, and other magnates of the Cathedral, and hence, as we may suppose, the erection of this lively portraiture of the old man, which is believed to have been only[Pg 129] once renewed since it was first put up. Dr. Dibdin, who last copied it, tells us that ‘Old Scarlett’s jacket and trunkhose are of a brownish red, his stockings blue, his shoes black, tied with blue ribbons, and the soles of his feet red. The cap upon his head is red, and so also is the ground of the coat armour.’”

OLD SCARLETT, THE PETERBOROUGH SEXTON.

[Pg 130]The following lines below his portrait are characteristic of his age:—

The first of the queens interred by Scarlett was Catherine, the divorced wife of Henry VIII., who died in 1535, at Kimbolton Castle, in Huntingdonshire. The second was Mary, Queen of Scots, who was beheaded at Fotheringay in 1587, and first interred here, though subsequently transported to Westminster Abbey.

Our next example is from Bingley, Yorkshire:—

In memory of Hezekiah Briggs, who died August 5th, 1844, in
the 80th year of his age. He was sexton at this church
43 years, and interred upwards of 7000 corpses.

[Here the names of his wife and several children are given.]

An upright stone in the burial-ground at Hartwith Chapel, in Nidderdale, Yorkshire, bears the following inscription:—

An examination of Pateley Bridge Church registers proves that Darnbrough was one hundred and two years of age.

[Pg 132]An epitaph from Saddleworth, Yorkshire, tells us:—

At Rothwell, near Leeds, an old sexton is buried in the church porch. A monumental inscription runs thus:—

In memory of Thomas Flockton, Sexton 59 years, buried
23rd day of February, 1783, aged 78 years.

At Darlington, there is a Latin epitaph over the remains of Richard Preston, which has been freely translated as follows:—

The gravestone bears the date of 1765.

Further examples might be included, but we have given sufficient to show the varied and curious epitaphs placed to the memory of parish clerks and sextons.

[Pg 134]

Punning Epitaphs.

Puns in epitaphs have been very common, and may be found in Greek and Latin, and still more plentifully in our English compositions. In the French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and other languages, examples occur. Empedocles wrote an epitaph containing the paronomasia, or pun, on a physician named Pausanias, and it has by Merivale been happily translated:—

In Holy Trinity Church, Hull, is an example of a punning epitaph. It is on a slab in the floor of the north aisle of the nave, to the memory of “The Worshipful Joseph Field, twice Mayor of this town, and Merchant Adventurer.” He died in 1627, aged 63 years:—

On Bishop Theophilus Field, in Hereford Cathedral, ob. 1636, is another specimen:—

He was successively Bishop of Llandaff, St. Davids, and Hereford.

The following rather singular epitaph, with a play upon the name, occurs in the chancel of Checkley Church, Staffordshire:—

From Hornsea Church we have the epitaph of[Pg 136] Will Day, gentleman; he lived thirty-four years, died May 22nd, 1616:—

On the east wall of the chancel of Kettlethorpe Church, co. Lincoln, is a tablet to the memory of “Johannes Becke, quondam Rector istius ecclesiæ,” who died 1597, with the following lines in old English characters:—

We may add that the stream of his charity still flows, and is yearly distributed amongst the poor of Kettlethorpe.

Bishop Sanderson, in his “Survey of Lincoln[Pg 137] Cathedral,” gives the following epitaph on Dr. William Cole, Dean of Lincoln, who died in 1600. The upper part of the stone, with Dr. Cole’s arms, is, or was lately, in the Cathedral, but the epitaph has been lost:—

Here is another from Lincoln Cathedral, on Dr. Otwell Hill:—

The Guardian, for 3rd Dec., 1873, gives the following epitaph as being in Lillington Church,[Pg 138] Dorset, on the grave of a man named Cole, who died in 1669:—

Our next example was inscribed in Peterborough Cathedral, to the memory of Sir Richard Worme, ob. 1589:—

On a person named Cave, at Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire, we have the following epitaph:—

In Bletchley, ob. 1615, on Mrs. Rose Sparke:—

From several punning epitaphs on the name of Rose we give one more specimen. It is from Tawton Church, ob. 1652, on Rose Dart:—

In Barnstaple Church, ob. 1627, on Grace Medford, is an epitaph as follows:—

[Pg 140]On a punster the following was written:—

[Pg 141]

Manxland Epitaphs.

Several of the churchyards in the Isle of Man contain monuments of more than local interest, and will repay a careful inspection. The ancient graveyard of Kirk Braddan, surrounded with beautiful trees, and situated in a secluded spot not far distant from the busy town of Douglas, is the most celebrated. It not only contains numerous modern tombstones of unusual interest, but some Runic monuments of importance which have given rise to some strange stories, and suggested a theme for the poet and a study for the antiquary.

An old time-worn stone near the chief door of the church attracts much attention. It states:—

It will be seen from the foregoing that the stone was prepared eleven years prior to the death of the vicar.

Some of the gravestones bear records of[Pg 142] longevity, the most important being the following:—

It will be noticed that although the pair had lived together as man and wife for three score years and ten, the widow only lived ten days after the death of her husband. On many of the tombstones the maiden name of the wife is given, and preceding it is the word alias.

Major Wilks, on his retirement from the Governorship of St. Helena, where he had the charge of the Emperor Napoleon, settled in the Isle of Man. He brought with him a black servant, who died a few years after leaving his native country. He was buried in this graveyard, and over his remains Major Wilks erected a stone bearing an inscription as follows:—

Governor Wilks was a gentleman of high character, personable and courtier-like manners. He was a writer of some ability, and was the author of a “History of the Mahratta War,” which Napoleon read and admired. The ex-Emperor greatly esteemed the Governor, and his departure from St. Helena, where it is said that he made many wise and lasting improvements, was much regretted. Shortly prior to leaving the island, Governor Wilks introduced his daughter to Napoleon, who, it is reported, looked at her with a pleasing smile and said, “I have long heard from various quarters of the superior elegance and beauty of Miss Wilks; but now I am convinced from my own eyes that report has scarcely done her sufficient justice,” and concluded by most politely bowing to Miss Wilks. In course of conversation he said, “You will be very glad to leave this island.” She replied “Oh no, sire; I am very sorry to go away.” “Oh![Pg 144] Mademoiselle, I wish I could change places with you.” He presented her with a bracelet in memory of her visit. She subsequently became Lady Buchan, and died in May, 1888, at the advanced age of ninety-one years; and at the time of her death it was stated that “she was one of the last surviving persons who had a distinct recollection of the first Napoleon.”

There is a curious bit of lore connected with the estate of Governor Wilks in the Isle of Man; it is situated not far from Kirk Braddan, and called Kirby, a name corrupted from two Manx words, “Cur Bee,” meaning “Give food.” In the olden days the owner of the estate had to provide bed and board to the Bishop on his journey to and from England, and from this circumstance is derived its name.

In the churchyard rest the mortal remains of the brother of Mrs. William Wordsworth, Captain Henry Hutchinson. The poet Wordsworth wrote the epitaph which appears on his tombstone. The inscription can only be read with great difficulty, and in a few years will be effaced by the effects of the weather on the tender stone. The following is a literal copy of the epitaph, and perhaps the only one which has been printed:—

[Pg 145]In memory of
Henry Hutchinson,
born at Penrith, Cumberland,
14th June 1769.
At an early age he entered
upon a Seafaring life in the
course of which, being of a
thoughtful mind, he attained
great skill, and knowledge
of his Profession, and endured
in all climates severe
hardships with exemplary
courage & fortitude. The
latter part of his life, was
passed with a beloved Sister
upon this Island. He died at
Douglas the 23rd of May 1839,
much lamented by his Kindred
& Friends who have erected
this stone to testify their
sense of his mild virtues
& humble piety.

Hutchinson wrote poetry of much merit, and one of his sonnets is included in the works of Wordsworth. It is autobiographical in its character, and is as follows:—

Inside the church there is another monument of some literary interest, placed to the memory of the Rev. John Kelly, LL.D., J.P., etc., Rector of Copford, near Colchester. He was the compiler of a polyglot dictionary in the Manx, Gaelic, and Erse languages. The work has quite a romantic history. We are told, “whilst conveying the manuscript, on which he had spent much time and care, to England, he was wrecked between Ramsey and Whitehaven, but, with great fortitude, he supported himself on the sea, and held the manuscript at arm’s-length above the waters for the space of five hours.” Several other interesting tablets are inside the church.

There is a striking monument in the churchyard to the memory of Lord Henry Murray, fifth son of the Duke of Atholl. The inscription states—“This sincere testimonial of affection and deep regret for their commander and their friend is[Pg 147] erected by the officers of the regiment.” He was the Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the Royal Manx Fencibles, and died in 1805, at the age of thirty-eight years.

In the Kirk Braddan Cemetery, situated not far from the old churchyard, is buried John Martin, the celebrated artist, and brother of the notorious Jonathan Martin, who set fire to York Minster, and the eccentric William Martin, the anti-Newtonian philosopher. Martin painted some remarkable pictures, and was a man of genius. He was one of the most popular artists of his day, although he was never a member of the Royal Academy. According to the local guide-books, “his latest productions,—‘The Great Day of His Wrath,’ ‘The Day of Judgment,’ and ‘The Plains of Heaven,’—owe much of their atmospheric grandeur and scenery to the residence of the painter on this island.” A marble slab on a large square vault bears the following inscription:—

Martin was a man greatly esteemed, and did much to promote intercourse between men and women devoted to literature, science, and art.[Pg 148] Mr. Samuel Carter Hall, in his pleasant “Memoirs of Great Men,” supplies a genial sketch of this artist. “Martin, like so many other artists,” says Mr. Hall, “had a terrible wrestle with adversity on his way to fame. I remember his telling me that once he ‘owned’ a shilling; it was needful to hoard it, but, being very hungry, he entered a baker’s shop to buy a penny loaf. To his shame and dismay, he found the shilling was a bad one. ‘So long afterwards,’ added the painter, then at the realisation of his hopes and aims, ‘when I had a shilling, I took care to get it changed into penny-pieces.’”

A gravestone in the churchyard of Santon Parish Church contains the following curious inscription:—

[Pg 149]

Epitaphs on Notable Persons.

We have under this heading some curious graveyard gleanings on remarkable men and women. Our first is from a tombstone erected in the churchyard of Spofforth, at the cost of Lord Dundas, telling the remarkable career of John Metcalf, better known as “Blind Jack of Knaresborough”:—

He died on the 26th of April, 1801, in the 93rd year of his age.

[Pg 150]A few jottings respecting Metcalf will probably be read with interest. At the age of six years he lost his sight by an attack of small-pox. Three years later he joined the boys in their bird-nesting exploits, and climbed trees to share the plunder. When he had reached thirteen summers he was taught music, and soon became a proficient performer; he also learned to ride and swim, and was passionately fond of field-sports. At the age of manhood it is said his mind possessed a self-dependence rarely enjoyed by those who have the perfect use of their faculties; his body was well in harmony with his mind, for when twenty-one years of age he was six feet one and a half inches in height, strong and robust in proportion. At the age of twenty-five, he was engaged as a musician at Harrogate. About this time he was frequently employed during the dark nights as a guide over the moors and wilds, then abundant in the neighbourhood of Knaresborough. He was a lover of horse-racing, and often rode his own animals. His horses he so tamed that when he called them by their respective names they came to him, thus enabling him to find his own amongst any number and without trouble. Particulars of the marriage of this individual read like a romance.[Pg 151] A Miss Benson, the daughter of an innkeeper, reciprocated the affections of our hero; however, the suitor did not please the parents of the “fair lady,” and they selected a Mr. Dickinson as her future husband. Metcalf, hearing that the object of his affection was to be married the following day to the young man selected by her father, hastened to free her by inducing the damsel to elope with him. Next day they were made man and wife, to the great surprise of all who knew them, and to the disappointment of the intended son-in-law. To all it was a matter of wonder how a handsome woman as any in the country, the pride of the place, could link her future with “Blind Jack,” and, for his sake, reject the many good offers made her. But the bride set the matter at rest by declaring: “His actions are so singular, and his spirit so manly and enterprising, that I could not help it.”

It is worthy of note that he was the first to set up, for the public accommodation of visitors to Harrogate, a four-wheeled chaise and a one-horse chair; these he kept for two seasons. He next bought horses and went to the coast for fish, which he conveyed to Leeds and Manchester. In 1745, when the rebellion broke out in [Pg 152]Scotland, he joined a regiment of volunteers raised by Colonel Thornton, a patriotic gentleman, for the defence of the House of Hanover. Metcalf shared with his comrades all the dangers of the campaign. He was defeated at Falkirk, and victorious at Culloden. He was the first to set up (in 1754) a stage-waggon between York and Knaresborough, which he conducted himself twice a week in summer, and once a week in winter. This employment he followed until he commenced contracting for road-making. His first contract was for making three miles of road between Minskip and Ferrensby. He afterwards erected bridges and houses, and made hundreds of miles of roads in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire. He was a dealer in timber and hay, of which he measured and calculated the solid contents by a peculiar method of his own. The hay he always measured with his arms, and, having learned the height, he could tell the number of square yards in the stack. When he went out, he always carried with him a stout staff some inches taller than himself, which was of great service both in his travels and measurements. In 1778 he lost his wife, after thirty-nine years of conjugal felicity, in the sixty-first year of her age.[Pg 153] She was interred at Stockport. Four years later he left Lancashire, and settled at the pleasant rural village of Spofforth, not far distant from the town of his nativity. With a daughter, he resided on a small farm until he died, in 1801. At the time of his decease, his descendants were four children, twenty grandchildren, and ninety great-grandchildren.

In “Yorkshire Longevity,” compiled by Mr. William Grainge, of Harrogate, a most painstaking writer on local history, will be found an interesting account of Henry Jenkins, a celebrated Yorkshireman. It is stated: “In the year 1743, a monument was erected, by subscription, in Bolton churchyard, to the memory of Jenkins: it consists of a square base of freestone, four feet four inches on each side, by four feet six inches in height, surmounted by a pyramid eleven feet high. On the east side is inscribed:—

This monument was
erected by contribution,
in ye year 1743, to ye memory
of Henry Jenkins.

On the west side:—

Henry Jenkins,
Aged 169.

[Pg 154]In the church on a mural tablet of black marble, is inscribed the following epitaph, composed by Dr. Thomas Chapman, Master of Magdalen College, Cambridge:—

Blush not, marble,
to rescue from oblivion
the memory of
Henry Jenkins:
a person obscure in birth,
but of a life truly memorable;
for
he was enriched
with the goods of nature,
if not of fortune,
and happy
in the duration,
if not variety,
of his enjoyments;
and,
tho’ the partial world
despised and disregarded
his low and humble state,
the equal eye of Providence
beheld, and blessed it
with a patriarch’s health and length of days;
to teach mistaken man,
these blessings were entailed on temperance,
or, a life of labour and a mind at ease.

He lived to the amazing age of 169;
was interred here, Dec. 6, (or 9,) 1670,
and had this justice done to his memory 1743.

[Pg 155]This inscription is a proof that learned men, and masters of colleges, are not always exempt from the infirmity of writing nonsense. Passing over the modest request to the black marble not to blush, because, it may feel itself degraded by bearing the name of the plebeian Jenkins, when it ought only to have been appropriated to kings and nobles, we find but questionable philosophy in this inappropriate composition.

The multitude of great events which took place during the lifetime of this man are truly wonderful and astonishing. He lived under the rule of nine sovereigns of England—Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI., Mary, Elizabeth, James I., Charles I., Oliver Cromwell, and Charles II. He was born when the Roman Catholic religion was established by law. He saw the dissolution of the monasteries, and the faith of the nation changed; Popery established a second time by Queen Mary; Protestantism restored by Elizabeth; the Civil War between Charles and the Parliament begun and ended; Monarchy abolished; the young Republic of England, arbiter of the destinies of Europe; and the restoration of Monarchy under the libertine Charles II. During his time, England was invaded by the Scotch; a Scottish[Pg 156] King was slain, and a Scottish Queen beheaded in England; a King of Spain and a King of Scotland were Kings in England; three Queens and one King were beheaded in England in his days; and fire and plague alike desolated London. His lifetime time appears like that of a nation, more than an individual, so long was it extended and so crowded was it with such great events.

The foregoing many incidents remind us of the well-known Scottish epitaph on Margery Scott, who died February 26th, 1728, at Dunkeld, at the extreme age of one hundred years. According to Chambers’s “Domestic Annals of Scotland,” the following epitaph was composed for her by Alexander Pennecuik, but never inscribed, and it has been preserved by the reverend statist of the parish, as a whimsical statement of historical facts comprehended within the life of an individual:—

A footnote states: “The minister’s version is here corrected from one of the Gentleman’s Magazines for January, 1733; but both are incorrect, there having been during 1728 and the one hundred preceding years no more than six kings of Scotland.”

Rowland Deakin died in 1791, aged 95, and was buried in Astley churchyard, near Shrewsbury. His epitaph is as follows:—

In Scott’s “Tales of a Grandfather,” there is an account of the Battle of Lillyard’s Edge,[Pg 158] which was fought in 1545. The spot on which the battle occurred is so called from an Amazonian Scottish woman, who is reported, by tradition, to have distinguished herself in the fight. An inscription which was placed on her tombstone was legible within the present century, and is said to have run thus:—

The tradition says that a beautiful young lady, called Lillyard, followed her lover from the little village of Maxton, and when she saw him fall in battle, rushed herself into the heat of the fight, and was killed, after slaying several of the English.

In Bolton churchyard, Lancashire, is a gravestone of considerable historical interest. It has been incorrectly printed in several books and magazines, but we are able to give a literal copy drawn from a carefully compiled “History of Bolton,” by John D. Briscoe:—

We gather from Mr. Briscoe’s history that Okey was a woolcomber, and came from London to superintend some works at Bolton, where he married the niece of the proprietor, and died in affluence.

Bradley, the “Yorkshire Giant,” was buried in the Market Weighton Church, and on a marble monument the following inscription appears:—

In memory of
William Bradley,
(Of Market Weighton,)
Who died May 30th, 1820,
Aged 33 years.
He measured
[Pg 160]Seven feet nine inches in Height,
and Weighed
twenty-seven stones.

On exhibiting himself at Hull Fair, in 1815, he issued a hand-bill, and the following is a copy of it:—

In “Celebrities of the Yorkshire Wolds,” by Frederick Ross, an interesting sketch of Bradley is given. Mr. Ross states that he was a man of temperate habits, and never drank anything stronger than water, milk, or tea, and was a very moderate eater.

In Hampsthwaite churchyard was interred a “Yorkshire Dwarf.” Her gravestone states:—

In the burial-ground of St. Martin’s, Stamford, is a gravestone to Lambert, a man of surprising corpulency:—

In remembrance of that prodigy in nature,
Daniel Lambert,
a native of Leicester,
who was possessed of an excellent and convivial mind, and
in personal greatness had no competitor.
He measured three feet one inch round the leg, nine feet four
inches round the body, and weighed 52 stones 11 lbs.
(14 lb. to the stone).
He departed this life on the 21st of June, 1809, aged 39 years.
As a testimony of respect, this stone was erected by his
friends in Leicester.

Respecting the burial of Lambert we gather from a sketch of his life the following particulars: “His coffin, in which there was a great difficulty to place him, was six feet four inches long, four feet four inches wide, and two feet four inches deep; the immense substance of his legs made it necessarily a square case. This coffin, which consisted of 112 superficial feet of elm, was built on two axle-trees, and four cog-wheels. Upon[Pg 162] these his remains were rolled into his grave, which was in the new burial-ground at the back of St. Martin’s Church. A regular descent was made by sloping it for some distance. It was found necessary to take down the window and wall of the room in which he lay to allow of his being taken away.”

In St. Peter’s churchyard, Isle of Thanet, a gravestone bears the following inscription:—

Joy was invited to Court to exhibit his remarkable feats of strength. In 1699 his portrait was published, and appended to it was an account of his prodigious physical power.

The next epitaph is from St. James’s Cemetery, Liverpool:—

Our correspondent, Mrs. Charlotte Jobling, from whom we received the above, says: “The remainder is buried. It stands against the wall, and does not appear to now mark the grave of Miss Biffin.” Mr. Henry Morley, in his “Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair,” writing about the fair of 1799, mentions Miss Biffin. “She was found,” says Mr. Morley, “in the Fair, and assisted by the Earl of Morton, who sat for his likeness to her, always taking the unfinished picture away with him when he left, that he might prove it to be all the work of her own shoulder. When it was done he laid it before George III., in the year 1808; he obtained the[Pg 164] King’s favour for Miss Biffin; and caused her to receive, at his own expense, further instruction in her art from Mr. Craig. For the last twelve years of his life he maintained a correspondence with her; and, after having enjoyed favour from two King Georges, she received from William IV. a small pension, with which, at the Earl’s request, she retired from a life among caravans. But fourteen years later, having been married in the interval, she found it necessary to resume, as Mrs. Wright, late Miss Biffin, her business as a skilful miniature painter, in one or two of our chief provincial towns.”

The following on Butler, the author of “Hudibras,” merits a place in our pages. The first inscription is from St. Paul’s, Covent Garden:—

The following lines were contributed by Mr.[Pg 165] O’Brien, and are engraved beneath the medallion:—

The erection of the above monument was the occasion of this very good epigram by Mr. S. Wesley:—

It is worth remarking that the poet was starving, while his prince, Charles II., always carried a “Hudibras” in his pocket.

The inscription on his monument in Westminster Abbey is as follows:—

Here are a few particulars respecting an oddity, furnished by a correspondent: “Died, at High Wycombe, Bucks, on the 24th May, 1837, Mr. John Guy, aged 64. His remains were interred in Hughenden churchyard, near Wycombe. On a marble slab, on the lid of his coffin, is the following inscription:—

On his gravestone these lines are inscribed:—

[Pg 167]This eccentric gentleman was possessed of considerable property, and was a native of Gloucestershire. His grave and coffin were made under his directions more than a twelvemonth before his death; the inscription on the tablet on his coffin, and the lines placed upon his gravestone, were his own composition. He gave all necessary orders for the conducting of his funeral, and five shillings were wrapped in separate pieces of paper for each of the bearers. The coffin was of singular beauty and neatness in workmanship, and looked more like a piece of tasteful cabinet-work intended for a drawing-room, than a receptacle for the dead.”

Near the great door of the Abbey of St. Peter, Gloucester, says Mr. Henry Calvert Appleby, at the bottom of the body of the building, is a marble monument to John Jones, dressed in the robes of an alderman, painted in different colours. Underneath the effigy, on a tablet of black marble, are the following words:—

He died in the sixth year of the reign of King Charles I., on the first of June, 1630. He gave orders for his monument to be raised in his lifetime.[Pg 168] When the workmen had fixed it up, he found fault with it, remarking that the nose was too red. While they were altering it, he walked up and down the body of the church. He then said that he had himself almost finished, so he paid off the men, and died the next morning.

The next epitaph from Newark, Nottinghamshire, furnishes a chapter of local history:—

Sacred to the memory
Of Hercules Clay, Alderman of Newark,
Who died in the year of his Mayoralty,
Jan. 1, 1644.
On the 5th of March, 1643,
He and his family were preserved
By the Divine Providence
From the thunderbolt of a terrible cannon
Which had been levelled against his house
By the Besiegers,
And entirely destroyed the same.
Out of gratitude for this deliverance,
He has taken care
To perpetuate the remembrance thereof
By an alms to the poor and a sermon;
By this means
Raising to himself a Monument
More durable than Brass.

Also of his beloved wife
Mary (by the gift of God)
Partaker of the same felicity.

It is stated that Charles II., in a gay moment, asked Rochester to write his epitaph. Rochester immediately wrote:—

[Pg 170]On which the King wrote the following comment:—

Mr. Thomas Broadbent Trowsdale tells us: “In the fine old church of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, nearly opposite the reading-desk, is a memorial stone with the following curious acrostic inscription, in capital letters:—

[Pg 171]“This singular epitaph points out the last resting-place of Henry Marten, one of the judges who condemned King Charles I. to the scaffold. On the Restoration, Marten was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment, Chepstow Castle being selected as the place of his incarceration. There he died in 1680, in the twenty-eighth year of his captivity, and seventy-eighth of his age. He was originally interred in the chancel of the church; but a subsequent vicar of Chepstow, Chest by name, who carried his petty party animosities even beyond the grave, had the dead man’s dust removed, averring that he would not allow the body of a regicide to lie so near the altar. And so it was that Marten’s memorial came to occupy its present position in the passage leading from the nave to the north aisle. We are told that one Mr. Downton, a son-in-law of this pusillanimous parson, touched to the quick by his relative’s harsh treatment of poor Marten’s inanimate remains, retorted by writing this satirical epitaph for the Rev. Mr. Chest’s tombstone:—

[Pg 172]“Some doubt has been thrown on the probability of a man of Marten’s culture having written, as is implied in the inscription, the epitaph which has a place on his memorial.

“The regicide was a son of Sir Henry Marten, a favourite of the first James, and by him appointed Principal Judge of the Admiralty and Dean of Arches. Young Henry was himself a prominent person during the period of the disastrous Civil War, and was elected Member of Parliament for Berkshire in 1640. He was, in politics, a decided Republican, and threw in his lot with the Roundhead followers of sturdy Oliver. When the tide of popular favour turned in Charles II.’s direction, and Royalty was reinstated, Marten and the rest of the regicides were brought to judgment for signing the death warrant of their monarch. The consequence, in Marten’s case, was life-long imprisonment, as we have seen, in Chepstow Castle.”

Next is a copy of an acrostic epitaph from Tewkesbury Abbey.

In the churchyard of Irongray a table stone, reared by Sir Walter Scott, commemorates Helen Walker, the prototype of Jeanie Deans, whose integrity and tenderness are, in his “Heart of Midlothian,” so admirably portrayed by that great novelist. The following is the inscription:—

This stone was erected
by the author of Waverley
to the memory of
Helen Walker,
who died in the year of God 1791.
This humble individual practised in real
life the virtues
with which fiction has invested
the imaginary character of
Jeanie Deans;
refusing the slightest departure
from veracity,
[Pg 174]even to save the life of a sister,
she nevertheless showed her
kindness and fortitude,
in rescuing her from the severity of the
law at the expense of personal
exertions which the time
rendered as difficult as the motive was
laudable.
Respect the grave of poverty
when combined with love of truth
and dear affection.
Erected October 1831.

Robert Paterson, better known as “Old Mortality,” rests in the churchyard of Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire. We learn from Dr. Charles Rogers’s “Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions in Scotland” (1871) that Paterson was born in 1715, and was the youngest son of Walter Paterson and Margaret Scott, who rented the farm of Haggista, parish of Hawick. He some time served an elder brother who had a farm in Comcockle-muir, near Lochmaben. He married Elizabeth Gray, who, having been cook in the family of Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, of Closeburn, procured for him an advantageous lease of a freestone quarry at Morton. Here he resided many years, labouring with exemplary diligence. From his youth attached to the sect of the[Pg 175] Cameronians, he evinced a deep interest in the memory of those who had suffered in the cause of Presbytery. Occasionally he restored their tombstones. At length his zeal in the restoration of these stony memorials acquired the force of a passion. In 1758 he began to travel from parish to parish, ever working with hammer and chisel in renewing the epitaphs of the martyrs. His self-imposed task no entreaties of wife or children could induce him to abandon. Though reduced to the verge of poverty, he persisted in his labours till the last day of his existence. He died at Banpend village, near Lockerbie, on the 29th January, 1801, aged eighty-six. At his death he was found possessed of twenty-seven shillings and sixpence, which were applied to the expenses of his funeral. Sir Walter Scott, who has made “Old Mortality” the subject of a novel, intended to rear a tombstone to his memory, but was unable to discover his place of sepulture. Since the discovery has been made, Messrs. Black, of Edinburgh, who possess the copyright of the Waverley novels, have reared at the grave of the old enthusiast a suitable memorial stone. It is thus inscribed:—

Here is a picture of the stone placed over the grave of William Shakespeare, at Stratford-on-Avon, with its well-known and frequently quoted inscription:—

At Loddon, in Norfolk, is buried one who, like the bard of Avon, had a great horror of his bones being removed. The epitaph is as follows:—

In Tideswell churchyard, among several other singular gravestone inscriptions, the following occurs, and is worth reprinting:—

Under the shadow of the ancient church of Bakewell, Derbyshire, is a stone containing a long inscription to the memory of John Dale, barber-surgeon, and his two wives, Elizabeth Foljambe and Sarah Bloodworth. It ends thus:—

On a slab affixed to the east wall of St. Mary’s Church, Whitby, is an inscription containing some remarkable coincidences:—

The following is from St. Julian’s Church, Shrewsbury:—

In the church of Little Driffield, East Yorkshire, were placed in modern times two inscriptions to the memory of Alfred, King of Northumbria. The first states:—

The present one reads as follows:—

WITHIN THIS CHANCEL
LIES INTERRED THE BODY OF
ALFRED
KING OF NORTHUMBRIA
DEPARTED THIS LIFE
JANUARY 19TH A.D. 705
IN THE 20TH YEAR OF HIS REIGN
STATUTUM EST OMNIBUS SEMIL MORI.

In St. Anne’s churchyard, Soho, erected by[Pg 180] the Earl of Orford (Walpole), in 1758, these lines were (or are) to be read:—

In the burial-ground of the Island of Juan Fernandez, a monument states:—

In Memory of
Alexander Selkirk,
Mariner,
A native of Largo, in the county of Fife, Scotland,
Who lived on this island, in complete
solitude, for four years and four months.
He was landed from the Cinque Ports galley, 96 tons,
18 guns, A.D. 1704, and was taken off in the
Duke, privateer, 12th February, 1709.
He died Lieutenant of H.M.S. Weymouth,
A.D. 1723, aged 47 years.
This Tablet is erected near Selkirk’s look out,
[Pg 181]By Commodore Powell and the Officers
of H.M.S. Topaze, A.D. 1868.

It is generally believed that the adventures of Selkirk suggested to Daniel Defoe the attractive story of “Robinson Crusoe.” In the “Dictionary of English Literature,” by William Davenport Adams, will be found important information bearing on this subject.

In Gloucester Notes and Queries we read as follows: “Stout’s Hill is the name of a house situated on high ground to the south of the village of Uley, built in the style which, in the last century, was intended for Gothic, but which may be more exactly defined as the ‘Strawberry Hill’ style. In a house of earlier date lived the father of Samuel Rudder, the laborious compiler of the ‘History of Gloucestershire’ (1779). He lies in the churchyard of Uley, on the south side of the chancel, and his gravestone has a brass-plate inserted, which records a remarkable fact:—

Tradition tells us that this vegetarian lived mainly on ‘dump,’ in various forms. Usually he ate[Pg 182] ‘plain dump;’ when tired of plain dump, he changed his diet to ‘hard dump;’ and when he was in a special state of exhilaration, he added the variety ‘apple dump’ to his very moderate fare.”

On Saturday, the 2nd May, 1800, the remains of William Cowper were interred in that part of Dereham Church known as St. Edmund’s Chapel. He died without a will, but Lady Hesketh consented to administer his estate, and eventually placed a tablet to his memory on the wall of the chancel, near his grave. It is constructed of white marble, and over the top are represented two volumes, labelled respectively “Holy Bible” and “The Task.” The inscription as follows was written by Cowper’s friend, Hayley:—

Charles and Mary Lamb are buried in the churchyard of Edmonton, and a white headstone, marks the spot, on which is recorded, in bold black letters, the following inscription written by Lamb’s friend, the Rev. Henry Francis Cary, the translator of Dante:—

[Pg 184]In the church is a memorial to Lamb and Cowper. It occupies a good position at the west end of the north wall, and consists of two inscribed white marble panels, enshrined in a graceful freestone design, the arches of which are supported by veined marble pilasters. In the upper portion of each panel is carved a portrait in relief, the one on the right showing the head of Cowper, while on the left the features of Lamb are characteristically depicted.

The following are the inscriptions contained on the memorial:—

For some years we have been interested in the life and poetry of Mary Pyper, “A Poet of the Poor,” and in our “Literary Byways” have told at length the story of her career. We there state, through the exertions of Dr. Rogers in May, 1885, a handsome cross was erected over her remains in[Pg 186] Greyfriars’ churchyard, Edinburgh, simply bearing her name, “Mary Pyper.” Such was the information we received from a friend whom we induced to see the memorial and give us particulars of it, and to our surprise when we visited her grave in April, 1899, we found on the cross the following inscription, which we presume has been added since its erection:—

By admiring
Friends
Erected
in memory of
Mary Pyper,
who amidst
untoward
surroundings
cherished
her gift as a writer of
sacred verse.
Born 25th May,
1795.
She died at
Edinburgh,
25th May, 1870.
Let me go! The day is breaking;
Morning bursts upon the eye;
Death this mortal frame is shaking,
But the soul can never die!

The lines are from her poem entitled “The Christian’s View of Death,” which finds a place[Pg 187] in several standard works of poetry. Her best known production is an “Epitaph: A Life,” and often attributed incorrectly to German sources. It is as follows:—

Among self-taught poets Mary Pyper is entitled to an honourable place.

Mr. John T. Page furnishes us with the following inscriptions copied from Hogarth’s monument in Chiswick churchyard. It was erected, says Mr. Page, in 1771, seven years after his death, and is a tall piece of masonry crowned with a funeral urn. Beneath this, on the side facing the church, are carved in low relief a mask, maul-stick, palette and brushes, a laurel wreath and an open book bearing the title of his famous “Analysis of Beauty.” On the same side, on a small block of Aberdeen granite at the foot of the memorial, is recorded the fact that it was

[Pg 188] Restored by
William Hogarth,
of Aberdeen,
in 1856.

It has well stood the “storm and stress” since then, but is now beginning to show signs of the need of another restoration, for, on the east side, over the inscription, the combined armorial bearings of Hogarth and his wife are as nearly as possible obliterated.

The inscriptions are as follows:—

(N. Side.)

(E. Side.)
Here lieth the body
of William Hogarth, Esqr.,
who died October the 26th 1764
aged 67 years
Mrs. Jane Hogarth
wife of William Hogarth Esqr.
Obit. the 13th of November 1789
Ætat 80 years.

 [Pg 189]

(W. Side.)
Here lieth the Body
of Mrs. Anne Hogarth Sister
to William Hogarth Esqr.
She died August the 13th 1771
aged 70 years
Also the Body of
Mary Lewis Spinster
died 25th March 1808
Aged 88 years.

(S. Side.)
Here lieth the Body
of Dame Judith Thornhill
Relict of Sr James Thornhill Knight
of Thornhill in the County of Dorset
She died November the 12th 1757
aged 84 years.

The lapse of one hundred and thirty years, says Mr. Page, has not served to dim the ardour with which the works of William Hogarth are cherished by the English nation. His “Harlot’s Progress” not only served to reconcile his father-in-law, Sir James Thornhill, to the runaway match the plebeian Hogarth had contracted three years before with his daughter, but it is still looked upon as his chef d’œuvre by many eminent critics; and there is nearly always to be seen a crowd round his “Marriage a la Mode” in the[Pg 190] National Gallery. The virulent contest with Wilkes and Churchill, with which his last days were embittered, has long ago been forgotten, and the name of William Hogarth still lives, and will be popular for all time through his admired series of paintings and engravings, which are prized and hoarded with an ever-increasing love by their happy possessors.

ETTY’S GRAVE.

Fairholt, in his “Homes, Works, and Shrines[Pg 191] of English Artists”[3] gives an interesting sketch of the career of William Etty, the son of a miller, who for seven years was an apprentice to a printer in Hull, but devoted all his spare time to art, and eventually after many struggles won a high place amongst the painters of the period. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Olave, York, where from the beautiful grounds of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, and through one of the arches of the ruined Abbey of St. Mary, his tomb may be seen. The arch near his grave was closed, but was opened to bring in sight his tomb. Mr. Fairholt is in error in saying it bears the simple inscription:—

William Etty, Royal Academician.

Some years ago from the other side of the tomb we copied the following inscription from a crumbling stone:—

William Etty, Royal Academician,
Who in his brilliant works has left
an enduring monument of his exalted genius.
Earnestly aiming to attain that lofty position on which
his highly gifted talents have placed him, he throughout life
exhibited an undeviating perseverance in his profession.
To promote its advancement in his beloved country he watched the progress
[Pg 192]of those engaged in its study with the most disinterested kindness.
To a cultivated and highly poetical mind
Were united a cheerfulness and sweetness of disposition
With great simplicity and urbanity of manners.
He was richly endeared to all who knew him.
His piety was unaffected, his faith in Christ sincere,
and his devotion to God exemplary.
He was born at York, March 10th, 1787, and died
in his native city, November 13th, 1849.
“Why seek ye the living among the dead?”—Luke xxii., 5.

Etty, says Fairholt, had that wisdom which few men possess, the wisdom of a contented mind. He loved his quiet home, in his provincial birthplace, better than the bustle of London, or the notoriety he might obtain by a residence there. His character and his talent would ensure him attention and deference anywhere, but he preferred his own nook by the old church at York. He probably felt with the poet, that

The remains of Cruikshank rest in the crypt in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, and over his grave the following inscription appears:—

A sketch of his life has been written by Walter Hamilton, under the title of “George Cruikshank, Artist and Humourist.” (London: Elliot Stock, 1878.) William Bates, B.A., M.R.C.S., wrote “George Cruikshank, the Artist, the Humourist, and the Man, with Some Account of his Brother Robert.” (Birmingham: Houghton & Hammond, 1878.) Blanchard Jerrold wrote “The Life of George Cruikshank.” (London: Chatto & Windus, a new edition with eighty-four illustrations, 1883.) An able article contributed to the Westminster Review, by William Makepeace Thackeray, has been reproduced in book form by George Redway, London (1884). Some time ago the following appeared in a newspaper:—One day while Dr. B. W. Richardson was engaged at his house with an old patient who had been away many years in India, George Cruikshank’s card[Pg 194] was handed to the doctor. “It must be the grandson, or the son, at any rate, of the great artist I remember as a boy,” said the patient. “It is impossible that George Cruikshank of Queen Caroline’s trial-time can be alive!” The doctor asked the vivacious George to come in. He tripped in, in his eighty-fourth year, and, when the old officer expressed his astonishment, George exclaimed, “I’ll show you whether he is alive!” With this he took the poker and tongs from the grate, laid them upon the carpet, and executed the sword dance before Dr. Richardson’s astonished patient.

At the east end of the High Street, Portsmouth, and nearly opposite the house before which the Duke of Buckingham was stabbed by Felton, in 1628, stands the Unitarian Chapel. John Pounds habitually worshipped here on a Sunday evening, and the place where he used to sit, in front of one of the side galleries, just to the right of the minister, is still pointed out. He lies buried in the graveyard, on the left-hand side of the chapel, near the end of the little foot-path which leads round the building to the vestries. Shortly after his death a tablet was placed in the chapel, beneath the gallery, to his memory. Although his grave[Pg 195] was dug as near as possible to that part of the chapel wall opposite where he used to sit, yet this tablet was, apparently without any reason, put some distance away from the spot. In shape and material it is of the usual orthodox style—a square slab of white marble, edged with black, and inscribed on it are the words:—

Erected by friends
as a memorial of their esteem
and respect for
John Pounds,
who, while earning his livelihood
by mending shoes, gratuitously
educated, and in part clothed and fed,
some hundreds of poor children.
He died suddenly
on the 1st of January, 1839,
aged 72 years.
Thou shalt be blessed: for they
cannot recompense thee.

Not long after this tablet was placed in position the idea was mooted that a monument should be erected over his grave. The Rev. Henry Hawkes, the minister who then had charge of the place, at once took the matter up, and subscriptions came in so well that the monument was more than paid for. The surplus money was wisely laid out in the purchase of a Memorial Library, which still[Pg 196] occupies one of the ante-rooms of the chapel. The monument erected over the grave is of a suitable description, plain but substantial, and is in form a square and somewhat tapering block of stone about four feet high. On the front is the following inscription:—

On the side facing the library door there are, in addition to the above, the ensuing sentences:—

[Pg 197] This Monument
has been erected chiefly
by means of Penny Subscriptions,
not only from the Christian
Brotherhood
with whom John Pounds
habitually worshipped
in the adjoining Chapel,
but from persons of widely
different Religious opinions
throughout Great Britain
and from the most distant parts
of the World.

In connection with this memorial
has also been founded in like manner
within these precincts
a Library to his memory
designed to extend
to an indefinite futurity
the solid mental and moral usefulness
to which the philanthropic shoemaker
was so earnestly devoted
to the last day of his life.
Pray for the blessing of God to prosper it.

Large trees overshade the modest monument, and the spot is a quiet one, being as far as possible away from the street.[4]

On the gravestone of Richard Turner, Preston, a hawker of fish, the following inscription appears:

In Mr. W. E. A. Axon’s able and entertaining volume, “Lancashire Gleanings” (pub. 1883), is an interesting chapter on the “Origin of the Word ‘Teetotal.’” In the same work we are told that Dr. Whitaker, the historian of Whalley, wrote the following epitaph on a model publican:—

Here lies the Body of
John Wigglesworth,
More than fifty years he was the
perpetual Innkeeper in this Town.
Withstanding the temptations of that dangerous calling,
he maintained good order in his
House, kept the Sabbath day Holy,
frequented the Public Worship
with his Family, induced his guests
to do the same, and regularly
partook of the Holy Communion.
He was also bountiful to the Poor,
in private as well as in public,
and, by the blessings of Providence
on a life so spent, died
possessed of competent Wealth,
Feb. 28, 1813,
aged 77 years.

The churchyard of Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire,[Pg 199] contains a gravestone bearing an inscription as follows:—

The writer of the foregoing epitaph was Dr. Booker, vicar of Dudley. The inscription is associated with one of the most remarkable trials of the present century. It will not be without interest to furnish a few notes on the case. One Abraham Thornton was tried at the Warwick Assizes for the murder of Mary Ashford, and acquitted. The brother and next of kin of the deceased, not being satisfied with the verdict, sued out, as the law allowed him, an appeal against Thornton, by which he could be put on his trial[Pg 200] again. The law allowed the appeal in case of murder, and it also gave option to the accused of having it tried by wager of law or by wager of battle. The brother of the unfortunate woman had taken no account of this, and accordingly, not only Mr. Ashford but the judge, jury, and bar were taken greatly aback, and stricken with dismay, when the accused, being requested to plead, took a paper from Mr. Reader, his counsel, and a pair of gloves, one of which he drew on, and, throwing the other on the ground, exclaimed, “Not guilty; and I am ready to defend the same with my body!” Lord Ellenborough on the bench appeared grave, and the accuser looked amazed, so the court was adjourned to enable the judge to have an opportunity of conferring with his learned brethren. After several adjournments, Lord Ellenborough at last declared solemnly, but reluctantly, that wager of battle was still the law of the land, and that the accused had a right of appeal to it. To get rid of the law an attempt was made, by passing a short and speedy Act of Parliament, but this was ruled impossible, as it would have been ex post facto, and people waited curiously to see the lists set up in the Tothill Fields. As Mr. Ashford[Pg 201] refused to meet Thornton, he was obliged to cry “craven!” After that the appellor was allowed to go at large, and he could not be again tried by wager of law after having claimed his wager of battle. In 1819 an Act was passed to prevent any further appeals for wager of battle.

The following is from a gravestone in Saddleworth churchyard, and tells a painful story:—

The following on a Hull character is from South Cave churchyard:—

[Pg 202]

In Welton churchyard, near Hull, the next curious inscription appears on an old gravestone:—

Here lieth He ould
Jeremy who hath
eight times maried
been but now in his
ould age he lies
in his cage under
the grass so green
which Jeremiah Simp-
son departed this
Life in the 84 yeare
of his age in the
year of our Lord
1719.

According to “Shropshire Folk-Lore” (published 1883), Edward Burton, of Longner, Shrewsbury, died in 1558, and in the garden of Longner Hall is a plain altar-tomb, dated 1614. He was a zealous Protestant, and died suddenly of excitement on hearing Shrewsbury bells ring for the accession of Queen Elizabeth. The[Pg 203] minister of St. Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, refused to permit his body to be buried there; it was therefore taken home again and laid in his garden:—

Mr. J. Potter Briscoe favours us with an account of a Nottingham character, and a copy of his epitaph. Vincent Eyre was by trade a needle-maker, and was a firm and consistent Tory in politics, taking an active interest in all the party struggles of the period. His good nature and honesty made him popular among the poorer classes, with whom he chiefly associated. A commendable trait in his character is worthy of special mention, namely, that, notwithstanding frequent temptations, he spurned to take a bribe from anyone. In the year 1727 an election for a Member of[Pg 204] Parliament took place, and all the ardour of Vin’s nature was at once aroused in the interests of his favourite party. The Tory candidate, Mr. Borlase Warren, was opposed by Mr. John Plumtree, the Whig nominee, and, in the heat of the excitement, Vin emphatically declared that he should not mind dying immediately if the Tories gained the victory. Strange to relate, such an event actually occurred, for when the contest and the “chairing” of the victor was over, he fell down dead with joy, September 6th, 1727. The epitaph upon him is as follows:—

The following lines to the memory of Thomas Stokes are from his gravestone in Burton churchyard, upon which a profile of his head is cut. He for many years swept the roads in Burton:—

Next we deal with an instance of pure affection. The churchyard of the Yorkshire village of Bowes contains the grave of two lovers, whose touching[Pg 206] fate suggested Mallet’s beautiful ballad of “Edwin and Emma.” The real names of the couple were Rodger Wrightson and Martha Railton. The story is rendered with no less accuracy than pathos by the poet:—

We are told that Edwin’s father and sister were bitterly opposed to their love. The poor youth pined away. When he was dying Emma was permitted to see him, but the cruel sister would scarcely allow her to bid him a word of farewell. Returning home, she heard the passing bell toll for the death of her lover—

[Pg 207]

The lovers were buried the same day and in the same grave. In the year 1848, Dr. F. Dinsdale, F.S.A., editor of the “Ballads and Songs of David Mallet,” etc., erected a simple but tasteful monument to the memory of the lovers, bearing the following inscription:—

In Middleton Tyas Church, near Richmond, is the following:—

[Pg 208] This Monument rescues from Oblivion
the Remains of the Reverend John Mawer, D.D.,
Late vicar of this Parish, who died Nov. 18, 1763, aged 60.
As also of Hannah Mawer, his wife, who died
Dec. 20th, 1766, aged 72.
Buried in this Chancel.
They were persons of eminent worth.
The Doctor was descended from the Royal Family
of Mawer, and was inferior to none of his illustrious
ancestors in personal merit, being the greatest
Linguist this Nation ever produced.
He was able to speak & write twenty-two Languages,
and particularly excelled in the Eastern Tongues,
in which he proposed to His Royal Highness
Frederick Prince of Wales, to whom he was firmly
attached, to propagate the Christian Religion
in the Abyssinian Empire; a great and noble
Design, which was frustrated by the
Death of that amiable Prince; to the great mortification of
this excellent Person, whose merit meeting with
no reward in this world, will, it’s to be hoped, receive
it in the next, from that Being which Justice
only can influence.

[Pg 209]

Miscellaneous Epitaphs.

We bring together under this heading a number of specimens that we could not include in the foregoing chapters of classified epitaphs.

An epitaph on a brass in the south aisle of Barton Church, in Norfolk, is notable as being one of the oldest in existence in English, such memorials being usually in Latin at the period from which it dates. The inscription is as follows:—

[Pg 210]In the churchyard of Stanton Harcourt is a gravestone bearing the following inscription:—

According to a letter from Gay, the poet, to Fenton, relating the death of the pair, who were lovers, this epitaph was written by Pope, and the memorial erected at the cost of Lord Harcourt on the condition that Gay or Pope should write the epitaph. Gay gives the following as the joint production of the two poets:—

“But,” wrote Gay, “my Lord is apprehensive the country people will not understand this; and Mr. Pope says he’ll make one with something of Scripture in it, and with as little of poetry as Hopkins and Sternhold.” Hence the lines which appear on the tomb of the lovers.

Our next example is from Bury St. Edmunds churchyard:—

From Bury St. Edmunds is the following inscription which tells a sad story of the low value placed on human life at the close of the eighteenth century:—

Reader,
Pause at this humble stone it records
The fall of unguarded youth by the allurements of
vice and treacherous snares of seduction.
Sarah Lloyd
On the 23rd April, 1800, in the 22nd year of her age,
Suffered a just and ignominious death.
For admitting her abandoned seducer in the
dwelling-house of her mistress, on the 3rd of
October, 1799, and becoming the instrument in
his hands of the crime of robbery and
housebreaking.
These were her last words:
“May my example be a warning to thousands.”

A lover at York inscribed the following lines to his sweetheart, who was accidentally drowned, December 24th, 1796:—

In Holy Trinity Church, Hull, is an elegant marble monument by Earle, with figures of a[Pg 213] mother and two children. The inscription tells a painful story, and is as follows:—

The record of the death of the parents follows.

An accidental death is recorded on a tombstone in Burton Joyce churchyard, placed to the memory of Elizabeth Cliff, who died in 1835:—

A tombstone in Creton churchyard states:—

[Pg 214]

From Kingsbridge, Devonshire, we have the following:—

In the churchyard of Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire, a good specimen of a true Englishman is buried, named Samuel Cleater, who died May 1st, 1811, aged 65 years. The two-lined epitaph has such a genuine, sturdy ring about it, that it deserves to be rescued from oblivion:—

A monument in Bakewell Church, Derbyshire, is a curiosity, blending as it does in a remarkable manner business, loyalty, and religion:—

SHORTHAND EPITAPH IN OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH, SCULCOATES.

From a Photo by Wellsted & Son, Hull.

[Pg 215]The old church of St. Mary’s, Sculcoates, Hull, contains several interesting monuments, and we give a picture from a specially taken photograph for this volume of a quaint-looking mural memorial, having on it an inscription in shorthand. In Sheahan’s “History of Hull,” the following translation is given:—

We believe that the foregoing is a unique epitaph, at all events we have not heard of or seen any other monumental inscription in shorthand.

The following curious epitaph is from Wirksworth, Derbyshire:—

At Castleton, in the Peak of Derbyshire, is another curious epitaph, partly in English and partly in Latin, to the memory of an attorney-at-law named Micah Hall, who died in 1804. It is said to have been penned by himself, and is more epigrammatic than reverent. It is as follows:—

This verse has been rendered thus:—

In Sarnesfield churchyard, near Weobley, is the tombstone of John Abel, the celebrated architect of the market-houses of Hereford, Leominster, Knighton, and Brecknock, who died in the year[Pg 217] 1694, having attained the ripe old age of ninety-seven. The memorial stone is adorned with three statues in kneeling posture, representing Abel and his two wives; and also displayed are the emblems of his profession—the rule, the compass, and the square—the whole being designed and sculptured by himself. The epitaph, a very quaint one, was also of his own writing, and runs thus:—

In the churchyard of Walcott, Norfolk, the following cynical epitaph may be seen:—

[Pg 218]From Gilling churchyard, Richmondshire, is the following:—

The crime occurred in 1750, and the murderer was never discovered.

From a gravestone in Patcham was copied the following inscription:—

The real story of Scales’ death is given in Chambers’s “Book of Days,” and is as follows: Daniel[Pg 219] Scales was a desperate smuggler, and one night he, with many more, was coming from Brighton heavily laden, when the Excise officers and soldiers fell in with them. The smugglers fled in all directions; a riding officer, as such persons were called, met this man, and called upon him to surrender his booty, which he refused to do. The officer knew that “he was too good a man for him, for they had tried it out before; so he shot Daniel through the head.”

The following inscription copied from a monument at Darfield, near Barnsley, records a murder which occurred on the spot where the stone is placed:—

A stone dated 1853, the Minster graveyard, Beverley, is placed to the memory of the victim of[Pg 220] a railway carriage tragedy, and bears the following extraordinary inscription:—

Near the west end of Holy Trinity Church, Stalham, Norfolk, may be seen a gravestone bearing the following inscription:—

The following singular verse occurs upon a tombstone contiguous to the chancel door in Grindon churchyard, near Leek, Staffordshire:—

[Pg 221]

On a stone in the north aisle of the church of St. Peter of Mancroft, Norwich, is the following pathetic inscription:—

From Hedon, in Holderness, East Yorkshire, is the following:—

Here lyeth the body of
William Strutton, of Patrington,
Buried the 18^th of May 1734
Aged 97.
Who had, by his first wife, twenty-eight children,
And by a second seventeen;
Own father to forty-five
Grand-father to eighty-six,
[Pg 222]Great Grand-father to ninety-seven,
And Great, Great-Grand-father to twenty-three;
In all two hundred and fifty-one.

In Laurence Lideard churchyard, says Pettigrew, is a similar one:—

The man that rests in this grave has had 8 wives,
by whom he had 45 children, and 20 grand-
children. He was born rich, lived and
died poor, aged 94 years,
July 30th, 1774.
Born at Bewdley in Worcestershire in 1650.

According to the epitaph of Ann Jennings at Wolstanton:—

The following quaint epitaph in Dalry Cemetery commemorates John Robertson, a native of the United States, who died 29th September, 1860, aged 22:—

The Rev. William Mason, the Hull poet, married in 1765 Mary Sherman, of Hull. Two years later she died of consumption at Bristol. In the Cathedral of that city is a monument containing the following lines by her husband:—

[Pg 223]

How different is the sentiment of the foregoing to the following, said by Pettigrew and other compilers of collections of epitaphs to be inscribed on a monument in a Cumberland church, but as a matter of fact it does not exist on a memorial:—

Here lies the bodies
Of Thomas Bond and Mary his wife.
She was temperate, chaste, and charitable;
But
She was proud, peevish, and passionate.
She was an affectionate wife, and a tender mother:
But
Her husband and child, whom she loved,
Seldom saw her countenance without a disgusting frown,
[Pg 224]Whilst she received visitors, whom she despised, with an
endearing smile.
Her behaviour was discreet towards strangers;
But
Independent in her family.
Abroad, her conduct was influenced by good breeding;
But
At home, by ill temper.
She was a professed enemy to flattery,
And was seldom known to praise or commend;
But
The talents in which she principally excelled,
Were difference of opinion, and discovering flaws and
imperfections.
She was an admirable economist,
And, without prodigality,
Dispensed plenty to every person in her family;
But
Would sacrifice their eyes to a farthing candle.
She sometimes made her husband happy with her good
qualities;
But
Much more frequently miserable—with her many failings:
Insomuch that in thirty years cohabitation he often
lamented
That maugre of all her virtues,
He had not, in the whole, enjoyed two years of matrimonial
comfort.
At Length
Finding that she had lost the affections of her husband,
As well as the regard of her neighbours,
Family disputes having been divulged by servants,
She died of vexation, July 20, 1768,
Aged 48 years.
[Pg 225]
Her worn out husband survived her four months and two days,
And departed this life, Nov. 28, 1768,
In the 54th year of his age.
William Bond, brother to the deceased, erected this stone,
As a weekly monitor, to the surviving wives of this parish,
That they may avoid the infamy
Of having their memories handed to posterity
With a Patch Work character.

In St. Peter’s churchyard, Barton-on-Humber, there is a tombstone with the following strange inscription:—

As may be inferred, no name is given; the date is 1777. A curious and romantic legend attaches to the epitaph. In the above year an unknown lady of great beauty, who is conjectured to have loved “not wisely, but too well,” came to reside in the town. She was accompanied by a gentleman, who left her after making lavish arrangements for her comfort. She was proudly reserved in her manners, frequently took long solitary walks, and studiously avoided all intercourse. In giving birth to a child she died, and did not disclose her name or family connections. After her decease, the gentleman who came with her arrived, and was[Pg 226] overwhelmed with grief at the intelligence which awaited him. He took the child away without unravelling the secret, having first ordered the stone to be erected, and delivered into the mason’s hands the verse, which is at once a mystery and a memento. Such are the particulars gathered from “The Social History and Antiquities of Barton-on-Humber,” by H. W. Ball, issued in 1856. Since the publication of Mr. Ball’s book, we have received from him the following notes, which mar somewhat the romantic story as above related. We are informed that the person referred to in the epitaph was the wife of a man named Jonathan Burkitt, who came from the neighbourhood of Grantham. He had been valet de chambre to some gentleman or nobleman, who gave him a large sum of money on his marrying the lady. They came to reside at Barton, where she died in childbirth. Burkitt, after the death of his wife, left the town, taking the infant (a boy), who survived. In about three years he returned, and married a Miss Ostler, daughter of an apothecary at Barton. He there kept the “King’s Head,” a public-house at that time. The man got through about £2,000 between leaving Grantham and marrying his second wife.

[Pg 227]On the north wall of the chancel of Southam Church is a slab to the memory of the Rev. Samuel Sands, who, being embarrassed in consequence of his extensive liberality, committed suicide in his study (now the hall of the rectory). The peculiarity of the inscription, instead of suppressing inquiry, invariably raises curiosity respecting it:—

From St. Margaret’s, Lynn, on William Scrivenor, cook to the Corporation, who died in 1684, we have the following epitaph:—

The next was written by Capt. Morris on Edward Heardson (thirty years cook to the Beefsteak Society):—

In St. John’s churchyard, Chester, is an inscription as follows:—

Under this stone lieth the Broken
Remains of Stephen Jones who had
his leg cut off without the Consent of
Wife or Friends on the 23rd October,
1842, in which day he died. Aged 31 years.
Reader I bid you farewell. May
the Lord have mercy on you in the
day of trouble.

An inscription in St. Michael’s churchyard, Macclesfield, illustrates the weakness for the love of display of the poor at a funeral:—

We give as the frontispiece to this volume a picture of the Martyrs’ Monument, in Greyfriars’ churchyard, Edinburgh. The graves of the martyrs are in that part of the burial-ground where criminals were interred, and an allusion is made to this fact in the inscription that follows:—

The following is stated to have been added to the monument at a subsequent date, but at the present time there is not any trace of it:—

[Pg 231]

 [Pg 232]

THE PUZZLE.

Reproduced from a picture published in 1796.

It is an easy matter to arrange words forming a simple sentence in English to appear like Latin. This was successfully done in 1796, when a print was published under the title of “The Puzzle.” “This curious inscription is humbly dedicated,” says the author, “to the penetrating geniuses of Oxford, Cambridge, Eton, and the learned Society[Pg 233] of Antiquaries.” The words have every appearance of a Latin inscription, but if the stops and capital letters or division of the words are disregarded, the epitaph may easily be read as follows:—

Beneath
this stone reposeth
Claud Coster,
tripe-seller, of Impington,
as doth his consort Jane.

[Pg 234]

[Pg 235]

Index.

Abdidge, John, 5

Abel, John, 216

Abery, Sarah, 37

Abingdon, John, 7

Acrostic, 170, 172, 173

Actors and Musicians, Epitaphs on, 73-91

Adderly, Sampson, 38

Alexander, J. H., 83

Alfred, King of Northumbria, 179

Aliscombe, 14

Alley, Samuel, 142

Amelia, Princess, 45

Amies, James, 220

Amputation, Death from, 228

Amys, Thomas, 209

Andrews, Sarah, 41

Appleby, H. C., quoted, 167

Architect, 216

Armison, Sarah, 40

Ashford, Mary, 199

Ashover, 77

Atholl, Duke of, 146

Attorney-at-Law, 216

Ault Hucknall, 93

Axon, W. E. A., quoted, 198


Bacchanalian Epitaphs, 105-118

Bagshaw, Samuel, 15

Baily, Mary, 41

Baker, 19

Bakewell, 121-125, 117, 214

Ball, H. W., quoted, 225

Barber-surgeons, 172-173, 177

Bardsley, Rev. C. W., 22

Barker, Christopher, 33

Barnstaple, 139

Barrow-on-Soar, 138

Barton, Norfolk, 209

Barton-on-Humber, 225

Barwick-in-Elmet, 65

Baskerville, 33

Bassoon player, 77

Bath, 80

Battersea, 55

Battle, wager of, 199-201

Beach, Mary, 43

Becke, Rev. J., 136

Beckenham, 42

Beckley, 85

Bede, Cuthbert, quoted, 125

Bedworth, 97

Beefsteak Society, 227

Belbroughton, 126

Bell, Nathaniel, 39

Bellow, J. F., 52

Bellows-maker, 17

Berkeley, 3

Besford, 39

Betts, Sarah, 41

Beverley, 52, 58, 81, 219

Biffin, Sarah, 162

Bill o’ Jacks and Tom o’ Bills, 201

Billinge, Wm., 49

Bingham, 120

Bingley, 130

Birmingham, 33

Birstal, 97

Blackett, Joseph, 17

Blacksmith, 11

Bletchley, 139

Blind Jack, 149-153

Bloomfield, Mary, 228

Boar’s Head, 114-116

Bodger, Samuel, 56

Boles, Richard, 51

Bolsover, 3

Bolton, Lancashire, 158

Bolton, Yorkshire, 153

Bond, Thomas and Mary, 223

“Book of Days,” quoted, 86, 128, 218

Booker, Dr., quoted, 199

Bookseller, 9

Booth, Jno., 75

Booth, Tom, 94-97

Boston, America, 28, 30

Botanist, 22

Bowes, 205

Bradbury, William and Thomas, 201

Bradley, William, 159
[Pg 236]
Bray, Henrietta M., 80

Bremhill, 50

Brewer, 105

Brickmaker, 14

Bridgeford-on-the-Hill, 5

Briggs, Hezekiah, 130

Brighton, 59

Briscoe, John D., quoted, 158

Briscoe, J. Potter, quoted, 110, 203

Bristol, 19, 222

Broadbent, Jno., 132

Bromsgrove, 6

Brousard, James, 36

Browne, Susan, 221

Buckett, Jno., 107

Builder, 14

Bullen, Rev. H., 7

Bullingham, 14

Bunney, 101

Burbage, 91

Burkitt, Jonathan, 226

Burned to death, 213

Burns, Robert, quoted, 109

Burton, 205

Burton, Edward, 202

Burton, Joyce, 213

Burton-on-Trent, 38

Bury, St. Edmunds, 31, 57, 211, 212

Butler, a, 106

Butler, Samuel, 81, 164-166

Butler, Samuel William, 82

Buttress, J. E., 69

Byfield, Sarah, 111

Byng, John, 67

Byron, Lord, 8, 17

Bywater, Jno., 112


Cadman, 86

Caerlaverock, 174

Campbell, Patrick, 65

Carmichael, Jas., 65

Carpenter, 15

Carrier, 8

Cartwright, Hy., 94

Cary, Rev. H. F., quoted, 183

Castleton, 216

Cave, of Barrow-on-Soar, 138

Cave, Edward, 11

Cave, Jos., 10

Cave, William, 11

Caxton, William, 24

Chambers, Dr. Wm., 24, 25

Chancel door, buried at the, 214

Chapman, Dr. T., 154

Chapman, Wm., 42

Charles I., 51

Charles II., epitaph on, 169

Charlton, Jno., 92

Chatham, 110

Chatsworth, 35

Checkley, 135

Chelsea Hospital veteran, 49

Chepman, William, 24-25

Chepstow, 170

Chester, 13, 57, 228

Clay, Hercules, 168

Clay, Thomas, 117

Cleater, Samuel, 214

Clemetshaw, Hy., 73

Cliff, Elizabeth, 213

Clifton, 80

Clockmakers, 1-5

Cloth-drawer, 17

Coachdriver, 7

Coffin, curious, 166

Coincidences, remarkable, 178

Cole, Dean, 137

Cole, of Lillington, 138

Collison, D., 70

Colton, 14

Cooks, 227

Corby, 20

Corporation cook, 227

Corser, Henry, 178

Coster, Claude, 232-233

Cotton, John, 28

Coventry, 34, 101, 103

Coventry Mercury, 34

Cowper, Wm., 182, 184-185

Crackles, Thos., 70

Crazford, 119

Creton, 213

Crich, Vicar of, 12

Cricketer, 102, 103

Cruikshank, George, 192-194

Cruker, Joseph, 17

Currie, James, 230

Cynical epitaph, 216


Dalamoth, Jane, 215

Dale, John, 177

Dalry, 222

Danish soldiers, 52-55

Darenth, 110

Darfield, 219

Darlington, 132

Darnborough, Wm., 131

Dart, Rose, 139

Dartmouth, 66
[Pg 237]
Davidson, Alex., 67

Day, Will., 136

Deaf and dumb man, 205

Deakin, Rowland, 157

Deal, 68, 69

Deal boatman, 68

Deans, Jeanie, 173-174

Death from political excitement, 204

Defoe, Daniel, 181

Depledge, Thomas, 219

Dereham, 182

Devonshire, Duke of, 35

Dinsdale, Dr. F., 207

Disley, 36

Dixon, Geo., 93

“Domestic Annals of Scotland,” quoted, 156

Dove, John, 109

Drew, Mary, 210

Drowned, 212-213

Drunkard, 110

Dublin, 30

Duck, S., 87-90

Dunkeld, 156

Dunse, 83

Dunton, 7

Dwarf, Yorkshire, 160

Dyer, 16


Eakring, 94

Early English epitaph, 209

Earthenware, dealer in, 13

Earwaker, J. P., 37

Easton, Wm., 70

Ecclesfield, 94

Edensor, 35, 36

Edinburgh, 24, 32, 186, 229

Edmonds, Jno., 66

Edmonton, 183

Edwalton, 110

“Edwin and Emma,” 206

Eltham, 39

Engine-driver, 6

Engineer, 6

Epitaphs on Soldiers and Sailors, 49-72

Epsom, 41

Eton, 111

Etty, Wm., 190-192

Exciseman, 116

Eyre, Vincent, 203-205


Fairholt, F. W., 190

Families, large, 221-222

Fatal prize-fights, 102

Faulkner, George, 30

Female soldiers, 58

Fiddler, 75

Field, Bishop, 135

Field, Joseph, 134

Fisher, Jno., 39

Flixton, 75

Flockton, Thomas, 132

Folkestone, 112

Fools, 85

Fort William, 65

Franklin, Abiah, 30

Franklin, Benjamin, 26-30

Franklin, Josiah, 30

Freland, Mrs., 110


Garden, burial in, 202

Gardener, 36

Garrick, David, 78;
quoted, 80, 188

Gaskoin, Jenny, 43-45

Gaskoin, Mary, 45

Gay, 210

Gedge, L., 31

Gentleman’s Magazine, quoted, 123

George III., 43

George IV., 61

Giant, Yorkshire, 159

Gilling, 218

Gillingham, 84

Gladiator, 101

Glasgow, 83-84

Gloucester Abbey, 167

Gloucester Notes and Queries, 181

Goldsmith, Dr. O., 115

Goldsmith, Thomas, 66

Good and Faithful Servants, 35-43

Grainge, Wm., quoted, 153

Gray, Catherine, 13

Gray, John William, 213

Gray, Robert, 18

Great events, 155

Great Limber, 43

Great Marlow, 38

Greenwich, 107

Griffiths, George, 56

Grindon, 220

Guardian, quoted, 137

Guy, John, 166-167


Hackett, Robert, 92

Haigh, Brian, 177

Hall, Micah, 216
[Pg 238]
Hamilton, 72

Hampstead, 4

Hampsthwaite, 160

Hanslope, 102

Harrison, John, 4-5

Harrison, Wm., 71

Hart, Thomas, 120

Hartwith, 131

Haselton, Mary, 211

Hawksworth, Dr., 11

Hayley, quoted, 11, 182

Heardson, Edward, 227

Hedderwick, James, quoted, 84

Hedon, 221

Henbury, 46

Hessel, Phœbe, 58-64

Hessle, 16

Hewet, John, 210

Heywood, James, 15

High Wycombe, 5, 166

Hill, Dr. Otwell, 137

Hillingdon, 46

Hilton Castle, fool at, 86

Hindle, Thomas, 4

Hippisley, Jno., 79

Hiseland, Wm., 49

Hobson, carrier, 8

Hogarth, Wm., 187-190

Honest man, 220

Horncastle, 72

Hornsea, 135

Howard, John, 22

“Hudibras,” author of, 164-166

Hughenden, 166

Hull, 70, 71, 72, 74, 112, 127, 134, 212, 215, 223

Hull Fair, giant at, 160

Hulm, John, 34

Huntrodds, Francis, 178

Huntsman, 92, 93, 94, 97

Hutchinson, Henry, 144-5

Hythe, 104


Innkeeper, 106-110

Irongray, 173

Island of Juan Fernandez, 180

Isnell, Peter, 119


Jackson, Thomas, 84

Jenkins, Henry, 153-156

Jennings, Ann, 222

Jewitt, L., quoted, 121

Jobling, Mrs. C., quoted, 163

Jones, Alderman J., 167

Jones, Edward, 25

Jones, Stephen, 228

Joy, Richard, 162


Keeper, 92, 94

Kelly, Rev. John, 145

Kempsey, 40

Kentish Samson, 162

Kettlethorpe, 136

King, John, 42

Kingsbridge, 214

Kirk Braddan, 140-148

Kirk Hall, 214

Knight, Charles, 91


Lackington, James, 9

Lamb, Charles and Mary, 183-185

Lambert, Daniel, 161

Lambert, George, 74

Lambeth, 22

Lanchbury, Sarah, 40

Large families, 221-222

Laurence Lideard, 222

Leake, Thomas, 97-100

Lightning, killed by, 210-211

Lillington, 137

Lillyard, Maiden, 158

Lincoln, 137

Little Driffield, 179

Liverpool, 105, 162

Lloyd, Sarah, 212

Loddon, 176

Logner Hall, 202

London, 7, 49, 86, 102, 108, 115, 192

Longevity, 37

Longnor, 15, 49

Low value of human life, 212

Ludlow, 7

Luton, 93

Lydford, 1

Lynn, 227


Macbeth, Jno., 76

Macclesfield, 228

Malibran, Madame, 78

Manchester, 22

Manxland Epitaphs, 140-148

Market Weighton, 159

Marrying man, 222

Marten, Henry, 170-172

Martin, John, 20, 147

Martyrs’ monument, 229

Mason, 14

Mason, Mrs. Mary, 222

Mason, Rev. Wm., 222
[Pg 239]
Master of foxhounds, 92

Mather, Wm., 36

Mauchline, 109

Mawer, Rev. John, 207

Maxton, 158

M’Carrey, P., 142

M’Kay, Alex., 102

Medford, Grace, 139

Melton Mowbray, 112

Merivale, 134

Merrett, Thomas, 172

Metcalf, John, 149-153

Micklehurst, 112

Middleditch, Wm., 57

Middleton Tyas, 207

Miller, 19

Miller, Joe, 86-91

Miscellaneous Epitaphs, 209-233

Mob-Cap, 45

Model publican, 198

Moore, John, 217

Morecambe, 47

Morris, Captain, quoted, 227

Morville, 92

Mottram, 93

Murdered men, 218-220

Musicians and Actors, Epitaphs on, 73-91


Napier, J. M., 57

Napoleon, Emperor, 142

Negro servants, 46, 47-48, 142

Newark, 168

Newcastle-on-Tyne, 120

Newhaven, 105

Newport, Mon., 76

Newton, George, 93

North Scarle, 57

North Wingfield, 117

Norwich, 73, 80, 111, 221

Notable Persons, Epitaphs on, 149-208

Notes and Queries, quoted, 113

Nottingham, 95, 203

Nottingham Date-Book, quoted, 95


Ockham, 16

Okey, John, 158

“Old Mortality,” 174-176

Ollerton, 106

Orange, Prince of, 52

Organ blower, 74

Organist, 73, 74

Oxford, 17


Pady, James, 14

Page, Jno. T., quoted, 187, 189, 194-197

Pannal, 106

Parish Clerks and Sextons, Epitaphs on, 119-133

Parkes, Jno., 101

Park-keeper, 37

Parkyns, Sir Thomas, 101

Parr, Edward, 57

Patcham, 218

Paterson, Robert, 174-176

Patrington, 221

Pearce, Dicky, 85

Peirce, Thomas, 3

Pennecuik, A., 156

Pershore, 40

Peterborough, 128, 138

Petersham, 37

Pettigrew, T. J., quoted, 113, 222

Petworth, 41

Philadelphia, 28

Phillips, John, 35

Phillpot, Geo., 68

Pickering, Robt., 71

Pickford, Rev. Jno., quoted, 52

Piper, Scotch, 76

Piscatorial epitaphs, 104

Pleasant, Toby, 46

Plumber, 16

Pope, 210

Portsmouth, 67, 194

Portugal, King of, 20

Potter, 13

Pounds, John, 194-197

Poynton, 37

Preston, 197

Preston, Richard, 132

Preston, Robt., 116

Prissick, George, 16

Pritchard, Mrs., 79

Protestant, a zealous, 202

Pryme, Abraham de la, 53

Punning Epitaphs, 134-140

Punster, 140

Putney, 67

Puzzle, the, 232

Pyper, Mary, 186-187


Quill-driver, 215

Quin, James, 80


Ragged Schools, founder of, 194-197

Railton, Martha, 206
[Pg 240]
Ratcliffe-on-Soar, 120

Raw, Frank, 120

Regicide, 170-172

Ridge, Thos., 94

Ridsdale, Jane, 160

Ringer, 130

Roberts, Anne, 80

Robertson, John, 222

“Robinson Crusoe,” 181

Rochester on Charles II., 169

Roe, Philip, 125

Roe, Samuel, 122

Rogers, Dr. Charles, quoted, 174, 176

Rogers, Rebecca, 113

Ross, Frederick, quoted, 160

Rotherham, 19

Rothwell, Leeds, 132

Routleigh, George, 1

Rudder, Samuel, 181

Rugby, 10

Running footman, 46


Saddleworth, 132, 201

Sailors and Soldiers, 49-72

Salisbury, 102

Sambo’s grave, 47-48

Samson, Kentish, 162

Sands, Rev. Samuel, 227

Santon, 148

Sarnesfield, 216

Saving money for a funeral, 228

Scales, Daniel, 218

Scarlett, Old, 128-130

Scatchard, Thomas, 202

Scipio Africanus, 46

Scotland, printing introduced into, 24

Scott, Jno., 105

Scott, Margery, 156

Scott, Sir Walter, 173

Scrivenor, Wm., 227

Scrope, Capt. G., 103

Sculcoates, 215

Seaham, 17

Seizing the dead for debt, 117

Selby, 66, 67, 120

Selkirk, Alexander, 180

Servants, Good and Faithful, 35-43

Sextons and Parish Clerks, 119-133

Shakespeare, Wm., 176

Sheffield, 9

Sherman, Mary, 222

Shoemaker, 17

Shorthand epitaph, 215

Shrewsbury, 86, 157, 178

Sign of the Boar’s Head, 114

Silkstone, 13

Simpson, Jeremiah, 202

Skullcross, Philip, 215

Slaves freed, 46

Slater, Joseph, 2

Sleaford, 17

Smith, Isaac, 56

Smith, Robt., 121

Smoke money, 113

Smuggler, 218-219

Soldiers and Sailors, 49-72

South Cave, 201

Southam, 227

Southill, 67

Southwell, 8

Spalding, Jos., 66

Sparke, Rose, 139

Spectator, quoted, 68

Spofforth, 149

Spong, John, 16

Sportsmen, Epitaphs on, 92-104

Stalham, 220

Stamford, 161

Stanton Harcourt, 210

St. Helena, 142

St. Peter’s, Isle of Thanet, 162

Stockbridge, 107

Stokes, Thomas, 205

Stone, John, 128

Stoney Middleton, 77

Strange farewell sermon, 12

Street, Amos, 97

Straker, Daniel, 52

Stratford-on-Avon, 176

Strutt, Matthew, 214

Strutton, Wm., 221

Suffolk, Earl of, 46

Sunderland Point, 47

Sutton Coldfield, 39, 198

Swain, Charles, quoted, 82

Swair, Edward, 19

Swift, quoted, 85, 90-91

Swift, Geo., 77


“Tales of a Grandfather,” 157

Tappy, Jas., 39

Taunton, 18

Tawton, 139

Taylor, John, 13

Taylor, Jno., quoted, 108

Tear, Daniel, 148

Teetotal, author of the word, 197
[Pg 241]
Tennis ball, 103

Tewkesbury Abbey, 172

Thackerey, Jos., 106

Theodore, King of Corsica, 180

Thetcher, Thomas, 118

Thompson, Francis, 106

Thompson, Rev. Patrick, 140

Thornton, Abraham, 199

Thorsby Park, 95

Thursday, events on, 214

Tideswell, 177

Tidmington, 40

Tiffey, Jack, 140

Times, quoted, 3

Tipper, Thomas, 105

Tonbridge, 111

Tonson, Jacob, 26

Tradescants, 21-22

Tradesmen, Epitaphs on, 1-23

Trowsdale, T. B., quoted, 170

Turar, T., 19

Turner, Richard, 197

Twickenham, 43

Typographical Epitaphs, 24-34


Uley, 181

Upton-on-Severn, 107

Uttoxeter, 2


Vegetarian, 181


Wager of battle, 199-201

Wakefield, 73

Walcott, 217

Wales, Prince of, 44

Walford, Edward, 3

Walker, Helen, 173

Walker, John, 5

Wall, David, 77

Wallas, Robt., 120

Warren, Sir George, 37

Watchmakers, 1-5

Watson, Jos., 36

Waverley novels, 175

Weaver, 17

Weem, 64

Welton, 202

Westminster, 24, 78, 79, 165

Weston, 17

Whalley, 198

Whitaker, Dr., 198

Whitby, 178

Whitehall, Rev. J., 135

Whittaker, Wm., 67

Whitty, Mary, 38

Whitworth, Rev. R. H., quoted, 97

Wigglesworth, John, 198

Wilks, Major, 142

Williamson, Adam, 32

Wimbledon, 20

Winchester Cathedral, 51, 118

Windsor, St. George’s Chapel, 45

Wirksworth, 215

Wiseman, Wm., 217

Wolstanton, 222

Woodbridge, 66

Wordsworth, Wm., 144

Worme, Sir Richard, 138

Worrall, Thomas, 126

Wrestler, 101

Wright, Joe, 20

Wrightson, Rodger, 206

Wynter, Sir Edward, 55


Yarmouth, 16, 56, 104

York, 191, 212

Yorkshire dwarf, 160

Yorkshire giant, 159