Grave Mistakes: 2014

We were both very impressed by the Clun war memorial.

St George, Clun, Shropshire

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The churchyard was a curious mixture of wilderness and well-tended areas.

We were both very impressed by the war memorial.

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Most unusually the latitude and longitude of death is reported.

St Endelienta, St Endellion, Cornwall

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The parish church of St Endelienta stands beside the road to Wadebridge and is a large building of the 15th century in Perpendicular style. On 25 August 2010 it was announced that the British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha had named their newborn daughter "Florence Rose Endellion" after the village.

Saint Endelienta (also Endelient, Edellienta or Endell) was a Cornish saint of the 5th and 6th century. She is believed to be a daughter of the Welsh King Brychan, and a native of South Wales who travelled to North Cornwall to join her siblings in converting the locals to Christianity.

William Bate was drowned on a voyage from Quebec to Swansea on the barque "Lord Riversdale".

Torpedoed in the Bay of Biscay in 1918

Leominster Cemetery, Leominster, Herefordshire

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This was a typical neat urban cemetery with lots of squirrels and toadstools.

Thomas Owen Price died on from the British S. S. Philomel. "The Philomel was the leading ship of the right column of a south-bound convoy from Brest to La Palice. No submarine or torpedo was seen at any time, nor was the submarine detected by the listening devices. The Philomel was struck on the starboard side, under the bridge, and, following the explosion, she swung to starboard out of the column and was immediately abandoned. At 6:14 P.M, about thirty minutes after being struck, the Philomel began to sink by the bow, taking a very sharp angle until her bow seemed to rest on the bottom. A minute later she disappeared from sight, with steam escaping and her whistle blowing. "

Died doing routine work for Gwynedd council in Barmouth harbour.

St Mary, Llanaber, Gwynedd, Wales

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This cliff-top cemetery was in three parts. The oldest part by the church was very overgrown and in parts it was too dangerous to survey

Alan Massey and Keith Allday died doing routine work for

Gwynedd council in Barmouth harbour.

The memorial of the famous diarist R F Kilvert

St Michael and All Angels, Clyro, Powys

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St Michael's church lies in the village of Clyro about 2km from Hay-on-Wye. The church with its north aisle, nave and chancel is wholly Victorian - only the lower stages of the west tower are late medieval. Internally there is little of pre-19thC date.

Robert Francis Kilvert (3 December 1840 – 23 September 1879), always known as Francis, or Frank, was an English clergyman remembered for his diaries reflecting rural life in the 1870s, which were published over fifty years after his death.

Thomas Harold Davies died "while on leave from active service" in October 1918.

St Mary, Knockin, Shropshire

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The parish church of St Mary at Knockin was founded by Ralph Le Strange between 1182 and 1195. It has a Norman chancel, nave and north aisle but the building was heavily restored in 1847. When we were inside the church we could see that the oldest pillars on the left-hand side were still leaning outwards.

Thomas Harold Davies died "while on leave from active service" in October 1918. This is the first time we have come across this form of words.

A unique memorial to a photographer

St Michael, Madeley, Shropshire

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Just as we arrived there was a thunderstorm with heavy rain and hail. Then just as suddenly it turned into a pleasantly sunny afternoon. That is English weather for you!

Very much a "one of a kind" memorial - just the type we like to see.

Note the correction from "AT THIS CHURCH" to "AT HIS CHURCH".

St James the Great, Hanslope, Northamptonshire

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The church has a massive spire, out of all proportion to the size of the rest of the building. Much of the graveyard was overgrown and I find this rather disrespectful to those buried there.

This is an unusual stone for a number of reasons - not least the correction from "AT THIS CHURCH" to "AT HIS CHURCH".

William Evans was a jockey who was accidentally killed at Epsom.

The Old Cemetery, Knighton, Powys

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This was just one of three fair-sized cemeteries in this small town.

William Evans was a jockey who was accidentally killed at Epsom.

Remembering the Springwell Pit Disaster of December 1872

Holy Trinity, Dawley, Shropshire

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This was a large churchyard with a number of old but easily readable gravestones re-erected in small groups.

The Springwell Pit Disaster occurred on 6 December 1872 at Springwell coal mining pit near Dawley, Shropshire (now part of Telford). Miners at the pit would grab hold of a chain running the depth of the mine shaft and be hoisted 150 ft to the surface. On this day, eight miners clung to the chain. When 50 ft from the base of the lower part of the chain snapped, causing the miners to fall to the base of the shaft, before the chain, estimated to weigh 1 tonne, landed on top of them. All of them were killed instantly, except one, who died shortly after being brought to the surface.

A memorial to the six children of Thomas and Elizabeth Browne.

St Mary and All Angels, Bradley, Staffordshire

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This village church has a late thirteenth century core. The Lady Chapel was dedicated in 1343 and the nave was rebuilt in the early sixteenth century. There was also substantial restoration in 1906-1908 to the designs of W D Caroe.

A memorial to the six children of Thomas and Elizabeth Browne.

Charles was killed by a cart-wheel.

St Madron, Madron, Cornwall

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St Madron is the ancient Mother Church of Penzance.

Charles was killed with a cart-wheel.

I seldom, if ever, believe the last words people are reported to have said.

All Saints, Claverley, Shropshire

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This site in Claverley has probably been a place of worship since before Christianity came to Britain. The yew tree outside of the northeast corner of the Church is over 2,500 years old and such trees were commonly planted in sacred places.

I seldom, if ever, believe the last words people are reported to have said.

The Cambrian Prince sank 25 miles off Whitby in storm force 10 winds

St Swithin, Clunbury, Shropshire

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After four consecutive unsuccessful visits to churches west of Craven Arms it was a relief to find some graves worth recording for our survey.

The Cambrian Prince sank 25 miles off Whitby in storm force 10 winds on 27th February 1903 with the loss of 19 of the 20 crew. The ship was carrying manganese ingots from Coquimbo, Chile to Middlesbrough.

Blinded in action in 1915.

Cunnery Road Cemetery, Church Stretton, Shropshire

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Cunnery Road Cemetery has an attractive and helpful noticeboard at the entrance with the most interesting graves clearly identified. Well done to whoever organised this.

Blinded in action in 1915.

I found it very sad that so many residents were buried in unmarked graves.

St Michael, Forden, Powys

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Unusually the bell tower is sited at the side of the church rather than at the end.

The Forden Union workhouse later became Brynhyfryd Hospital and provided care mainly for the elderly. I found it very sad that so many residents were buried in unmarked graves.

An unusual grave reporting the birth and death of adult twins.

Market Harborough, Leicestershire

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We found it rather curious that this major cemetery

didn't have a notice board at the entrance.

An unusual grave reporting the birth and death of adult twins.

A slate tomb showing pre-deceased children

St Torney, North Hill, Cornwall

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We arrived at the church just as a service was ending. We were pleased to see that the churchyard had been well maintained.

At the west end of north aisle there is the slate table tomb of Thomas Vincent of Battens (died 1606) and Jane his wife (died 1601) flanked by their 7 daughters and 8 sons. The small skulls above the heads of some of the children show they pre-deceased their parents.

The grave of a murderer.

St Andrew, Presteigne, Powys, Wales

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This church incorporates some elements of its late-Saxon predecessor on this site. The present building can be traced back to early Norman times, and was extended to its current length in the late 12th century, when a self-standing tower was erected. Another enlargement followed in the 14th century, adding the existing nave and a south aisle which connected the tower to the rest of the building.

Mary Morgan was a young servant convicted and hanged for killing her newborn child. On 13 April Morgan was hanged, and was buried in what was then unconsecrated ground near the church later that same afternoon. Her public execution attracted large crowds, who watched as she was taken by cart from the gaol to the execution at Gallows Lane.

I have included both sides of this unique design.

Kingsthorpe Cemetery, Northampton

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One strange feature of this cemetery is the high percentage of

gravestones lacking some of the key details.

I have included both sides of the gravestone.

John Wall was beatified by Pius XI and canonised by Paul VI.

St Mary, Harvington, Worcestershire

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Curiously authorities differ as to exactly when John Wall and other English martyrs were beatified by Pius XI and canonised by Paul VI.

It is those Roman numerals again!

St Aelhaiarn, Guilsfield, Powys, Wales

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The site of St. Aelhaiarn’s Church appears to be of early medieval origin, and is believed to have been founded by St. Aelhaiarn in the sixth century. Much of the visible church standing on the site today dates to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but the core is of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Thorough restoration work was carried out by G.E. Street in 1877-9, in which many of the original features of the building were swept away, but the church does nonetheless retain some early points of interest, most particularly the octagonal twelfth century font with four large masks.

The arrangement of the text has been far made more complex than it need have been. It is those Roman numerals again!