Bit of a change this week as I have not visited any churches to write about in a while but the last few I did visit I took some interesting photos of the engravings on the headstones.
You may remember this one from a few weeks back, the headstone shows a skull and most likely dates to the early 1800's The earliest headstones I have come across date to the early 1600's
These from a churchyard in Caversham date from the 1700's
Recently in Wales I came across some interesting ones like these hands on a headstone that had fallen over and no doubt will be lost soon
On the left a Romany caravan telling you he was a Romany Traveller
A winding path on the left and the good shepherd on the right
Small Celtic cross on this headstone
An open book with cross and another good Shepherd
a Regimental motive of the South Wales Borders
Liked this one of a winding road
Above a window on the world, right a fisherman the person liked fishing I presume
I'm guessing the person was a Shepherd
Another window and a rose around a cross
Hands releasing a dove
and a the last from Wales a shepherd with his sheep and dog
Now we travel to my local churchyard and some of the motives and engravings on the headstones there. This one had a red rose on the top
Above a robin to the Left and a Pigeon on the Right
When I spotted this headstone of a hound chasing a hare I who's it was. I remember the guy walking his whippets for years around the village and he commented on ours. He always seems a fit person to me and I was shocked when I heard he passed. He also kept Pigeons, it was a fitting engraving on his headstone
No often you see a butterfly on one
I suspect this is a rose painted blue for a forget me not
Above the angel with the wreath is off my best friends parents grave. I've not seen him in years but I always remember him looking at the headstone. Right top Mary watches over this grave and right a Welsh dragon tells you where the person came from
Above a rose this one is on my parents headstone, when my Father dies in 1980 Mum went to choose a headstone and wanted this black one with the rose on
As I was going I noticed a headstone with a heart in the top and inside was this Dove, I thought it looked quite sweet. I will return another time with some more headstone engravings.
Do have a good weekend
When I was back in the UK, my kids were amazed at how old the grave stones were in some of the Churches - and when we went into places like Your Minster they were even older!
ReplyDeleteShame we never worked out that we could have done a blog meet!
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
I like those personal engravings of fish, dogs, caravans, etc. Though the shiny black is a devil to photograph!
ReplyDelete...Bill, your first stone is something that I've never seen here. The newer stones with the laser engraving and color are very popular here too. The last one is very sweet!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful and unusual. The one with the wagon made me realize I don't know the distinction between Romany travellers, Gypsies, and travellers, so I go off to read about the subject now. Thanks, Bill!
ReplyDelete