In A Church Graveyard

August 12, 2014


Our holiday to England was mostly a walking holiday, we had our dog Alfie with us, so we couldn't leave him for more than a couple of hours "forcing" us to explore the great outdoors.


One walk we went on brought us past a Church, with a fascinating graveyard. The majority of the grave stones were in very bad condition, falling over; crumbling; and inscriptions that were barely readable. One side of the graveyard was very over grown, and presumably the original graveyard to go with the church. Only myself and my dad were brave enough to walk waist high in the long grasses. The others stuck to the opposite side of the path, where the graves were only a couple of hundred years old.



What was slightly unusual was that there was one recent grave; dedicated to the death of a one year old child. This grave stuck out because it had balloons attached to it, and when we went to look at it, we discovered it was a year since this baby's death. In a overgrown, seemingly forgotten about graveyard, this place obviously meant something to those parents who chose to bury their child here. A place that isn't on recent maps and that locals whom we asked for directions didn't even know existed.



Furthermore, what resonated with me was that this church and graveyard was built and used a few hundred years after the graveyard I was working on in my dig. Both were in stark contrast to one another, for a start my graveyard had no head stones or grave markers, whereas some graves were marked with large table stones. This graveyard was obviously Christian, with large crosses scattered about the place to emphasis their faith. Poulton's older graves possibly weren't Christian, and their was no portrayal of their faith found in their graves. It was really interesting to explore this graveyard, only days after I had been working in a completely different burial ground.




Thanks for reading, I think that's the last of the holiday posts- unless I find more photos, or think of more places to share!

Love,
Emily
xxx

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8 comments

  1. Such an interesting post and your photography is fab!

    Style Sunrise ☀

    :)
    x

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    1. Thanks, I thought I'd share it because its a little bit different and got me thinking. Thank you!
      Emily
      xx

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  2. I love old churches and graveyard. I find the history behind them absolutely fascinating. There's one on top of a cliff in Howth, Ireland. It overlooks the sea and the church itself is in ruins so you can't go inside, but the gravestones are all still there and there's fresh flowers everywhere. It's really interesting! :) xx

    Little Miss Katy | UK Lifestyle & Fashion

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  3. Me too, I always have a nosey around them ,its amazing how far back some of the burials are from. And I always love reading what is on the grave stones- or trying to at least. Wow, that graveyard sounds really interesting, I've actually looked it up at you mentioning it and it looks amazing!
    Emily
    xx

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  4. Oh wow...these photos are absolutely breathtaking. Kind of a haunting beauty. Incredible...

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    1. Thank you, I find these types of places fascinating!

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  5. I'm glad it isn't just me that wanders around graveyards. I often walk through one or two in my hometown with the dogs or my daughter (or both) and I like to stop and read the stones. I think the people they're dedicated to would be happy to be remembered, even if it's only me who reads them :)

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    1. Haha, I did worry it would sound odd when I posted this, but sees like other people snoop too. It's really interesting to read the stones and learn a tiny tiny bit about the people buried there. I agree, it's nice to spare a thought for the people there no matter how long ago they were buried.

      Emily
      Xx

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