Essex.
BRENTWOOD.
“Here lies Isaac Greentree.”
A man passing through the churchyard wrote as follows:—
There is a time when these green trees shall fall,
And Isaac Greentree rise above them all.
MESSING.
Here lieth buried
John Porter, Yeoman,
who died 29th of April, 1600,
who had issue eight sons and
four daughters by one woman.
Learn to live by faith, as I did live before,
Learn u to give in faith, as I did at my door,
Learn u to keep by faith, as God be still thy store,
Learn u to lend by faith, as I did to the poor;
Learn u to live, to give, to keep, to lend, to spend,
That God in Christ, at day of death, may prove thy friend.
CHELMSFORD.
Jane L. Andrews, æt. 22.
How could we wish for her to stay below,
When joys in heaven for her prepared?
May we, like her, our passport have, and know,
Assuredly, that we shall gain admittance there;
Then will her joys be ours, and own her cry,—
We are content to live, but we would rather die.
“Here lies the man Richard,
And Mary his wife;
Their surname was Pritchard
They lived without strife;
And the reason was plain,—
They abounded in riches,
They had no care or pain,
And his wife wore the breeches.”
Martha Blewitt,
of the Swan, Baythorn-End,
of this Parish,
buried May 7th, 1681.
Was the wife of nine Husbands
successively, but the 9th outlived her.
The Text to her Funeral Sermon was:—
“Last of all the Woman died also.”
MALDON.
To the memory of Herbert George Anna, a third child, all born at one birth, the son and daughters of Samuel and Mary Lines, of this parish, who departed this life 30th of April, 1847, aged 3 days.
Weep not for me my mother dear,
Rather be you glad;
In this world our time was short,—
The longer rest we have.
STANFORD.
Here lies
the body of Richard Clarke,
who died ----
Aged -- years,
Who lies here? Who do you think?
Poor old Clarke—give him some drink.
What! dead men drink? The reason why,—
When he was alive he was always dry.
And four of his children.
LITTLE ILFORD.
In Memory of
Smart Leithceulier, Esq.
A Gentleman of polite literature and elegant taste; an encourager of art and ingenious artists; a studious promoter of literary inquiries; a companion and friend
of learned men; industriously versed in the science of antiquity; and richly possessed of the curious productions of Nature: but who modestly desired no other inscription on his tomb than what he had made the rule of his life:—
“To do justly—to love mercy—
And to walk humbly with his God.”
Born, November 3, 1701. Died without issue.
August 27, 1760.
GREAT COGGESHALL.
To the Memory of
Thomas Hanse.
“Lord, thy grace is free,—why not for me?”
This man dying greatly in debt, and being a bankrupt, one of his creditors, being ruined by him, wrote under it:—
And the Lord answered and said,—
“Because thy debts a’nt paid!”
ROXWELL.
J. F. Hefeall.
With long affliction I was sore oppressed,
Till God in goodness kindly gave me rest;
I left my widow’d wife and children dear
To His all gracious, providential care,
Who said do thou alone depend—
Who am the widow and the orphan’s friend.
STONDON.
“Who lists to se and knowe himselfe,
May loke upon this glase,
And vew the beaten pathe of dethe,
Which he shall one day passe;
Which way J. Rainford Kellingworth,
With patient mind, have gone,—
Whose body here, as death hath changed,
Lies covered with this stone;
When dust to dust is brought again,
The earth she hath her owne,—
This shall the lot of all men be,
Before the trumpe be blowne!”
April 17th, 1575.
WALTHAM ABBEY.
To Sir Edward Denny.
“Learn, curious reader, ere thou pass,
That once Sir Edward Denny was
A courtier of the chamber,
A soldier of the fielde,—
Whose tongue could never flatter,
Whose heart could never yield!”
On a decayed monument in Horndon Church is the following inscription:—
“Take, gentle marble, to thy trust,
And keep unmixed this sacred dust—
Grow moist sometimes that I may see
Thou weep’st in sympathy with me;
And when, by him I here shall sleep,
My ashes also safely keep—
And from rude hands preserve us both, until
We rise to Sion’s Mount from Horndon-on-the-Hill.”
Paul Whitehead, Esq.
Of Twickenham, December, 1774.
“Unhallow’d hands, this urn forbear,
No gems, nor Orient spoil,
Lie here conceal’d, but what’s more rare,—
A heart that knows no guile!”
STANFORD.
On a brass plate in this church is the following inscription:—
“Before this tabernaculle lyeth buryed Thomas Greene, some tyme bayle of this towne, Margaret, and Margaret, his wyves—which Thomas dyed the 8th day of July, 1535. The which Thomas hath wylled a prest to syng in this church for the space of 20 years, for hym, his wyves, his children, and all men’s soules. And, moreover, he hath wylled an obyte, to be kept the 8th day of July, for the term of twenty years, for the soules aforesaid, and, at every tyme of the said obyte, bestowed 20s. of good lawful money of England.”
On the south wall are the following lines, ih memory of Anne, wife of William Napper, who died in 1584:—
In token of whose vertuous lyfe,
And constant sacred love,
And that her memory should remaine,
And never hence remove,
Her husband, in his tyme of lyfe,
This monument did leave his wyfe.
CHIGWELL.
This disease you ne’er heard tell on,—
I died of eating too much mellon;
Be careful, then, all you that feed—I
Suffered because I was too greedy.
LEIGH.
Here lies the body of Mary Ellis, daughter of Thomas Ellis, and Lydia, his wife, of this parish. She was a virgin of virtuous character, and most promising hopes. She died on the 3rd of June, 1609, aged one hundred and nineteen.
Gloucestershire.
MINCHIN HAMPTON.
On Anne, daughter of Joseph Baynham,
Died 16th Aug. 1632.
Shee had not spunn out Thirtie dayes,
but God from paine took her to joyes;
Let none their trust in worldly Bliss,
All youth and age must come to This,
but Manner how, place where, time when,
Is known to God, but not to men;
Watch, Pray, Repent, and sinne forsake,
Lest, unprepared, Death thee should take,—
Then happy Thou that so shall dye,
To Live with God Eternalye.
RENDCOMBE.
In Memory of Robert Berkeley, Esq. who died
Feb ye 2nd, 1690, aged 76 yeares.
And Rebecca, his wife, who died August ye 16th, 1707,
Aged 83. This monument was erected
by their most Dutiful and most obsequious
Daughter, Rebecca Berkeley.
PAINSWICK.
My time was come! My days were spent!
I was called—and away I went! ! !
BRISTOL.
On Thos. Turar and Mary, his wife. He was Master of the Company of Bakers.
Like to the baker’s oven is the grave,
Wherein the bodyes of the faithful have
A setting in, and where they do remain,
In hopes to rise and to be drawn again;
Blessed are they who in the Lord are dead,
Tho’ set like dough they shall be drawn like bread!
Ye witty mortals! as you’re passing by,
Remark that near this monument doth lie,
Centered in dust,
Described thus:
Two Husbands, two Wives,
Two Sisters, two Brothers,
Two Fathers, a Son,
Two Daughters, two Mothers,
A Grandfather, a Grandmother, a Granddaughter,
An Uncle, and an Aunt—their Niece follow’d after!
This catalogue of persons mentioned here
Was only five, and all from incest free!
I went and ’listed in the Tenth Hussars,
And gallopped with them to the bloody wars;
“Die for your sovereign—for your country die!”
To earn such glory feeling rather shy,
Snug I slipped home. But death soon sent me off,
After a struggle with the hooping cough!
Here lies poor Charlotte,
Who died no harlot;
But in her virginity,
Of the age nineteen,
In this vicinity,
Rare to be found or seen.
BERKELEY.
Here lies the Earl of Suffolk’s fool,
Men call’d him Dicky Pearce,
His folly serv’d to make folks laugh,
When wit and mirth were scarce.
Poor Dick, alas! is dead and gone!
What signifies to cry?
Dickeys enough are still behind,
To laugh at by and by.
Buried 1728.
CIRENCESTER.
Our bodies are like shoes, which off we cast,—
Physic their coblers, and Death their last.
Mercye, God of my misdede;
Ladye, help at my most neede;
On a brass plate under theyre feete,
Reye gracious I ha to Endles lyfe at thy grete
dome, where alle Schalle apere, Hughe Norys Groe, and
Johan, hys wyf, now dede in Grave and Buryed here;
Yo P’yers desyringe therre soules for chere, the x
day of July, the yere of oure Lorde God, mdcccccxxix.
This epitaph appears on a flat stone, with the effigies of a man and woman.
On Two Infants.
Two lovelier babes ye nare did se
Than God A’mighty gaed to we,
Bus the was o’ertaken we agur (ague) fits,
And hare tha lies as dead as nits!
NORTH CERNEY.
Here lieth, ready to start, in full hopes to save his distance,
Timothy Turf, formerly Stud Groom to Sir Mamaduke Match’em, and
Late Keeper of the Racing Stables on Cerney Downs:—
But
Was beat out of the world on the 1st of April last, by
that inivincible
Rockingham Death.
N.B.—He lived and died an honest man.
CHELTENHAM.
“Here lies I and my three daughters,
Killed by a drinking the Cheltenham waters;
If we had stuck to Epsom salts,
We’d not been a lying in these here vaults.”
MINCHIN HAMPTON.
To the Memory of Jeremiah Buck, Esq. died 1653.
J Intomb’d here lies a pillar of the State,—
E Each good man’s friend, to th’ Poor compassionate,
R Religion’s patron, just men’s sure defence,
E Evil men’s terror, guard of innocence;
M Matchless for virtues which still shine most bright,
I Impartially to all he gave their right;
A Alas! that few to heart do truly lay,
H How righteous men from earth depart away.B By’s death we loose, but he much gain acquires,
V Vnto his body rest: His soul aspires
C Celestial mansions where he, God on high,
K Knows and enjoys to all eternity.
TEWKESBURY.
On Eleanor Freeman, æt. 21.
A Virgin blossom, in her May
Of youth and virtues, turned to clay,—
Rich earth, accomplish’d with those graces,
That adorn saints in heavenly places;
Let not death boast his conquering power,
She’ll rise a star that fell a flower.
THORNBURY.
Thomas Tyndale dyed the 28th of April, buried 31 May, 1571.
Ye see how death doth Spare no age nor Kynd,
How I am lapt in Claye and dead you fynde,
My Wife and Children lye here with me,
No Gould, no friend, no strength, could ransome bee,
The end of Vayne delighte and Ill Intente,
The End of Care and Matter to repent,
The End of faere for frynd and Worldly Wo,
By Death we have; and of lyke thousand mo,
And Death of Tymes in us hath made an End,
So that nothing can ower Estate amend.
Who would not be Content such Change to make
For worldly things Eternal Life to take.
RODMARTON.
On a brass plate, let into the stone, is the following:—
Johns Yate Lond. ex Vico Basing Lane Naroec Aldermar.
Renatus 28 Iulii 1594. Coll. Em Cantab Olim Soc.
S. Th. B.
Inductus in hanc Eccl. vespijs Dominicæ in Albis 1628
Mortalitatem exvit die 10 Jan Anno Doni 1668.
Nodvs Iob rediens vt venerat ecce recessit
Rodmerton, quondam qui tibi pastor erat.
Is, qvia, qvae solitvs neqvit ex ambone monere
Clamat et e tumvlo prædicat ista svo.
Mors tva, mors Christi, fravs mondi, gloria cœli
Et dolor inferni, svnt meditata tibi.
Trvst not the world remember deth,
And often think of Hell:
Think often on the great reward
For those that do live well.
Repent, amend, then trvst in Christ,
So thov in peace shalt dy;—
And rest in bliss, and rise with Ioy
And raine eternally.
Engraved on the Coffin of Mr. Pitcher, a noted Ale-house keeper in Gloucestershire.
Stop mourning friends and shed a grateful tear
Upon thy once loved Pitcher’s moving bier,
He quits this world without regret or railing,
Life’s full of pain—he always has been aleing.
Resigned he fell contented with his lot,
Convinced all Pitchers soon must go to Pot.
BEVERSTONE.
In memory of Katherine Purye, who died Dec. 1, 1604.
Ao 1604.
Dece 1. Ætat. 67.
Quæ defuncta jacet saxo tumulata sub illo
Bis Cathara, haud ficto nomine, dicta fuit.
Nomen utrumque sonat mundam, puramque piamq
Et vere nomen quod referebat, erat,
Nam puram puro degebat pectore vitam,
Pura fuit mundo, nunc mage pura Deo.—
Πάντα καζαρα τοις καζαραις
Omnia pura puris,
Tit. 1. ver. 15.She whom this stone doth quietly immure
In no feign’d way had twice the name of Pure:
Pure, pious, clean, each name did signify,
And truly was she what those names imply;
For in pure paths, while yet she lived, she trod;
Pure was she in this world, and now more pure with God.
TETBURY.
In a vault underneath lie interred several of the Saunderses, late of this parish, particulars the last day will disclose.—Amen.
ALMONDBURY.
Here lies alas! long to be lamented, Benjamin Dobbins, Gent., who left his Friends sorrowing. Feb. 2, 1760. Aged 42.