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:—
| This monumental stone records the name Of her who perished in the night by flame Sudden and awful, for her hoary head; She was brought here to sleep amongst the dead. Her loving husband strove to damp the flame Till he was nearly sacrificed the same, Her sleeping dust, tho’ by thee rudely trod, Proclaims aloud, prepare to meet thy God. |
A tombstone in Creton churchyard states:—
| On a Thursday she was born, On a Thursday made a bride, On a Thursday put to bed, On a Thursday broke her leg, and On a Thursday died. |
From Kingsbridge, Devonshire, we have the following:—
| Here I lie, at the chancel door, Here I lie, because I’m poor: The farther in, the more you pay, Here I lie as warm as they. |
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:—
| True to his King, his country was his glory, When Bony won, he said it was a story. |