Insightful headstone inscriptions (revised title)

[matt94]

The headstone of my gggg grandparents, Edmund and Esther Bennell, at Radnage in Buckinghamshire, has the following inscription:

In / Loving Memory / of / Edmund. / Son of Robert & Rebecca Bennell / Of Grange Farm in this Parish / Who Died June 29: 1873, / Aged 63 Years. / Also Esther. Wife of the above / And daughter of / John & Mary  Stone / Of Town End Farm in the Parish / Who died June 26: 1888, / Aged 76 Years. / Alas, Alas and are thy Spirits Fled / And are our parents numbered with the dead. / Shall we no more in Social Converse share / The Sweet Endearments of our Parents care? / Erected by their Son Jonah.

Lots of genealogical info there and the passage at the end is a nice one!

Matt

[Roobarb]

I've been looking through my (numerous) photos of gravestones and amongst the ones I have for my many Barker ancestors I noticed this very touching inscription:

A light is from our household gone
A voice we love is stilled
A place is vacant at our hearth
Which never can be filled

It relates to a son who died at the age of 24. Brings a lump to my throat when I read it. 

[miriamkinga]

Aww Roobarb making me cry this morning 

[Mike in Cumbria]

I believe this joke belongs to Graeme Garden but I'm not sure.

A man in Yorkshire commissioned a gravestone for his much beloved wife. It was, naturally, a big expensive stone but when he went to see it at the stone-masons, he was disappointed to notice a typo - "She was a good wif"

He summoned the engraver and complained that there was something missing. The workman read it several times but still couldn't see anything wrong. The client said, in exasperation "Can't you see? You've missed off the "E".  "Ah, I see now - no problem. I'm awfully sorry - we'll get that fixed before it goes to the graveyard. Thanks for pointing it out", said the engraver.

Next week, the man turned up at the graveyard to see the gleaming new stone, proudly carved with the words:




"Ee, she was a good wif".

[miriamkinga]

Made me giggle, thanks Mike 

[Brittaya]

I've come across a few that said "Accidentally killed". They were both children. Another one said "Died of the Spanish Influenza, beloved father and grandfather. (he was like 37 years old!) And one of the saddest ones I've ever seen was a 12 year old girl and it was in french so I had to get my husband to translate. It said "I wasn't ready to go". Most of these just made me super curious.

As for sweet/heartwarming ones I'll have to keep an eye out. I've been working on the billiongraves project all summer with my husband so we've seen a number of graves (around 19,000 photos taken so far). Actually last trip we made I found a headstone in the military section of Brookside for a Julius Caesar. I was quite amused.

Britt

[fallingonabruise]

My  1st cousin 4x removed, was Benjamin Forrist Marsh, (1823-1834) He drowned aged 10, this is the sad poem on his gravestone.

In the cold stream my limbs were chilled
My blood with deadly horror thrilled
My feeble veins did cease to play
I fainted, sunk and dyed away
All means were tryed my life to save
But could not keep me from my grave.

 

[matt94]

Not one of mine, but from the 19th-Century grave of sisters Amelia and Catherine Robbins at Midgham Park, Berkshire:

'Two sisters in one grave now rest,
Who for their parents did their best,
Who labour'd hard with joy and pride,
That all their wants might be supplied.
With tender love and anxious care,
They watched and waited, the much loved pair,
Whose hearts with gratitude o'erflow'd
That God such children had bestow'd.

Honour thy Father and the Mother,
that thy days be long in the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee.'

Matt

[BonnieDownUnder]

The inscription on the beautiful sandstone headstone of my 3xg parents:

FRANCIS N. WATSON
died February 10, 1884
aged 67 years

Boast not to day
Nor call tomorrow thine
Thou might'st be called away
By sudden death like mine

Also
ALICE WATSON
wife of the above
who died 15th October 1892
Aged 70 years

Reader tread softly, this is treasured ground
A loving wife and husband this resting place have found
They have toiled through life together, struggled with the tide
But now their toils are over they are resting side by side

wish I could upload photo but computer and me not having one of our better getting along days!