curiouswombat: (notes from a small island)
[personal profile] curiouswombat
When I posted the pictures of Bride Old Church Yard earlier this week I commented that I had also taken some in the newer part of the graveyard. The original churchyard runs east from the sanctuary end of the church, the newer one is basically the width of a small field running along the north side of both church and old churchyard.

So, under the cut are a

First - this is a picture of the church, sitting in the centre of the village -

Bride Church

And these are Bride Roses - the village celebrated the centenary of having their own commissioners (tiny local council) in 1995, by having a rose bred and named for the village. They are, not surprisingly, popular as wedding gifts! But these are the original Bride roses, growing against the south wall of the church.

Bride Roses

Now - an over view of the new churchyard - the stones a little more upright than those in the old burial ground!

General View of Bride New Churchyard

Now - a few simply for interest - firstly a rather romantic angel -

Lawrence grave

And this is the headstone on a grave very near my grandparents -

Submariner

I presume he was a submariner. The odd colour effect is because most of the headstone is reflecting the grass of the grave. Many of the graves are simply grassed over - it keeps them neat.

This one is interesting because it has an inscription in Manx as well as English -

Kneale Grave, Manx Inscription

The Manx actually just means in 'In loving memory of...' and 'rest easy' - the equivalent of the English Rest in Peace.

Actually they are relatives - but only as understood by the Manx, or hobbits; my great-great-grandmother Howland was a Kneale, and these are the same family - Charles Kneale was my great-grandmothers first cousin.

The family on this headstone are the family that my mother's cousin, my aunty Phyllis, married into - but this is here more because of the names of the children who died in infancy -

Church view Christians

The children who died in infancy would have been my Uncle Willy's brother and sisters. Uncle Willy, alongside Aunty Phyllis herself is buried here -

Grat Grandparents, Tom et al

Along with my great-grandparents (her grandparents), their unmarried son and only daughter (Aunty Phyll's mother).

I visited that grave regularly as a child - although then it contained only my great-grandparents. But it was the one next to it that always caught my eye. It now contains the third son of those great-grandparents (i.e. my great-uncle...), his wife and daughter, and a son in law. But when I was a child only Lily was buried there. Her inscription has not been changed - just put onto the new stone chosen when her mother died.

Lily was 10 when she died - her death is one of my mother's earliest memories (she was 3). Lily's parents were part of a group who had been part of the Plymouth Brethren, but had left to form a stricter group - feeling that the Brethren were a bit too lax! When Lily took ill her parents held prayer vigils with other members of their sect over her. When her father eventually called a doctor it was too late - she died of peritonitis from a burst appendix. These days her parents would probably be taken to court - but then it was their right to decide on her treatment, and if they chose to do nothing it was accepted - many other families might have left it too late because they couldn't afford a doctor in those, pre-NHS, days, and so it was not unusual. Personally I believe God would not have given us knowledge if He hadn't wanted us to use it.

But - anyway - Lily's inscription says 'Absent from the body. Present with the Lord'. As a child I thought it meant she had gone mad! Wilfred, her father, just has 'called home' - but then MY daughter, on family visits to the churchyard, is of the generation that immediately went - "So who did he call? Was it his Mum? Or was it like in ET?"

I have to admit that my mother, D-d, and I also find Lily's mother's inscription amusing too -

Wilfred, Bina and Lily

It says 'With Christ. Which is far better.' we always seem to want to know 'than what?' - also D-d said it sounded like a supermarket advert - and she's right!

And finally, as I've gathered a few relatives together here, this is my grandparents, uncle and aunt -

Granny and Grampy

I feel a bit guilty that there are no flowers on the grave - I think I will plant some pansies.



Speaking of my daughter, as I was under the cut, she is home from her trip to Amsterdam. Oh how much I love our daughter! Well, you know that, but I just love her take on life so much. As well as the usual description of the hostel they stayed in, the breakfasts, the chocolate waffles, and so on, were these two gems of Kat-ness.

"I held out until the last day, but when we were all out shopping I finally gave in. I said to the others to go on but I just had to go to the Amsterdam Museum - and I ran into it and stood and went 'Aaaah! Museum....' I only stayed about three hours though, then I could face shopping again."

"I did one of the things I've always, always, wanted to do! There was a Hari-Krishna procession - and they asked us to join in. And they gave Hannah some of those little tin castanets to play. And we got cards with the words on, in case we didn't know them! And we, like, processed around Amsterdam at the end of the Hare-Krishna procession! And I've always, always, wanted to just join one of them and dance through the streets chanting! It was so cool!"


Also today, apart from going to Tescos and doing some washing I have tidied the yard and written a chunk of Brotherhood. Oh, and worked out my lesson for Sunday School tomorrow - school is back, and so we are back to lessons on Sundays, too. Tomorrow might be a bit like herding cats...

Date: 12/09/2009 05:43 pm (UTC)
ext_11988: made by lmbossy (caffeine formula)
From: [identity profile] kazzy-cee.livejournal.com
Heee - thanks for sharing the photos! I suppose if you stay where your family were born and raised you do end up with lots of familiar names in the churchyard. My rellies are spread all over the place! :)

Loved the comments from your D-d sounds like a great break. Hope she felt OK and had got over her nasty virus.

Date: 12/09/2009 06:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
I have a good few scattered around other places as well - but a good number of the ones in this churchyard are 'family' - and a good number of 'family' are buried here.

They did, indeed, have a good time in Amsterdam - and is feeling a lot better but had a second lot of antibiotics to take ready here for her when she got home, as her lab results showed the Trimethoprim might not be enough on its own - nasty bug!

Date: 12/09/2009 06:58 pm (UTC)
gillo: (Castle on a grey day)
From: [personal profile] gillo
Herschell, Ella and Greeba? What astonishing names.

Kat is very clearly your daughter - both of you! Splendid girl - I love the museum story!

And I'm afraid "Called home" makes me think of
E.T.
too!

Date: 12/09/2009 07:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
Greeba is a bit less astonishing to me than to you - it is a place on the island, and I do know a couple of girls/women called that - but it is pretty rare - but Herschell Christian? Especially when you think it would be Herschell Christian the blacksmith's son.

The two who survived infancy were called William and Ruby.

She really is clearly ours, isn't she? Museum addiction is a family trait!

Date: 12/09/2009 09:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bogwitch.livejournal.com
Ah the new stones just don't have the same romance.

Date: 12/09/2009 09:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
What? Not even the angel with cabbage leaves?

Date: 12/09/2009 09:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] petzipellepingo.livejournal.com
Church and graveyard so much more interesting than ours.

Date: 12/09/2009 09:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
It had never really occurred to me - they just 'are', if you see what I mean, until friends commented the first time I put a picture of an old church and churchyard on my journal.

Date: 12/09/2009 10:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] julierobinson.livejournal.com
I find cemeteries fascinating- may have something to do with the family business but regardless I think our "new" headstones are so boring- I love the old ones!
I guess back in the 70's it was a huge thing to say someone was "called home" there were caskets that had that as an inset and my father tells me of a casket spray that had a big yellow rotary phone with a ribbon that said "God called".
Too great!
Your daughter sounds like a gem! I remember the Amsterdam museum- it was quite enjoyable but no Krishnas;)

Date: 12/09/2009 10:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
I had forgotten it was your family business - even though you were in my thoughts yesterday.

Uncle Wilfred did not really approve of telephones... but I am rather amused at the idea.

Actually Lily's original headstone said that she was called home, I think - and Uncle Wilfred received the call in the 1960s - perhaps they were monumental trend setters!

Image (http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/curiouswombat/Churches%20and%20Crosses/?action=view&current=CalledHome.jpg)

My daughter is someone that I really am glad I know, if you see what I mean - I think yours must be like that for you already, too.

Date: 12/09/2009 11:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com
What a lovely graveyard. I like the idea of having so much family near and able to visit!

Hee! I'm D-d on museums vs shopping! The museums do indeed make the shopping worthwhile!

Date: 13/09/2009 08:53 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
She's always enjoyed museums when we went on holiday - we once spent an entire day in the Museum of Scotland when she was about 12. It means she's always been an excellent holiday companion!

Date: 13/09/2009 02:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] zanthinegirl.livejournal.com
Sounds like my mom and I. We used to take a trip every autumn during my dad's big annual elk trip and if we weren't in museums we were usually in art galleries! We plan to do it again, but my mother foolishly decided I should organize it this year and that's just clearly not my skill set!

Date: 13/09/2009 03:18 am (UTC)
jerusha: (Default)
From: [personal profile] jerusha
Hee! I loved Kat's response to the procession. That's pretty cool.

Date: 13/09/2009 08:54 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna,
Hare Krishna, Rama, Rama...

I can see it would be fun!

Date: 13/09/2009 04:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] julia-here.livejournal.com
Ah, Museum! Nothing better than a good museum.

I just survived the family doings; my most geneology smitten cousin did not realize that our grandmother's next two younger sisters were called Nell and Pude so she was a bit confused by my conversation about our great-uncle Joe's 80th birthday party. Those are the two I'm named for- Julia (Pude) and Ellen.

Julia, life is rich and fulland the Sound is full of salmon

Date: 13/09/2009 09:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
Family genealogy is fascinating - but you really have to know that people aren't always called what they were christened or it can be very confusing! In our family, the James Henry Howland who was my great-grandfather was always known as Grandfather William...

I wonder if the carrying down the generations of names is a hindrance or a help to the dedicated genealogist? I think being named after your aunts is really rather nice. Had my parents gone back to MY grandmother's sisters I would have been Eleanor Emily.

Also - mmm - salmon...

Date: 13/09/2009 08:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] framefolly.livejournal.com
Your daughter sounds like the best kind of travel companion :) .

And I love the first picture of the church. Such a tall tower! Can one climb up in it? Is there a lovely view?

Date: 13/09/2009 09:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
She is a good travel companion - it was good to have our week together in July.

I don't think the public can go up the church tower - I think there is just access to the bells up a small wooden stair. The view would be good though - my mother lives close by, but up a steep hill and the view must be much the same.

Date: 13/09/2009 09:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bojojoti.livejournal.com
Good for your daughter--slipping away to the museum!

Date: 13/09/2009 11:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
To D-d a holiday is not complete without a museum or two. An excellent trait - particularly in a historian! Mind you, they also went on a pub-crawl and a tour of the Heineken brewery...

Date: 14/09/2009 07:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bojojoti.livejournal.com
As much as I love museums, I adore tours, too. A few summers ago, I toured the Coors brewery. It was fascinating!

Date: 14/09/2009 12:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
They are fun, aren't they?

She did a tour of the Guinness brewery in Dublin a couple of summers ago.

I was a bit more up-market - I did the Talisker Whisky Distillery on Skye a few years ago.

Date: 13/09/2009 01:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ayinhara.livejournal.com
D-d sounds like lots of fun. I agree about the museum side trip.

Is Herschell commonly used on the Isle of Mann? The only Herschells I know are Jewish.

Date: 13/09/2009 02:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
A good holiday break NEEDS a museum!

As for Herschell - no, not common at all, although my sister says she has met one in the course of work (She is a Hospice nurse), and a Herschell Cowin from Douglas was killed in WW1 - he appears in the online roll of honour.

Date: 13/09/2009 01:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com
Looks like you took those photos on a perfect day. It all looks to lovely. I'm struck by how big the bell tower is compared to the rest of the church.

Date: 13/09/2009 02:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
It was a lovely day, last Saturday, bright sunshine, temp of about 17C actually it was pretty similar yesterday, and still is today, too. It is lovely to have sunshine!

The bell tower really is too big for the church. The old church seems to have more or less had the footprint of the rest of the church - as if when they did the 'extensive rebuilding' in the 1870s they decided a BIG tower would be impressive, but left the rest of the church the original size...

Date: 13/09/2009 04:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] manoah.livejournal.com
You always take the best pictures. I can't take credit for any of mine, His Lordship takes them all. Mine come out blurry.

I love your D-d too!

Date: 13/09/2009 05:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
Thank you - I do have some blurry ones, too - but I keep them to myself!

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