31 Days of Graves 21 Memento Mori

In reality, there were a number of headstones which contained the wording ‘Memento Mori’, the translation of which seems to be something like ‘remember you must die’.

The memorial stone which I’m focussing on here is that to Caroline Harley, which I found in the parish churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity.

Memento Mori

In Memory of

CAROLINE,

the Daughter of

Francis HARLEY

by Susanna his Wife

she died on the 21st of January

1810

Aged 5 Months

The parents of Caroline were Francis Harley and Susannah Lacey who had married in the parish church on 3rd June 1791. Another daughter, Susannah, had been born in 1796, and a son, Francis in 1794, and another daughter, Sarah Anne, who died at the age of 14 months. Another daughter, also called Caroline was baptised on 27th October 1810. 

There are several memorial stones commemorating members of the Harley family, who were brewers in the town, at one time based on Derby Road, and run firstly by William and Francis Harley, before changing to Edward and Joseph around 1823, after the death of Francis around 1821.

Here’s the inscription to the little Sarah:

Beneath

rest the earthly remains of

SARAH, the Daughter of Frans & Susa HARLEY

She clos'd this uncertain

Life

the 25th of March 1805

Aged 14 Months

Jesus said, Suffer little children to

come unto me, and forbid them not, for of

such is the kingdom of heaven - And he took

them up in his arms - and blessed them

St. Mark

 

Such sad revelations memorial headstones can reveal. 

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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