31 Days of Graves Day 8 1700-1799

Until now, most of the headstones we’ve looked at have been found in the old part of the Leicester Road cemetery. This opened in 1856, at a time when other burial grounds represented a health hazard, and when they were reaching capacity. One advantage of the new cemetery was that people from all denominations could be buried in the same cemetery, albeit in separate areas, where previously other places of worship, like non-conformist chapels would have had their own burial ground.

So, it’s unlikely we’ll find any headstones dating back to the 1700s in the Leicester Road cemetery. The ones presented here are all in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity, the parish church.

Thomas Towers was an apothecary, married to Grace Burnett. Thomas was born in 1693, and Grace in 1687, and the couple married on 29 October 1726 in the parish of St Martins in Stamford (currently in Lincs.). They had two children, Burnett born in 1727, who died at the age of 19 in 1746, and Margaret (dates unknown). Thomas was a master apothecary, and in 1729 had two apprentices, being Septimus Jolley of Wigston, and John Guttridge of Loughborough. Thomas died in 1773, Grace in 1752.

Here’s the transcription of the Swithland slate gravestone:

In memory

Of Thomas Towers Apothecary

And Grace his wife

He died the 18th of Nov 1773 Aged 80

She died the 30th of Sep 1752 Aged 45

Also in memory

Of Burnett & Margaret their children

Burnett died the 9th of Jan 1746

Aged 19 years

 

Sadly, the inscription relating to Margaret is beneath the soil.

 

Another Swithland slate gravestone, with its details appearing in a circular shape, is the memorial to Jane Webster, wife of Joseph, who died in 1727. Each of the top corners is adorned with an engraved angel, very similar to a Belvoir Angel. Here’s the transcription:

Here lyeth

The body of Jane

The wife of Joseph Webster

Who departed this life Septembr

The 22d. Anno Dom 1727

Aged 45

 

The remainder of the inscription is below the soil level. 

The headstones in the parish churchyard were re-arranged in the 1960s, so some are standing upright in clusters, some are laying upright around the perimeter of the graveyard and the raised grassy areas, while others are laid out flat on the ground, forming a pathway. The next headstone is one of the latter. It reads:

Here

lieth interr'd the body

of Mr. Daniel Farmer who

departed this life on the 13th day

of January A.D. 1734 in the 80th

year of his age

  

Like the memorial to Jane Webster, this stone has two Belvoir Angel-like engravings.

 

The memorial to John Dod and his with Ann is divided into two. Looking at the left-hand side, we find the details relating to John, and on the right-hand side, the details relating to Ann. The couple died 10 years apart.

Here

lieth the body of

John Dod

He departed this life

the 15th Day of Feb

1764

Aged 62 Years

 

Here Also

lieth the body of

Ann his wife

She departed this life

the 4th day of Apr

1774

Aged 66 years

William Robinson and his wife Elizabeth, who both lived into their 80s, are also commemorated in this churchyard. Often, the occupation of the deceased was mentioned on the memorial stone, and in this case we learn that William was a matmaker.  

Here lies the body

of William Robinson

Mat-maker, who departed

this life August the 18^th

1779 aged 83 year

Allso of Elizabeth

his wife, She died

Jan the 6th 1798

aged 80 years

 

Thank you for reading about today's gravestones. Pop back tomorrow for stones on a different theme. 

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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