So, here I am, wondering what exactly the definition of mysterious might be!! Hopefully, open to interpretation, and hopefully, I’ve found something that fits the bill. But, most certainly not my first offering …
You might be able to tell from the photograph, that this Swithland slate gravestone in the churchyard of All Saints with Holy Trinity, is quite a lot smaller than the ones which surround it. In hindsight, my research rucksack should have included a tape measure. There is nothing mysterious about this memorial: on its small face it contains much information, other than the cause of the poor little boy’s death.
Here lieth
the Body of
THEOPHILUS,
Son of
Theops &
Eliz: HENSHAW
He died Sept
28th 1745 Aged
2 Years 2
Months & 10 Days
My dearest
friends do not lament
Since Death
shook ¬his Alarms
Twas but the
Voice my Saviour sent
To Call me to
his Arms
The other headstone I’d like to share with you is found in the same cemetery, but is standing upright, resting on the grassy bank, facing Steeple Row. When I say upright, at first glance it seems to be so, but actually it’s the wrong way upright! By which I mean it’s standing in a portrait position, but should be in a landscape position. Its position and the weathering makes the inscription unreadable.
This is clearly a headstone that was never meant to be stand upright. It’s more likely it is from the sides of a more elaborate structure, perhaps a brick tomb, or similar, and probably had matching stones either adjacent or on the other tomb faces. We might see something similar when we get to Day 29 of this challenge. In the meantime, here’s the photograph
The above memorial stone lies fairly close to another one, which might be significant. This particular stone is also upright, and stands almost opposite the door to the church. It is clearly only part of the memorial, as it is much larger than the ones which surround it. The inscription reads:
In this vault
are interred
the remains of
Henry Whatton
Esq.
My personal opinion is that the above two stones are part of the same vault. My question is, are they both slate (the first one doesn't look like it, so I need to go back and check in the churchyard), and if they are slate, and were attached to a stone or brick vault, would the nature of Swithland slate (difficlut to slice cleanly, which often leaves the backs very rough, with chisel markes) make them difficult to attach, or are they Welsh slate - or maybe they are too early for such? Something to research for another day!!
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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough
With apologies for
typos which are all mine!
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Dyer, Lynne (2026). 31 Days of Graves Day 9 Mysterious. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/10/31-days-of-graves-day-9-mysterious.html [Accessed 9 October 2026]
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