Sometimes a wander through a cemetery can make you feel as if you’re in a heavenly library due to the number of open books reverently laid on top of graves. They’re usually made from stone or granite, inscribed with the name and dates of the deceased and often a decorative carved book marker complete with tassel keeping the pages open. In this example, a downwardly pointing finger indicates the large open book.
On first appearance the open book can seem a very simple and obvious symbol and it’s used in place of a more formal headstone. But, as with other symbols, it can have alternative meanings.
The 3 dimensional version that is carved to simulate a real book is a 19th century innovation. Prior to this it was rendered in a 2 dimensional, flat form and can be found on 18th century tombstones as part of an overall design or epitaph.
The open book can almost resemble a visitors book with the deceased’s details inscribed on it as if they were signing in or checking out for eternity and sometimes one page is left blank for perhaps the partner who will follow. On a recent stroll through Beckenham cemetery I came across several variations:
For example, there was one with both pages blank which could indicate that the inscription has worn off or that they were ready to be written for eternity. The latter echoes the well-known phrase ‘he or she can be read like an open book’ and the empty pages can indicate that this is how they want to be judged on the Day of Judgement. This references the quotation from the Book of Revelation 20:11-15:
‘And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ King James Bible
This is also why the open book is also known as the Book of Life as it contains everything that the deceased has done throughout their life and for which they will now be accountable. Christ is often depicted carrying a book. J C Cooper also sees it as the Book of Life and adds that it can also represent
‘….learning and the spirit of wisdom, revelation and …wisdom.’
‘The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.’ Jeremiah 31.3 King James Bible
This makes the symbol almost resemble a Bible. Other suggestions are that it can indicate the grave of a writer, publisher or even more obviously a clergyman.
It can also suggest that a chapter of life has ended or closed and a variant is the closed book. I found this one in West Norwood cemetery and it clearly indicates a life that has ended with the final chapter now written.
So the open book has made me think about how my book of life would look on my last resting place. I’m determined to make sure that it’s a good read for any passing visitor.
Hannah’s headstone prior to restoration. Copright Greenshed. Shared under Wiki Commons
This story came from the BBC News website.
This is the 300 year old headstone of 33 year old Hannah Twynnoy who was mauled to death in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. She was fatally attacked by the tiger, believed to be part of a travelling menagerie, which was being housed in a pub yard. It escaped and attacked her.
The inscription had become so illegible that. prompted by a local campaign, masonry restorers were brought in to clean it. The epitaph reads:
In bloom of Life She’s snatchd from hence, She had not room To make defence; For Tyger fierce Took Life away. And here she lies In a bed of Clay,
Until the Resurrection Day.
Follow the link for more information and photos as this is a unique cause of death in England.
Maybe I just disturbed the nocturnal guests at St James’s and they felt compelled to hide but all appeared to be silent as I stepped inside the church. But they were given away by 2 vacant camp beds in front of the altar and the small refreshment area by the pulpit. I thought that the hot water bottle on one of the camp beds was a nice touch as I stood there for a moment and wondered what it must have been like staying overnight in an empty church in such an isolated place. There are houses around the church but not that many. ‘Champing’, is a euphemism for overnight ‘camping’ in churches looked after by The Churches Conservation Trust. Don’t worry they’re not pitching tents! The church provided the campbed and the usual amenities. It’s really caught on in recent years and I have been tempted to try it myself.
But I was at St James’s to see the cockleshell room which I’d missed on earlier visits. There wasn’t a sign advertising it but a quick look at the church map of the interior and I headed for the church organ. This time I found it! The door’s latch seemed to echo in the tranquillity as I pulled it open. The vestry is ‘compact and bijou’ as an estate agent would undoubtedly say – it is tiny and there was only a small open cobwebbed window, high up in the wall for ventilation. The room felt very warm and contained only a chair, possibly a recycled pew, and a bureau.
But it’s the thousands of cockleshells that made me catch my breath. They are floor to ceiling, arranged in patterns with newer ones being cemented in. I have to say that it did feel a little claustrophobic. The vestry dates back to the 19th century and is considered to be either a reminder or perhaps homage to the shell being the symbol of the saint, St James. Shells would be worn in pilgrims’ hats as they went on the trail to his shrine in Santiago de Compostela. Above the door, and supposed to be, are initials and a date which may be 1833 or 1838. The initials are I.M. and I.C. CWARDENS which could stand for John Murton and John Comport churchwardens. I was looking in the wrong place so didn’t spot it but perhaps on another visit…. you do need a few minutes just to take it all in and try not to touch them although it is a very tactile surface.
According to the Churches Conservation Trust, it’s considered to be
‘unique in an English church’.
As I explored the nave after leaving the little room I saw the medieval benches that date back to the 14th century. They’ve evaded the iconoclasts of the 1600s and Victorian restoration but are now too fragile to be touched, much less sat on, and are now roped off.
The name Murton appeared again on an elegant and poignant wall memorial to a sailor, John William, eldest son of John Murton of nearby Cooling Castle. He died young, aged 28, after falling overboard from the Monarch off Rio de Janeiro during a voyage to Calcutta. The inscription on the marble tablet quotes from the ship’s captain’s log:
‘And so perished one of the finest and best hearted seamen who ever trod a ship’s deck. I have lost a trustworthy officer and valued friend. Peace be to his remains.’
After that I went outside to see ‘Pip’s Graves’ and the table tomb on which Charles Dickens is reputed to have eaten his lunch. Across the marsh I could see docked ships and butterflies flitted about on the buddleia at one end of the churchyard. I found a clergyman’s grave denoted by a chalice and more childrens graves. One was dedicated to a six year old. I also pursued a Common Darter dragonfly until it posed obligingly and checked to see if the little grinning demon still kept watch over the outside loo. He did. I looked up as I left the churchyard and saw, glinting on the weathervane above the tower the representation of another cockleshell.
The 18th historian, Edward Hasted, described Cooling as
‘an unfrequented place, the roads of which are deep and miry, and it is as unhealthy as it is unpleasant.’
It certainly is unfrequented as I was alone as I walked along Cooling Road to and from the church with only passing cars for company. The remains of the 14th century Cooling Castle, which is in private hands, are still impressive. Dark blue sloe berries were still on several bushes and windfalls clustered beneath apple trees in a nearby orchard. I retraced my steps back to Cliffe for a wander round St Helen’s churchyard and then a very welcome cuppa in their café.
But how I envied the ‘champers’ enjoying a good night’s kip(I hope) in that little corner of Kent.
An imposing Celtic Cross in St Margaret’s churchyard, Lee, SE London Copyright Carole Tyrrell
I found this month’s symbol while exploring the churchyard of St Margaret’s church in Lee, South East London. This is a large Victorian church with some lovely stained glass and, more unusually, wall paintings. These are Pre-Raphaelite in style and well worth seeing if you’re in the area. The church is open on the 1st Saturday of every month 10.30am to 4.30pm. There are also windows created from broken pieces of stained glass, like a jigsaw, and which create kaleidoscope patterns on the floor when the sun shines through.
But St Margaret’s is a church in two halves. Across the road is the ruined, older church. It was not constructed well and fell down eventually. What was left was mostly demolished in 1813 and only the ruined west tower remains. This is surrounded by 18th century headstones which include no less than three Astronomers Royal. They are Nathaniel Bliss, John Pond and Edmond Halley (1674-1742) who computed the orbit of Halley’s Comet. They all keep company with, amongst others, a parachutist that fell to earth and a Restoration actress. There is also a poignant grave of a mother and her infant child. An interpretation board by the entrance lets visitor know who is buried where in the churchyard. The churchyard is English Heritage listed and , due to restoration, is open by appointment only. Enquiries via: office@stmargaretslee.org.uk.
But, while exploring the churchyard of the larger St Margaret’s, I discovered this imposing and beautiful monument in memory to a deceased wife. The epitaph is written in sinuous Art Nouveau style writing which was well worn and, as a result, almost indecipherable.
It’s the largest and tallest memorial in the churchyard and is in the form of a Celtic Cross. This was a reminder of the Celtic Revival that was popular from 1880-1910. But it was the symbols that intrigued me. There were four of them in the form of a head at each point of the cross. They were a human or angel, a lion, an ox and an eagle. I felt sure that they had meaning and were not just decoration. After posting my photos on a cemetery related Facebook page, I received a reply (who says that social media isn’t educational?) from a lady who thought that they might represent the four evangelists. This would be:
Human/Angel Matthew
Lion Mark
Ox Luke
Eagle John
A closer view of the memorial showing the four Evangelists symbols in each corner. Copyright Carole Tyrrell
The arrangement of the symbols is known as a tetramorph. It references the four Gospels of the Evangelists and the four living creatures that surround the throne of God. There are several Biblical references to them. For example, in the Book of Revelations chapter 4: verses 6-7:
‘And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.’ King James version
The four living creatures are also mentioned in Ezekiel Chapter One verses 1-14, Ezekiel, Chapter 10, verses 1-22 and Daniel Chapter 7, verses 1-8. In addition, the creatures are featured in other religious texts such as St Irenaeus of Lyons and St Augustine of Hippo.
Wikipedia defines a tetramorph as :
‘ ………a symbolic arrangement of four different elements. Tetramorph is derived from the Greek tetra, meaning four, and morph, which means shape. In Christian art, the tetramorph is the union of the symbols of the Four Evangelists, the four living creatures derived from the Book of Ezekiel into a single figure, or more commonly, a group of four figures. The Evangelists portraits are often accompanied by the tetramorphs or the symbols often used to represent them. Each symbol can be described as a tetramorph in the singular, and a group as ‘the tetramorphs but usually only when all four are together. Tetramorphs were very common in early medieval art especially in illuminated Gospel books, They are still common in religious art up to the present day.
Other examples of the combination of different elements are the Sphinx in Egypt which has the body of a lion and the head of a human.’
There are two more examples below:
Fresco, Meteora c.1550 shared under Wiki Commons.
Ivory plaques on a wooden coffret early 13th century. Musee de Cluny. Shared under Wiki Commons.
The animals associated with the Christian tetramorph originate in the Babylonian symbols of the four fixed signs of the zodiac; the Ox representing Taurus; the lion representing Leo, the eagle representing Scorpio; the man or angel representing Aquarius. In Western astrology the four symbols are associated with the elements of, respectively Earth, Fire, Water and Air. The creatures of the Christian tetramorph were also common in Egyptian, Greek and Assyrian mythology. The early Christians adopted this symbolism and adapted it for the four Evangelists as the tetramorph, which first appears in Christian art in the 5th century
The evangelistic symbols on the cross in St Margarets are beautifully carved and it really stood out in the churchyard due to its size and position. Since seeing this one I have found other tetramorphs. There is one over the entrance to the imposing church of St Augustine’s in Kilburn and another one in Ely Cathedral. Gaudi also featured prominent winged versions of the evangelists on his unfinished masterpiece, The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
This is a fine and expressive epitaph to a blacksmith, Thomas Bevan, who died in 1774 in Eardisley, Herefordshire. Under the carvings of blacksmith tools at the top of the headstone is this epitaph:
‘My sledge and hammer lies declined.
My bellows have quite lost its wind;
My forge’s extinct, my fires decayed
My vices in the dust all laid.
My coal is spent, my iron is gone,
My nails are drove, my work is one.
My fire-dryd corps lies here at rest
My foul (soul) smoak like is soaring to be blest.’
I found this on stonemason Andrew Ziminski’s Twitter or X (whatever it’s called now) and is used with his permission. He has an interesting account and he has published 2 books on his work and his travels around country churches. ‘Stonemason: A History of Building Britain’ and a forthcoming on in October 2024, ‘Churchgoing; A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles.’ Always interesting posts – this is his address. https://twitter.com/natchjourneyman
I was visiting Margate on the Kent coast and, after a paddle in the glittering sea, followed a sign that pointed the way to the 14th century church of St John the Evangelist. It was an interesting churchyard with some fascinating headstones including this one. It depicts a weeping cherub, but, despite weathering by the elements, the figure can still be seen clearly but sadly the epitaph is illegible.
It’s carved in 3D relief and shows a male cherub with its wings behind him, dabbing his eyes with a piece of cloth draped over an oval tablet. I think I can just about see a head carved on it which is presumably the deceased. This surmounts an urn in the classical style which appears to be on a plinth.
On the other side the figure holds what appears to be a either a bunch of flowers or palm leaves which are on top of a human skull with its lower jaw missing. There may be bones protruding from underneath the skull but it’s a little difficult to be sure.
It must have been very impressive when first carved and it’s testament to the stonemason’s skills that so much of it has survived. Despite there being no readable epitaph, I would estimate that this dates back to the 18th century. The church itself was closed on my visit so I couldn’t enquire further.
This is an unusual symbol to find in a churchyard as weeping cherubs are generally found inside a church and not outside. For example,this is a fine example from St Mary and All Saints in Amersham and is on the monument to Elizabeth Drake who dies young in 1757 aged only 32. She appears in a carved panel praying with her six surviving children and two deceased children. The weeping cherub sits alongside a sarcophagus on a shelf and is using a piece of cloth draped over his head to dry his tears.
The other one is in All Saints Herstmonceux and he stands on a freestanding short pillar sorrowing with an agonised expression over an urn, again in the classical style, which is partly draped with a piece of cloth and one hand is on a garland of roses. Beside the urn there seems to be a flaming torch on its side. Please follow link to view the photos:
Others can be found in St Stephen’s Norwich, St John the Evangelist in Burford and All Saints Church, Spetchley on the tomb of Robert Berkeley (1650-1694). There is also a pair on a painting on glass dedicated to Lord Nelson and is described as a monumental design to perpetuate his memory.
Cherubs are usually seen as plump, male small boys, usually naked, with small wings protruding from their shoulders as below:
Three Putti next to a cartouche Pierre Alexandre Aveline after Francois Boucher 1727-60 shared under Wiki Commons
But they had begun to appear in churchyards when the very stark skull and crossbones fell out of fashion. There was a sense that a more inspiring and sensitive image would be more appropriate for those left behind and so the winged messengers appeared (see my post Symbol of the Month – The winged soul 27/09/20).
These were the heads of what appeared to be children with wings around them that emphasised a rebirth of the soul in heaven which was a kinder view of death. Cherubs are supposedly found on childrens graves and a walk through any churchyard or cemetery would confirm this. But cherubs can be confused with putti which is the Italian word for cherub but they are very different. Cherubs are powerful figures in the hierarchy of angels whereas putti are childlike and playful.
Cherubs
The word ‘cherub’ is derived from the Hebrew word ‘Kěrub’ which means ‘to draw near’ or ‘to bless’. However it has also been associated with the Assyrian word, ‘karibu’ which means one that intercedes’. Cherubs can be viewed:
‘as divine messengers drawing near to humans to deliver blessings or divine messages. They also symbolise the spiritual closeness between the divine realm and the human world.’ Spiritualityshepherd.com
In the Bible cherubs are seen as powerful figures that guard sacred spaces such as the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament. There are several references to them in the Bible particularly in the Book of Genesis 3:24:
‘So he drove out the man: and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.’ King James Version.
In the Book of Ezekiel 10:14, they are described as angelic beings with four faces; a human, a lion, an eagle and a human. These derives from ancient Mesopotamian and Assyrian art which depicted winged creatures with multiple faces which often guarded temples or palaces. These influenced early Christian artist who used them in their images of cherubim. The multiple faces represent different aspects of creation or divine attributes such as wisdom, strength, courage and swiftness and the wings are a reminder of their celestial nature and ability to move quickly between heaven and earth.
Putti
Wikipedia defines putti as:
‘a putto or putti is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child usually naked and very often winged….came to represent a sort of baby angel in religious art, often called cherubs or cherubim.’
In fact the Italian word ‘putto’ derives from the Latin word ‘putus’ meaning boy or child. Today in Italy, ‘putto’ means ‘toddler winged angel’ and there are similar words or meanings in other languages. Putti were believed to influence human lives in the ancient classical world and in the 2nd century they could be found dancing and playing amongst other activities on child sarcophagi. Their role as messengers were emphasised by them being seen as between the realms of the human and divine by being Roman spirit guardians or the Greek daimon. During the Renaissance they were revived due to the painter Donatello. Putti also became associated with the Greek and Roman goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Venus by becoming Eros and Cupid.
Now putti are largely decorative and feature extensively on Victorian and Edwardian buildings – just look up and you’re bound to see one at least. Please visit Bob Sheel’s invaluable page on these for examples – just follow the link: http://www.speel.me.uk/gp/cherubs.htm
Weeping cherubs
They could be interpreted as weeping angels which immediately brought to mind one of Dr Who’s most brilliant and intimidating villains – the Weeping Angels -don’t blink! There are several prominent weeping angel statues in cemeteries such as Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Mississippi, USA where a life size female angel is prostrate across the monument:
and the Haserot bronze figure in Lakeview cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, USA where the rain has discoloured it and made it look resemble tears running down its face.
But why are there weeping cherubs? I haven’t found a definitive explanation but the edenbengals website has a theory:
‘They openly express the sorrow that the ones left behind feel, and in their role of divine messengers take it heavenwards to God.’
It’s a very poignant symbol in that a small child is seen openly weeping. I hope to find others in my explorations of churchyards and cemeteries as I’m sure that the Margate one can’t be the only one. If I know these places as well as I do – there is at least another one waiting to be found – hopefully by me!
Yes, fans of the dark side and all things macabre, the London Month of the Dead is taking bookings now! Some have sold out already but there’s such a choice of lectures, walks, musical performances, tours, workshops, screenings and even a magic lantern show I’m sure you’ll find an event to enjoy! I have attended several London Month Of The Dead events over the years and each one has been fascinating and entertaining.
Now in its 11th year and with reasonable prices and 20% of each ticket is directed towards the cemeteries and venues that take part or hold London Month Of The Dead events. So what are you waiting for: visit https://londonmonthofthedead.com/
St Peter & St Paul’s, Boughton on Blean, Kent. copyright Carole Tyrrell.
Yes dear readers, It is 9 years to the day since I began shadowsflyaway on a wing and a prayer having no idea of how to do a blog but jumped in both feet first anyway. It’s been an interesting 9 years as I have explored the byways, churches, churchyards and cemeteries of Kent and London’s cemeteries looking for symbols.
However, I never know what to expect when I open a church door. For a start, will it be open? And what awaits? Tiptoeing past champers still asleep – these are people camping out overnight in a church. Being dazzled by a glittering pavement of medieval brasses at St Mary Magdalene, Cobham or a brass sign on a wall at St Peter & St Paul at Headcorn from Philadelphia commemorating that their ancestors had originated from the village. I love exploring churchyards and so far the oldest markers I have found dated back to the medieval period.
The headstone on the card above was the happy result of being misdirected by a passing dog walker. I was looking for St Mary the Virgin in Selling Kent. It was in the middle of nowhere as was St Peter and St Paul’s in Boughton in Blean. A lot of Kent churches are in isolated spots but it keeps me fit. I tramped past hop fields and a few houses here and there and then found it on top of a small hill, its surrounding churchyard almost climbing up to the church. It was as pretty a churchyard as you could wish to find with some ancient tombstones poking up through the vegetation which was part of ‘God’s Own Acre’, an initiative to leave churchyards unmown to encourage wildlife. I ate my lunch overlooking hop fields.
I found this one under a tree. If you look closely you may be able to see an hourglass, a long bone and a spade as in the close-up below.
St Peter & St Paul’s, Boughton on Blean, Kent. copyright Carole Tyrrell
There is a corpse road nearby situated on the golf course so I am determined to find it as I’ve never walked on one. These were for transporting bodies, often from remote communities, to cemeteries that had burial rights such as parish churches and chapels of ease. The roads have long fallen out of use but may have just have become footpaths. But this is the first time I may have a chance to walk on one. There are many legends associated with them involving ghosts and spirits and the living were not supposed to walk on the pathway of the dead.
So here’s to 9 years of shadowsflyaway – thank you to my readers for your company! I really appreciate your likes and comments and let’s look forward to 2025 when shadowsflyaway will be 10 years old.
Text and photos copyright Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated
It was the drawings made by Wenceslaus Hollar for Samuel Pepys (see above) that were used as guidance for the recarving of the reliefs in 1773 and 1853. These allow the viewer to see what the tomb originally looked like and to compare them with the changes that successive sculptors have made. For example, G P White in 1853 seemed to have his own interpretation of the hydra.
But, as you might imagine with pollution and the London atmosphere, the tomb being outside and at the mercy of the elements, the carvings have deteriorated and changed over the centuries. As the gardentrust.blog says:
‘The casual viewer is not seeing the original carvings. As it was outside in what would have originally been the churchyard, the elements soon did their work. The tomb was so badly damaged by 1773 that a public subscription was raised for its restoration. Lambeth Archives still have the ledger that recorded the donations.
But in 1853, 70 years later, the public funded a further restoration. It was the sculptor G P White who undertook this restoration.’
The 1853 restoration cost £110. The Victorians were enthusiastic restorers, perhaps too enthusiastic in some ways.
At one end of the tomb is a coat of arms which comprises of three fleur de lys on a diagonal bar and with a lion holding up its paw. A helmet with a closed visor is meant to be a sign of gentility and is topped with the crest of another fleur de lys and 2 wings. However, the Tradescants had no official grant from the College of Arms and may just have adopted it as a ‘rising’ family. It was a standard item on a monument and is the most conventional symbol.
At the other end, the west end, is a fearsome looking hydra which is a mythical ancient Greek creature associated with the 10 Labours of Hercules. It lived in the murky waters of Lake Lerna which was reputed to be the entrance to the underworld. Each time one of the hydra’s heads were cut off , two more would grow in its place so it was a deadly enemy. The hydra in the Pepys drawings is almost friendly and certainly non threatening whereas the 1853 version, carved in high relief, is much more dramatic with its bat like wings, female breasts., seven bird like heads and a long forked reptilian tail.
There were other changes as well and the gardenstrust.blog commented on the skull in the lower part of the panel.
‘It lacks the lower jaw and is presumably the same one that appears in the younger John’s portrait where it is covered with skull moss, much sought after as a powerful medicine.’
This portrait appears in Part 1. The significance of the skull may be a reminder of vanitas paintings which flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries and came from the Netherlands. They often featured a skull and invited the viewer to ponder on the fleeting quality of life.
‘ruined buildings in the background and architectural detritus in the foreground together with a crocodile and shells and fossils. The corners are formed by gnarled and stunted trees with heavy foliage.’Cabinet.ox.ac.uk
The depiction of the ruins have been debated as the restorations may have changed their appearance. They have been described as Egyptian or Greek with obelisks and a pyramid amongst others. There are also fragments of Corinthian capitals. The shells may refer to specimens that were in the Tradescant collection and the large reptile in the lower part of the north panel could refer to the ‘Crocodile from Aegypt’ that was listed in the exhibits of the ‘Ark.’ It was also seen as a symbol of the early modern culture of collecting as seen in the oldest depiction of a ‘cabinet of curiosities’, the museum of Ferrente Imperato.
In order to link all the sides of the tomb together, the mason carved a set of large trees in deep relief. They hold up the ledger with its epitaph:
‘Know, stranger, ere thou pass, beneath this stone Lie John Tradescant, grandsire, father, son The last dy’d in his spring, the other two, Liv’d till they had travelled Art and Nature through, As by their choice Collections may appear, Of what is rare in land, in sea, in air, Whilst they (as Homer’s Iliad in a nut) A world of wonders in one closet shut, These famous Antiquarians that had been Both Gardeners to the Rose and Lily Queen,* Transplanted now themselves, sleep here & when Angels shall with their trumpets waken men, And fire shall purge the world, these three shall rise And change this Garden then for Paradise.’
It has been suggested that the line ‘A world of wonders in one closet shut’ may refer to the Ark.
Despite the changes to the carvings, the Tradescant tomb is a magnificent survivor with five members of the family being commemorated. The enigmatic carvings, the epitaph and one woman’s determination have all added to the legendary Tradescant reputation. It’s a real sight to see and there are other interesting memorials in the ex-churchyard as well. For example, there is one dedicated to Admiral Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty fame and there is a wonderful ouroboros on another, the Sealy family monument.
A large, ancient chest tomb is not what you expect to see from the window of a central London restaurant. However, I’d seen pictures of it before and, for me, a dedicated Symbols enthusiast, it was the icing on the cake while enjoying a fantastic meal.
It is the Tradescant tomb and it sits in the courtyard of The Garden Museum in Lambeth which is housed within the deconsecrated church of St Mary at Lambeth. The Museum was founded in 1977 by Rosemary Nicholson in order to preserve the tomb. She and her husband saved St Mary’s from demolition and it is the second oldest structure within the borough of Lambeth. A church has existed on the site for over 950 years.
John Tradescant the elder attributed to Cornelis de Neve (1668-1665) Shared under Wiki Commons
John Tradescant the elder (1570-1638) is one of the most important figures in English gardening and he founded a dynasty of horticultural experts. In 1623 he became head gardener to royal favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. After his assassination Tradescant became keeper of his Majesty’s Gardens, Vines and Silkworms at his queen’s minor palace in Oatlands Place, Surrey in 1630. He was the Royal Gardener at the court of Charles 1st and worked with his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. In search of new plants, he travelled widely including trips to the Arctic which was no mean feat at the time. He even took part in an expedition to Algeria to fight Barbary pirates! One of the earliest records of him is a letter that he wrote while on a journey to the Netherlands, to buy plants for the 1st Earl of Salisbury’s garden at Hatfield House. He seems to have been a man possessed of indefatigable energy. In 1629 he moved to Lambeth near where the Museum is now situated and created the first museum in Britain to be open to the public. It was known as the ‘Ark’ and was formed from his own collection of natural history and ethnography.
John Tradescant the younger Thomas de Critz 1652 Shared under Wiki Commons
But the tomb commemorates his son, also called John, (1608-1662)as well. It was his widow Hester who commissioned it after his death. They were married at St Mary’s and he succeeded his father as the Royal Gardener. He also travelled widely to collect specimens. John Tradescant the younger went to America for plants and seeds during the early 1600s and introduced trees such as magnolias, tulip trees and garden plants such as phlox and asters.
In addition, it celebrates four other family members including his father, his two daughters in laws, Jane Hurte (died 1634) and Hester Pookes (died 1678) and his grandson, another John, who died in 1652 in his late teens. The Tradescant dynasty died out in 1678 with Hester’s death.
Hester Thomas Thomas de Critz, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Shared under Wiki Commons
The sarcophagus is made from hard sandstone and has suffered deterioration over the centuries and it would have originally been in St Mary’s churchyard. The inscription on the tomb states that it was originally erected in 1662, repaired in 1773 and then restored in 1853 by the sculptor G P White. It’s an unusual tomb, not just because of its size, but in its carvings and enigmatic symbols. However, unusually for the time, there are no religious references on it except for the final lines of the inscription:
‘Angels shall with their trumpets waken men,
And fire shall purge the world, these three shall rise
And change this Garden then for Paradise.’
It’s an intriguing tomb and is a visible sign of the Tradescants standing and aspirations. Hester was asked to pay £50 to the Lambeth church wardens of the time towards the parish poor relief. This was the equivalent of 6 months wages for John as the Royal Gardener. And this was only for permission to site the tomb as everything else was extra.
But it’s the enigmatic carvings that attracted me to the Tradescant tomb and in Part 2 I will discuss these further. However, these are not the original carvings as after two restorations, in 1773 and 1853, the scenes and creatures depicted have subtly changed especially the Hydra sculpture.
shadows fly away 