Tag: Bible

Symbol of the Month – Visitation stones.

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Roadside shrine on the way to Minnis Bay, Kent © Carole Tyrrell

This summer I was out walking with a friend along the sea wall to Minnis Bay when we saw this little roadside shrine. It was on a popular  route  which is used by walkers and cyclists alike. On one side is the pebbly beach and on the other are marshes that stretch down to the railway line.   It was touching to see that people, friends or perhaps fellow passers-by, had left little tributes of a bunch of flowers and stones.

Stones left on a grave in a North London Jewish cemetery. © Carole Tyrrell

The placing of stones on graves is something that I’ve always associated with the Jewish faith (see blog post ‘Silently slumbering for remembrance Part 1 dated 14 April 2016). If you have ever visited a Jewish cemetery then you will have noticed stones placed on top of graves and headstones and there may be a basket of stones available for this purpose. But over the last few years I have noticed them being placed on the graves of people who aren’t Jewish and I was intrigued by their possible meaning.

In the Jewish faith, it is believed that the placing of stones ‘keeps the soul down.’ This comes from the Talmud

‘which is the central text of rabbinical Judaism and is the primary source of Jewish religious law and theology’   Wikipedia

In the Talmud, it is stated that:

‘souls continue to dwell for a while in the graves in which they are placed. The grave was called a beit olam or a permanent home and was thought to retain some aspects of the departed soul. By placing stones, it becomes a way of the living helping the dead to ‘stay put’.  

This may have brought comfort to those visiting the grave in that they may feel that their loved ones are still near.The Hebrew word for pebble is ‘tz’ror’ which can also mean ‘bond’. The placing of stones was also a mark of respect and a way of showing that someone had visited.

Maeve’s Cairn, the biggest one in Ireland, Knocknarea from geograph.org.uk © Bob Embleton. Shared under Wiki Commons.

Gavrinis cairn, Brittany, France © Many vyi. Shared under Wiki Commons.

Ancient cairn, ruins of Qa’ableh, Saraag, Somalia. © Abdirisak Shared under Wiki Commons

Stones were used because of their durability. The Ancient Greeks believed that using stones to mark graves would ward off evil spirits and they also symbolised the soul’s eternal nature as they didn’t change over time. They associated them with the god, Hermes. However, stones and their associations with burials have been known to many ancient cultures especially Ireland, Scandinavia North Africa, the Middle East and Asia amongst others where they used them to mark sacred territories where communities would gather to honour their dead. Also the  Neolithic and Bronze periods in Europe in particular. Stones were used to create cairns.  These are usually placed on top of graves as markers and to protect the dead from predators.  In the Bronze Age they may have believed that the stones would stop the dead from rising as in the Jewish faith. Some of these still stand. The word ‘cairn’ comes from the Irish ‘carn’ with the plural being ‘cairn’ . In Scottish Gaelic ‘càrn’ translates to ‘heap of stones.’

They were also seen as a method of defence in that it would ward off predators from the burial site.

However, more recently, there has been controversy regarding the building of cairns on certain sites. This is due to the environmental damage that they can cause. Both the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and the US National Park Service have complained about visitors prying off pieces from important geological features to make them as well as interfering with existing cairns and the destruction of important trail markers.  In the Peak District one man has made his mission to kick down the dozens of stacks that he finds. BBC News reported that:

‘Many have been created by taking stones from an old wall which may have damaged the habitats of the small creatures that live inside the wall and may have long term effects according to the National Trust who will also disassemble any stacks.

The stacks are seen as :

…. not to mark any burial sites or act as markers but just create unnecessary stacks for aesthetic purposes forgetting their original purpose as wayfinding tools and symbols rather than decorations.’

Stones taken to build stacks along the Great Wall were taken from an old wall which now looks like this. © Stuart Cox

The stones that have been left behind on the little seawall shrine, have presumably, come from the beach below and are a poignant symbol of remembrance signifying that the departed has been visited. The stones emphasise the enduring nature of memory and ite sbaility to enable the departed to live on. He is not forgotten by those who knew him and he died at one of his favourite places. RIP.

©Text and photos Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated

Why Jews Put Stones on Graves | My Jewish Learning

Why Do People Put Stones On Graves? Here Are 5 Reasons

Visitation stones – Wikipedia

Why Do People Put Rocks on Gravestones

Cairn – Wikipedia

The History of Cairns: Marking Paths, Memories, and Sacred Spaces – Magnolias + Fluff

Why I kick down Peak District stone stacks – BBC News

Please don’t stack rocks on your next hike. Here’s why. – Lonely Planet

Symbol of the Month – The Pierced Heart

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A fine display of symbols on the headstone of Mr Thomas Abbott, St Marys church, St Mary Cray, Kent. ©Carole Tyrrell

The distinctive ‘candlesnuffer’ steeple of St Mary’s church in St Mary Cray has long beckoned to me and I thought that it was time I paid a visit. I didn’t expect to find much and my first impression confirmed it. A few ivy clad altar tombs greeted me and then I wandered around the side of the closed church. What a surprise! A gallery of 18th century headstones placed in lines with some of the more familiar symbols depicted on them. Ouroboros’s, angel heads, skulls, crossbones and then the fine selection in the above photo.


As you can see, it boasts a large, sharp scythe, a half open coffin with the incumbent visible, a trumpet blowing from what seems to be a heavenly cloud and, in the centre, a heart pierced by an arrow. We usually associate a pierced heart with the ones found on millions of St Valentine’s cards as a representation of Cupid’s love darts. You may be thinking that it doesn’t have the usual heart shape but there may be how the stonemason interpreted it. This is the Symbol of the Month – the Pierced Heart

The headstone‘s epitaph reads:

‘In Memory of

Mr THOMAS ABBOTT

Late of this PARISH who departed this life

24 May 1773

In the 75th Year of his life

Also

Near lieth the body of

MRS SARAH ABBOTT  his wife

,,,,who departed ….22 January 1769 aged 69’

Although there are other Abbotts buried in the same churchyard I couldn’t find any sign of a headstone or monument dedicated to Sarah Abbott and there was none recorded on the Kent Archaeological Society survey of the churchyard So whether it has vanished over time we will never know.

A full view of the headstone dedicated to Mr Thomas Abbott, St Marys church, St Mary Cray, Kent
©Carole Tyrrell

On Thomas’s headstone, the heart is surrounded by symbols of resurrection and the Day of Judgement when all of the dead will rise. This is the meaning of the half open coffin lid. So is the pierced heart a symbol of everlasting love which means that the Abbotts will be reunited on that day?  After all, Keister suggests that it’s a sign of matrimony which would fit in with both husband and wife being mentioned on the headstone. However, Cooper comments that the pierced heart is also a sign of contrition so perhaps Mr Abbott felt guilty or sad about outliving Sarah by 6 years.

But let’s discuss other representations and interpretations of the pierced heart as well as the heart in general. It’s one of the most powerful symbols and resonates through many cultures and faiths both ancient and modern. Without it, none of us would be alive as it pumps our lifeblood through our bodies.  This is why it has been a central part of religions and cultures since the beginning of time.

Heart symbolism is significant in, Chinese, Hindu and most religions and cultures. For example, it is one of the eight precious organs of Buddha and also the Aztecs whose rituals involved human sacrifice. In these the chests of the victims were sliced open and their still-beating hearts were offered to the gods.  The Aztecs believed that the heart was the seat of the individual and also a fragment of the Sun’s heart.
Section from the Book of the Dead depicting the Weighing of the Heart showing the heart on one side of the scales and the feather of Maat in the other. Osiris is between them.
Shared under Wiki Creative Commons

In Ancient Egypt, the heart was considered to be the source of human wisdom and the centre of emotions and memory. It could reveal a person’s true character, even after death, and was left in the body after mummification. The ancient Egyptians believed that it would survive death where it would give evidence against or for its owner and so was integral to the afterlife.  This culminated in the Weighing of the Heart which appears in the Book of the Dead.  The heart was given to Osiris, the god of the dead and the underworld who placed it on one of a pair of great golden scales.  On the other was a feather which represented Maat the goddess of order, truth and what was right. If the heart was lighter than the feather then the deceased passed on into eternal bliss.  But if it was heavier, due to past misdeeds, then it was thrown onto the floor of the Hall of Truth where Amut, a god with the face of a crocodile, the front of a leopard and the back of a rhinoceros who was also known as ‘The Gobbler’.  Once he had devoured the heart then the individual ceased to exist. The Egyptians concept of hell was non-existence.

But the heart has an even greater significance in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. There are many references to it in the Bible with over a hundred in Psalms alone.  One of the most famous quotations is in 1 Samuel 16.7 in which it is seen as the seat of emotion:

‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (King James Bible).

The heart is seen as revealing the inner person but not only as the centre of human life. It also expresses spiritual or emotional feelings, wisdom, piety and righteousness.  There is also the famous quote from Matthew 5:8;

‘blessed are the pure in heart’

However, the heart also has a darker side as an evil person is often described as being ‘blackhearted.’  In Ecclesiastes 8:11 it’s seen as evil:

‘ Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.’ (King James Bible).

In Christian iconography the heart took on a symbolic role as an indication of God and piety particularly in the Catholic church where Christ displaying a heart in his hands or on his breast is a key image. It’s known as the Sacred Heart and is one of the most practiced and well known of the Catholic devotions.  The sacred heart is seen as a symbol of ‘God’s boundless and passionate love for mankind.’ The pierced heart was also included in the five wounds that Christ suffered during the crucifixion.

Catholic Holy card depicting the Sacred Heart of Jesus circa 1880. shared under Wiki Creative Commons
The Pierced Heart of Jesus 19th century Portuguese painting. Shared under Wiki Creative Commons
St Augustine 17th century Portuguese painting Museum of Church Paio of San Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Shared under Wiki Creative Commons

One saint in particular, St Augustine, seen above has a special relationship with the pierced heart. He is often shown holding a heart, in some cases topped by a flame and in others pierced by an arrow. Another passage from the Confessions IX, 2:3 may explain the significance of the pierced heart:

‘Thou hadst pierced (sagittaveras) our heart with thy love, and we carried thy words, as it were, thrust through our vitals.’ 

 (The word sagittaveras means literally ‘ shot arrows’ into as in this 17th century painting.

St Valentine’s Day was originally derived from a much darker and bawdier Roman festival called Lupercalia. This took place in Rome from 13-15 February and was intended to avert evil spirits and purify the city.  However, it didn’t involve the giving of chocolates and bouquets of roses. Instead there was animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and couplings which were intended to ward off infertility.  In reality, it was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture and also to the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.  It was finally outlawed as ‘unChristian’ in the 5th century by Pope Gelasius who declared the 14 February to be St Valentine’s Day.   There were two actual St Valentines who were both martyrs.

However, the first person to mention the famous day for lovers was actually Geoffrey Chaucer in his 1375 poem, ‘A Parliament of Fowles (or Fowls)’. In this he says:

‘For this was sent on Seynt Valentyn’es day

When every fowl cometh here to choose his mate.’

During the Middle Ages it was believed in both France and England that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds and so an ideal date for romance for all.

However, the heart also has a darker side as an evil person is often described as being ‘blackhearted.’  In Ecclesiastes 8:11 it’s seen as evil:

‘ Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.’ (King James Bible).

But it was during the early medieval and early Renaissance when the heart began to resemble the more stylised symbol that we know today.  It took on the shape of a converted A and represented  Amor or Love. Since the 19th century it has been associated with love and romance and the pierced heart has also been known as the wounded heart due to Cupid’s arrows.

But, due to its placing within other potent symbols of resurrection, I interpret the pierced heart on Mr Abbott’s headstone to be a token of love.  Although he wasn’t buried with his wife he may have hoped that they would be reunited on the Day of Judgement when the angels trumpets sounded and the dead met the living again.

It was one of the most potent symbols that I have found in my explorations and I haven’t seen another one – yet.  The pierced heart has also been one of the most fascinating symbols to research because of its many connotations and associations.  Who would have thought that Chaucer might be the father of the St Valentine’s Day industry that we know so well today. 

Was the pierced heart a token of love or a hope of a meeting in the after-life? We will never know but a fascinating collection of symbols for the passer-by to admire.

©Text and photos Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated.

References and further reading:

Stories in Stone, Douglas Keister, Gibbs Smith 2004

An illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, J C Cooper, Thames & Hudson, 1979

http://www.thecemeteryclub.com/symbols.html

https://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/research/monumental-inscriptions/st-mary-cray

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/affairs-of-the-heart-an-exploration-of-the-symbolism-of-the-heart-in-art

https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/the-augustinian-emblem

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016:7&version=KJV
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/lupercalia#:~:text=Lupercalia%20was%20an%20ancient%20pagan,in%20Rome%20on%20February%2015.&text=Unlike%20Valentine’s%20Day%2C%20however%2C%20Lupercalia,off%20evil%20spirits%20and%20infertility.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3960665/#:~:text=In%20the%20weighing%20of%20the,were%20placed%20with%20the%20deceased.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart

https://www.christianiconography.info/augustine.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_symbol

Symbol of the Month – The All Seeing Eye

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Detail of the All Seeing eye on the Caryer headstone, All Saints Frindsbury © Carole Tyrrell

Poking about in churchyards as is my wont is how I discover symbols to write about. It was while exploring two churchyards in Kent, All Saints in Frindsbury and St Martin of Tours in Eynsford, that I discovered this month’s symbol.

This is the All Seeing Eye, also known as The Eye of Providence, and is usually depicted as a single realistic eye within a triangle or within a burst of light. I’ve always associated it with Freemasons as it appears on their documents. But neither of these headstones had any other symbols linked with Freemasons such as the square and compass. So what was the story?

The one in the churchyard of St Martin of Tours in Eynsford was bordered by what looked like two snakes with a skull and crossbones and a winged spirit on either side, familiar memento mori symbols. Sadly the epitaph is now illegible.

Headstone with All Seeing Eye, Eynsford, Kent.© Carole Tyrrell

The second one is in the churchyard of All Saints in Frindsbury and this intriguing version is on the grave of the Caryer family. The Kent Archaeological Society thought that it might represent the Woman of Samuria as featured in John 4.4-26 but I’m not sure about that. (see Symbol of the month – the womand from Samaria or a Greek goddess? 27 January 2021) The epitaph reads:
‘Sacred
To the memory of
Hannah wife of John Caryer
Died 9th Sept 1809 aged 30 years
Also Robert her son
Died 28th June 1801 aged 8 years
Also the above John Caryer
Died 11th March 1814 aged (4)2 years.’

Full view of the Caryer headstone, All Saints Frindsbury, Kent.© Carole Tyrrell

The earliest known representation of The Eye is in a painting called ‘The Supper at Emmaus’ by the Italian painter Jacopo Pontormo in 1525. This was painted during the Renaissance and it depicts the second part of the Second Appearance story in Luke 24: verses 13.35:


‘And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.’

As you can see the Eye is above Christ’s head which shows that God is watching the event and so can be seen as a Christian symbol. On the Ancient Origins website it’s claimed that

‘the elements surrounding the eye also have a Christian meaning. For example, the triangle surrounding the eye also have a Christian meaning in that it’s a clear reference to the Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The burst of light is meant to symbolise divinity, holiness and God himself’

Within the Bible there are many references to The Eye in the context of God keeping watch and observing in Proverbs and Ecclesiasticus and also from Psalms 33: verse 18:


‘The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven:
his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy . . . . 
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their cry.’

But older religions and faiths such as Hinduism and the Ancient Egyptians also had an important eye symbol.

In Egypt it was known as the Eye of Horus. Even today it’s still used as an emblem of protection and good health. The Eye was also known as a wadjet (the whole one), wedjat or udjat. Sailors would often paint the Eye of Horus on the prows of their ships to ensure a safe voyage. I’m sure that I’ve seen this on a boat or two in some of Hollywood’s classic sword and sandal epics! The depiction of the Eye of Horus is said to resemble the markings on a falcon’s eye due to the teardrop marking which is sometimes found below the eye as here. This would make sense as Horus is usually shown as a falcon. There are several myths about Horus and his eye. For instance, in one of them Horus fought with Set who gouged out Horus’s left eye which was later restored by a goddess.

The Eye also appears on the US one dollar bill. But it made its first appearance as a Freemason symbol on the personal seal of Robert Moray (1609-1673) who was a Scottish Freemason. Then during the 18th century it appeared again in two Freemason books, one of which was Thomas Smith Webb’s ‘Freemasonry Monitor’ and, by the 19th century, it had become part of the permanent hieroglyphical emblems of the Freemasons. There are other associations with the Illuminati and, if you’re interested, there is more information online.

But with these two All Seeing Eye symbols I think that they were meant, as they often are, to be a comforting message. The departed, and the bereaved, were all being watched over and supported at a time of sorrow and grief.

©Text and photos Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated.

References and further reading
https://www.undercliffecemetery.co.uk/gallery/funerary-
https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-religions/eye-providence-0013057
http://www.thecemeteryclub.com/symbols.html
https://cemeteries.wordpress.com/2006/10/18/all-seeing-eye-eye-of-providence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Providence (this has some more examples from around the world.)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2024%3A13-35&version=KJV
https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/news/the-eye-of-providence

Symbol of the month – The anvil

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The Adams headstone, Birchington-on-sea. © Carole Tyrrell

What a difference a sunny day makes in a churchyard! I revisited All Saints in Birchington-on-Sea earlier this month to look for the first snowdrops and found several headstones of interest that I’d missed. The headstone with the two-dimensional carving of an anvil above the epitaph was now clearly readable and I could see that it was dedicated to a couple: Elizabeth Adams (1813-1888) and Josiah Lyon Adams (1805-1898). According to the Kent Parish Clerks online website, they had 3 children, all boys and Josiah was definitely the village blacksmith. He is commemorated below his wife on the headstone.

The verse below the still crisp carving of the anvil and hammers reads:


‘Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full act like,
as a shock of corn cometh in the season.’


This comes from the Book of Job 5:26 and has been assumed to emphasise the natural cycle of life and death. Anvils are traditionally associated with blacksmiths working in their forges but they do have other associations.

Blacksmith in forge at his anvil. Shared under Wikimedia Commons

The blacksmith would have been an important person within the community and his skills would have been much in demand. The anvil is one of the most basic craftsman tools and has not changed for thousands of years. I have seen photos online of 3 dimensional anvils on graves but have yet to see one. However, the anvil has been superseded by other ways of working metal such as welding and steam hammers.

3 Dimensional anvil and hammer on grave found on Pinterest.

An anvil is a solid block of steel or iron with a flat top which is called the ‘face’, often with a pointed ‘horn’ at the front and a flat ‘heel’ at the back with holes for attaching tools. They are very heavy as you can imagine and durable with a quality of ‘liveliness’. This means that they cause the blacksmith’s hammer to bounce back after each blow and onto the metal.


It’s a powerful act of creation and transformation when a piece of metal is hammered into a shape to become another object. As a result, it can be seen as an act of transformation as well as a demonstration of craftsmanship and the use of base metals to create something new. It has been suggested that it is also a potent symbol of enduring the blows of life while shaping our destiny.

St Dunstan shoeing the devil’s cloven foot. Project Gutenberg.

St Dunstan is the patron saint of blacksmiths and used his skills to defeat the devil. The story goes that, while living in a cell at Glastonbury after leaving the royal court, an old man appeared at his window and asked the saint to make a chalice for him. St Dunstan agreed and began to work on it. But as he did so, the old man changed his shape and appearance several times until, finally, he became an attractive woman. St Dunstan realised that his visitor was actually the devil when he saw a cloven hoof under her dress. So, he heated up his tongs until they were red hot and then used them to seize the devil by the nose. Despite the Devil struggling and screaming, St Dunstan held on until the Devil admitted defeat and thrown. He then fled while complaining loudly.


Another legend associated with St Dunstan includes nailing a red hot horseshoe onto one of the Devil’s hooves after noticing that he was limping. The saint refused to take it off and made the Devil promise that he would always respect the horseshoe symbol and never enter a building that was protected by it. This is is believed to be the explanation for horseshoes being nailed over doorways for good luck.


Anvils appear in other cultures and civilisations. For example, in Norse mythology, Brokerr and Sindri, two dwarf brother blacksmiths, created the powerful hammer Mjolnir on an anvil. It was then used by the god, Thor, to create thunderstorms. The Greek god, Hephaestus, who was renowned for his metal working skills, used his anvil to create powerful weapons for his fellow gods as in Homer’s The Iliad. So, the anvil has associations with warfare as well as more domestic creations.

The Third gift – an enormous hammer – © Elmer Boyd Smith 1860-1943 Shared under Wikimedia Commons

They are also traditionally associated with wealth and good luck due to their ability to forge a prosperous future. It is believed that placing an anvil in the home or workplace can also attract wealth and success.
On a lighter note, anvils have often appeared in many cartoon or comedy sketches as they fall on characters with a huge bang! This gag was mainly used in Warner Bros Looney Tunes and ‘Merrie Melodies’ cartoons. Tom Slatin’s online article discusses this and why people find it funny.

© Photo by Faze

By contrast, there are also other, more spiritual associations such as the anvil being a representation of:


‘the challenges and obstacles that we may face in life with the hammer symbolising the strength and perseverance to overcome them.’ symbolsage.

This may seem a little fanciful but the anvil has always been a firm foundation on which to build and create new objects under the flickering flames and heat of the forge.

© Text and photos Carole Tyrrell
References and further reading
Anvil | Symbols
Symbolism of Anvils: Meanings and Interpretations
Anvil Symbolism & Meaning – Symbolopedia (more information about dream symbolism and anvils)
19 Powerful Symbols of Perseverance and What They Mean
http://Treestump anvil Gravely speaking
Fran Jurga`s Hoofcare + Lameness: St Dunstan and the Devil: Why We Hang Horseshoes Over Doors
A Clerk of Oxford: Stories of St Dunstan, 4: Dunstan and the Devil
** Kent Online Parish Clerk ** – Birchington, Christenings 1801 – 1880
https://www.tomslatin.com/the-history-of-the-anvil-gag-in-classic-cartoons/#:~:text=The%20first%20time%20an%20anvil%20was%20used%20as,height%2C%20causing%20him%20to%20sink%20into%20the%20ground.

Symbol of the Month – the Tetramorph

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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.

©Text and photos copyright Carole Tyrrell

References and further reading:

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-4

Tetramorph – Wikipedia

The lion, the bull, the eagle and the angel: the Tetramorph | Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

The pinnacles of the Evangelists: the symbolism – Blog Sagrada Família (sagradafamilia.org)

Ox, eagle, lion, man: Why and how are the Evangelists associated with these creatures? (aleteia.org)

St Margaret’s Church – Old Church Yard (stmargaretslee.org.uk)

Symbol of the Month – The Woman from Samaria or a Greek goddess?

On By shadowsflyawayIn Symbol of the monthLeave a comment
The Caryer headstone in 2011 , All Saints Frindsbury Photo Kent Archaeological Society

I featured part of this symbol on the Caryer headstone in an earlier Symbol of the Month – the All seeing Eye.    The Kent Archaeological Society website had given me the epitaph and also a reference to the Woman of Samaria with a  question mark next to it.

In March 2020, I visited All Saints, Frindsbury where the Caryer headstone is and looked at it and my photos and wasn’t quite sure if they were right.   Then I looked again at their photo of it taken in 2011 and what a difference 9 years makes!

As you can see, erosion has blurred a lot of the fine detail seen in the 2011 photo and it’s now hard to make out the image of the woman with such clarity now.  It doesn’t help that the headstone is leaning over so making it quite hard to get a decent photo.    In the 2020 image some of the detail has been lost. The stone is darker but. despite the erosion, it is a wonderful example of the stone carver’s art and skill.  This would have been an expensive headstone.

So what have we got? In the 2011 photo, A glamorous, somewhat scantily clad woman who was really well carved. She wears classical style diaphanous robes and wisps of lie across her exposed leg. She has her hair up in a Classical hairstyle and is sitting side on to the viewer wearing a pensive expression. She seems to be sitting on pebbles – is she at a river or at a beach? She holds a water jug and there are clouds above her.  The all seeing eye of God is on the other side of the headstone which may have been comforting to those left behind.

The reference to the Woman from Samaria being a possible source  is. I think, that the lady is holding a water jug and seems to be near water. So does she carry the waters of eternal life that Christ promised in the Bible? Or is she just a scantily clad woman holding a water jug?

The Woman from Samaria appears in the Gospel of John 4: verses 4-26.   Here they are:

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. King James Version

The meeting between the woman and Christ has inspired many artists and here are two interpretations.   But I had my doubts.   For instance, there’s no well visible on the headstone and, although she could be seen as bathing in the water of eternal life, the living waters referred to in the Bible, with a clear reference to resurrection it just didn’t feel right.   It also felt a bit tortuous to try and fit it all in.

Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well Angelica Kauffman (1741-1807) Shared under Wikipedia Creative Commons
Jesus at the Samaritan Woman – Gervais Drouet Shared under Wiki Creative Commons

But there are other images of female water bearers and one of the most obvious is associated with the Zodiac sign of Aquarius.  She is often depicted holding a water jug aloft or pouring from it.  But no, I carried on looking. Sometimes researching symbols is like detective work!

But there is another symbol that involves a woman as water bearer and that is the Zodiac sign of Aquarius.  In fact it is known as the water bearer.  

However, there is also the Greek goddess, Hebe, or the cup bearer. She was the daughter of Zeus and was the cupbearer for the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus.  Hebe served nectar and ambrosia to them until she married Heracles.  She also had influence over eternal youth and the ability to restore youth to mortals.  In fact, Hebe comes from the Greek word meaning youth or prime of life.

Statue of Hebe Antonio Canova (1757-1822) Shared under Wiki Creative Commons

She was a popular subject in art during 1750-1880 and that would fit in with the date of the headstone. Hannah was the first to buried there and she died in 1809.   There many depictions of Hebe and in fact it was well known that all that was needed to summon her was a floaty white dress, some flowers in the hair and cup to hold. A setting in the clouds helped as well and maybe our Frindsbury lady isn’t sitting on pebbles but on puffy clouds.  In some portraits of Hebe a degree of nudity was allowed.    She was often depicted with wings which can be seen behind the figure on the headstone.  In art Hebe often appears with an eagle. Hebe also had her own personal cult and figures of her were popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries for fountains.

Painting of Hebe – Jacques Louis Dubois (1768-1843) Shared under Wiki Creative Commons

So I think that the figure is a classical one and probably based on Hebe.  Our glamorous lady in the floating draperies may be a reference to the deceased always remaining eternally young in death.  Hannah was only 30 when she died but that wasn’t unusual in an age of low mortality.   She is protected by the watchful Eye of God. It’s interesting to see a pagan symbol beside a more conventionally Christian one.

We will never know the inspiration behind the image used on this headstone.   It may have been skillfully copied from a printed image or painting and may have had personal significance to her husband who is also buried there together with their young son.  It would have been the height  of Classicism and it’s interesting to find it in a country churchyard.  It is sad to see much it has eroded over the years but one see the confidence of stone masons at that time in tackling subjects such as this.

So, in my opinion, our lady may not be the Woman from Samaria but a representation of Hebe.  But of course she could just be another elegant lady showing a bit of leg as she sits for all eternity above the Caryer family.

©Text and photos Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated.

References and further reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritan_woman_at_the_well#:~:text=The%20woman%20appears%20in%20John,was%20sitting%20by%20the%20well.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204%3A7-29&version=KJV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebe_(mythology)

Symbol of the Month – The Good Samaritan

On By shadowsflyawayIn Symbol of the month8 Comments

The row of tombstones along the wall of St Margaret’s Church, Rochester.
©Carole Tyrrell

The tombstones in St Margaret’s churchyard, Rochester are arranged like teeth along one wall. It faces out onto the Medway and, if you’ve got the strength, to look over there’s also a steep slope beneath. But it was here that I found the Good Samaritan headstone.  Never underestimate the power of a lovely sunny day to really bring out the beauty of a good carving.

A man is depicted on it, lying half naked being comforted by another man while a horse, presumably the victim’s, stands nearby.  In the distance two figures, presumably men, walk away with their backs to the scene.  It’s a well carved little picture and  I immediately thought of Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The epitaph beneath the carving.
©Carole Tyrrell

I am indebted to the Kent Archaeological; Society for the transcript of the epitaph. .  Even at 400% magnification, all I could make out was

‘…….Wife….

….this life…

…1777…..

…Children..’

It actually reads:

(In memory of)

Catherine Wife of Will Bromley

Departed this life

The ( ) Feb 1777

aged 33 years

Also Six Children

Will Bromley

departed this life

( ) June 1783 aged 41 years

Also William Gerrad Bromley died

the 30th of January 180(7) aged (36 years)

 

The Parable of The Good Samaritan comes from the Gospel of Luke, verses 10:25-37 and here is a shortened version taken from the World English Bible:

‘Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”’

He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Samaritan who stopped to help is described as Good but in reality Jews and Samaritans hated each other. They were known to destroy each other’s temples but few people have heard of the Samaritans nowadays. According to Wikipedia, the parable is now:

‘…….often recast in a more modern setting where the people are ones in equivalent social groups known not to interact comfortably. Thus, cast appropriately, the parable regains its message to modern listeners: namely, that an individual of a social group they disapprove of can exhibit moral behaviour that is superior to individuals of the groups they approve.’

The old road from Jerusalem to Jericho.
Shared under Wiki Commons

At the time in which the Parable is set, the Jerusalem to Jericho road was known as ‘The Way of Blood’ due to the amount of blood that was spilt on it from attacks on travellers by robbers.  It was extremely dangerous.  In fact Martin Luther King Jr in his ‘I’ve been to the Mountaintop’ speech given the day before his death, had more sympathy for the Levite and priest who ignored the victim and went on with their journeys. He described the road as:

‘As soon as we got on that road I said to my wife, “I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for his parable.” It’s a winding, meandering road … In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the “Bloody Pass.” And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it’s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking, and he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’’]

Wikipedia

 There are several other interpretations of the Good Samaritan parable and if you are interested you can find them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan

The phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ has become part of modern language and denotes someone who helps a stranger. There are several worldwide hospitals named after him and it has inspired art, fiction, photography and sculpture amongst others.   This is a 17th century painting from 1647

Bathasar van Cortbernde The Good Samaritan (1647)
Shared under Wiki Commons

 

and here is a modern sculpture from Nova Scotia.

Monument to William Bruce Almon by Samuel Nixon St Paul’s Church Nova Scotia 2019
Shared under Wiki Commons

 

However, the only images that I could find that resembled the headstone carving were from 19th century bibles which were much later than the carving on the headstone. This is taken from the 1875 Children’s Picture Bible Book.

This image come from the Children’s Picture Bible Book 1875.
Shared under Wiki Commons

 

So was the wife or the husband buried in St Margaret’s churchyard the Good Samaritan or was the image chosen to remind the viewer to be one to their fellow men?  We may never know.

©Text and photos Carole Tyrrell unless otherwise stated

References and further reading:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=KJV

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Good_Samaritan

https://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/research/monumental-inscriptions/rochester-st-margarets-church#03