NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David Pike
Date: 2023 Sep 16, 08:01 -0700
This is slightly off topic, but while we’re talking of the 18th Century, on holiday in the UK Peak District last week the forecast was poor, so we decided to visit Kedleston Hall https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/peak-district-derbyshire/kedleston-hall/the-history-of-kedleston-hall , home of the Curzon Family; one of the oldest aristocratic families in in England dating back to the time of William the Conqueror. Naturally, the Hall has its own chapel, and in it are the graves of the Hall’s builder and his wife. I was taken by the interesting way the year of death was written. E.g. January 4th 172 7/8, see photographs. I wondered if this was unique to the stone mason involved or common for the time. I suppose if you’re wealthy enough and have your own chapel, you can decide to have whatever you wish engraved on your gravestone. I also note that although she died later, Dame Sarah is at described as ‘Widow of’ rather than suffering the indignity of being described as ‘Relict of’ as is common in Lincolnshire. DaveP
