A Dog at the Grave of its Mistress

Now, this is an exceedly rare item - a family snapshot, probably pre-1900, of a dog being taken to see the grave of its mistress and the flowers that cover it. I find it immensely sad and very, very moving. I have never seen another like it and think it is a very unusual example of social history. What do you think? Have you ever seen the like?

A weathered Toy stands sentinel on a young child's grave

Owen Phillips (Magic Lantern Show) recently provided me a link to a couple of photographs on another blog of mouldering children's soft toys decaying on a grave. I found a soft toy weathering slowly on a child's grave, today. I am not sure what exactly it is, but it is a very striking image.

Souvenirs of the Paris Dogs Cemetery 2

The grave of Toto looks pretty new in this photograph. Toto was born in 1905 and died in 1926, making him 21 years of age. That is quite an age for any dog. There is a photograph of Toto on the column, but I cannot see well enough to recognise the breed. What amazes me is how clean and uncluttered the cemetery is, but I guess more and more memorials were added over the years. Owen Phillips of the Magic Lantern Show blog recently visited the cemetery - perhaps he can give us an appreciation of what it is like today?

Human Remains - a moral dilemma?

I thought I should return to the Lichen-stricken cemetery at St David's in Pembrokeshire. Under the cover of darkness, a badger had come and dug close to a grassy perimeter bank on the west side of the site. A close look at the excavated earth revealed a short piece of clay pipe stem which my imagination suggested the Victorian gravedigger had lost when he dropped and smashed his pipe while digging a grave. Just like a bird or deer skull found in the woods at home, I thought this was an allowable artefact to add to my collection of found objects.

Some yards away, I was very surprised to notice a section of rib or perhaps collarbone lying on the grass. I picked it up and examined it with a lot of curiousity about how it got there. I guess it was uncovered by the badger and may have been picked up and quickly dropped again by a passing fox. Coming from the edge of the graveyard where there are no apparent graves, I can offer no explanation of why the natural instincts of a badger should lead to its exposure.

I will be totally honest and admit that for a nano-second I thought, "Gosh, another nice found object for my collection" and just as quickly realised that this was an unacceptable thought. Others may have had similar thoughts in the past. Placing it on a stone where it could be seen easily, I left the graveyard.

Now, my moral dilemma is that I wonder whether I should have informed someone. There were no contact details for whoever responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery on display at the entrance. In the absence of this, should I have informed the police or written to the local council? Even at this late stage, two weeks later, should I make the effort to draw the authorities attention to this find - perhaps it is a common occurence? I would welcome the thoughts of others, so please comment here. I look forward to hearing your views.

A Roman Soldier's Grave and a Teapot

This is a postcard sent to Miss Bennett at 25 Kingsley Avenue, West Ealing, London. The sender records: "This is one of the old Roman Soldiers just found here, There are 9 of them altogether all buried with their various arms and faces to the East". The postage stamp has been removed and the partial postmark that remains gives no clue to date or place of posting. The scribble on the top right of the card reads: "I have got a lovely little Tea Pot" The purchase of the teapot was evidently just cause for defacing the postcard!

Tending the Grave

This photograph is quite unusual as it shows a widow rearranging a floral display on a grave that has yet to have a headstone raised on it. Note the extraordinary detail (click on the photo to enlarge) of her mourning dress and hat. The earth of the grave has been heaped into a mound and grassed. The wooden cross to the left is quite sharp and I can read some of the detail - Amelia (?)easdale Died March 22 190(?). Sadly, it is not possible to identify the churchyard where it was taken, unless of course I can trace the burial details of Amelia . . .

Somerset Curiosity

A walk through a Somerset graveyard led to the discovery of this menacing looking item of grave architecture. Most of the surface of the tomb had eroded away since it was first constructed some 200 years before. Such adornments on tombs and headstones on modern graves are rare.

Forest in a Graveyard

I like to get close to a subject and looked along the curved slab covering a Victorian grave in a Somerset village. To my astonishment, when I later processed the photograph, I realised that a number of small forests had been established.

Not wanting to draw other visitors' attention to this, I did not stay long enough to find out who or what inhabitated these miniature woodlands. I intend to return on another day to see if I can make contact.