Perhaps this blog would be better timed on Halloween, but we find cemeteries–especially the old ones of Europe–to be such fascinating places to visit that we couldn’t wait another two months. We had the fortune to spend part of a day at this great little cemetery at Saint Mary the Blessed Virgin church in Easthampton Village looking for a family stone. We found it, along with a whole bunch of other history.
There’s nobody famous buried here–no writers, politicians, or sixties rock drummers–just quite a few people who were “sacred to the memory of” and beloved parents, sons, and daughters. It’s a beautiful place, shaded with an ancient yew tree, and lovingly tended by the current church parishioners.
The oldest stones we could make out were from the late 1500’s and early 1600’s, but as a church has stood in this spot since the 5th or 6th century, there are likely unmarked remains a millennium older in this earth. The earliest stones we found were graced with the language and writing of the time: “here lyeth”, and “bvried the 26th of Mye”.
The next time you visit a landmark church, don’t bypass the cemetery: take a stroll through and get a real sense of the church’s history.
