Norma Explores

The neighbouring headstone commemorates the loss of Private Stanley Charles Andrews of the 11th Bttn Suffolk Regiment. He was killed in action on 17th October 1917, aged just 21. He has no known grave and is listed on the Tyne Cot Memorial to the missing, just one of more than 33,000 names recorded.

This is the beautifully carved headstone of Cpl Henry Grimwood of the 1st Bttn London Irish Rifles. He died serving his country on April 18th, 1918 - aged just 21 years old

This grave is in St Andrews churchyard, Histon, Cambridgeshire

His headstone is next to another young veteran of WW1

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Its day 11 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is military.

This was always going to be a difficult one. I primarily record military graves and have almost 10,000 photographed.

Their stories are all worth telling, so I decided to select one for aesthetics.

Cont.... ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Pure chance 😂 but I am very fond of this grave. Kinda looks how I feel most mornings before Ive had coffee.

Y'know what I dont have pictures of? Urns, apparently. Its day 10 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is Urn. After going through about 7000 photos, I came to realise its something I dont photograph 🙈 So please enjoy possibly the only image I have that comes close ⚱️

📍Cottenham Dissenters Cemetery

The image was taken in 1978 by my grandfather and is part of a collection known as the Jeevar Archive which I am sharing online when I can. If youd like to learn more please visit the website ⬇️

www.normaexplores.com/jeevar-archive

'In memory of Mary, wife of John Richards, who departed this life June ye 3rd 1771. Age 31.' The inscription goes on:
All you that stop to read this stone, consider how soon she was gone, death doth not always warning give, therefore be careful how ye live'

📍St Mary's, Doddington, Cambridgeshire ⬇️

Day 9 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'hand'.

I've borrowed an image from my side-quest, The Jeevar Archive, today.

The grave is that of Mary Richards. According to local legend she died at the altar, just moments after the wedding ring was placed on her hand as she was being married. 🧵⬇️

Day 8 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Glass'

Here at St Nicholas' Church, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, the beautiful stained glass window is reflected in the memorial to a son of the town lost in the First World War.

Alfred Gordon Calthrop
2nd Lt 11th Bttn Royal Fusiliers. KIA near Ypres.

Dovecote
Barnack, Huntingdonshire

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I dont know exactly where this was or if it is still standing... so if anyone local can enlighten me, I'd be most grateful!! It worldvgave been photographed between 1974 and 1978, I think!

Day 7 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'Angel'

I've actually chosen three, all from 📍 All Saints, St Ives, Cambridgeshire.

Ive added a close up of the last one, as he's less than angelic looking these days....

Burgh roll of honour. Second World War.

Burgh roll of honour. St. Botolph’s Church, Burgh, Suffolk. Second World War. #LestWeForget

Oh wow, thats so cool! and a great achievement 👏

Its amazing the fascinating people we meet in sleepy English churchyards! I was so surprised reading her story, when her grave is so humble. She had a fascinating life.

Her life partner Mary died in 1936 after years of ill health, while Constance lived to an incredible 107 years old, only passing away in 1981.

They are buried at St John the Baptist Church, Burley, Hampshire.

Born in Essex, she left for America to study at Harvard and it was here that she was responsible for introducing the sport of field hockey to her classmates. She went on to promote the sport across the country, eventually founding the American Field Hockey Association and the first US women's club ⬇️

Day 6 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'gender'

I've left East Anglia today to bring you the joint grave of 'great friends' Mary Warren Taylor and Constance Applebee.

The tablet to Constance is modest, but her contribution to women's sport certainly wasn't.

⬇️ Cont' below ⬇️

One from The Jeevar Archive (Find us on IG!)

St John the Baptist,
Little Maplestead, Essex • March 1985

Originally a chapel of the Knights Hospitallers. Built around 1340 and largely rebuilt in the mid 1800s.

Grade II* listed in 1962

GRID REF : TL 82248 33997
ringside.corrupted.stem

Sadly, she died at the scene just after her parents got to her.

She is buried at the 12th century round-towered church of St Mary in the village.

Brenda lived with her family at The Tank Range in Titchwell, a village along the north Norfolk coast.

She had gone to get ice cream with her brother from an van on the main road through the village. After getting her ice cream she ran around the back of the van, into the path of a passing car ⬇️

Day 5 of #31DaysOfGraves and the prompt is 'bird'

I've chosen this beautiful simple this creatures. It sits atop a heart shaped headstone (📷⬇️) belonging to a little girl.

12 year old Brenda Walden was tragically killed on 29th July 1963. I will share her story below.

📍St Mary's Church, Titchwell

Day 4 of #31DaysOfGraves is 'languages', & I was reminded of these beautiful headstones in Duncombe Cemetery at Ferryhill, County Durham. I dont often photograph recent graves, but they stood out sitting side by side.

Unfortunately, I dont know anything about the lady and gentleman they belong to

Stone tomb carved with skulls and bones topped with black slab

Stone tomb of golden stone carved with skulls and bones, topped with a black stone slab

#31daysofgraves 3 Tomb
Tomb of Dean Charles Fotherby [1549-1619], Canterbury Cathedral. "His monument is described as 'a bone-encrusted tomb-chest...a fine example of that obsessive early seventeenth-century morbidity which repelled later, more squeamish observers'."
#TheVictorianBookoftheDead

Something more from Pentlow church... Its stunning font and cover. The is thought to be early 12th century, with the cover possibly 15th C.

It really is a church worth visiting if you're passing along the Suffolk/Essex border.

Indeed!

Pentlow // Essex Some stories from the village churchyard.

If youd like to learn a little more about my visit to Pentlow, please take a look at my substack post ⬇️

open.substack.com/pub/normaexp...

The tomb is situated in the Anglo-Saxon round-towered church of St Gregory and St George

📍Pentlow, Essex

There were 10 daughters and 4 sons!

Day 3 of #31DaysOfGraves is 'tomb'.

I've chosen to share the wonderful tomb of Judge George Kempe (1606), his son John (1609) and daughter-in-law Elinore (1609).

All three lay side by side on top of the tomb and a side panel depicts John and Elinore's 14 children.

Con't below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

I do not know his cause of death, but he was just 39 years old and its very possible he was a victim of the influenza pandemic.

He is buried with his wife Rosa, who passed in 1941 aged just 56.

📍St Edmund's Church,
Swanton Novers, Norfolk

Day 2 prompt for #31DaysOfGraves is 'nautical' and with so many sailors graves in my archive, I could have picked so many! Ive chosen one I visit often.

Please meet Royal Navy Chief Stoker, William Bennett of HMS Mallard.

After 21 years service he died at Chatham, Kent on Feb 14th 1919.

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