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| (c) Nicola Carpenter 2012 Little Keith |
Taphophilia is a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries. The singular term is a taphophile.
Being a mother I am always acutely aware of the graves of children in any cemetery or churchyard I visit. It is so sad to see these graves, often with small monuments or angels, lying forgotten. I stop and wonder if anyone remembers them or if they have been lost to their families again. In some small way I feel that by visiting their graves and taking pictures they're remembered once again.
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| (c) Nicola Carpenter 2012 |
"Sacred To The Memory Of Frank Arthur. Son of James and Catherine Gillett who died Feby 2nd 1860 aged 4 months and 18 days - The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
I'm not sure I could have been so forgiving of the Lord. Frank Arthur was James and Catherine's first child. Their house must have seemed so empty after his passing.
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| (c) Nicola Carpenter 2012 |
" To The Sweet Memory Of Our Darling Margaret Evelyn Haines - aged 3 years and 9 months."
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| (c) Nicola Carpenter 2012 |
The stone carries no dates. Margaret was born in 1927 in Poole and died in Maidenhead in 1930.
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| (c) Nicola Carpenter 2012 |
"In Loving Memory Of Our Darling Eileen Doris Andrews. Died July 1st 1937 Aged 1 Year and 9 Months - Asleep.
"In Loving Memory Of Sharon Denise Taylor Died June 30th 1961 aged 4 Months - At Peace."
These half sisters struck a cord with me, my own daughter Jessica Eris has just turned 4 months old. Sharon died the day before the anniversary of her sisters death. Truly sad.
I always pause at graves such as these and bless the children and I am in no way religious. No one should ever have to bury their child.
For more Taphophile Tragic posts, please click here.
Are you missing a section on Sharon's half-sister? I cannot seem to connect all the dots.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with much of this. Maybe not the parents burying children bit. Things happen. Life is not fair. Life is random.
However, I do agree about the visiting of graves that we do as taphophiles. It is why I say 'warm touch upon cold hard stone'. It is a chain of respect, warmth and human connection that ripples through a graveyard, the way I see it.
Eileen Doris Andrews was sharon's half sister. a few years after Eileen's death her mother remarried a man named Taylor. Unfortunately researching people post 1911 census can prove difficult and expensive as you would have to buy the birth and death certificates to find out more. Sometimes I wish I was rich with money to burn.
DeleteI moved my Taphophile posts as I was starting to get negative comments on my other blog. Turns out some people just don't like looking at graves.
So sad :( my husband has a brother,little Mark who died at 6months old over 40 years ago. I went up with mil on what would have been Marks 40th birthday a few years ago,and it was so sad to see how neglected it was up there,all overgrown and no flowers :( i think its still hard for her to visit even after all this time.
ReplyDeleteIt is touching that it is difficult to visit a grave of a baby after so many years.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating blog! I've only just found it, so forgive me while I rummage around for a bit before commenting again x.
ReplyDeleteits sad. but all the angels are beautiful..
ReplyDeleteI can't walk past these too without feeling sad & wanting to know a little more. There are one or two local ones that I visit regularly and often wonder why they died, why they were buried where they are, does anyone still remember them?
ReplyDeleteI wonder the very same things
DeleteI too always pause and ponder and the graves of little ones. It must be hard for the parents to visit, but I like to see the ones that are remembered and visited often. I do always like to know more about those that seem to have been forgotten and hope they are at peace.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of the angel monuments, your technique with the black and white is very moving. I too am often drawn to the children as a mother and am often struck with the hope that the small ones weren't forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I feel that as long as I visit these graves and take pictures, they're not forgotten.
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