Lydd Cemetery, Kent.

Found at Lydd cemetery. Still unsure of the context behind this.

Update July 2021 - After some digging and mapping of the location I discovered some back story. The grave belongs to Janice Isolada Ferriday née Smith. She married Ronald Ferriday and was from Somerset. Born in 1938 she passed away in 1979 in Camden, London. You can virtually visit and pay your respects here.

The Beheading of St. John the Baptist Church & Churchyard, Doddington

More grave hunting today. Specifically there were three requests on findagrave.com for pictures of existing entries. Two had passed in 1980 and the other one in 1958. These are the requests that I like as there is a realistic chance I can find them. When I see a request for a picture of a headstone from the 1700s my heart sinks as surviving headstones from that far back are rare and the ones you do find are normally worn down with little detail.

Today the church was open and I was gifted with a partial map of burial plots and names. This is so rare but makes it so much easier tomfind plots and help people get their photos. I've attached the map and name list in the hope that someone googling may eventually find it here and it can assist in some way. Apologies for the poor pics but the sun was causing reflections - hopefully you can click to enlarge and zoom in.

St. Margaret’s Church, Wichling / Wychling, Maidstone, Kent

Since becoming interested in findagrave.com I've discovered a lot of local churches I didnt know existed. one of the jewels in the local crown was St. Margarets. It's situated on a narrow country road with little passing traffic and set back from the road far enough that you will only see it if you're looking for it. Surrounded by woodland and very quiet itks a fantastic place tomclear your head. I've managed to get almost all of the grave details registered on the website allowing for mistakes or worn away details. The church interior is sparse and there isn't any historical detail unfortunately.

Some of the grave surnames include - Bennett, Butler, Chapman, Clifford, Dodd, Eagles, Halford, Harling, Harris, Hollingworth, Hubbard, Jefferson, Kenyon, Meyer, Moody, Murton, Neaves, Neves, Norton, Pearson, Shannon, Smiley, Springett, Stevens, Weaver and Yates.

St Margaret’s is a Norman church nestled among woodland and fields located on the dip slope of the North Downs - one of the most isolated churches in the Diocese of Canterbury. It has no electricity or water and is lit by historic gas lights.

A Saxon church is mentioned in Domesday and there are Roman tiles and brick plus tufa stone in the fabric of the chancel. There is a blocked up Norman doorway in the north wall and the church has a very rare and nationally important Saxon lead (likely to have been made from Roman lead) vessel used as a font since its discovery in the Victorian restoration. It is currently stored at Canterbury Cathedral, though literature and pictures relating to it are available to read. St Margaret’s is an Eco Church and is managed for wildlife and wildflowers as well as having a general ‘living lightly’ ethic. Service music is played on medieval and folk instruments and a 10th C Magnificat is used for Evensong.

The grounds and church are very peaceful with an atmosphere conducive to contemplation. St Margaret’s is one of those ‘thin’ places where in times of stillness God can be discerned both inside and outside the church. The contact with His created world all around gives a unique sense of belonging and harmony with everything that is of God. The ‘layers of prayer’ in this place make it very peaceful and contemplative. A place to just sit and be refreshed regardless of your faith journey. We have a healing prayer bowl and prayer requests are always welcome. In the access field we have a mown labyrinth which can be used together with the prayer resources found in the church - https://www.smallpilgrimplaces.org/

St. Alfege, Greenwich

St. Alfege Church is a magnificent sight central to Greenwich and boasting an impressive history. Home to the mortal remains of Thomas Tallis and the site of Henry VIII’s christening it even gets a mention in a Dickens book. It’s graveyard is a different story though. 

Gravestones have been moved to form boundaries and I’m guessing the pollution from the one way traffic system hasn’t helped their looks. But wander down St. Alfege Passage and you’ll find even more horrors in St. Alfege Park. 

Here broken stones litter the flower beds whilst others are stacked like a funereal Jenga. A rack stands abandoned full of headstones waiting to be claimed by someone with a care .... and the strength to move them. Gravestones line the basketball court and children’s play area and others hide behind bushes and along walls. Some headstones stand against others obscuring the details and condition - this truly is a graveyard for gravestones. 

 

Holy Trinity Church, Maidstone

No longer used as a church, the former churchyard is now known as Trinity Park. A War Memorial is within the building for public access. The gravestones are generally in a poor condition and as at April 2021 the grounds are strewn with rubbish and uncared for. 

Find A Grave has limited entries for Ashdown, Benzie, Black, Day, Hobbs, Holmwood, Johnson, Larking, Merchant, Middleton and Waghorne.