St Nicholas, Lower Oddington, Gloucestershire

Looking towards the side gate across the churchyard at St Nicholas

Hannah Lardner's gravestone

Leah Lardner's gravestone.

Gravestones in the churchyard

More gravestones

...and still more gravestones

Gravestone for Amy Rose, 1890


I spent a very pleasant weekend with my aunt and uncle in Gloucestershire, to celebrate my recent birthday. In the course of my stay, we visited the Church of St Nicholas in Lower Oddington. It seemed to be semi-abandoned, which is a shame, as it has some very unusual wall paintings, which may be being affected by the damp.

Always mindful of the fact that I may be walking where other family historians would love to walk, I took a few pictures around the church and the churchyard, which may be of interest. Feel free to use these for your family history... please let me know if you find them useful!

Gravestone for Ann Harbert.

In the churchyard there are some very clear gravestones. I honestly wish I had had time to record all of them, but even as it was, my family were waiting for me in the car.

More Lardner gravestones in the churchyard.

Campin gravestone, St Nicholas churchyard.

Memorial for the Gardner children. As far as I can work out, this says the following:
John Gardner ? ?
Children
Anne dyed September ye 4 etaet 2 y
John dyed Septemberye 14 etaet 7 y 1697
Edward? dyed September ye 16 Etaet 19 y
Margery Gardner Dyed April ye 3 etaet ?9? y 1696
grandmother to these children

Just before this place wee lie in
hope of a joyful resurrection

John Gardener, father
of these children
Dyed November the s? 1704
etaet 60 years

Detail of the Gardner memorial

Entrance to the porch

Next to the door is a socket for a stick, and gradated lines, a wall sundial for telling the time, when the sun was bright enough

Inside the church is the doom painting, a coat of arms, and a damp smell. I had no idea the church and the paintings were so significant, until I came back and read this page.

My aunt Hilary, uncle Geoff and mother Diana, looking at the wall paintings inside the church

Coat of arms for William IV, one of only two known instances, apparently, and painted over earlier work.

Hilary and Diana look at the memorial for Charlotte Rice, who died after having 10 children.

Memorial for Charlotte Rice
Light streaming through a side window


We didn't know what these strange groves and hollows were for, in the porch of the church. They look like they may be for liquid, but what, and why? Randi tells me in a comment that these are marks where people have sharpened swords and arrows. I had forgotten that archery practice was compulsory for every man over seven for many years. I had also forgotten that people very often used the porch of the church more than any other part, for weddings, will readings, business and trading.

Side window and side door from the other side of the wall

Townsend gravestone
Yew in the churchyard, one of many

Infinite variety

I love the new Dr Marten's t-shirt contest. I think this is a well-designed way of using the internet to advertise without making people want to hurl their computer out the window. i just think it is amazing that you give people the same tools and the same starting point and they make such different things.

I'm addicted to designing them, I love the tools they have provided. I've done a few... feel free to go and vote for them. OK, what I mean is go there and vote for the ones you like.

Oh dear... people are voting negatively against designs. I can't help feeling that there's some big gaming going on. The 4th rated boot now has 32 positives and 26 negatives. I know one man's meat is another man's poison, but one of my designs has attracted two positives and two negatives... my entries in the last contest didn't attract any negatives at all over the whole course of the contest. I'd have to feel pretty strongly to vote anything but positively for any design. I've voted positively for the ones I like, without worrying about whether they are above or below me... I'd never do anything else.

Dead but not gone....

OK, so I can't quite remember what I was looking for, when I found a post which is called "top 10 incorruptible corpses". I was transfixed by it. And the comments after it.

The news that the Catholic Church has a policy of digging up the corpses of those who have been recommended for sainthood, 50 years after their deaths, was a bit macabre. Imagine having that as a job! "Oh yes, I was chief exhumator for the Catholic Church for many years...."

Quite apart from the fact that one or two of the incorruptibles seem to be fairly corrupt - well blackened, at the very least - it appears that some may have been vaccuum-packed. And covered in wax. Or enhanced in some way. Still, the oddity is just what we look for here. St Silvan (above) is in pretty good shape for 1600 years, although it is interesting that he is canonized despite the fact that he was killed for his faith is the only thing anyone knows about him. Oh and that his body does seem remarkably preserved. I'm wondering what other weird top 10s I may find if I put my mind to it.

Machinarium

Several years ago, I discovered Samorost. My daughter adored it, and played it a lot.

Now it seems that the Amanita team which brough us Samorost and Samorost2 is working on a full length adventure game, Machinarium. You can see screenshots and a couple of previews here.

Arachnophilia

If you don't like spiders... then beware this link. Actually, you probably saw the illustration, screamed and shut the browser. Thanks to BoingBoing for the link.

Cool desktop pet type thing which you can feed and play with. Strangely enchanting as long as you aren't phobic.

Tunng

My brother pointed me towards a new band he's started listening to, called Tunng. You'll find them here and here and here... and their own website is here.

I've been unable to stop humming the song, and keep going back to play the youtube versions of Bullet. Hope you like it too.