A church has stood in the Lawn, the site of the former Goddard family home, since the 12th century. All that remains standing today is the chancel and three pairs of piers which once flanked the nave.
By the 1850s the coming of the railways had seen the population of Swindon increase. The ancient parish church was no longer fit for purpose. In a poor state of repair and inadequate to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation the decision was reached to close it and commission Sir George Gilbert Scott to design a new one. Upon completion of Christ Church in 1851, Holy Rood was partially demolished.
But for cemetery enthusiasts like myself even worse was to come.
Sometime in the second half of the 20th century it was decided to remove the gravestones, presumably to facilitate the mowing of the churchyard. The headstones were carefully arranged around the perimeter wall, which probably seemed a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, over the years ivy has grown up and over the stones, wearing away the inscriptions.
There are a few inscriptions that remain legible. The Tuck family headstone records the details of Mary and Thomas Tuck. She died in 1798 aged 52; he died in 1840 aged 80. Three of their children are buried with them, including their daughter Sarah who was baptised in Holy Rood in 1784 and died in 1878, only narrowly missing celebrating her centenary, no mean feat for the time.
And then there are the ornate family headstones of the Looker family. Have these headstones sunk into the ground or are they broken? Were there more details now lost? Buried together were Thomas and James Looker with a second headstone recording the burial of James and Joseph Looker. Fortunately, the parish registers survive from the 17th century, but the early ones provide scant details. Could this be Joseph Looker buried on April 17, 1706 and Thomas Looker, buried just a couple of weeks later?
How I would love to know if he might be Thomas Looker who married Mary Ody on October 14, 1677. (I have a big Ody family obsession.)
Could it be Thomas Looker who married Sarah Gray on January 12, 1679. Or perhaps he was Thomas Looker 'of ye parish of Chiseldon' whose banns were called twice on December 11 and 18, 1757, but not for the required 3rd time. Did he get around to marrying Mary Sharps or did some calamitous event occur to prevent the wedding?
Now this is when the ability to time-travel would be so useful. And I'd stop that decision to move all the headstones as well!
By the 1850s the coming of the railways had seen the population of Swindon increase. The ancient parish church was no longer fit for purpose. In a poor state of repair and inadequate to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation the decision was reached to close it and commission Sir George Gilbert Scott to design a new one. Upon completion of Christ Church in 1851, Holy Rood was partially demolished.
But for cemetery enthusiasts like myself even worse was to come.
Sometime in the second half of the 20th century it was decided to remove the gravestones, presumably to facilitate the mowing of the churchyard. The headstones were carefully arranged around the perimeter wall, which probably seemed a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, over the years ivy has grown up and over the stones, wearing away the inscriptions.
There are a few inscriptions that remain legible. The Tuck family headstone records the details of Mary and Thomas Tuck. She died in 1798 aged 52; he died in 1840 aged 80. Three of their children are buried with them, including their daughter Sarah who was baptised in Holy Rood in 1784 and died in 1878, only narrowly missing celebrating her centenary, no mean feat for the time.
And then there are the ornate family headstones of the Looker family. Have these headstones sunk into the ground or are they broken? Were there more details now lost? Buried together were Thomas and James Looker with a second headstone recording the burial of James and Joseph Looker. Fortunately, the parish registers survive from the 17th century, but the early ones provide scant details. Could this be Joseph Looker buried on April 17, 1706 and Thomas Looker, buried just a couple of weeks later?
How I would love to know if he might be Thomas Looker who married Mary Ody on October 14, 1677. (I have a big Ody family obsession.)
Could it be Thomas Looker who married Sarah Gray on January 12, 1679. Or perhaps he was Thomas Looker 'of ye parish of Chiseldon' whose banns were called twice on December 11 and 18, 1757, but not for the required 3rd time. Did he get around to marrying Mary Sharps or did some calamitous event occur to prevent the wedding?
Now this is when the ability to time-travel would be so useful. And I'd stop that decision to move all the headstones as well!
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