John Ward d January 1860

© Godric Godricson

William Meybohm Rider Haggard 1817 - 1893



                                                       

© Godric Godricson

The cemetery is a place where both the great and the good and also the rich and the poor meet in their journey towards eternity and here we can see the Haggard family coming into contact with the peasantry of Bradenham. Despite their wealth and occupancy of Bradenham Hall they have no option but to rest in the earth with ordinary people. Death is a leveller and one that has no respect of person. A person may have great wealth on earth and yet we are all going in the same direction. Please have a look at the 'Find a grave' entry for Sir William which is interesting and well written. I won't try to repeat this commentary  here as it would be re-writing what has already been said with eloquence and brevity.Interestingly, it may have been the case that this family would have been interred indoors (intramural inhumation) prior to 1855 although the Municipal Burials Act made that traditional option more difficult and perhaps more unfashionable.

Ella Haggard (nee Doveton) 1819 - 9th December 1889

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Born to Bazett Doveton in Norwich  See this link for Ella's birth details

Alexander Doyle Peckover Penrose 1896 - 1950

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West Bradenham is a rather wonderful place although the Church is somewhat lost on its plinth above the village. From this commanding location, Saint Mary’s continues both to look down on the scene, as it has for hundreds of years and also to simultaneously hide away.

The cemetery is full of the local family associated with the village which was the Haggards with Rider Haggard being the best known example. The Rider Haggard Society still exist and keep the writers memory alive and well.

Alexander Doyle Peckover Penrose is also associated with Bradenham and we find his burial here. For information and genealogy

Earth and stone

I want to complete a sort of compare and contrast exercise today by reference to a small and apparently insignificant earthen grave at All Saints (North Barsham) near the shrine village of Walsingham with the opulence of a stone tomb in the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma on the Spanish island of Majorca.

In a certain sense, the two burials are of equal merit in that they contain the remains of a real person. They are, however, at extreme ends of the spectrum when it comes to the effort required to bury the two people.



A simple earthen grave
All Saints - North Barsham

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The first burial is the simplest that can be accomplished. The earth has been dug out and the space for the body has been formed. The body has been placed in the grave and with dignity and all due ceremony the soil has been replaced and that is that. The wooden marker has been placed on the top and the site has then been returned to a sort of eternity or at least until the space is used again in the future. This re-using of grave space is becoming an issue in the UK where cemetery space is finite and we are required to re-imagineer how burials are conducted. With an enquiring mind we may reflect on the ancient practice of renting cemetery space for a limited period as is the experience as in Continental Europe.

The grave is the simple place where we wait for the trumpet call and the Resurrection. I understand that the occupant of the grave certainly did believe in the final clarion call and would await this patiently. The site is truly simple and peaceful and reflects rural Norfolk



Cathedral Santa Maria (Palma)

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The second burial is a complete opposite and speaks with an accent created by money, power and influence. The burial is treated with respect although ultimately this burial has a lot more 'umph'. The site is set aside and reserved in a way that the first burial cannot achieve although in such a prominent position within the Cathedral there is no more certainty of an eternity insitu. The carved stones create an air of reverence and the kneelers imply an air of sanctity and solemnity that cannot be created in the same manner in the open air. The tourists push their way by their passing creates an impression of life and movement. The daily services of the cathedral re-create an earlier age of piety. The occasional bird that enters the Cathedral creates an air of confusion as they shriek and cry their way in search of an exit. In effect, the scale and magnificence of the second burial overwhelms that of the first.

The two burials couldn't be further apart in terms of style and expense and even geography and I appreciate them both.