Susan Burbidge - Newtown Linford

Here lyeth ye body

of Susan Burbidge

who departed this

life Feb ye 26th day

Anno Dom 1700

Aged 62 Yrs

 

Both old & young ye passeth by

Strive to live well for ye must die

 

Another of the cluster of leaning gravestones in All Saints Churchyard, Newtown Linford. I was struck by how regular and well laid out these words are on the stone. It is a beautiful work of art, or craft, if you prefer. This was surely not inscribed by the same hand that produced George Burbidge's headstone just under 2 years later.

 

Given the ages and dates, we might be tempted to think that George and Susan were husband and wife, though perhaps they were brother and sister, or cousins. Whoever she was, she is named here in her own right, and not as "Susan wife to..." or "Daughter of..." as was more common.

 

I'd like to think that George had this headstone made and that the choice of words came from the way he saw Susan. We will never know.