Monument record 1634/1 - Plague Victim's Grave near Bowstonegate

<1> Earwaker, J P, 1877-1880, East Cheshire Past & Present, Vol.II p.314 (Book). SCH1080.

'Near here [Bowstones Farm] are several gravestones, placed there in 1646, probably in memory of those who died of the plague...On a recent visit to the Bow Stone, I met with three other gravestones bearing these inscriptions:

HEARE. LYETH. THE. BODY. OF. RALPHE. BLAKEWALL. WHO. DYED. IVLY. THE. 29. ANO. DMI. 1646.

HEARE. LYETH. THE. BODY. OF. ELLEN. BLAKEWALL. WHO. DYED. IVLY. THE. 26. ANO. DMI. 1646.

HEARE. LYETH. THE. BODY. OF. ROBERT. BLAKEWALL. WHO. DYED. IVLY. THE. .... ANO. DMI. 1646.'

<2> Marshall S, 1967, Disley Ancient and Modern, p.23-5 (Book). SCH1054.

'...In the corner of the field known as the King's Piece (and marked graves on Ordnance maps) there were...about twenty of these grave-stones, "like a little churchyard”....but heedless passers-by – they lay beside a public footpath, and some of the stones were small and insignificant to strangers – have in the last 30 years or so destroyed and scattered them. Only one remains, and the lettering is completely gone.'

<3> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R 07/05/2013 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The field known as 'King's Piece' and mentioned in 2 is not traceable and does not appear in the digitised version of the tithe apportionment. Two of the gravestones mentioned by Earwalker (1) have been moved (see CHER 1634/3) suggesting that the erroded insitu gravestone is Ellen Blakewall, which lies within the small graveyard.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

One grave is clearly depicted.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ98NE 7 (Index). SCH2487.

Three contiguous gravestones, two of which are inscribed. One is dated 1646 (Waggot F.L. 9/10/1962).