StoneRoad2013's photos with the keyword: churchyard

A low-lying cranesbill / Geranium plant growing wild by the gate into the churchyard at Stamfordham. The flowers were rather brighter pink than this rendering. As yet, I haven't identified the precise species, there are several possibilities.

A good example of weathering, this is the exposed west-facing side of a gravestone in the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin, Stamfordham.

Child and infant mortality is so very sad. At least modern vaccinations / nutrition / ante-natal & medical care can alleviate much of this. The daughter died in 1862 at five years of age. Another grave nearby was dedicated to a child "born asleep" ...

Teasel growing in a wildflower / wildlife area with the graveyard at St Mary the Virgin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipsacus Teasel seeds are very important for small birds, like Goldfinches. The dried seed heads were traditionally used for raising the nap on woollen cloth. The notice is a request not to strim or otherwise cut the area. This zone is steeply sloped and curves around the west end of the church, and probably follows the line of the earlier enclosures. I suspect that the original church enclosure was more rounded, and the recent northern / western expansion has produced a squarer outline.

According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there are 11 marked internments here, eight of which are from WW2. I paid my respects from this point and then walked among the headstones. I find that to be an humbling experience. The two somewhat pointed markers are for Polish nationals, killed in WW2. www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?CemeteryExact=true&Cemetery=STAMFORDHAM%20(ST.%20MARY)%20CHURCHYARD