Recording History in the Prescot St Mary Churchyard
Interesting Gravestones in the Churchyard
Scheduling the old gravestones and transcribing the inscriptions can sometimes be quite challenging.
As a part of our work in the Churchyard, we have been recording the history of some of the gravestones which have been moved from their original locations in order to make a footpath, or ‘walkway’ right around the Church.
This is one of them and it’s a good example of how severely worn Inscriptions can be deciphered.
Wetting the surface produces more contrast and clarity.
All that could be read was:
“…….who departed this life November 1st? 1759?
Also James Husband
of Mary departed
This life ? July 17?”
From that scant information we were able to research burial records and conclude that it is:
James and Mary Edden.
Mary died 1st November 1759, buried on the 3rd.
James was buried 6th July 1762 so possibly died on the 4th.
They lived in Prescot and James was a Saddler.