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Wednesday 24 September 2008

Escomb Saxon Church...Skull and Crossbones

You can be sure you are really dead if this is your gravestone. The skull and crossbones are reflected in another stone on the opposite side of the path. If someone can translate this latin comment, please can they let me know what it says. I failed latin O'level. I need help.

This is Escomb Church . It is the oldest intact Saxon Church in England and more information can be found here
We spent some time exploring the outside and the inside of this church. I took some pictures of this Millenium Door Hanging, which has wonderful cameo embroideries set into the whole door-sized panel. This is a bit blurred but it is particularly evocative of the north-east... It is a giant LEEK.
After this we went shopping and castle visiting which I shall report on soon.
Cheers
Gillian

5 comments:

carol said...

It's a very jolly looking skull!
Lovely photos again Gillian. I return to the ones of your fridge, so different to the contents of my own, to inspire me to cook nice things for myself.
The socks leave me a bit shivery though. I am allergic to wool - it itches unbearably - and woollen socks remind me of suffering as a child in the long cosy socks my granny knitted for me. Sheer hell they were when sitting in front of a roaring fire.

Zoë said...

Hi, found the grave stone hard to read, but think it says something like 'Beatis unt mortui in DOM' DOM being a common abbreviation for Ut Deus , Optimus quod Maioribus , which translates as 'To God, Best and Greatest'

The sentence reads something like 'Happiness in death, To God, Best and Greatest' or similiar.

Hope that helps a little, my Latin is poor too.

Zoë

Gillian said...

Thanks Zoe. It certainly seems to make sense.
Cheers Gillian

Rustaud said...

Elegant and concise! I did woodwork instead of Latin and I think it means 'your turn next'

Lovely fridge and how well ordered!

Are you taking orders for socks?

xxRustaud

stitching and opinions said...

Grandad's wife died the year he retired and moved back to the village of his birth.
He was very angry with his God, and to mark his despair he moved his allegiance from the Church of England to the Baptists Church at the bottom of the hill.
When he died [92] his funeral was at the Baptists, but perhaps to hedge his bets we all [family and villagers] walked very slowly behind his hearse, Up the hill, to St Andrews where he now lies hopefully at rest and reunited with his beloved wife, and his God.