Tomb of the two sisters (1695 & 1696), Rugeley
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Tomb of the two sisters (1695 & 1696), Rugeley by Brian Deegan as part of the Geograph project.
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Tomb of the two sisters (1695 & 1696), Rugeley
Image: © Brian Deegan Taken: 2 Jan 2022
The Unusual tomb is on the site of the original 12th Century St. Augustine's Church (know as the Old Chancel). The two sisters, Elizabeth Cuting, who died in 1695 and Emma Hollinhurst, who died in 1696. On its top are carved effigies of two figures, each tied at the top and bottom in a shroud. These curious effigies are behind a local legend that the sisters were buried alive in sacks by Oliver Cromwell. Despite the fact that Cromwell died in 1658. The true story of the tombs is connected to a parliamentary act of 17 years earlier, which required corpses to be buried in wool. These ladies, among others, preferred to be buried in linen and defied the act, as the burial register shows. Defiance would have resulted in a fine.
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Image Location
Latitude
52.764623
Longitude
-1.935195