IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Church Street, RICKMANSWORTH, WD3 1JA

View from St Mary's churchyard. A Grade II listed building, described at this http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1296195.

Anyone who knows Leicestershire villages such as Breedon on the Hill http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/288014 http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1062826 or Croxton Kerrial may well recognise the style of this mid-19th century slate tombstone. The grave is that of 'John Morley, late of Rickmansworth, native of Staunton Harold in the county of Leicester, who died April 11th 1851' - and also of his wife, Mary-Ann. The stone is signed at the bottom: 'ALLT, Breedon, Leicestershire'. Slate was quarried in the Swithland area, and was used for tombstones not only in Leicestershire but in neighbouring counties (e.g. at St Wulfram's, Grantham). Slate carves very crisply, and seems to weather very little in 160 years - so inscriptions are often far more legible than on other stones of similar date. In this case, the epitaph reads: 'Stay, mortal, stay, as you go alone, One moment stay, to read this stone: Death did to us short warning give: Therefore be careful how you live.'

The inscription reads: 'Watch therefore, For in such an hour, As ye think not, the Son of Man cometh'. The text doesn't quite correspond to any single verse in Matthew 24 - though that seems to be the source of the quotation. (I am absolutely no Biblical scholar - any guidance would be appreciated!). The stone commemorates 'Mr.THOMAS BROWN, who departed this Life, 24th June, 1812, Aged 46', and his wife, Rosamond, who survived him by 31 years. POST-SCRIPT: since submitting this item in 2013 I have often met with versions of the same text - whether on tombstones, or - as in this case - on an old text-board: Image