Sunday 7 October 2007

Saddington graves at Appleby Magna, Leicestershire

Yesterday, my parents and I went to Appleby Magna in Leicestershire to see what could be found in the way of Saddington graves. According to the records, Saddingtons lived and died in Appleby Magna for around 200 years, although there are none living there now.

Our first stop was the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels. It is a charming place with box pews and a gallery, but in need of some restoration. Unfortunately, there were no memorials or other references to Saddingtons within the church, not even on the Roll of Honour.

Outside, we were somewhat dismayed to find that the churchyard had been cleared and that the majority of the gravestones had been laid flat around the perimeter of the church. However, we did manage to find three Saddington gravestones and both recorded the inscriptions and took photographs. The most recent of these stones was dated 1869.

Over the road from the church is the small local cemetery, well kept and still in use. Here we had more luck, locating seven Saddington graves. These were also recorded and photographed. However, these graves commenced in 1905, which leaves a period of about 35 years unaccounted for. I do not yet know when the churchyard was closed and the cemetery opened, so am unsure which location holds the burials for these missing years.

The ten graves located contained a total of 21 Saddingtons, and the inscriptions mentioned a total of 25 Saddingtons, including husbands and parents of the deceased.

My intention is to use the inscriptions and photographs of the gravestones as a basis for posts on that particular section of the Saddington family in Appleby Magna. Please note that the clarity of the photographs will depend very much on the age and condition of the gravestones themselves.

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