No doubt we
had the fragment of a gravestone! and such it proved to be. With
some difficulty we got the stone out of the wall; and, being an
expert in palaeography, I was able to decipher the inscription. It
ran as follows: 'FURy. Died Feb. 28, 1864.' A skilled antiquary
would probably pronounce it to be the headstone of a favourite
dog's grave; and I am inclined to think that we have here a not
unformidable rival of the celebrated
+
BIL ST
UM
PS HI
S.M.
ARK
of the _Pickwick Papers_.
"Yet another vanished chapel, of which I have even less to tell
you. On the right-hand side of the railway line running towards
Stafford, a little beyond Stallbrook Crossing, there is a field
known as Chapel Field. But there is nothing but the name left.
From ancient documents I have learnt that a chapel once stood
there, known as Derrington Chapel (I think in the thirteenth
century), in Seighford parish, but served from Ranton Priory. In
1847 my father built a beautiful little church at Derrington, in
the Geometrical Decorated style, but not on the Chapel Field. I
cannot tell you what an immense source of satisfaction it would be
to me if I could gather some further reliable information as to
the history, style, and annihilation of these two vanished
chapels.
Pages:
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161