[Rarebooks] FS: An 1843 Tract Upon Tomb-Stones

[Joslin Hall Rare Books, ABAA]

>From our new A GRAVE AFFAIR catalog-
<http://www.a-grave-affair.com/Catalog_307.htm>


[Paget, Rev. Francis Edward]. "A TRACT UPON TOMB-STONES; or, Suggestions
for the Consideration of Persons Intending to Set Up That Kind of Monument
to the Memory of Deceased Friends"

Rugeley; John Thomas Walters: 1843.

The Reverend Paget [1806-1882], rector of Elford, did not care for much of
what he saw in mid-19th century churchyards. Among the things that
disturbed him- epitaphs made up of too-effusive flattery & "lies" meant to
gloss-over the reputations and deeds of disreputable characters; epitaphs
that ask the reader to pray for the souls of the deceased which bear "a
reference to the Popish doctrine of Purgatory" (no praying for the souls
of the deceased, if you please); epitaphs declaring the deceased to be
worthy of Heaven or an innocent (as in a child), because all Men are
sinners in the eyes of God; epitaphs that declare the deceased to be in
Heaven -this is a problem because, well, hey, you never know, do you?

The Rev. Paget also deplores pedigrees and genealogies being carved upon
tombstones; he dislikes slate tombstones; he dislikes silver and gold
lettering and the use of fancy fonts and effects; he disapproves of jokes
and poetry in epitaphs and is driven to the depths of outrage and despair
by epitaphs which set out, often at length, the ailment the deceased died
of. What really drives him to distraction are tombstone carvings- lambs,
cherubs, scythes -all are bad, and even worse if they follow the modern
fashion and are painted out in bright colors. Even doves are bad- "unfit
even for the best of us". And let us not talk of urns. God forbid anyone
use an urn -it is a pagan symbol!

What is appropriate? A cross, and a short epitaph, best left to the
suggestion of your local clergyman. The Reverend Paget, a member of the
Lichfield Society for the Encouragement of Ecclesiastical Architecture, is
happy to illustrate 7 examples provided by the Society, all of which are
quite lovely in a vaguely neo-Gothic way, two of which are designs for
wooden markers, and several of which, interestingly, incorporate
Celtic-style crosses and decorative work.

An interesting Victorian-era work by a man who did not like what he was
seeing in churchyards -no siree, not one little bit! This volume was
reprinted in 1847 and 1853; none is common; OCLC locates just 11 copies of
this edition.

Hardcover. 5.25"x8", 25 pages plus 7 lithographed plates; original
softcovers perished, and newly bound into marbled boards with a paper
label; slight torn area inside the upped spine just visible, but else a
fine, neat, clean copy. [09757] $200.00

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