29^th April 2019.

We started the day by meeting up at Arncliffe churchyard with the intention to complete the RTI photography on a 17thC table top there – we had managed to photograph half of it some time ago but needed another RTI session to finish the job to our satisfaction. But it was such a lovely spring day that – again - we just couldn’t complete the RTI – it was just too sunny and bright! Two walkers visiting the churchyard as a stop-off point off the footpath must have found it very amusing watching us waiting for the clouds to come over so we could make another attempt at photography, and getting very frustrated when the clouds rolled quickly by. 

We finally had to admit defeat and consoled ourselves with an early lunch at the café at Kilnsey Trout Farm. 

From there we went back to Conistone to carry on with our churchyard survey there. 

Alan tried some more RTI with a little bit of success as the brightness of the morning was reduced.

Jane Lunnon

26 April 2019

A sunny start to the day gradually turned to drizzly rain and sharply cold breezes which made for difficult conditions, but we wrapped up warm and soldiered on at Conistone churchyard today. 

Sheltering from a rain shower

We continued to mark out with flags the burial plots at the south-east end of the churchyard that had no gravestones, and photographed them for the record. 

Unfortunately there are no records to tell us the names of any of those buried in un-marked plots, but the traces of their burial mounds can still be seen.  We also worked on recording, measuring, and photographing some of the surviving gravestones on the south side, including yet more un-marked plots. 

Lynne on the case with the paperwork

The onset of rain drove us to an early lunch which we took in the shelter of the church (I hasten to add, we had sought and been given permission!). 

Sue - never downhearted, no matter the weather!

We managed an hour or so after lunch of more surveying but were beaten by the cold by 2 pm and decided to call it a day.

Jane Lunnon

Wednesday 17^th April 2019

What a beautiful Spring day to be working outdoors in the Yorkshire Dales! The daffodils were glorious in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church in Conistone-with-Kilnsey as we started on our detailed survey of the gravestones.

The lovely ancient church was extensively renovated by the Victorians but still retains its charm and some of its Norman features. Outside there have obviously been many removals of headstones over the centuries but there are some nice 18^th Century examples, including a few chest tombs on the south side. 

The idea was to start right away on the RTI of the latter as they are at risk of becoming so weathered as to be illegible. But there were technical difficulties with the camera and flash unit and poor Alan had to give up after a long morning of trying to put it right.

But he cheered up after a long lunch break basking in the sunshine, while we discussed deep thoughts about the nature of history and the changing nature of moral values over the centuries, and to what extent we can impose our own moral judgments on past society. 

We had a short afternoon continuing the general surveying that had been going on through the morning – measuring, recording and photographing gravestone by gravestone. We only had one visitor to the churchyard but Sue had a nice, interesting chat with her. It’s always a bonus when visitors are interested in our churchyard project.  

Overall, despite the RTI setback, we had a good day.

Jane Lunnon

On Thursday 4^th April Chris Lunnon presented his talk on “Famine, Fear and Fire”, to the Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group, and launched his publication on the same subject. Over the past 3 years or so, Chris has been translating the Bolton Priory Compotus of 14^th Century accounts from the medieval Latin – a huge task in itself – and then extracting and analysing data relating to our two townships of Embsay and Eastby.

What he had revealed is an extraordinary story of the local aspects of the devastating crisis which hit Northern England during the early 14^th century – a generation before the notorious Black Death hit England, a series of crises – poor harvests, bad weather, livestock disease, epidemics, conflict with Scotland resulting in crippling taxes and the ferocity of Scottish raids – had already undermined the stability of social and economic life. 

As Lord of the Manor of several townships in the Craven area, Bolton Priory had to deal with the effects of these events, and their accounts provide an insight into how, long before the Black Death, the entire economy and social structure of villages like Embsay and Eastby were fundamentally altered.

Monday April 1^st 2019

Last week three of us went to Kettlewell to survey the tiny little burial ground attached to the former Wesleyan Chapel. The chapel was closed down the 1980s and converted into residential, but happily the gravestones have been left standing. 

This is now someone’s back garden so we were very privileged to be allowed to carry out the survey. It took less than a day – just 8 gravestones are standing.

We carried out some RTI photography on 2 of the memorials – but a third illegible stone was far too badly eroded for it to be worthwhile.

It was a perfect day for RTI – a cloudy, fairly dull, dry, still day. 

One of the memorials has an interesting crenelated crest, while the others are fairly standard examples of Late Victorian memorials. The badly eroded memorial was obviously of a low gothic design, while the others are simple, modest designs with minimal decoration – three of them bearing a band of the same style of an abstract rosette.

The dates of the memorials range from 1862 to 1914. It must be assumed that even taking into account the un-marked burials – only about another 8 - most of the chapel congregation may have been buried at the parish church.

Jane Lunnon

Last Wednesday we went over to Long Preston near Settle, to meet two photographers, from the Long Preston Heritage Group there, who have asked to be trained in the technique of RTI.

We met up with 5 members of the group who would like to see some kind of Churchyard Project take place in the village. Hopefully by photographing a selection of gravestones and setting up a small exhibition later in the spring or early summer they can raise some interest in taking it further.

We had a really good day discussing the potential of such a project. Part of the day was spent in the churchyard where Alan trained the two photographers, and the rest of us chatted to the others about gravestones and showed them how they can be looked at with a fresh eye, and in so many different ways. 

In the afternoon Alan demonstrated the processing of the photographs and produced a good result from one of the gravestones that is heavily lichen-covered.

We do hope that the Group can get enough interest going to do their own survey – hopefully the Settle project will provide additional encouragement.

Jane Lunnon

Thursday 28^th February 2019

Some time ago we did some Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) photography on a 17^th Century listed grave slab at Kettlewell churchyard, and the P.C.C. are now planning to put some of the results on an information board.

So we were invited over to have a chat with Di who is co-ordinating this and other plans for increasing appreciation of the churchyard and what it has to offer in terms of mindfulness (with a prayer walk), and biodiversity, as well as heritage.

It gave us the opportunity to have a lovely chat with someone who shared our enthusiasm, and to point out some of the ways in which a churchyard survey can open up people’s awareness of how gravestones can be a window into local and social history.

Take, for example, one particular memorial we spent a little time looking at more closely.

It was erected in 1834 in memory of a 2 year old girl. It is a very large memorial, over 5 foot in height, and broader than usual. Although not located at the east end, near the altar, nor facing straight onto a footpath, or another of the most prominent positions within the churchyard, it is nevertheless an imposing memorial, and must have been a very expensive commission.

The design is unusual, with a bold profile – the sides are slightly splayed outwards, and the top line is a strong diamond centrepiece over deeply scooped shoulders, flanked by rosetted wings. The imagery is neo-classical in design, probably influenced by the Adam style, although it is not as sophisticated nor elegant, suggesting this was not made by a highly skilled artist. But it is well-made, probably handcrafted by a skilled monumental mason. A surprising feature is that the urn and swag design is duplicated on the back of the headstone, although the inscription is only on the primary face, and is dedicated to the one burial.

Unfortunately it is difficult to read the epitaph with the naked eye – there is clearly a lengthy quotation or piece of poetry at the base of the memorial – another case for the RTI squad perhaps!!

This is an extraordinary memorial to a small child, and speaks volumes about the grief that was felt at her death. Indeed this is a good example of a memorial that says more about the bereaved and how they felt about their loss, than it does about the deceased.

Our thanks to Di for her interest and we wish Kettlewell P.C.C. every success with their project.

Jane Lunnon