1990

SU9782 : St Giles Churchyard – Plot 118, the unmarked tomb

taken 34 years ago, near to Wexham Street, Buckinghamshire, England

St Giles Churchyard – Plot 118, the unmarked tomb
St Giles Churchyard – Plot 118, the unmarked tomb
Not far from Thomas Gray’s large memorial, is this unmarked tomb, an imposing example of the sepulchral art of Napoleon’s time. It is totally anonymous, identified on the churchyard record only as Plot 118, and now hidden behind the Vestry that has since been built onto the north side of the Chancel. The clue to who lies here came from a note in a book about Irish history. The answer is that the 73 year old Thomas Dawson (then Lord Cremorne) of the Dartrey estate in Co. Monaghan H6117 : Inner Lough island and the history of the Dartrey estate removed the bodies of his first wife and his four deceased children from their graves at Dartrey, and brought them here in 1798 when he and his second wife Philadelphia decided to leave Ireland for good.
The cause of this move appears to have been the turbulence of the 1790s in Ireland culminating in the unsuccessful but bloody revolution of 1798. Added to that, this faithful old Unionist found that his heir, Richard Dawson, was actually supporting the rebels. The Dawsons settled in Chelsea, but Stoke Poges was selected for the new family tomb because both he and his wife, the granddaughter of William Penn, had relations there. Yet the anonymity of their grave is puzzling. Despite the Dawson family motto ‘Toujours Propice’ (Always in Favour), this peaceful country parish may not have been particularly welcoming to Irish interlopers with ostentatious memorials! The Cremorne hatchment, which hangs high up in a dark corner of the church SU9782 : The hatchment of Thomas Dawson, Lord Cremorne, in St Giles’ church, seems to be the only indication that an Irishman and his family finally found sanctuary here “far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife” - Full story pp.116-125 LinkExternal link .
For more about this ancient building see LinkExternal link (Archive LinkExternal link )

Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright D Gore and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Category: Tombs
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SU9782, 37 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
D Gore   (more nearby)
Date Taken
1990   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 29 July, 2008
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 975 827 [100m precision]
WGS84: 51:32.1089N 0:35.7062W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SU 975 827
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
Clickable map
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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