Horsefield Table Tomb In Churchyard Of Church Of St Mary

Table tomb of dressed sandstone. Decorative relief carving. Lain base with six short, square legs supporting a rectangular table with a moulded margin and carved surface design in the form of an elliptical arch supported by scrolled consoles with imposts incorporating an ivy-leaf motif. Arch band with a medallion to apex contains a dove descending bearing an olive branch. Naturalistic carving of vines to left of dove, oak leaves and acorns to right. Spandrels with carved foliation. An oval-shaped panel below the arch contains a carved relief of Horsefield's hybridised 'Trigridia conchiflora var. Watkinsoni'. Inscription reads 'IN MEMORY OF/ JOHN HORSEFIELD/ OF WHITEFIELD, BOTANIST/ who died March 6th 1854, in the/ 62nd Year of his age'. Below are 18 lines of verse by the poet Charles Swain (1807-74), which read 'Ye who behold God's works in Nature's ways/ And find in flowers mute anthems to His praise/ Who read the volume of eternal love/ In seeds of earth as in the stars above/ Here read a name whose fame shall long endure./ One of poor birth, but Gifted although poor:/ God - unlike man - the humblest spirit lifts/ Nor asks his wealth before He sends His gifts!/ Where'er Botanic science could be learn'd/ New links disclosed - new species yet discerned/ Where'er by wood or lane or heath or hill/ God op'ed the book that taught Botanic skill/ There HORSEFIELD's foot from dawn to eve was seen/ to learn - to teach - to be what he has been,/ An honour to the soil that gave him birth:/ Oh, may that spirit for whose loss we grieve/ Our God accept - our Saviour Lord receive. C. Swain. Further inscription to bottom of table reads 'Also of Esther Horsefield, widow of the above who died June 17th, 1872 in the 79th year of her Age (and James their son and Alice his wife)'.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24/04/2012