Mausoleum Of Sir Richard And Lady Burton, Churchyard Of St Mary Magdalen

The mausoleum of Sir Richard and Lady Burton, located in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalen, was built around 1890. It is designed in the shape of a Bedouin tent and constructed from Carrara marble and Forest of Dean stone, measuring 12 feet square and 18 feet high. The roof features a gilt-tailed nine-point star, while the pelmet is adorned with stars and crescents. The rear of the mausoleum originally had a stained glass panel displaying the Burton monogram, which has since been replaced with clear glass. The entrance, now blocked, has a crucifix above it, and the door bears the inscription "To Sir Richard Francis Burton 1821-1890 and Isabel d.1896," along with a poem by Justin Huntly McCarthy.

Inside, which can be viewed through the rear glass panel, there is an ornate tapering coffin for Sir Richard Burton, richly decorated with gilt, along with a crucifix and camel bells. Lady Burton is interred in a more conventional mahogany coffin. The painted ceiling represents the heavens, featuring stars, seraphim, and strings of camel bells. There is a shrine on the rear wall and religious paintings depicting Christ with Magdalene and the Crucifixion on the sides, along with Arabic lamps on the floor. This burial reflects Sir Richard Burton's aversion to darkness, presenting an extraordinary blend of a chapelle ardente and a Bedouin tent.