Come Ye Blessed...
THE VALE OF BELVOIR ANGELS
Looking at 'Belvoir Angel' gravestones, carved in slate, to be found (for the most part) in the Vale Of Belvoir.
The Vale of Belvoir covers adjacent parts of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The word'Belvoir' itself is French/Norman for 'Beautiful View'.
A description of the Vale of Belvoir found on the internet said that if you would walk from Bingham to Long Clawson then on to Melton Mowbray and Grantham, then on to Bottesford before heading back to Bingham then that would encompass the area of the Vale.
Most, but not all of the gravestones listed here come from within this area.
The angel is an often used symbol to be found on gravestones throughout the country and overseas; used as a symbol for the safe escorting of the soul towards Heaven. Here though there are a few slight variations that separate these from other angels. The angels are each depicted wearing a small ruff and are shown with curly hair; with finely carved wings stretched across the top of the stone. With regards the material of the gravestones, to be included they must be of slate.
It was a bitterly cold December morning in 2012 and I was wandering around the grounds at the church of St John The Baptist, at Muston. Crunching through the frost at the north side of the church, something caught my eye.
It was a slate grave, to one John Chamberin, who passed away in 1698 at the age of 86. Across the top of the grave was a depiction of an angel, curly haired and wearing a ruff; finely detailed wings outstretched across the full width of the grave. Images of mortality, an hourglass and crossed bones were alongside the angel. Weathered wording across the top read ‘Grieve not for me my glass is run. It is the Lord his will be done’.
This was my first grave of this kind. It turned out that they were like buses; you go ages without seeing one then two pop up together. A second turned up at Bottesford half an hour later and there was a scattering of them locally throughout the rest of the trip.
When I got home after that trip I did a little internet research and found out that these stones have a following; and that a study of them was conducted by a couple in the 1970’s, Pauline and Bernard Heathcote, who published their results in a hard to track down book.
Their comprehensive study found 328 of these stones still standing, with this figure being increased a little in recent times with a few more coming to light. The Heathcote’s describes these as ‘Vale Of Belvoir Angels’ so I will do the same.
This website will take a look at these gravestones; providing a record of things that I hold a great affection for; each one a little work of art, interesting historically and socially.
This is not meant to include a comprehensive listing of all of these graves. A full list, with a few subsequent additions, was produced by the Heathcote's and I don't intend to copy their work. This is a snapshot of my travels using the Heathcote's listing as my guide.
I have set this site up so that the pages are 'stand alone'; they are not designed to be read through from first to last (but if you do that is great).
It is designed for people to dip in to; to read about a particular church that they may have an interest in.
The same observations will pop up from time to time on different pages so apologies in advance for repeating myself for anyone reading through the whole thing.
From my time out with the camera I know that there is an interest in these type of gravestones; people have seen them about and wish to know a little more about them.
I hope you enjoy what I have put together.
Best wishes
Robin Peel.
BELVOIR ANGEL GRAVESTONE SYMBOLISM.
I will start off with the angel itself; this being the integral part of these stones. As mentioned above, the angel was used universally as a symbol that the soul of the deceased is in safe hands and is being escorted up towards Heaven.
The angels themselves are finely carved, with intricate details on the wings. The angels are depicted with a ruff around the throat. These are mainly associated with the Elizabethan era and it is thought that they had pretty much disappeared from use in Britain by 1625. It seems curious to have the angels wearing an item of clothing which had ceased to be used for many years beforehand!
There are subtle intricacies within the facial features of the angels themselves. Some are frowning (reasonable, given that the deceased has recently passed on) whilst others appear happy (reasonable given that the soul of the deceased is making an important and exciting journey).
Very often, the words 'Come Ye Blessed' are carved in to the stone alongside the angel. Words of comfort and also another proclamation as to the faith of the deceased!
The words themselves are Biblical and come from Matthew Chapter 25, when he speaks of Jesus coming in in His glory and judging the righteous from the condemned. Verses 31 - 35 read...
'31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'
So, important words; a Biblical promise to those who are departed and to those who look on, knowing that they too will one day, possibly sooner rather than later, follow in their footsteps and receive the same promise for living a good Christian life.
With regards other symbolism, the Vale of Belvoir Angel gravestones are quite limited to be fair in the number of different symbols used.
For the most part we are looking at the hourglass, which is normally to be found in the top left hand corner as we look at it, and the crossed bones which are to be found top right.
Apart from these, all that we really see is the heart, used as a symbol of love and occasionally a Christian cross.
There is one instance, at Whatton In The Vale, where there is a full skeleton, which holds a dart and a candle snuffer.
The hour glass is mentioned above and is often used with the words 'Be Ye Also Ready'. A reminder that your days are limited, especially with life expectancy so low. An often used verse at the foot of the grave reads 'Death does not always warning give ,so be careful how you live'. Time flies, and it may be later than you think.
It is interesting, looking at the epitaphs at the foot of these gravestones, how the people of the day saw the passing of time. There are several inscriptions in which the passing of time is likened to a glass being emptied. One reads 'As runs the glass our lives do pass' another says 'Reader stand still and shed a tear upon the dust that sleepeth here and whilst thou read of the state of me think on the cup that runs for thee'.
As mentioned earlier, human bones were often used as a symbol to represent the mortality of Man. However, there is another meaning associated with this. In medieval times it was considered essential that the skull and the large bones such as the thigh bones were preserved in order for the body to be resurrected on the final day.
This is why the skull and larger bones are preserved and treated with such respect in bone crypts. The human bone as a symbol therefore can have another meaning. It can be seen as a symbol of the resurrection and therefore, also be seen as a proclamation as to the faith of the deceased.
So, symbols run alongside script and vice versa; together passing on an important message. Be prepared to follow in the footsteps of those who have passed before you, and make sure that you have lived correctly along the way!
A universal language; the same symbols were used, and would have been understood, by people the length and breadth of the country and abroad. A symbol understood by someone in Devon would also have been understood by someone is Scotland. The same symbol would have been understood by someone in France or Germany or any other country, even if they didn't speak the same language. A language that has been unlearned over the years.