Hello Maggie. Ref your comment on yesterday's blog, here is another photo I took of the gravestone that interests you. The symbols along the top of the stone are an hour glass, a skull, and crossed bones, all emblems of time and mortality. The stone has sunk into the ground so that the date is not apparent, but on the style of the lettering (the use of the long 's' in refteth, hufband, et cetera) it appears to date from the early to mid eighteenth century - circa 1730 to 1760 I should think. You have to remember that even apart from sinking into the ground, a couple of centuries or so of sea air will have affected the detail.
Some of the best preserved headstones I know are in your area and are made from Swithland slate with the details still sharp and clear. From memory there's one in Melton Churchyard (drive north along the Belgrave Road for a mile or so, and it's on your left) that dates from 1689, and the lettering on it is beautifully clear still. There is also, in one of the Leicester museums, a grandfather clock with a well cut dial of Swithland slate made by Thomas Kellam in 1732, who is believed to have worked at Grimston near Melton Mowbray.
Been rabbitting on a bit, but find it interesting - Warm regards, Big bruv.
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