Memorial dog discovered by the Abney Unearthed project

At the end of 2021 Abney Unearthed volunteers were delighted to discover that Abney Park Cemetery has its own grave-side dog monument. Volunteers were working on a section near the boundary wall on the east side of the site. The stone dog discovered is one of several interesting finds in this section.

Exciting as the discovery of the dog is, it has also created a mystery and as yet, answered questions. Abney Unearthed have been unable to ascertain exactly which of the surrounding graves the dog may belong to – research is currently underway.

The dog’s memorial stone is small in stature, measuring less than two feet in length and 12” wide . Carved on the the plinth on which the dog lies, on either side of the paws, are the barely legible words ‘Watching’ and ‘Waiting’ – but who for?

“Watching and waiting”

The dog lies adjacent to the foot of a fairly ‘modern’ grave that is in good condition with a low headstone and a kerb surrounding the plot. This grave is on the right-hand side of the dog.

The first burial in this particular grave is dated during 1898, the last burial was in 1926. The first person buried was a 16-year-old female, Ellen, who had been re-interred after removal from a common grave in another section 7 days later. The purchaser of the grave, a woman, is also buried here - 28 years later. Assuming this is the mother of the aforementioned, she was 46 years old at the time of her daughter’s death.

Why Ellen was buried in a common grave only to be re-interred so shortly afterwards can only be supposed. Perhaps a sudden death or immediate financial hardship? The style and condition of the headstone suggests that this is an addition made after the first burial – possibly even after 1926. The undamaged kerbing set and vase within also suggest that there was probably no place for the dog on this particular grave. An example, one amongst many, of a further story to be researched..

Showing the grave on the righthand side of the dog.

According to the plot map, the dog lies almost upon a space that has the grave number of 42741. There one occupant of this grave, Rebecca Billers, who died in 1869 at the age of 69. Unfortunately, no last address is given for her on our records. There is no evidence of a headstone or a kerb, so this plot number has been noted as being marked with the mystery dog in question.

Immediately to the left of the dog is a fallen and broken headstone dating from January 1867, for Mr J. Holmes. This headstone is similar in stone type and wear as the dog, but this may be by default, as both are on the ground. Checking the details from burial records and the plot map reveals that this headstone, grave number 39574 has fallen from the row in front of the dog.

On the right side of the image: the edge of the fallen headstone for Holmes.

 There is also another number on the plot map with no headstone, so the dog may belong here. To the left again of the fallen headstone, is grave number 109091. This is for the burial of one Edwin West who died in 1905. The position of the dog does not exactly tally with this number on the plot map. However, the dog is quite small and could have been shifted from anywhere in the past 181 years – perhaps even from another grave from a further distance.

The headstones immediately surrounding the dog date from 1869 – 1924 and are of varying stone types. The dog itself appears to be weathered marble, but it may not necessarily match the stone type of the grave is belongs to.  

As Abney Unearthed has not yet discovered a definite link to any given grave we can only wonder. Regardless, this is a fantastic discovery that now places Abney Park amongst other cemeteries with a grave-side dog. Other stone memorials that feature animals in Abney Park include the marble lion for Frank Bostock and also a small horse’s head on a relatively modern grave near the chapel. A slightly more unusual animal / insect related monument is that of a beehive near the north-west boundary. There are also some examples of symbolism that feature animals, including sheep and dogs. A symbol or memorial depicting a dog symbolises loyalty.

A dog’s eye view.

Another discovery of interest nearby is a vase - unusual due to the fact that it has a small angel on one side. This is a rare example – as yet unseen by Abney Unearthed. At first appears that there is no definitive grave that this belongs to but brushing back fallen leaves reveals a marble kerb set, low in the ground and further partially-subsided on one side.

Sadly, the visible text on the left side reads’ Gywnfryn, died 10 May 1917, aged 8 months’. Searching the burial records shows that there has been an error made at some time – the listed name is ‘Arthur Gwinfryn’. The updated records will now reflect the spelling as given on the grave side, and will also retain a note of the mis-spelling, enabling wider search options for future grave searches.

 The front facing epitaph reads:

“OUR LOSS IS GREAT
BUT WE’LL
NOT COMPLAIN
AS HER SWEET
SMILE
IS HEAVEN’S
GAIN”

On the left, the epitaph reads:
“TO MY DEAREST FRIEND BETTY”

An epitaph on the angel vase.

Unless there is a definite link to a grave number, plot or headstone, Abney Unearthed volunteers leave things where they are found. As previously mentioned, we have no idea when any given piece may have been moved, or the initial location - therefore the current position is noted by volunteers and added to the digital map by the overseer of the Abney Unearthed project. 

Across the path nearby is another interesting discovery – that of what appears to be the time-damaged base of a small iron pedestal type monument. The volunteers noted the grave number for the location of this oddity as 004177, a very early burial. The first was person in this grave was buried in May 1849 and was a 6yr old named Ann. She was later followed by William in 1855 and the last burial was in 1907. This grave has five people interred within.

Decaying iron headstone.

There are two other known examples of stand-alone iron monuments Abney Park - that is actual headstones as opposed to additions or embellishments to a stone memorial. Amongst the 30,000 headstones and memorials in Abney Park this is a rare example.

Unfortunately, this monument is illegible with no discernible text to confirm the names of those interred, so we can only assume the map and the monument position itself are correct. Again, this could be a later, or an earlier, addition – it could also not have any relation to the grave at all, being placed at some interim period.

The final discovery for this article is that of a headstone for a common (or paupers) grave dating from 1875, sited directly adjacent to the boundary wall. Initially the Abney Unearthed officer was informed of this as it was actually uncovered by stone masons during works to replace some of the boundary wall. As Abney Unearthed were working in this area shortly afterwards it was left to the volunteers to note the name, grave number and location – this will in turn be added to the digital plot map.

This is extremely exciting as in the past Abney Park Trust had no evidence of any common grave headstones or marker that dated from before 1918. By January 2022 the Abney Unearthed project has discovered 3 common grave markers that all date prior to 1900. This may not sound like many, but it was supposed that no such markers existed. We are hoping to reveal more early common grave headstones as the project progresses.

The headstone itself is beautiful – a scaled down version of a memorial for a private grave, with architectural details. The stone stands at just over 30cm high. The epitaph on the headstone reads:

In affectionate remembrance of
Mr Thomas Morris,
who died
August 17th
1875
Aged 68 years

Thomas Morris was buried on 20 August 1875. On the same day two others with the surname of Morris were also buried – Eleanor, aged 3 and George Thomas, aged 1 year. Hopefully, the research underway will reveal whether or not this is a direct family link, or if this is a coincidence.

A search of the burial records reveals further interesting details. The number of this grave is 57345. It dates from the first burial on 11th August 1875 to the last burial on 28th August 1875. The grave holds 18 people, 6 of whom, sadly, are children aged under 3 years. The ages of the others buried range from 24 – 60 years. No addresses are given for any of the people in this grave, sadly this is not unusual for those buried in early common graves.

We hope that this article has given not only some examples of the fascinating finds made by Abney Unearthed, but also the quandaries faced by the project volunteers almost every week. The discoveries made may answer one question, but often they leave many to be pondered. Hopefully the mysteries will be resolved by research, but if not, the partial stories revealed become yet another component of the intricate social and structural history that contribute to the foundations of Abney Park.