Tonight saw the popular annual Summer Death Lecture by Brompton Cemetery guide Robert Stephenson, held in the Grade II Listed Anglican Chapel in Brompton Cemetery, where we were met at the door by the Grim Reaper himself.
The talk was an exposition on the attitudes and customs associated with
death in medieval Britain, as practised by royalty and commoners alike. Accompanied with slides, various subjects were
discussed including:
- The book of hours and the rituals surrounding death.
- Purgatory, and visions of Hell, and people’s beliefs in
how to avoid them, including by visiting the tombs of saints.
- Transi, or cadaver tombs, where a sculpture of the decaying body sits on top of the tomb.
- The dance of death, showing death as a lively creature.
The lecture examined how attitudes towards death have changed, and perhaps suggested that death in England was once much more a part of daily life than it is today.
Brompton Cemetery, consecrated by the Bishop of London in June 1840, is
one of the Britain's oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries. The cemetery was one of seven large, modern cemeteries founded by
private companies in the mid-19th century (sometimes called the 'Magnificent Seven') forming a ring around
the edge of London.
Robert Stephenson is a
qualified City of London guide and a tour leader at Kensal Green and Brompton
cemeteries. He teaches on London and Death
Studies, and is also vice-chairman of the City of London Archaeological Society.
For more information
about Brompton Cemetery and their events, visit www.brompton-cemetery.org.
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