Perlethorpe Churchyard, gargoyles and graves.

 

Above: “The Dukes Graves”, painting by Ian Gordon Craig, (2017).

Above: This is just a selection of the splendid gargoyles to be found placed around Perlethorpe Church, the Church of St John the Evangelist. They remain in excellent condition, sadly not the case with some other areas of the graveyard.

Above: The Dukes’ graves as seen from the rear, placed together in specific formation.

Below:  The grave on the left is that of the 3rd Earl Manvers (1825 - 1900) who was responsible for so many of the buildings we see on Thoresby Estate today, such as Perlethorpe School. The grave in the foreground is that of both the 6th and final Earl Manvers (1881 - 1955) and his wife Lady Manvers, (Marie-Louise Roosevelt Butterfield) (1889–1984).

Meaningful photography / research beyond the Duke’s graves has now become impossible. A new burial area behind the church is well maintained, but this ancient site is now overgrown and occasionally, economically “mowed” by the nearby sheep. That is not intended as a criticism. However, three stones in particular are worth a mention:

Above: The Carpenter’s Grave. It is well documented that successive Pierrepont / Manvers families held their estate workers in high esteem. Of some prominence in Perlethorpe Church graveyard is a remarkable headstone for one such man, carpenter Alfred Middleton. Buried there after his death in January 1935, the tools of his trade are carved into the base of a rustic cross.

Above: Two rather beautiful gravestones, their names long since faded, but the detailing suggesting someone special? Someone very young?

Above: Environmentally economic grass cutters.