Welwyn Archaeological Society
@welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
580 followers 210 following 470 posts
The Society's Blue Sky feed run by the Director with an interest in all things archaeological especially archaeological method, geophysics and fieldwork. Have been known to publish a few things on coins and stats too. Always looking for speakers!
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welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves day 15, #broken. This poor headless #angel is in the #Newington cemetery, #Edinburgh, #Scotland. The monument is to William, John and Catherine Graham. William died on the Western Front, John in an accident. For those that care, #Pentax K-3iii, SMC Pentax-F 50mm f/1.7 lens.
A black and white photograph of a statue on a pillar. The statue is of an angel, kneeling, hands held together in a position of prayer.  The statue is missing its head.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
That is a pretty whacky thing to do, if fun to visit now.
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stmagnuscathedral.bsky.social
Squeezing this in before the end of the day! #31DaysofGraves - Day 13, Skeleton. Of course, it had to be this cheery and dynamic fellow from the gravestone of Kirkwall merchant Patrick Prince.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves day 14 inside. This ledger stone is in the nave of St Mary's, Pirton. It is for James Hanscombe which if the text is to be believed was an all-round good guy and "one of the best and most successful advocates..." For those that care, Pentax SV, Auto-Tak 55mm, Ilford Delta 100.
A black and white photograph of a stone flat in the floor of the nave.  The photo is taken at a 45 degree angle so slopes away into the distance.  The long inscription looks white against the black stone.  There are Victorian floor tiles either side.
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gravestones-ne.bsky.social
#31daysofgraves Day 13: Skeleton. A reclining skeleton on the gravestone of William Sinclear, 1753, in Spencer, Massachusetts. Carved by William Codner and/or Henry Emmes.
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jeelyeater1.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves Day 13: Skeleton. In Port of Menteith kirkyard, Stirlingshire.
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churchmonuments.bsky.social
Today in #31DaysofGraves it's Notable Women - so how about Gwladus Ddu, a power behind the scenes in C15 SE Wales. The poet Lewys Glyn Cothi described her as ‘y seren o Efenni ... braich i Went a Brychandir’, ‘the star of Abergavenny, the strength of Gwent and Brecon’s land’. At Abergavenny Priory.
Heads of two alabaster effigies, she with butterfly head-dress, he in helm. Crocketed canopies over heads, painted with stars. Detail of female head of alabaster effigy. Jewelled butterfly head-dress and choker necklace with pendant.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
The ones at Elmswell have the skeletons standing on the hourglasses and those balanced on the heads of the cherubs, i.e., same symbols but different order!
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graveyardgirly.bsky.social
Day 10: Urn

Love the Virginia Creeper on this one, such a stunning red foliage.

Kensal Green Cemetery, London

#31daysofgraves
A weathered stone grave monument at Kensal Green Cemetery featuring a large urn draped with a stone cloth, symbolising the veil between life and death. The urn itself, a common motif in Victorian funerary art, represents the soul’s immortality and the body’s return to ashes. The draped fabric adds a layer of mourning, suggesting the shrouding of earthly life and the passage into the afterlife. Deep red ivy cascades dramatically down the front and sides of the monument, its colour evoking both love and decay. The grave stands amid overgrown grass, with autumnal trees in the background, creating a poignant, atmospheric scene of quiet remembrance and natural reclamation.
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classicalalan.bsky.social
The stunning west door of St Botolph's Priory in Colchester, which was founded c. 1093. Largely built from recycled Roman bricks, it was dissolved in 1535 and is now a stately ruin. #MedievalMonday
A ruinous facade of a church built with stone and brick and featuring a large doorway with a rounded arch.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
I've been using BibTeX since I did my masters dissertation in 1989... Occasional fiddles tweaking styles but other than that, wonderful. The most tedious thing is converting to MicroSloth Word for those journals that don't accept LaTeX/BibTeX. Use it for my course reading lists too.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves day 13 skeleton. Lots to choose from for this theme but settled on this tombstone from St John the Devine, Elmswell, Suffolk. The gravestone is for Matthew Marsh who died in 169[5]. The two skeletons are standing on hour glasses which are on top of cherubs and are holding shovels.
Detail on one edge of the tombstone showing a skeleton carving.  The proportions are all wrong with the lower half of the body much smaller than the upper.  The skull looks like it it is grinning.  The skeleton is holding a spade or shovel in its left hand.  A description of the rest of the tombstone is given with the second photograph. A face-on view of the tombstone.  On either edge is a standing skeleton holding a spade in its inside hand.  Each skeleton is standing on an hourglass which in turn is on the top of the head of a chubby cherub.  At the centre-top of the tombstone is a third cherub head with two outstretched wings either side.  Below that is a framed panel with the text.  The text reads Memento Mori \ Here lyeth the body of \ Mr Matthew \ Marsh who \ dyed  ye 18th of \ Aprill 1695 [the last digit is unclear] \ [in Italics] aetatis suae 52 \ [last line unclear] C...
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gravestones-ne.bsky.social
#31daysofgraves Day 12: Notable Women. Elizabeth Freeman (c.1744-1829), an enslaved woman who successfully sued for her freedom in 1781. It was one of several cases that led Massachusetts to become the first state state to abolish slavery. Stockbridge Cemetery, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
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simoninsuffolk.bsky.social
Edith Cavell, English nurse, was shot dead by a German firing squad #OTD 12 October 1915. Her death was a cause of national outrage and mourning. After the War, her body was returned home to England and buried in the cathedral close at Norwich.

#31DaysofGraves 12: notable woman
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eicathomefinn.bsky.social
'Our University would do well to stop neglecting the threats to humanities education, and start publicly taking up the banner of the humanities.'

Could (and should) be said of so many universities, across the globe.
Harvard Can’t Afford to Neglect the Humanities | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard exists to promote the highest intellectual pursuit in every discipline — it can’t leave the humanities behind.
www.thecrimson.com
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johnevigar.bsky.social
Continuing my study tour of Hampshire churches my guests enjoyed the iconography of the Tournai Marble Font at East Meon. Here Eve takes the apple.
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mattpope.bsky.social
Join us in four weeks, on the 8th November at Sussex University, for a day of talks from leading archaeologists and historians on the origins of the Kingdom of the South Saxons. 1/4

sussexpast.co.uk/event/the-su...
Poster advertising
The Sussex Archaeological Society Conference – Sūþseaxna: New Research from the Early Medieval Record. 8th Nov Sussex University
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codycoyote1959.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/patt...

What you should do if your a billionaire. Build up instead of tear down.
patti3333.bsky.social
fortune.com/2025/10/10/b...

A little good news this Saturday Morning
Without fanfare the former Mrs Bezos always delivers
I admire her so much
DIVERSITY,EQUITY, and INCLUSION
This will help so many students
Billionaires with a heart
Thank you MacKenzie
Why doesn't the media report on this?
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott doubles down on DEI with $42 million donation | Fortune
In a signal to nonprofits and boardrooms, the Yield Giving philanthropist is backing diversity and equity with no‑strings grants—building on more than $19 billion she’s distributed in five years.
fortune.com
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gravestones-ne.bsky.social
“In Peace Amidst the Rage of Noise and War”

Gravestone of Jacob Tilton, 1776, at North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Not sure who the carver was, but probably someone from Boston.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves day 12, Notable woman. This is the grave of Pauline Payne #Whitney Paget. She founded the Almeric Paget Military Massage Corps which helped wounded soldiers in WW1. Her story can be found here: www.schoolfieldcountryhouse.com/journal/2017...
She is buried in #Hertingfordbury
A view of the tomb.  There is a statue of a seating female figure with two children either side looking up at her. The statue is in an architectural frame with two columns, one either side holding up an entablature with "Pro Patria" inscribed on it.  Either side of the frame are two lower wings which curve forwards.  The whole is set at the back of an enclosure with low brick walls.  The area in front of the statue is paved, probably over the vault, and partly covered in wet autumn leaves. Detail of the female statue.  She is looking down and to the left.  She is wearing a cloak over her head which is tied in front. One of the panels from the paved area in front of the statue.  It shows an engraving of a man from the side sitting on a ?box.  He is smoking.  It probably represents one of the soldiers her charity helped. Detail of the statue.  The female figure is seated and the two children are either side.  One is sitting on the step at her feet looking up at her, the other is standing with one elbow on her knee looking out.  The female's cloak is wrapped around the shoulders of the second child.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves day 11: military Rather than post a grand tomb of a eminent military person, I thought I'd highlight some graves from some of more modest rank. These are in the wonderful Bonaventure cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. For those that care, #Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm lens.
A line of three white tombstones, one behind the other in a raking light show the text.  They are to Jack B. Williamson, Walter Benedict Johnson and Wallace Eugene Thonness.
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johnevigar.bsky.social
An early start this morning brought me to Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire. Church open 9-1 weekdays
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
Very sad to hear that Mike Corbishley has died. I worked with Mike at Wroxeter from 1980 to 1984 and subsequently bumped into him during my career. The CBA are planning a celebration of Mike's life in an upcoming issue of British Archaeology.
A group photograph showing the team that dug at Wroxeter in 1984.  They are holding pieces of paper which spell out "Wroxeter 1984". They are standing in front of a large piece of Roman wall ("the Old Work").  Mike is in the front row, two to the right of the number 4.
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jowolff.bsky.social
The advice I give young people on choice of degree programme. Choose something you love. You’ve got the rest of your life to be frustrated and miserable.
welwynarchsoc.bsky.social
#31DaysOfGraves Day 10: urn

I took this photo one foggy morning in the Calton Hill cemetery, Edinburgh. For those that care, Pentax K-3iii, SMC Pentax-F 50mm f/1.7 lens.

#scotland #taphophilia #cemetery #graveyard #monument
Black and white photograph of a tall burial monument.  A tall urn with two handles stands on a tall plinth with a square cross-section.  In the background is a leafless winter tree and multiple other monuments including some obelisks.  It is a little bit foggy.