EASTWELL

There was a single Vale Of Belvoir Angel gravestones listed here by the Heathcote's. To be fair, this one is not the easiest to find. Head over towards the east of the church grounds; a series of gravestones is visible the other side of some bushes, leaning against a wall. The Belvoir Angel stone is here, partially obscured by a larger gravestone.

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The right wing of the angel is obscured by this other stone, along with some of the text.  A heart symbolising love is carved at the side of the angel's head.

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This stone says  'Here lies the body of Robert Barnes he died Jan 4th 1743/4  aged 67 years'

'Farewell my wife and children which in this world I've left behind Do not lament nor shed a tear Eternity be sure you mind'

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The unusual date, with two years included, comes from the change over from Julian to Gregorian calendars. At the time when the Gregorian calendar was developed in 1582, there was a 10 day discrepancy with the Julian calendar which was used previously. In order to switch to the new calendar, those 10 days were simply dropped, leading to riots from people who believed that they had been robbed of 10 days of their lives.

The Gregorian calendar was officially introduced in to Great Britain from 1750.

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