Tombstone Tuesday: Sarah Read of Lower Winchendon

For today’s Tombstone Tuesday I am showing the tombstone of Sarah Read who is the wife of Joseph Read whose tombstone was in last week’s Tombstone Tuesday.

Sarah was Sarah Smith from Ashendon, Buckinghamshire when she married Joseph Read (the grandson of my 6 x great grandfather Cozens Read), on 22nd October 1835 at Ashendon.

They had five children and Joseph died in 1844 after only nine years of marriage to Sarah.

Sarah’s husband was a farmer and she took over the running of it after he died.  She kept the farm going right up until she died aged 76 years.

Original photograph taken by me at Lower Winchendon in 2000 - copyright 2011

 

The transcript of this inscription is as follows:

In

Memory of

Sarah widow of

Joseph Read

Who died Feb. 10th 1884

Aged 76 Years

“For so He giveth His beloved sleep”

Ps. 1. ..(?)  2

_____

Also of

Ann Read

daughter of the above

Who died May 15th 1871

Aged      (the rest here covered by long grass and another tombstone)

 

Sarah and Joseph’s daughter Ann was 31 years old when she died and never married.

As Sarah’s maiden name is Smith and she was from Ashendon, Bucks it makes me wonder whether she was related to Martha Smith of Ashendon who married Sarah’s husband Joseph’s uncle Michael Read?  I’ve not done much delving into the Smiths of Ashendon, so this will be another search to add to my “To Do” list!!

I think Sarah did wonderfully well to keep the farm going as a young widow and then as she became older.  One of her sons lived with her and only married after she died, when he was in his forties.

As mentioned last week, the farm is now a successful stud farm owned by the famous jockey Pat Eddery.  I have sent an enquiry to the farm to see if it is possible to obtain photos of it, especially if some of the original building still stands.

(Edit:  My cousin Marion has kindly given me the information that I could not see on this tombstone and it is as follows:-  The line of verse is actually from  Ps. 127. 2.  and the age for Sarah and Joseph’s daughter Anne is given as 31 years.  I already had Anne’s age from other sources but could not compare it with her age given on the inscription.  Thanks to cousin Marion for her help).