As you can see in this photo of his tomb, he is depicted holding the offending ball in his left hand, and, with his right, cupping his head, where the fatal missile struck.
The idea would be funny if it weren’t so sad.
Of course, the year of poor John’s death was 1460, and the balls then were made of wood (true), and medicine isn’t what it is now… but still.
I thought it best to mention this fact on the day that the Wimbledon tournament gets under way.
The Stanley memorial is in St Peter's Church at Elford, which you should visit if you get the chance. It’s a large and amazing church with many more monuments.
Link: St Peter's Church / This post has been featured on Taphophile Tragics the cemtery-enthusiasts' website
funny indeed ;)
ReplyDeleteGoodness me, how tragic. You should link this to Julie (Sydney Eye) Tuesday Taphophile tragics Meme ;-)
ReplyDeletehttp://taphophile-tuesday.blogspot.co.uk/
There I was thinking it was a cricket ball. I recently discovered the grave of a cricketer killed during a match, by the ball.
ReplyDeleteOOO yes please ... a story Paul, a story ...
DeleteWow, what a find. Poor John Stanley. I thought sport and exercise was supposed to do you good.
ReplyDeleteHerding Cats
I hope I forget all about this when I get on the tennis court tomorrow! LOL!
ReplyDeletethats sad.
ReplyDeletebut he must have loved tennis very much if they decided to depict him that way...
or was it just normal to depict the last scene of life.. ? hahaha, that might not always be feasible, or wanted..
Yes, it's an interesting question - why did they depict him that way? If he'd been in the prime of life he'd have been depicted in his armour - but he's clearly to young for that. I suspect it is deep grief: they chose to remember the sadness of his passing... even though it looks deeply odd to us...!
DeleteTo begin with, I thought the ball to have struck him in the groin! Wooden tennis balls were no joke I gather ...
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely carving - although that right hand is a bit sus - and probably unusual for so young a person during that period. I am also struck by the ordinariness of his name, John Stanley.
Thank you for linking, Mark. And to Chrissy for suggesting it. I appreciate your contribution. Whenever next you have a cemetery related post, I welcome your company again.
Hi Julie - am much enjoying your T Tragics site, so it was a pleasure to join in.
DeleteIncidentally, you are right to be suspicious of the carving. Elford Church was 'refurbished' by Victorian conservationists, who virtually re-carved a lot of the then crumbling monuments, so John's tomb is as much 'modern' as ancient.
But - John himself was for real. The Stanleys were one of the great families of England at the time, and had a great part in bringing the first Tudor to the throne.