I Went Searching for an Ancient Coffin Lid ... and Nearly Missed it!

I've always enjoyed walking around old churchyards. They are peaceful places, and every gravestone has a story to tell. I especially like the really old graves. Whenever I visit somewhere new, I like to explore the local churchyard to see what interesting things I can find.

​During a recent visit to Ringwood in Hampshire, UK, I did just that. St Peter & St Paul church is a beautiful building with its ancient stone walls and bright blue door standing out against the weathered stone. There are many old graves, with some inscriptions still easy to read while others have faded away over the centuries.

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​This is a historical parish marker or commemorative plaque dating back to 1843, set into a brick wall of the churchyard.
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​Before my visit, I had read about an old stone coffin lid somewhere in the churchyard that is sitting right on the surface. I thought it would be interesting to see it for myself. Before I set off to look for it, I walked past a cross made from rusted metal, with a crown of thorns made out of barbed wire. The church would have placed it here for people to look at and think about the Easter story.

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​The churchyard had a few other interesting things to see as well. One of my favourites was an old family grave surrounded by a rusty iron fence, with ivy growing all around it. It looked as though nature was slowly reclaiming it.
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​This is a coffin tomb from the 1800s. It looks like a stone casket sitting on the grass, but the bodies are actually buried underneath it. Rich families bought them to show off their wealth and to stop grave robbers from digging up the bodies.

​I wandered around for quite a while, looking carefully among the older graves. It was still surprisingly hot, even at tea time. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. Sometimes things really are hiding in plain sight. As I continued looking, I met a gentleman who was also exploring the churchyard. We started chatting, and when I mentioned I was looking for the stone coffin lid, he said he knew exactly where it was. He kindly led me over to it. It turned out I'd walked straight past it near the entrance to the churchyard.

​As I've mentioned previously, this coffin lid was actually designed to stay on the surface to mark the grave of a wealthy person. Over the years, it was likely moved from its original spot, either to clear space as the churchyard grew crowded, or because it was moved outside during later church renovations, to end up right where I found it. It was well worth finding. St Peter & St Paul churchyard was a lovely place to explore. It was peaceful, full of history, and I even met another person who enjoys exploring old churchyards!