Literary Reference. The graves of 13 children who died between 1771 and 1779 and were buried beneath lozenge shaped markers buttressing their parents' stone. None of the children survived beyond seventeen months. The 10 graves on one side were the children of Michael and Jane Comport of Cooling Manor; William, William, James, Francis, William, Elizabeth, Sarah, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Mary. The three gravestones on the other side were those of the children of John and Sarah Anne Rose-Baker; Ellen, Sarah, and John, all of whom reportedly succumbed to ague (malaria). Author Charles Dickens had apparently been inspired by the sight of the graves and used them in his novel 'Great Expectations,' describing them as "little stone lozenges each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their parents' graves." The churchyard was the setting for the opening scene of 'Great Expectations' when the protagonist, Pip, meets Magwitch, hence the modern designation of Pip's Graves. The Saint James Church where the graves are located is a 13th century structure now managed by The Churches Conservation Trust, and was once a Dickens favorite; he liked to picnic in the churchyard, and according to his son, "He loved Cooling Church more than any other."
Literary Reference. The graves of 13 children who died between 1771 and 1779 and were buried beneath lozenge shaped markers buttressing their parents' stone. None of the children survived beyond seventeen months. The 10 graves on one side were the children of Michael and Jane Comport of Cooling Manor; William, William, James, Francis, William, Elizabeth, Sarah, Thomas, Elizabeth, and Mary. The three gravestones on the other side were those of the children of John and Sarah Anne Rose-Baker; Ellen, Sarah, and John, all of whom reportedly succumbed to ague (malaria). Author Charles Dickens had apparently been inspired by the sight of the graves and used them in his novel 'Great Expectations,' describing them as "little stone lozenges each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their parents' graves." The churchyard was the setting for the opening scene of 'Great Expectations' when the protagonist, Pip, meets Magwitch, hence the modern designation of Pip's Graves. The Saint James Church where the graves are located is a 13th century structure now managed by The Churches Conservation Trust, and was once a Dickens favorite; he liked to picnic in the churchyard, and according to his son, "He loved Cooling Church more than any other."
Bio by: Iola
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