After a quick lunch we hit the road to Abbot’s Leigh. It’s one of several small communities in a triangular section south of Bristol between the Severn and the River Avon. The Lancashires (Robert was Martha Hopton’s first husband), the Hoptons and some of their descendants lived in that area from the time of the Lancashire marriage in 1804 to sometime in the latter part of the century when a grandson was reported to have trained polo ponies at Ham Green, one of the other communities and also one often recorded by family as a place of birth in census records.
Our interest in Abbot’s Leigh arose from knowledge that it was the burial place of Robert Lancashire’s second wife. I knew nothing else about her so was keen to see if a tombstone would help. In addition, two of the Hopton children had been baptised there. The parish had thoughtfully compiled a record of burials and a map and we hit the jackpot. The tombstone was located near the entrance to the church and most of the writing was still clear. The interesting piece of information was that Sarah Lancashire had died a year after marrying Robert Lancashire and was buried with her previous husband, William Dyer, and a host of others of the same surname. A few mysteries remain to be unravelled.
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Holy Trinity Church Abbot’s Leigh
Nearby
Neighbours
Inside church
Baptismal font
Dyer tombstone
The tombstone was located behind the trees in the first photo. The church was beautifully cared for. It was Easter Saturday. Many arrangements of fresh flowers added a vibrancy to the environment. Children had created small arrangements of flowers which were located at the entrance to the church.
Our next location was another church a few kilometres away.