My name is Leann Reeves and I am focusing on the Wordsworth family by digging into their intricate family life and discussing why their relationships were extremely important to William's writing process. Along with their familial relationships, there will also be points made in reference to the Wordsworth family burial spot at Saint Oswald's Church in Grasmere, Cumbria, England.
About the Wordsworth Family Graves...
The Wordsworth family grave is located behind Saint Oswald's Church in Grasmere where the family frequently attended services. The church is also located in the same village of the Wordsworth's first home, Dove Cottage. William and Mary had five children (two would die in early childhood). After the Wordsworth family moved from Dove Cottage, they relocated several times before ending up in their final home at Rydal Mount, where they lived from 1813 until his death in 1850. The graves of William and Fanny Wordsworth (William's son and daughter-in-law), Dorothy Wordsworth (William's sister), John Wordsworth (William's brother), William and Mary Wordsworth (William's wife), Dora Quillinan (William's daughter), Edward Quillinan (Dora's husband), Catherine and Thomas Wordsworth (William's other children), and Sara Hutchinson (Mary's sister) are located in the church cemetery. The family burial spot is shaded by one of the eight yew trees William Wordsworth planted in the cemetery 200 years ago (www.travelsignposts.com).
Most of the graves, with exception of Dora and John's grave, are plain with only names and dates of death of the deceased listed on the headstones. Dora's headstone is remarkably beautiful in design with a finely etched lamb carved into the stone at the top with a bible verse at the bottom. John's headstone has a detailed inscription that attests to the love that William and Dorothy bestowed upon him as their brother. Although John is not buried in this spot, it does serve as reminder of the dear brother they lost in a battle/shipwreck. One scholar even contends that the death of John Wordsworth triggered a decline in William Wordsworth's poetic prowess (Townsend 70). William was able to look upon John as a youthful young man because of John's death at a young age and the reality of never seeing his deceased body (70). The intense love that William and Dorothy held for John and Dora is obviously evident in the detailed carving and inscription on both headstones. The section of the cemetery where the Wordsworth family is buried is closely guarded by a wrought iron fence to keep tourist from trampling over Wordsworth's grave. The 140,000 people who travel to Grasmere would definitely cause heavy wear and tear on the grass that covers the graves if it were not protected.