Thursday

P had an appointment in Stowmarket this afternoon so I took S (our springer) for a walk from the rugby field, pausing to look at the Paupers' Graveyard, a small area off the footpath & which is actually in the adjacent parish of Onehouse. The area had been used as a graveyard for Stow Lodge, which was designed as a workhouse, built in the late 18th century. Each shallow grave had originally been marked with a wooden cross bearing a metal plate with the person's number. Presumably the numbers were listed with names in the records, but those seem to have been lost over time. The area eventually became totally overgrown but has been restored in recent years. The original crosses had mainly rotted and the metal plates scattered, but those which have been recovered have been mounted on a large wooden cross in one of the open areas.

The area was purchased by Onehouse Parish Council and is being maintained by volunteers; there's an avenue of trees and also footpaths leading around the "wilder" section.