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What one got for one’s money in 1797 is revealed in a collection of deeds and papers recently shown to us by a resident of Bleachfield Street.
Elizabeth Hopkins of Alcester, spinster, died in that year; she was reasonably well-off, according to her will. Her funeral was probably at Alcester church, for she was buried in its churchyard. £2.10.0 was paid for her coffin, which was made by Thomas Franklin and £7.15.3 was expended on her tomb. These things are difficult to put in modern terms but £500+ seems about right. The exact wording of the bill sent to Elizabeth’s executor reads as follows
‘To a tomb put up in Aulcester churchyard' |
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| To a ledger 32’ 6” | @ 2-6 per foot | £4.1.3 |
| Ashler Roun 13’ | @ 1-6 per foot | 19.6 |
| Bottom stone 23’ | @ 8d “ “ | 19.4 |
| Lettring | 12.8 | |
| Carriage of do. & Pike | 11,6 | |
| Setting up do. Tramp,morter,etc | 10.0 | |
| Painting do. etc | 5.0 | |
| £7.15.3 | ||
The grave stone seems to have been a ‘tabletop’ type one. The ‘ledger’ was a horizontal slab over a tomb, One meaning of ‘pike’ given in the dictionary and evidently in use around here was that of tramp or vagrant: perhaps in this case it meant a casual labourer. ‘Ashier’ would be today's ‘ashlar’, fine-masoned stone. It would have been very interesting to know from where Paul Wilkes (who sent the bill) got his stone.
© Alcester & District Local History Society 1991