Relic of the past: Jeanne Le Moyne, April 1625
From The Star, January 25 1915.
When the improvement of Church Hill was taken in hand last year, the wall which retained Cornet Street cemetery wall was taken down to be rebuilt further back, the ancient Careye memorial stone was removed and placed in an upright position against the south-west wall of the Town Church, so that anyone who cares to read the interesting inscription can do so from outside the railings that enclose that side of the church. That was a good idea, but we do not think that the De Beauvoir stone has been treated so well. This stone, our readers are probably aware, had lain as long as they could remember, flat upon the ground on the left-hand side of the steps which led from Cornet Street into the adjoining cemetery. Some months ago it was removed from its resting place and conveyed into the little yard of the Town Church and placed near the Careye stone. But, alas, it was thought sufficient to lay it prone upon the ground, where no-one can possibly read what is inscribed upon it in fairly large characters. So valuable a relic of the past—dated 290 years back—is deserving of a more dignified position, and we should like to see it removed from where it lies, and placed near, and in the same position, as the Careye stone.
To those who have not had the opportunity to read the inscription in its present or past position, it may interest readers to know that it is as follows:
Icy REPO
SE LE COR
PS DE JEA
NE LE
MOYNE
FEMME
DE PIERRE
DE BEA
VOIR IN
HUMEE
LE 14 DA
VRIL 1625
Louisa Dobree, in her notebook and diary, observed what seems to have been this stone around 1891, and painted a watercolour sketch of it still in place as the lid of a stone casket. She wrote:
A cist is still to be seen in the deserted Cemetery on Horn Street with this inscription:
ICI REPOSE LE CORPS DE JEANN MOYN FEMME DE PIERRE DE BEAUVOIR FILS DE JAMMES DE BEAUVOIR AVRIL 15TH 1625
It is of grey granite with a beautifully twisted cord running round the side and on the upper ledge round the inscription is a pattern of large and small diamonds alternately.
A published version of her diary containing this illustration may be consulted in the Library.