Back in May after visiting Burghley House we took a small detour to nearby Stamford before heading home. A lovely looking market town, the purpose of our trip was to visit St George’s Church where I had learnt through a great deal of family tree research during our COVID lockdowns that a relative who fought at the Battle of Waterloo was buried. We did in fact easily find his gravestone though it is so worn by age – he died in 1846 – that photographs aren’t quite as clear as seeing it in person.
The church was locked when we arrived and by the sounds of it a band practice was going on so we couldn’t venture inside. One of the most interesting parts of the exterior was the rectangular tower – the church dates to the 12th century with the tower possibly having been rebuilt in the 17th century.
It claims to be the original Church of the Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry founded by Edward III in 1348 which is the most senior order of knighthood, outranked only by the Victoria and George crosses and is still awarded today for recognition of public service to the country or the sovereign.
The churchyard is very small so it didn’t take long to visit some of the other graves – judging by the way the headstones are pushed up against the wall I presume the bodies are buried elsewhere.
You can find some more photos here.
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