SN1943 : Epitaph by 'the matchless Orinda'

near to Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire/Sir Benfro, Great Britain

Epitaph by 'the matchless Orinda'
Epitaph by 'the matchless Orinda'
A slate tablet in the church in memory of 'John Loyd of Kilrhewe' who died in 1657, aged 36, has an epitaph commissioned by his widow from the local poet Katherine Fowler Philips(1631-1664) known as 'the matchless Orinda'. She was a Londoner whose widowed mother married a Cardigan gent and who was subsequently married off, aged 16, to a much older (or not?) friend of her stepfather's, James Philips. They lived at Cardigan Priory and gathered around them a literary coterie who adopted pastoral pseudonyms. Her work, much of it passionate tributes to female friendship, was highly regarded by her contemporaries. She also translated Corneille but died of smallpox at a young age. She was a woman of learning, idealism, and solid accomplishments at a time when most women were illiterate but until her reputation was revived by feminist intellectuals, she tended to be downgraded as a serious writer.

The epitaph seen here reads as follows:

Preserve thou sad and sole trustee,
Of my deare husband's memory
These reliques of my broken hart,
Which I am forced to impart,
For since he so untimely dyed,
And living pledges was denyed,
Since dayes of mourning soon are done
And teares doe perish as they runne,
Nay since my griefe must also dy
For that's no longer liv'd than I,
His name can live no way but one
In an abiding faithful stone.
Tell then the unconcerned eyes,
The value of their guest and prize,
How good he was, usefull and just,
How kind, how true unto his trust,
Which known and when their sence propounds
How mournfully a widdow sounds,
They may instructed go from thee
To follow him and pitty mee.
Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright ceridwen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map to open OS Get-a-Map
Change to interactive Map >
Grid Square
SN1943, 18 images   (more nearby)
Photographer
ceridwen   (find more nearby)
Image classification
Supplemental image
Date Taken
Tuesday, 16 June, 2009   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 4 July, 2009
Category
Memorial   (more nearby)
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SN 190 430 [100m precision]
WGS84: 52:3.3780N 4:38.4325W
Photographer Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SN 190 430
View Direction
WEST (about 270 degrees)
Looking for a postcode? Try this pageExternal link
Clickable map
+

Forward to a
Friend > >


Text listing of Images in SN1943

This page has been viewed about 19 times. Read more
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
[Mark
You are not logged in login | register