ISTED Headstones in Warbleton,
By Bruce Isted (Feb 2007)
On the south-east of the chancel of St Mary the Virgin Church, Warbleton there are six ISTED tombstones. Five date from the 18th century and one in 19th century and they represent three generations of the family. The stones are whitish in colour and are decorated at the top with the skull and crossbones design. No, this design does not represent piracy/crime; it usually signifies death/mortality. I have heard that it also represents a person who was of some prominence &/or well known in the parish. NB The ISTED headstones were said to have been moved to the south east side sometime in the 1800s. I have a picture of south-east side of the church dated 1782 and there are no ISTED headstones where they currently are. {text in braces are my extra comments.}
1st photo above (church) graves numbered from right; 2nd photo (below) numbered from left to right
The listing below was originally copied from the Warbleton parish church “Memorial Inscriptions” transcribed by the Warbleton & District History Group in the early 1980s. Bruce ISTED of New Zealand has checked/seen them plus took photos in mid-1988.
1.
In Memory of John ISTED
son of Thomas and Elizabeth ISTED
of Bodle Street Green, in this parish, Gent.
Who departed this life Feb 16th 1733. Aged 26.
{NB John buried 26 Feb 1733 but note that PR entry has “Thomas” instead of John so an error in his name!}
ie In the MI recordings it stated, ‘Reading uncertain. The age which was below ground level is very clear, the date is almost certain and John is the name given in a survey of church memorials at Barbican House, although the same record gives 1738 as the year and 80 as the age. According to the parish register John ISTED son of Thomas & Elizabeth ISTED was bpt on 9th Nov 1707, but there is no burial entry of the same name anywhere in the above period. But the burial of Thomas ISTED is entered as Feb 26th 1733. It seems likely that Thomas was written in error for John. Such mistakes do occur.
2.
In Memory of Thomas ISTED
of Bodle Street Green
in this parish, Gent.
Who departed this life
the 3rd May 1744. Aged 91? or 94?
{age 94 as per Church Memorials Sussex at Barbican House}
{Thomas was a son of John & Elizabeth nee MILLES, buried 10 May 1744.}
3.
In memory of Elizabeth
wife of Thomas ISTED
of Bodle Street Green in this parish, Gent.
Who departed this life 28th Jan 1763. Aged 88.
{Elizabeth nee SYNNOCK buried 1 February 1763/4; PR was 1764 not 1763; new year started 1 Jan from 1752.}
4.
In Memory of Mary ISTED, spinster,
who departed this life
5th April 1781.
Aged 71 years.
“Affliction sore long time I bore, Physicians were in vain:
Till God did please, Death should me seize, And ease my of my pain.
{NB Mary was a daughter of Thomas & Elizabeth, buried 10 April 1781, spinster.}
5.
In Memory of Thomas ISTED
of this parish
Who departed this life January the ? 1789. Aged 86.
{NB Thomas was a son of Thomas & Elizabeth, buried (dsp) 8 January 1789.}
6.
To the Memory of
William ISTED
late of this parish
who died July 12th 1861.
Aged 84 years.
Also Sarah his wife
who died Dec 17th 1861.
Aged 77 years.
{William was a son of Richard & Philadelphia, buried 17 July 1861 + Sarah nee LADE buried 22 Dec 1861.}
West side of the Warbleton parish church + a 14th century parish chest inside the church
interior of St Mary the Virgin parish church of Warbleton
(NB Manorial Pew on left – this was private seating for the owners of Stone House in the 1600s+)
close-up headstones of Thomas ISTED (1744) & wife Elizabeth (1763/4) {Bruce ISTED’s 6x great-grandparents}
close-up headstone of William & Sarah ISTED nee LADE (both died in 1861 at Herstmonceux, East Sussex)