The stone is much worn.
The structure is extremely plain inside and very small. On the walls,
over the pews, are several monumental sculptures,--a quite elaborate one
to a Colonel Murray, of the Coldstreamn Guards; his military profession
being designated by banners and swords in marble.--Another was to a
farmer.
On one side of the church-tower there was a little penthouse, or
lean-to,--merely a stone roof, about three or four feet high, and
supported by a single pillar, beneath which was once deposited the bier.
I have let too much time pass before attempting to record my impressions
of the Isle of Man; but, as regards this church, no description can come
up to its quiet beauty, its seclusion, and its every requisite for an
English country church.
Last Sunday I went to Eastham, and, entering the churchyard, sat down on
a tombstone under the yew-tree which has been known for centuries as the
Great Tree of Eastham. Some of the village people were sitting on the
graves near the door; and an old woman came towards me, and said, in a
low, kindly, admonishing tone, that I must not let the sexton see me,
because he would not allow any one to be there in sacrament-time. I
inquired why she and her companions were there, and she said they were
waiting for the sacrament. So I thanked her, gave her a sixpence, and
departed. Close under the eaves, I saw two upright stones, in memory of
two old servants of the Stanley family,--one over ninety, and the other
over eighty years of age.
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