Dear Jeremy, Thank you SO much for finding that for me - it is very moving to see such an epitaph. It is strange that it says ''The parents'' as her father had died in 1831 and her uncle John described her as ''Ellen Cath, the only daughter of my late brother Thomas Cath'' in his will dated February 1835. I think it may well be John who paid for the gravestone - he was widowed and childless, so maybe he was Ellen's godparent or guardian. It indicates that she was born about January 1826, though I have not found a record of this anywhere else - yet! Just shows there is an answer to everything (nearly) if one knows where to look! Best wishes, Jenny Jenny Bussey (UK) Guild of One-Name Studies member 3625 One-Name Study for CATH worldwide On 23 March 2016 at 20:24, Jeremy Wilkes <[email protected]> wrote: > Success! Those who carried out the survey in 1989 managed to copy most of > the inscription. The weathering must have worsened considerably since then. > > I do not think that cleaning would help. It is just possible that filling > the indentations with dark material would. > > Anyway, St Mary the Virgin Dover Churchyard Memorial Inscriptions by > Kathleen Hollingsbee and Martyn C. Webster (Kent Family History Society > 1991), page 35 saith: > > Sacred to the memory of Ellen Cath who departed this life after a very > severe illness of four weeks which she endured with the utmost meekness and > resignation on the 7th day of September 1835 aged nine years and seven > months She was a child of very great promise in all respects but for some > wise purpose her earthly career was thus suddenly and early terminated sic > transit gloria mundi The parents of the dear departed have placed this mute > stone over her grave to record the great love they experienced for her when > living . . . deep grief they . . . for their loss