Comments on: A Brief History Of Crypts

By: Pamela Traves

Pamela Traves — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 23:34:46 +0000

Amazing Death coffins and the Names and history of the dead. Very Beautiful.????????

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 15:24:16 +0000

What did they do with Nell?

And, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

BOOOOO!!!!!!

By: John Finn

John Finn — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:10:35 +0000

As a guide in Clerkenwell and whose grandparents were married in St Clements, their local parish, I was fascinated by the information in the article, but especially by David Hoffman’s intriguing photographs of the crypt burials in that church. I’m wondering what connection the Legge family had with the area? Since the earliest date I spotted on the coffin plates was 1752, it must have been before the church was built and the area developed?

By: paul loften

paul loften — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:45:11 +0000

Grave and haunting are the words that come to mind when seeing these remarkable photos Seriously though, crypts and old coffins leave you with a deep sense and feeling of history with such close proximity to lives once lived. We are lucky or perhaps unlucky not to have city catacombs as they do in Paris and other cities. Although I do recall some years ago visiting a catacomb it could have been beneath a church or cave somewhere in Devon. I can’t remember where it was. All I am left within my memory is an image of bones, piled up in neat order, upon bones. Some being the victim of plague and other outbreaks. I remember the cold and sombre feeling of viewing the bones and protruding skulls and thinking these were once people who smiled and loved

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 11:30:58 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, interesting piece as always. You write – “The first crypt to be cleared of human remains for use other than storage was in 1915 when the vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Dick Sheppard, set up a canteen to welcome men returning from the Front.”

The Crypt remains a popular stopping off place in Trafalgar Square that I have visited often when in London.

https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/visit/cafe-in-the-crypt/

By: Mathilde Grange

Mathilde Grange — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 09:21:29 +0000

As David Hoffman said, it is fascinating. Thank you.

By: Jill Wilson

Jill Wilson — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 08:19:07 +0000

Thanks David – I will do just that! This is fascinating stuff.

I also love the way that any perceived good social connections are in CAPITAL LETTERS on the various plaques. I wonder who they were trying to impress if the coffins were out of public view in the crypt? St Peter??

By: David Hoffman

David Hoffman — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:15:18 +0000

If you find this as fascinating as I do then you can get Malcolm Johnson’s book from the publisher here: https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/crypts-of-london/9781860776724/ or even better, order a copy from a real bookshop!