William & Isabel Dawson

 William, Isabel & John Dawson

This fine memorial plaque was erected in 1614 by Bryan Dawson to the memory of his father and mother, William and Isabel Dawson, and also to the memory of his own son, John. 
Isabel was the daughter of Thomas Scales of Hescot? in Cumberland. They were married for 44 years and had 10 children.
Notice the intricate Jacobean strapwork and the carving of an hourglass and scales at the top with the Latin phrase Ut Hora, Sic Vita - As an hour is life.

Although beautifully carved it has one very strange feature in that the words are written using some form of shorthand. Letters (mostly but not always N’s) are missed out and a symbol is placed above to show that. For example:

This actually says “Second Cominge” but the ‘n’ and the ‘m’ have been missed out, replacing them with a symbol above the letter before where they should be. Also, many of the letters are blended together.

Add to this the old English spelling and this makes the memorial quite difficult to read.

The words below are fairly close to the original meaning, but in modern language.

Near to this place rest the bodies of William Dawson and Isabel, the daughter of Thomas Scales of Hescot in Cumberland (Gentleman), who for the space of 41 years in matrimonial love in which time they were blessed with the issue of 10 children, namely, Gawen, Bryan, Gawen, Will, Alice and Alice Isabel, Modwen, Philip and Elizabeth.

He deceased on the 12th of April, 1603, she on the 12th of October, 1602. Yielding their bodies to earth and their souls to the blessedness of long rest, to wait the second coming of Christ, to whose memory Bryan Dawson, their surviving son, in his filial love, here placed this inscription in 1614. And with entire affection in memory of his son John who slept 11th of September 1614, an ending joyful resurrection, unerringly near.