27 Wood Wardens made our annual visit to the Old Churchyard at Ayot St Peter in November.  As well as clearing overgrown vegetation we made a fascinating discovery.

Every year Wood Wardens visit Ayot St Peter to help local volunteers maintain the beautiful Old Churchyard.

The churchyard is a popular destination for walkers.  Not only does clearing the overgrown vegetation keep it tidy but since we have been doing this work regularly it has led to stunning springtime displays of snowdrops and daffodils as the plants which had long been there are no longer smothered and can bloom properly.

But this year there was another revelation.  We found two old gravestones which had been buried.

One was for Charles Waller of Ayot Green who died in 1901.  The other was much older - indeed it is the oldest marked grave known in the churchyard..

The inscription is worn, but appears to read "Here lieth the body of Elizabeth [late?] wife of Henry Field and 2nd daughter of Edward [Snoxell?] Fr... and cirizen of London departed this life the 15 June 1706 30 years".