St Laurence Churchyard

St Laurence Churchyard. . When you walk through St. Laurence Churchyard, you walk in the footsteps of Elizabeth I, William Pitt, The Duke of Wellington, William IV, Queen Victoria and many other well-known dignitaries., Consecrated in 1275, the Churchyard covers three and a half acres and contains over 1,400 marked graves, although thousands of burials took place over the centuries in unmarked graves. The oldest marked grave is of George Skinner, born in 1594, buried in 1656, who was alive during the time of Oliver Cromwell., St. Laurence Churchyard - A Tranquil Place of Rest and an Environmental Asset , As well as the valuable social history, the churchyard is an oasis for flora and fauna. It is managed for the benefit of wild life, bats, bees, birds and butterflies and certain areas are left uncut to encourage wildflowers and food for wild creatures., Blackbirds, wrens, blue tits, robins, jays and green woodpeckers can be heard and seen among the mature oaks, yews, poplars, sycamores, fir trees and holly. Butterflies to be seen in profusion are the speckled wood, red admiral, comma, holly blue, gate keeper, and small and large white. There are also ladybirds, dragonflies and several types of bee and spider., Following the outburst of colour from crocuses and primroses in the spring, summer flowers include bluebells, cow parsley, ox-eye daises, spear thistles and greater knapweed., Ivy grows over old boundary walls providing important nesting sites for the birds and a food source in the winter., Among the famous people buried here are:, Sir William Garrow (1760 - 1840) , The eminent lawyer, barrister and politician, (the subject of a TV series, 'Garrow's Laws'), who was responsible for that cornerstone of British law, 'innocent until proven guilty'., John Collis Browne (1819 , 1884) , The doctor who invented chlorodyne, originally a treatment for cholera but which became a 'miracle' cure for everything, from colds and diarrhoea to whooping cough, neuralgia and rheumatism., Colonel Cromwell Massey (1742 -1845) , Died in 1845 aged 103. Having foot for the East India Company against the Sultan of Mysore, he was captured and thrown into a dungeon for three years and nine months. After retirement, he spent his last 11 years in Ramsgate., Captain John Woolward (1780 , 1836) , Having fought with Nelson at Aboukir (Battle of the Nile) he then became harbour master at Ramsgate for 26 years., The D'Este Mausoleum , The resting place of two grandchildren of George III (cousins of Queen Victoria). Grandson, Augustus Frederick D' Este, had the mausoleum built for his mother, Lady Augusta Murray. She married the sixth son of George III in 1793 who became the Duke of Sussex, and a favourite uncle of Queen Victoria. Under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, the marriage was ruled invalid and the couple parted in 1801. In the mausoleum are Lady Augusta Murray, her parents (the 4th Earl of Dunmore and his Countess), Lady Augusta's son and her daughter and son-in-law, Baron Truro.