Worms, Skeletons, Plague and Piggins

Aimo and I had a trip to Eyam in the rain today.  On the way there we passed Wormhill, presumably the ancient site of some worm-related legend.  We were going to Eyam to see the wall-paintings in the church, that Cheryl had recommended:

Death with his Scythe?

There was a good memento mori  figure of Death.  The other surviving wall-paintings are shields representing the 12 tribes of Israel.  While we were there we photographed some gravestones in the rain:

Skull and Cross Bones Gravestone

Time Flies on the other side of the Gravestone

Unusual Carving - Laurel leaves?

In the church are information boards about the history of the village and the Plague.  There is the very touching love story of Emmott Sydall, who died in the plague, leaving her sweetheart from Stoney Middleton heartbroken.

We went to have a look at Eyam Hall, which just passed into the care of The National Trust this March.  The Wright family had lived there from some time shortly after The Plague until this February, some there are some great items preserved there.

I saw samplers, needlework bed-coverings, tapestries, and some great furniture.  In the Tapestry Room the walls are completely covered in a patchwork of tapestries, cut up to fit the room exactly.  The effect is very cosy, and really gives the idea of why people liked tapestry furnishing.  One of the samplers was by Emily Cockayne in 1827.  Did she come from The land of Cockayne? (see earlier posts about Cockayne)

As you walk in the entrance door, you see straight ahead of you two remarkable pieces of furniture, either side of the fireplace - two bacon settles.  They are settles, with, in addition to storage in the seats, cupboards at the back to hold flitches of bacon.  Master Aimson's dream furniture - seating with bacon storage!  Settees with added bacon! 

During The Plague one villager had buried all of her family one by one, then was ill and weak herself, too weak to cook for herself, so she heated a piggin of lard and drank that.  She recovered from the plague.  So could she have found a bacon fat cure for the plague?  Also, how cool is a piggin as a name for a container - a small wooden container, with one the staves long like a handle - a piggin.

When Master Aimson has his own house one day, I bet it will  be full of bacon settles and piggins.