The Four
Poster Bed (* Haddon
Tomb, St Mary's Churchyard, Heworth. Listed. Grade II*)
Small children have a healthy interest in anything gruesome,
grisly or grotesque. Hence the enduring popularity of such
bizarre tales as Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White,
Hansel and Gretel and the rest.
So when classes visit church, as several have for the
anniversary exhibition, the cry goes up, "can we see the
graves?" Or, "are there any ghosts?" They are not pleased to be
told there are no ghosts, but cheer up on hearing that we shall
investigate some graves.
There is one tomb in particular which has already come to their
attention - the four poster bed near the north door. I save it
until last, having dealt with all the pierced hearts and skulls
and crossbones in the north east angle of the church walls. All
of which pre-date the church building. (One boy, getting
excited, once asked, "Miss, are there pirates buried here?")
When we gather round the bed, I always ask them if they can tell
me anything about it. I know that without fail, at least one
will say, "the children were all burned to death in bed when
their house caught fire!". I haven't the remotest idea when,
where, or how this story began. It is old, because I heard it
myself in my distant youth. Since this is the tomb of the Haddon
and Makepeace family, I asked John Makepeace many years ago if
it was true.
Some of you will remember him a master butcher, long serving
churchwarden, down-to-earth man, nothing fanciful about him. But
he was as puzzled about the legend as anyone else. It has no
basis in fact, and what is legible on the tomb gives no
indication of anything untoward.
It is sad of course. The three children lying asleep under their
stone quilt (it looks like a Durham quilt) simply succumbed to
one or other of the many diseases which were killers 300 years
ago.
William, George and their sister, whose name has long been
illegible, died between 1711 and 1717. The burial register of
Heworth Chapel for that period is lost so we shall not discover
the little girl's name. Their father, Joseph Haddon did not long
survive his children, dying in 1721 aged 42 years. He was a
master mason, which explains his elaborate tomb.
Lucinda Lambton visited it a few months ago, when filming
Pevsner's County Durham for BBC.TV. It might feature in one
of the short programs on architectural curiosities. If it does,
I dare say it could begin , "Once upon a time, the three
children of this family went to bed one night, never thinking
they would not see the morning..."
Joan Hewitt, 1997
"Legend has it that at the stroke of midnight that if you run
around the grave of these three children who were burnt alive
in there beds, they will come out to play and dance around the
tomb"
Heworth Graveyard
Gateshead......As in many graveyards
you would expect to hear
about ghosts, in this
one it is said that if
you if you run around a
certain grave (it is of
3 children in their
beds) 12 times and ask
if they will come and
play, they might do,
tragically all of them
lost their lives in a
fire whilst they were
asleep in bed.
(Quote from the 'Most
Paranormal' web site)
