Villager 'honoured' to be custodian of garden graves

Bob Sutton says the gravestones are "fascinating things"

A villager says he is "honoured" to live in a house which has three graves in the garden.

Bob Sutton’s 400-year-old cottage lies close to the site of a now-demolished Methodist chapel, in Roughlee, Pendle.

There are three tombstones in the garden, and 92 people are buried in the adjoining graveyard.

"They're fascinating things," he said, of the gravestones.

One family vault contains the remains of Mr John Hargreaves, his wife and his grandson

"When I came here in 1999 I couldn't see them because of the bracken, and when we tidied it up, I realised there were three gravestones here.

"One is a family vault, and there are three bodies in there: Mr John Hargreaves, his wife and his grandson.

"The inscription says he died at 58 years old and he had 'a life full of sorrow and hard work, his time has come and he's glad about it'."

Mr Sutton said it was "strange at first" to see the gravestones in his garden, but together with his partner, Nubia Farquharson, he tends to the historic graves and has researched the stories of the people buried there.

Bob Sutton’s 400-year-old cottage stands close to the site of a now-demolished Methodist chapel in Roughlee

"Over 1,000 people lived in Roughlee in 1900. Now there's just over 250, and it's a fascinating place to live," he said.

"It's a lovely place... and in the evenings, you come into the garden and it's so peaceful and quiet.

"I feel very honoured that I'm the custodian of these graves and I'll look after them as best I can."