One Foot in the Grave—Literally
In the graveyard of St Mary's Church, near Ystrad-Fflur (Strata Florida) Abbey in Cardiganshire, there stands a curious headstone. It reads:
"The left leg and part of the thigh of Henry Hughes, cooper, cut off and interr’d here, June 18, 1756."
Look closely, and you'll notice something even stranger—the outline of a leg is carved into the top of the stone.
As the story goes, Henry Hughes lost his leg in a farming accident. Remarkably, he survived the ordeal and later emigrated to America, where the rest of him was eventually buried.
We’ll never know exactly why Henry chose to give his severed leg a proper burial. Was it a touch of superstition? A hope of one day being reunited with it? Or simply a practical decision wrapped in ritual?
Either way, he’s left behind one of the most memorable epitaphs in Wales—and a whole new meaning to the phrase:
“One foot in the grave.”
Linda EYE on the PAST
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