Robert's Horse

Submitted by Alan Marsden on Sun, 23/06/2024 - 00:00

A very impressive gravestone graces the church of St Mary’s at Thornton in Craven. Originally made for Robert Shuttleworth who died aged 24 in 1872, but who was to be joined by various relatives, it boasts a fine carving of a horse. I have seen two-dimensional depictions before, but never a three-dimensional. The reason for this beautiful artistic flourish is not obvious, but I wonder if Robert loved that horse in particular. Or did he die from falling off it?

Regardless of the style or quality of the marker, every grave is the resting place of a human being who could not keep what they owned. From all we possess shall we be separated. Only Christ is the prize worth keeping; only Christ has the right and power to keep hold of us when even our bodies elude our weak and feeble grasp.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11