MSO10823 - 17th Century chest tomb in St Mary Magdalene's Churchyard (Building)

Chest tomb. Early C17. Ham stone. Flat topped, deep cyma recta moulded cornice, sunk and north face obscured by lichen (May 1985), sides formed of unadorned slabs inscribed illegibly east and west ends, on the north face "Prepare to die for their ------" is discernible. [1] English Heritage Listed Building Number: 265624. First Listed on 04/08/1986. [2] Stone, Ashlar walls. [3] The tomb was visited in March 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 5A. [4] The tomb was assessed as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2018-19. It received a BAR score of 5A. [5] A member of the public transcribed and interpreted the inscription of the tomb in 2017. The text reads: "PREPARE TO DIE FOR HERE I LIE/ CHESTED WITHIN THIS TOMBE. WHO/ LIVED WELL AS ALL CAN TELL. BUT SEE/ WHAT DEATH HATH DONE. THOUGH/ WORMS […]/ BY KIND MY CORPS DO SPINE AND/ BRING MEE UNTO DUST. MY SOULE I HOPE WIT/ CHRIST SHAL DWEL. FOR THAT IS ALL MY TRV? [trust?]/ HERE LIETH THE/ BODY OF/ JOHN/ WOOD WHO DY/ ED THE 4 DAY OF/ APRIL. ANNO […]/ I OHAN WOOD/ I C/ U" [6] The inscripton opens with a memento mori, reminding the reader of their own mortality, a common sentiment on funerary monuments from the medieval and post medieval periods. There is also an exhortation to the agents of nature which is an encouragement of the process of decay. The inscription is worded in rhyming couplets which alternate between 8 and 6 syllables in an ABAB format, with an inner rhyme within each line. Hence the interpretation of the illegible word as "trust" to match the rhyming scheme rather than "true" or another similar word.