Thomas Harris, Elizabeth Harris nee Dormer, Joseph Harris, William Harris, Stamp Garrard
This imposing gravestone commemorates a husband and wife together with two of their sons and their son-in-law, but is perhaps principally of local interest for being the burial place of the grandparents of Mary Dormer Harris, eminent Warwickshire historian.
Thomas Harris was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Harris nee Ledbroke. His mother came from Wolston but his father came from Weston, which was where Thomas was born. His date of birth is not precisely known but he was baptised on 27 February 1798, at Weston under Wetherley.
He and
Elizabeth Dormer were married at Stoneleigh on 29 October 1822. Elizabeth had been born in late 1795 or early 1796, as her baptism was on 16 February 1796 at Ashow. Her parents were Joseph and Sarah Dormer and she had a younger brother, Joseph.
By the time of the baptism of their first child in 1824, Thomas and Elizabeth were farmers at Fletchamstead, where they remained, producing six children, though one of their sons lived for just a few days. Their youngest son James took over the Fletchamstead farm when Thomas retired. Their other surviving son, Thomas, however, upon marrying Mary Dormer (probably a cousin), farmed at Dale House until his death.
Elizabeth died in 1861, and was buried on 7 August at Stoneleigh. Her address in the burial register is given as Dale House Farm; this was also the case when Thomas died on 29 June 1863, so it seems that they had gone to live with their son Thomas and his family.
Also commemorated here are two of their sons, Joseph and William.
Joseph Harris, the oldest son of his parents Thomas and Elizabeth, was probably born in 1828 though, strangely, no baptism record can be found for him. Joseph lived to be 19, the age given on his tombstone. He died on 2 December 1847 and was buried on 7 December.
William Harris was baptised at Stoneleigh on 8 May 1830, the same day as his brother Thomas, who was to die just a few days later. Were they twins? William lived to be 27; he died on 6 December 1857 and was buried on 9 December, almost exactly ten years after his brother Joseph.
Finally, the unusually-named
Stamp Garrard is commemorated here. He was born in Olney, Buckinghamshire in 1812, the son of John and Elin Garrard; his father was an attorney. Stamp became a general practitioner/ surgeon in Hinckley. He married Sarah Elizabeth Harris, the oldest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth, at Westwood on 9 October 1850, after which they moved to Hinckley and had two sons and two daughters. By the time of his death on 19 May 1863 he was described as a surgeon. Sarah (usually known as Elizabeth) moved with her four children to Fletchamstead, to keep house for her brother James. Stamp was buried at Stoneleigh on 25 May, aged 51.
