‘What is this Death? – a quiet of the heart?

The whole of that of which we are a part?

For life is but a vision – what I see

Of all which lives alone is life to me,

And being so – the absent are the dead,

Who haunt us from tranquillity, and spread

A dreary shroud around us, and invest

With sad remembrances our hours of rest.

~ Lord Byron

Welcome to an Amble Among the Tombstones with Genealogist and Grave Hunter Tee Bylo.

See YOU on the Other Side?

Genealogist. Grave Hunter.

With access to the local repositories and archives throughout North Yorkshire – Tee loves working with those who wish to solve the mysteries, riddles and absurdities of their own family history.

And as an enthusiastic taphophile – Tee can also be found with notebook and camera in hand as she goes in seach of those final resting places of the long forgotten dead.

Panel 1

The Grave Sleuth

A Seeker of Elusive Ancestors

Have you ever heard the one about how there are only two things that are certain to us?

The first one being that we are all subject to some form of taxation and the second is that one day we WILL all die.

As a genealogical researcher my time is usually spent grappling with the mystery of death.

And if I’m not in search of a missing ancestor or researching another life long lost to history – I will be poring over the details on a newly discovered and often indecipherable certificate of death or trawling through the parish records in search of a burial entry.

Being able to locate the final resting place of those from my research endeavours has always been an important task and an unsuccessful search is disappointing as the final piece of the jigsaw remains missing.

However, if you struggle with the thought of death and have no wish to contemplate – MY world is probably NOT for you!

A wanderer of graveyards

As I love nothing more than a ramble through a graveyard and have been pottering among the tombstones for as long as I can remember – I will be sharing the tales and triumphs of family history and the images and podcasts of my wanderings among the dead.

The author Lailah Gifty Akita once said that – “The graveyard is an everlasting home of every man” and within most of our cemeteries there is evidence of spectacular craftsmanship, awe inspiring stonework, history, sublime words of poignancy AND the occasional flashes of humour ALL just waiting to be discovered!

See YOU on the other side?

Subscribe to this silent land?

For all of those genealogy tales, ancestor gossip AND the whispers from the graveyard – subscribe to This Silent Land to bring forth EVERY snippet of chatter direct to your inbox!

Every Day Above Ground is a Good Day…

Waking the Dead? Good Grief!

Have you ever heard the one about how there are only two things that are certain to us? The first one being that we are all subject to some form of taxation and the second is that one day we WILL all die.

by Tee Bylo

A Poet’s Bones At Rest?

Before I become too carried away with this wonderful account of the crowds of ordinary people who attended Byron to his grave – I am reminded of a letter written to his faithful publisher a summmer or three before.

by Tee Bylo

To the Vale of the Graves.

Lady Byron was laid to rest at Kensal Green Cemetery London in May 1860 and despite the incorrect spelling of her first name – her simple and elegant grave can be discovered in the shadow of the enormous Dissenter’s Chapel.

by Tee Bylo

#GraveYardSquirrel #TeeAndTombstones #GraveSleuth

Although business may have brought me to the coastal town of Scarborough today - I had to find a quiet hour to ramble among the tombstones in St Mary's churchyard. It's our annual YorkResFest and I'm out in the field AND in the cold hunting for the long lost for the good folk of this parish. A door to another world! On this National Grief Awareness Day, I dedicate this post in support of all who are struggling with loss and bereavement today. Walking through a delightful churchyard in the Bishophill area of York and there nestled among the purple Columbines and Queen Anne's Lace is the family grave of one George Baines and that of his children Jane and Catherine who both died in their twenty fourth year. This place has often been described as a “calm oasis in the centre of York” and to while away an hour or three wandering among those tombstones is catnip to this taphophile! Tangled toes among the ivy at York Cemetery. THIS. 🤍 It's a beautiful evening here and although I'm on my way to a business meeting, I couldn't resist indulging in a little detour. 😉

genealogist. grave hunter.

“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”

~ Bernard Shaw

Is there a genealogical riddle or even an absurdity which has you intrigued or perplexed?

With access to the local repositories and archives throughout North Yorkshire – I love working with those who wish to solve the mysteries of their family history.

Or are you in search of that final resting place of an ancestor from the ancient City of York or beyond?

curious much?

JOin Tee for tea?

As every penny I earn keeps me happy with access to genealogical research, parish records, newspaper archives, and probate deeds along with precious opportunities to explore those graveyards – every lovely human who believes in my work makes me VERY happy too!

See YOU on the other side?

love. share.

Panel 2

This Silent Land?

‘Perpetual Peace is Only Found in the Graveyard’

Immanuel Kant
Panel 3

Ordinary People. Extraordinary Deaths.

‘We Begin to Die as Soon as We are BORN and the END is Linked to the BEGINNING.’

~ Anon

The ONLY clear picture history accords Ms Mary Wilson is that of her death by poisoning one morning in May.

A scroll though our parish records and census returns have only added to the mystery of WHO Mary was, WHERE she came from and HOW she had managed to live independently well into her sixth decade!

Death in a Chocolate Box

Mary Wilson

What can POSSIBLY be told about a life of ONLY 5 weeks?

The death of little Sarah Ann Casper on Christmas Day in the year 1884 would shine a harsh and uncompromising light into the darkest crevices of York’s society as the pitiful story of this baby’s life unfolded…

Death in a Chocolate Box

Sarah Ann Casper

Panel 4

Death in a Chocolate Box

DEATH – noun.

The end of the life of a person.

CHOCOLATE BOX – adjective.

Pretty in a superficial way or a romanticized aesthetic.

WITH THE COMING OF DUSK…

And the door of an atelier closed for the day – it is possible to catch a glimpse of a celebrated miniaturist and storyteller clad in her distinctive black feline boots wandering through the snickelways and secret passages of York in a quest to wake the dead.

ORDINARY FOLK. EXTRAORDINARY DEATHS.

And for those of a curious and hardy temperament – why not come along and listen to the Lady Brigante as she shares with you the tales of the illustrious, the miscreants, artists, misfits and those ordinary folk who have ALL been lost to history – until now!

However, for those of a sensitive nature who are averse to real stories of tears, heartache and tragedy – a meander through the fascinating streets of York with the Lady Brigante may NOT be to your taste.

WHO OR WHAT IS DEATH IN A CHOCOLATE BOX?

Death in a Chocolate Box offers true crime walks of Victorian York.

Innovative, meticulously researched and inspired by true crime stories from the Victorian era and through the tales of those ordinary people woven into the rich fabric of an ancient city’s social history – our tours are designed to offer an informative and unique walk with an experienced storyteller.

Browse the shelves of our emporium for the deliciously unusual or become a fellow taphophile on our forum Beneath Thy Feet to quench those unanswered questions or dispel gossip from truth!

Storyteller. Seeker of the Dead. Spiritual Sleuth.

The Lady Brigante loves nothing more than shocking unsuspecting folk with the tale that she was abandoned at birth by gypsies and raised en famille with kindly mice in the crypt of an old church.

Alas! The truth is altogether more unremarkable!

And for those of a cuious mind who would like to take a peek at the bundles of old documents, burial records, and hear the untold tales of nefarious deeds and suspicious deaths from the exclusive Brigante archives – why not cross the threshold of a twilight world nestled inside a little slice of the web to which the Lady B has since laid claim?

With Quill and Ink By Candlelight. ‘Fac Quod Faciendum Est.’

CURIOUS MUCH?