Our Lady To London Thieves

[poliphilo]

Here's a curiosity.

This unusually large headstone is in the churchyard of North Ockendon- a dispersed community described by wikipedia as "the easternmost and most outlying settlement of Greater London.... and the only area of Greater London to lie outside the M25 London Orbital Motorway."

It marks the grave of two sisters of a wealthy Anglo-Irish family, the Batts- this much can be discovered online- but...

...I've no idea why there's a swan,

...And I've not been able to find anything to explain why one of the sisters is described as "Our Lady to London thieves". Her social status makes it unlikely she was an underworld godmother, so I assume she must have been doing charitable work among the criminal classes, but what an odd way of phrasing it!

I'd love to know what the story is....

Comments

[cmcmck]

They were posh!

Their father was the wonderfully named Robert Narcissus Batt! :o)

Geraldine appears never to have married and the sisters refused the Irish inheritance from their father- there's a story there.

[poliphilo]

And it's not an ancient story. Someone must know it...

[sovay]

"Our Lady to London thieves". Her social status makes it unlikely she was an underworld godmother, so I assume she must have been doing charitable work among the criminal classes, but what an odd way of phrasing it!

It does make it sound as if you make the proper offerings to her, they'll never get a charge to stick your whole life long.

[poliphilo]

I wonder what sort of offering would be appropriate- a swan's feather, perhaps?

[sovay]

I wonder what sort of offering would be appropriate- a swan's feather, perhaps?

I like that.