St. James United Church Cemetery Stone #8 Cynthia Bishop Dimensions: Base is 7" in height, 2'6" wide and 1'5" thick; headstone is 4'5" in height, 1'1" wide and 3.5' thick Orientation: East Carver: not identified Inscription: Our mother/Cynthia/Wife of/John Bishop/who fell asleep in/Jesus/August.9, 1866/aged 46 years/also their son/George ---- (initial is not legible)/age 5 yrs./Adelia/Dau of/ T.T.+Susan/Thomson/ age 11 mos/ Condition: The stone as well as the base are extensively chipped. Lichen and moss are evident along the base. The inscription is also badly eroded. Erosion has taken its toll on this stone. However, the skyward-pointing hand carved in relief on the marker is still visible. This popular Victorian motif pointed towards the soul's heavenly destination. The central importance of Cynthia's name is accentuated by its placement in a half-circle. As society's norms dictated, the inscription defined her identity in terms of motherhood and marriage. Cynthia was the wife of John Bishop, one-time carriage-maker and blacksmith. In 1861, their 10-person household consisted of 4 males and 6 females. Catherine Hirbour [ Back ]