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At lunchtime today I visited Bishopwearmouth Cemetery in Sunderland and did this video.

It's a look at a handful of epitaphs that can be found.

Underneath the hashtags I have put the full story behind one of the headstones and epitaphs.

#sunderland #sunderlandhistory #epitaphs #bishopwearmouthcemetery #cemetery #graveyard

'An Epitaph for a Sunderland Mariner’

“What was his last thought
As he struggled with death
We hope it was of repenting.

It was hard to die away from his home
With not a friend near to lament him”.

Those words can be found on one of my favourite headstones at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.

The slate memorial and its epitaph, was erected by a father in memory of his son.

That father was Thomas Richardson, a native of Coundon near Bishop Auckland.

Thomas was a gardener by profession and had lived in Bishopwearmouth for several decades.

In 1841 the Richardson family lived in Hope Street, Bishopwearmouth.

By 1851 they had moved to nearby Church Lane, close to Bishopwearmouth Parish Church.

The son was Bishopwearmouth born William Richardson.

The stone tells us that William was the chief engineer of the S.S Wearmouth.

Also that he was lost at sea on its voyage to Hamburg, July 27th 1867.

He was thirty six years old.

It was just one of many Sunderland ships that never came home along with the men and women that sailed on them.

It’s voyage to Hamburg, laden with over 600 tonnes of coal would normally have taken just a couple of days.

Sadly it never arrived at the German port.

Another vessel had seen a ship matching its description go down between Heligoland and Cuxhaven.

There had been a heavy gale and a tremendous sea.

The Wearmouth hit a sandbank or shoal and within ten minutes disappeared.

There had been some hope that this wasn't the Wearmouth.

Sadly the loss was confirmed when a bucket with Wearmouth washed up along with a board from the ship.

The board had the Sunderland motto on it.

‘Nil desperandum Auspice Deo’

Sixteen men went down with the ship, the majority from Sunderland.

The youngest was a married fourteen year old lad.

Another lad onboard had just gone along with his father for the benefit of his health.

The disaster left twelve women widows and thirty children as orphans.

Three of the widows were due shortly to be confined.

The list of victims stated William had a wife.

A relief fund was set up to aid the widows and orphans.

Like many sailors' families there would be no grave to mourn in Sunderland.

The wife of Thomas Richardson, Susannah, passed away at 1 Trewhitt’s Buildings in Bishopwearmouth on 21st February 1875.

She was buried at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.

It’s likely that after her death Thomas erected the headstone to remember his son and wife.

Another fine epitaph was inscribed on the memorial, this time to remember his wife.

“Farewell dear wife and take thy rest,
For God hath called when he thought best,
The loss is great that we sustain,
I hope in heaven we shall meet again.”

Thomas would pass away 20th August 1878, aged seventy one years old.

His last breath was at the home he had once shared with Susannah.

I have done a video of this story from the grave at Bishopwearmouth Cemetery.

Its on YouTube and called 'An Epitaph for a Sunderland Mariner'.