Original sepia print of the gravestone of Mary Alice Slessor and Frederic George Slessor at Headbourne Worthy, 7th July 1874

Photograph of a grave at St Swithun's Church, Headbourne Worthy

Taken 7th July 1874

The grave of Mary Alice and Frederic George Slessor in the churchyard at Headbourne Worthy is a poignant reminder of the high rates of infant mortality in Victorian England. Mary was only four and Frederic not quite three when they died within a few days of each other in January 1873. The text below the cross reads 'And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God.' The Reverend H Slessor was the incumbent at Headbourne Worthy, just north of Winchester, in the 1870s.

The photograph was taken by Winchester photographer William Savage (1817-87) and is found in an album of his work.