Owned and operated by East Boldre Community Stores Limited
Community Benefit Society, number 8481
In Affectionate Remembrance
of
ROBERT MILLER
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
JULY 19TH 1854 AGED 56
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ALSO OF JOHN HIS BROTHER
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE
JULY 14TH 1861 AGED 53.
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FOR IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED AND
ROSE AGAIN, EVEN SO THEM ALSO WHICH
SLEEP IN JESUS WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM.
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ALSO OF CHARITY WIFE OF THE ABOVE NAMED ROBERT MILLER WHO DIED AT TOOTING SURREY
MAY 29TH 1850 AGED 44 YEARS
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ALSO OF ELIZA THEIR DAUGHTER
WHO DIED MAY 23RD 1847 AGED 5 YEARS
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ALSO OF WALTER JACOB THEIR SON
WHO DIED FEB 18TH 1848 AGED 9 MONTHS
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ALSO OF LYDIA THEIR DAUGHTER
WHO DIED MAY 22ND 1849 AGED 10 YEARS
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ALSO OF ELIZABETH THEIR DAUGHTER
WHO DIED AUGT 4TH 1849 AGED 18 YEARS
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ALSO OF HARRIET THEIR DAUGHTER
WHO DIED NOVR 18TH 1881 AGED 49 YEARS
INTERRED AT TOOTING SURREY
ROBERT MILLER, CHARITY MILLER
JOHN MILLER
ELIZA MILLER, WALTER MILLER
LYDIA MILLER, ELIZABETH MILLER
HARRIET MILLER
This symbolically carved gravestone is dedicated to eight people
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The oak leaves and acorn symbolise a steadfast and enduring individual.
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The roses or other flowers are a symbol of immortality
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Blackberries God's voice and divine love.
The gravestone is eroded and pitted in places so the inscription is not very legible in places. Enough of the epitaph is discernible to ascertain it is from the first book of Thessalonians 4:14.
Robert Miller was born to George and Lydia Miller (nee Tinsley) in 1797, the eldest of their eight children. He was baptised at Beaulieu church on 30th December 1897. He married Charity West who was 20 years old on 10th May 1826 at Boldre church.
Robert and Charity had eight children between 1826 and 1845. Four died as children and are commemorated on this gravestone but buried at Tooting Graveney church.
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Eliza (age 5) was buried on 31st May 1847
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Walter Jacob was baptised at Tooting Graveney church on 18th Fenruary 1848 and was buried there just a week later on 26th February 1848. Robert is a policeman in 1848 according to Walter's baptismal record.Walter's death records give him as 1 month old when he died rather than the 9 months shown on this gravestone.
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Elizabeth (age 18) was baptised on 5th June 1830 at Beaulieu Church. She was buried 10th August 1849
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Lydia (aged 8) was buried on 18th May 1849.
Charity was also buried on 31st May 1850 at Tooting Graveney church.
The 1851 census shows Robert, a 49 year old police constable, living with three of their children in Tooting Graveney (Harriet 17, William 13, Robert 6). Robert was buried at the chapel on 24th July 1854 by the Rev John Barlett Burt.
Robert's brother John was George and Lydia's fifth child who was baptised at Beaulieu church on 17th July 1808. John, a shoemaker, married Charlotte Luffman (nee Munday), a widow, in Lymington church in August 1837.
By 1841 the couple lived in Georges Row, Portsea but Charlotte died in 1846. In 1851 John lived in Grigg St. Portsea and the Pearson family lodged with him.
John married Eliza Colenutt (the sister of his brother Peter's wife, Patience) in 1859 and they lived in King St., Portsea. John died 2 years later; we have been unable to find where he is actually buried as he is not registered at either of Portsea graveyards.
A fifth child of Robert and Charity, Harriet, is commemorated here. In 1851 she was living with her father in Tooting Graveney and In 1861 she was in service to the Pennington family in Clapham. The gravestones say she was buried at Tooting, so far we have been unable to find a record of this.
Reflectance Transformation Imaging
3D model
produced by photogrammetry