On the traces of Steddy Grinfield of Siena, Esq. Saturday, Oct 23 2010

Steddy GRINFIELD reposes in Livorno’s Old English Cemetery since September 23rd, 1808, the day he was buried there by Rev. Thomas Hall who, right after the burial procedure, wrote in the Chapel Register:

“Steddy Grinfield Esq. of Lincoln’s Inn in the County of Middlesex, late of Siena in Tuscany, died 67 years old at his Villa of Belvedere, on Sunday the 18th of Sepr 1808, and on the 23rd following was interred in the Protestant burial-ground at Leghorn, by me – Thomas Hall”

The grave suffered damage, probably during WWII, and was then repaired. The simple inscription, one of the eight regarding people deceased in Siena, is still well legible:

“Here lies the body | of Steddy Grinfield Esqr

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Jamaican connections in Livorno #2: The Beckfords Friday, Oct 8 2010

“Aloysiam Beckford | Londini natam | nec dum trilustrem | Senis mortuam | Parentes hic disposuere | anno 1788.“

This simple inscription, just one among the hundreds at the Old English Cemetery of Livorno, was mysterious until a few days ago when I received one of those rare e-mails that have the power of shedding light on people and facts that seemed lost forever once.

Dr. Viviana Castelli, a seismology historian

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Jamaican connections in Livorno (UPDATE 2) Saturday, May 8 2010

While wandering among the gravestones at the Old English Cemetery of Livorno you can come across people from many different places.  Livorno was, of course, connected to many harbours and there were all sorts of products being shipped in and out through the agreements between merchants worldwide.

Recently I stumbled upon a couple of inscriptions regarding Jamaica:

“Sacred to the memory of

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