James Gray was one of two park-keepers for Henry VIII at Hunsdon. In his will he specifically asked to be buried in Hunsdon Church and a plaque was put on the North Wall of the Church. Around this time only Sir John Carey and Sir Thomas Forster were buried in the church, and they were both well-known members of the royal court. The fact that James Gray was buried in the church as well speaks of his social importance, as only the most important members of society were allowed to be buried in the church.[1] However, it is significant that the plaque to remember Gray is significantly smaller and less grand than both the later monuments for Sir Thomas Forster and Sir John Carey, who both had life-size depictions of themselves. This shows that while Gray was socially significant, he was much less important than, and not nearly as rich as, Forster and Carey.
Some have suggested that Gray died whilst shooting a stag, which could explain the image on the plaque, but the fact that he was buried the day after he died suggests that his death was not unexpected. The Latin inscription from the mouth of the skeleton ‘Sic pergo’ means ‘Thus I proceed’, which suggests that the image is more likely to be a symbol of the ultimate power of death, or the fact that death comes to all.[2] In the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes, we read, “For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”[3]
Research by Amber Dunstan
[1] Hunsdon and Widford, p. 17.
[2] Hunsdon Parish Registers, p. 46.
[3] Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, English Standard Version (Anglicised)