Centenary of the passing of E. Nesbit, buried at St. Mary-in-the-Marsh
A simple wooden grave marker shows where E. Nesbit is buried
2024 marked the centenary of the death of English writer E. Nesbit, who is buried at St. Mary-the-Virgin’s Church at St. Mary-in-the-Marsh.
Edith Nesbit’s work reinvented storytelling for children, with highly-imaginative plot lines, adventures and loveable characters. Today, many of her books are seen as children’s classics, including The Railway Children and Five Children and It.
Edith, born on 15th August 1858 in Kennington, South London, was a prolific writer. During her lifetime she wrote romantic novels, short stories, ghost stories, plays, reviews, wonderful poems and, of course, stories for children. Many of her stories are about fractured family relationships and mirrored the sadness of her own life.
She was at the height of her fame in her mid-forties following the success of her book, The Treasure Seekers.
In 1893 Edith fell for the nearby village of Dymchurch - then a tranquil fishing village. She lived in at least six different dwellings there over the years.
After the death of her first husband, Hubert Bland, she married her second husband Thomas Tucker in 1917 - a bearded, nautical man, he was known as "The Skipper".
St. Mary-in-the-Marsh
The couple set up home close to St Mary-in-the-Marsh at the hamlet of Jesson - now St Mary's Bay. Back then Jesson was part of the parish of St Mary the Virgin, and Edith attended the church regularly.
Noel Coward
Amongst the friends of E Nesbit was young actor and writer Noel Coward. He stayed in the little cottage opposite the church next to the Star Inn.
He would sit in the graveyard of the church to write.
Noel greatly admired Edith's stories from childhood, and even when he died, a copy of Edith's story "The Enchanted Castle" was by his bedside.
Edith's final years here brought her a refreshing peace and contentment. She died on 4th May 1924 at Jesson. The Skipper saw to it that Edith's last wishes were carried out and she was laid to rest in the peaceful, quiet country churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, beneath a majestic elm tree. She wanted no memorial stone, so The Skipper carved a simple wooden structure.
The grave marker in the churchyard today is in fact a replica by sculptor Mark Folds and sponsored by the Edith Nesbit Society which holds an annual service here. The original grave marker can be found in the porch. It was made by Edith's second husband Tommy Tucker who had at one time worked on the Woolwich ferry. Her first husband was Hubert Bland – hence the name Bland-Tucker on the grave marker. Tommy's simple yet moving memorial had suffered the ravages of time and Romney Marsh weather.
One side of the rail is inscribed with her name, "E Nesbit Bland Tucker" and on the reverse it simply says "Resting".
The large elm in the churchyard has now gone but Edith lives on through her writing which still brings joy to people of all ages.
This Christmas Eve on BBC2 there is a TV adaptation of her ghost story Man-Size in Marble, which was inspired by the Fagge monument at nearby Brenzett church - find out more here.
