ON Easter Saturday the tomb of Dame Margery Caryll, which dominates the small interior of Greatham Old Church in Forest Road, will be decorated with spring flowers to mark the anniversary of her marriage, at age 17, to Sir Richard Carryll in 1610.

Sadly, it was a short marriage as Sir Richard died, in 1616, when Margery was only 24.

She died in 1632, age 40, from suspected blood poisoning after pricking her finger while sewing.

Her father was the lord of the manor of Greatham and Margery was baptised in the Old Church in 1594, having been born in 1592 (four years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada), so it was appropriate that she was brought back from London, after she died, to be buried there.

Her tomb is of alabaster on black marble and an effigy of her rests on the top.

Built in 1262, the Old Church fell into disuse after the dedication of the new church in 1875.

But in the past few years, conservationists from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings have been carrying out work on it.

During their last visit they invited the public to try ancient craft techniques such as peg making, willow weaving and using wattle and daub.

Alan Bridgeman, chairman of the Old Church Group, keeps an eye on the building with a small committee of villagers.

To encourage interest, they held a summer drinks party in the grounds, which proved popular.

They hope residents and the public will pay an Easter visit to see Dame Margery’s flower-decked tomb and wish her a happy 407th wedding anniversary.