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Eyewitness Works


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Apologies for the large image, I have no idea how to upload a smaller one. Its only my second post so still getting to grips with it.

I was taking photos of the Eyewitness Works this morning when I noticed this carving on the corner of Milton Street and Headford Street. I think it must be a couple of verses of a hymn, but why would some one go to this trouble and who were they?

I cant quite make out the date. Feb 3rd 18..

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Apologies for the large image, I have no idea how to upload a smaller one. Its only my second post so still getting to grips with it.

I was taking photos of the Eyewitness Works this morning when I noticed this carving on the corner of Milton Street and Headford Street. I think it must be a couple of verses of a hymn, but why would some one go to this trouble and who were they?

I cant quite make out the date. Feb 3rd 18..

"My God, My Father, While I Stray"

by Charlotte Elliot, 1789-1871

Text From:

THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL

(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941)

1. My God, my Father, while I stray

Far from my home on life's rough way

Oh, teach me from my heart to say,

"Thy will be done."

2. Though dark my path and sad my lot,

Let me be still and murmur not

Or breathe the prayer divinely taught,

"Thy will be done."

3. What though in lonely grief I sigh

For friends beloved, no longer nigh,

Submissive still would I reply--

"Thy will be done."

4. Though Thou hast called me to resign

What most I prized, it ne'er was mine;

I have but yielded what was Thine--

"Thy will be done."

5. Should grief or sickness waste away

My life in premature decay,

My Father, still I strive to say,

"Thy will be done."

6. Let but my fainting heart be blest

With Thy sweet Spirit for its Guest;

My God, to Thee I leave the rest--

"Thy will be done."

7. Renew my will from day to day;

Blend it with Thine and take away

All that now makes it hard to say,

"Thy will be done."

8. Then, when on earth I breathe no more,

The prayer, oft mixed with tears before,

I'll sing upon a happier shore,

"Thy will be done."

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Welcome, thanks for the posting, most interesting.

Do you have a bigger picture ? Forget the size, we're trying to make out the date; post images up to 2Mb. Maybe our "picture minded" people can make something of it (i.e. not me lol )

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The hunt is on then ...

Eyewitness details, dates, names ...

Burial records ?

War records for Bayer ?

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This looks like H.R Saver.

I don't think it's a worn Y. as has been suggested.

Look at all the other Y's - they all have much longer stalks.

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Guest Gramps

This looks like H.R Saver.

I don't think it's a worn Y. as has been suggested.

Look at all the other Y's - they all have much longer stalks.

Got a few hits from a global search at Sheffield Records for Sayer but none at all for Saver.

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Is it 'Saver' 'Sayer' it could be 'Baver' or ' Bayer' ?

look at the B in FEB

I think I may have the answer. On the 1871 Census a Henry Baver/Beever was living at 14 Neville Street with wife Priscilla. There is a marriage for Henry Ibbotson Beever in 1863 in Sheffield to Priscilla Looks as though he spelt his name Baver for some reason. I tracked him back and found him with his grandfather Ibbotson in Bradfield, a quarry owner and farmer on the 1851. On the 1881 he is again Beever. Henry seems to have died in 1885 The tie with the Ibbotsons of Bradfield would explain the change in the places of birth and the adding of Ibbotson

Why it's where it is who knows, or why it was made. One thing is for certain, it is not the work of a time-served mason, but rather someone with a knowledge of stone working

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I would like to know whereabouts this is on the building. Another thing strikes me, the hymn was extensively used at funerals even in my own time. It was my Grandmother Browns favourite and 'Thy will be done' in quotation marks is on her headstone. I wonder if there was a death about this time - can't fimd one at the moment. Still doesn't explain why though does it

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I wonder if there was a death about this time - can't fimd one at the moment. Still doesn't explain why though does it

Really good work and quite feasible.

What about the possibility of the name not being the carver but the person who died in Feb 1876. Eg. a relative of your Henry or (Henry Ibbotson) Beever/Baver.

Maybe his wife Priscilla had another forename beginning with H. - Like for instance, Hilda Priscilla Baver. This could be Henry's memorial to her.

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Really good work and quite feasible.

What about the possibility of the name not being the carver but the person who died in Feb 1876. Eg. a relative of your Henry or (Henry Ibbotson) Beever/Baver.

Maybe his wife Priscilla had another forename beginning with H. - Like for instance, Hilda Priscilla Baver. This could be Henry's memorial to her.

Priscilla's still with us in the 1891 living on Verdon Street. Her maiden name was Smith.

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Priscilla's still with us in the 1891 living on Verdon Street. Her maiden name was Smith.

Strike that idea then <_<

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Sounds like an answer to me, well done.

What does anyone else think ?

I would like to know whereabouts this is on the building. Another thing strikes me, the hymn was extensively used at funerals even in my own time. It was my Grandmother Browns favourite and 'Thy will be done' in quotation marks is on her headstone. I wonder if there was a death about this time - can't fimd one at the moment. Still doesn't explain why though does it

The hymn is on an ashlar corner stone at the junction of Headford Street and Milton Street, at about chest height for a victorian gent.

Ive got to say a big thanks to everyone involved, its amazing that a little imformation on a Sunday is turning up names and dates a few days later.

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The hymn is on an ashlar corner stone at the junction of Headford Street and Milton Street, at about chest height for a victorian gent.

That should be staring me in the face then! :)

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Apologies for resurrecting this thread. 

I came across the inscription on Eyewitness works a few weeks ago and decided to make a rubbing of it.  Since there is more interest in Eyewitness works at the moment (with the recent Mausoleum of Giants exhibition) and the buildings upcoming conversion into flats I thought people might appreciate it if I shared the outcome of the rubbing (and an enhanced version of it).

In terms of the history of the inscription, I cannot add anything beyond what is discussed in the thread - other then to confirm that my own research hasn't offered any better theory for the inscription origins.

I just hope that when they redevelop the block they don't destroy it - since its been on the building for more then a hundred years!

NegEnhanedSR.jpg

NormalSR.jpg

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3 hours ago, OJ-OK said:

Apologies for resurrecting this thread. 

Surely no apology needed, I think it's good to add to old posts and in this case I had missed the post completely and knew nothing of the subject. Some of the images are not now available so if you are round that way again could you upload a few please, including a wider view.

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On 5 April 2009 at 20:11, RichardB said:

The hunt is on then ...

 

Eyewitness details, dates, names ...

 

Burial records ?

 

War records for Bayer ?

I did a piece on this very subject for the Star , I found just where the scribe lived and what his job was, took me around an hour.

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16 hours ago, boginspro said:

Surely no apology needed, I think it's good to add to old posts and in this case I had missed the post completely and knew nothing of the subject. Some of the images are not now available so if you are round that way again could you upload a few please, including a wider view.

Thanks.  I have added a couple more images as requested showing where it is (right next to Phlegm's latest) and a shot of the inscribed block.

 

6 hours ago, tozzin said:

I did a piece on this very subject for the Star , I found just where the scribe lived and what his job was, took me around an hour.

This sounds interesting.  Is your still available to read at all (online etc)?  Did you confirm what was noted in the forum posts above or did you find something different?

IMG_20190331_163227122.jpg

Location.jpg

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I searched through directories to find the information and I don't think it's online, I'll see if I have saved it.

I can't believe that the horrible graffiti has been allowed to creep onto the quote in question, how anyone can consider it art is beyond me.

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