Before catching my taxi to the train station, I walked back to Chatsworth to buy the book I came for, Chatsworth: The Garden, and to visit the family burial plot.
Truth be told, I went back to get my Kennedy fix.
John F. Kennedy's sister, Kathleen, married the oldest Cavendish boy, William (Billy), and would have inherited Chatsworth if it weren't for WWII messing things up.
Billy died in combat, and Kathleen died in a plane crash in 1948.
Whenever in England, JFK stopped by Chatsworth to pay his respects, and to say hello to Andrew and Deborah, who became the heirs of Chatsworth after Billy's death.
A small plaque in JFK's honor rests in front of Kathleen's grave.
The heraldic symbol of the nowed (knotted) serpent is etched into Andrew's gravestone. The serpent is part of the Cavendish family crest, and I noticed it throughout the house and gardens. Here, in the cemetery, it struck me that the knotted snake is a symbol of eternity. Notice how the snake forms the sideways figure eight symbol for infinity?
And speaking of eternity, I did some research when I got home and discovered that my Great Great Grandfather Jabez Taylor's family is from Belper, a town about fifteen miles down the street from Chatsworth.
No wonder I felt so at home.
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| Nowed Serpent on the gravestone of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire |
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| Nowed Serpent on exterior of Chatsworth House |
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