The year was 1799. A farmer by the name of Stutley "Snuffy" Tillinghast (also seen as Stukely or Stuckley) lived in the area with his wife and 14 children. Sarah was the oldest of his daughters. She was a dreamy girl of nineteen who would frequent the local cemeteries, reading poetry among the Revolutionary soldiers.
One night, Stutley had a dream in which half of the trees in his orchard died. For a time, he did not know what to make of this dream but that would soon change. One day, Sarah returned from one of her excursions feeling ill. A few weeks later, she was dead of consumption. Following her death, her brother complained of a weight on his chest and said that Sarah had visited him in the night. He had come down with consumption and soon followed his sister to the grave. More visits from Sarah came and more children died.
When the seventh of Stutley's children fell ill, he decided it was time to take some action. After consulting with his neighbors, Stutley went to Sarah's grave and dug up her body. Even though she had been dead for many months, her face was flush and there was no decomposition. He plunged his hunting knife into her chest and cut out her bloody heart. He burned the heart until it had turned to ashes.
After performing this gruesome ritual, the visions of Sarah stopped and peace eventually returned to the Tillinghast family. And although nobody else came down with consumption, the burning of Sarah's heart did not save his sick child. It was with that final death that the meaning of Stutley's dream was realized. Half of his children were as dead as the trees in the orchard he had dreamed of, buried and marked with simple fieldstones.
This is Exeter #14, the Stutley Tillinghast Lot. There are a few other stones in the cemetery, but the this is where Stutley, his wife Honor, and their children are buried. Honor's headstone can be found leaning in front near the wall and it is believed that the fieldstone marked "S T" next to it is Stutley's. Their son Stutley Jr's stone is in fine shape a little to the southeast, but the children who died of tuberculosis, including Sarah, are believed to be the fieldstones located just behind Honor and Stutley.
Please keep your visit to daylight hours and please respect the property behind the cemetery. Although the homeowner does not mind people visiting the cemetery, let's respect their property so that we may continue to enjoy this historical location. And finally please respect the integrity of the cemetery wall. There is no need to move any rocks at all as the container is exposed when viewed from the correct angle.
References
http://www.foodforthedead.com/tillinghast1.html
http://elemaredesign.com/hauntedri3/sites.html
