From some tourist website:
"A rumour has persisted since Hardy's death that it is not the
author's heart that was buried beside Emma. The story goes that
Hardy's housekeeper placed his heart on the kitchen table, where it
was promptly devoured by her cat. Apparently a pig's heart was used to
replace Hardy's own. Truth? Fiction? We will probably never know."
I like that she placed it on the kitchen table. It could have made
it's way into the stew instead. Maybe it did and the cat story is a
cover-up :-) Only way to find out is to dig it up. There are bound to
be some remains even after all these years.
Anyway, cat/worms...
Roger
On 11/18/05, Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> And there's always the story (please God, apocryphal) of Hardy's heart, set
> aside after the death ready for burial in Dorset, his body being bound for
> Westminster Abbey. Tale goes that the heart was found by the cat, with
> predictable results ..... But it can't be true, it's TOO much like something
> that might happen in a Hardy novel.
>
> joanna
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jon Corelis" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 5:25 AM
> Subject: Re: Where to bury your heart
>
>
> > This was not an uncommon custom in Europe up through the nineteenth
> > century.
> > Byron's heart was buried in Greece (his body when shipped to England was
> > declined by Westminster Abbey.) The story that Shelley's heart was kept
> > by
> > Mary wrapped in a copy of Adonais sounds apocryphal; I don't have the
> > tools
> > here to investigate the question.
> >
> >
> > As for me, I have always been attracted by the following bequeathal:
> >
> > "Give my feet to the footloose
> > Careless, fancy free
> > Give my knees to the needy
> > Don't pull that stuff on me
> > Hand me down my walking cane
> > It's a sin to tell a lie
> > Send my mouth way down south
> > And kiss ... "
> >
> > -- John Prine
> >
>
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