The girl on the flying trapeze
Fire took her from earth to air to water and then finally back to earth once more. Now Louisa Maud Evans rests in Cathays cemetery in Cardiff, beneath a white marble headstone.
Brave woman, yet in years a child
Dark death closed here thy heavenward flight.
God grant thee, pure and undefiled
To reach at last the light of light.
Louisa, 14 years old and working under the name of Albertina, was a parachutist who floated down from a trapeze suspended beneath a smoke-filled balloon.
A large crowd in Cardiff watched her die…
You can find the full version of this sad story in my new book, Grave Tales of Wales, which was published by Cambria in July 2021. The book explores the stories represented by thirty gravestones from across the whole of Wales, from Anglesey to Cardiff, from Llangrannog to Newport.
The stories are about the surprising lives of the people who still lie beneath those stones, who still lie beneath your feet, and who still have something to say.
There are stories of anguish and sorrow, stories of courage and achievement and these tales from the past that can still speak to us today. There are great events here – the Titanic, the sinking of The Royal Charter, the execution of a King, the exploration of the Antarctic – but there are also terrible murders and tragic deaths, like that of Albertina.
Through these graves you can explore fascinating and sometimes unexpected stories from Welsh History
The book is 190 pages long and is illustrated throughout with full colour photographs
Go to the Grave Tales From Wales page by using the menu or by clicking here.
Or go straight to the How to Buy page in the menu or follow this link
To Buy Now for £12.99, which includes packing and delivery, click on the box below
Here is an extract from the book, in which I narrate the story of the Robber’s Grave in Montgomery, Powys
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