The symposium was a sell-out, with over 60 people attending, 53 residential guests, 12 speakers and tour guides, two excursions and countless monuments featured across three days of scholarship and socialising.

We began on Friday afternoon with a hot buffet dinner in the splendid Oak Hall at West Dean College, surrounded by wood panelling, paintings, tapestries and chandeliers. Following this, our keynote speaker, Dirk Breiding, who had come from Germany to be part of the event, took us on an enjoyable illustrated romp across the continent looking at some of the commonalities and differences between aristocratic tombs in different countries and regions. This put things nicely in context and raised questions about commemoration that were food for thought throughout the rest of the symposium.

Saturday began with a half-day conference featuring lectures by Brian and Moira Gittos, Jon Bayliss, Sophia Dumoulin and Pat Poppy.

Saturday afternoon was spent in Chichester Cathedral, exploring its 950^th anniversary exhibition and featuring themed tours of monuments by Dr Roger Bowdler (Flaxman memorials), Brian and Moira Gittos (medieval monuments), and the Cathedral’s own Anne Scicluna (highlights of the Cathedral).

A return to West Dean College for dinner was followed by an evening lecture by Dr Roger Bowdler on outdoor aristocratic burial.

Sunday morning brought another half-day conference, featuring lectures by Dr David Carrington, Dr Adam White, and Dr Tobias Capwell. The latter two speakers provided introductions to some of the monuments we were about to visit at Arundel.

Thanks to the Trustees at Arundel Castle, we had special access to the Fitzalan Chapel, which is a private space, formerly the chancel of the parish church. This unique Chapel is a Catholic mausoleum, and was the perfect place to end the weekend’s exploration of aristocratic commemoration over the centuries.

E Blood, Symposium organiser.

All photos by E Blood except where stated.