The Livermore Tombs, Barnston, Essex

The work commemorates the premature deaths of four Livermore daughters between 1827 and 1840, highlighting a sequence of tragic events: Martha Susannah's decline at 14, Emma's fatal horse accident at 22, Jane's heart attack at 19, and Maria's death from smallpox at 16. The painting quietly underscores the sorrow embedded in the family's history.

Rowntree employs a deliberately understated and detailed approach, characteristic of his observational style. The prosaic depiction of the churchyard and tombstones in watercolour maintains a simple, reflective mood, allowing the inherent tragedy of the subject to emerge from the meticulous rendering of the gravestones' inscriptions.

Created circa 1940, The Livermore Tombs is now part of the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exact commission or inspiration behind the work is not detailed in available information, though its creation coincides with a period of documentation of rural landscapes before significant post-war changes.

The painting serves as a historical record of a typical English country churchyard prior to the widespread clearances of the 1950s and 60s, which saw the loss of many grave markers and local historical artifacts. Rowntree's work inadvertently preserves the appearance of these spaces and the craftsmanship of the tombstones.

Beyond its somber subject matter, The Livermore Tombs contributes to the historical and artistic record of English rural life on the cusp of significant change. It remains part of Rowntree's body of work documenting everyday landscapes, now housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum.