Two views of Herbert Spencer's tomb in the Eastern Cemetery of Highgate Cemetery, Swain's Lane, London N6. This Grade II listed tomb is made of granite. The listing text describes it as follows: "Rectangular plan plinth with table tomb having inscribed recessed panels, cornice and shallow lipped lid." The unmarried Spencer died in Brighton on 8 December 1903 after a long period of ill health, the cause of death being given in the Times as simply old age. In its long write-up of Spencer, which took up nearly the whole of the page (followed” by a letter in praise of his powers of generalisation by Francis Galton), the Times described him as "perhaps the only philosophic thinker of the present generation for whom there can be claimed a European reputation."
Photograph at right, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. Photograph at left by Robert Freidus, who also supplied the listing text. [You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL. Click on the images for larger pictures.]
Bibliography
"Death Of Mr. Herbert Spencer." Times. Wednesday, Dec 09, 1903: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 3 Aug. 2013.
"Tomb of Herbert Spencer in Highgate (Eastern) Cemetery, Camden." British Listed Buildings. Web. 2 Aug. 2013.
Last modified 3 August 2013