Sussex man in his 70's lovingly tends grave of Victorian pet rabbit

The grave stone of Little Duchie that Sid regularly tends

Sid Saunders, who is aged 77, and lived in St Leonards, in the Hastings area, literally stumbled across the tiny tomb stone years ago on a stroll through public woodland close to where he lives.

The rabbit’s tiny, and beautifully carved, head-stone is located in Marline Wood at the top of Marline Valley in St Leonards. It is engraved with the words: ‘In memory of the Little Duchie. Born August 1869, Died December 1882.

Sid, a retired Hastings bus driver and well known local photographer, said: “I have been cleaning it since 2014, the year after my wife passed away.

“I visit the grave to give it a clean four times a year in spring, summer, autumn and winter as long as my health permits.”

Sid literally stumbled on the grave stone, after accidentally ‘kicking a rock’ on a walk through the woods. He said: “I looked closer and saw that it was a headstone covered in mould and moss.”

He returned the next day with cleaning tools and revealed the inscription to Little Duchie.

He said: “I felt as if I was looking at a piece of history. It was heart-warming to know the rabbit had been so loved by its family they had given it a proper burial and sophisticated headstone.

After conducting research, Sid discovered the wood had once been part of a huge private estate belonging to a wealthy local family. It is thought the grave is that of their pet Dutch rabbit.

Sid added: “I am a huge nature and animal lover, so it feels important for me to preserve it. It’s unique and a lovely bit of history. The family clearly made this headstone out of love and I want to maintain that love. I hope when I am too old to do it someone else will continue to look after it.”

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The story has been picked up and shared by news agencies across the world.

Sid said: “I have been contacted by a number of top international news agencies. It seems to have gone mad. I don’t charge for my photos as I want to stay as a pure amateur photographer, but if money is mentioned, I will instruct the agencies to make it out to charity and not to me.”