Group Of 5 Tombs Circa 3 Metres South Of Vestry Of Church Of St Ebba

This is a group of five tombs located approximately three metres south of the vestry of the Church of St. Ebba. The group includes one medieval grave cover and four headstones, made from sandstone ashlar.

The medieval grave cover features a roll-moulded edge and tapers slightly, but it has no inscription. The first headstone is about one metre high with a shaped top, inscribed to Thomas Smith, who died in 1743, along with family members up to 1806. The reverse side is decorated with a skull, hourglass, and crossed bones. The second headstone is a Gothic-style slab about one metre high, dedicated to Joseph Oley, who died in 1895, noted as 'The last of the Shotley Bridge swordmakers' and 'Upwards of 50 years auctioneer'.

The third headstone is a half-metre-high slab with spiral decoration at the rounded top, commemorating Richard Oley, who died in 1756. The fourth headstone is approximately 120 centimetres high, featuring a moulded shaped top and low relief urn decoration, dedicated to William Oley, who died in 1810, along with family members up to 1854.

Historically, in the 17th century, swordmakers from Germany settled in Shotley Bridge and gained a reputation for their craftsmanship.