Gravestone Of Elizabeth Reynor In Churchyard Of St James'S Church

The gravestone of Elizabeth Reynor is a small, rectangular, upright stone made of moulded limestone ashlar, erected in 1678. It features a recessed shield with engraved lettering and a central stylised flower motif flanked by scrolls. The inscription reads: "Here Lieth the Body of ELIZABETH REANOR Who Departed [...] Life AVG: Ye 16 1678". This gravestone is situated approximately 4.5 metres south of the chancel in the churchyard of St James's Church.

St James's Church, which dates back to the late 12th century, is a Grade I listed building. The churchyard surrounds the church and contains various limestone and slate headstones from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The parish records indicate that Elizabeth Reynor, a widow, passed away on 18 August 1678, making her the individual commemorated by this gravestone.

The gravestone is designated at Grade II for several reasons: it is a pre-Georgian monument from 1678, it retains its essential form with intact decorative carving and a mostly legible inscription, and it has strong group value with the nearby Grade I listed church and two Grade II listed gravestones from the early to mid-18th century, all located in a prime burial area just south of the chancel.