Gravestone of Mary Higgins in Churchyard of St James's Church is a Grade II listed building in the South Kesteven local planning authority area, England. First listed on 9 March 2011. A Georgian Gravestone.
Gravestone of Mary Higgins in Churchyard of St James's Church
- WRENN ID
- last-keystone-elm
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- South Kesteven
- Constituency
- Rutland and Stamford MP: Alicia Kearns (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 9 March 2011
- Type
- Gravestone
- Period
- Georgian
- Address
- Gravestone of Mary Higgins in Churchyard of St James's Church, Castle Bytham
- OS grid reference
- SK 988 183
- Coordinates
- 52.75368, -0.53689
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The gravestone of Mary Higgins is a small, rectangular, upright monument made of moulded limestone ashlar, dating from 1756. The top half features two carved angel heads with intertwined collars, surrounded by a stylised rococo design that includes scrolls and acanthus leaves. The lower half has a slightly raised panel with a segmental head and moulded corners, which incorporates the inscription that reads, "In Memory of MARY HIGGINS who died Feb [...] 1756 [...] year of her Age." This gravestone is situated approximately 3.5 metres south of the church tower.
Mary Higgins' gravestone is located in the churchyard of the Grade I listed St James's Church, which dates back to the late 12th century. The churchyard is surrounded on all sides by the church and contains limestone and slate headstones that range from the 17th to the 20th century.
The gravestone is recognized for its mid-Georgian style, its well-preserved form with intact decorative carving, and the legibility of its inscription. Its artistic interest lies in the flowing, stylised rococo design. Additionally, it holds strong group value with the nearby Grade I listed church and two Grade II listed gravestones from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, which are also located just south of the chancel, an area considered prime for burials.
Local climate
Gravestone of Mary Higgins in Churchyard of St James's Church sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 81% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 83% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 54% of listed buildings. Of these, 17 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
Sign in or create a free account to unlock:
- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
- 1 Higgins Memorial About 28 Metres North of North Porch of St Mary
- 2 Mary Higgins Monument in the Churchyard, About 25 Metres South of South Porch of Church of St Peter
- 3 Gravestone of Elizabeth Church in Churchyard of St James's Church
- 4 Two Higgins Monuments, in the Churchyard, Between About 7 Metres and 9 Metres South of East End of Chancel, Church of Holy Trinity
- 5 Beaven and Higgins Memorial About 42 Metres North of North Porch of Church of St Mary
this building 1 similar nearby listed buildings
Nearby listed buildings
- Gravestone of Elizabeth Reynor in Churchyard of St James's Church
- Gravestone of Elizabeth Church in Churchyard of St James's Church
- War Memorial in Churchyard of St James's Church
- Church of St James
- The Priory
- The New Castle Inn
- Barn at the Priory
- Manor House
- Stable Block at the Manor House
- K6 Telephone Kiosk by Shelter on Island