Group Of 2 Chest Tombs And 65 Headstones South Of Nave And Chancel Of Church Of St Leonard

This listing describes a group of two chest tombs and 65 headstones located south of the nave and chancel of the Church of St. Leonard. The tombs and headstones date from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and are made of carved and moulded ironstone.

One of the chest tombs, dated 1717, features a moulded plinth and top, square corner balusters, and fielded panels. Its south side has a wide central inscription with narrow flanking panels, commemorating Josiah Key, who was the donor of the charity school in Priors Marston. The second chest tomb, from 1755, also has a moulded plinth and top, fluted square corner balusters, and fielded panels on the north, south, east, and west sides, with inscriptions dedicated to the Churchill family.

There is a row of three early 18th-century headstones located east of the porch, with the leftmost dating to 1707. These headstones share similar designs that include a segmental top with a segmental scrolled pediment, winged heads, and urns. One headstone, located 4 meters southeast of the porch and dated 1700, has a segmental top with an interlaced cornice, a winged head adorned with fruit and leaves, and a shaped sunk panel with volutes. Another headstone from 1699 features a shaped scrolled top with a bust of a female figure, a sunk panel that is scrolled at the top and shaped at the base, and decorative volutes and drops, with a high relief base showing a skull and leaves.

Additional headstones from 1714 and 1715 have a similar design with segmental tops featuring tassels and scrolled pediments with winged heads, along with entablatures decorated with leaf scrolls, composite half-columns, and fielded panels. Inscriptions on these headstones are dedicated to Sarah Smith and another individual named Bethell. There are also early 18th-century headstones of similar design but lacking tassels and leaf scrolls, as well as a headstone from 1664 with a shaped top and sunk shaped panel inscribed to Thomas Meales, and another from 1667 inscribed to Martha Meales, featuring a shaped carved top and sunk panel. Lastly, there is a late 17th or early 18th-century headstone with a scrolled top and a moulded oval panel.