Pair Of Table Top Tombs 5 Metres South West Of The South Porch, Churchyard Of All Saints

A pair of table tombs located 5 metres south-west of the south porch in the churchyard of All Saints, Ellington.

The tombs were probably erected in 1599 but incorporate much earlier materials. The side panels date from the 14th century and are made of Weldon limestone, while the top slabs are from the Clipsham group of quarries. Both tombs were restored in 2009 by Fairhaven & Woods Ltd, also using Clipsham stone.

The two rectangular table tombs are aligned east-west and positioned parallel to each other, 350 millimetres apart. Both stand on splayed stone plinths. They were constructed identically, reusing 14th-century panels of varying sizes carved with repeating encircled quatrefoils. This pattern matches the quatrefoils that appear on the 14th-century font inside the church. Originally, the east and west ends of each tomb bore one encircled quatrefoil, and the flanks each had five. However, considerable erosion has damaged the north and east sides of the south tomb, which were replaced with flat plain Clipsham panels during the 2009 restoration. A further panel was also inserted into the south face of the north tomb. When the tombs were first constructed, one panel was missing, so the east end of the south tomb was built using pale orange brick of around 1600, laid in an indeterminate bond. Both tomb slabs are heavily worn with no visible designs, patterns, or inscriptions. They have rebated lower edges all round that overhang the bases, though they were not originally designed to do so.

According to local legend, these tombs were made to accommodate two sisters who in 1599 donated 63 acres of land to the parish for the maintenance of the poor. This charity, known as the Town Lands Charity, remains active today under the Charities Commission. The names of the benefactors are not recorded. The brick used where stone panels were unavailable was fired from Oxford clay that underlies much of the parish.

The tombs have group value with the adjacent Grade I listed Church of All Saints.