Group Of Three 18Th Century Headstones St Marys Church

787/0/10152 HATTON ROAD 19-FEB-03 Bedfont Group of three 18th Century Headstones , St Mary's Church

GV II

Group of three headstones situated to the south-west of the church. Portland stone. The earliest is that to Mary Hall (d.1745): pedimental top with scrolled sides, within which is a vigorous relief of a skull between palm fronds, with acanthus enrichment. A good example of a memento mori headstone, the palms are allusions to the ultimate Christian triumph over death, as well as to the victory of death over earthly life. The headstone of middle date is from 1770: its identity is now weathered away. It depicts a flaming fluted urn set against crossed trumps (symbolic of the Last Judgment), beneath clouds, and represents the ultimate triumph of the Christian over the grave. The latest dates from 1783 and was erected in memory of Sarah Lacey: it shows an urn over an X-decorated base (depicting cross bones), flanked by acanthus enrichment. The group reflects developments in decorative and symbolic aspects of headstone design over this period and are good survivals of their type.