Beaver Tomb, Approximately 11 Metres West Of North Aisle, Church Of All Saints

Beaver Monument, Church of All Saints, Wokingham

A late 18th-century pedestal tomb erected by Benjamin Beaver to commemorate his wife Elizabeth and his nephew Thomas Leach, located approximately 11 metres west of the north aisle of the Church of All Saints in Wokingham.

The monument comprises a red brick base supporting a stepped limestone plinth from which rises a two-stage limestone pedestal with a shallow hipped roof. The body of the pedestal is unequally divided by a moulded cornice. The taller lower stage is inscribed on all sides; the upper stage only on the north and west elevations. Narrow fluted pilasters decorate the vertical edges of the north and south elevations.

The inscription is extensive and detailed. The lower section of the west elevation includes a dedication to Elizabeth Beaver, reading in part: "Beneath this stone lyeth the mortal part of Her who once delighted every Heart...The sweet remembrance of a Wife so just Affords him comfort though She sleeps in dust. Elizth Wife of Benjn Beaver In the 61st year of Her Age...". A secondary inscription commemorates their nephew Thomas Leach, who drowned on 14 July 1761 in the River Thames near Caversham Lock at the age of 16. The remaining inscriptions record Beaver family members, their marriages, children, fortunes, residences and professions, documenting the family's history from the early 17th century to the late 18th century.

The monument was apparently inspired by a similar tomb that once stood to its south, now largely lost. Elizabeth Beaver died in 1767, which suggests an erection date of approximately 1767. Originally surrounded by railings which were removed during a 19th-century restoration, the monument was positioned in a prominent location beside the path between the church's west door and Wokingham town centre. Although architecturally modest, the pedestal form is uncommon for this period. The inscription was re-cut in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.