Ford Memorial,C18 Chest Tomb And Two C17 Monuments Approximately 2-5 Metres South Of South Transept Of Church Of St George

The Ford Memorial consists of a late 18th century chest tomb and two late 17th century monuments, located approximately 2 to 5 meters south of the south transept of the Church of St. George. The memorial features three chest tombs and one ridge-backed tomb. The Ford memorial, which is the western of the two 18th century chest tombs, is rectangular with a stepped moulded plinth, capping, and a stepped top. It has Rococo carvings on the sides, including floral motifs on the corner pilasters to the south and panelled corner pilasters to the north. The south side bears an inscription and a carved head of a winged cherub at the top, commemorating Thomas Ford, who died in 1770, while the north side has an inscription for his wife, Mary, who died in 1775. To the east is a similar memorial with Rococo carvings, including a head of a winged cherub on the south side, fluted corner pilasters on the south, panelled corner pilasters on the north, and blank round-headed inscription panels at the ends, with a partly illegible inscription for Thomas, who died in 1791, on the south side. The two 17th century monuments to the south include a low ridge-backed tomb with overhanging verges at the gable ends and a plain chest tomb with cavetto-moulded capping. Neither of these has an inscription visible as of the last survey in July 1987. The ridge-backed tomb may have inspired Philip Webb's memorial to William Morris in the same churchyard.