Ryemill Monument In The Churchyard About 8 Metres South West Of Porch Of Anglican Church Of St Thomas À Becket

The Ryemill monument is an early 19th-century pedestal tomb located in the churchyard of St Thomas à Becket in Pucklechurch, approximately 8 metres south-west of the church porch. It commemorates William Ryemill, who died in 1849, and other members of the Ryemill family.

The limestone monument is square in plan and features a fluted hipped top with a finial and a cornice with acroterial ornaments. A shaped inscription shield is on the north side, and there is moulded detailing at the top of the plinth.

Pucklechurch has Roman origins, and was an important settlement from the later Anglo-Saxon period, serving as an administrative and judicial centre. The manor was granted to Glastonbury Abbey in AD 950 and subsequently to Bath Abbey in the 13th century. Following the Dissolution in the 16th century, the village underwent rebuilding and gentrification. From the mid-19th century, the opening of local collieries spurred further expansion. The parish church, originally founded in the Norman period, largely dates from the 13th century with additions in the 14th century and alterations in the 17th and 19th centuries.

The Ryemill tomb is designated at Grade II for its architectural merit as a good example of a pedestal tomb and for its group value context, relating to the Grade I-listed church of St Thomas à Becket and other listed tombs in the churchyard.