Chest Tomb 30 Metres South Of Chancel Of Church Of St Thomas

The chest tomb, dating from 1655, is located 30 metres south of the chancel of the Church of St Thomas in Bovey Tracey. It is made of granite ashlar and features an inscription on the front, a coat-of-arms at the east end, and a skull and crossbones at the west end. The gable-ended cap also displays another coat-of-arms and an inscription on the front; a thistle is found at the east end and a rose at the west end. On the ridge of the tomb are three squat obelisks: the centre one is carved with a mermaid, the left-hand one with a flower, and the right-hand one with a thistle. This tomb commemorates Maria Forbes, who died in 1655, and was the wife of James Forbes, a former vicar who was ejected during the Commonwealth. The tomb is not in its original position; in 1826 it was noted to be 'near the south-west wall of the church', and an 1836 drawing shows it just south of the south-east corner of the south aisle.