Group Of Three Chest Tombs To William Tipper, John And Sarah Coleman And Arthur Hood; In The Northern Half Of St Mary'S Churchyard

A group of three chest tombs from the 18th century, constructed from oolitic Cotswold limestone ashlar and located in the northern half of St Mary's churchyard at Poulton.

The first tomb commemorates William Tipper and dates from the early 18th century. It sits on a moulded plinth with a flat top and moulded cornice. The north side features an elaborately scrolled cartouche with winged putti heads to either side, flanked by festoons of foliage, though the inscription is badly weathered. The west end carries another scrolled cartouche with the head of a putto and is inscribed to William Tipper. The south side and east end have plain panels with moulded edges.

The second tomb commemorates John and Sarah Coleman, dating to around 1771. It is set on a simply moulded base with a moulded top featuring reeded end panels. The long sides have rectangular panels with moulded edges. The inscription to the east end is largely weathered away, though the names of John and Sarah Coleman and the date 1771 remain discernible.

The third tomb, to Arthur Hood and dating to around 1734, is set on a roll-moulded plinth with raised and fielded panels to all four sides, topped by a stepped cornice and a long bale-type capstone depicting a stylised woolsack. The ends of the woolsack are embellished by the head of a putto and an hourglass. The north side bears an inscription including Arthur Hood's name and his death date of 1734, though much lettering is badly weathered. The west end is inscribed to Richard Hood, though the remainder of the inscription is largely illegible.

The churchyard occupies the site of the former Priory of St Mary, a Gilbertine priory founded in 1350 when the majority of the manor of Poulton and the advowson were granted to the Priors and Canons of Sempringham. The priory church, dedicated to St Mary, was adapted from a chapel constructed by Sir Thomas Seymour in 1348. The priory was surrendered at the Dissolution on 16 January 1539, at which point it consisted only of the prior and two canons. Following the Dissolution, the priory church continued in use as the parish church until it was replaced by a new church dedicated to St Michael, built further north within the new centre of the village in 1873. The former priory churchyard of St Mary, which contains a large collection of chest tombs and headstones dating from the later 17th century to around 1873, was left in situ, with a new burial ground created adjacent to the new church. In the later 20th century, a large number of grave markers and headstones were removed to the edges of the churchyard, leaving only the larger tombs in their original positions.

These three tombs are of high quality in design and execution, showing good use of architectural forms, funerary symbolism, carving and inscription. They illustrate the wealth of the inhabitants of Poulton in the 18th and 19th centuries and the continued use of the former priory site.