Nine Monuments In The Churchyard Of The Church Of St Mary Circa 5 Metres East Of The Chancel

A group of nine monuments are located in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church, approximately 5 metres east of the chancel. These consist of seven headstones and two chest tombs. The headstones date to the early to mid-18th century and are made of limestone.

The first headstone features an oval inscription plaque with a raised foliate margin. It has marginal panels with raised scrolls and carved heads at the top of each inscription, surmounted by a triangular pediment containing a winged angel’s head. A second headstone has no legible inscription, but displays a deeply carved winged angel's head at the top, with a ribbon tie and flowers below. The carving on this headstone is unusual, exhibiting a near-geometric quality. A third memorial marks the grave of Thomas Simon, who died in 1706, and features a sunken inscription plaque with a wide foliate margin, flanked at the top by an angel’s head and adorned with a loop of fruit and flowers below. A fourth headstone has a partially legible inscription including the date 1703, with a partially eroded angel's head at the top. The fifth headstone has an eroded inscription and small winged angel’s head, flanked by double scrolls and ribbon-tied fruit. The sixth headstone has a cartouche-like surround, now largely illegible, with two eroded winged angel's heads at the top. Two 19th-century headstones are present, one of which is lying flat, but these are not considered to be of group value. A seventh headstone is dated 1734 and features a deeply carved cartouche-like surround to the inscription plaque with a winged angel’s head at the top.

The chest tomb to George Bayliss, who died in 1818, is located immediately behind the row of headstones. Its north side has a fielded inscription plaque and a capping with a moulded margin and stepped upper capping. The second chest tomb belongs to Thomas Kendall, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century and constructed of limestone with a moulded plinth. Inscriptions to Thomas Kendall are found at the end, with further inscriptions on the north and south sides now obscured by foliage. The capping features a moulded margin and a hipped upper capping.