Group Of 12 Phillimore Memorials South East Of South Porch Of Parish Church Of St George

This group of twelve Phillimore Memorials lies south-east of the south porch of the Parish Church of St George. They primarily commemorate members of the Phillimore family, a significant Cotswold dynasty of clothiers.

The memorials consist of ten chest tombs and two altar tombs, dating from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. The earlier chest tombs are generally constructed from limestone and feature moulded cornices, cavetto bases, and lyre ends to the tops, with rectangular inscription panels. Some examples exhibit a heavy cyma mould top, plain chamfer base, or thick lyre ends. Inscriptions are largely illegible due to weathering, but dates recorded include 1678, 1696, 1718, 1738, and 1746. One chest tomb, located 2.5 metres south of the porch, is collapsing. One altar tomb, situated 7.25 metres south of the porch, has a square, domed top with a fluted frieze and urn carvings, with inscriptions that are not legible.

Items (i) to (v) are aligned north-south and raised from the adjacent path by approximately 600mm on a series of tufa blocks. Items (vi) to (x) are aligned north-south and are located immediately to the east of items (i) to (v), creating a compact and ordered arrangement. Items (xi) and (xii) lie directly to the east of items (vi) to (x). One memorial, to Jas. Partridge (related to the Phillimore family) includes cherubs in the barowue inscription panels and is dated 1737. The final memorial, dated 1825, is weathered and has quadrant corners. The group is considered to be of both historical and architectural significance.