Group Of 6 Monuments Adjacent To Car Park Approximately 10 Metres From North East Corner Of Abbey

The group comprises six monuments, dating from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, located adjacent to a car park approximately 10 metres from the north-east corner of the Abbey churchyard.

The monuments are described from north-east to south-west. The first is a tall chest tomb, constructed from sandstone, commemorating the son of Mary Bloxham, dated 1813. It features a flat ledger with moulded edges, fielded panels to the long sides, inset ends with a cornice and base mould, set to a moulded base and wide platform, originally railed. Memorial inscriptions also refer to Thomas Bloxham, who died in 1816 aged 10 weeks. The second monument is a sandstone chest tomb, dated 1834, to William Thame of Highgate. It has a flat ledger to carved cavetto-moulded edges, raised panels to the long sides, inset ends, moulded base and a wide platform, originally railed. This monument is set forward from the preceding one. The third is a sandstone headstone, dated 1800, commemorating John Hart, who is described as the “6th descendent from the Poet Shakespeare.” The stone features a pointed head over carved cusping and a moulded coffin slab. The design suggests a mid to late 19th-century date for the monument. The fourth monument is a sandstone chest tomb to Player, dated 1852, though a date of 183-- is also decipherable. It has a flat ledger with moulded edges, raised panels to the long sides and slightly inset ends, all set on a moulded base and wide platform. The inscriptions are partly legible and the panels are worn. The fifth is a sandstone chest tomb, dated 1816, to Thomas Rudge. Details include a flat ledger with moulded edges above a frieze, raised panels, inset ends, a moulded base and platform, originally railed. A good inscription is visible on the north-east side. Finally, a small, possibly mid to late 18th-century chest tomb is made of sandstone. It has a flat ledger with moulded edges and inset corners, raised panels to the long sides, inset ends, a frieze and base mould set to a moulded base. This monument is badly worn with spalling to the south-east end, although it retains parts of finely cut inscriptions.