Countess'S Pillar

Countess's Pillar is a monument and sundial, dated 1656, with a 20th-century restoration. It is made of dressed pink sandstone, which is partly painted. The structure features an octagonal column that stands on a chamfered base, topped with a moulded cap and a cuboid block beneath a shaped finial. The block displays sundials on three faces, each with metal gnomons and painted faces. The front face features the Clifford arms and the incorrect date of 1654. The rear sundial has an inscribed plate that reads: "THIS PILLAR WAS ERECTED ANNO 1656 BY YE HON'BLE ANNE COUNTESS DOWAGER OF PEMBROKE AND DAUGHTER AND SOLE HEIRE OF YE RT HONO'BLE GEORGE EARL OF CUMBERLAND AND FOR A MEMORIAL OF HER LAST PARTING IN THIS PLACE WITH HER GOOD AND PIOUS MOTHER YE RT HONO'BLE MARGARET COUNTESS DOWAGER OF CUMBERLAND YE 3RD OF APRIL 1616. IN MEMORY WHEREOF SHE ALSO LEFT AN ANNUITY OF FOUR POUNDS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO YE POOR WITHIN THIS PARISH OF BROUGHAM EVERY 2ND DAY OF APRIL FOR EVER UPON YE STONE TABLE HERE HARD BY." The pillar is set on a flagged base, surrounded by 20th-century railings. Nearby is the alms table, which is listed separately. The restoration, costing £3,000, was carried out by English Heritage in time for the distribution of alms on 2 April 1986.