Burial Ground Walls Including Six C18 Headstones

ODCOMBE

1597/0/10004 HAM HILL ROAD 07-APR-04 Five Ashes Burial Ground Walls including six C18 headstones with shaped heads towards n orth end of cemetery

II Cemetery boundary walls and six headstones. The walls were built in 1868, and enclose earlier burial ground that is said to have been established in 1606 and was extended to south in 1774 and again in 1809. Coursed limestone rubble walls with rubble capping. Large rectangular enclosure with pedestrian gateway on south east side with moulded stone frame and later iron gates. Towards the north end there are six C18 headstones with shaped heads, three of which have angels carved in relief at the top. They are the earlist gravestones in the cemetery. The Baptist burial ground at Five Ashes is claimed to have been established in 1606, but the first recorded interment was 1720. It is situated in an isolated location at some distance to the NNW of the village of Odcombe. This is an interesting and early example of a Baptist cemetery containing some of its first gravestones.