Group Of Six Monuments In Churchyard, To North And East Of North Porch, Church Of St Michael

This listing describes a group of six monuments located in the churchyard to the north and east of the north porch of the Church of St Michael in Seavington St Michael. The group includes three chest tombs and three headstones.

The first monument is the Dunster chest tomb, situated about 3 meters north of the porch. It dates from the early 17th century and is made of Ham stone. It features a moulded plinth, plain sides and flanks, and chamfer coving to a very deep flat top. This tomb commemorates John Dunster, who died in 1625.

The second monument is another Dunster headstone, located about 4 meters north of the porch. This early 17th-century headstone is also made of Ham stone and measures approximately 600mm wide, 600mm high, and 1000mm thick. It has a slightly chamfered back and a shouldered semi-circular arched top with no decoration. The east side commemorates John, who died in 1620, while the west side commemorates Elizabeth, the wife of Geiles Dunster, who died around 1660.

The third monument is an unidentified headstone located about 5 meters north of the porch. This 18th-century headstone is made of Ham stone and measures about 700mm wide, 650mm high, and 110mm thick. It has a chamfered back and a roughly semi-circular top with side scrolls and incised sidelines. The inscription is too eroded to read.

The fourth monument is another unidentified chest tomb, situated about 4 meters north-east of the porch. This later 17th-century tomb is made of Ham stone, with its base buried. It has plain sides and a south flank, while the north flank features two semi-circular arched panels with imposts, keystones, and dentilling. It has a cyma-recta coving to a heavy hipped top. The inscription is unidentifiable, but one death date is noted as 1686.

The fifth monument is the Elliot headstone, located about 3 meters north-east of the porch. This later 18th-century headstone is made of Lias stone and measures approximately 750mm by 900mm by 1000mm, with a flat top. It features an incised semi-circular arched panel, fluted pilasters, imposts, a keystone, and foliage in the corners. It commemorates Jason, the son of John Elliott, who died in 1787, along with others.

The sixth monument is the Buckerell chest tomb, situated about 1.5 meters east of the porch. This 17th-century tomb is made of Ham stone, with its base buried. It has plain sides and flanks and features a cyma-recta coving to a heavy flat top. It commemorates Ales Buckerell, who died in 1661, and John, who died in 1681.