The church is the physical and spiritual centre of the English village, and elegant pinnacled tower, a distant spire glimpsed between tall trees, a tiny church come upon unexpectedly as your round the corner, each announcing that this is the most ancient site in the parish. The churchyard surrounding it will contain memorials that are more than simple markers. They are visible links between the living and the dead, and are valuable records of changing social patterns; many are excellent examples of vernacular architectural design.
This authoritative survey is based on all those churchyard memorials, throughout England that have been listed Grade I or Grade II by the Royal Commission for Historical Monuments. Having explained the history of the churchyard, the author first deals with pre-Reformation memorials--the early Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking memorials and the medieval monuments--and then the headstones and chest tombs of the 17th and 18th centuries. These are followed by the Gothic Revival, the churchyard mausoleum and modern memorials. The author also devotes individual chapters to the symbolism of churchyard sculpture, and the rich variety of epitaphs to be found on tombstones.
Illustrated with 100 evocative photographs (25 in colour), and with a Foreword by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, this book will delight and inform anyone with an interest in this local, visible and historic evidence of England's past.
Contents:
Foreword by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales
Acknowledgements
The illustrations
1. God's Acre
2. The history of the churchyard
3. The churchyard cross
4. Pre-Reformation churchyard memorials
- Early monuments
- Anglo-Saxon and Viking monuments
- Mediaeval monuments
5. Port-Reformation memorials
- Headstones
- Chest tombs
- The Cotswold chest tomb
6. The Gothic Revival
- The mausoleum
- Modern churchyard memorials
7. Sculpture and symbolism
8. Inscriptions and lettering
- Epitaphs
9. Materials
10. The survey
Footnotes
Glossary
Appendices
- Crosses and hogbacks listed Grade I and Grade II*
- Mausolea listed Grade I and Grade II*
- Memorials listed Grade I and Grade II*
Select bibliography
Useful addresses
Index
