Graveyard

The National Monuments Service's description

Straddling the N-facing slope of a hillock, in an area of undulating grassland, backed to S by the foothills of the Ox Mountains. Subrectangular area (c. 37m E–W; c. 42m N–S) enclosed by a mortared stone wall. The interior of the graveyard slopes down steeply from N towards the centre, where the slope becomes gentler and levels out somewhat towards the perimeter at NW. There is a high density of graves, the majority marked by 19th- and 20th-century headstones and Celtic-type crosses, many standing at the head of rectangular kerbed plots. There are also a number of graveslabs and chest tombs. In the S half of the graveyard, the graves are terraced into the steep slope. Intersperced between the formal headstones are simple, low stone gravemarkers, roughly rectangular in outline (H 0.3-0.8m; Wth 0.25-0.4m). Many appear to be uninscibed, but some carry a simple inscription, a name, a cross or ‘IHS’. Abutting the inner face of the W wall in the NW quadrant, on an area of level ground, is a heap of ivy-covered rubble which marks the site of a church (SL019-150001-). The N end of the W wall, where the original entrance to the graveyard was located, has been removed and the resulting gap, now partly covered now by graves, allows access to the adjoining 20th/21st-century extension, which abuts the W wall of the old graveyard.

Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 8 December 2014