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Description

CASTLE BYTHAM 1762/0/10008 09-MAR-11 Gravestone of Elizabeth Church in churchyard of St James's Church GV II A small, rectangular, upright, gravestone erected in 1725 of moulded limestone ashlar bordered by carving in the form of fabric falling in multiple drapes with fringed curtain pulls in both corners. At the top is a centrally placed angel's face with a winged collar, flanked by trumpets. The inscription is mostly legible and reads 'HERE Lieth the Body of [...] Elizabeth Church(?) Who Departed this life March the 29th 1725 in the 25th year of her Age'. The gravestone is located approximately 5 metres south of the chancel. HISTORY The gravestone of Elizabeth ?Church is located in the churchyard of the Grade I listed St James's Church which dates to the late C12. The churchyard is laid out on all four sides of the church and contains limestone and slate headstones dating from the C17 to the C20. SOURCES Allsopp, N, J, 'Castle Bytham Churchyard', unpublished survey (1997) REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The gravestone of Elizabeth ?Church is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Date: it is an early Georgian monument, known to date to 1725 * Intactness: its essential form survives with the decorative carving intact and the majority of the inscription legible * Artistic interest: its distinctive design which uses the imagery of the draped curtain closing upon the stage of life has a dramatic and artistic quality * Group Value: it has strong group value with the Grade I listed church and two Grade II listed gravestones dating to the late C17 and mid-C18, also located just south of the chancel, the area considered to be the prime position for burials. SK 98847 18337

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