Description

CASTLE BYTHAM

1762/0/10009 Gravestone of Mary Higgins in churchya
09-MAR-11 rd of St James's Church

GV II
A small, rectangular, upright, gravestone of moulded limestone ashlar. The top half has two carved angel heads with interwined collars, surrounded by a stylised, rococo, design incorporating scrolls and acanthus leaves. The lower half has a slightly raised panel with a segmental head and moulded corners, incorporating the inscription which reads 'In Memory of MARY HIGGINS who died Feb [...] 1756 [...] year of her Age'. The gravestone is located approximately 3.5 metres south of the church tower.

HISTORY
The gravestone of Mary Higgins 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Allsopp, N, J, 'Castle Bytham Churchyard', unpublished survey (1997)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 Mary Higgins is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Date: it is a mid-Georgian monument, known to date to 1756
* Intactness: its essential form survives with the decorative carving intact and the majority of the inscription legible
* Artistic interest: its decorative carving takes a flowing, stylised, rococo form
* 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 early C18, also located just south of the chancel, the area considered to be the prime position for burials

Reasons for Listing

The gravestone of Mary Higgins, located in the churchyard of St James's Church, Castle Bytham, is listed for the following principal reasons:
* Date: it is a mid-Georgian monument, known to date to 1756
* Intactness: its essential form survives with the decorative carving intact and the majority of the inscription legible
* Artistic interest: its decorative carving takes a flowing, stylised, rococo form
* Historical interest: it is near two other gravestones dating to the late C17 and the early C18, also located just south of the chancel, the area considered to be the prime position for burials
* Group Value: it has strong group value with the Grade I listed church

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26675370

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)