Summary
A sandstone memorial to the Arden family.
Description
A war memorial of unknown date.
MATERIALS: constructed of sandstone.
DESCRIPTION: the memorial takes the form of a Calvary cross on a chamfered shaft surmounting a moulded plinth on a two-stepped base. A stone tablet is set into the east face of the plinth and bears a metal roundel with a coat of arms, underneath which is the incised inscription: IN THANKSGIVING TO ALMIGHTY GOD/ FOR THE/ BEAUTIFUL LIFE AND GLORIOUS DEATH/ OF HUMPHREY WARWICK ARDEN BA CANTAB/ FO, ORCA/ KILLED AT MESSINES JUNE 6 1917 AGED 25/ LAID TO REST AT BAILLEUL FRANCE/ SED MILES SED PRO PATRIA/ RIP.
A stone tablet set into the south face of the plinth reads BELOW LIE THE ASHES OF/ WILLIAM HENRY PERCIVAL ARDEN PRIEST/ (YOUNGEST SON OF/ GEORGE PINKARD ARDEN/ OF LONGCROFT HALL)/ WHO DIED 23 FEBRUARY 1956 AGED 93/ ALSO THE ASHES OF HIS WIFE/ EMILY BEATRICE/ (YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF THE REV JD LOWE/ SOMETIME RECTOR OF YOXALL)/ WHO DIED 23 MARCH 1956 AGED 88/ THEY ERECTED THIS CALVARY IN MEMORY/ OF THEIR ONLY SURVIVING CHILD/ HUMPHREY WARWICK ARDEN.
A tablet set into the west face of the plinth bears a metal roundel, underneath which is the incised inscription SON AND ONLY SURVIVING CHILD/ OF THE REV/ WILLIAM HENRY PERCIVAL ARDEN/ AND EMILY BEATRICE HIS WIFE/ GRANDSON OF GP ARDEN ESQ/ OF LONGCROFT HALL/ AND OF THE REV JB LOWE DD/ SOMETIME RECTOR OF THIS PARISH.
History
The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England. One such memorial was raised at Yoxall, at an unknown date, as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by Humphrey Arden. Little is known about the war memorial, however it was built at the direction of Reverend William Henry Percival Arden and his wife Emily in memory of their son Humphrey W Arden who died at Messines on 6 June 1917 and was buried at Bailleul, France. His parents later had their ashes interred below the memorial in the late 1950s. The memorial is shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of 1975.
In 2016 the memorial was conserved with the help of grant funding administered by War Memorials Trust.
Reasons for Listing
The Arden Family Memorial at Yoxall is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Historic interest:
* it is an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice made by the Arden family in the First World War.
Architectural interest:
* it is a well-constructed war memorial with a well-detailed Calvary Cross.
Group value:
* it has group value with the Church of St Peter (Grade II*) and a number of other buildings at Grade II.
External Links
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
Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
Period Property Manual (New Ed)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)