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St. Giles The Abbot: The Churchyard

Reproduced from 'The Church Guide Book'

        The original Churchyard, the area immediately surrounding the church, 0.35 acres in extent, was probably in use as the Parish Burial Ground by 1000 A.D. It served the needs of the parish until 1854 when the first extension of the churchyard took place round the North and West sides of the original ground, as can be clearly seen on the Churchyard Plan.

        From the earliest times, the Churchyard was part of the Rector's Freehold, as it is today. During the time as incumbent the Rector receives a fee for each burial but cannot sell any part of the Churchyard; people pay a fee to be buried in the Churchyard but cannot buy a grave space as is possible in a public cemetery. Tombstones, however, remain the property of the family who install them. The permission of the Rector is required, together with compliance with the regulations of the Diocese, which are set down by the Diocesan Chancellor.

        Until the 18th century, there were no tombstones in the Churchyard, the ground being re-used time and time again, the level gradually rising, as can be seen by comparing it with the level of the paths. From the 1700s, tombstones came into use, and by 1854 the Churchyard was full of Memorial Stones making re-use of the ground impossible. Extra ground, 0.4 acres, was therefore purchased. The Yew Tree  was at the North West corner of the Churchyard when it was planted in 1643. The Churchyard was extended over the years as the need arose.  This can be seen on the plan.

        From 1538 the names of people buried in the Churchyard, have been recorded in a Burial Register, but it is only since 1885 that a Grave Register has been kept, which records where a person is buried.

        The original Churchyard was entered by ‘The Church Gate’, which was in a position now occupied by the Skeggs Tomb, behind the small hedge, to the left after entering the Churchyard through the Lych Gate. This is a good example of a table tomb which, although it has lost its original railings, would have been similar to those retained by two other examples near the church door. The present Lych Gate was erected in 1902 as a memorial to Rachel Fox.

        The Churchyard contains good examples of tomb stones showing how tastes have changed over the past centuries and some examples are marked on the plan. The oldest stone dated 1725 is an elaborate set of the body stone type, with Head and Foot stones, and is situated by the fir tree to the West side of the path leading to Church Field. The Wynne Stone, made of local rag stone, near the Choir Vestry is more typical of the age, as are the slightly more elaborate examples to the South of the Clergy Vestry, hiding behind the table tomb, to the Rance Family.

        In the Victorian Extension to the Churchyard, there is the famous ‘Gipsy Lee’ grave. She was the last Gipsy Queen in the area and lived for the later part of her life in Willow Walk. The Evans/Butterworth tomb in the western part of the Victorian extension is a good example of an ‘Architectural’ memorial, while the March Bronze of the ‘Fallen Angel’ illustrates the fine work of this talented local family who supplied the bronze figures for the Canadian National War Memorial in Ottawa.

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