Godwin Monument in the Churchyard About 22 Metres South of Nave of Anglican Church of St Thomas À Becket

Details

PUCKLECHURCH

1096/4/212 WESTERLEIGH ROAD 15-AUG-85 (East side) GODWIN MONUMENT IN THE CHURCHYARD ABOU T 22 METRES SOUTH OF NAVE OF ANGLICAN CHURCH OF ST THOMAS À BECKET (Formerly listed as: WESTERLEIGH ROAD GODWIN MONUMENT IN THE CHURCHYARD ABOU T 22 METRES SOUTH OF NAVE OF CHURCH OF ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY)

GV II DESCRIPTION The Godwin monument lies in the churchyard of St Thomas à Becket, Pucklechurch, about 22 metres south of the nave. An early-C19 chest tomb in Regency Gothic style, commemorating a William Godwin (d. 1801) and other members of the Godwin family. The sandstone monument has a flat top with eared moulded edge, and a moulded plinth. The corners of the tomb, which project slightly, are marked by pilasters consisting of paired pointed-arched recesses with trefoil heads, surmounted by a rosette frieze. The south face of the tomb contains two recessed, trefoil-headed inscription panels, set within round-headed arches; the spandrel between the arches contains a small shield.

HISTORY Pucklechurch, which appears from the archaeological evidence to have Roman origins, was an important settlement from the later Anglo-Saxon period, when it became the administrative, military and judicial centre of the Hundred which bears its name. The settlement, once forming parts of the ancient Forest of Kingswood, may have been a royal burh in the later Saxon period. Certainly it was the site of Edmund, King of Wessex's hunting lodge; he was murdered in Pucklechurch in AD946, and his body taken to Glastonbury Abbey for burial. The manor of Pucklechurch was formally granted to Glastonbury Abbey in AD950, and was subsequently transferred to Bath Abbey in the C13. After the Dissolution in the C16, the village underwent a phase of rebuilding and gentrification, with a number of large houses erected in the C16, C17 and C18, indicating that the settlement was relatively wealthy in this period. A further phase of expansion and prosperity occurred from the mid-C19, when a number of collieries opened in the parish.

The parish church was founded in the Norman period, and was perhaps a royal foundation, but the current building dates largely from the C13; a north aisle and south porch were built in the C14, together with parts of the tower. A chantry, now the site of the Lady Chapel, was set up by William de Cheltenham in 1337. There were further alterations in the C17, coinciding with the increased prosperity of the settlement after the Dissolution, and there were two major phases of work in the C19, the first, by R C Carpenter, in 1846-56, and the second, by J D Sedding, in 1889. These included some reordering, and the replacement of some windows, the introduction of new fittings, and some stained glass. There has been some further, minor refitting in the C20.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION The Godwin tomb is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Design interest: as a good example of an early-C19 chest tomb in Regency Gothic style * Group value: for its relationship with the Grade I-listed church of St Thomas à Becket, and with other listed tombs

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

397411

Legacy System:

LBS

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