Rayne War Memorial

Summary

A war memorial of Hopton Wood Stone erected in 1920.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial on Raynehall Green, Rayne, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the memorial is elegant and constructed with craftsmanship from good quality materials. Its architectural interest is enhanced by the unusual addition of a plaque recording those who died in Word War II and its setting on the village green;
* Historic interest: it is a poignant reminder of the impact of world events on the local community and the sacrifice made for the defence of the country;
* Group Value: it has considerable group value with many listed buildings surrounding the green, including Tudor Cottage, the Old School House and the village pump, all listed at Grade II.

History

Rayne war memorial was erected on the village green in October 1920. It marks the location where 45 young men of the village assembled for enlisting in 1915, only ten of whom survived the conflict, it is said. It cost approximately £150, paid for by public subscription. At the dedication ceremony, reported in the Essex Chronicle of 22nd October 1920, a procession from the church led to the memorial which was unveiled by Col. William Capper C.V.O. It is recorded that The Rev. Hutchinson accompanied the Colonel, followed by ex-servicemen and the relatives of the dead who laid wreaths at the base of the memorial before it was unveiled and dedicated. The 33 war dead of World War I were drawn from the 9th Essex Regiment who were heavily engaged at Loos and elsewhere.

A plaque was added to record the 7 dead of World War II. The memorial is little altered and has been well maintained, most recently with grant-aid from the War Memorials Trust in 2009.

Details

Plan
A cross on an octagonal plinth, supported by a base with 4 steps.

Exterior
A simply detailed cross surmounted on a chamfered shaft with a moulded base and cap. The carved inscription on the plinth reads: TO THE GLORY OF THE GOD/AND IN MEMORY OF THE MEN/OF THIS VILLAGE/WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR/1914-1918. On the flanking faces are the carved names of the fallen, over-painted in black. Above is a carved plaque leaning against the shaft which was added later bearing the names of those who died in World War II.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 12 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 12 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/22280
War Memorials Online, accessed 12 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/101814

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Print the official list entry