Stanton Harcourt War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, 1921, with later additions for the Second World War.

Reasons for Designation

Stanton Harcourt War Memorial, situated in the churchyard of the Church of St Michael, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic Interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community, and the sacrifice it made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Design: an elegant and well-detailed medieval-style lantern-cross by FE Howard of Oxford;
* Group Value: with the Grade I-listed Church of St Michael and numerous listed structures in the churchyard.

History

Stanton Harcourt War Memorial was unveiled by Brigadier-General Hugh Huleatt on 12 March 1921, at a ceremony led by the Bishop of Oxford. It was designed and made by the architect FE Howard of Oxford, to commemorate the men of the parish who had died whilst fighting during the First World War. Howard was responsible for a number of war memorials in England, including that at Balsham, Cambridgeshire and Cuddesdon College, Oxford, both listed at Grade II.

An inscription for the Second World War was added at a later date. The memorial was conserved in 2009. This work, funded by War Memorials Trust, included the replacement of some damaged stone with new limestone and the re-setting of loose stonework.

Details

The memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Michael (Grade I-listed), close to the north-west entrance gate. Built of local limestone, the tall memorial consists of a medieval-style lantern-cross with a canopied top ornately decorated with architectural detail. Each side of the lantern is a panel of blind tracery containing a carving in relief. The crucifixion and St Michael slaying a dragon are carved on two sides of the lantern. The other two sides are carved with shields suspended from ribbons.

The lantern is set on a tapering, octagonal, column with a decorated capital and moulded foot. The column rises from an octagonal plinth, which stands on a two-stage, square, base. The lower stage has a shallow outsailing cornice, extending the area available for the placement of wreaths. All inscriptions are incised.

An inscription on the west face of the lower stage of the base reads TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE FROM THIS PARISH/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR. The names of the men who fell in the First World War are inscribed into the four faces of the upper stage. On the south face of the lower stage is added the inscription 1939-1945 with the names of the men who fell in the Second World War listed underneath.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 11 January 2017.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Trust, Grants Showcase - Stanton Harcourt, accessed 28/05/2015 from http://www.warmemorials.org/search-grants/?gID=885
War Memorials Register, accessed 11 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/31681
War Memorials Online, accessed 11 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/92637

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