Forncett St Peter War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, early 1920s, with Second World War addition.

Reasons for Designation

Forncett St Peter war memorial, which is situated in St Peter’s churchyard, 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;

Architectural interest:
* As an elegant and delicately ornamented limestone wheel-head cross, depicting symbolic floral motifs on the cross head;

Group value:
* For its relationship with the Grade I listed Church of St Peter.

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. This was the result of both the huge impact on communities of the loss of three quarters of a million British lives, and also the official policy of not repatriating the dead: therefore the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Forncett St Peter as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Like many Norfolk war memorials, the Forncett St Peter memorial is situated within the churchyard. The Reverend T J Bentley applied for and was granted a faculty to erect a cross in the churchyard, in October 1920, so it is likely that the memorial dates to 1920 or 1921. It commemorates 13 individuals who fell in the First World War. A single Second World War casualty name was added later.

Details

First World War memorial, early 1920s, with Second World War addition.

MATERIALS: limestone.

DESCRIPTION: Forncett St Peter war memorial is located in the churchyard to the west of the Church of St Peter (Grade I-listed).

The memorial takes the form of a limestone, wheel-head cross pattée. There are detailed carvings of Rose, Iris, Grape and Passion of Christ Flower on each arm of the cross, and a Tudor rose motif at the centre. The wheel of the cross also includes small floral carvings. The cross head surmounts a straight, four-sided shaft with simply-moulded foot and a wreath carved in relief beneath the cross head. The shaft rises from a tapering, four-sided plinth with double-moulded cap and chamfered foot. This is atop a large stone base given rusticated detailing and with a bronze wreath affixed to the front. The whole is on a small concrete platform.

The principal inscription is on the plinth, underneath an incised cross pattée symbol, and reads: IN HONOURED MEMORY OF/ THE MEN OF THIS PARISH/ WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES/ IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918. The remaining sides carry the names and Second World War dedication.

All lettering is incised and painted black.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Online, accessed 22 May 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/166664/

Other
Mention of application for faculty, Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal (23 October 1920), pp3

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