Tivetshall St Mary War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial, erected around 1920.

Reasons for Designation

Tivetshall St Mary War Memorial, which is situated in the ruined St Mary’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 this local community, and the sacrifices it has made in the First World War.

Architectural interest:

* as a simple but well-executed Portland stone cross.

Group value:

* with the Grade II*-listed remains of the Church of St Mary.

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 which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss. One such memorial was raised at Tivetshall St Mary as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

Tivetshall St Mary War Memorial, like many Norfolk war memorials, was situated within the churchyard. The memorial was presumably erected around 1920. The memorial commemorates 12 local servicemen who fell in the First World War.

The Friends of St Mary Church, with the help of a grant from War Memorials Trust restored the memorial, which had a broken cross head, in 2001. The memorial was rededicated following this work, on 11 November, 2001.

Details

First World War memorial, erected around 1920.

MATERIALS: Portland stone.

DESCRIPTION: Tivetshall St Mary War Memorial is located in the churchyard of the ruined Church of St Mary, Gissing Road, Tivetshall St Mary, Norfolk. It is prominently situated in the churchyard overlooking the fields across the road, and close to the ruined remains of the church. It is approximately 2.5m tall and comprises a floriated cross supported by a four-sided pedestal with a deeply moulded cornice including carved motifs, on a two-tiered base. The pedestal bears the inscriptions in incised lettering. The whole stands on a foundation of slabs.

The inscription is incised and blacked and reads IN MEMORY OF THE MEN OF/ TIVETSHALL ST MARY/ WHO LAID DOWN THEIR/ LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ GREATER LOVE HAS NO MAN/ THAT THIS, THAT A MAN LAY/ DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS./ R.I.P.

Sources

Websites
War Memorial Register, accessed 2 April 2018 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/20162
War Memorials Online, accessed 2 April 2018 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/103884/

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