Lower Beeding War Memorial

Summary

Memorial cross, likely to date from the 1890s, later converted into a First World War memorial.

Reasons for Designation

Lower Beeding War Memorial 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 First World War.

Architectural interest:

* unusual as an adaptation of an existing late-C19 memorial cross, of a form that is entirely appropriate as a war memorial.

Group value:

* with the Grade II listed Church of the Holy Trinity.

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 dedicated at Lower Beeding as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial cross was originally built in memory to Jane Clifford Hubbard, who died in 1892, and is likely to date from this period. Following the First World War the cross was converted into the village’s war memorial.

Details

Memorial cross, likely to date from the 1890s, later converted into a First World War memorial.

MATERIALS: limestone with a bronze plaque;

DESCRIPTION: the memorial is located to the south-east of the Grade II listed Parish Church of the Holy Trinity, within the churchyard.

It consists of a lantern cross on a tapering, square-section, shaft. This rises from a square pedestal with a carved quatrefoil tracery design on each face and a splayed foot. The whole is set on a two-stepped octagonal base.

The west face of the foot of the shaft is inscribed THIS CROSS/ WAS USED AS A/ WAR SHRINE/ 1914 – 1919. The names of the 26 fallen from the First World War are recorded on the remaining faces of the foot of the cross shaft. A bronze plaque is set into the south face of the pedestal and bears an inscription in Old English lettering which commemorates Jane Clifford Hubbard. This reads WE PRAISE THEE O GOD/ FOR ALL THY SERVANTS WHO HAVE/ DEPARTED THIS LIFE IN THY FAITH/ & REST & SLEEP THE SLEEP OF PEACE/ ESPECIALLY FOR THY SERVANT/ JANE CLIFFORD HUBBARD/ WHO RESTS IN THIS CHURCHYARD/ WITH MANY WHOM SHE LOVED WELL/ & WHOSE NAMES (?)… HERE/ BE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE/ ANNO D… MDCCCXCII.

Sources

Websites
Imperial War Museum Register of War Memorials: 16753 - Holy Trinity Church Cross, accessed 7 February 2019 from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/16753
War Memorials Online: 220945 - Lower Beeding Cross, accessed 7 February 2019 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/220945

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