Findspot - Medieval stone fragments at Ansley Hall.

Description of this historic site

Findspot - a number of stone fragments thought to be Medieval in date were found in the grounds of Ansley Hall, 350m north of Bull Barn Farm. They are thought to have originally come from Caldecote Church.

Notes about this historic site

1 In the grounds of a modern house S of Ansley Hall are several carved fragments of masonry from Caldecote Church. These include pieces of a funerary monument like those of the Purefoys at the W end of that church, and some broken fragments of a 12th century round font bowl. The complete lower part of the bowl, used as a flower pot, shows the shafts of arcade ornament around the side, and two or three other pieces show that the arcading with round heads contained carving, possibly human figures. In 1814 the monument lay in a cell below the Chinese temple (PRN 158).
2 The monument was pulled down and thrown from the church when it was repaired in 1766, from whence in 1778 it was removed to be preserved in its present situation. In 1961 the remains of the monument were examined in the garden of the modern house, which is the converted stable block of Ansley Hall. Seven of the original square panels survive and these can be compared to a drawing of the tomb in Dugdale. This is the tomb of Michael Purefoy, who died in 1570,and his wife Joyce, who died in 1585. The fragments of the 12th century font bowl presumably also came from Caldecote. There is not enough left to decide with any certainty the subject matter of the sculpture.
3 Photo.
4 Drawing.

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