ST SAMPSON S CHURCH CRICKLADE WILTSHIRE...Church, to carry out Archaeological Building recording at St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade, Wiltshire (centred on NGR: SU 0993 9354; Fig

ST SAMPSON’S CHURCH CRICKLADE WILTSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL BUILDING RECORDING

NOVEMBER 2007

For

on behalf of

BARTOSCH AND STOKES

THE VICAR AND PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST SAMPSON’S CHURCH

CA PROJECT: 2415 CA REPORT: 07168

ST SAMPSON’S CHURCH CRICKLADE WILTSHIRE

ARCHAEOLOGICAL BUILDING RECORDING

CA PROJECT: 2415 CA REPORT: 07168

prepared by Peter Moore, Senior Illustrator

Date 29th November 2007

checked by Gail Stoten, Project Manager

date 29th November 2007

approved by Mark Collard, Head of Contracts

signed

date 30th November 2007

issue 01

This report is confidential to the client. Cotswold Archaeology accepts no responsibility or liability to any third party to whom this report, or any part of it, is made known. Any such party relies upon this report entirely

at their own risk. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means without permission.

© Cotswold Archaeology Building 11, Kemble Enterprise Park, Kemble, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 6BQ

Tel. 01285 771022 Fax. 01285 771033 E-mail: [email protected]

© Cotswold Archaeology

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St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade, Wiltshire: Archaeological Building Recording

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3

2. METHODOLOGY................................................................................................. 3

3. RESULTS ............................................................................................................ 4

4. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................... 5

5. PROJECT TEAM ................................................................................................. 5

5. REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 6

APPENDIX A: ................................................................................................................... 7

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1 Site location plan (scale 1:25,000)

Fig. 2 Plan view of tower roof showing location of survey grid (1:50)

Fig. 3 Plan of panels A1, B and C (1:10)

Fig. 4 Plan of panels D and E (1:10)

Fig. 5 Plan of panels F and G1 (1:10)

Fig. 6 Plan of panels H1, I and J (1:10)

Fig. 7 Plan of panels K and L (1:10)

Fig. 8 Plan of panels M and N1 (1:10)

Fig. 9 Plan of panels A1, G1, H1 and N1 (1:10)

Fig. 10 Plan of panels O, P and Q (1:10)


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SUMMARY

Project Name: St Sampson’s Church

Location: Cricklade, Wiltshire

NGR: SU 0993 9354

Type: Archaeological Building Recording

In July 2007 Cotswold Archaeology was commissioned by Bartosch and Stokes, on behalf of

the Vicar and Parochial Church Council of St Sampson’s Church, to carry out an

Archaeological Building Recording at St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade, Wiltshire. The

objective of the assessment was to record graffiti carved into the lead of the roof of the

church tower, prior to the repair or replacement of the roof.

Over 500 graffiti or groups of graffiti were recorded, carved into the lead panels of the church

tower. The earliest date carved in the lead was 1776, which corroborates the previously

postulated 18th-century date for the current leadwork.

Many of the graffiti were outlines of hands and feet, initials, signatures and dates, as have

been recorded on the church roofs elsewhere in Central England. However, several unusual

designs were recorded at St Sampson’s, including two ships, two rifles, a bird, a human

figure and the elevation of a house.


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 In July 2007, Cotswold Archaeology (CA) was commissioned by Bartosch and

Stokes, on behalf of the Vicar and Parochial Church Council of St Sampson’s

Church, to carry out Archaeological Building recording at St Sampson’s Church,

Cricklade, Wiltshire (centred on NGR: SU 0993 9354; Fig. 1). The objective of the

assessment was to record graffiti carved into the lead of the roof of the church

tower, prior to its repair or replacement. Fieldwork to record the graffiti was

undertaken between 1st and 5th November 2007.

1.3 St Sampson’s Church is the Anglican Parish Church for Cricklade and is a Grade I

Listed building. The earliest phase of the building appears to date to the 10th or 11th

century, and it has been extended and remodelled extensively since (EH). Most of

the church is roofed with lead, but the graffiti recorded in this study was confined to

the roof of the central tower (EH 2006).

1.4 The tower is, which is substantial, was built in the mid 16th century. It has large

octagonal corner towers with octagonal spires, and a pierced crenellated parapet

(EH). The tower roof is of roughly octagonal form, with sides of uneven length (Fig.

2; EH 2006). It is shallow pitched, with an east/west ridge. The roof is made up of 14

lead panels, with rolled joins (Fig. 2; EH 2006).

1.5 The panels of the roof are of sand-cast lead. The roof has been dated by the graffiti

carved into it to the 18th century (EH 2006). It shows evidence of extensive repair

with lead patches and solder, some of which now appear to be failing (EH 2006).

2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 A measured plan of the bell-tower was completed, in order to show the locations of

individual panels (Fig. 2). This survey included the surrounding parapet walls and

the outline of the four octagonal corner towers.

2.2 Scaled drawings of the sloping panels of the roof were also made to form base plans

for the illustration of the graffiti. Each of the 14 lead roof panels was allocated an

individual letter and these panels were further sub-divided with a temporary 0.5m

grid mapped out on the lead panel roof in chalk.


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2.3 In order to provide location data for each graffito, a higher level photographic survey

of each lead panel was undertaken. A sequence of digital photographs was

produced, one photograph for each 0.5m square on the temporary grid. A close-up

digital photograph of each individual graffito was then taken, showing the detail of

the design. These have been included in an accompanying digital archive. The

location and design of each graffito was also sketched onto a copy of the base plan.

2.4 Using the Adobe Illustrator CAD programme, the high-level digital photographs were

placed in correct position on the base panel drawings. The close-up digital

photographs were then located in the correct positions over the top, and the outlines

of the graffiti traced (Figs 3 to 10).

3. RESULTS

3.1 The survey revealed over 500 individual graffiti and graffiti groups. Where individual

graffiti included a date, it ranged between 1776 and 1997, although the dateable

graffiti was mainly from the second half of the 19th century.

3.2 A number of soldered repairs and lead patches were evident on the roof panelling,

and in places these obscured part of individual designs. One of these repairs was

perhaps completed in 1842, as one lead panel (Fig. 10, Panel Q) carries a large

inscription bearing the legend ‘J As Hopkins Plumber Cricklade 1842’ (Fig. 10, Panel

Q).

3.3 Each graffito appeared to have been inscribed into the lead panelling of the roof with

a knife or pointed object. A substantial number of these designs had been gone over

with a V-shaped punch producing a ‘herringbone‘ line. A small number of designs

were inscribed with a dashed or pecked line.

3.4 The most common forms of graffiti were the outlines of either a hand or a shoe,

often initialled and, less frequently, dated. Other more elaborate designs included

the front elevation of a building (Fig. 9, Panel N1), a rifle (Fig. 10, Panel P), two

sailing ships (Fig. 3, Panels C and Fig. 4, Panel E), a bird (Fig. 6, Panel J) and a

human figure (Fig. 9, Panel N1).


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3.5 A number of family names recur in two or more grafitti and, on occasion, these are

dated. These recurring names, along with a date range where applicable, appear in

Appendix 1.

4. CONCLUSIONS

4.1 Study of the dated graffiti recorded on the lead roof showed that the earliest date

present was 1776. This agrees with the postulated 18th-century date for the roof, or

at least the lead covering it.

4.2 Graffiti, especially hand and shoe designs, signatures, initials and dates, have been

recorded on other churches across central England, for example at Halford in

Warwickshire (CAT 1993), Middleton in Warwickshire (WCCLH 1993), Canons

Ashby in Northamptonshire and Stotfold in Bedfordshire (referred to in WCCLH

1993). The ‘herringbone’ tooling recorded during this survey was also seen at these

sites. However, the graffiti at St Sampson’s included the front elevation of a house,

two rifles, a bird, a human figure and two sailing ships, which appear to be of rare

form.

4.3 It has been suggested that hand and shoe designs inscribed onto church roofs were

the product of the many craftsmen who worked on them over the years (Carter

2002). However, the quantity of hand and shoe designs recorded on the roof of St

Sampson’s church, over 150, might appear to refute the suggestion that they their

originators were workmen only.

5. PROJECT TEAM

5.1 The project was researched and the report produced by Peter Moore and Gail

Stoten, and illustrated by Peter Moore and Lorna Gray. The project was managed by

Gail Stoten.


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5. REFERENCES

Printed Sources

Carter, T 2002 One Thousand Years of Barnby-in-the-Willows, accessed online on 29th

November 2007 at:

http://www.barnby-in-the-willows.org.uk/All 20Saints 20Church.htm

CAT (Cotswold Archaeological Trust) 1993 The Parish Church of St Mary, Halford,

Warwickshire, Recording of Lead Graffiti, CAT typescript report 93132

EH (English Heritage) Listing Description of the Church of St Sampson, accessed online on

English Heritage’ Images of England website, on 29th November 2007 at

http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=317731&mode=adv

EH (English Heritage) 2006 Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England 2002 to 2005,

The EH Report: St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade, Wiltshire, EH file reference GRC

06/001/317731

WCCLH (Warwickshire County Council Libraries and Heritage) Church of St John the

Baptist, Middleton, Archaeological Recording of Graffiti on Roof, WCCLH typescript

report WA116


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APPENDIX A: FAMILY NAMES WHICH OCCURRED TWICE OR MORE IN GRAFFITI

NAME DATE PANEL F. BILLINGHURST A EDITH BILLINGHURST B E. BILLINGHURST E E. BILLINGHURST H EDITH BILLINGHURST A. BURROWS G H.BURROWS G A. BUTTON J BUTTON J S. CUSS 1889 H F. CUSS 1889 I M. CUSS I E.S. FOOT 1852 A F.L.FOOT 1853 A M. FOOT 1878 A L. FOOT D FOOT E FREETH A ANNA FREETH A R. FREETH G A.M. FREETH G FREETH M E. HANKS I E. HANKS 1881 I E.F. HANKS 1881 I A. HOPKINS A W. HOPKINS 1859 B E.M. HOPKINS 1885 C W. HOPKINS 1868 D HANNAH HOPKINS I E.D. LANSDOWN 1873 A FRED LANSDOWN 1873 B C. LANSDOWN E G. LANSDOWN I EDGAR LANSDOWN 1873 1873 L. LOVETT 1880 A A. LOVETT 1886 B


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A. LOVETT B A. C. LOVETT D E. J. LOVETT 1887 D L. LOVETT F A. lOVETT 1886 G G. LOVETT G A. LOVETT 1883 G F. W. LOVETT 1885 H L. LOVETT I L. LOVETT J E. LOVETT L A. LOVETT M A. LOVETT 1880 N E.M. PARTINGTON 1877 B E.M. PARTINGTON 1881 B L. PARTINGTON 1880 F S. PIKE G S. PIKE G M. PIKE 1797 I R. PIKE J MARY SADLER A ANN SADLER C C. SADLER 1868 D C. SADLER 1878 H S. SADLER 1878 H

Wiltshire

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Documents

ST SAMPSON S CHURCH CRICKLADE WILTSHIRE...Church, to carry out Archaeological Building recording at St Sampson’s Church, Cricklade, Wiltshire (centred on NGR: SU 0993 9354; Fig