2015

TF0433 : Church of St Andrew, Pickworth: Graffiti in the porch

taken 9 years ago, near to Pickworth, Lincolnshire, England

Church of St Andrew, Pickworth:  Graffiti in the porch
Church of St Andrew, Pickworth: Graffiti in the porch
A variety of scratched marks in the stone, of varying age
Church of St Andrew, Pickworth, Lincolnshire

The church of St Andrew is a grade I listed building whose oldest identifiable features are from the 12th century. It is well known for the Medieval wall paintings discovered in 1947.

The nave and chancel were rebuilt in the decorated style by the Pickworth family in 1358, though the tower is older. It is probable that the broached spire dates from the 1358 rebuild.

The south door and rood screen are 14th century, as are the pews. The rood screen survived the iconoclasts, less its decorative canopy and upper pulpit. A new canopy was made for the screen in 1966, the four hundredth anniversary of the destruction. This work was done by a Mr J.H. Palin, and the guide book points out that both Mr Palin and the original carver were left handed.

There is a statue of Mary Magdalene dating from 1380, recovered but headless from where it was hidden from the iconoclasts. It was re-erected in the 19th century.

See the English Heritage listing at LinkExternal link and the church's own web site at LinkExternal link

Graffiti in the Stone

Many churches have, scratched in the stone, patterns of circles, crosses, and mystic signs. After literacy became more common, names and dates started to appear.


The name 'medieval graffiti' has been given to these vernacular carvings, but some of the dated ones have 17th and 18th century origins, and I have seen one dated 1952.

It has been suggested that these represent an attempt to associate people with the place, in the hope of a safe return from pilgrimage or war. No-one really knows. It may simply be the same determination to 'make one's mark' that led schoolboys to carve their desks, or modern youth to get out the spray paint. But some of them must have taken a lot of time to complete, perhaps in more than one session, suggesting that the local church authorities were tolerant of this practice, that it was culturally normal.

The phenomenon is not unique to churches, as roadside crosses sometimes fall victim. Curiously it does seem to be confined to stonework of communal ownership, you don't see it done on people's homes or gravestones.

There is a web site called "Medieval Graffiti" which is owned by a project recording the phenomenon in Norfolk, but similar carvings have been found all over the country, although largely ignored by historians up to now.


Norfolk: LinkExternal link
Suffolk: LinkExternal link
Lincolnshire: LinkExternal link
Surrey: LinkExternal link
East Sussex: LinkExternal link
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire: LinkExternal link

BBC story: LinkExternal link
Blog: LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Bob Harvey and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Lowlands Historic sites and artefacts Village, Rural settlement Religious sites Primary Subject: Graffiti other tags: Stone Graffiti Old Graffiti Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Porch [7] · Stone Graffiti [3] ·
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TF0433, 120 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Bob Harvey   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Saturday, 27 June, 2015   (more nearby)
Submitted
Tuesday, 7 July, 2015
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TF 0441 3367 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:53.4213N 0:26.9743W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! TF 0441 3367
View Direction
South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
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