2013

SK6929 : Belvoir Angel

taken 11 years ago, near to Hickling, Nottinghamshire, England

This is 1 of 2 images, with title Belvoir Angel in this square
Belvoir Angel
Belvoir Angel
Detail of the headstone for Richard Smith Link showing a 'Belvoir Angel' characteristic of a type of early headstone found only in this area. St.Luke's churchyard has 33 Belvoir Angels and Hickling is thought to have been the home of the unknown engraver(s) producing these between 1681 and 1759.
Belvoir Angels

This name is given to a group of gravestones loosely based on the Vale of Belvoir.
They are carved from the (relatively) locally sourced Swithland slate (from Swithland in Charnwood Forest to the west of Loughborough), and at the head of the gravestone have a carved depiction of an angel's head flanked by wings. This is supposed to represent the soul of the deceased ascending to heaven. Some larger stones have a pair of angels side by side.
The angel is in most instances flanked by a stylised depiction of an hourglass and crossed bones, and the panel usually includes a short phrase; examples include 'Come ye blessed', 'Death is gain'.
Below the angel is the commemorative inscription, often to more than one person, and this is followed by a short verse. A small number of stones also include a short biblical text.
In a few instances the angel panel is situated between the commemorative text and the verse, or even below all the text, and in at least one instance the verse is inscribed on the rear face. A number of stones are carved with a full memorial on both sides of the stone, and there are a few instances of the edge being used also.
They date from the period 1690 to 1759, and those located in the Vale itself, and centred on Hickling, appear to be the work of just one or two masons, although no information as to their identity appears to exist.

For a more comprehensive discussion, see LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Richard Croft and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Religious sites Burial ground, Crematorium Name: Belvoir Angels other tags: Headstone Grade II Listed Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Belvoir Angel Headstone [52] Title Clusters: · Belvoir Angel [2] ·
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
+
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
TIP: Click the map for more Large scale mapping
Grid Square
SK6929, 174 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Richard Croft   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Tuesday, 9 July, 2013   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 12 July, 2013
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 6920 2926 [10m precision]
WGS84: 52:51.3837N 0:58.4237W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SK 6920 2926
View Direction
EAST (about 90 degrees)
Clickable map
+
NW N NE
W Go E
SW S SE
Image classification(about): Supplemental image
This page has been viewed about 86 times
You are not logged in login | register