St. Leonard's Cross |
As
with many of the mediaeval churches in South Yorkshire, St. Leonard's
church has a highly weathered carved shaft of an ancient cross in its
churchyard – made of Magnesian Limestone. Along with a niche in the
south elevation of the chancel, it is the only example of this type
of stone seen when walking around the exterior of the church.
Victorian head stops |
Looking
up to the top of the 15th century tower, gargoyles sprout
from each corner and various head stops to various windows and the
porch – added in the 19th century – provide some fine
examples of stone carving in Carboniferous sandstone of unknown
provenance.
A view of the nave from the chancel |
Once
inside the church, apart from the narrow sandstone arches arches to
both the chancel and tower and a small section of walling left
exposed in the plastered walls, it is the various monuments that are
of most interest to the geologist.
Monuments carved in various decorative stones |
Taking
advantage of an offer to be guided around the interior of the church,
after talking to various local residents when photographing the
Buttercross in Thrybergh, I didn't have the time to examine any of
them closely, but the monuments on the walls provide fine examples of
various decorative stones that were favoured by memorial masons from
the early 16th century onwards.
The chantry tomb of Sir Ralph Reresby |
The
highlight of this quick tour of yet another mediaeval church in South
Yorkshire, which has a fascinating construction history, was the
opportunity to see the chantry tomb of Sir Ralph Reresby and other defaced 14th century effigies – all of which are carved from
Magnesian Limestone.
A 14th century effigy of a priest |
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