Graveslab in Gowran

Lying on the floor in the SW angle of a 19th-century C of I church which was built on the former chancel of the 13th-century church of St Mary’s (KK020-060006-) in Gowran. A tapering sandstone slab (overall L 1.71m; overall Wth at top 0.5m; overall Wth at base 0.32m; surface L 1.64m; surface Wth at top 0.39m; surface Wth at base 0.22m; T 0.25m) with a moulded surround consisting of a double roll-moulding on a chamfered plane around the upper edge. There is some cracking across the surface of the slab on the dexter side, with one crack extending across the slab beneath the knop on the cross-shaft. The slab is decorated with an incised cross. The cross-head consists of an interlaced eight-armed floriated cross with a circle at the base of the fleur-de-lys. The fleur-de-lys are very rounded, almost appearing as trefoils. Beneath the cross-head there is a circular knop with a fleur-de-lys rising above it on the cross-shaft. Springing from the knop there is a curving stem on either side of the cross-shaft terminating with a fleur-de-lys, with a smaller fleur-de-lys on a stem springing upward from the main stem. The cross-shaft terminates with a fleur-de-lys, above which there is a rectangular barred knop with rounded ends, with a fleur-de-lys on a stem springing from the base of the knop on either side. Stylistically this dates to the 13th/14th century. Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 20 August 2019