What is recorded here

A broken cleric in chasuble and alb still raises one hand in blessing inside the present RC church, having left the medieval church of St Mary's early in the 19th century. Below him a clawed griffin-like creature crouches, head lost, beside an abstract vegetal flourish rather than a plainly impaled serpent. The panel has surrendered its upper edge, one side and much of its lower depth, yet the remaining relief keeps its ceremony intact: a damaged saint, an unnamed beast and a church that received what another could no longer hold.

In the early part of the 19th century this carved sculpture was moved to the present RC church from the medieval church of St Mary's (KK026-010012-) which is located c. 190m to the NE, on the E side of the N end of Green St. (Roe 1979, 130). The sculpture, in relief, shows an ecclesiastic wearing a chasuble over an alb, with a spear or crozier in his left hand and his left hand raised in a blessing. According to Roe the cleric is impaling a dragon/serpent-type creature (ibid.). However, the creature, whose head is missing, seems more griffin like, with pointed claws and a tail, and it is positioned to the lower dexter side of the cleric, not directly in line with possible spear. Above the griffin there is further decoration in relief, it is not clear but appears to be an abstract vegetal design. The panel is badly damaged, the upper portion, incuding most of the head of the cleric, is broken off, as is the sinister side and the lower portion. There is a plain border along the dexter side. See attached: KK026-010087-_01 Urban Archaeological Survey, October 1992 Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 29 October 2022

Probably dating to the early medieval period, the stone sculpture may have originally served a liturgical or commemorative function, possibly associated with the earlier church. Local tradition may have linked it to saintly figures or ecclesiastical authority.

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