Sculptural Evidence

Herefordshire was converted to Christianity in the 7th century. There are no surviving remains of Saxon or Celtic churches, as many of these were built in timber. Interesting clues, however, are provided by stone crosses and burial slabs. In Upton Bishop, for example, part of what is believed to be a carved Roman Christian tombstone was discovered. It was inserted into the south wall of Upton Bishop Church (Herefordshire Historic Environment Record reference no. 6630).

The carving shows the head and upper body of a man, with his right hand raised up to shoulder level. The treatment of the raised right hand and the hand in the adjoining niche suggests the figure was part of a pane or frieze. Similar figures are depicted in the wall paintings at Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent.

However, it is not possible to be absolutely certain when a particular sculpture was carved. This type of relief sculpture was also popular with the Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpturein the Middle Ages (11th -12th century). The Upton Bishop face has certain similarities with the face of the Angel of St. Matthew from the font in Castle Frome church (HER no. 6874). This in itself is not enough evidence for a definite dating; as the word "Romanesque" implies, certain features were copied from Roman architectural and artistic styles. For more information on this style of sculpture, see The Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture by Malcolm Thurlby, published by Logaston Press in 1999. 

The churchyard cross at Llanveyoe is of particular significance. It is the only known short-armed cross (typical of Celtic crosses) in the county. A groove runs down the middle of the cross - this may have been used for pouring libations. It is believed that a monastery was founded here by the British Saint Beuno in the 6th century (HER 7178).

A further example which demonstrates how archaeological remains can lead us to believe that a site had an earlier religious connection is a sarcophagus lid from Llangarron. Now attached to the south wall of Llangarron church, it was used as the lid of a medieval coffin, probably for a child. The design of the figure carved on it suggests that this was originally a memorial stone to a priest of the British church, dating to the period before AD 1000 (HER 6418). 

It has been suggested that the churches in Bromyard, Ledbury and Martley (in neighbouring Worcestershire), though built in the 12th century, have earlier origins (David Parsons, "Early Churches in Herefordshire: Documentary and Structural Evidence", in David Whitehead (ed.), Medieval Art, Architecture and Archaeology at Hereford, British Archaeological Association Conference Transactions XV, 1995, pp. 60-74). At Bromyard the evidence is sculptural, and consists of two reset carvings above the doorway. At Martley some walling points to an earlier date.

[Original author: Toria Forsyth-Moser, 2002]