Buncton/Wiston

The Destruction of the Figure

This figure was destroyed in November 2004

The figure as it is now

The figure after Nov 2004. Picture courtesy of Martin Duffy. Copyright Martin Duffy

Sometime between the 10th and 11th of November 2004 this figure was destroyed by a vandal. It’s been in the church probably since the early 1100s only to be destroyed by some idiot with a chisel.
It’s interesting that one of the parishioners was not too unhappy to see it go, mainly because it was “pagan”. The pagan survival theory for sheelas is probably the one with least evidence to support it, most of the evidence points to a medieval Christian origin for them. There has been some speculation that the damage may have been done due to it’s supposedly “pagan” nature. If this is the case then the person who did the damage may like to know they have destroyed part of their medieval Christian heritage rather than the desecration of a pagan idol. Whatever motivation was behind the damage there is no denying it was a mindless act. The destruction was widely reported including a short mention in the Telegraph.

10 Years On

Emeritus Professor of the University of Sussex, Robin Milner-Gulland wrote an article in the December 2014 edition of Sussex Past and Present the Sussex Archaeological Society Newsletter. The following quote is from the end of the article

The carving, including the roundels, was destroyed by chisel (left-handedly) on the 10th or 11th November 2004; the fragments were left on the floor and put in the care of one of the churchwardens.
They were inspected by a representative of English Heritage, who reported that the stone was friable, the fragments small, so ‘reconstructive surgery’ would be needed if they were to be restored – but it was not impossible. A strange ‘ghost’ of the carving can be detected on the impost. The vandalism was reported in the press, the police made investigations, but since that time everything seems to have stalled and the fragments to have been lost. The police have a suspect, but in the absence of hard evidence are not in a position to make an arrest. It wasn’t, apparently, a random act by a passing stranger, but seems to have been somehow connected with parochial dissension between different groups in the congregation: the supposedly ‘unChristian’ carving was perceived as malign. When I suggested to a churchwarden that a photograph of it could be displayed, I was told ‘it wouldn’t last a week’. So after ten years we still live with the consequences of an act of deliberate vandalism in one of the most precious of Sussex
churches: a mystery story that lacks its final chapter.

The Original Text

Picture courtesy of Shae Clancy. Copyright Shae Clancy

This Sheela can be found in All Saints Chapel near the tiny village of Wiston in Sussex. The church is situated well off the road behind trees and is very easy to miss. I drove past it a few times while looking for it. There is a red sign on the road indicating the presence of the church which belongs to the parish of Wiston with Buncton. If you have read Images of Lust this sheela only gets a passing mention and is reported as being in the village Buncton. This is not entirely accurate as it is situated a little way outside the village of Wiston, in fact Buncton seems to consist of two or three houses and is not clearly signposted.

The figure itself is situated on the left side of the chancel arch. It is quite high up and unusually it lies on it’s side. (see below). A note in the church describes the carving as being that of the mason and makes no reference to it being a sheela or even female. There may be some doubt as to whether this carving is a sheela or not. There are no obvious genitals on display but there does seem to be some indication of toolwork where the genitals should be. If there were genitals at so me time then the carving would be similar to the one at Oaksey in Wiltshire. This similarity is further borne out by the fact that stances of the figures in both carvings are very similar and it appears to be pointing to the vagina in the same way as the Oaksey sheela. The carving also has two very small breasts or nipples which are not obvious in the photograph. The short comment in Images of Lust quotes Professor G.Zarnecki who describes the carving as being”much rubbed”, I find this hard to believe for a number of reasons.

1. The carving is far too high for anyone to casually rub it. You would need a ladder or be standing on a chair to reach it.

2. The carving appears to be in situ i.e. It does not seem to have been moved from some more accessible place where rubbing could have taken place.

To my mind it makes more sense that if the carving is a sheela then it has been carefully defaced at some time, notice the scratches around the genital area in the photograph above. In addition to this there is a vulva shaped depression between legs which would seem to that perhaps at one time the figure was more exhibitionist than it is now and has been the victim of some puritanical “enhancement” rather than rubbing for good luck or fertility.

The church itself is very old dating back to between 1150 – 1180 although land had been granted to the church in this as far back as 791 AD. Its Romanesque elements lend some weight to image being a sheela as they are normally found on buildings of this era. Another feature on the carving may point to the image being a sheela. The left had rests on the hip of the figure while the right arm seems to straighter with the now missing right hand resting slightly lower down. It may be that the figure was pointing to the genital area in much the same way as the Oaksey and Lower Swell figures. Another aspect of the carving ties it in with the blind arcading found on the outside of the chapel. The round hatched circle above the head of the figure (right)Oaksey is duplicated on one of the arches in the arcading. (See Below)

The History of the Chapel

The chapel stand on the hill of Biohchandowne from which Buncton is thought to have taken its name. There is no record of a chapel in the Domesday book despite the fact that a royal charter granted the land to church in Saxon times. (For a detailed paper on this charter click here http://saxon.sussexchurches.co.uk/buncton_charter.htm)

The following is extracted from a visit made to Buncton in 1871 by Mr. MatthewOaksey Holbeeche Bloxam, his brother, the Rev. J .R. Bloxam, and the Rev C. W .A. Napier. Rector of Wiston. Originally published in Sussex Archaeological Society Notes And Queries in 1913.

“The Chapel visited by me in September 1871,is a small Norman edifice, consisting of a nave and chancel only, with a modern bell –cote over the west end of the nave, containing a single bell. The exterior of the nave is extremely plain, and the walls are unsupported by buttresses. The south door has been blocked up with masonry plain horizontal lintel, consisting of a single stone, forms the head of the doorway, above which is a plain semicircular arch.

The chancel arch is semicircular and Norman in style, the chancel does not appear of its original dimensions, but may have been shortened in the 14th century. It is now in the interior 13 feet 6 incOakseyhes wide by only 11 feet 6 inches in length. On the north side of the chancel arch there is some rude sculpture of a man. It is lighted by a small Norman or early English window of a single light, both on the north and south sides. In the east wall is a decorated window, either modern or restored. In the south wall of the chancel is an Ogee-headed Fenestella, trefoiled under the head and moulded. Within and beneath this is a projecting perforated basin or piscina; this is thought to be of the 14th century. In the north wall opposite the piscine is a somewhat large but plain pointed locker, divided by a stone shelf of the 14th century.

On the exterior or the chancel on the north side and on the south side there are three pointed arches, in either wall, of semi-Norman design, somewhat rudely ornamented with Norman mouldings. The Walls are constructed chiefly of flint and rubble masonry, intermingled with Roman tile. The east wall of the chancel is of Ashlar masonry, and appears to have been constructed in the 14th century, when the chancel was shortened. Projecting from this east wall inside are two small moulded brackets of the 15th century. There are no details or indications of masonry of greater antiquity than the middle of the 12th century, circa A.D.1150; the chapel was, in my opinion, constructed.”

The Buncton Sheela in negative which shows more detail.

Arcading on the church — The blind arcading on the exterior of the chapel consists of re-used romanesque material re-carved to form steep pointed “gothic” arches. The original arches were in all likelyhood round headed. The middle arch holds a number of hatched semi-spheres very similar to the now destroyed decoration above the figure.

SheelaBunctonDecorationAboveHead — A close up of the hatched semi spheres on the middle arch of the arcading.

SheelaBuncton2 — The decoration above the alleged sheela na gig figure.

SheelaBunctonArcading — The front of Buncton chapel. Arcading made of a re-used romanesque arch.

The back of the church. Note the unusual arcading

Buncton Chapel on other sites

There are some better pictures of the figure at
http://saxon.sussexchurches.co.uk/images/buncton/buncton2/index.htm

And a better picture of the above figure here. You can see the tool marks between the legs quite clearly.
http://saxon.sussexchurches.co.uk/images/buncton/buncton2/pages/DSC05448.htm

There is a detailed description of the chapel here along with a early photograph of the figure.
http://saxon.sussexchurches.co.uk/buncton.htm

John Harding

Location

Directions

Bilton in Ainsty

The Figures

The church of St Helen’s, Bilton in Ainsty is situated on the B1224 York to Wetherby road. Although the church dates from Saxon times, it was considerably altered under Norman influence.

As you enter to church through the porch walk over to the vestry in the top right hand corner. The twin sheelas are situated corbel table, near the eastern wall. Formerly both corbel tables in the vestry, and Lady Chapel. were on the outside wall prior to the extension of the church in 1869.

The sheela nearest to the east wall has very broad shoulders, and haunches. Although it is claimed by Roberts ‘with her arms held on her abdomen’, her hands holds the lower part of the genitalia, which broadly occupy her trunk up to her neck.. The other is said to be ‘badly damaged hacked at, presumably because, the right arm and the hand held beneath it suggest a very patient posture.’ Although the head and shoulders are reasonably well defined, the damage to the lower half of the sculpture is so bad, it is difficult to determine any features. There are several very interesting carvings found inside the church including a Saxon Cross, various corbels including monsters, and a mermaid stresses puller.

The church is kept locked, although a key is available from the Old Vicarage, Bilton.

Text and photographs by Keith Jones

Location

Directions

Austerfield

This figure can be found atop a capital in the Church of St Helena in the small village of Austerfield in Yorkshire. a lot of the original masonry can still be seen. The church has strong connections with the pilgrim fathers. The governor of the community which sailed on the Mayflower, William Bradford was baptised in this church on the 19th of March 1589.

A Hidden Sheela

The figure is large and more crudely carved than the other carvings in the church. The face is missing, has weathered away or more likely, has been defaced at some time. A number of scratches on the face seem to lend weight to this interpretation. However the it may be that the figure never had a face as the proportions of the head seem reasonable and there is no indication of the mouth. The figure appears to be wearing a headdress or has a full head of hair. The right hand gestures to the groin where a fairly modest vulva is indicated by a cleft. The left arm is truncated at the elbow. A raised area on the chest may indicate breasts but there appears to be no space indicating clevage. The figure has spent most of the last 500 years or so hidden in a wall. The norman pillar, on which the sheela resides, was walled up with its neighbours possibly in the 14th century when the North aisle of the church collapsed. Rather than rebuild the aisle the pillars were filled in and replastered to make the outer wall of the church. During the 1898 restoration of the church the pillars were rediscovered and uncovered. Fortunately parts of the capitals protruded from the wall which alerted the architect of the restoration that there might be something within the wall.

The Church and the Bullies

The church leaflet states that the present church was built in 1080 by John de Bully (alternate spellings are Busili, Buslim Buesli and Buili) as a Chapel of Ease for the people of Austerfield. They had previously had been making a 12 mile round trip every Sunday to attend Blythe Priory. John de Bully lived from 1054 to 1089 (?), since the church would have built between these dates or soon after, it places the carving of the sheela firmly in a Norman context but one which is quite early for a UK sheela na gig. This of course assumes that the sheela was carved at the time of building. Even if the sheela is a later addition the pillars are still Norman work (12th century?). Whichever century the pillars belong to it still firmly places the figure in a Norman context. The church is also famous for its tympanumover the south door which shows a fairly crude dragon. An article by the Rev Edward Dunnicliffe in the Southwell review of 1954 places the dragon tympanum in the 8th Century and relates it to the Synod of Austerfield of 702 which settled the manner in which the date of Easter should be calculated. However an article on the CRSBI site (below) seems to imply that the tympanum is the work of the Yorkshire school of Romanesque sculpture rather than earlier Saxon work.

Austerfield is approximately 5 miles to the east of Tickhill Castle which houses some possible exhibitionist figures and was owned by Roger de Bully who is renowned “for being famous in the Domesday book and nowhere else”. So once again we seem to have a local tradition of carving exhibitionist figures and the same family acting as patrons.

There is a fairly detailed page on St Helena’s at Doncaster Family History Society websitehttp://www.doncasterfhs.co.uk/churches/austerfield.htm
No mention is made of the sheela na gig.

An article on Romanesque sculpture in the West Riding of Yorkshire can be found here
http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/crsbi/ywpreface.html

Thanks go to Chris Harrison for supplying the images and the church leaflet

John Harding

SheelaAusterfield02 — Image copyright Chris Harrison

SheelaAusterfieldTympanum — The Dragon Tympanum. Picture copyright Richard Croft.

Location

Directions

Ancaster

The Figures

The possible sheela na gig at Ancaster

Ancaster is situated in SW Lincolnshire , on the Roman Road of Ermine Street . In Roman times, there was a walled town, with earthen defences. Much Roman material has been excavated, including a statue of the Three Mother Goddesses, a statue of Minerva, and two stones dedicated to Viridius. There was a Roman cemetery with entrance archway, and inhumation burials have been discovered: some of C4 may be Christian. There are Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon remains in the area also.

The church is located to the west of Ermine Street , just north of the cross-roads, and was in the SW corner of the ancient Roman settlement. It is dedicated to St. Martin , which appears to be a relatively common dedication of churches using a pre-Christian sacred sire, as St Martin was noted for his destruction of pre-Christian temples.

The earliest existing architecture is Norman : arches in the nave, remnants in the chancel (with possible evidence of an earlier Saxon window), and an attractive font with intersecting arcading. Most of the church is Early English (C13?) with a C 14 tower. The interior has an interesting range of corbels, including several musicians, a boozy nun, and a great Green Man.

All of the exhibitionist figures occur on the tower and are integral to the structure of it and thus are likely to be C14. Pevsner gives the location of the sheela as “on the west face of the tower”. It is actually tucked into the angle of the SW buttress and is echoed by a non-sexual figure on the other face of the same buttress. The figure is low down, well within reach, and shows signs of damage around the vulva. It is considerably eroded, and probably would not arouse interest unless one was familiar with the customary pose of the sheela motif. The figure is carved into a recessed rectangular block of stone (the local Ancaster limestone is good building stone, but perhaps not fine enough in texture for detailed work, and erodes quite badly). Only the head, arms and torso are shown clearly, the figure leaning out a little from the recess, and the hands holding open what must have been the thighs. The face is extremely eroded: there is a suggestion of hair, but no clear features. The vulva is relatively large.

The Ancaster Pair. Another Exhibitionist?

High on the same face of the tower, leaning outwards like many of the grotesques and gargoyles on this church, is a grinning male figure. He is bearded, and holds a large erect penis in his left hand. The carving is quite clear, and in some detail, even the opening in the head of the penis is shown. Also on the west face of the tower, is a carving of a couple, whether male, female or both, it is difficult to say. They are clasping hands: the right hand of the right figure, and the left of the left-hand figure, are held together between them. The right-hand person’s arm is hooked around the partner’s head, the fingers clothing the cheek, towards the mouth. It is not easy to see the other arm, the left-hand arm of the right figure, but it does appear to descend between them, the hand located in the genital area: perhaps a visit in the evening with a lower westerly sun would reveal more detail.

Text and pictures copyright Tina Negus

Location

Directions

Alstonefield

The Figure

Picture copyright Tim Prevett used with permission
This figure was found in a pile of loose sculpture fragments in the church by Akiko Kuroda on a Northern Earth Walk
The find was subsequently published in Northern Earth magazine.

The figure is of a monster eating someone with only the legs and buttocks protruding from the mouth. The monsters head is recognisably Romanesque with striations on the face that can be seen at many other sites (Kilpeck and Romsey are good pair of examples). The motif of someone being eaten by a monstrous head is reasonably common in religious Romanesque sculpture (Devizes has a similar monstrous figure with legs protruding from the mouth). This figure with the additional exhibitionist motif is to my knowledge unique. A pair arms holds open what appears to be the labia between the legs of the figure. It is difficult to see in the photo whether the arms belong to the monster or the person being eaten. The motif of a person being eaten is very much a symbol of sin and damnation. A number of Romanesque manuscripts and sculptures show the damned within the jaws of a huge monster. The theory that sheela na gigs are warnings against lust was put forward in Images of Lust by Anthony Weir and James Jerman and has been argued against by some people. Here however we have a example which unequivocally places both exhibitionism and damnation within the same context. The figure as now been set into the wall inside the church for safekeeping.

The church was dedicated to St Peter in 892 St Oswald Archbishop of York. The church has a number of Romanesque features including an arch and other architectural fragments built into the walls along with other newer features.
The church also holds one of the oldest gravestone in the country bearing the date of 1518

John Harding

Video of the figure Copyright Charles Wildgoose used with permission

Link to the video on Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81538501@N00/4746059425/in/set-72157624316109609

Examples of the striated monstrous head motif on the doorway at Kilpeck. (Image Inverted for clarity)

Location

Directions

Painswick

The Figure

This figure lies on a corner stone of the church of St Mary the Virgin, Painswick. Painswick is a picturesque Cotswold town which has earned itself the unofficial title of “Queen of the Cotswolds”. The church which was originally Norman was remodelled around 1480 in the perpendicular style. The churchyard has 99 yew trees in which enclose the churchyard paths making them into tunnels in some places. There is a legend surrounding the yews that if a 100th tree is planted then the tree and the person who planted it will die because the devil wishes to keep the number at 99. The church is also famous for it’s large imposing spire which can be seen for miles around and it’s “clypping” ceremony where once a year the children of the parish form a ring around the church and sing hymns. It’s thought to express the parishioners love for the church by embracing it. On the outside, the church is for the most part fairly plain but there are at least four pieces of carving including the male figure with a possible fifth enigmatic “face” high on the tower. However this may just be an simulacra. If anyone knows any more about this “face” I would be happy to hear from them.

The phallic male figure has stubby arms and legs with a bald head and a pointed beard. Between his legs there are pair of small weathered testicles and his long thin penis rises almost to his chest. The penis is also slightly off centre. The figure shows a similarity to a bearded figure on the chancel arch atLower Swell some 30 miles to the East.

All of the figures on the church show a fair degree of weathering. In addition to the male phallic figure there is also a man with a “barrel” with a hole in it, another who appears to be eating and a gargoyle type figure. All of these figures have holes in them unlike the phallic figure which would seem to indicate that were meant to act as waterspouts. No mention is made of any of carvings in the church literature. Thanks go to Hazel Brown for bringing this figure to my attention.

"Face" high on the church tower. May be from civil war damage — “Face” high on the church tower. May be canon ball damage from the Englisgh Civil War damage

Location

Directions

Elkstone

Updated 2004-08-28

Elkstone is a richly carved parish church which is in the centre of a cluster of ancient churches in the Cotswolds.

This carving (right) is mentioned in Images of Lust by James Jerman as being a damaged carving very similar in appearance to the Kilpeck sheela. I think from the picture above you will agree that there is a passing similarity but no more than that. The execution of the carving is less defined than the Kilpeck sheela and the figure has a head of hair or some sort of head dress. Another point to notice is that figure looks quite morose unlike the happy grin of the Kilpeckcarving.

The figure does not appear to be damaged apart from the obvious curving cut on the left and slight rough patch at the bottom of the figure. It has been described by James Jerman as being the Kilpeck sheela with the bottom half chopped away. This does not seem to be the case. The underside of the figure is quite smooth the paler discolouration you can see is not big enough to indicate the removal of a large part of the carving. The figure seems to be a head, shoulders and torso protruding from the wall. I have to admit I don’t quite understand why this figure has been classified as a possible sheela at all. At first I thought there might have been another candidate for an exhibitionist figure which appears to be lifting its skirts. However the figure itself is very confusing (see photo below). Having now seen other musician figures its more likely that this figure is a rote or Harp player as the composition of the figure fits in with other less worn musician figures.

The church has obvious connections to the Herefordshire school of sculpture. The heads at the top of the rib vaulting are very similar to those found at Kilpeck. The corbels on the church are Romanesque in style and probably originate from the 12thC. There are many motifs on the corbels including astrological, animal and abstract figures. There are also some later (15thC?) gargoyles on the tower. The tower also sports some well preserved minstrel figures on it’s corners. One plays a shawm while another plays a wind instrument of some type. There are many fine carvings on the church including a fine tympanum. It’s well worth a visit if you are in the the area.

Elkstone Gargoyle — 15th Century Gargoyle at Elkstone

Location

Directions

Lower Swell

The Figures

The church of St Mary’s at Lower Swell in the Cotswolds contains a fine norman archway which holds a crude Sheela Na Gig and and a possible exhibitionist male.
The figure is to be found on the left side of the arch. The figure has a large head and left hand points to a small but definite cavity between the legs (see right). There are many other carvings including a hare and what appears to be a man battling with snakes. In addition to the sheela on the arch there also appears to be an exhibitionist male figure on a pillar on the left of the arch (below). The figure does not have clearly defined genitals but there does seem to be some suggestion of something there as you can see. This is another example of the difference in degree of exhibitionism seen in Romanesque carvings. While this figure lacks the overt exhibitionism of say Kilpeck it nevertheless has had a small vulva carved and even seems to be indicating to it in much the same way as the Oaksey example.

The male figure also seems to have inscribed ribs, a feature normally though not exclusively ascribed to sheelas. The pillar opposite the male figure shows some sign of defacing or is unfinished so there is a possibility that another figure originally faced the male figure. (See right).

The church itself is quite small but boasts some rich carving. There are corbel heads on the outside of the church which are very reminiscent of Kilpeck. The connection to Herefordshire carvings is further borne out by the tympanum above the front door which depicts a tree motif, usually referred to as “The Tree of Life”. Tympana bearing trees are a feature of the Dymock School in South Herefordshire. However the tree is not a particularly well carved specimen unlike the Herefordshire and Dymock examples. In addition to the tree a bird is depicted eating the tree’s single fruit. In his book “The Herefordshire School of Romanesque Scupture” Malcom Thurlbury suggests an origin for this tree motif from the medieval “Bestiary” which he cites as an often used source for church sculpture.

“The perindens is a tree found in India; the fruit of this tree is very sweet and pleasant, and doves delight in its fruit and live in the tree, feeding on it. The dragon, which is the enemy of doves, fears the tree because of it’s shade in which the doves rest and it can approach neither tree nor shadow.”1 The Bestiary then goes on to give a religious interpretation of the various symbols in the passage and how they relate to Christian practice. As we can see from the above quote it is obvious that the sculptor took his inspiration from the above passage. In addition to the tree motif the tympanum is also bordered by a repeated X cross pattern which also associated with other churches of Marches2

SheelaLowerSwell05 — Male Exhibitionist Figure?

SheelaLowerSwell04 — The Tree of Life Tympanum

Location

Directions

Burford

There are large images on this page please wait for them to load
The church of St John the Baptist Burford contains a small slab set into an internal turret on which are carved three figures which are thought to have come from an earlier building. This is supported by the fact that the stonework of the turret contains stonework from an earlier Saxon building. The figures comprise of three crude figures two of which appear to be displaying sexual organs. The figure on the left appears to have a slit indicating a vagina. While the middle figure has small “penis” peeping from beneath it’s skirt like garment. The middle figure is also gesturing towards the vaginal slit of the left figure. On the right we have a figure which at first appears to be a centaur but on closer inspection is a badly carved representation of a figure riding a horse.

Experts disagree on exact date for the carving some placing it in the 12th century interpreting it as the Holy Family on the flight into Egypt. It seems strange and even shocking to our modern view that differentiating Mary and Joseph would be represented by showing sexual organs. But it’s worth remembering we are looking at the carving with modern eyes and not those of the original sculptor

Other experts date it from the time of the Roman occupation which would make it a Romano-Celtic figure. While this is definitely not a sheela carving it’s also definitely an exhibitionist one but not one which fits easily into the rest of the catalogue of exhibitionist figures.

Romanesque arch on the west door of the church complete with Beakhead and Monster figures. The arch is circa 1175. The door and hinges are thought to be original

17th Century figure from the tomb of Sir Lawrence and Lady Tanfield. It’s interesting to note that this figure dates from the time of the puritans. A period in which we would expect a severe degree of sexual repression yet here we have a bare breasted young woman appearing on a tomb. It may be that our prejudices of the past being more sexually repressive have more to do with a comparatively recent Victorian influence than any basis in reality.

John Harding

Location

Directions

Ampney St Peter

The Church

This sheela can be found in the village church of the picturesque village of Ampney St Peter near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The church has a late Saxon nave with rounded plain doorway adjacent to the main door. The church has been much modified with a major extension on the south side of the church being added in 1878-79. The north side however is original and still has a single gaping mouth carving just below the roof. The tower looks very old (see below) and appears to be Saxon but I cannot find information to confirm this. There appear to be two re-used gravestones in the tower windows.

The Sheela na gig

It is situated inside the church to about 7 ft off the ground to the right of the side door (see below). The genital area has been defaced at some point, however you can still see the faint outline of the vulva and slit between the legs. The figure gestures towards the groin with both hands. The rest of the figure is fairly well preserved with high small breasts and an over large head sporting a smile. The legs and arms are spindly. It’s worth noting that even though the figure is unlike the Kilpeck sheela it also smiles in a similar manner. The figure is also unusual in that it appears to have a headdress or “hair”. Jack Roberts in the Divine Hag of the Christian Celtsmentions that this figure has been “brought inside” but does not say where the figure was originally located.¹

N.B. The first time I visited the church it was locked but the second time the church was open. I believe a key is available from one of the nearby houses if you do find it locked.

John Harding

Re-used gravestone — Reused gravestone(?) in the top window on the tower. It’s worth noting that the cross appears to be unfinished.

Gaping Mouth under the eaves of the church

The church with remains of preaching cross on the right. The yawning figure can be see just under the eaves above the blocked doorway.

Location

Directions

Search

Female

Buncton/Wiston

The Destruction of the Figure

10 Years On

The Original Text

The History of the Chapel

Buncton Chapel on other sites

Location

Bilton in Ainsty

The Figures

Location

Austerfield

A Hidden Sheela

The Church and the Bullies

Location

Ancaster

The Figures

Location

Alstonefield

The Figure

Location

Painswick

The Figure

Location

Elkstone

Location

Lower Swell

The Figures

Location

Burford

Location

Ampney St Peter

The Church

The Sheela na gig

Location

Recent Posts

Archives