Inscriptions in the Abbey Church
The Monumental Inscriptions in the Abbey Church The earliest document to record any of the monumental inscriptions in Tewkesbury Abbey is “History in Marble” by Thomas Dingley, compiled during the reign of Charles II (1660 – 1685). This volume is in manuscript, and was published in facsimile in two volumes by the Campden Society in 1868. Tewkesbury is to be found in Volume Two. In 1750 Ralph Bigland commenced his monumental work “Historical, Monumental and Genealogical Collections relative to the County of Gloucestershire”. This recorded the monumental inscriptions in most of the parish churches in Gloucestershire, but by the time of Bigland’s death in 1784, none of his work had been published. His son and two colleagues continued his work, and it was published in instalments between 1791 and 1899. They visited Tewkesbury during Scott’s work of restoration (1875 – 1879), but were unable to check the inscriptions on the stones in the floor of the nave as it was “entirely covered with Matting and Chairs”. They make the comment that “In the course of this Work [of restoration] much of the flagging has been removed in the Choir, Transepts and Chancel, and thus the means of verifying Bigland’s account of the flat stone Inscriptions taken away”. They also refer to a Notice for a Faculty regarding the removal and re-erection of monuments, and the placing of upright head stones flat on the ground. This citation, which is in the Gloucestershire Archives, is dated 30 th April 1878, and was affixed to the door of the church on 5 th May 1878.
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