42 



iv, 1847) contains a description of a fine series of such Grave- 

 stones, discovered in the year 1841, at the Parish Church of 

 Bakewell, Derbyshire, where, on the demolition of a large part 

 of the old church, prior to extensive restoration, upwards of 

 fifty incised slabs were met with amongst the materials of the 

 old walls. 



Incised Stone Slabs appear to have been used not only for 

 coverings to Stone Coffins, but as memorial stones, placed on 

 the surface of the ground over graves made in the soil beneath. 

 If they had only been used for the former purpose, no doubt 

 Stone CofBiis would more frequently still accompany such slabs. 



1 believe that — ^besides the three to be mentioned presently — 

 only one Stone Coffiji has been met with at Minchinhampton : 

 this was found in the churchyard, near the S.W. angle of the 

 nave ; when found in 1842, it was without a lid attached to it. 



Though not immediately connected with my subject, I may 

 here mention that on excavating the ground at the west end of 

 the church, in 1843, for the purpose of forming a new approach 

 to the western door, there were found eight or ten graves of a 

 very early character. The rock had been excavated to a depth 

 only just sufficient to receive the corpse, undressed stones of 



2 or 3 inches in thickness were fixed on edge all round this 

 excavation, and on these rested, as a covering, a rough undressed 

 flat stone. A grave of similar construction was also met with 

 under the large west door of the old church. No coffins had 

 been used in these graves, most of which contained skeletons of 

 adults. 



The church of Minchinhampton contains examples of sepulture 

 in Stone Cofiins of a later age than that of the slabs already 

 mentioned. They are coeval with those portions of the church 

 built in the fourteenth century. One of these Stone Coffins 

 occupied a recess in the north wall of the north transept; on 

 its lid was a cross, not incised, but cut in relief.* This coffin 



* The central portion of this lid, and the slab (No. 5,) are now in the 

 possession of Mr. Fenning Parke, of Minchinhampton. I am indebted to 

 Mr. Parke for information on several subjects connected with this parish ; for 

 during his 50 years' residence there, as master of the Endowed School, Mr. 



