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Wymeswold's slate engraversGinny WestcottEdited by Bob Trubshaw
Wymeswold church and churchyard. As is usual, most of the oldest gravestones are near the south entrance. The Swithland slate gravestones in St Mary's churchyard, Wymeswold, include the work of three of the best families of slate engravers. They often 'signed' their work at the very bottom. In the 1940s the pioneer historian of funerary monuments, Fredrick Burgess, visited Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to look at these memorials. He then researched the history of the carvers and catalogued where their signed works were located. He published his research as a series of articles about English sculptured monuments in The Monument Journal, 1954 to 1957. About the year 2000 Ginny Westcott, who lived on Church Street next to the churchyard, took an interest in Wymeswold's Swithland slate memorials. She was assisted by David Ramsey who was researching the history of the Swithland slate quarries. This article is based on notes by Ginny Westcott circa 2003 which she shared with the Wolds Historical Organisation. I have turned those notes into this article in 2025. It includes information from conversations between Ginny and David Ramsey and also articles by Frederick W. Burgess and Maurice Barley. Unless stated locations are CofE parish churches in Leicestershire, Rutland or south Nottinghamshire. Unattributed photographs are by Bob Trubshaw. 'Ferriman of Wimeswould'Thirty slates signed by Ferriman are known at Achurch (Northants), Aldwincle All Saints (Northants), Ashby Magna, Ashby Parva, Broughton Astley, Cosby, Costock, Frolesworth, Prestwold, Rempstone and Sutton-in-the-Elms Baptist Chapel. Dates from 1806 to 1865.The Broughton Astley slates are dated 1811, 1842, 1846 and a double memorial dated 1875 and 1882. Probably the work of David Beale Ferriman (second son of John Ferriman, a baker) and his son, Zaccheus Ferriman. Both are described as 'painters' in trade directories. There is an 1835 slate at Old Dalby signed by both Winfield and Ferriman. David Beale Ferriman born 1788, died 27 February 1829, age 41. Buried in Wymeswold St Mary's with his wife and a son, John, who died in infancy. John Ferriman born 1792, died 24 August 1830, age 38. Zaccheus Ferriman born 1812, died 29 June 1861. Married Rosamund (1817 to 1888). Two children who both died as infants Rosamund (died 1850) and David William (died 1854). Thomas Ferriman born 1829, died 24 January 1867, age 38. Married Anne who died 20 April 1901, age 71.
Signed Ferriman memorial at Quorn dated 1849/1846. Carved 1849.
Signed Ferriman memorial at Stanford on Soar dated 1859.
Signed Ferriman memorial at Wymeswold dated 1865.
William CharlesMore than a hundred slates signed as 'W. Charles' or 'Wm Charles' are known.According to Burgess memorials by Charles are at Asfordby, Barwell, Bingham, Bunny, Costock, Croxton Kerrial, Duffield (Derbys), East Leake, Flawford, Gotham, Hickling (eleven), Kingston on Soar, Lockington, Market Bosworth, Nottingham St Mary's, Nottingham St Nicholas, Prestwold (eighteen), Queniborough, 'Ratcliff on the Wolds' [sic. presumably Ratcliffe on the Wreake] and Wymeswold. There are also interior memorials at Deptford St Nicholas (London) to Mrs Ann Bonner, died 1763, Upper Broughton (1740 – with gold and colour), and two at Wilford (Rev John Wood, died 1752, and Rev Henry Wood, died 1755). William Charles 'stonecutter', born 1708, died 8 March 1764, age 56. He married Elizabeth, died 1 October 1762, age 58. He worked until his death as a slate at East Leake is dated 1764. The splendid gravestone for William and Elizabeth is signed by John Winfield who had married William Charles' sister, Ann, in 1762 and was a prolific carver of headstones. Family memorials in Wymeswold St Mary's churchyard include:
Edward Charles, born 1706, died 12 September 1760, age 54. Edward is probably the brother of William [jnr]. He married Sarah Fovill in 1743 at Wymeswold. Sarah died 4 May 1774, age 60. Elizabeth Charles, daughter of William and Elizabeth, who married John Lacey and died in childbirth 22 October 1763, age 33. Her infant daughter died December the same year. John Charles of South Croxton, born 1779, died 31 May 1813, age 34. Maurice Barley stated that William Charles signed 'sixty-five stones in Nottinghamshire. Most of them are in the south of the county (there are eleven at Hickling, five at Edwalton, four at Bunny, etc.).' Later he says 'His masterpiece, in the medieval sense, is a stone at Stanford on Soar, dated 1729–30 [...] to Henry Fewks. [...] he finds room for the incised hour-glass with wings which he used so often later that it is almost a sign of his handiwork.' The gravestone signed by Charles which is most distant from Wymeswold is at Weston near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire. William Wootton of Kegworth produced headstones which seemingly copied William Charles' later, somewhat Rococo, designs. Members of the Wootton family are buried in Wymeswold St Mary's and still live in Clay Street, working as builders. Until the mid-twentieth century a member of the Charles family still lived in Wymeswold too.
Signed Charles memorial at Stanford on Soar dated 1740/1769. To Thomas Fewkes and his wife, Ann. Regarded as one of Charles' best memorials.
Signed Charles memorial at Prestwold dated 1743. Signed with only the initials 'W.C.'.
Signed Charles memorial at Owthorpe, Notts, dated 1752. Arguably one of the best memorials by William Charles. Owthorpe is ten miles north-east of Wymeswold, close to the Fosse Way (A46). WinfieldAbout 150 slates signed by various members of this family span 1766 to 1846. They were connected by marriage with the Charles and Grundy families of slate-workers.The most prolific member of the family was John Winfield, born 1742, died 1809. He was probably the son of Edward (1708–1759) and Mary (1709–1768). John married Ann Charles (1738–1787) who was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Charles. John carved a gravestone for his father-in-law after he died in 1764. Over fifty memorials signed by John are known including a wall monument dated 1763 on the outside of Norbury (Derbys). Gravestones are known at Hoby (1787), Old Dalby (1766), Shepshed (1763, 1778, plus one dated 1793 but more probably by his sons), Wymeswold (1803)
The gravestone at Wymeswold to Elizabeth Winfield, died 1782,
John Winfield's depiction of Death and Father Time. Photograph by Ginny Westcott. John and Ann had four children:
Elizabeth, born 1764, died 1782. John, born 176(?9), died 1815. Edward, born 1772, died 1775. William III (1811–1879) seems to have signed ten gravestones between 1811 and 1846. The 1846 one is at Prestwold which is appropriate as the earliest-known gravestone signed by Winfield in 1766 is also at Prestwold, along with 25 other gravestones by him. His other work can be found at Breedon on the Hill (gravestones to John Winfield, died 10 July 1860, age 37, and William Winfield 'of Breedon', died 6 September 1867, age 20, Broughton Astley, Bulwell, Bunhill Fields (Islington) (Wheatley family 1823), Costock, East Leake, Edwalton, Frisby [?on the Wreake], Flawforth, Glenfield (1836, 1845), Gotham (18 gravestones including a relief of Time with tree, serpent, skull and church dated 1803), Kingston-on-Soar, Loughborough [?All Saints] (1824, 1842), Leicester St Margaret's, Nottingham St Mary, Osgathorpe, Rempstone, Ratcliffe-on-Soar (also slate ledgers inside the church), Sawley, Shepshed, Thrumpton, Titchmarsh (Northants), Upper Broughton (interior tablet 1763), Willoughby on the Wolds and Wymeswold (1816, 1822). William III also produced interior memorials at Barrow on Soar (commemorating Lucretia King, died 1795) and Loughborough (Langley Banks, died 1796) [presumably All Saints]. There is an 1835 slate at Old Dalby signed by both Winfield and Ferriman. Apprentice records state a Thomas Winfred being apprenticed to William Charles of Wymeswold in 1756, for a bond of £5. Thomas's surname was more plausibly 'Winfield'. Nothing has been discovered about either a Thomas Winfred or a Thomas Winfield. Buried at Loughborough All Saint's are:
The children of John and Ann: Francis (1720–1767), Sarah (1728–1809) and five other children who died in infancy. Sarah Winfield (died 1798, age 20); this slate is signed Winfield. Edward Winfield (1745–1818).
RowarthThis is an update to the original article. When I obtained scans of all Frederick Burgess's articles about English sculptured monuments in The Monument Journal, 1954–7 I discovered a mention of William Rowarth. He was born in 1747 and died 15th June 1807. He and his wife, Sarah, (who died 10th February 1808, aged 70) are buried in Wymeswold churchyard. Their attractive memorial was carved by their son, also William, who signed the stone 'Rowarth'.William junior married Mary Grundy on 19th June 1798. Which is mildly confusing as a different Mary Grundy married William Winfield (see above). As already noted the male Winfields and Grundys were mostly stonemasons. Slates signed by either of the William Grundys are at Asfordby (1783), Costock (1835, 1840, 1848), Loughborough (1794, 1832, 1835), Melton Mowbray (1819), Prestwold (1801, 1804, 1836), Rempstone (1799, 1838, 1840) and – as already noted – Wymeswold (1807/8).
Signed Rowarth memorial at Stanford on Soar dated 1815.
Signed Rowarth memorial at Stanford on Soar dated 1830.
Memorial signed by Rowarth and Winfield at Hoton dated 1848. A different Rowarth, based at Ratcliffe, signed slates at Ikeston (1848) and Whatton (1822, 1839). [This is Whatton in the Vale, not Long Whatton.] Bob Trubshaw
sourcesM.W. Barley, 1948, 'Slate headstones in Nottinghamshire', Transactions of the Thoroton Society Vol 52, p. 69–86; online at doi.org/10.5284/1115919Frederick W. Burgess's articles about English sculptured monuments in The Monument Journal, 1954–7. The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland has copies of this journal. Since editing this article I have obtained digital scans of all Burgess's articles. The contents are listed as part of a free PDF about Belvoir Angels.
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