This gazetteer sets out to list the monuments in cathedrals, churches, chapels, museums and even streets and private houses in Britain and France; there are also a few listed from other parts of Europe.

A church monument is defined as a memorial to the dead within a church. The person commemorated may well be interred below the monument, elsewhere in the church, elsewhere altogether or may indeed have no known burial site. The subject can be studies in greater depth by referring to The Church Monuments Society. Thus the following are included in this definition:

1. All forms of standing monuments, some with effigies, some without; this includes tomb chests etc
2. Wall monuments.
3. Grave slabs
4. Cenotaphs
5. Brasses and brass matrices. I include these from time to time somewhat haphazardly; they are however best dealt with by the Monumental Brass Society.
5. Ledger stones. These I also include from time to time. Again more detail of these memorials may be found un the Ledgerstone Survey
6. Wall paintings. These are not often seen because easy damage and loss.

I have not included:

1. War memorials. For information about this important aspect of our heritage, see The War Memorial Trust.
2. Public sculpture. Public Monuments and Sculpture Association.
3. Monuments in Churchyards. In general I have not dealt with tombs and memorials in church yards, except:  i) where the monument may well have been in the church and had been ejected at some time or appeared to have been; ii) where the monument should have been or looks like it should have been in the church; and iii) where I feel a monument is of some interest, such as containing a sculptured representation of the deceased.
4. Stained glass windows. Although these are sometimes part of a monument, even monuments in themselves, they are best discussed elsewhere.
However I must say that this is not a rigid, absolute rule and when there is something of interest it may well be shown.

For example, General Sir Redvers Buller VC is buried in the churchyard of Crediton parish church where he has a monument; he also has a curious monument of mosaics and figures in the church. He has a wall monument in Exeter Cathedral as well as a cenotaph, with recumbent effigy, in Winchester Cathedral. He also has an equestrian statue in Exeter (outside the College). All but the last are included.

I have included, or tried to include, a whole range of monuments, not just those of high artistic merit or sculptural excellence which are not, of course, always related: if you examine the examples of vulgar ostentation or frank absurdity (for example men shown in affected poses wearing Roman armour and long curly wigs) you will understand  my meaning. I have also included, for example, the simple slab to a young man killed in action. In other words I have tried to include monument of interest what ever that interest might be. I do have my favourites, of course: all medieval monuments, perhaps because I wasn't there at the time, the sad military monuments and equally sad monuments to children, and finally the mournfully romantic Victorian works.

The photographs and information are sent to me by a number of people whose names are given throughout the gazetteer. I have also taken a number of photographs and added drawings, diagrams and information myself, the Webmaster. When I visit a church I usually photograph the monuments which I feel are of the most interest, not just those of artistic merit, of course, but those of any historical interest as well; I also include monuments which may be of local interest or which are unusual or quirky in some way. Occasionally, if I have the time, I will list or photograph all the monuments in the church, even if the are far from fulfilling the above criteria; not matter how mundane they might be, they may interest someone somewhere, and indeed have done so in the past. I often add notes about the commemorated in the case of historical monuments; this is written in a light hearted but factual fashion. I also must stress that I have received no funding whatsoever from any source for this project.

I should like to add that this is an introduction to church monuments not a major academic exercise: it is an overview to show that the study of church monuments can tell us many things about the past and to encourage people to visit churches to see the monuments for themselves, this being, it hardly need be said, the best way to examine them. It is also a guide to visiting churches: are they open and what to do if they are not, and where to park. The church opening times, as well as car parking sites and changes, which  I have recorded are really  only strictly true at the time I actually visited. There are now websites, and even series of websites, giving information and details which is very helpful, but remember someone had to update this information and this is not always done to date.  I am also trying to encourage people to care for monuments, not only visitors but those responsible for them, as they can, needless to say, never be replaced. I am disappointed from time to time to find that those responsible for monuments show little care for them as well as little respect for the commemorated.

Please note that because left and right reverse when you turn round (!), I have begun to adopt the following convention. When referring to a photograph, or similar, left refers to your left, and right similarly. When I refer to an effigy, monument, coat of arms etc, left means the effigy's (etc) left, and right similarly; this is the convention adopted in such diverse subjects as heraldry and anatomy and seem ramarkably sensible to me. There may be variations waiting to be corrected.

I am pleased to add that over many years and several hundred churches I have found the clergy, churchwardens and other members of the church staff always very courteous and helpful when I have contacted or met them, often going out of their way to assist me. On one occasion a vicar helped me lift a wooden effigy out of the vestry (where it was kept to prevent theft) and arrange it so it could be photographed and on several occasions clergy have opened their churches specially for me.

The gazetteer is profusely illustrated with photographs, drawings and diagrams. Descriptions and information are also given where it may be helpful, but this is kept to a minimum, the gazetteer being primarily a visual one. For England the list is given by county but, for ease of reference, these are the 'old' counties set in print, if not in stone, by Pevsner in the Buildings of England series, where the most complete list of church monuments may be found. Alec Clifton-Taylor in his rather excellent book English Parish Churches as Works of Art (Appendix B) states, writing about the county changes of 1974, ... the far more drastic changes  of 1974 have been ignored. Based on administrative convenience, the changes have been made without regard for history, and it seems likely that the next generation will be able to accept them as normal. With regard to Mr Clifton-Taylor's last comment here I should like to comment that this applies to too many changes, some of them very serious, such as the totally unacceptable hospital car park charges. Also to add to without regard to history I must add ...as well as natural geographical boundaries such as rivers. I was born in a Lancashire town which is now 'in' Merseyside and worked for a (thankfully) short time in Warrington which was in Lancashire but then migrated (administratively) to the other side of the River Mersey into Cheshire.

I have added where to park when visiting the church and whether the church is open or not; however, this latter may change so if you are making a special journey to visit the church, it may be advisable to write or e-mail the incumbent. I have also begun to add map references, which are especially helpful on those rare occasions when the church is hard to find; these are based on the O/S National Grid with its 'false origin', which is very simple to use.

France was divided into a number of départements during the Revolution in 1790 (now 96 in metropolitan France and 5 overseas). These were created more for political reasons than anything else and are unlikely to change, unlike English counties, to which they are roughly equivalent. In 1982 France was divided into larger administrative régions, 27 in all,  each containing several départments; these were reduced by amalgamation to 18 in 2016. For the present I am using the old 27, as my purpose is to enable the visitor to find the churches; listing them according to département would probably be confusing as you would first have to find the location of the département, while, in my view, the new régions are too large for our purpose.

Other European countries are included but not much work has yet been carried out here.

Please note that this work is forever in progress and will expand progressively. I welcome contributions of photographs and information and any corrections to errors in the text or the photographs. Please contact: