SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone
taken 9 years ago, near to Hickling, Nottinghamshire, England
This name is given to a group of gravestones loosely based on the Vale of Belvoir.
They are carved from the (relatively) locally sourced Swithland slate (from Swithland in Charnwood Forest to the west of Loughborough), and at the head of the gravestone have a carved depiction of an angel's head flanked by wings. This is supposed to represent the soul of the deceased ascending to heaven. Some larger stones have a pair of angels side by side.
The angel is in most instances flanked by a stylised depiction of an hourglass and crossed bones, and the panel usually includes a short phrase; examples include 'Come ye blessed', 'Death is gain'.
Below the angel is the commemorative inscription, often to more than one person, and this is followed by a short verse. A small number of stones also include a short biblical text.
In a few instances the angel panel is situated between the commemorative text and the verse, or even below all the text, and in at least one instance the verse is inscribed on the rear face. A number of stones are carved with a full memorial on both sides of the stone, and there are a few instances of the edge being used also.
They date from the period 1690 to 1759, and those located in the Vale itself, and centred on Hickling, appear to be the work of just one or two masons, although no information as to their identity appears to exist.
For a more comprehensive discussion, see Link
Hickling churchyard contains a very fine selection of gravestones from this period. 61 of them are Listed Grade II by English Heritage in 7 separate groupings, as follows:
ID 1227668 : Headstones in Churchyard of Church of St Luke, a group of 10 immediately west of south aisle including 5 Belvoir Angels. SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - slate headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel and adjacent headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone
ID 1235667: Group of 20 headstones in Churchyard of Church of St Luke between south porch and west side of tower, south of porch, including 12 Belvoir Angels. SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel and adjacent headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel and other headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - group of headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - C18 slate headstones
ID 1235727: 2 headstones approx. 10 metres from south fence of Churchyard of Church of St Luke south-west of south aisle. Includes 1 Belvoir Angel SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone
ID 1264930: 17 Headstones in Churchyard of Church of St Luke, south of south aisle east of porch, including 6 Belvoir Angels SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel and other headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone
ID 1264996: Headstones in - Churchyard of Church of St Luke, a group of 8 approx. 4 metres west of tower, including 3 Belvoir Angels SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - C18 slate headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - C17 headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - group of headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstones SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - C18 slate headstones
ID 1265245: Headstones in Churchyard of Church of St Luke, a group of 3approx. 2 metres west of the Mann Tomb Chest including 1 Belvoir Angel SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - C18 slate headstones
ID 1265246: Headstone in Churchyard of Church of St Luke approx. 20 metres south-west of south aisle, a Belvoir Angel SK6929 : Hickling Churchyard - Belvoir Angel headstone
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link