An archaeologist uncovering a medieval mystery in the heart of rural Shropshire. It might sound a bit far-fetched, but read on and you’ll find out why a new theory about a peculiar stone carving could change the way we view our county’s history.
Long before there was a market in Cleobury Mortimer, Stottesdon was an economic hub – essentially the district capital or administrative centre of south-east Shropshire.
"It is now very substantially a Norman building but there would not have been time to produce a completely new church and a new settlement between 1066 and 1086 so we can infer that there was an ecclesiastical building on the site before the conquest," explained Chris Tibbits, who directed recent restoration works at the church.
George was employed to conduct an archaeological survey during the construction work the church underwent last year. This was partly to ensure nothing valuable was destroyed or damaged, and partly to establish if anything important lay undiscovered beneath the surface.It was during this work that George analysed one of the oldest and most significant pieces of history St Mary’s has to offer.
"Until George said they look remarkably like leopards, no one here had had that perspective," said Chris."They're clearly cat-like things, but local tradition has it that one them looks like a deer. The feet are definitely cat paws in our judgment." They are the traditional emblem of the county, but more associated specifically with Shrewsbury, the county town.
It's also worth mentioning here that the King was presented with three leopards by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1235 so 13th century is a possibility for the origin of this hunting scene too. If it was carved in the 10th or 11th centuries, the carving could well be the foundation stone of Shropshire's identity and may well pre-date the Norman era.Is this a reference to the three leopards that eventually found their way onto the Shropshire flag?
The tomb cover of Roger de Montgomery, who founded Shrewsbury Abbey in 1083. Roger the Great also built Shrewsbury Castle.
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