Explore Ancient History in Tavistock's Vicarage Garden

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Ancient Echoes: The 6th Century Stones of Tavistock Vicarage

In the quiet garden of Tavistock’s vicarage, a trio of granite stones stands watch—weathered, mysterious, and older than almost anything else in the town. These are no ordinary stones: they are some of the earliest Christian memorials in England, and they offer a rare glimpse into a time when Celtic traditions, Latin literacy, and early Christianity mingled in the far west of Britain.

These stones—originally from Buckland Monachorum and Roborough Down—date from the 5th to 7th centuries AD. They form part of a distinctive tradition of early medieval inscribed stones found mostly in regions with strong “Celtic” Christian influence: Ireland, Wales, Cornwall—and here, in Devon. Of the 56 such stones recorded in England, just 12 have been found in Devon, and Tavistock is home to three of them.

Join Tavistock Heritage Trust in the Vicarage Garden to view these three Early Christian memorial stones. Each has Latin inscriptions, whilst one has a rare example of Ogham script, an ancient Irish alphabet formed by linear strokes. They probably date to the 6th century AD, and are the earliest record we have of writing and of named persons who once lived in West Devon.