Find Spot record 268/1/4 - St Mary's Church, Acton, collection of Carved Stones

A collection of carved stones including one with three faces inscribed in relief at St Mary’s Church (CSMR: 268/1/1), Acton, a largely Saxon (with 18th and 19th century alterations) listed building.
Three stone heads carved in relief on a horizontal sandstone slab. They are simple faces surrounded by a crude interlace. They are amongst a collection of early stones housed in this parish church. The stone with the three heads was found embedded in the clerestory in 1897. These heads are unusual because they all display thick relief lips and protruding ears and beards. Supposedly Saxon in date due to the appearance of what looks to be a Bishop on one of the other decorated stones with out a Mitre. Mitres were introduced as Bishop attire in the 11th century. Each of the heads on the stone is approximately 4 inches high (1).
A number of Norman stones in the eastern end of the south aisle consisting of; two stones with intersecting arches and little figures underneath, two stones with one figure each, one stone with Christ in a Mandorla with angels left and right, one stone with three heads under arches (2).
There are a number of carved Norman stones at the east end of the south aisle. The clerestory windows are from the 1897 restoration (3).
The Church and the stones are also mentioned in great detail in ‘Old Cheshire Churches’ (4).
It is most likely that the stone with three heads was incorporated into the clerestory in 1757 after the collapse of the earlier one in the ‘Great Storm’ of that year. It is not yet known where the stone was in the original fabric of the church prior to this date. The clerestory windows were replaced in the 1897-8 restorations by Paley & Austin (2) and it seems that this stone was moved to its current position in the church at that time.This stone belongs to a large group of stone heads from Britain which on stylistic grounds are termed 'Celtic', but which show continuity into the Post Medieval period.

<1> Various, Written Communication to the HER, The Manchester Museum, Petch. M, 1990. (Written Communication). SCH3756.

<2> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /53 (Book). SCH3078.

<3> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Report). SCH1934.

<4> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches (Book). SCH2309.