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Bishopthorpe

The war memorial in the North Yorkshire village of Bishopthorpe, south of York, is a Portland stone cross with foliate tracery between the arms. There are additional crosspieces of stone half way down the shaft of the cross, and moulding at the bottom of the shaft. The cross stands on a pillar on a base. Near the base of the pillar is a recess containing a figure of St George vanquishing the dragon. The memorial stands in the corner of St Andrew’s churchyard, facing the junction of Church Lane and Bishopthorpe Road.

In 2006/7 English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation offered £680 towards work to clean the memorial with water and masonry biocide.

On the front of the plinth the dedication reads

"In memory of"

and then lists fourteen of the fallen and continues

"men of this parish who gave
their lives in the Great War
1914 – 1918
Let these men be here remember-
ed in thankfulness and honour"

More names of the fallen in World War I are inscribed on the other sides of the memorial. The World War II inscription reads

"G.F. Adams        A. Lancaster
G. Cook             R.E.H. Medhurst
J.R. Dixon          S. Stobart
G.G. Hebdon      E.E. Whitaker
G.Iles               E. Umpleby

who also gave their lives
in the
renewed fight for freedom
1939 -1945"

The memorial was unveiled and dedicated by Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of York on 22nd May 1921. It was designed by Messrs Brierly and Rutherford of York (Walter Brierly is buried in the churchyard) and built by Messrs Thompson and Barker of Kilburn, Yorkshire. Four months earlier the archbishop had dedicated another memorial designed by Robert Thompson at Husthwaite, north Yorkshire (WM2367).

Further information

War Memorials Trust reference WM1921
UK National Inventory of War Memorials: 30892

Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of York, who unveiled the memorial
Robert Thompson, who built the memorial

If you have a concern about this memorial please contact the Trust on conservation@warmemorials.org

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