Grave Cover - Church of All Saints, Church Road, Tilney All Saints, Norfolk. PE34 4SJ
Posted by: 
greysman
N 52° 44.192 E 000° 19.289
31U E 319168 N 5846327
The waterways in fenland carried wool to east-coast ports and on to the continent from the uplands of England leading to great wealth which was shown in the great churches of the area including Tilney All Saints.
Waymark Code: WMY0P7
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/28/2018
Views: 0
This late C12th parish church is Grade I listed, the nave and chancel are from this date, the west tower is late C13th and C14th with a spire dated 1428. The nave and chancel aisles were remodelled in the C15th with battlements added 1523-1525. It is built of barnack stone and flint, partly rendered and belongs to a group of fenland churches with very long naves built on land reclaimed from the sea.
"Tom Hickathrift was the legendary giant of the Marshland between the East Anglian towns of Kings Lynn and Wisbech. Tom grew up in one of the Tilney Villages and became so big and strong he was used to help the villagers with all manner of unwieldy tasks. He eventually went on to defeat an evil ogre in an area known as "The Smeeth". He eventually went on to become one of the King's knights. As he grew older there was much discussion as to where he should be buried. He hurled a giant bolder across the Marshland and decreed that he should be buried where it landed. It hit the side of the church in the village of Tilney All Saints. To this day you can still visit his grave at the rear of All Saints Church in the village." One of many writings about Tom.
As Tom was reputed to have been 8ft tall he would have needed a big coffin, these two stones with celtic carvings would have made one lid. They can be found in the western end of the north aisle and have been cemented to the floor as a deterent against theft.
Tom is pictured on the village sign of Tilney ( see gallery ).