These represent a very widespread tradition: the floor of the Cathedral of Otranto in Southern Italy has similar Norman representations on the months of the year: though possibly our stones represent rural occupations through the year, rather than a formal series assigning different tasks to each month: similar scenes are found in twelve month panels on the sides of a Norman font at Burnham Deepdale in Norfolk.


Descriptions of the Carvings


1) This stone is in the outer face of the north wall of the tower, near the ground, and is so weather-worn
and generally damaged that you can hardly make out what it is meant to be. It appears to be two men
dancing (with pigs bladders on sticks?) They wear kilts, like all the men represented. This is probably a
May Day scene: it is very worn through having been on an outside wall for many years.


 
 








2) Threshing a man with a flail stands to the left of a stook of corn (September).

 
 
 
 












 
 









 
 
 










 
 
 














 
 













 
 
















 
 
 













 
 
 
 













St Wilfrids Church posseses a striking feature of a western porch adorned with interesting carvings,
which I would estimate come from the early part of the 12th century.


A similar series of figures to these may be seen at Burnham Deepdale, in Norfolk, and at Brooklands, in Kent.
For more information on this subject click here

This page originally appeared on the official web site for St Wilfrids Church, Calverton.
I have reproduced it purely for archive and educational reasons.
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3) A reaper cuts corn with a sickle, stripped to the waist and wearing a big hat (August).
4) Threshing: a man with a flail, threshing right to left. possibly 2 & 4 were side by side, threshing the same corn
(September).
6) A man prunes a vine with a large knife (April).
7) A man in hooded cloak and sleeved jacket, seated in a low chair, warms hands and  booted feet by a fire
under a tree with his hawk (February).
9) A man seated at a trestle table, his hawk beside him, drinks from a horn, a knife in his left hand, with a flagon,
a boars head and other food on the table (January).
10) At the top of the stairs in the ringing chamber below a man digging (March).
5) A man hoeing (June).
8) This stone is on its side: Greyhound (?) with hare, a man hawking on horseback (October).