The original cross is medieval, with a new shaft added in 1905, in memory of George William Atlay, a priest murdered in Africa, (also commemorated by a memorial tablet inside the church). His father was Bishop of Hereford, but his connection with Rowlstone remains a mystery! In 1891 he became a missionary in Nyasaland (Malawi) but died there carrying a loaded gun, which he refused to shoot and as a result was speared to death by tribesmen.

 

 

April 2008