Saxon & Medieval — Early Medieval; late 12th-early 13th century
Tomb effigy
Part of a tomb effigy in the form of a figure of a churchman, perhaps a benefactor. It was found on the site of the nunnery of Holywell Priory, Shoreditch. In medieval times, only burial in a church or churchyard and the prayers of the living could ensure the well-being of your soul in the afterlife. People who could afford it paid for tombmonuments and inscriptions so that they would be remembered. The very rich left money for chapels to be built in their parish churches, where priests prayed for their souls every day.
