The Stanton St. Quintin Sheela Na Gig
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Thanks to Richard Pederick for the use of the above b&w picture of the sheela. Richard's site can be found at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~prsrlp/kernunos/kfront.htm where he has some interesting info on ancient sites and many other curious things.
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The church of St Giles at Stanon St. Quintin is located in the county of Wiltshire it is a small unassuming village very near the M4 motorway. I learned about this Sheela from internet mailing list and found out that it had been published in The Haunted Landscape a book on Wiltshire folklore. When visiting the site it's easy to see why this sheela has not been reported before. Situated high on the church tower it is nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding masonry. We were only able to find the carving with the help of the ex-vicar of the church John who very kindly showed us round. |
The sheela itself is quite unusual, (if anyone can tell what a usual sheela is I would be glad to hear from them). Firstly as it is situated high on the church tower almost out of sight and does not seem to be associated with doors or windows. It is interesting to note that the Oxford sheela occupied a similar position though. The figure is quite small with a large squat oval head. It also appears to be holding two sticks. As the figure is hard to distinguish what these "sticks" may be. The sheela is also unusual in that it seems to have four holes drilled into it. Two large ones around the genital and stomach area and two smaller holes drilled into the main body. This is similar to some Irish sheelas. The guide in the church breifly mentions the sheela and also states that the custom was to show newly wedded brides after the service. Whether this was as a warning or for fertility is not exactly clear.
The
church also has a number of carvings dotted around the structure most
striking of these is the pillar heads on the back door to the church. Both
pillars are topped by identical pillar swallowing heads with ornately carved
headdresses.
