Ever wondered about the origin of the knight who greets you on signs at the entry to Bitton parish?
He was a real person named Robert de Bytton and the coffin lid bearing his effigy was discovered in the churchyard in Bitton, in 1826, two hundred years ago this summer. It was a heatwave summer too. The carving on the stone was later used as the model for the knight on the signs.
The stone coffin lid can itself be seen in the chapel of St Mary’s Church, in Bitton, which is open every day this summer. There is also a special display telling the story of the 1826 excavations.