The Green Man Gazetteer
The Company of the Green Man maintains the largest gazetteer of Green Men (and Green Women) in the world. When the founder of The Company of the Green Man Ronald Millar wrote the book “The Green Man Companion and Gazetteer” in 1997 he included our first gazetteer containing 61 entries. Ron told me that he thought there may actually be hundreds of Green Men out there. Little did Ron know how much he had underestimated the incredible spread of the Green Man. Our Gazetteer now lists thousands of Green Men, Women and Beasts. More sightings arrive weekly and I suspect that there are many thousands more as yet undiscovered Green Men out there.
I’m hopeful that the downloadable gazetteer will become a really useful tool for Green Man hunters who can now download a current copy to their phone or tablet prior to heading out so that it is always available offline.
The Gazetteer is now available for anyone to download completely free of charge via the Gazetteer tab at the top of this page.
It is still a work in progress, I have many sightings to add and a lot of formatting to do but rather than keeping it back until this is done I would prefer it be available for use now and keep updating it as and when I can.
Whilst the gazetteer is completely free to download it has taken many years of hard work to produce and it would be really appreciated if those who find it useful would consider making a small donation via our Donate tab above or via THIS LINK
How you can help
Our gazetteer is growing daily but we need help verifying many of the entries as well as discovering as yet unrecorded green men. Hunting green men is a fascinating pursuit for individuals groups or the whole family and will get you out and about in some fantastic locations. Entire walks or journeys can be planned around searching for green men and there are many, many green men, green women and green beasts still waiting to be discovered. In the words of Clive Hicks author of “The Green Man: A Field Guide”:
“There are certainly many, many green men not known to us…..It might be you that identifies a gem of a green man who has been gracing a church for centuries, unnoticed until your visit”
Those who discover a green man that has never been recorded will be credited in our gazetteer as the original discoverer! Those how are able to verify an entry will be credited as the verifier. Please e-mail me with as much detail as possible and preferably include a photograph for us to add to our online Flickr Archive.
As a minimum it is really helpful to record:
Place: (street, town, county, church name etc.)
Location: whereabouts is the green man (outside, inside, on a corbel near the west door, outside on a frieze on the second story etc.)
Date: Many churches have information sheets detailing when they were built, many buildings have a prominent date stone)
A picture: The quality of even the most basic of mobile phone cameras is now so good that even a quick snap would really be appreciated. It will be added to our online photographic archive copyrighted to the finder and may even appear in our members newsletter and on our blog.
I am also hoping to start embedding Google Map links directly into the gazetteer so would really appreciate Google Map co-ordinates if possible too.
Membership of The Company of the Green Man is free, just click on the Join Us tab at the top of this blog.
Sightings – St Telio’s Church, South Wales
St Telio’s Church, St Fagans National History Museum © Derek Penrose
I’m grateful to Derek Penrose for letting me know about this Green Man with a fascinating history and for sending in this wonderful picture. St Telio’s Church was originally located at Llandeilo Tal-y-bont, Glamorgan in Wales. It was built in the late 12th century and furnished in 1530. Between 1984 and 1985 the whole church was dismantled and moved to St Fagans National History Museum.
The following is from St Fagans own website:
“St Teilo’s church is believed to have been built during the late 12th or 13th century on the site of an earlier Celtic church. Over the ensuing centuries the building was altered and extended.
The oldest parts of the present structure are the nave and chancel. During the 14th century, small chapels were built onto the north and south sides of the chancel, and during the late 14th or early 15th century the church’s capacity was increased by the addition of an aisle to the south side of the nave. The old south wall was replaced by two arches, with a third arch opening into the chancel, and finally, a porch was added to the entrance door leading into the south aisle of the church.
The roof timbers are of typical early fifteenth century design (arch-braced collar-beams), though they may in fact be slightly later in date. The west wall of the nave was altered in the early 18th century (datestone 1736) and in 1810 the interior was furnished with box pews and a three-decker pulpit. Most of the stone-mullioned windows appear to have been blocked up at this time, and were replaced by new ‘Georgian gothic’ lancet-shaped windows. One original two-light stone-mullioned window (14/15th) survived in the south aisle. Probably the oldest surviving feature of the church is the stone font which is believed to date from the 13th century or earlier.
St Teilo’s church has been refurbished as it may have appeared about the year 1530, complete with all the elements associated with a late medieval Catholic church, including a rood screen and loft (between the nave and chancel), altars, carvings and brightly-coloured paintings on all the walls.”
You can find more information about St Telio’s Church and all of the wonderful Historical Buildings at St Fagans National History Museum here: https://museum.wales/stfagans/
Sightings – Ashburton, Devon 2
More Green Men from St Andrews in Ashburton, Devon from Nick Booth. These are on the spectacular Rood Screen.
Sightings – Ashburton Devon
My thanks to Nick Booth for some great pictures from St Andrews in Ashburton, Devon. Readers of our e-newsletter will know that when I visited St Andrews last year workmen were in the process of replacing the floor, so I had trouble getting access to all the Green Men there. Nick managed to find all the elusive Green Men on a visit. Here are the first two Nick discovered on roof bosses. More to follow next week.
Sightings – St Mary’s, Scilly Isles
Sideboard from the wreck of the Thomas W Lawson – copyright © Vanessa Piggott
My thanks to Vanessa Piggott for sending in this picture of a cast iron Green Man on a sideboard she discovered in St Mary’s Museum on the Scilly Isles. The sideboard is from the wreck of the Thomas W. Lawson a seven-masted, steel-hulled schooner used to haul coal and oil along the East Coast of the United States. She was launched in 1902 and holds the distinction of being the largest schooner and largest sailing vessel without an auxiliary engine ever built. The Thomas W. Lawson was destroyed off the uninhabited island of Annet, in the Isles of Scilly, in a storm on December 14, 1907, killing all but two of her eighteen crew and a harbor pilot already aboard. Her cargo of 58,000 barrels of light paraffin oil caused perhaps the first large marine oil spill in history.
Sightings – Norwich, Norfolk
St Peter Mancroft – Norwich © Ruth Kenyon
My thanks to Ruth Kenyon for sending in these wonderful tongue poking Green Men bosses from St Peter Mancroft Church in the Market Place in the centre of Norwich. After the two Cathedrals it is the largest church in Norfolk and was built between 1433 and 1455. These bosses were previously unreported probably because the area is so dark. They have now been added to our Gazetteer.
I’m always grateful for any new sightings, photographs or verifications for the Gazetteer and the Flickr photographic archive. Please use the contact tab above to get in touch.
Any new sightings or verifications are added to the gazetteer and the finder/verifiers name is always detailed (unless they prefer to remain anonymous).
Copyright for any pictures added to our Flickr archive always remains with the original photographer as does full control over how the pictures are used. I will never use anybody’s images for any commercial use without full written permission. occasionally I get requests to use pictures for books, magazines etc. and these requests are passed directly on to the original photographer so that they can benefit from their own work.
You can visit our Flickr archive HERE
St Peter Mancroft – Norwich © Ruth Kenyon
The Green Man Gazetteer
The Company of the Green Man maintains the largest gazetteer of Green Men (and Green Women) in the world. When the founder of The Company of the Green Man Ronald Millar wrote the book “The Green Man Companion and Gazetteer” in 1997 he included our first gazetteer containing 61 entries. Ron told me that he thought there may actually be hundreds of Green Men out there. Little did Ron know how much he had underestimated the spread of the Green Man. Our Gazetteer now lists thousands of Green Men, Women and Beasts. More sightings arrive weekly and I suspect that there are many thousand more as yet undiscovered Green Men out there.
When I had to move our website over to a blog format two years ago the restrictions on space meant that I could no longer keep the entire gazetteer online and so I began the task of converting it to a downloadable .pdf format. I’m hopeful that the downloadable gazetteer will be a real step forward and that it will become a really useful tool for Green Man hunters who can now download a current copy to their phone or tablet prior to heading out so that it is always available offline.
The Gazetteer is now available for anyone to download completely free of charge via the Gazetteer tab above or by using THIS LINK
It is still a work in progress, I have many sightings to add and a lot of formatting to do but rather than keeping it back until this is done I would rather it be available for use.
Whilst the gazetteer is completely free to download it would be really appreciated if those who find it useful would consider making a small donation to The Company of the Green Man via our Donate tab above or via THIS LINK
How you can help
Our gazetteer is growing daily but we need help verifying many of the entries as well as discovering as yet unrecorded green men. Hunting green men is a fascinating pursuit for individuals groups or the whole family and will get you out and about in some fantastic locations. Entire walks can be planned around green men and there are many green men still waiting to be discovered. In the words of Clive Hicks author of “The Green Man: A Field Guide”:
“There are certainly many, many green men not known to us…..It might be you that identifies a gem of a green man who has been gracing a church for centuries, unnoticed until your visit”
Those who discover a green man that has never been recorded will be credited in our gazetteer as the original discoverer! Please e-mail me with as much detail as possible and preferably include a photograph for us to add to our online Flickr Archive.
Membership of The Company of the Green Man is free, just click on the Join Us tab at the top of this blog.
Sightings: Eaton Under Heywood, Shropshire
St Edith’s Church, Eaton Under Heywood, Shropshire copyright © Derek Penrose
My thanks to Derek Penrose for the wonderful photographs he has been sending in recently of Green Men he has spotted on his summer travels. These two wonderful faces are from St Edith’s Church, Eaton Under Heywood deep in the Shropshire Hills.
I’m always grateful for any new sightings, photographs or verifications for the Gazetteer and the Flickr photographic archive. Please use the contact tab above to get in touch.
Any new sightings or verifications are added to the gazetteer and the finder/verifiers name is always detailed (unless they prefer to remain anonymous).
Copyright for any pictures added to our Flickr archive always remains with the original photographer as does full control over how the pictures are used. I will never use anybody’s images for any commercial use without full written permission. occasionally I get requests to use pictures for books, magazines etc. and these requests are passed directly on to the original photographer so that they can benefit from their own work.
You can visit our Flickr archive HERE
St Edith’s Church, Eaton Under Heywood, Shropshire copyright © Derek Penrose
Sighting – East Budleigh, Devon
My thanks to Alice Nunn for verifying and photographing this wonderful disgorging green man from All Saints Church at East Budleigh in Devon.
There are also some bench ends reported here which Alice verified but unfortunately it was too dark to photograph them. One for the next visitor!
I’m always grateful for any new sightings, photographs or verifications for the Gazetteer and the Flickr photographic archive. Please use the contact tab above to get in touch.
Any new sightings or verifications are added to the gazetteer and the finder/verifiers name is always detailed (unless they prefer to remain anonymous).
Copyright for any pictures added to our Flickr archive always remains with the original photographer as does full control over how the pictures are used. I will never use anybody’s images for any commercial use without full written permission. occasionally I get requests to use pictures for books, magazines etc. and these requests are passed directly on to the original photographer so that they can benefit from their own work.
You can visit our Flickr archive HERE
New Sightings – France
My thanks to Alice Nunn for these new additions to the gazetteer from The Loire in France. The disgorger above is from Place Pommeraye and the rustic chap below is from Chateau Serrant.
I’m always grateful for any new sightings, photographs or verifications for the Gazetteer and the Flickr photographic archive. Please use the contact tab above to get in touch.
Any new sightings or verifications are added to the gazetteer and the finder/verifiers name is always detailed (unless they prefer to remain anonymous).
Copyright for any pictures added to our Flickr archive always remains with the original photographer as does full control over how the pictures are used. I will never use anybody’s images for any commercial use without full written permission. occasionally I get requests to use pictures for books, magazines etc. and these requests are passed directly on to the original photographer so that they can benefit from their own work.
You can visit our Flickr archive HERE
New Sighting – Ilsington Devon
During a recent holiday on Dartmoor in Devon a little bit of Green Man hunting took place. This remarkable disgorging roof boss was discovered in the 15th century church of St Michael at Ilsington.
A number of intriguingly moustachioed bosses tried to distract and confuse us. But finally there he was peering down from on high to add as a completely new entry to the gazetteer. Always a great feeling when a previously unreported green man appears out of the gloom of a church ceiling.
More pictures are available in our Flickr archive HERE
Sightings – Norfolk
St Nicholas, Ashill, Norfolk © Jenny Miller & Gary Truss
My thanks to Jennie Miller and Gary Truss for allowing me to reproduce more of their wonderful photographs. The two pictures accompanying this post are from the font of St Nicholas, Ashill (above) and the 15th Century Screen at St James Church, Hockwold-cum-Wilton (below)
More of Jennie and Gary’s pictures from Norfolk and many other locations can be viewed on our Flickr photographic archive HERE
St. James, Hockwold-cum-Wilton, Norfolk © Jenny Miller & Gary Truss
Sightings – Lustleigh Devon
Lustleigh Devon © Danny & Natasha Gates
My thanks to Danny and Natasha Gates for these wonderful pictures of previously unrecorded Green Men on the rood screen of St John the Baptist Church in Lustleigh, Devon.
Lustleigh Devon © Danny & Natasha Gates
Sightings – Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Ely Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
My thanks to Jennie Miller and Gary Truss for allowing me to reproduce more of their wonderful photographs. The two pictures accompanying this post are from Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire.
Ely Cathedral was formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely. It is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The architectural styles found in the cathedral include: Romanesque, English Gothic, Norman and Gothic.
Ely Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
Green Man Sighting – Lincoln Cathedral
Lincolnshire, Lincoln Cathedral Copyright © Sarah Poole
My thanks to Sarah Poole for sending us these wonderful photographs of Green Men in Lincoln Cathedral, Lincolnshire for our photographic archive. You can view these pictures and hundreds more at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecompanyofthegreenman
Copyright for any pictures or videos you send in always remains with the original photographer as does full control over how the pictures are used. I will never use anybody’s images for any commercial use without full written permission. occasionally I get requests to use pictures for books, magazines and these requests are always passed on directly to the copyright holder.
If you wish to add a picture to the gallery just e-mail it to me via the contact tab above (for large collections please contact me first)
Although digital photos are easiest for us to post onto the Gallery we understand that there are many people out there out there whose collections were created in the days of dark rooms or Boots! (as were mine) but fear not! most photo shops (and even Boots) will scan photographs into a digital format for you and burn them onto a disc for you. I am also more than happy to do this for you too for no charge.
Lincolnshire, Lincoln Cathedral Copyright © Sarah Poole
New Sighting – Chantry, Somerset
My Thanks to David Rawlins for adding two previously unreported green men to the gazetteer. The Green Men are on misericords in the choir stalls of Holy Trinity Church, Chantry in Somerset (BA11 3LJ).
Chantry Church was built in 1846 and designed by Gilbert Scott. The carvings are of very high quality, as is all the work in the Church. Holy Trinity Church has eight misericords all told.
Sightings – Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland © Pierre Ménard
This sighting is in our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE And has been added to our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Sightings – Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland © Pierre Ménard
This sighting is in our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE And has been added to our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Sightings – Basel, Switzerland
Basel, Switzerland © Pierre Ménard
This sighting is in our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE
And has been added to our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Sightings – Sharrington, Norfolk
This is one of a group of wonderful green men that can be found in All Saints the parish church of Sharrington a Grade I listed building. A church has been recorded here since the 13th century and All Saints’ parish church was once described as a “grand church of great local importance.“ The north and south aisles, transept and porch were taken down in the middle of the 18th century due to a significant reduction in the local population and the resulting loss of wealth.
Sightings – Norwich Cathedral
- Norwich Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
Norwich Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
Many thanks to Jennie Miller & Gary Truss who sent us some fantastic pictures of the wonderful Green Men in Norwich Cathedral. Norwich Cathedral has over a thousand roof bosses, more than any other cathedral in Christendom. They form an incredible and unrivalled collection of late medieval sculpture depicting Bible stories, the lives of the saints, fearsome grotesques and of course a wonderful abundance of Green Men.
Many of the bosses are ‘stone snapshots’ of the Mystery Plays that paraded through the streets of Norwich in medieval times. Much humour is exhibited in the carvings with bishops and popes falling into the mouth of hell and washerwomen scolding knavish thieves. Craftsmen, Musicians and fine ladies people the vaulting alongside acrobats and dragons, angels and unicorns.
The foundation stone of Norwich cathedral was laid in 1096 by Bishop Herbert at the very east end of the building. A significant Saxon settlement, including two churches, was demolished to make way for the building. The riverside location of the Cathedral complex was deliberate. A lack of local stone and the inaccessibility of the quarries in Northamptonshire meant that most of the stone used to construct the Cathedral was imported from Caen in Normandy. The stone was sailed up the eastern coast as far as Great Yarmouth, then up the River Wensum to a specially constructed canal which led directly into the stonemasons’ yard.
The building is in the Romanesque style, the architectural style which was widespread from the late tenth to the twelfth century
across the western church, also known in England as ‘Norman’ style. Norwich Cathedral was one of the great buildings of its time. With construction beginning in 1096 and finishing by c.1145, it was amongst the largest major churches in Europe. The Norman building was an example of that uniquely English phenomenon: a cathedral that was also a Benedictine priory – the bishop’s seat, but run by the prior and his monks.
The immense architectural importance of the Cathedral today chiefly rests on the scale of the original Romanesque building and the completeness of its survival. The four arms of the cross-shaped church and the central tower are all largely original and, unusually, the east end of the Cathedral preserves intact its ambulatory and two of its radiating chapels. Losses have been few, and later embellishments include Gothic features such as the high vaults and the spire.
The following is taken directly from Norwich Cathedrals fascinating website:
“The term ‘Green Man’ describes the image of a face which is surrounded by leaves, a familiar motif to medieval sculptors with whom foliage and heads were a popular design. It was, in particular, a carver’s device so it is unusual to find the image of the Green Man in other artwork for example stained glass or illuminated books. Despite varying greatly in design, all the representations of the Green Man depict a living being in the middle of the young, green buds of spring or the crisp, browning leaves of autumn.
On some Green Men the foliage may spring directly from the mouth or other parts of the face and some of these branches may bear fruit or flowers. The Green Men found in Norwich Cathedral are in the style known as ‘the foliate head’ which means that their faces merge imperceptibly into foliage.
Although commonly termed the ‘Green Man’, the original name of this strange figure remains unknown. There are hundreds of Green Men across the country with different features and portraying different emotions, such as fear, humour or tranquillity. The Green Man can be found in bench-ends, misericords and on the capitals of columns; however they are most commonly found on roof bosses. They would have been carved either on location, which involved masons working in restricted positions on elevated wooden scaffolding or in the masons’ lodges, especially in winter when the wet and cold weather did not permit the masons to lay courses of stonework.
The abundance of versions of the Green Man in medieval buildings attests to the ongoing significance of natural imagery in the religious life of the period. The original meaning surrounding the Green Man, probably that of rebirth in springtime, has been lost across the centuries but the image has remained popular.”
Although I have seen pictures of Norwich Cathedral’s green men in books and pictures many times over the years I haven’t as yet had the chance to view them in the flesh, but Karen’s wonderful pictures and the fascinating information I have found out about Norwich Cathedrals history have inspired me to ensure that a visit to Norwich is a must.
Norwich Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
Sightings – Bamberg Cathedral
Bamberg Cathedral © Pierre Ménard
This sighting is in our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE
And has been added to our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Bamberg Cathedral © Pierre Ménard
Sightings – Brokdish, Norfolk
Norfolk, Brokdish, St Peter & St Paul © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
This green man has been added to our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE and our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Sightings – Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
This sighting has been added to our gazetteer which can be viewed HERE
And has been added to our Flickr photographic archive which can be viewed HERE
Exeter Cathedral © Jennie Miller & Gary Truss
The Company of the Green Man 