r/medieval_graffiti

Finally started reading English Medieval Graffiti by Violet Pritchard — a book I’d been meaning to buy and read for quite some time. And imagine, it was written back in 1967.

Already finding it fascinating, even where I don’t entirely agree with some of the conclusions. One thing she mentions is that a lot of the graffiti was likely made by “trained and practiced hands”, possibly the most educated people in a medieval community, such as priests or clerics. I can see the reasoning behind that, especially with more sophisticated carvings or inscriptions, but personally I suspect ordinary people probably left far more marks than we tend to assume.

Another interesting point is how difficult medieval graffiti can be to date because churches were rebuilt, altered, and reused over centuries, meaning carved stones were often moved from their original positions. That definitely makes sense, though I also think stylistic details — clothing, hairstyles, weapons, even the way figures are drawn — can sometimes help narrow down a period.

Has anyone else here read it?

Medieval scratched graffiti inside St Mary and St Peter’s Church.

The triangular symbol in the centre looks most likely to be a mason’s or merchant’s mark rather than decorative graffiti, simple geometric symbols like this are commonly found on medieval church fabric.

That said, viewed from a certain angle it almost resembles a tiny ship or sail motif, which made me pause given how often ships appear in medieval church graffiti across southern England.

It’s surrounded by layers of other scratched marks and symbols, probably added over centuries by different hands.

Interested to hear what others think: definite mason’s mark, accidental ship resemblance, or something else entirely?

Another piece of hidden Venice graffiti I found during my 2024 trip, this one scratched into a column beside one of the palazzi along the canal.

I posted some other Venetian graffiti before, but I keep noticing how the city is quietly covered in these little marks: figures, symbols, names and sketches carved into stone over centuries by people who passed through.

This one almost looks like a hooded silhouette if the light catches it the right way.

Historic scratched glass graffiti at Dorney Court — “Thomas Webb 1706”.

I rarely come across graffiti on glass, which somehow makes it feel much more intimate than carved stone graffiti. Unlike marks cut into church walls, scratched glass survives almost by accident, one broken pane and the history disappears forever.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, people sometimes used diamond rings or metal points to inscribe names into window glass in manor houses, inns, and historic buildings. Seeing a name and a date quietly surviving on a Tudor window for more than 300 years feels oddly personal.

Thomas Webb, 1706, still here.

A deeply carved “Z” on a wooden bench in the Great Hall at Petworth House.
Not the grandest example of historic graffiti, but perhaps that’s what makes it interesting.

A single initial, cut hard enough to survive generations of visitors, servants, guests, guides, and restorations.