During the early Middle Ages, the monuments that had been carved from stone to make tomb covers, were sometimes replaced by likenesses in brass. This was done if the body was to be buried in the floor of the church.

The reason this happened is that churches were filling up with tombs, and the space needed to be freed up.

Most monumental brass plates date from the 13th to the 17th centuries.

Monumental brasses tell us much about the people and life of the times because they are made in such careful detail.

Most monumental brasses are found in England, with some in Scotland. They are less common in mainland Europe, mainly because they were destroyed. They were once common in France, Germany and the Netherlands. They are most common in the eastern England because it was here that many merchants became wealthy in the Middle Ages based on the wool trade. This allowed them to have the money to pay for the memorials. Many of them also paid for the churches in which they now lie (the so-called 'wool churches').

Some of the brasses show people cross-legged. This is a sign that the person went on a Crusade.