CHAPTER III.

THE INTERIOR.

THE NAVE.

The Norman nave bears a close resemblance to that at Gloucester, and

has the distinguishing feature of the simple cylindrical columns.

These massive piers are found at the Priory Church at Great Malvern,

and also at Pershore; but those at Gloucester and Tewkesbury are

considerably larger than the others.[7] At Tewkesbury the nave is

particularly impressive from the height of the piers, and from the

severely formal character of the arches supported by them. The

simplicity of the nave as a whole has led some to ascribe the building

of it to a date earlier than that of the nave at Gloucester; but if

the received accounts go for anything, the building of the two fabrics

was contemporaneous. Pershore, Gloucester, and Tewkesbury are by some

considered to have been the production of one master-builder. If this

be so, it is a matter of regret that his name has not come down to our

time.

At Gloucester and at Tewkesbury many of the stones bear on their faces

the interesting devices incised by the Norman masons. These marks are

in many cases the same, but there are some found at Gloucester which

are not found at Tewkesbury, and _vice versa_. One small point may be

noticed which may perhaps interest a few, viz., that the same workman

set out and worked at the first few courses of the stone work of the

staircases, and then was followed by others, possibly less

intelligent, but capable of following the indicated plan. A monk named

Alfred was the "Master of the Work," and it would be interesting to

know if the stones marked A are marked with his mark.

[Illustration: _Photo. A.H. Hughes._

THE NAVE, FROM THE WEST END.]

The nave here was being built in all probability while the great

Flambard was busy with Durham (1105-1130), and very soon after he had

finished his labours at Twynham or Christchurch, Hants. Gloucester is

generally assigned to Serlo, 1089 to 1100, and Norwich was begun in

1096.

[Illustration: MASONS' MARKS.]

Above the arches of the nave are small double round-headed openings

into a very narrow triforium walk, which is vaulted, as at Gloucester,

with a quadrantal arch.

There is another peculiarity, too, here, in that the vaulting of the

roof springs from corbels which rest directly on the capitals of the

piers. As a result of this the roof looks low and heavy.

The triforium openings, which are divided by small shafts, similar in

character to those in the tower chamber, are 5 feet 6 inches high and

4 feet 10 inches wide. The passage is 26 inches wide and 6-1/2 to 7 feet

high.

The two western bays of the triforium are not alike. On the north the

openings correspond to those in the other bays, and are not contracted

to correspond with the narrowed arch below; whereas on the south side

they are so contracted. By this means the square angle of the western

pier was continued to the roof. On the north side the western pier

ends abruptly at the capital of the respond.

The clerestory windows are partly concealed by the vaulting. Of course

the original windows were much smaller, and were removed and the space

enlarged when the re-roofing was done in the fourteenth century.

=The Roof.=--Originally, no doubt, as at Peterborough, where it

remains, the inner roof was a flat panelled ceiling of wood, supported

by a moulded framing. Whether the wooden roof decayed or was destroyed

by fire, it was found necessary in the early part of the fourteenth

century to re-roof the nave, and the present vaulting was then

constructed. Beautiful though it is architecturally, it has the effect

of dwarfing the nave, as it springs directly from the tops of the

piers in the nave. In character it is a simple pointed vaulting, and

the ribs at their many points of intersection are lavishly decorated

with bosses.

Originally the vaulting was painted and gilded, but owing to the

idiosyncrasies of those who fancied they were having things done

"decently and in order," it was colour-washed in the early part of

this century. The present scheme of colour decoration was carried out

by Mr. T. Gambier Parry. Its chief merit is that it throws out the

bosses in very strong relief. The bosses can be studied with an

opera-glass, but it is less fatiguing to examine them with the help of

a pocket mirror. There is a tradition that the bosses were carved by a

monk who was not held in much esteem by his companions, and was a butt

for their gibes and witticisms. Whether this was so or not, he knew

how to carve rudely and effectively in stone, and long may his work

remain with us. They represent in a highly pictorial manner the life

of our Lord. Beginning at the west end, the central bosses depict: (1)

The Nativity. (2) The Shepherds rendering homage. (3) The Magi on

their journey. (4) The Magi in adoration. (5) The finding of Christ in

the Temple. (6) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (7) The Last

Supper.[8] (8) The Betrayal. (9) The Flagellation. (10) The

Crucifixion. (11) The Resurrection. (12) The Ascension. (13) The Day

of Pentecost. (14) The Coronation of the Virgin. (15) The Last

Judgment.

The other bosses contain angels bearing musical instruments of every

known kind, and alternating, more or less regularly, with angels

censing and angels bearing emblems of the Passion.

On the south side: (1) Angels with pipe and tambourine. (2) Angels

with cymbals and bagpipes. (3) Angels with hurdy-gurdy and harp. (4)

Angels with dulcimer and organ. (5 and 6) Angels censing. (7) St.

Matthew and St. John with their emblems, a scroll and an eagle. (8)

Angel with a violin; others with emblems of the Passion, _i.e._,

posts, spear, and scourges.

On the north side are to be found: (1) Angel with pipe and tabor;

another censing. (2) Angel with harp; another censing. (3) Angels with

rebec and zither. (4) Angels with tabor and zither. (5 and 6) Angels

censing. (7) St. Luke and St. Mark, with their emblems, a winged ox,

and a winged lion. (8) Angel with a harp; others with emblems of the

Passion, _i.e._, a crown of thorns, a sponge, a cross, and a scourge.

Mr. Gambier Parry, who personally supervised, where he did not

personally execute, the decoration of the roof, termed it "a

marvellous specimen of English carving," and says that "together with

the cathedrals of Gloucester and Norwich, it combined some of the

finest features of mediaeval sculpture." Further he adds that though

"fine details must not be looked for, yet it exhibited a vigour of

conception and a charm of inspiration which quite atoned for any

faults."

At the west end of the building are two half-figures, male and female,

like the figure-heads of ships, which serve as corbels for the

vaulting of the roof. They have been thought by some to represent Adam

and Eve, and by others to represent the founder, Fitz-Hamon, and

Sibylla his wife.

=The Font= (p. 40).--With the exception of the shaft, which has some

good hall-flower ornament,[9] and the Purbeck marble base, this is

entirely new work, dating only from the restoration carried out

1875-79. Formerly the old font, of which portions remain in the

church, stood in the apsidal chapel in the south transept, and the

choice of position for the new one is not quite happy. The canopy is

very fine work, but the font as a whole is as much too high as the

choir screen is too low. It is also placed at far too great a height

above the surrounding floor to be comfortable for a party of sponsors,

and from its height it interferes with the beautiful vista of the nave

as viewed from the outside of the open west door on a fine day in

summer. There is no reason for placing the font in this position, and

a Baptistery could have well been made in the north-west corner of the

nave.

=The Lectern=, also a gift from Rev. C.W. Grove in memory of his wife,

was presented in 1878. Formerly it blocked up the central passage up

the nave, but was removed to counterbalance the pulpit.

=The Pulpit= was given to the church by Mrs. Glynn, of Tewkesbury, in

memory of her husband. In style it is Perpendicular. The shape is

octagonal, and it is supported by seven shafts of Purbeck marble,

springing from a base of the same, polished; the bases and capitals of

the octagonal shafts being of stone. Of the seven panels, four are of

pierced work, and three are sculptured representing our Lord blessing

little children; preaching on the Mount; giving His charge to the

Apostle Peter. Below the panels is a brattice of Purbeck marble--from

this at the angles rise octagonal columns supporting angels, which

again support a canopy of elaborate work. The pulpit rests on a base

of Purbeck marble.

The nave must have terminated in the same way as the nave at

Gloucester, viz., with an altar and with two side chapels--one in each

aisle. In the handbook to Gloucester, page 44, will be found the

illustration of the altar and chapels redrawn by Mr. Waller from the

drawing given in Browne Willis' "Survey of Gloucester Cathedral,"

published in 1727. This arrangement no doubt obtained at Tewkesbury,

which, like Gloucester, was a Benedictine foundation.

The space thus given up to the altar and chapels is indicated by the

step which comes in the nave near the second pillar, counting westward

from the western tower piers. In each of these, on the aisle side are

to be seen the ascending spiral made by the recently inserted pieces

of stone which show the exact position of the staircase that led up to

the rood-screen overhead.[10] This step no doubt marks the site of the

original western termination of the ritual choir. It seems strange

that, after undergoing so many vicissitudes as a whole, the survival

of so interesting a point should have been permitted. Gloucester

Cathedral was repaved in 1720, and no doubt the corresponding step

disappeared in the process in the levelling-up of the nave to a height

nearly ten inches higher than the original floor level. This step was

restored by Sir Gilbert Scott when the floor of the nave was lowered.

On the face of the pillars here some traces of fresco-painting are in

some lights still to be seen.

A screen of most uninteresting work separated the choir from the nave

up to the time of the restoration work that was begun in 1875, and

upon this stood the organ. In front of the organ was hung a huge and

unsightly gas corona, portions of which are still lying in the north

transept.

Two bays of either aisle were also disfigured with low galleries, as

were also the transepts. These erections, with the screen and the

screens across the aisles, have fortunately disappeared. As Bennett

wrote, "These additions, however much they may add to the convenience

and comfort of those who attend divine service, little harmonise with

the general character of the building."

=The Screen.=--This dates from the restoration of 1892, and was

erected in memory of Mrs. Glynn, by Archdeacon Robeson and Mr. E.F.

Glynn. The screen is of carved oak, and consists of a central door,

with wrought-iron gates, and on either side four openings. At the top,

which is seventeen feet above the floor level, is an overhanging

cornice with elaborate cresting of carved work on both sides. The

cross in the centre is richly ornamented on the stem and the arms.

These latter are terminated with paterae, with pierced and carved work.

The centre of the cross is composed of a quatrefoil in which is

carved the Agnus Dei. Flanking the cross are two figures, one

representing St. John, and the other the Virgin Mary. These figures

are well carved (by Boulton, of Cheltenham), but, like the cross, look

too small on the top of the screen.

The side sections of the screen terminate in ogee arches, elaborately

cusped and crocketed, with perpendicular tracery in the spandrils. The

separating shafts terminate with pinnacles.

In the central section there are two arches, one being semi-circular

with very delicate foliated tracery; the other is an ogee trefoil

supported from brackets which take the form of angels.

The lowest stage of the screen is solid panel work and calls for no

special mention.

The gates were made by Clarke, of Brackley, and were designed by Mr.

J.O. Scott for the donor, Rev. W.R.F. Hepworth. Intricate in their

design, and cleverly wrought as they are, they seem slightly

incongruous in this wooden screen. The shields bear the correct arms

of the Abbey, and round the shields are intertwining iron rods.

Scrolls with leaves and other devices are also introduced. Across the

top of the gates is a band of square panels with varied design in

pierced work, and on the top is an elaborate cresting.

On the inside of the gates, on the shields are the texts, "_Serve the

Lord with fear._"; and "_Rejoice unto Him with reverence._"

The whole screen looks too low for its position, whether it be viewed

from the west end or from the triforium of the choir at the east end.

The workmanship will not bear any minute comparison with the loving

hand-craftsmanship of mediaeval times; much of it is more skilful as

church furniture of a very mechanical kind than beautiful as real

carver's work.

The =Great West Window= dates back, as far as the masonry is

concerned, to 1686, and was erected then to replace the window blown

in by the wind in 1661. The glass was inserted in 1886 by Rev. C.W.

Grove in memory of his wife, and represents various scenes in the life

of Christ. In the lowest tier is the Annunciation, with the Nativity

in the centre, and the Presentation in the Temple on the right. Above

is the Baptism by St. John in the Jordan, the Last Supper in the

centre, the Agony in the Garden on the right. In the topmost tier is

the Bearing of the Cross, the Crucifixion, and the appearance of our

Lord to Mary after the Resurrection. In the head of the window are

angels, those in the two side lights on either side being engaged in

censing. In the central top light is Christ in Majesty, with angels.

The glass is by Hardman.

=The Aisles.=--The aisles of the nave are very much lower in height

than the nave, and the vaulting is simpler in character. There are,

however, many fine bosses, and, like those in the nave, they have been

treated in a tentative way with colour and gold. As a whole, the

effect of decorated bosses standing out in such strong relief from the

simple, unadorned stonework is rather spotty and distracting. The arms

of the Despenser family are to be found on some of the bosses in the

south aisle, and it is to the munificence of that powerful family that

the execution of the work is due. The Norman roof of the aisles was a

lean-to roof of wood, as is indicated by the half-arch between either

aisle and the transept.

The fourteenth century windows in the =North Aisle= were partially

blocked up with stonework up to 1825, when they were restored and

reglazed. Most of the stained glass was inserted in 1892. The window

at the west end is a memorial, inserted in 1869, to Mr. John Terrett

and his sister. The subject is the "Adoration by the Magi"; the glass

is by Heaton Butler and Bayne. The _first_ window east of the porch

represents the "Angel appearing to the Shepherds" and "The Star of

Bethlehem," and "The Wise Men before Herod," in the lower part. The

_second_ shows "Christ Disputing with the Doctors," and below are "Eli

and Samuel," "David and Samuel," and "Saul at the feet of Gamaliel."

The _third_ represents the Sermon on the Mount, and below, Christ

talking to the Woman at Samaria, Christ with Mary and Martha, and

Christ with Nicodemus. The _fourth_ represents the Transfiguration;

the _fifth_ gives the triumphal entry into Jerusalem; beneath, Christ

is driving out the money-changers from the Temple and weeping over the

city; the _sixth_ depicts the removal of Christ from the Cross, and

the Entombment.

These windows are more or less attempts to reproduce the style of the

old glass in the choir. Four of them contain groups under canopies,

with a background of grisaille and a wide border. Owing to the lights

being narrower in the fifth the border is omitted, and in the sixth

the grisaille work is also omitted. All the windows in the north

aisle, with the exception of that in the west wall and that next to

it, were presented to the Abbey by Rev. C.W. Grove.

It will be noticed that the windows in the north aisle are slightly

longer than those in the south aisle. The curtailment in the latter

was due to the fact that the cloisters were built against the outside

of the south wall. There is more variety in the tracery of the windows

in this north aisle than in those of the south aisle.

In the north aisle near the transept [P][11] is a recessed tomb, much

mutilated, with a very graceful arch. On the tomb lies a knight in

armour, with his hands clasped and his feet resting upon a lion. The

armour is worth noticing, as it is curious. The gorget is of

edge-ringed mail, the surcoat is blazoned with a chevron between three

leopard's faces. Banded mail, with which the knight is dressed, is

rarely met with in monuments, only three other instances being known,

viz., Newton Solney, Tolland Royal, and Dodford.

This tomb has usually hitherto been assigned to Lord Wenlock, who was

killed by the Duke of Somerset at the fatal battle of Tewkesbury.

Against this theory is the fact that the tomb is of much earlier date

than that of Lord Wenlock's death, and the fact that Lord Wenlock

built a chantry chapel in Luton Church for his wife Elizabeth and

himself, to which, according to Leland, he is said to have been

removed. The figure is supposed, with considerable probability, to

represent Sir John de Burley.

In the north aisle, on a brass plate inserted in a flat stone is a

Latin inscription to Amie Wiatt, of Tewkesbury, who died on August

25th, ... Following the inscription is a set of elegiac verses, the

initial letters of which form the lady's name.

"A me disce mori, mors est sors omnibus una

Mortis ut esca fui mortis ut esca fores.

In terram ex terra terrestris massa meabis

Et capiet cineres urna parata cinis.

Vivere vis coelo, terrenam temnito vitam:

Vita piis mors est mors mihi vita piae.

Iejunes, vigiles, ores, credasque potenti.

Ardua fac: non est mollis ad astra via.

Te scriptura vocat, te sermo, ecclesia, mater;

Te que vocat Sponsus, Spiritus atque Pater."

A punning epitaph, also acrostic in form, but in English, is to be

found in the nave, to one Merrett, a barber chirurgeon, who died in

1669.

"T hough only stone salutes the readers eye,

H ere in deep silence precious dust doth lye,

O bscurely sleeping in Death's mighty store,

M ingled with common earth till time's no more;

A gainst Death's stubborn laws who dares repine,

S ince so much _Merrit_ did his life resigne.

M urmurs and tears are useless in the grave,

E lse he, whole vollies at his tomb might have;

R est here in peace, who like a faithful steward

R epaired the church, the poor and needy cured.

E ternall mansions do attend the just,

T o clothe with immortality their dust,

T ainted (whilst under ground) with worms and rust."

In the pillar nearest to the north door in the nave is all that

remains of the stoup or benitier for the holy water. We may probably

attribute the wanton damage it has sustained to one of the zealots who

ministered here after the Reformation.

=South Aisle.=--This aisle has five Early Decorated windows. The

western four have three lights each; the other, near to the south

transept, has four lights, and the tracery in it is slightly more

elaborate.

All the stained-glass windows in this aisle were presented to the

church by the Rev. C.W. Grove, in 1888, as a memorial to his wife. The

windows are by Hardman.

The _first_ window, _i.e._, the westernmost, represents Christ walking

on the sea; the _second_ represents the cripple at the pool of

Bethesda; the _third_, the raising of the widow's son at Nain; the

_fourth_, the feeding of the five thousand; the _fifth_, the changing

of the water into wine at Cana.

At the west end of the south aisle is a memorial window to Mr. H.P.

Moore. This is also by Hardman, and represents the home at Nazareth.

At the easternmost end of this aisle is the door by which access was

given the church from the cloisters. The entrance to this door

consists of a depressed arch, with a square head over it; the

spandrils are pierced with an open quatrefoil. This door stands within

the original Norman doorway, which was filled in, and traces of the

supporting shaft with its capital may be seen. Above are seven niches,

with brackets and canopies of good carved work. Over the canopy on

either side is an angel with a plain shield.

At the restoration of the church this doorway was very carefully dealt

with at the cost of the then Mayor, Mr. Thomas Collins. Up to the time

of the restoration of the church, 1891-92, this doorway had been

walled up with many pieces of broken carved work from other parts of

the church. The doors were designed by Mr. J. Oldrid Scott, executed

locally, and given by the late Mr. Thomas Collins.

To the east of the cloister door [O] is a tomb with a fine crocketed

ogee arch, and with an angel bearing a plain shield in place of a

finial. On one of the cusps are to be traced the chevrons of the De

Clares, and another bears a lion rampant. Beyond the fact that it was

the tomb of a relation of the De Clares nothing definite can be said.

Some have thought it to be the tomb of Sir Thomas Morley, the husband

of Anne, daughter of Edward, Lord Despenser, and widow of Hugh, Lord

Hastings, who died in 1417. It may here be noted that a lion rampant,

sable, crowned or, are to be found on one of the shields at Lord

Despenser's feet in the Isham register. This tomb is generally known

as the Duke of Somerset's tomb, but the arms as they exist show no

resemblance to the arms he would be entitled to bear, viz., those of

the Beauforts.

In the floor of the south aisle is an interesting stone with an

inscription in Norman French, in bold Lombardic capitals running round

the border:

[Illustration: (in Norman: Leger de Parr lies here. May God have

mercy on his soul.)]

_i.e._, "Leger de Parr lies here. May God have mercy on his soul."

According to Bennett, this stone had been moved from some other place

in the church.

Up to the time of the restoration the extreme western portion of the

south aisle was part and parcel of the Abbey House Estate. In 1883,

when the estate was put up for sale, the room thus formed in the

church was withdrawn from the auction, and soon afterwards was

presented by the then owner to the Abbey, to be in future an absolute

part of the building. In the south wall near this Abbey chamber is a

blocked-up doorway which gave access to the Outer Parlour of the

monks.

TRANSEPTS AND AMBULATORY OF THE CHOIR.

The whole of the nave, as in most cathedrals, is open to the

inspection of the visitor free of any charge; but the choir, the

tombs, the chapels and transepts, are reserved, and shown to visitors

on payment of a small fee. This fee is payable at the verger's desk at

the entrance to the north transept. A further fee is payable by those

who wish to photograph in this or in any other part of the building.

=North Transept.=[12]--The whole of this north transept is taken up

with the Grove organ, of which an account is given on p. 98. The

dimensions of the transept are 40 feet by 34 feet, and 58 feet in

height. For the most part this transept consists of original Norman

work, very little altered with the exception of the fourteenth century

stone vaulting and the insertion of windows of the same period.

On the north wall of the transept is a tablet, in painted alabaster,

to John Roberts. It has been neglected, but it is worth deciphering.

It runs: "Here resteth what was mortal of John Roberts of Fiddington,

gent. Careful he was to maintain tillage, the maintenance of mankind.

He feared God, was faithful to his country, friends, good to the poore

and common wealth, just to all men. Who left us Jan. 1631, aged 77."

The text is, "For Christ is to mee both in life and in death

advantage."

The north side has two small pointed windows with geometrical tracery.

Below these are recessed Norman arches. On the floor level the masonry

is new, having been built up inside the Early English arch.

On the south side are the backs of the choir stalls. On the west side,

in the wall is a large Decorated window containing five lights with

flowing tracery. This window was blown into the church in 1819, and

then rebuilt.

The eastern wall contains two Norman arches, one of which is merely

the continuation of the north aisle, through the transept to the north

ambulatory. The other is in the north wall of the transept, and opens

into the choir vestry. Over these two arches were formerly two other

open arches. One of these, viz., that over the choir vestry, has been

walled up, and the other has a circular or rose window. After

undergoing repairs the window was glazed by Hardman, in 1892, as a

memorial to Mary Anne Moore. The subject is "The adoration of the

Lamb." In the central light is the Agnus Dei; while in the other six

encircling quatrefoils are angels censing, and representing Blessing,

Glory, Honour, Power, Wisdom and Strength. The glass has been designed

to give the effect of older glass, and, so far as that is possible, it

may claim to be a success.

[Illustration: (_H.J.L.J.M._)

THE NORTH CHOIR AISLE, LOOKING WEST, SHOWING THE BACK OF THE

DESPENSER MONUMENT.]

This rose window occupies the space which originally was the west end

of the original Norman triforium of the choir, to which access was

given by the staircase in the north-east corner of the transept.

The =interior of the tower= for more than three centuries was

accessible only from the outside of the church, but is now approached

by a staircase in the north-east angle of the north transept. After

mounting the first flight, which is somewhat worn, the transept

vaulting is crossed by a species of bridge, and at the end of this

access is given by a narrow doorway to the first floor of the tower,

which contains a large room 33 feet square, with a curiously formed

floor. This room has some good Norman work on the walls, and when open

to the church, as it was originally, it must have been one of the

striking features of the interior from below. That it was open

originally may be inferred from the plain treatment of the western

side, _i.e._, the side that would not catch the eye of those using the

nave and looking eastwards.

On the floor-level the arcading is practically uniform, with the

exception of one column.[13] Above, on the north, south, and east

sides is arcading, and still higher in each side are two round-headed

window openings.

This spacious apartment owes the form of its curious floor to the

vaulting of the lantern-space in the time of Sir Guy de Brien, whose

arms are found in the lierne-vaulting which supports the floor. The

room was cleared and improved in 1887, when the hanging

ringing-chamber was removed, and the floor and ceiling put in good

order. The ringing-floor is on the next stage, and the belfry is the

floor above.

The clock was erected as a Jubilee memorial in 1887, at a cost of over

L200. It is built on the lines of the clocks at Westminster and

Worcester Cathedral, and chimes the so-called "Cambridge quarters" as

arranged by Dr. Crotch. Small though the clock looks from the level of

the churchyard, it must be remembered that it is the massive tower

that dwarfs it--the diameter of the face is in reality 8 feet.

[Illustration: (_H.J.L.J.M._)

INTERIOR OF THE TOWER ABOVE THE VAULTING.]

Nothing is known of the place of origin of the pre-Reformation bells,

but, arguing from the proximity of Gloucester, it may be assumed that

out of the eight bells weighing 14,200 lb. or more, some may have been

cast by John Sandre, of Gloucester.

The eight bells were bought from the King's Commissioners for L142,

_i.e._, at the rate of 5 lb. for a shilling. They may have been

bought to sell again, as the number was soon reduced to _four_. In

1612 a fifth bell was added, as a rhyme on the cover of the baptismal

register (1607-1629) tells us:

"William Dixon and Thomas Hoare

Made us that bell which wee ring before,

Which men for that good deede praie we they maie thrive,

For we having but four bells, they made them five;

And out of the grownde this bell they did delve

The 24th of Julie, Anno Dom. 1612."

Near the arcaded passage in the room in the tower are some memoranda

of the changes possible with five bells, rudely engraved in the

stonework.

In 1632 the peal was recast and a sixth bell was added, and in 1679

the two newest bells were recast. Two new bells were added in 1696. In

1797 the great or tenor bell was recast. From the time when the bells

were overhauled and tuned at Gloucester, in 1837, no further

alteration has been made. The present peal is about 500 lb. less in

weight than the peal in use at the time of the Dissolution.

From the top of the tower a fine view is to be obtained--Cheltenham,

and Gloucester, with its beautiful Cathedral tower, on the south, the

Malvern Hills on the west, the Cotswolds on the east and north-east.

The Severn and the Avon wind through the landscape, and on the far

horizon may be seen the distant hills of Wales.

The old shafting has been chipped away on the west face of the

stonework opposite to the north-east tower pier. As one turns round

the corner into the north ambulatory or choir aisle, it will be

noticed that on the wall is a monument by Flaxman to Lady Clarke; it

is small and unobtrusive, but the sculpture is thoroughly good and

worthy of a great artist.

On the right hand opposite is the Warwick Chapel (p. 83), of which the

glory in part has departed, viz., the decoration in colour and in

gold, and much of the architectural detail.

=St. James' Chapel.=[14]--This chapel (dimensions 28 feet by 24 feet),

which opens on to the north transept of the north ambulatory, was from

1576 up to 1875 walled off from the rest of the church and used as

premises for the "Free Grammar School of William Ferrers, citizen and

mercer of London." The school ceased to be held here about forty years

ago, but the inserted masonry and brickwork was not removed till the

restoration of 1875 and following years, when the chapel was restored

by the Freemasons of the county. From the time that the chapel ceased

to be a school it fell into a bad state of repair, and was open to the

sky before the recent restoration, when the present roof of timber,

covered with lead--the only wooden roof in the church--was erected and

the stonework repaired.

There seems no doubt that this chapel was originally a Norman apse

with a vaulted chamber[15] above, like that in the sister transept,

and that it was enlarged in the thirteenth century by Prior Henry

Sipton. This is distinctly stated in Annals to have been done in the

case of the chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas in 1237. No trace remains

of any of the work of Prior Sipton owing to the later works carried

out in this chapel. The nave of a Lady Chapel was built on the north

side of the north transept, and its chancel (the existing northern

part of the choir vestry) was carried out to the east, this portion of

the chapel being quite detached, as the windows (now blocked up) in

the upper part of the south wall plainly show. Access for the laity

was given by a door in the nave portion, while the monks had an

entrance through the adjoining chapel, which may, after its rebuilding

in 1237, have contained two altars, one to St. James and another to

St. Nicholas. This theory of the two altars in this chapel would

account for much of the confusion in the naming of the chapel by

subsequent writers. The vaulting of this chapel is at first sight a

difficult problem to solve, as the eastern side is divided into two

equal parts, while the western side is divided into two unequal parts.

A pillar seems to have stood in the centre, if the lists of noblemen

buried (after the battle in 1471) in the two chapels are trustworthy.

When the fourteenth century Lady Chapel at the east end of the church

was built, the _raison d'etre_ of the Early English Lady Chapel

ceased, and the chapel entrances were enlarged to their present form.

Any distinctive features that they had in the way of wall decoration

were lost either at the Dissolution, when part was pulled down, or

during the subsequent use of the eastern chapels as a schoolroom.

Passing through into the adjoining chapel on the north, which was

probably the chancel of an =Early English Lady Chapel=, the visitor

will note the great contrast between this and the adjacent chapel. It

is very much richer in its ornament, and though it has been terribly

mutilated, much work of surpassing interest is still left to us. The

north wall contains the remains of a trefoil-headed arcade of great

beauty, the spandrils of which show richly carved foliage, the effect

of which was further heightened by the application of colour. Of the

arcading eleven capitals remain, but only three pillars and bases, the

rest having been cleared away.

[Illustration: (_H.J.L.J.M._)

WALL ARCADE IN EARLY ENGLISH CHAPEL.]

In the wall of the present west end is a window decorated with a

moulding consisting of two series of chevrons, completely undercut,

pointing laterally in contrary directions.[16] Numerous interesting

remains of Early English mason's work are in the chapel, and many

have been built into the wall on the east side, the most important

being remains of a fine altar-piece in Purbeck marble.

There is a window on the east side containing four lights, the

subjects, beginning from the north side, being as follows:--(1) The

mythical Saxon founders, Oddo and Doddo, A.D. 715. (2) The Norman

founders, _i.e._, Fitz-Hamon and Sibylla. (3) Earl Robert, 1089-1123.

(4) The Countess of Warwick, 1439. The figures are based on the MS.

Chronicle of the Abbey, belonging to Sir Charles Isham of Lamport.

This window, the tracery of which is new, is by Bourne of Birmingham,

and forms a memorial to a former churchwarden, John Garrison, who died

in 1876. The tracery contains the red and white roses of the rival

houses of Lancaster and York, appropriately enough, seeing that under

the floor, in front of the altar to St. James, are interred the

remains of Lord Edmund, the Duke of Somerset, Lord Thomas Courtenay,

the Earl of Devon, Sir Richard Courtenay, Lord John Somerset, and Sir

Humphrey Hadley, who were beheaded after the battle of Tewkesbury. Sir

Thomas Tresham, who also was beheaded at the same time, was buried

before a pillar between the altars of St. James and St. Nicholas.

The whole of this part of the chapel was once the choir or chancel of

the detached Early English Lady Chapel which was erected early in the

thirteenth century. The Annals of Tewkesbury record that in 1239 the

_Church_ of Tewkesbury with a greater altar was dedicated in honour of

the glorious Virgin Mary. The word Church might mean this Early

English Lady Chapel, which with its nave and chancel would be a model

church, although somewhat small in size; but the words _majore altari_

are generally taken to mean the large slab of Purbeck marble now in

its place in the choir as an altar slab.

Lady Chapels were not invariably at the east end of the main building.

At Bristol there was and is still an elder Lady Chapel which at one

time was detached from the main building.

The floor in these chapels is that which was formerly in the choir up

to the time of the restoration of the church.

=St. Margaret's Chapel.=--This is one of the series of the fourteenth

century chapels which surrounds the ambulatory of the choir.

An old altar-cloth which was given by Anne, Countess of Coventry, in

1731 to the church was removed to this chapel after the restoration of

the building.

[Illustration: _Photo. A.H. Hughes._

THE AMBULATORY, LOOKING TOWARDS ST. MARGARET'S CHAPEL.]

A very fine screen of stonework separates this chapel from the

ambulatory, the tomb of Sir Guy de Brien (late Decorated--erected in

1390) forming part of the screen.[17] Sir Guy was the third husband of

the Lady Elizabeth Despenser who is buried in the tomb on the other

side of the ambulatory. In the panelling are the arms of Sir Guy, who

was also Lord Welwyn, and those of his wife, who was by birth a

Montacute. This knight served Edward III. as standard-bearer at Crecy

in 1346, and was a great benefactor to the Abbey. He is credited with

the vaulting of the tower, as his arms occur in the bosses there.

The vaulting, which springs from engaged shafts, is excellent work,

like that in the other chapels, and the bosses are worth notice. In

the central boss in the ceiling the Coronation of the Virgin is

represented, and surrounding it are heads of lions and of men.

An aumbry, lavabo, and piscina are all worthy of study.

=St. Edmund's Chapel.=--The ground-plan of this chapel is curious, as

it is apparently divided into two by a kind of re-entrant pier of

masonry, and the easternmost part is screened off from the ambulatory

by the curious tomb known by the name of the Wakeman Cenotaph, or the

tomb of the starved monk (_vide_ p. 94).

In this chapel is a large aumbry, and a very perfect stone coffin

which was dug up in the south ambulatory near the Trinity Chapel. The

metallic sound given forth by the coffin when tapped seems to be of

more interest than anything else to the ordinary visitor. Various

interesting fragments of stonework are in the chapel, one being a

portion of a tomb. Portions of the font formerly in the Norman chapel

in the south transept are also here. Under the painted window is a

piscina, more than half of which is modern work. There were, no doubt,

two altars, _i.e._, one in each part of the chapel, but the dedication

of the other part is not known.

At the intersections of the vaulting are some unusually interesting

carved bosses. For the most part they have reference to the legend of

St. Edmund, King and Martyr, viz:--

The head of the king bearing a crown. The king, bound to a tree, being

shot at by Danes. A greyhound watching by the body of Lodbrog in the

wood, murdered by the king's huntsman. Christ with a halo of glory,

triumphing over Sin personified as a monster. St. Michael destroying

the dragon. Other bosses are either floral or heraldic, the latter

containing the arms of the Despensers. The boss in the centre of the

roof is unique, containing a lion being attacked by various other

animals, _e.g._, a horse, a ram, a monkey, wolves, etc.

There is one painted window in this chapel, which was erected in 1877

to the memory of Rev. C.G. Davies, for thirty-one years Vicar of

Tewkesbury. The window is by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. In effect it is

too kaleidoscopic.

[Illustration: _Photo. A.H. Hughes._

THE NORTH CHOIR AISLE AND ST. EDMUND'S CHAPEL.]

Opposite to the Wakeman Cenotaph (_vide_ p. 95) is the iron grating

which is the entrance to--

=The Clarence Vault.=--This vault [F] contains the remains of George,

Duke of Clarence, Earl of Warwick and Salisbury, and his wife

Isabelle, who was the eldest daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of

Warwick, commonly known as the "King-maker." The Duchess died at

Warwick in December, 1476, from the effects, it is said, of poison.

She was buried in the vault which, as the chronicle says, was made

_artificialiter_ behind the great altar, in front of the door of the

chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the opening of the tomb was

made opposite the entrance of the chapel of Saint Edmund the Martyr.

The young Countess, after lying in the choir in state for thirty-five

days, was laid in the vault on February 8th. Ten days later her

husband, who had been put to death in the Tower--it matters little

whether in the butt of Malmsey wine or not--was buried beside her.

Assuming that the tomb was desecrated and pillaged soon after the

Dissolution, and again later on in Commonwealth times, we find that in

1709 the royal remains were displaced to make room for the body of a

"periwig-pated alderman" by name Samuel Hawling; and later on, in 1729

and 1753, his wife and son were interred there. The site then was lost

till it was identified in 1826. In 1829 the Hawling remains were

removed, and since then it has remained the Clarence Vault. In 1876 it

was fitted with iron gates, and in the pavement over the vault a brass

has been inserted with the inscription, composed by Mr. J.T.D.

Niblett:--

"Dominus Georgius Plantagenet dux Clarencius et Domina Isabelle

Neville, uxor ejus qui obierunt haec 12 Decembris, A.D. 1476, ille 18

Feb., 1477.

"Macte veni sicut sol in splendore,

Mox subito mersus in cruore."

Or in English--

"Lord George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, and Lady Isabelle Neville,

his wife, who died, she on Dec. 12, 1476, he on Feb. 18, 1477.

"I came in my might like a sun in splendour,

Soon suddenly bathed in my own blood."

On the brass are engraved two suns in splendour, the badge of the

House of York.

The fourteenth century stone screen-work round the choir side of the

ambulatory, particularly at the back of the reredos and the north-east

portion adjacent to it, is very interesting work. The lower part is

panelled with tracery in low relief, with the arches springing from

diminutive heads. All the shafting is ornamented with a small

ball-like enrichment. Above the panelling is some open tracery of

beautiful design. By reference to the plan it will be seen that much

of this original screen-work has been set back several feet, possibly

to make room for the Clarence vault.

At the east end of the ambulatory is the arch by which entrance was

formerly given to the destroyed Lady Chapel. It is now walled up, and

in such a way that it is difficult to picture the appearance of the

original work. However, from the battlements of the adjoining

south-east chapel it is possible to see the remnants of the vaulting

of the entrance to the Lady Chapel.

In the modern cast wall is a window of three lights (by Hardman) in

memory of Rev. C.W. Grove, who presented most of the modern glass in

the church. The subject is the Pharisee and the Publican. It is not

known whether the Pharisee is intended to be a portrait of any one,

but the Publican's face is said to be an excellent portrait of Mr.

Grove, and the portrait of the lady in the top light (she lacks a

halo) is deemed to be an equally good picture of Mrs. Grove.

=St. Faith's Chapel.=--The site of this chapel is not known for

certain, though it is supposed to have been one of the two south-east

chapels.

The first and easternmost chapel is the largest of the series of

chapels built round the ambulatory. It is pentagonal in form and is 28

feet by 24 feet, opening to the aisle with a richly moulded arch. The

vaulting, as in all these chapels, is excellent work, but the student

of such things will notice that the masons' work on the chapels on the

south side is in even courses, and that the stones are better dressed

than in the chapels on the north side of the choir. At the

intersections of the vaulting there are some good bosses, chiefly

foliage with some heads. In this chapel there are three stone coffins.

The central window (by Kempe) is to the memory of Benjamin Thomas

Moore, for thirty-eight years churchwarden, who died in 1896. Though

detail of a most elaborate kind fills the window, yet in appearance it

is rather thin, a quality which the clear, strong light that shines

upon it as a rule somewhat accentuates. In the central light is St.

Faith, to whom this chapel is often ascribed, with St. Agnes on the

left and St. Cecilia on the right. There are two other windows, one of

four lights and the other of three.

By standing at the entrance to this chapel the visitor will obtain a

very fine and interesting set of _coups d'oeil_ of the different parts

of the building. Towards the north there is the view of the work at

the back of the altar, and St. Edmund's and St. Margaret's chapels in

the background. To the north-west are the tombs at the back of the

altar and sedilia; to the west is a good view of the south ambulatory

and the south aisle of the nave.

The next chapel, _i.e._, the middle one of the three on this side, has

no known dedication.[18] It is also pentagonal--somewhat irregular, it

is true, but its length and breadth are the same--20 feet. There are

two windows of three lights.

This chapel has become the museum for the storage of many interesting

fragments of destroyed portions of the fabric. Some of the coloured

fragments are under glass, others are grouped against the eastern

wall. It is to be regretted that no list is hung up in the cases. The

larger of the two cases contains in one division pieces of the broken

upper part of the sedilia, all finely coloured. In the other division

are fragments from the Warwick Chapel and other mutilated tombs in the

choir. Most of these were found buried in the choir at the restoration

in 1875. There are some iron rings which belonged to the coffin of Sir

Hugh le Despenser. They were removed when the tomb was inspected in

1875.

Portions of figures of the De Clares are also in the case--one with an

inverted torch, representing Gilbert de Clare, who died, the last male

of his line, at the battle of Bannockburn, 1314. Three bases of

figures contain inscriptions as follows:

1. Rob^s. Consull Filius Regis

2. Willelm^s. Comes Gloces^r.

3. . . . . . e Regis.

Another portion of a figure, in a blue mantle, is said to be Thomas

Lord Despenser, the last Earl of Gloucester. It has upon it the arms

of Despenser and Clare.

On the wall are some swords which recall the panic caused in 1803 by

Napoleon's projected invasion and humiliation of England. It is

difficult to see why they or the colours of the Volunteers were

removed to this position from the Town Hall.

Against the eastern wall are portions of a beautiful frieze, with

ball-flower ornament, and many shields bearing traces of rich colour.

There is a fine head, and a curiosity in the form of a coffin of an

infant, a portion of a cluster of marble columns, and a figure in

camelskin and leather girdle representing St. John the Baptist.

Across this chapel is the tomb of Abbot Cheltenham, who died in 1509

(_vide_ p. 95).

=The Vestry.=--The third of the chapels is the most regular in shape,

and is used, as it was in monastic times, as a Vestiarium or vestry.

The arch is closed entirely by masonry, built upon the original wall

which formed the outer wall of the Norman church. In the walled-up

space that corresponds to what is the entrance in the case of the

other chapels are a fine tomb and the doorway into the vestry. A

description of the tomb will be found on p. 97. The tomb of the Abbot

may have been removed from a grave outside the building, but it is not

known who was buried in it. Willis ascribed it to Robert Fortington,

who died in 1253. A fine doorway, richly decorated, with three

elaborately wrought brackets for images over it, gives access to the

Clergy Vestry. The door is of oak, plated with roughly wrought metal

plates, of which tradition has it that they were made by the monks out

of swords and armour found in and around the precincts after the

battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

This chapel is profusely enriched with ball-flower moulding, both

inside and on the side next the ambulatory. It will be noticed that

the windows are small and placed, for the sake of the security of the

sacristy, high up in the south wall. In the south wall is a piscina,

and close by on the south-east wall must have stood an altar. The

window nearer to this has richer detail than the other two. In the

south-west wall a small recess is formed inside a buttress. This may

have been used as a safe for plate and other valuables in the charge

of the sacristan.

[Illustration: (_H.J.L.J.M._)

THE VESTRY DOOR, SOUTH CHOIR AISLE.]

A special staircase in the north-west corner, entered from the

ambulatory, gives access to the room over the vestry. In this room,

which has a fireplace, the sacristan probably slept. He was able from

the windows on the stairs to see into the Vestiarium or Diaconum

Magnum, and also into the choir. In fact, this view is one of the most

interesting in the church. Two large square modern windows give light

to this room, and a doorway in the east wall communicates with the

space over the vaulting of the ambulatory and chapels. The room had

originally a low timbered roof, as will be seen by the holes once

occupied by the beams.

There are two tombs of interest built into the wall between the vestry

door and the south transept, and space for them has been cut out of

the original Norman solid wall. One is quite plain and simple Early

English work [M], and contains the remains of Abbot Alan, a man of

learning and of considerable note, as he was a friend of Thomas a

Becket, the great Archbishop of Canterbury. This is the only tomb of

that period now surviving in the church, and it has been thought that

he was the first of the abbots who was honoured with an intramural

tomb.

Close to Abbot Alan's tomb is another recess which now is without its

coffin. The arch is pointed and crocketed with pinnacles at the sides.

In the absence of a tomb the chief interest consists in the old

encaustic tiles which have been transferred here from other parts of

the building, a few of them having been found in 1875 under the then

stone pavement of the choir. They are now safe here from the

destroying power of the ubiquitous tourist's foot.

On the south-east tower pier is a marble tablet in Renaissance style,

erected in 1890 to the memory of Mrs. Craik, the author of "John

Halifax, Gentleman," who is said to have written her story whilst

staying at the ancient "Bell Inn" near the Abbey gate. The memorial

was designed by Mr. H.H. Armstead, R.A., and is gracefully carried out

entirely in white marble. The only fault in the memorial is that there

is too much work in proportion to the size of the tablet. The topmost

portion above the projecting cornice is a charming piece of work,

illustrating Charity, but too high above the ordinary visitor's head

to be seen or appreciated as it should, and the group rather

overweights the memorial.

[Illustration: _Photo by A.H. Hughes_

THE APSIDAL CHAPEL, SOUTH TRANSEPT.]

=South Transept.=--(Dimensions 40 feet 8 inches by 32 feet 10 inches.)

This transept has vaulting of the same character as the other, and a

large west window, rebuilt in 1820, filled with glass in memory of

Thomas Collins, of Tewkesbury. Beneath this window is a deeply

recessed doorway (now blocked up) which once gave access to the

cloisters. In this recess are to be found some of the old tiles which

formerly were in the choir. In the south wall too, like the north wall

of the other transept, there are recessed Norman arches with two

windows--enlarged later--under the roof. The doorway in this wall

formerly communicated with the Chapter House. One of Tewkesbury's

glories, the old organ, forms the north boundary of the transept. On

the east side there are four large Norman arches. Of these the first

is the archway which gives access to the south ambulatory, with a

triangular window (of fourteenth century work) over it, occupying the

position once taken by the arch of the triforium of the Norman choir.

In 1893 this window was glazed with stained glass by Rev. W.H.F.

Hepworth in memory of his mother, the subject of the window being

Faith, Hope, and Charity.

To the south of this is the large arch which gives access to the

Norman chapel with its early Norman groined roof. This chapel will

give the student an idea of the original plan of the north transept

before the alterations in 1237 and in 1246.

The east window was perforce blocked up when the ambulatory chapels

were built, and to give light to the chapel the south-east window was

inserted in the apse, no other position for a window being possible,

as will easily be seen by reference to the plan.

An anonymous donor presented the Salviati mosaic now in the filling of

the east window, but the effect is not good, as too strong a light

falls upon the gold background. Probably the work will look better

when the south transept is entirely glazed with coloured glass. The

subject is our Lord enthroned, bearing a book in one hand, and having

the other raised as in blessing. The glass in this window was formerly

in the east window of the ambulatory of the choir, and was removed to

its present position in 1887. It is a memorial to Mr. A. Sprowle, a

former resident of Tewkesbury. The glass is by Clayton and Bell, but

the window is very poor and uninteresting.

This Norman chapel[19] was at one time used as the Baptistery, and the

font, now in one of the two north-east chapels, was in use here up to

the time of the restoration in 1875. After this restoration the altar

from the choir was transferred to this chapel, and the various guilds

connected with the church subscribed towards the cost of fitting the

chapel for special devotional use. It is used for the daily morning

services in the week.

There are remains of a piscina in this chapel, but very much battered.

It is to be hoped that money will not be frittered away on any attempt

at polychrome decoration of the ordinary kind in the chapel as has

been done at Gloucester in the chapel of St. Andrew. Mr. Blunt has

thrown out the suggestion as a possible ideal, but the simplicity of

the present chapel is far preferable.

Immediately above it is a large vaulted room, similar in shape, but

less lofty, open to the transept. Its roof shows traces of having been

at one time elaborately painted with frescoes, and the room formerly

communicated with the original Norman triforium of the choir. This

room has at various times had absurd names given to it, perhaps the

most absurd being that of the Nun's Prison. As Mr. Blunt in

"Tewkesbury and its Associations" says, there are many people who

cannot hear about monks without immediately thinking of nuns. It would

seem that the room communicated with the dorter or dormitory, and was

designed for invalid monks, who from it might hear mass sung in the

church without going downstairs. In the south-east corner of the

transept a staircase gives access to this chamber, and communicates

with the triforium of the transept, the clerestory of the choir, the

vaulting of the ambulatory as well as that of the tower.

Before 1875 a gallery filled up the south transept and two bays of the

south aisle, and communicated by means of the organ screen with the

similar gallery in the north transept.

In the west wall is a recess, formerly a doorway of Early English

work. On the south wall is a brass tablet from the choir pavement, to

the memory of Prince Edward.

At the corner of the south transept and the south aisle is a curious

recess in the masonry hidden by a curtain.

At the extreme east end of the south aisle, near the niche or recess

just mentioned, is a rudely carved head which no doubt served as a

cresset.

THE CHOIR.

This part of the building is usually entered from the south ambulatory

by the entrance opposite to the door of the clergy vestry. The

screen-work at this entrance to the choir was in a ruinous state in

the early part of this century, and has been most carefully repaired,

and in part renewed.

It is a choir of great beauty, and though at first sight small and

low, its proportions are admirable in every way, the length being

almost exactly twice the breadth.

From the centre of the eastern tower-piers to the back of the altar

the choir measures 63 feet, but the total length from the present

oak-screen to the altar is 103 feet. The breadth in its widest part is

33 feet.[20]

The upper part of the choir was reconstructed in the early part of the

fourteenth century in its present polygonal form, the Norman pillars

being carried up three feet, and fitted on the choir side with

Decorated capitals.

The curious effect of the carrying up of the columns will be seen from

the fact that the arches which spring from the Decorated capitals do

not correspond in pitch with the vaulting in the ambulatory. The

latter springs from the original Norman capitals on the columns in the

choir (_see_ illustration, p. 52).

The moulding of these arches of the choir is exceedingly rich, and the

outer ones on the north side contain a double moulding of quatrefoil

flower ornament.

The easternmost arch is somewhat stilted; the bare wall thus left

exposed having originally been concealed by the reredos, or at any

rate decorated in some way.

In these alterations to the choir here the Norman triforium had to be

sacrificed; and those who wish to see on a larger scale what the

original triforium was like must study that at Gloucester. In fact the

two choirs alone will form the basis of much interesting study, the

Gloucester choir having been left comparatively intact below the

clerestory, and veiled over with richly wrought Perpendicular

stonework.

The windows and the roof are of about the same date, _i.e._, early

fourteenth century; the roof is anticipatively Perpendicular. A great

feature of the choir is the skilful way in which the work of different

times has been so effectively combined, and brought into a harmonious

whole.

[Illustration: _Photo A.H. Hughes._

THE CHOIR, LOOKING WEST.]

It is interesting to compare the ground-plans of Gloucester and

Tewkesbury, and to see how the two originally Norman choirs have been

treated. At Gloucester the apsidal formation has been destroyed,

traces only of it being left under the present reredos, but there the

actual removal of Norman work stopped. The Norman piers of the choir

and presbytery and the Norman triforium of the choir are all there,

though they are partly concealed by the later Perpendicular casing.

The choir at Tewkesbury has lost its distinctively Norman character,

as nearly all the original outside wall of the church to the east of

the tower was removed, but it has retained its apsidal formation.

[Illustration: _Photo. W.G. Bannister._

THE CHOIR VAULT.]

Beautiful as the choir is, it owes much of its effect to its vaulted

roof, which is a fine specimen of early Decorated work. The vaulting

ribs spring from small engaged shafts, which are carried up the face

of the wall from the main piers, and then radiate from very ornate

capitals over the vault. A fine colour effect must have been presented

by the original ceiling painted and frescoed.

The bosses are less elaborate and less varied than those in the choir

at Gloucester, but are well carved, consisting for the most part of

vine-leaves delicately treated. All this roof was colour-washed in

1828, when so much restoration was done in the church.

The suns[21] in the centre are supposed to have been put up by command

of Edward IV. after the battle of Tewkesbury. The suns were a device

which was appropriated by the Yorkists after the downfall of the

Lancastrian party. Those in the tower vaulting are modern copies of

these original suns. The modern painting of the vaulting is subdued in

tone.

The vault of the tower is a lierne vault, and from the occurrence of

the arms of Sir Guy de Brien, once quartered with those of Montacute

(_i.e._, of his wife), the vaulting has been credited to his

exertions. The Despenser fret is to be found twice.

In front of the altar-rails is the large boss from which used to hang

the sanctuary lamp, the sacred flame of which was kept ever trimmed

and bright, as a sign that "the house was evermore watching to God."

=Altar.=--The Purbeck marble altar is supposed by some to have been

the altar mentioned in the Abbey Chronicles of 1239, but any Early

English features have been destroyed beyond recognition. It is reputed

to be the largest altar in England, but, at any rate, it may be said

to be the longest. Originally set up in its present situation, it

seems to have been buried in the choir by the monks, perhaps by some

who were not so mercenary as the rest. Sixty-eight years afterwards it

was found, and its purpose being recognised, it was set up in the

middle of the choir as a Communion table. In 1730 it was transferred

to the aisle, the churchwardens' accounts stating that 12_s._ was paid

for so doing, and that 2_s._ 6_d._ was given "to the men that did it

for working all night." The "large entire blue stone" was then cut

into two lengthwise, and was further desecrated by being converted

into seats for the north porch.[22] Earl Beauchamp, at his own

expense, had the two slabs restored to their original use. Considering

what the marble has gone through, its size has been well maintained.

In 1607 it was 13 feet 8 inches by 3 feet 6 inches by 7 inches; and

now it is 13 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 5 inches by 5 inches. It is

supported by a massive framing of oak.

[Illustration: _Photo D. Gwynne._

THE SEDILIA.]

=Sedilia.=--These are on the south side in the canted bay of the apse.

These sadly mutilated remains of a once glorious work are especially

interesting. Originally they were decorated with rich colour and gold,

much of which still in parts remains. The canopy of tabernacle work

has been ruthlessly destroyed, together with the major part of the

easternmost section. All the shafting is very richly moulded with a

great number of diminutive mouldings, principally ogee and hollow.

Foliage work of rare beauty and representations of grotesque animals

form the greater part of the ornament. There are interesting remains

of diaper work in the wall which forms the back. The plinth and seats

are probably modern work. At the top are placed some pieces of

battlement work, of which there is a great amount in different parts

of the building. It seems a pity that the remains of the sedilia which

lie elsewhere in the church cannot be placed together in position

here--not "restored," but honestly pieced as well as may be done with

care and patience.

The north-east pier that supports the tower bears a plain corbel,

supporting what is supposed to be the remains of an oak case for the

Saunce-bell or Sanctus-bell.

=Tiles.=--During the wholesale restoration of 1875 and following years

some old tiles were found, after the pattern of which the present

tiles were made. The fashion of paving buildings of the age of

Tewkesbury Abbey with glazed and glossy machine-made tiles, all cut

mathematically true, is much to be deprecated. Time has done much, and

will do more, to remove the glaze, but nothing will ever remove the

stiff printed look of the pattern. The black patches of tiles are

rather heavy in appearance, but the pavement looks better so than it

would if broken up with streaky slabs and squares of glaring white

marble incised with more or less pictorial designs relieved with a

background of black cement. The choir of Tewkesbury in this respect

has fared better than that of Gloucester, though a little more might

have been made of the graves of the illustrious dead who are known to

have been buried underneath.

=Windows of the Choir.=--These fourteenth century windows are the

chief glory of the choir. There are seven in all, and though they have

suffered much from wilful damage and neglect, there are perhaps no

others in England containing quite so much glass of the same date, and

in such good condition as a whole.[23] Every one must rejoice that in

1828 lack of funds prevented these windows from being thoroughly

restored.

The windows nearest to the tower have four lights each, and the

tracery is comparatively simple though flowing and free. The next two

on either side of the choir are slightly more elaborate and contain

five lights each, while the east window is quite different from the

rest. It has five lights, and the head of the window contains a fine

Catharine-wheel.

In the north-west window (_i.e._, immediately over the Warwick Chapel)

are--1. Fitz-Hamon; 2. Robert Fitzroy; 3. Hugh le Despenser; 4.

Gilbert de Clare (third), the tenth Earl of Gloucester. In the

south-west window, _i.e._, the one exactly opposite to the last

mentioned, are--1. Gilbert de Clare (the first of the name); 2. Lord

de la Zouch; 3. Richard de Clare; 4. Gilbert de Clare (the second).

These knights are all in armour, and are valuable as giving accurate

representation of the armour and knightly gear of their time. Above

the knights are represented canopies, and in the heads of the windows

are scrolls of vine-leaves.

The bodies of the De Clares lie below the choir pavement, almost in a

line with these two windows.

The other windows on either side contain Scripture subjects, many of

them very fragmentary: Daniel, David, Abraham, Jeremiah, Solomon, and

Joel are, however, easily to be found.

The east window represents the Last Judgment. In the centre Christ is

depicted with uplifted hands, on which are the stigmata of the

Passion. The side lights, from their unsymmetrical arrangement, would

seem to have been rearranged, or rather disarranged, at some time. The

Apostles would naturally be grouped on either side, in the outer

lights. The other two lights represent St. John and the Blessed

Virgin. Of these figures the heads, which are modern, were put in

(free of charge) in 1828 by a London glass-painter named Collins. In

the five panels below the figures are groups of persons arising from

their graves; one group represents an angel disputing with the evil

one for the possession of three persons bound with a chain. At the

bottom are armorial bearings.

In the floor of the choir there are graves in which many notable

persons, who made their mark in history, were buried.

Exactly under the central point of the vaulting of the tower is the

site of the grave of Prince Edward, son of Henry VI. and Margaret

Anjou. He died on the 4th of May, 1471, and with him the last hope of

the Red Rose party was finally crushed.

A modern brass, with a Latin inscription which was composed by Mr.

J.D.T. Niblett, records that "Hic jacet Edwardus princeps Walliae,

crudeliter interfectus dum adhuc juvenis Anno Domini 1471, mensis Maii

die quarto. Eheu, hominum furor: matris tu sola lux es, et gregis

ultima spes,"--or in English, that "Here lies Edward, Prince of Wales,

brutally murdered while but a youth, in the year of our Lord 1471, on

the 4th of May. Alas! the madness of men. Thou art the only light of

thy mother, and the last hope of the flock." Holinshed writes that the

body of the Prince "was homelie interred with the other simple corpses

in the church of the monasterie of the blacke monks in Teukesburie."

Another MS., which gives a list of noblemen slain in the battle of

Tewkesbury, states more definitely that he was "buried in the midst of

the convent choir in the monastery there." Traces of a coffin-lid were

found near the north-west pier of the tower, and from other evidence

it was taken to be the tomb of the young prince, and this would give

more colour to Hall's statement that he "was buried without any

solemnity among some mean persons in the church of the black friars in

Tewkesbury."

In 1796, when several alterations were made in the church, a brass

plate was inserted in a stone over a tomb in the choir supposed to be

that of the Prince. This tablet is now on the wall of the south

transept. It runs:

"NE TOTA PEREAT MEMORIA

EDWARDI PRINCIPIS WALLIAE

POST PROELIUM MEMORABILE

IN VICINIS ARVIS DEPUGNATUM

CRUDELITER OCCISI HANC TABULAM

HONORARIAM DEPONI CURABAT

PIETAS TEWKESBURIENSIS

ANNO DOMINI MDCCXCVI."

Or in English: "That the memory of Edward, Prince of Wales (brutally

murdered after the famous battle fought in the fields close by),

perish not utterly, the piety of the people of Tewkesbury had this

memorial tablet laid down, A.D. 1796." This tablet is mentioned in the

accounts for that year, and the cost is put down at L10; but perhaps

this included the composition of the Latin inscription, and the stone

in which the plate was inserted. This _pietas Tewkesburiensis_ still

survives, as flowers are annually laid upon the site of the grave.

Before this there was, according to Dingley, who wrote in 1680, a

"fair tombstone of grey marble, the brass whereof has bin pickt out by

sacrilegious hands, directly underneath the Tower of this Church, at

the entrance into the Quire, and sayed to be layd over Prince Edward,

who lost his life in cool blood in the dispute between York and

Lancaster, at which time the Lancastrians had the overthrow."

Another grave under the tower was that of the Duke of Warwick, who is

sometimes said to have been created and crowned King of the Isle of

Wight by Henry VI. He died at the age of twenty-one, and was buried,

at his own request, between the stalls in the choir. At the time the

choir was repaved in 1875 a grave of stone filled with rubble was

found, together with some bones of a man of herculean size. These, no

doubt, were those of the Duke who was buried here in 1446. The large

marble slab that formerly covered the grave disappeared early in this

century, but the brasses that were originally in it had been taken

away long before. Cecily the Duchess of Warwick, a daughter of the

Earl of Salisbury, was buried in the same place in 1450.

Further eastward, in a line with the Warwick Chapel, are the graves

known as those of the =De Clares=.

The first is a stone with an inscription running round the edge, in

old French, as follows: "Ci git Maud de Burgh la veuve comitisse de

Gloucestre et Hertford, que mourust le 2 juillet l'ann grace 1315.

Nous cherchons celle que est a venir." This slab, which is of large

size, covers a well-wrought stone grave, and must have contained a

very handsome brass, judging by the matrix. The next grave contains

the remains of the Lady Maud's husband, Gilbert de Clare, the third of

that name, the tenth Earl of Gloucester and Earl of Hertford. Though

young in years he had a wise head, for Edward II. made him his regent

when he himself was fighting in Scotland, and later again in 1313 when

fighting in France. Gilbert de Clare the third was killed at

Bannockburn in 1314, and was laid to rest next to his father. The

tablet gives his arms, and the inscription runs: "Gilbertus tertius

nomine Glocestrie et Hertfordie comes decimus ultimus, obiit 23 Junii,

1314, proelio occisus, Scotus gavisus." Which being freely translated

is: "Gilbert, the third of the name, tenth and last Earl of

Gloucester and Hertford, died on June 23, 1314. He was slain in

battle, to the joy of the Scots."

The tomb next to this is that of his father, Gilbert the second,

usually known as the _Red Earl_. He married the Princess Joan of Acre,

a daughter of Edward I. This Earl was at first an important figure in

the revolt of the Righteous Earl, Sir Simon de Montfort; but later,

having changed his views and his side, was an important factor in his

former leader's final overthrow at Evesham in 1265. Fragmentary

remains only of a coffin assumed to be his were found in 1875. His

tablet says: "Gilbertus secundus, cognomine Rufus, comes Glocestrie

octavus, et Hertfordie septimus, obiit septimo Decembris, anno domini

1295. Vir strenuus et fortis cui deerat timor mortis. Ora et pugna."

Or in English: "Gilbert the second, surnamed the Red, eighth Earl of

Gloucester and seventh of Hertford, died the 7th of December, A.D.

1295. A stout and brave man, who had no fear of death. Pray and

fight."

In the next grave lies Gilbert de Clare, the first who bore the double

title. His interest to us consists in the fact that his seal is one of

those attached to Magna Charta, and he took a considerable part in the

Barons' struggles against King John. He died in Brittany, but was

buried here by his own wish. Very little of his coffin remains.

The tablet to him says: "Gilbertus de Clare, nomine primus, comes

Glocestrie sextus et Hertfordie quintus, obiit 25^o Octobris, anno

domini 1230. Magna Carta est lex, caveat deinde rex"; _i.e._, "Gilbert

de Clare, the first of that name, sixth Earl of Gloucester and fifth

of Hertford, died October 25th, A.D. 1230. Magna Charta is law, let

the King henceforth beware."[24]

The next grave is that of Richard, the second of that name, the son of

Earl Gilbert. He is usually believed to have been poisoned at the

table of Peter de Savoy at Emersfield in Kent. To his memory a most

gorgeous tomb was set up in the Choir, composed of marbles, precious

stones, mosaic, gold and silver, and bearing a large image of the Earl

in silver on the top. Weever, in "Funeral Monuments," gives the

epitaph:

"Hic pudor Hippoliti, Paridis gena, sensus Ulyssis,

AEneae pietas, Hectoris ira jacet."

And he translates it:

"Chaste Hippolite, and Paris fair, Ulysses wise and sly,

AEneas kind, fierce Hector, here jointly entombed lye."

The brass tablet says: "Ricardus de Clare, comes Glocestrie septimus

and Hertfordie sextus, obiit 15^o Julii, anno que domini 1262. Dum

petit crucem sic denique petit lucem"; _i.e._, "Richard de Clare,

seventh Earl of Gloucester and sixth Earl of Hertford, died July 15th,

A.D. 1262. While he seeks the cross, he seeks thereafter light." This

alludes to his having been a Crusader. Richard de Clare's entrails

were buried at Canterbury, and his heart at Tonbridge, at which place

he had founded a monastery of Austin Friars.

=Despenser Graves.=--Between the graves of the De Clares and the steps

of the altar are the Despenser graves. The grave on the north side

nearest to the Fitz-Hamon or Founder's Chapel is that of Richard

Despenser. His brass runs: "Ricardus le Despenser baro octavus, et

Burghersh baro quintus, obiit anno domini 1414, dum adhuc adolescens.

Flos crescit et mox evanescit"; or in English: "Richard, eighth Baron

Despenser and fifth Baron Burghersh, died A.D. 1414, whilst still a

youth. A flower grows and soon passes away."

He was married to Elizabeth Nevill, daughter of the Earl of

Westmorland, but, dying at Merton at the age of 19, left no family. He

was the last of the male line of the Despensers, and is buried next to

his father, Thomas le Despenser, who was laid to rest in the central

grave of the three. His record on the brass is: "Thomas le Despenser,

baro septimus, et Gloucestriae comes tertius decimus et ultimus

crudeliter interfectus 15^o Januarii, anno domini 1400. Cibell angau

na cywillydd." This being translated means: "Thomas, seventh Baron

Despenser, and thirteenth and last Earl of Gloucester, was brutally

killed on the 15th of January, A.D. 1400. Rather death than

dishonour."

He had married Constance, daughter of the Earl of Cornwall and niece

of the Black Prince. Being attainted in 1399 after the deposition of

Richard II., whom he had faithfully served, he was deprived of both

his titles and executed at Bristol in 1400. His grave was under the

lamp which burned before the altar. In 1875 no trace of his grave was

found, but there is a fragment of a statue in the "museum" in which he

is clad in a blue mantle, wearing the badge of the Garter.

The third and southernmost of the Despenser graves is that of

Isabelle, Countess of Warwick, Abergavenny, Worcester, and Albemarle.

The inscription on her brass is: "Mementote dominae, Isabelle le

Despenser, Comitissae de Warwick, quae obiit, anno domini 1439, die

Sancti Johannis Evangelistae. Mercy, Lord Jesu"; _i.e._, "Remember the

lady Isabelle le Despenser, Countess of Warwick, who died A.D. 1439,

on St. John the Evangelist's Day. Mercy, Lord Jesu." This lady was the

daughter of Thomas le Despenser, next to whom she lies here, and

though she was given in marriage to Richard Beauchamp when she was

only eleven years old, she is chiefly known from the title of her

second husband, who was her first husband's cousin. Her grave was

identified in 1875, and her remains were found enclosed in a shroud

and in a tomb of solid masonry, 7 feet by 2 feet 5 inches, by 2 feet 5

inches. The covering slab had a cross incised with the words "Mercy,

Lord Jhu" (Jesu). The top of the slab had traces of mortar upon it,

pointing to the fact that her tomb was built immediately over it. We

know from the chronicle that it was a "very handsome marble tomb,

exquisitely carved." It was a table tomb bearing an effigy of the Lady

Isabelle upon it, clad in a plain linen garment. At the head stood St.

Mary Magdalen, at the right stood St. John the Evangelist, and at the

left stood St. Anthony. At the foot of the tomb was an escutcheon with

her arms and the arms of the Earl of Warwick, impaling the arms of

Clare and Despenser.

In each of the two easternmost piers that support the tower (on the

north and south sides) will be seen a round-headed doorway, which gave

access to the choir from the aisles. They were walled up at an early

date, as they were probably too narrow for processional use.

Since the restoration of the choir the old stalls of the monks have

been collected from the various places in the church to which they had

been removed, and placed in their present position across the arches

of the tower, eleven on the north side and twelve on the south. Those

on the north have lost most of their misericordes, and all the canopy

work. Those on the south side are more perfect, and the backs are in

better preservation, though the plain panels have been removed.

In the majority of the misericordes the carving, originally fanciful,

has suffered at the hands of bigots. It is only possible to conjecture

what the stalls were like in monastic times, but they were probably,

though less elaborate, similar to those at Gloucester. As carvings

they cannot be compared with those at the Priory Church of Great

Malvern.

THE TOMBS AND CHANTRIES.

One of the chief glories of Tewkesbury consists in the series of

historic tombs and chantries which encircle the choir and presbytery

and the surrounding ambulatory. It may safely be asserted that in no

church, with the single exception of Westminster Abbey, can such a

noble collection of sepulchral monuments be found. They are well

worthy of detailed study, and for that reason have been grouped

together in one section. It is not possible to examine or describe

them adequately from the ambulatory only, and the most important are

best viewed from the choir or presbytery, whence access to the

chantries is obtained.

All these tombs have suffered terrible mutilation at the hands of

fanatics and bigots, but it is surprising to find how much of what was

really fine pierced work, almost as delicate as lace, has survived the

zeal of the destroyers. Close inspection will show that a considerable

amount of repair and refitting has been done in places. It must have

been a task of great difficulty, and involved that "infinite capacity

for taking pains" of which we hear so much but find so seldom; and

considering the date (1825) at which this piece of genuine restoration

was done, more praise must be given to the restorer. Had it not been

undertaken then it might have been done later, and certainly not so

lovingly, and possibly not so well.

=Warwick Chapel.=--This beautiful piece of work [A in the plan] is a

chantry chapel, erected in 1422 by Isabelle le Despenser, to the

memory of her first husband, Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Abergavenny

and Worcester, or, as the chronicle calls him, Ricardus de Bello

Campo. It is situate, as will be seen from the plan, under the

westernmost arch of the north side of the choir. An inscription, which

is only legible here and there, runs round the moulding: "Mementote

dne Isabelle le Despenser, Cometisse de Warrewyk, quae hanc capellam

fundavit in honor[~e] bte Marie Magdalene, et obiit Londiniis apud

Mn[~e]s a[~o] dni MCCCCXXXIX. die Scti Jhis Evngste. Et sepulta est

[~i] choro [~i] dextra patris sui: cuj. a[~m]e ppitietur Deus. Amen"

(_i.e._, "Be mindful of the Lady Isabelle Despenser, Countess of

Warwick, who founded this chapel to the honour of St. Mary Magdalen,

and died in London in the Minories, A.D. 1439, on St. John the

Evangelist's Day. And was buried in the choir on the right hand of her

father. On whose soul may God have pity. Amen").

The chapel was dedicated in the names of St. Mary Magdalen, St.

Barbara, and St. Leonard just two years after Richard Beauchamp had

died.

This Richard Beauchamp, after whom in truth the chapel should be

called, had shown his bravery at Agincourt in 1415, and in 1420 been

made Earl of Worcester. He was slain at the siege of Meaux, in France,

in 1421. In Dyde's "History of Tewkesbury" it is spoken of as "Mary

Magdalen's Chapel, now commonly called 'Spenser's Chapel." It may have

been designed to surpass in glory the chantries previously existing in

the building, and if so, the Countess, who was only twenty-one years

of age, spared no expense in causing this beautiful work to be made.

The chapel consists of two parts or stories, the lower of which has a

door into the north aisle as well as into the choir. The lowest

portion or base on either side consists of figures of angels, much

mutilated, bearing shields.

The chantry has two roofs, both with fine vaulting, formerly richly

painted, but the lower roof only covers the western half of the

chapel. The pendent bosses have been destroyed. At the top the canopy

work is so delicately sculptured that it resembles lace.

The lower ceiling, extending over half the chapel, consists of large

and small circles. Of these, the larger ones are ribbed with sixteen

ribs, while the smaller ones are quatrefoils, each member being

composed of a trefoil with an elegantly carved cusp. Between these

smaller circles are still smaller ones composed of quatrefoils. This

ceiling is supported by two slender shafts. Along the exposed front of

the ceiling are four double cinquefoil arches, between which were

three busts. Of these, one only, viz., an angel with a scroll,

remains.

In the upper storey of the chapel the ceiling is made up of hexagons

and octagons, the intervening space being filled up with circles,

trefoils of irregular shapes, though symmetrically disposed, and

quatrefoils. The points of the pendant have been ruthlessly destroyed.

[Illustration: _Photo. A.H. Hughes._

THE WARWICK CHAPEL.]

Of this chantry Mr. Knight wrote: "There can be but one opinion on the

praise which belongs to the exquisiteness of finishing by which the

several parts of it are distinguished; the entablature, wedged between

two of the old pillars of the choir, and appearing to rest upon light

columnar buttresses of singular beauty, give us an assemblage of

filigree and fretwork, which may vie with the finest specimens of

similar workmanship in the kingdom: the elegant palm-leaved parapet,

which occurs in the division between the storeys,--the numerous

escutcheons blazoned in their proper colours,--the niches, and

pedestals, under their respective canopies, once ornamented with

figures which fanaticism has dislodged,--the slender shafts supporting

a higher apartment, probably the rood-loft, in the inside of the

fabric, from whence half-figures of angels are seen to issue,--the

pendants dropping, like congelations in a grotto, from a roof adorned

with the most delicate tracery spread over it like a web,--these and a

countless multitude of minuter beauties, almost distract attention,

and overwhelm the judgment with their different claims to notice."

Some have thought the upper portion was intended to serve as a private

pew for the Lady Isabelle. To this the difficulty of access may well

be urged as a valid objection. Others have thought that the upper part

was a rood-loft. Others again have thought that the half-roof was a

platform upon which a kneeling figure (in imitation of that in the

Trinity Chapel) was placed.[25] By her will the Lady Isabelle gave

instructions that her statue was to be placed on the right hand of her

father in the choir, and that it was to represent her entirely naked

(_i.e._ without any state robes), with her hair cast backwards; with

St. Mary Magdalen (one of the saints to whom the chapel was dedicated)

laying her hands across: with St. John the Evangelist on her right

side and St. Anthony on her left. At her feet there was to be an

escutcheon, bearing her arms impaled with those of her late

husband--who had died just three months before her--supported by two

griffins; and at the side there were to be statues of poor men and

women in humble apparel with their beads in their hands. From the

Abbey Register this part of the lady's last will and testament seems

to have been carried out; but nothing remains of these added figures

or of the tomb. The chapel is less perfect on the south, or choir

side, than on that which faces the north aisle.

The appearance of the chantry when first finished, with all its rich

colour and profuse gilding, must have been very rich. Some have

thought it too elaborate and overweighted with ornament, but we may

well call it one of the most glorious specimens of its time.

Among the heraldic decorations are to be found the chevrons of the

Clares, and the arms of the deceased Earl. On the outside are to be

traced the arms of the royal ancestors of Isabelle, of the Clares, and

of the Despensers.

The arms upon the chapel are given in "Neale's Views of Tewkesbury" as

follows:

On the side of the chapel next the choir, over the door--

1. France and England, quarterly, King Edward III.

2. Castile and Leon, quarterly, and Peter, King of Castile and

Leon.

3. France and England, quarterly, Edmund of Langley, Duke of York.

4. France and England impaling Castile and Leon--for Isabelle of

Castile, Duchess of York.

5. Clare quartering Despenser (Thomas Despenser, Earl of

Gloucester).

6. Clare quartering Despenser and impaling France and England

(Constance, the mother of the foundress of the chapel).

On the side next to the aisle--in the basement or lowest portion and

in the first division, three angels bearing shields--(1) as 1 above;

(2) destroyed but presumably as 2 above; (3) as 3 above.

In the second division, two angels bearing shields--(1) as 4 above;

(2) as 5 above.

In the third division, two angels bearing shields--(1) France and

England quarterly in chief.

The arms on the fascia and over the door are, in each compartment,

three:

1. The royal arms of England.

2. The arms of the Clares, Earls of Gloucester.

3. Clare impaling England (Isabel, Countess of Gloucester, and

John, afterwards King of England).

4. Despenser (Hugh, Lord Despenser).

5. Despenser impaling Clare (Eleanor, Countess of Gloucester, wife

of Hugh, Lord Despenser).

6. Clare and Despenser, quarterly, impaling Burghersh (Sir Edward

Despenser, K.G.).