A comment in last weeks blog made me come up with the idea for showing some of the Tomb Effigies I have come across in the churches I have visited, some are quite plane while others are very elaborate with lots of detail.
I will start with this church at Aldworth which is on the Berkshire Downs off the Ridgeway. The effigies here are famous for their size and are called the Aldworth Giants which is what the blog was called when I wrote about it.
The effigies are of the De La Beche family and most lay in recesses around the church all damaged due to the Roundheads from the Battle of Newbury taking out their frustrations thinking they were Royalty
The next effigy I will mention is here at Ewelme and I mentioned it in the post
This is where you find the tomb and effigy of Alice de la Pole granddaughter of Geoffrey Chaucer, under the tomb through the tracery you can view her sculpted cadaver
St John's Burford is another church where you can view the superb effigy's
of Sir Lawrence Tanfield and his wife Elizabeth
What I missed was the cadaver sculptures underneath.
Not all effigies are made from alabaster and looks so stunning as you will find here at
The Holy Cross Sparsholt
I was amazed to see some made of wood, Oak to be precise you can see two others of Lady's in recesses dating back to the 1600's
In Wales at St Mary Builth Wells
you will find this effigy of John Lloid of Towy 1st Sheriff & Justice of the peace in Wales & servant of Queen Elizabeth I. He died in 1585
At All Saints Nuneham Courtenay you can see a modern Effigy
Who I think is one of the
Lord Harcourts
and outside under a cover you can see Monument to Anthony and Philippa Pollard, saved from Abingdon Abbey along with I presume their children.
At Nicholas Rotherfield Greys you can find one of the most impressive tomb effigies in it's own chapel
The tomb belongs to Sir Frances and Lady Katherine
between them they had fourteen children, on the other side of the tomb you can see the sons and of you look closely you can see a baby beside her head. The tomb is behind railings and you have to book to see it which is something I hope to do in the future
I will finish at this church St Michael Stanton Harcourt If there is one church to visit to see a collection of effigies it is this one
You can see the most impressive tomb effigies from I have come across who are from the Harcourt family. They are in a separate chapel which is kept locked but you can view them through the gates. There are also superb monuments and statues in the church as well as another 14th century effigy.
A short blog but if you follow the links you can see more of the church and detail.
Till Next time
Take Care
The effigies are of the De La Beche family and most lay in recesses around the church all damaged due to the Roundheads from the Battle of Newbury taking out their frustrations thinking they were Royalty
What I missed was the cadaver sculptures underneath.
The Holy Cross Sparsholt
Who I think is one of the
Lord Harcourts
between them they had fourteen children, on the other side of the tomb you can see the sons and of you look closely you can see a baby beside her head. The tomb is behind railings and you have to book to see it which is something I hope to do in the future
A short blog but if you follow the links you can see more of the church and detail.
Till Next time
Take Care
11 comments:
wow all of the effegies are quite grand, they must've had alot of money I'm thinking to organize something like that after their deaths.
Most likely the family's had them built at the persons request but yes they must have been very expensive at the time or even now
Billy!
You always have interesting architecture, old cemeteries and beautiful photos. This time I still admire antique tombs.
A healthy and happy week.
The Alice de la Pole tomb is famous and I've often heard about it but as yet I've never been to see it. There are some quite amazing tombs if you take the trouble to seek them out/
...Bill, you have yet again gathered a lovely collection of churches, thank you.
At first glance, the effigies seemed a bit gruesome but looking closer, I see they are artful. It is interesting the a wooden one would last for centuries.
There is a lot to admire in them
I never realised it was but I was taken back when I saw it for the first time
I try Tom but it gets harder at the moment.
It could be because of the wood they are carved from and where they are situated
I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of these. I am so looking forward to being able to get out and about around the churches again! Thank you Billy.
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