cbnewham
@parishchurches.org
FSA. Author. Photographer. IT specialist.
Church architecture & contents.
If you want to know what churches are open during the day then get my Keyholder for Parish Churches app (Android and Apple).
Bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Newham
Church architecture & contents.
If you want to know what churches are open during the day then get my Keyholder for Parish Churches app (Android and Apple).
Bio:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Newham
Pinned
cbnewham
@parishchurches.org
· Nov 1
The St John family polyptych, erected in 1615 in St Mary's, Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire. It has two sets of doors and eleven painted panels. Though a difficult subject to photograph, this image has been recognized as one of the finest photographic records of the monument.
Saul, N. 'The Will of Sir John de la Pole of Chrishall, Essex' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 626-628.
Willatts, R. 'Meeting Report. Chrishall, Essex - 9th April 2016' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 624-626.
Willatts, R. 'Meeting Report. Chrishall, Essex - 9th April 2016' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 624-626.
January 14, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Saul, N. 'The Will of Sir John de la Pole of Chrishall, Essex' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 626-628.
Willatts, R. 'Meeting Report. Chrishall, Essex - 9th April 2016' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 624-626.
Willatts, R. 'Meeting Report. Chrishall, Essex - 9th April 2016' in Monumental Brass Society Bulletin, 132, June 2016 (MBS, 2016). pp. 624-626.
References
Bettley, J., and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England. Essex (Yale, 2007). p. 237.
Manning, C. J., 'Notice of an Undescribed Sepulchral Brass' in The Archaeological Journal, Volume IV, Part 1 (1847). pp. 338-340.
Bettley, J., and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England. Essex (Yale, 2007). p. 237.
Manning, C. J., 'Notice of an Undescribed Sepulchral Brass' in The Archaeological Journal, Volume IV, Part 1 (1847). pp. 338-340.
January 14, 2026 at 5:39 PM
References
Bettley, J., and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England. Essex (Yale, 2007). p. 237.
Manning, C. J., 'Notice of an Undescribed Sepulchral Brass' in The Archaeological Journal, Volume IV, Part 1 (1847). pp. 338-340.
Bettley, J., and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England. Essex (Yale, 2007). p. 237.
Manning, C. J., 'Notice of an Undescribed Sepulchral Brass' in The Archaeological Journal, Volume IV, Part 1 (1847). pp. 338-340.
Joan wears the fashionable nebule headdress with flowing sleeve lappets. John is in full armour of the period. The French inscription survives only in fragments: "sa feme priez" - "his wife prays."
Monument number 138 in my book 'Country Church Monuments'
amzn.eu/d/7qO8gfU
Monument number 138 in my book 'Country Church Monuments'
amzn.eu/d/7qO8gfU
amzn.eu
January 14, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Joan wears the fashionable nebule headdress with flowing sleeve lappets. John is in full armour of the period. The French inscription survives only in fragments: "sa feme priez" - "his wife prays."
Monument number 138 in my book 'Country Church Monuments'
amzn.eu/d/7qO8gfU
Monument number 138 in my book 'Country Church Monuments'
amzn.eu/d/7qO8gfU
The brass was positioned in the south aisle so his effigy would literally lie between the two most important women in his life - his mother's tomb is still visible on the south wall.
January 14, 2026 at 5:38 PM
The brass was positioned in the south aisle so his effigy would literally lie between the two most important women in his life - his mother's tomb is still visible on the south wall.
Unusually, Sir John appears on the right (dexter) side rather than the conventional left. The reason? His will reveals he wished to be buried between his wife Joan and his mother Margaret.
January 14, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Unusually, Sir John appears on the right (dexter) side rather than the conventional left. The reason? His will reveals he wished to be buried between his wife Joan and his mother Margaret.
Holding Hands Forever
A magnificent brass lies in the church at Chrishall (Essex). It depicts Sir John and Lady Joan de la Pole (d.1379/80) holding hands beneath elaborate Gothic canopies - echoing their marriage vows in perpetuity.
A magnificent brass lies in the church at Chrishall (Essex). It depicts Sir John and Lady Joan de la Pole (d.1379/80) holding hands beneath elaborate Gothic canopies - echoing their marriage vows in perpetuity.
January 14, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Holding Hands Forever
A magnificent brass lies in the church at Chrishall (Essex). It depicts Sir John and Lady Joan de la Pole (d.1379/80) holding hands beneath elaborate Gothic canopies - echoing their marriage vows in perpetuity.
A magnificent brass lies in the church at Chrishall (Essex). It depicts Sir John and Lady Joan de la Pole (d.1379/80) holding hands beneath elaborate Gothic canopies - echoing their marriage vows in perpetuity.
The spectacles are wonderfully detailed - you can see the frame clearly bridging his nose. While Whichford (Warwickshire) has a similar claim from the 1520s, this Lincolnshire scholar may just edge ahead in the race to be England's first bespectacled stone carving.
January 14, 2026 at 2:27 PM
The spectacles are wonderfully detailed - you can see the frame clearly bridging his nose. While Whichford (Warwickshire) has a similar claim from the 1520s, this Lincolnshire scholar may just edge ahead in the race to be England's first bespectacled stone carving.
The tower was built by Anthony Ellis, a wealthy wool merchant and member of the Staple of Calais. Could this be Ellis's own accountant? An international trader would certainly have needed good bookkeepers. What better way to acknowledge a trusted scribe than to carve him into the church fabric?
January 14, 2026 at 2:27 PM
The tower was built by Anthony Ellis, a wealthy wool merchant and member of the Staple of Calais. Could this be Ellis's own accountant? An international trader would certainly have needed good bookkeepers. What better way to acknowledge a trusted scribe than to carve him into the church fabric?
England's First Bespectacled Scholar?
This gargoyle on Great Ponton's church tower (1519) may be one of the earliest representations of spectacles in English sculpture. Our scholarly figure peers through his glasses while holding pen and parchment - perhaps immortalising a real person.
This gargoyle on Great Ponton's church tower (1519) may be one of the earliest representations of spectacles in English sculpture. Our scholarly figure peers through his glasses while holding pen and parchment - perhaps immortalising a real person.
January 14, 2026 at 2:26 PM
England's First Bespectacled Scholar?
This gargoyle on Great Ponton's church tower (1519) may be one of the earliest representations of spectacles in English sculpture. Our scholarly figure peers through his glasses while holding pen and parchment - perhaps immortalising a real person.
This gargoyle on Great Ponton's church tower (1519) may be one of the earliest representations of spectacles in English sculpture. Our scholarly figure peers through his glasses while holding pen and parchment - perhaps immortalising a real person.
A reminder that medieval churches were filled with colour, and that occasionally - against all odds - that vivid past still speaks to us directly.
January 13, 2026 at 6:31 PM
A reminder that medieval churches were filled with colour, and that occasionally - against all odds - that vivid past still speaks to us directly.
Neither Pevsner nor the church guide mentions this treasure. Sometimes the best discoveries in England's churches are the ones that have been quietly waiting there all along, overlooked but miraculously intact.
January 13, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Neither Pevsner nor the church guide mentions this treasure. Sometimes the best discoveries in England's churches are the ones that have been quietly waiting there all along, overlooked but miraculously intact.
What makes this survival extraordinary is that for years around 1900, the nave had no roof. Exposed to the elements, yet somehow this delicate polychrome carving endured when so much else was lost.
January 13, 2026 at 6:31 PM
What makes this survival extraordinary is that for years around 1900, the nave had no roof. Exposed to the elements, yet somehow this delicate polychrome carving endured when so much else was lost.
A Shepherd and His Dog Survive the Centuries
This 15th-century bench end at Shingham (Norfolk) still retains its original medieval paint - showing a shepherd with his faithful dog at his feet. The shepherd holds his crook and wears the practical clothing of a medieval countryman.
This 15th-century bench end at Shingham (Norfolk) still retains its original medieval paint - showing a shepherd with his faithful dog at his feet. The shepherd holds his crook and wears the practical clothing of a medieval countryman.
January 13, 2026 at 6:30 PM
A Shepherd and His Dog Survive the Centuries
This 15th-century bench end at Shingham (Norfolk) still retains its original medieval paint - showing a shepherd with his faithful dog at his feet. The shepherd holds his crook and wears the practical clothing of a medieval countryman.
This 15th-century bench end at Shingham (Norfolk) still retains its original medieval paint - showing a shepherd with his faithful dog at his feet. The shepherd holds his crook and wears the practical clothing of a medieval countryman.
With that red nose he looks like he's been on the booze...
January 13, 2026 at 5:52 PM
With that red nose he looks like he's been on the booze...
600 years on, this celebration of female education and devotion still speaks powerfully through York's medieval glass.
January 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
600 years on, this celebration of female education and devotion still speaks powerfully through York's medieval glass.
The window was given by the Blackburn family, prosperous York merchants who made a point about female literacy - all the women in this window are shown reading. A deliberate statement that educated women weren't confined to the aristocracy.
January 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
The window was given by the Blackburn family, prosperous York merchants who made a point about female literacy - all the women in this window are shown reading. A deliberate statement that educated women weren't confined to the aristocracy.
The Virgin, shown as a child with flowing golden hair and flower crown, follows the text as her mother guides her through Psalm 143: "Hear my prayer O Lord..." This intimate moment of maternal instruction is one of the finest surviving medieval depictions of Our Lady.
January 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
The Virgin, shown as a child with flowing golden hair and flower crown, follows the text as her mother guides her through Psalm 143: "Hear my prayer O Lord..." This intimate moment of maternal instruction is one of the finest surviving medieval depictions of Our Lady.
Teaching the Virgin to Read
The great east window at All Saints, North Street (c.1410) contains one of medieval England's most touching images - St Anne teaching her young daughter Mary to read.
The great east window at All Saints, North Street (c.1410) contains one of medieval England's most touching images - St Anne teaching her young daughter Mary to read.
January 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Teaching the Virgin to Read
The great east window at All Saints, North Street (c.1410) contains one of medieval England's most touching images - St Anne teaching her young daughter Mary to read.
The great east window at All Saints, North Street (c.1410) contains one of medieval England's most touching images - St Anne teaching her young daughter Mary to read.
Thank you.
There is another in St Mary, Burford, Shropshire. Both are illustrated and discussed in my book 'Country Church Monuments'.
The panels are only opened at certain times such as open days, or if you make an appointment.
There is another in St Mary, Burford, Shropshire. Both are illustrated and discussed in my book 'Country Church Monuments'.
The panels are only opened at certain times such as open days, or if you make an appointment.
January 13, 2026 at 11:48 AM
Thank you.
There is another in St Mary, Burford, Shropshire. Both are illustrated and discussed in my book 'Country Church Monuments'.
The panels are only opened at certain times such as open days, or if you make an appointment.
There is another in St Mary, Burford, Shropshire. Both are illustrated and discussed in my book 'Country Church Monuments'.
The panels are only opened at certain times such as open days, or if you make an appointment.
References
Rosewell, Roger, ‘The Pricke of Conscience of the Fifteen Signs of Doom Window in the Church of All Saints, North Street, York’, Vidimus, Issue 45
www.vidimus.org/issue-45/fea...
Rosewell, Roger, ‘The Pricke of Conscience of the Fifteen Signs of Doom Window in the Church of All Saints, North Street, York’, Vidimus, Issue 45
www.vidimus.org/issue-45/fea...
Features – Vidimus
www.vidimus.org
January 13, 2026 at 11:44 AM
References
Rosewell, Roger, ‘The Pricke of Conscience of the Fifteen Signs of Doom Window in the Church of All Saints, North Street, York’, Vidimus, Issue 45
www.vidimus.org/issue-45/fea...
Rosewell, Roger, ‘The Pricke of Conscience of the Fifteen Signs of Doom Window in the Church of All Saints, North Street, York’, Vidimus, Issue 45
www.vidimus.org/issue-45/fea...
Donated c.1410-20 by the Henryson and Hessle families, this unique survival reminds us how profoundly the medieval mind was shaped by expectations of divine judgment.
January 13, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Donated c.1410-20 by the Henryson and Hessle families, this unique survival reminds us how profoundly the medieval mind was shaped by expectations of divine judgment.
Medieval viewers, familiar with plague and famine, would have found these predictions terrifyingly plausible. The window served as both warning and teaching tool - its vivid imagery ensuring the message struck home even for those who couldn't read.
January 13, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Medieval viewers, familiar with plague and famine, would have found these predictions terrifyingly plausible. The window served as both warning and teaching tool - its vivid imagery ensuring the message struck home even for those who couldn't read.
The panels shown here capture the final catastrophic days:
The twelfth sign: the dead rise from their graves, bones reassembling
The fourteenth sign: all living things perish
The fifteenth sign: the world consumed by fire
The twelfth sign: the dead rise from their graves, bones reassembling
The fourteenth sign: all living things perish
The fifteenth sign: the world consumed by fire
January 13, 2026 at 11:44 AM
The panels shown here capture the final catastrophic days:
The twelfth sign: the dead rise from their graves, bones reassembling
The fourteenth sign: all living things perish
The fifteenth sign: the world consumed by fire
The twelfth sign: the dead rise from their graves, bones reassembling
The fourteenth sign: all living things perish
The fifteenth sign: the world consumed by fire
Based on the 1340s Yorkshire poem 'The Pricke of Conscience', it's the only known English stained glass showing this complete sequence. The window once had English inscriptions below each scene - remarkably early for a time when Latin dominated church texts.
January 13, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Based on the 1340s Yorkshire poem 'The Pricke of Conscience', it's the only known English stained glass showing this complete sequence. The window once had English inscriptions below each scene - remarkably early for a time when Latin dominated church texts.
Countdown to Doomsday at All Saints, York
This unusual early 15th-century window at All Saints, North Street depicts the fifteen terrifying signs believed to herald the world's end - a medieval countdown to the Apocalypse.
This unusual early 15th-century window at All Saints, North Street depicts the fifteen terrifying signs believed to herald the world's end - a medieval countdown to the Apocalypse.
January 13, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Countdown to Doomsday at All Saints, York
This unusual early 15th-century window at All Saints, North Street depicts the fifteen terrifying signs believed to herald the world's end - a medieval countdown to the Apocalypse.
This unusual early 15th-century window at All Saints, North Street depicts the fifteen terrifying signs believed to herald the world's end - a medieval countdown to the Apocalypse.