32 MEDIEVAL PATEN AT SHIRLEY. 
representation of the Vernicle, or face of our Lord, surrounded 
by a cruciform nimbus, and set in a glory of twelve rays. It is not 
enamelled, as in the Nettlecombe example. 
There are two hall marks: (1) the maker’s, a cross fleury 
in a shield; (2) the date letter, a double-cusped Q, being that 
for the year 1493-4. 
Mr. Cripps writes :—“I am almost sure the letter on the Shirley 
paten is the double-cusped Q for 1493-4. Why there is no 
leopard’s head I cannot say. It is usually present, but not 
always, on pieces of that date. We have now a number of 
patens of that exact period; indeed, the number is remarkable, 
and gives colour to the tradition that K. Henry VII. gave a paten 
to every church in England. I forget, for the moment, what this 
is based upon, but there are now several known of his reign.” 
The Shirley paten is in a remarkably good state of preservation, 
but the chalice to which it once belonged has disappeared, and 
been replaced by one of early seventeenth century date. It 
should be compared with a paten of very similar design at 
Hamsterley, Durham, engraved in Vol. XXXIX. of the 47cha@o- 
logical Journal. 
The paten, so named from its shape, gua patet est et ampla, was 
always used as a cover to the chalice, into whose bowl it fitted, so 
that the Shirley example must have belonged to a chalice almost 
identical in size with the Nettlecombe one, that is, 6 inches high 
and 32 inches across the bowl. 
The device of the Vernicle was no uncommon one. It occurs 
on the patens at both Nettlecombe and Hamsterley. Another 
common device, was a hand in the act of benediction, of which 
we have examples at Chichester, Hereford, and York. St. Paul’s 
also possessed one, with the addition of stars impressed round the 
rim ; another with a demi figure of the Saviour, and another with 
an image of the Majesty. At Lincoln, one had the coronation of 
our Lady, and another the Aguus Dei and the four Evangelists. 
The accompanying plate has been executed by the Autotype 
Company, from a photograph by Mr. Keene, of Derby. 
