350 The Churches of Sherston, Corston, and Netheravon. 
of Messrs. Christian and Wyatt respectively in the chancel and 
body of the Church. 
In the eastern chapel is a mural monument, to ae wife of 
Giles Hutchings, of unusually early type for the date (1715); it 
contains a kneeling figure of the lady. The floor space in front of 
the tomb is enclosed by good ironwork of the period. 
I now come to the very curious figure on the east face of the 
porch, “which they call Rattle Bone,’ to quote Aubrey, who 
describes it as about 23ft. high and as being in a niche, and as 
resembling more a priest than a soldier, and wearing something 
which looks ike a maniple and his robe a kind of cope, and Canon 
Jackson adds: “The men of Sherston still uphold with undiminished 
tenacity the local traditions of the formidable Rattlebone: and the 
little figure above mentioned, which is merely that of a priest 
holding a book against his breast, is interpreted to be the great 
Sherston champion, severely wounded in the fight, but heroically 
applying a tile-stone to his stomach to prevent his bowels gushing 
out!” 
The figure is, in fact, 3ft. 3in. high, and it is not in a niche but 
stands on a corbel worked on the weathering course of the poreh— 
it must, therefore have been set up here when the porch was built, 
and have been at that time regarded with some veneration. The 
figure is badly illustrated in Aubrey (Plate x., No. 169). It 
evidently represents an ecclesiastic holding a book to his breast 
with the left hand; the right arm is missing, but it may have been 
raised in the attitude of blessing. 
The top of the head is much weather-worn, and it may have — 
been reduced to fit the effigy into its somewhat cramped space, but 
the outline seems to indicate some head-gear which may have been 
an early form of mitre. The robe is evidently not a cope; from 
its length and the tightness of the sleeve I conclude it is an alb or 
dalmatic, but it appears to be without ornamentation, and there is 
no girdle. The dignity of this ecclesiastic is shown by the pallium 
which in this case is passed plainly over the left shoulder, and 
extends down the front nearly to the bottom of the robe; it is 
secured by a central pin at the neck, embroidered at both edges, and 
