MONUMENTAL EFFIGIES 



the tomb is the following inscription: ?^ic 

 jacet 3o\)ie Creaag milea t'nus isti 

 btlU quonbam capitani tst Egcicui 

 ©rfatf ct ^ontltutquE in i^ormaliia ac 

 cociliati tint regis in Jtancia qui obiit 

 apuli 2EobE in ILairina iiii° tiit marcii 

 anno fini m" cccc iliiii cui aixie ppicietut 

 teuB, amen. 



It is uncertain whether a portrait has been 

 produced in the effigy ; circumstances were 

 certainly against accuracy, but no doubt it 

 was attempted, and that the memorial some- 

 what resembles one of the most notable of the 

 ancient worthies of the county. The eyes 

 however are treated in the narrow slit fashion 

 of sculptors of the day. The neck is shaved 

 high up into the hair, which is cropped to a 

 hard line round the head, far above the ears, 

 and according to the ugly custom then pre- 

 vailing. It is also doubtful whether the body 

 of the captain of Lisieux, Orbef and Pont 

 I'Eveque lies within the panelled alabaster 

 altar-tomb, with its lines of angels holding 

 shields of arms, alternating with ' weepers ' ; 

 but if he is indeed enshrined within this grace- 

 ful grave, it may well be said that 'after life's 

 fitful fever he sleeps well.' 



John Dycson. Died 1445. Yelvertoft. 



Under a canopy in the north wall of the 

 chancel lies the alabaster effigy of John Dyc- 

 son, who was presented to the church in 1439. 

 He is represented wearing the usual sacerdotal 

 vestments, consisting of alb, stole, chasuble, 

 maniple and amice, with the very unusual 

 addition for a priest of a dalmatic worn under 

 the chasuble. The head of the figure rests 

 upon a pillow supported by mutilated angels, 

 and the feet upon a kneeling lamb. The 

 whole of the surface of the alabaster on one 

 side has been disintegrated, apparently by the 

 dropping of water from the roof. The wall 

 outside the chancel at the back of the tomb is 

 beautifully panelled and decorated with quatre- 

 foils. 



Archdeacon Sponne. Died 1448. Tow- 

 cester. 



This liberal-minded ecclesiastic was buried 

 before the altar of the Virgin in the parish 

 church of St. Laurence. The effigy lies upon 

 an open altar-tomb consisting of eight but- 

 tressed shafts, with open four-centred and 

 cusped arches, with foliage in their spandrels. 

 The upper slab is richly moulded, and orna- 

 mented with the Sponne arms and roses, 

 and forms a canopy over ' the lively picture of 

 death ' which lies beneath it. This lower 

 stone effigy represents a corpse stretched upon 

 a winding-sheet, and shows considerable 

 power of sculpture and knowledge of anatomy. 



When the church was repewed in 1835, 

 it was thought necessary to lower the actual 

 tomb of the archdeacon, and it was then dis- 

 covered that the oblong sepulchre which con- 

 tained the body was formed of rough slabs of 

 limestone, strongly cemented together, with 

 an opening loosely closed on the south side. 

 The skeleton of the deceased was found in a 

 perfect state of preservation, lying on a bed of 

 fine white sand, and with no trace of any 

 vestments or coffin. 



The archdeacon is represented in a long 

 cassock, or toga talaris coccinea, reaching below 

 the feet, and with sleeves closely buttoned at 

 the wrists ; a ' surples wythe slevys ' ; and 

 an almutium, or aumasse, a furred tippet and 

 hood covering the breast and shoulders. These 

 are not the usual eucharistic vestments, but 

 those of a canon of a cathedral or a member 

 of some collegiate or conventual foundation 

 as attired in the choir habit. Sculptured effi- 

 gies in this costume are extremely rare, but 

 the feoffees of the Sponne charity, in their 

 laudable zeal to preserve this fine monument, 

 did not retain the original colours of the vest- 

 ments. Up to the year 1883 they were all 

 painted black. The entire tomb is of clunch 

 except the head and hands of the archdeacon's 

 effigy, which were of oak. The tonsure is 

 not shown on the head of the upper effigy or 

 on that of the skeleton figure. 



It would have been satisfactory if it could 

 now have been recorded that the active his- 

 tory of this interesting memorial to the town's 

 great benefactor ceased before the lamentable 

 restoration of the church in 1 883. But at that 

 time the effigy of the archdeacon was ' denu- 

 dated ' or stripped by a tool of all its coats of 

 paint, including that which gave the original 

 colours of the vestments ; the figure was de- 

 capitated, and a new and gross stone head 

 with wild Medusa-like locks put in the place 

 of the wooden one, and bearing of course no 

 kind of resemblance to it or to work of the 

 period of the effigy. In the old head it is 

 probable that there was some likeness of the 

 man. It had been treated with gesso for 

 painting after the usual medieval manner, 

 and was in perfect harmony with the figure ; 

 in the modern one it is certain that there is 

 none. The only authority for this absolutely 

 needless and mischievous work was that of 

 the legal guardians of the memorial — the 

 vicar and churchwardens ! To crown all, at 

 the present day, the original head is ' lost ' ! 



This particular case — which it is difficult 

 to allude to with any kind of moderation — 

 is mentioned as a very glaring instance of the 

 ignorant and barbarous manner in which local 

 history is dislocated or written backwards, and 

 II 



