A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



lies upon a plain stone altar-tomb, and pre- 

 sents a well-proportioned and martial figure 

 clad in a suit just like that of his companion 

 in arms Sir George Fermor. Such must 

 have been the appearance of the splendid 

 retinue of captains who were sent to Holland 

 with the Earl of Leicester in 1585, and in 

 this harness he appeared on the celebrated 

 field of Zutphen in the following year, and 

 soothed the last hours of his friend Sir Philip 

 Sidney. The sword-belt offers an excellent 

 example of the ' hangers.' On the north 

 side of the tomb, kneeling before faldstools 

 charged with impaled coats, are figures of 

 Lord Russell's three sisters — Ann, Countess 

 of Warwick ; Elizabeth, Countess of Bath ; 

 and Margaret, Countess of Cumberland. 

 They wear jewelled cauls, rufife, and scarlet 

 mantles lined ermine. On the south side 

 are three figures of men in armour, wearing 

 scarlet cloaks lined ermine. These are the 

 three brothers of Lord Russell, who also 

 kneel before faldstools bearing the respective 

 impaled coats of their marriages. 



Sir John Nedham. Died 1616. Lich- 

 borough. 



The alabaster effigy lies upon a tomb of 

 the same material, and represents the Gentle- 

 man Pensioner in a suit of armour so carefully 

 detailed as to make it almost a certainty that 

 it was copied from the harness of office. More- 

 over the full-length coeval portrait in civil 

 dress in the possession of Mr. Edward Grant 

 of Lichborough Hall, with the original pen- 

 sioner's axe alongside of it, indicates that the 

 effigy is a faithful likeness. The head rests 

 upon a helmet, the latest example in the county 

 of this military pillow ; it is decorated with a 

 copious plume of feathers, a good instance of 

 the feather fashions of the time, common 

 alike with soldiers and civilians, as well as to 

 noblemen's bedposts. Every gentleman pen- 

 sioner had a man to carry his axe when he 

 was not in duty bound to carry it himself. 

 Both in the effigy and the picture the knight 

 carries a stick in token of his quality. 



Sir Anthony Mildmay, died 16x7, and 

 Dame Grace his wife. Apethorpe. 



The effigies lie upon a well proportioned 

 and stately tomb, with a canopy in the form 

 of a dome of two stages, with excellent life- 

 size allegorical figures at the sides and on the 

 frieze of the canopy, the whole memorial being 

 of alabaster. Sir Anthony, son of Sir Walter 

 Mildmay, is represented in the usual armour 

 of the time, with large tuiles of Almayne 

 rivet over trunk hose, and lies upon a finely 

 platted mattress of careful make. Dame 



Grace, co-heir of Sir Henry Sherington of 

 Lacock, wears a gown, mantle and hood k 

 calcche. Both figures strongly resemble the 

 full-length portraits formerly in the long 

 gallery of the delightful house at Apethorpe, 

 chiefly of Sir Walter Mildmay's building, 

 which were unhappily sold a few years ago. 

 On the tomb and canopy are many shields of 

 arms. 



Sir Arthi;r Throckmorton, died 1626, 

 and Dame Ann his wife. Paulerspury. 



These alabaster effigies lie upon a con- 

 tinuous tomb of black and white marble at 

 the west end of the chancel aisle. Sir Arthur 

 wears a coif, large falling bands and cuffs, and 

 a complete suit of the armour of his time that 

 has been so often exemplified. The right leg 

 has been restored in stone. The lady, who 

 was daughter of Sir Thomas Lucas of Col- 

 chester — together with Lord Lisle, ' in cold 

 blood barbarously murdered ' — has her hair 

 crisped, and wears an old-fashioned single ruff, 

 and a tight bodice with slashed virago sleeves. 



The effigies are doubtless portraits, and are 

 early instances of the abandonment of the 

 recumbent position. 



Robert Lord Spencer, died 1627, and 

 Margaret his wife. Brington. 



The clunch effigies of Lord Spencer and his 

 wife lie upon an altar-tomb, under a semi- 

 circular canopy, enriched with armorial bear- 

 ings, and supported upon fluted Corinthian 

 columns with black marble capitals ; above 

 the entablature on each side are three pyra- 

 mids with shields on their bases. Lord Spencer 

 is represented in a complete suit of armour, 

 decorated throughout with an Italian taste, 

 and of an earlier date than that in which he 

 died. He is shown in a close helmet or 

 burgonet with the visor up, a plate gorget 

 and a peascod breastplate, with the skirts or 

 bases charged with arms. Round the waist 

 is a strap with three buckles, from which 

 an estoc is suspended by a loop and tassel. 

 The whole of these are of iron, and the 

 straps and buckles in complete working 

 order. The head rests upon a green grass 

 mound, and the heels upon the gauntlets. 

 The Lady Spencer wears a French hood 

 edged with pearls. Her hair is arranged in a 

 number of small curls close to the face, and 

 brushed back. She wears a plain open ruff 

 and a simple pleated dress of a pale lilac 

 colour. Below the waist some drapery is 

 loosely disposed over a sort of heraldic hetse, 

 which covers the lower part of the figure. 

 The peculiar costume of this effigy is doubt- 

 less in allusion to the circumstances of Mar- 



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