350 The Churches of Sherston, Cordon, 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 Joyce, 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 Eattle Bone," to quote Aubrey, who 

 describes it as about 2Jft. high and as being in a niche, and as 

 resembling more a priest than a soldier, and wearing something 

 which looks like a maniple and his robe a kind of cope, and Canon 

 J ackson adds : " The men of Sherston still uphold with undiminished 

 tenacity the local traditions of the formidable Eattlebone : 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 porch — 

 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 



