10 
THE MONUMENTAL BRASSES OF WARWICKSHIRE. 
with rustling of paper and rattle of lieel-ball takes a rubbing 
of the effigy of some warrior who haply fought at Creqv or of a 
courtier who once kneeled to hand the signet-ring to a Tudor. 
In succeeding papers will appear a list of places in 
Warwickshire where brasses are to be found. The notice in 
Haines’ “Manual of Monumental Brasses” will in each case 
be quoted, and a minute description of extant brasses derived 
from rubbings made by the writer will be given, together 
with any interesting details concerning the person com¬ 
memorated which can be obtained. 
ASTLEY. I .—A lady of the Astley family (? J, circa 
1400, in mantle, lower half of efpyy and inscription lost. Hames. 
—This brass is lying loose on a tomb near the west door. Its 
length is 2ft. Gin. by 18in. The head, lower part of the effigy, 
inscription, and canopy, if it had one, are all lost. The lady 
wore upon her head a veil or kerchief, the ends of which fall 
upon the shoulders. Her outer garment is a mantle reaching 
to the feet and drawn together across the chest by a tasselled 
cord passing through two metal loops (fermailes), one fastened 
in front of each shoulder by a jewelled metal stud. Beneath 
the mantle is seen the kirtle, a long close-fitting dress with 
sleeves reaching to the knuckles. Over the kirtle is a dress 
with the sides cut away from the shoulders to the waist, 
leaving large openings through which the arms pass. The 
edges of these openings were generally trimmed with fur. 
In the present example this border was represented by enamel, 
which has all disappeared. The front of this garment is 
ornamented or fastened with metal clasps. The hands of 
the effigy are in the attitude of prayer. A similar brass is 
figured in “ Haines’ Manual, ” p. 169. 
In “ Dugdale’s Warwickshire,” p. 118 (edit. 1780), is 
figured a lady under a canopy, with the following imperfect 
inscription: “ ... morust le primer jour d’aprill l’an de 
grace mill: cccc et . del alme de quele dieu eit mercy : 
Amen.” This may be translated : “ . . . died the first day 
of April in the year of grace one thousand four hundred and 
. on whose soul God have mercy: Amen.” Possibly 
this inscription belongs to our brass, though this is mere 
conjecture. 
The other brasses in the church which are figured in 
“Dugdale,” l.c., are gone; their matrices are, however, visible. 
II. — At the west end of the nave, over a pew, is a mutilated 
plate with an inscription in black-letter or Gothic characters, 
which reads as follows : — 
