101 
The Beech is another forest tree that inspired the early 
carver. Its thick twisted stems and leaves are rendered as early 
as the year A.D. 1301 amongst the hundreds of bosses that adorn 
the lofty vaultings of Exeter Cathedral and it probably owes its in¬ 
troduction in contemporary roofs on account of the artistic treat¬ 
ment possible with the unfolding of its deeply puckered and 
slightly serrated leaves, and of its connection with the use of 
beechen boards on which were written the early Gospel extracts 
or books. 
The Apple is another tree that lends its form to the adorn¬ 
ment of boss or finial, the rounded fruit being often introduced 
amongst the foliage. 
The Ivy, too, with clusters of berries finds a place in Win¬ 
chester Lady Chapel, in Bristol, and in a large corbel at Exeter, 
where the beautifully sculptured egg-shaped and pointed leaves 
show that the design was taken from the Tree Ivy and not from 
the leaves spreading on the ground. 
The Hawthorn is likewise repeatedly represented. It forms 
the motive of one of the Bristol Cathedral stellated recesses, 
and in the central finial there is a cluster of the well-known haws 
peeping out through the deep lobes of the leaves. 
Exeter Cathedral has a large boss of Hawthorn, into which 
is introduced a favourite 14th century theme, viz., birds, appar¬ 
ently thrushes, busily feeding on the berries. The same subject 
appears in the central finial of a lofty tomb recess in Tewkesbury 
Abbey about A.D. 1340, but in this case the birds are more like 
doves picking at the fruit. Birds pruning their feathers or gaily dis¬ 
porting together were frequently introduced in carving by the 
ancient sculptors, partly because of their appropriateness In 
foliage subjects and partly because of Christ's references to the 
fowls of the air,” and to the statement of the Psalmist that the 
trees were planted to be the home of the birds. 
On the ancient capital of a pillar in the Lord Mayor’s Chapel, 
Bristol, birds of no distinctive type are engaged in feeding 
amongst foliage of a conventional nature. 
Passing on to the shrubs that inspired the artists, the Vine 
is the most frequent, appearing in all parts of the early buildings. 
Representations of it are to be found in the early sculptured 
monuments of Egypt and Assyria, while the Bible carries its his¬ 
tory back into the days of Noah, who, we are told, “ planted a 
vineyard.” The Vine and its fruit became a recognised symbol of 
the Church in the early centuries of Christianity, while its broad 
and clearly veined leaves made it a suitable design for the skill 
of the workmen and its intertwining and climbing habit appealed 
to his requirements. 
Although the knowledge of the Vine may have come to the 
artists from the South of Europe, it would have been well known 
in England, for the existence of forty vineyards is recorded in 
Doomsday Book. To this day many woods still bear the name 
of “ The Vineyard.” 
