Slide Shows on Cathedral and Church Architecture - by Michael G Hardy

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Parish Church Monuments

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Description of Slide Show

 

This show ignores the splendid arrays of monuments to be found in some of cathedrals, and selects examples purely from English Parish Churches (after all there are 18,000 churches to choose from). However, monuments from the humblest people to royalty can be found in our parish churches. This show also only looks at monuments within churches, churchyard monuments will be looked at in a separate slide show entitled 'Churchyards'.

We trace the development of monuments through the ages, while looking at the styles used, and consider some of the meanings of features incorporated, which varied considerably over the centuries as views on death sometimes changed dramatically. Incidentally it must be remembered that monuments were erected to perpetuate the memory of individuals, sometimes before or long after their actual death, and sometimes those commemorated were not even buried at the same church.

Part One starts with considering how some burials were marked before the Norman Conquest.  We then continue by looking at examples of how the Normans made carvings on coffin lids and grave covers. In the early medieval period (before 1400), they developed into semi-effigies on stones, but complete effigies did not appear widely until the 13th century. We look at how these were often housed in wall recesses rather than within the church itself. The effigies of the most important people would gradually be placed on tomb chests, while those of the highest status (or wealth) were also covered by canopies. We look at the specific effigies of Knights, Priests and Ladies.

The late medieval period (after 1400) saw the development and refinement of all these features and the erection of some remarkably large monuments, often in some unexpected places. Although by the 16th century wall tablets started to appear and more monuments were erected to the less prominent members of society. We find that many medieval effigies do not portray the exact features of those commemorated, the incorporated heraldry was usually more important in identifying them. However, the more accurate details in their dress on some medieval effigies in wood, stone or brass are often used to study the development of costume and armour.

We then find an increasing use of incised slabs, and we look back to consider the development of brasses between the late 13th and early 16th centuries.

We end Part One by looking at the earliest arrival in England of Renaissance decoration, from around 1530, when monuments without effigies were also used.

 

We start Part Two by considering pure Renaissance monuments, of what I call the early Renaissance period (1550-1625). Effigies were now back on most monuments, but now they could be lying, reclining, or kneeling. We look at large monuments, and then some of the increasingly popular smaller wall monuments. Some of my own favourites belong to the Jacobean era, lavishly decorated and adorned with heraldry, usually depicting entire families, and often in exuberant colours. The increasing taste for classical architecture was now well established in the monuments of the time.

Styles changed drastically with the reign of Charles I, decoration becoming more lavish over what I call this late Renaissance period (1625-1650), and we look at a number of different sizes of monument from this period. We then look at how brasses were used in the Post Medieval era, and also take a quick look at ledger slabs and incised slabs.

The years from 1650 to 1714 undoubtedly saw the most exuberant monuments (as the architecture was) as this was the Baroque era. We look at a sample of large and small monuments.

Baroque excesses in small monuments were ended quite quickly by the Georgian era (1714-1837) which tended to have far plainer and more formal smaller monuments.  However there were also plenty of large grand and ostentatious monuments, glorifying those predicted,  with long inscriptions that pompously detail their merits. By the 18th century the use of colour had virtually disappeared as marble becomes the dominant material use for construction.  By the late Georgian period there was often a tendency to depict the deceased in scenes from ancient Rome. At this time the tomb chest also returned in the form of a sarcophagus. However the Georgian period must be remembered above all as the time when the finest sculptors were at work.

The reign of Queen Victoria was a time when all manner of styles were used, particularly Gothic Revival, and the 20th century is noticeable for the use of small memorials, with virtually no large monuments, but recent years has shown a resurgence in the interest of fine craftsmanship rather than the rather mechanically cut work which started with the industrial age.

We end with a look at a few unusual monuments, and we realise they can take all sorts of forms.

 

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Timings of Slide Show:

Parish Church Monuments

 

Full

Version

Abridged

Version

Part One

  48 minutes

42 minutes

Part Two

  50 minutes

44 minutes

TOTAL

98 minutes

(maximum)

86 minutes

(minimum)

 

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Contents of Show and Number of Slides Shown

 

Please note that some of the dates quoted are only approximate

 

Part One
Period Type

Full

Version

Abridged

Version

Introduction   4 4
Before Norman Conquest,  pre 1066   14 13
After Norman Conquest,  1066-1190 Coffin Lids 23 21
Early Medieval,  1190-1400 Semi Effigies 8 8
                      " Full Effigies 4 4
                      " Wall Recesses 12 9
                      " Tomb Chests (part 1) 4 4
                      " Effigies of Knights 9 6
                      " Effigies of Cross Legged Knights 4 4
                      " Effigies of Priests 3 3
                      " Effigies of Ladies 4 4
                      " Wooden Effigies 5 4
                      " Tomb Chests (part 2) 4 3
                      " Canopied Wall Monuments 8 7
                      " Tomb Chests (part 3) 14 10
                      " Small Wall Monument 2 2
Late Medieval,  1400-1530 Effigies 9 9
                     " Tomb Chests 11 8
                     " Colouring of Monuments 7 6
                     " Large Canopied Wall Monument 7 6
                     " Incised Slabs 16 15
Medieval, 1277-1530 Brasses 36 32
Introduction of Renaissance, from 1530 Decoration on 16C Tomb Chests 11 7
                        " Terracotta Monuments 3 3
                        " Monuments without Effigies 9 8

Total Slides in Part One:

231 200

 

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Part Two
Period Type

Full

Version

Abridged

Version

Introduction to Part Two   2 2
Early Renaissance,  1550-1625 Large Monuments with effigies - Lying 29 22
                     " Large Monuments with effigies - Reclining 9 8
                     " Large Monuments with effigies - Kneeling 31 27
                      " Large Monument without effigies 8 8
                      " Small Monuments without effigies 4 4
                      " Small Monuments with effigies - Lying 7 6
                      " Small Monuments with effigies - Kneeling 17 16
                      " Triptych Monument 6 x
Late Renaissance,  1625-1650 Large Monuments 15 13
                      " Table Tombs 7 7
                      " Small Monuments 9 8
Post Medieval Brasses 10 7
            " Ledger Slabs 3 2
            " Incised Stones 2 2
Baroque,  1650-1714 Large Monuments 10 9
                   " Small Monuments 11 8
Georgian,  1714-1837 Small Monuments 6 5
                   " Large Monuments 9 6
Victorian,  1837-1901   14 13
Post Victorian & Modern Post Victorian 8 7
                     " Modern 4 3
Miscellaneous Monuments Miscellaneous 17 15
The End   2 2

Total Slides in Part Two:

240 200

 

 

Slide Show on "Parish Church Monuments"

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This page last modified on 15th December 2005