Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other MatterWalter, J. Conway (James Conway)
History
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood: Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter
Walter, J. Conway (James Conway)
Woodhall Spa (England)
“Towards the east end of the south wall is a piscina, having a triangular
head and shelf groove. Towards the west end, on the north side, are
portions of some very valuable woodwork, apparently co-eval with the
chapel itself. These probably constituted the lower part of a rood
screen, and consist of slender pillars, supporting lancet-headed
arcading. They are now used as divisions between the seating, and are
most noteworthy. {246} There is also a respectable canopied pulpit, of
the time of James I., but scarcely worthy of the worship it seems to
invite, from its peculiar position at the east end of the chapel.
“I must now refer more particularly to a sepulchral effigy in the chapel.
The lower portion of this is lost, and the remainder is now reared up
against the south wall. This represents a knight in a hauberk of mail
covered by a surcoat, and drawing his sword slightly out of its sheath,
pendent on his left. At a low level on the right is his shield, and over
his coife de maille, or mail hood, covering his head, is a cylindrical
helm, slightly convex at the top, having narrow bands crossing it in
front, the horizontal one, which is wider than the other, or vertical
one, being pierced with ocularia, or vision-slits, but destitute of
breathing holes below. The head, thus doubly protected, rests upon a
small pillow, from which spring branches of conventional foliage. These
helms began to be worn about the opening of the 13th century; to which
breathing holes were added about 1225. Thus the armour of this knightly
effigy exactly coincides in date with the architecture of the chapel in
which it still remains, and it may well have served to commemorate Robert
de Tattershall and Kirkstead, who died 1212.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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