The Brooke Tomb Cobham Kent

THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM By R. H. D'ELBODX, F.S.A. THE tomb of Sh George Brooke, Lord Cobham, who died in 1558, and his wife Anne, sister and co-heir of John, Lord Bray, erected by his eldest son WilUam in 1561, is a fine example of renaissance tomb-work, and received such adjectives as " noble" and " beautiful" from eighteenth century antiquaries, who, as a rule, were content to note rather than belaud such sculpture. I t was considerably damaged in the eighteenth century. Martin Leake, Garter King of Arms, who noted the tombs at Cobham in 1729,* says nothing of this, but Thorpe, the Rochester antiquary, in 1769 describes it as " now mostly defaced." Hasted, in 1778,2 prints more detail: " This fine piece of sculpture seems once to have had a canopy of marble over it, which, with the pillars that supported it, and many pieces of the figures now lye broken and scattered upon the tomb." Finally Thorpe in 1782 explains it " miserably shattered and defaced by a huge beam of timber falling on it many years since from the roof of the chancel." So the tomb remained, dereUct, untU about 1840, when the Cobham monuments were refurbished. The tale is told in the Gentleman's Magazine of 1841.3 The Purbeck slabs of the brasses were, with one perfect exception, " entirely re-faced with mastic, which has given them the appearance of new stone, and thereby the brasses, which were in many cases loose, have been immovably re-fixed. All the smaller pieces which have come detached, and were lying either in the Parish Chest, or elsewhere in the Church, have been restored to their places, and the matrices of the lost pieces have been carefully indicated by a metalhc colouring." As to the tomb, the effigies of Lord and Lady Cobham were considerably repaired, and the " loose portions of its superincumbent sculpture have been fixed ; the Ionic piUars round the tomb have been renewed, and the figures of the fourteen children which were all displaced and mostly broken and shapeless Umbs and torsos, have been very neatly and ingeniously restored." The author of all this restoration was Mr. George Hammerton who repaired the sculptures of Rochester Cathedral and " a watchful 1 Essex Arch. Soe. MSS. no. 107. 2 Hasted, Vol. I, 503. 3 I am indebted to Mr. Rupert Gunnis for the extract. 48 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM. (From the S.K.) [/(// nmrieny of " Country Life,: THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM superintendence has been given by Charles Spence Esq. of the Admiralty, Chatham (who indeed has spared neither time, trouble nor workmanship in the operations) and by Mr. John Gough Nichols." In 1866, Charles Roach Smith, F.S.A., of Temple Farm, Strood, writes to the same periodical to tell how J. G. Waller had recently restored all Cobham monuments, and giving details. In 1840, apparently, the tomb " had all its fragments carefuUy put together and the general architectural features, which had been lost by the destruction of the columns, were restored in plaster of Paris." The final restoration was begun by a Mr. Richardson (? of metalUc heelball fame) and completed by Waller. " No part of the old work has been tampered with; even the smaUest fragment of heraldic colour has been preserved . . . and every part of new work added is given from fragments carefully preserved in the repairs of 1840." I t will be observed that there is no other indication of Hasted's suggested canopy of marble. As reconstructed, the monument has no space for columns to support a canopy, and it would seem Hasted was misled by the broken and detached Ionic columns which belonged to the sides. In no account is there reference to the iron grille which now surrounds the tomb. The tomb is described by Waller in Archceologia Cantiana, Vol. XII, of 1878, when he suggests it is of Flemish workmanship and compares it with that of Count Lalaing who died in 1540, at Hogstraaten in Belgium. It is of pecuUar interest in the evolution of tomb construction, since the weepers (throughout the Middle Ages shown standing in their niches) are here for the first time carved kneeling and sideways, making the niche thus lose its purpose and marking its obsolescence. In construction as opposed to design it has, too, an interesting feature, its decoration being done by incisions filled with colour, composed of wax and resin, black being that for the architectural portions. Only where gold was required was the marble gflded. I t is of alabaster, a marble quarried in the Notts, and Derby area of England, where alabaster sculptors did a profitable trade for EngUsh and foreign custom. Its table top, whereon Ue the effigies, is of black marble from Tournai in Belgium, just becoming fashionable again, and in a century and a half to be the normal material for the heraldic ledger slabs one finds so generally in EngUsh churches. Around the sides, and in part bearing the weight of the table, are sixteen Ionic fluted columns, the fluting shown by black filling, being flush with the surface. Between the columns, save centrally on the ends, which are devoted to heraldry, are sheU canopied niches ; beside, rather than in these, kneel, as weepers, the ten sons, on a supplemental table supported by plinths on which the columns rest. The four 49 7 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM daughters are two at each end; the sons are placed alternately on either side in order of birth, starting at the south-west. Each child is named transversely below the shell of the niche, the surname throughout being given as Broke, and each, Uke the main effigies, identified by a magnificent display of heraldry. Lord Cobham is shown armoured, in a tabard spht to give place for the lance rest. Over aU he wears the mantle and insignia of the Order of the Garter, with the mottoed garter below his right knee. His head is on an embroidered cushion, suggestive of Spanish embroidery, the pattern inlaid in black. His feet rest on an heraldic antelope. His hands, a restoration, are shown clasped, a most unusual attitude decided upon by Waller. The hair and beard still retain their dark coloration, and there can be httle doubt both effigies were made life-like by the use of colours. His tabard shows in original colour the arms of Brooke, quarterly of six, with an inescutcheon of Bray, quarterly of nine. Lady Anne has an heraldic kirtle of Brooke impaling Bray, both with theh quarterings, and an ermine fined mantle ; her head rests on a cushion simUarly decorated to Lord Cobham's, and she wears a French hood, " forerunner of the modern bonnet," says Waller in 1878. Her hands are in the normal attitude, her sleeves quilted and ermine cuffed, and her feet, in shoes (as was normal) not shaped for left and right foot, rest against a Bray badge, a winged lion, the head of which is, in the main, restoration. On a semi-circular projection of the west end of the table is carved a helm with mantling, wreath and crest of the Cobham family, a saracen's head, with a wreath argent and azure (faded to sable). The inscription, given in full by Waller, is carved marginaUy on the chamfered edge of the table, without break at the corners. The heraldry of the tomb was somewhat inaccurately described by WaUer, and merits a fresh blazon. Where the tinctures now on the shields differ from those given by Leake in 1729, his are placed in brackets. It should be noted, however, that both azure and sable fade to vert, and that gilt marble reverts to argent. THE HERALDRY On the East End. Two shields, one above the other. I. Above, a shield on a cartouche, of BROOKE of six quarters, impahng BRAY of nine quarters. BROOKE: 1. gules, on a chevron argent, a lion rampant crowned sable, the crown banded or. 2. gules, on a chevron or, three lions rampant sable. Cobham. 3. argent, seven mascles gules. Braybrook. 50 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM 4. or, fretty sable : on a chief sable three plates. St. Amand. 5. azure, a fess between three leopard's faces argent: on the fess an annulet sable. De la Pole. 6. gules, a fess between nine cross-crosslets or. PeverU. BRAY : 1. argent, a chevron between three eagle's claws erased sable. Bray. [Leake in 1729 gave the field as or.] 2. gules, three bends vair. Bray. 3. or, on a bend gules, three goats argent. HalUghweU. 4. sable, a chevron between three bull's heads cabossed argent. Norbury. 5. gules, a fess cheeky argent and sable between six crosslets formy fitchy argent. Boteler. 6. or two bends gules. Sudeley. 7. bendy of ten, or and azure. Montfort. 8. sable, a cross or between four butterflies argent.1 Croyser. 9. azure, a chevron or. Dabernon. II. Below, a large achievement of BROOKE, as above, with the inclusion of the BRAY quarterings, making BROOKE of fifteen quarterings. Above is the BROOKE crest of a Uon statant [sable], crowned [or]. The shield is held by supporters, dexter, an heraldic antelope, sinister, a dragon, which stand on mottoed ribbon, J E ME FIE EN DIEV. The stall plate of Lord Cobham at Windsor (18th staU, N. side) a dabbing of which has been given me by W. J. Hemp, Esq., F.S.A., shows arms, encircled by the garter, of Brooke, Cobham, De la Pole and Braybrooke, as four quarters, the crest of a saracen's head proper, manthng gules and argent, and supporters (dexter), an heraldic antelope sable, horns, tusks, and hoofs or, (sinister) a dragon gules, wings azure. The inscription reads : LE NOBLE SEN [altered to I] GNEUR GE ORGE BROKE SNRB DE COB HAM LIENTENNANTE DV C ALAYS ET GOVENOVR DE LAMARCHES ENVIRON At the head of the plate is the motto IE MAY FEV EN DIEV. He was nominated on the 24th April, and instaUed on the 13th December, 1549. On the West End. Two shields, one above the other. I. Above, a large achievement of BROOKE of six quarters, as before, with an inescutcheon of BRAY of nine, as before. The shield 1 There is little of the butterfly about the winged insects as shown in the Bray quarterings. They vary in tincture being normally argent, but twice or, whioh is the accepted rendering. 51 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM is enclosed in the garter. Above is the Cobham crest of a saracen's head. The supporters and motto as before. II. Below, on a cartouche, a shield of BROOKE of fifteen quarterings (BRAY) impahng NEWTON of twelve quarterings. NEWTON : 1. argent, on a chevron azure [vert], three garbs argent. Newton or Cradock. 2. ermine, a fess lozengy sable. Sherbourne. 3. or, a fess lozengy azure, a bend gules. AngeU. 4. gules, three pears argent. Perrott. 5. sable, billetty and a lion rampant argent. Harvey. 6. sable, a chevron ermine. Cheddar. On an alabaster shield, of 1594, of Newton quarterly of twelve, at Town MalUng in Kent, this quarter shows the chevron ermine between three escallops argent. The size of the quarter at Cobham may have made too difficult the imposition of these charges. 7. gules, a chevron or between three fieurs de lys argent. Probably intended for Scobahull,1 argent, 3 fleur de lys gules. Isabel Chedder's mother was a Scobahull co-heir. 8. argent, on a chevron gules between three cinqfoils azure, three annulets or. Hampton. 9. ermine, a fess gules [or]. Bitton. 10. gules, a bend or between six cross-crosslets argent. Furneaux. 11. per pale, or and azure, on a chief gules, three leopard's faces argent. Caldecot. 12. paly of six, or and azure. Gurney. This impalement of Brooke and Newton is for Lord Cobham's heir, Sir WilUam Brooke, who married the 25th February 1559/60, as his second wife, Frances, one of the seventeen daughters of Sir John Newton of Richmont in East Harptree, Somerset, and a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen EUzabeth. The family of Newton,2 originally Cradoc, came from Treneuryth in Powisland, and are accorded a lengthy pedigree in Lewis Dwyn's Welsh genealogies. Sir Richard Cradocke alias Newton, Lord Chief Justice, who died in 1449, had married Emma, d. of John Harvey, who brought him Wyke in Yatton, Somerset. His son John married Isabel, co-heir of Thomas Chedder. His grandson, Sir Thomas Newton, married Lucy, d. and co-heir of John Hampton, and so obtained Richmont, a ruined castle, and Barre's Court in Harptree, Somerset. 1 See " The Brook Family," by Hamilton Rogers, Somerset Arch. Soe. Proceedings 1898 and 1899. 2 Herald and Genealogist, IV, 438 et seq. 52 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM Thomas' second son and eventual heir, Sir John Newton, died in 1568, and it is his arms that are here depicted. On the 12th December 1567 Dethick, Garter, granted Sir John a new crest and an exemplification of a shield of twelve quarterings. Sh Richard Newton's tomb at Yatton, of c. 1449, shows a crest of a wheatsheaf in a crown of leaves springing from a wreath. This was rejected in favour of a " King of the Moors," said to be the crest of Sh Auncell Corney or Gourney, a Hampton ancestor who, while fighting under Richard I at Acre, there captured such a king—a typical example of EUzabethan intuition. The exemplification1 says he was entitled to quarter the arms of Robert Cradock alias Newton, Robert Sherborne, Stephen Angle, Stephen Pirott, John Harvy, Sir John Scheder Kt., Richard Hampton, Sir John Bitton Kt., Sh Mathew Furneaulx Kt., Walter Sowditch Kt., Sir Awnsell Gorneye, and Henry Hartery. Other MSS., for Sowditch, have Caldecot, and it is in fact the Caldecot arms that Newton quartered. Of these, the first six are apparently Newton and quarterings, whilst the second six are brought in by Hampton. They are shown in this order on the stone shield that accompanies the brass to one of Lady Cobham's sisters, Jane Fitzjames,2 1594, at Town MaUing in Kent, the subject of an article by the late Ralph Griffin. They are similarly marshalled on a stone shield at Barre's Court, and in an obituary MS. penes W. J. Hemp, Esq., caUed Camden's Funerals, for Sh Henry Newton who died in 1599 ; Sir Henry's tomb, too, in Bristol Cathedral, shows traces of the same marshalling. Hartery or Harptree, however, is not shown in the Hampton descents, and was once used before Dethick's exemphfication, though one can note its beginnings in the heraldry on the tomb of Sir Thos. Newton of 1518/19 in Bristol cathedral. The Newton shield there has for no. 7, ermine on a chief gules, 3 buchsheads cabossed, the arms of Harming.3 The old name of Barre's Court in Harptree was Hannam. Hartery occurs in the sinister top shield of the south window of the Westmorland chapel at Mereworth, a shield of Brooke and Bray of fifteen, impaling Newton of twelve quarterings, dated 1562, a year later than the Cobham tomb. At Mereworth the order is Angell, Sherborne, Newton (these three no doubt transposed when the glass was reset in the eighteenth century), Cradock, Perrott, Harvey, Cheddar, Hampton, Bitton, Furneaux, Caldecot, Gurney and Hartery, aU apparently as blazoned by Glover (B.M. Harl. MS. 807). 1 Coll. Arms MS. Misc. Grants, V, 143. 2 M.B.S. Trans., VI, 158 et seq. 3 Sir Thomas Brook, whose son Thomas married Joan Braybrook, Lady of Cobham, married Joan, co-heir of Simon Hanham and widow of Robert Sohedder. The marriage contract of Thomas and Joan Braybrook bore the seal of Brook impaling the arms of Hanning. (Somerset Arch. Soe. Proceedings 1899, Part EC, 3.) 53 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM I t is obvious the painter of the Cobham tomb was given names only for the quarterings which did not include Harptree. For Hampton he has given the arms of Hampton of Wolverhampton, a different farnUy : so, for Caldecot, he has given those of East AngUa ; whUst the omission of the escaUops of Scheder, as on Sir Thomas Newton's tomb, makes his rendering remarkably Uke sable a chevron argent, the arms of Cornay of Yorkshire. He has, however, given what seems a variant of Scobahull, in the seventh quartering. It is one of two coats that could be quartered by Schedder, the other being Hanning or Hannam. Neither of these coats was included in the Herald's exemplification to Newton. THE DAUGHTERS The four daughters all wear mantles over heraldic tabards. EUzabeth Goring of Burton in Sussex, who died in 1558, is represented in brass by a kneehng effigy in a tabard without mantle, a unique example. Since the sleeves on the Cobham series are not visible, it would be possible to describe the garments as short kirtles, but the close approximation in dates of the two monuments suggests that for a short period female effigies were so represented. I. At the West End. Elizabeth, married to WilUam Parr, Marquis of Northampton : PARRE impaling BROOKE of fifteen. 1. argent two bars azure within a border engrailed sable (not visible). Parre. 2. azure, three chevrons interlaced and a chief or. Fitzhugh. 3. barry argent and gules, a fleur de lys sable. Staveley. 4. gules, a bend between six cross-crosslets argent. Furneaux. 5. barry argent and azure, on a bend gules three martlets argent. Gray. 6. vair, a fess gules. Marmion. 7. barry or and azure, an eagle gules. Jernegan. 8. or, three chevrons gules, and a chief vair. St. Quentin. 9. vert, three bucks trippant argent. Greene. 10. gules, a chevron or between three cross-crosslets argent: in chief, a lion passant argent. Mablethorpe. H. Anne, unmarried ; BROOKE of fifteen. HI. At the East End. Mary, unmarried ; BROOKE as II. IV. Catherine, married to John Jerningham; JERNINGHAM impaling BROOKE of fifteen. 1. argent, three buckles gules (not visible). Jerningham. 2. gules, a cross engrailed argent. Ingoldsthorpe. 3. gules, three bars gemelles or, a canton argent. Fitzosborne. 4. argent, a unicorn rampant sable (not visible). Harling. 5. or, sixfleurs delys, 3, 2, and 1 sable. Mortimer. 54 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM 6. argent, on a chevron with two cottices engrailed sable, three escallops argent. Gonvyle. 7. argent, three escutcheons sable (not visible). Loudam. 8. gules, a pall reversed ermine. Kelvedon. 9. sable, a lion rampant within an orle of cinqfoils argent. Clifton. THE SONS All save George are kneeling, and aU are in armour, spurred, and wearing tabards. The second, eighth, ninth and tenth sons died young. These, and the unmarried Uving, wear tabards of Brooke of fifteen quarterings, with blank impalements. The South Side, going East. I. Sh WilUam Brooke, ninth Lord Cobham, wears a peer's mantle over a tabard of BROOKE of fifteen, impaUng NEVTLLE quartering Warren, Clare, Desprenur and Beauchamp, for Dorothy daughter of George Nevflle, Lord Abergavenny, his first wife who died 22nd September, 1559. II. George, third son, shown on one knee, as if rising, wears a tabard of BROOKE impaling DUKE, per fess argent and azure three wreaths counter changed. He married Christiana, daughter and heir of Richard Duke of Otterton, Devon, and in 1561, the date of the erection of this tomb, took refuge at Antwerp from his German creditors. It would appear his attitude on the tomb is a neat allusion to this flight, and adds credence to Waller's behef in the monument's continental provenance. III. John, fifth son, has a tabard of BROOKE impaUng COBBE, argent, a chevron between three cocks gules. He married AUce, daughter and heir of Edward Cobbe, widow of Sh John Norton. He has a tomb at Newmgton on the Street, and his wife a brass, on which he is named John Cobham. IV. Henry, seventh son, unmarried at this date, bears BROOKE impaling a blank. V. Edmunde, ninth son, holds his sword hilt with his left hand, his right being on his breast. This treatment is adopted for both the easternmost figures. His tabard has BROOKE impaUng blank. The North side, going East. VI. Henry, second son, shows BROOKE impaling blank. VII. Thomas, fourth son, bears BROOKE impaling CAVENDISH quarterly, 1 & 4, sable, three stags heads couped vert, Cavendish, 2 So 3, argent a chevron gules between three cross-crosslets sable, Smith. He married Katharine, daughter of Sir WilUam Cavendish, whose mother was Alice, daughter and co-heir of John Smith of Podbrook in Cavendish. VIII. Edward, sixth son, BROOKE impaUng blank. 55 THE BROOKE TOMB, COBHAM IX. Thomas, eighth son, as VIII. X. Edwarde, tenth son, the easternmost on the north side, has a complete tabard of BROKE with no blank impalement, and is sculptured in the attitude of V. I am indebted to H. S. London, Esq., F.S.A., for the following extract from the College of Arms1 account of the burial of Lord Cobham. " Thordre of the Buryall of George Brooke K.G. Lorde Cobham." Died Thursday 29 Sept. 1558. ARMS : 1st shield ; quarterly of six. Brooke, Cobham, De la Pole, Peveril, Braybrook, St. Amand. crest: from a torse or and gules, a Saracen's Head in profile gules, hah sable, torse about temples argent and azure. 2nd shield. Cobham quarterly of six, as above, impaUng Bray quarterly of nine, as on the tomb. STANDARD, party fesseways or and gules, with motto JE MA FIE EN DIEU. Badges : (1) nearest the cross of St. George a Uon statant sable, crowned or (2) middle : an heraldic antelope statant sable, horns or (3) a winged lion statant gules, wings vair ; vert 2 Saracen's heads sable, with torses argent and azure. PENNONS : (1) argent, with lion statant sable, crowned or (2) or, with the heraldic antelope statant sable, horns or. (3) purpure, with saracen's head sable, torse argent^and azure. (4) argent, with winged Uon statant gules, wings vair. (5) gules, with hemp bray or, having a lion passant vert on the side. (6) argent, with a Uon statant guardant or between two wings addorsed vair, on a torse argent and sable. 1 Coll. Arms MS. I, 15, fol. 287 et seq. 56 [face I'. jo " How wonderful is death, Death and his brother, sleep." Viscount Biome (1835) by E. H. Biiily Linton