The Medieval Painted Glass of Chilham

( 8 ) THE MEDIEVAL PAINTED GLASS OF CHILHAM BY 0. R. 00EN0ER, F.S.A. THE more obvious features of Chilham—the Castle, the picturesque aspect of the village, and, in the church, the monuments, are apt to occupy so much of the visitor's time that the remains of medieval painted glass are very often overlooked. Yet in a county where in the parish churches the student of old glass has to look for fragments rather than complete windows, these remains must be accorded a high place; and I hope that this short study of them may result in an. added appreciation of what is in my view by no means the least interesting feature of a building having many claims on the antiquary's attention. The principal remains of medieval glass are to be found in the three fifteenth century windows, each having a segmental head, two main hghts with cinquefoil heads, and four trefoil-headed tracery hghts, which hght the north aisle of the nave. In the first window from the east,-in the tracery hghts are :— (1) An angel carrying a censer. (2) St. Catherine, crowned, with wheel. i (3) A nimbed figure, badly broken and patched with glass from some other source, holding a spear and wearing a helmet. (4) Another (probably seated) figure, also broken and patched ; the lower part of his robe and one hand raised in blessing can be distinguished. In the lower hghts of this window : on L. borders at sides only, made up of pieces of beautiful fifteenth century canopy work in white and yellow stain. On R. in head, an admirable fifteenth century canopy in situ, in white and yellow stain with blue background. In the centre of the canopy, a human face. In the second window (tracery hghts). (1) St. Leonard, tonsured and dressed as an abbot, holding a crozier in his L. hand and in his R. a chain. Of the name of the saint inscribed below the figure only a few letters can be made out. (2) St. Clement, wearing the pall and papal crown. Inscription : g>. Clemajs. (3) St. Gregory, similarly dressed, the inscription almost illegible. (4) Fragments, including an angel's wings in situ and small pieces of good blue from some other source. One grisaille THE MEDIEVAL PAINTED GLASS OE CHILHAM 9 piece looks like an armoured limb, suggesting that the figure may have been that of St. Michael. In the heads of the lower hghts : on L. a shield of arms, sable three swords argent hilted or (ENSINGE) and in two of the foils the letter E in Lombardic capitals. On R. a similar shield, gules three water skins argent (ROOS of Hamlake) with the letter B in four of the foils. Each shield is represented as hanging by a band held by a hand in the extreme top of the hght, and is supported by two eagles admirably drawn and yellow stained. The eagle on R. of the Ensinge shield is missing. Apart from these features the heads of the hghts are filled with fragments from other- sources. Below this glass, the two hghts have borders of fragments of all kinds, both coloured and yellow stained: among them a number of leopards' heads, and part of an admirably drawn demon's head, in yellow stain, may be distinguished. In the third window (tracery hghts) : (1) Modern plain glass. (2) Upper part of a female nimbed figure, hands crossed on breast, no attributes. The figure appears to have been standing at a desk, and from the attitude might well have been a representation of the Blessed Virgin from an Annunciation scene, the Archangel having occupied the adjacent hght. (3) At top of light, yellow-stained border in situ. The remainder of the glass is modern. (4) A small fragment only at top of hght—a leopard's head in yellow stain. The lower hghts have borders made up of fragments of ah kinds, both coloured and yellow stained, including a number of crowned Ms. In the heads of these hghts the borders, with crowned Ms, are in situ and within the border on R. is a bird drawn in brown enamel. All this glass is of the fifteenth century, of good workmanship, and the figures in the tracery hghts are in white and yellow stain without other colour. This account may be supplemented from two MSS. formerly in the hbrary of the late Dr. F. W. Cock, F.S.A., of Appledore.1 One of these (A) is of the first half of the seventeenth century and contains, among minor items, many notes of heraldic shields in glass and on monuments, and other matters, which the writer, John Phihpott, Somerset Herald, had seen in about fifty churches in various parts of Kent. This MS. is as yet very httle known, though it was extensively used by the late Mr. Ralph Griffin, F.S.A., in his account (in Archo3ologia, lxvi) of the heraldry in the cloister of Christ Church, 1 Both were sold at Sotheby's on May 8th, 1944, MS. A. to the British Museum and MS. B. to Mr. B. H. D'Elboux, F.S.A., of Battle. 10 THE MEDIEVAL PAINTED GLASS OF CHBCHAM Canterbury. On f. 34 of the MS. are drawings of four shields of arms which PhQipott had seen in Chilham church: those of Ensinge and Roos which have aheady been described, and two others which have since disappeared, viz. azure a hon rampant argent armed and crowned gules (DARELL) and quarterly 1 and 4 argent a cross sable fretty of the field, 2 and 3 sable a hon rampant argent crowned or (THWAITS). In which windows of the church these shields were is not stated. Some indication of the date of the existing glass is given by the shield of Roos. On the death without issue of Giles de Badlesmere, lord of Chilham Castle, in 1339-40, his estates were divided among his four sisters, of whom Margaret, the wife of William, Lord Roos, received Chilham as her share and entitled her husband to the possession of it. In this family it continued until Thomas, Lord Roos, a firm supporter of Henry VI, was attainted and had his estates seized by Edward IV in the first year of his reign. The glass cannot thus be later than 1461, and on the other hand its mature style suggests a date well after the beginning of the century. We shall not, I think, be far wrong in attributing it to the years 1420-50. The family of Ensinge, whose arms accompany those of Roos hi the church, owned the manor of Ensinge, the house of which is about a mile and a quarter northwards from the village. The earhest occurrence of this family that I have met with is in the Kent Fines of 5 Edward II, when Nicholas de Ensinge is recorded as the purchaser from Benedict de Shamelesforde and Ada his wife of 20 acres of land and appurtenances in Chartham.1 Later in the same year Nicholas made a further purchase of " 2 acres of land, 1J roods of meadow, and a moiety of two messuages and 5 virgates of land with appurtenances " in Wingham.2 Later entries in the Fines show that in the reigns of Edward II and III the family owned property in numerous Kent parishes, including Preston-next-Faversham, Selling, Ickham, Monkton, Lynsted, Teynham, Doddington, and Wychling. In the hst of assessments in Kent for the Aid " to knight the Black Prince " of 20 Edward III (1347-8) occurs the foUowing entry : De Thoma de Enesynge pro vno feodo quod Ricardus le Jouene tenuit in ChUham de WUleZmo de Wyltone vt de Castro de Chilham, xls.3 Robert of this family was in possession of the manor of Ensinge in 1539, after which the property was alienated. The manor of Herat (now Hurst Farm)', in the south-eastern quarter of the parish, was anciently held by a famUy of the same name, who were in possession in 1347. Examination of the Fines and of the Close and Patent rolls has faued to throw any hght on the history of the manor from that date until 1539, when it was in the possession of 1 Arch. Oant., XI, 345. a Ibid., 358. 3 Arch. Oant. X, 135. * / j * < ir ^m "• •; 1 % ^^B ^R/' Fv ! IB *^» ['I •! fj • ^ . / • . • ' i ".; ^1 P . * •*. i gf J CHILHAM CHURCH: Arms of Roos of Hamlake and Ensinge, from window in. north aisle of nave, fifteenth century. THE MEDIEVAL PAINTED GLASS OF CHILHAM 11 Thomas DareU, Esq., of Scotney Castle in Lamberhurst. The family of DareU were of ancient descent—their name occurs in the Battle Abbey roU—but their estates were in Yorkshire, and they did not come to Kent until 1410, when John DareU purchased the manor of CalehUl in Little Chart. He soon assumed a prominent place in the pubhc life of the county, being made Commissioner of the Peace, 1411 ; Sheriff, 1414 ; and Commissioner of Array, 1415.1 He died in 1438, leaving by his second wife, Florence, niece of Archbishop Chichele, a son, Thomas, who inherited Scotney, and whose descendants continued in possession until the eighteenth century. At what date the DareUs of Scotney acquired the manor of Herst, and consequently were likely to have placed their arms in the windows of ChUham church, is, unfortunately, unknown : we can only say that it was before 1539. The remaining shield, that of Thwaits, would appear with fair certainty to have dated from the time of Henry VTn, in whose reign the manor of Esture (now East Stour Farm) in Chilham was acquired by Edward Thwaits through his marriage to Mary, daughter and heiress of Thomas EUenden. About the middle of Elizabeth's reign the manor was sold to" the famUy of Moreton.2 The second MS. (B) which contains matter relating to the Chilham glass dates from about 1794, and contains numerous careful descriptions of the glass and monuments in a large number of Kent churches, by Zachariah Cozens.3 Of ChUham it says (p. 483)4 : " In the nave. " In the Eastern division of the East window at the North side is a fine female head with long flowing hair, having on an Earl's coronet; it is apparently the remains of a large whole length figure. I well remember the head of a man in the other division of the same window [p. 484] which has been taken out upwards of twenty years. In the third window from the same end, are the Arms of Roos (now Lord Ross of Ross in Scotland) viz. gu. three water bougets Ar. [These were doubtless the windows of the clerestory : it seems evident from what foUows that they were not those which we have been discussing. At present there are smaU fragments of grisaille and yeUow stain in the westernmost windows on north and south sides, and in the middle, window on the north side.] ' ' In the south transept. " In the two Eastern windows are many pieces of bordering, but no figures, only two fine heads, a male and female. [There is only one east window, of three hghts, to the south transept. SmaU pieces of garments., and canopy work, wrongly made into a border, remain in it.] 1 Calendars of Close and Patent Rolls, Hen. IV and V passim. 2 Hasted, VII, 280. 3 For additional notes on this MS., see my " Medieval painted glass of Boughton Aluph," in Arch. Oant., L. pp. 131-9. 4 The MS. is numbered by page, as in a printed book, and not by folio. 12 THE MEDIEVAL EAESTTED GLASS OE OHILHAM " South Aile. " In the Western window. " In the 1st division at the top, is part of a fine figure of a saint, who holds in his right hand a fuUer's club. "Below it the motto gtfjS: <©6a&£ tia " In the 3d division are the remains of another Saint, who holds to his breast a thick, clasped book. [This glass has aU disappeared with the exception of a few unimportant fragments of fifteenth century date which fill the two centre tracery hghts. St. " Obadeus " is a somewhat enigmatic personage. The fuUer's club would appear rather to indicate St. James the Less.] " North Aile. " In the Easternmost window. " A crowned figure of St. Catherine with the wheel. Another fine figure of a Saint, with beautiful hair flowing down on each side from a seam in the midst. Beneath his robe, which has a golden border, is a clasped book supported by his right hand, his left holds a pilgrim's staff. " Also a Saint with his nebula, holding a spear in his right hand. [St. Thomas 1] Likewise the head and feet of a female figure. Lower down in the window is the beautiful head of a dog. [p. 485] " In the principal divisions of the next window are coats of arms, viz. Ensing viz. Sab. three swords erect, 2 and 1, Ac., hilted and pomeUed or, with the letter <£ at the corners ; in the other division are the arms of Roos as before wiih the letter 3& at the angles. " Above are the remains of three figures. . 1st of a Saint, with short hair, holding in his left hand a crozier, and in his right a chain. Motto : 0 . . . arbtuf 2d of a Bishop with the paU, papal crown, Staff, and ring on his right hand. Motto g>: Cletlt as 3d as the 2dl Motto gg>te : QExt [a misreading for Gre] . . . aeoru In the next window are the remains of four figures. 1st of a man with curled hair, having on a long robe. 2d of a female with her hands crossed over her breast. 3d one hand only remains. 4th as the Is*. [These are the windows already discussed. The losses suffered since 1794 are apparent, and some clue is given as to the original character of the fragments which remain. The letters seen round the Roos shield are definitely Bs and not Rs. Can they be intended for the only member of this famUy with the initial B whom I can trace in THE MEDIEVAL PAINTED GLASS OE OHTLHAM 13 the relevant period, Beatrice (d. 1415) wife of Thomas, fifth Baron de Roos ?] " In the Western window is the head of an ox, part of the symbol of St. Luke, with the motto g>anttUS> %\Xta& " [gone]. One other smaU fact which emerges from this description should be noted: the DareU and Thwaits shields had aheady disappeared by 1794. Had they been stfll there it is very unlikely that the careful Cozens would not have noted them.