The Allarde Brasses

THE ALLARDE BRASSES LESLIE A. SMITH In the south chapel of the church of All Saints, Biddenden, on a slab measuring 94 by 206 cm., is the monumental brass of Richard Allarde (M.s.v.)1 who died in 1593. The memorial, (Fig. 1) comprises the effigies of Richard and his three wives, all above an inscription with, below, a plate with three children engraved on it; a further plate portraying six children is lost. All the figures stand in semi-profile, the three wives in line astern and turned towards their husband, an uncommon arrangement the more usual for three spouses being one on the right of the husband and two on the left.2 Richard's figure is 51 cm. long and he is shown in civil dress, a plain ankle length gown with false sleeves over a close fitting doublet which is buttoned down the front and at the wrists. There is a ruff at the neck, the hair is worn short and he sports a moustache and pointed beard. The shoes are neat and round toed, and he stands on a plain ground, an intermediate stage between the earlier ground of grass and the round dais which begins to appear a few years after this date. The three wives are each dressed in plain gowns, fastened at the waist by a sash, over a partlet which is close fitting at the neck where a ruff, larger than Richard's, is worn. The head-dress is the French hood, or Mary Queen of Scots cap, with the hair visible at the sides. They, too, stand on a plain ground and, at first glance, appear to be identical but their height varies from 46 cm. to 47 .1 cm. and there are minor differences, as in the engraving of the sash. All three have suffered some damage with pieces now missing. The three children, one boy 1 The letters 'M.S.' followed by Roman numerals refer to the numbering in Mill Stephenson, List of Monumental Brasses in the British Isles (London, 1926) with Appendix by M. Guiseppi and R. Griffin (London, 1938). 2 The only similar arrangement I can recall is at Edlesborough, Bucks. (M.S. III, 1540), illustrated in Trans. Mon. Brass Soc., ix (1952-62), 305, but there the three wives are engraved upon a single plate. 225 L.A. SMITH Fig. I. Biddenden, Kent. M.S.V. Richard Allarde and Wives, 1593. 226 THE ALLARDE BRASSES and two girls, are almost small scale replicas of their parents, the main dissimilarity is that the son has a tunic with a turned down collar instead of the buttoned doublet. These are the children of the second wife under whose figure they are directly placed; the six missing children, three sons and three daughters, of the first wife were below both parents. There are no children nor an indent below the third wife and none are mentioned in the inscription which reads: Richard Allarde Alderman of the Citye of Ro chester havige wth good report finished the fvl covrse of thre score yeres ended his life there and now lieth interred here his wives were iii.Helen Ioane & thomasin by the first he had is shve henrye.richard.iohn.anne.marye & elyzabe(th) by the second frances.svsaiia & phaebe.Richard allarde died the iii of ivne A 0Diii 1593 The engraving of the inscription was very badly planned resulting in two incongruously split words and insufficient space left for the bottom line where the letters have had to be reduced to half the size of the rest of the inscription. A small triangular piece has been broken off the bottom right corner of the plate. When the brass was examined in June 1981 the figure of Richard was found to be completely detached from the slab and the inscription was held by only two rivets. With the agreement of the incumbent both elements were removed for repair and studding for subsequent refixing. The figure was originally fixed by three rivets and the inscription by eight and these were of the 'blob' type,3 varying in length from 1.5 cm to 2.3 cm .. The reverse of the inscription plate is blank but the effigy is palimpsest and had been cut from an English brass of c. 1490 (Fig. 2). This shows the greater part of a civilian in a fur-trimmed gown open at the neck and showing the lacing of the undertunic. A rosary of twelve beads hangs from a narrow belt around the waist and on the right shoulder would have been a hood, the scarf of which hangs down the length of what remains of the figure. Both this scarf and the rosary nearly obscure a pouch which also hangs from the belt. The face is clean-shaven and the hair reaches almost to the shoulders. There are many brasses showing this costume• and one of the closest stylistic parallels is the lost brass of John at Hull, 1489, formerly at Hambledon, Surrey, known from a rubbing in the 3 Trans. Mon. Brass Soc., x (1963-68), 58-62. 4 Many are listed by Herbert Druitt in A Manual of Costume as illustrated by Monumental Brasses, (1906) 209-11. 227 L.A. SMITH Fig. 2. Richard Allarde, obverse and reverse. Arrows indicate joins in metal. 228 THE ALLARDE BRASSES Collection of the Surrey Archaeological Society. s The lower parts on both false sleeves on the obverse were cut from other pieces of metal, but in all probability from the same brass, and these show part of a ground of grass with round and spiky leaved plants, including what appears to be typha latifolia or bulrush, reed-mace. The civilian and inscription were repaired in the workshop of Mr Bryan Egan of Stony Stratford who relaid them in March 1982 assisted by myself and Master Jeremy Smith. During cleaning of the slab indents of a small figure and inscription were found near the bottom dexter corner. The figure indent is very worn and all that can be said of it is that the effigy was only 15 cm. long; the inscription was 9 by 33 cm. and was fixed by five rivets. The eccentric position on the slab is explained by reference to a dabbing of an inscription in the collection of the Society of Antiquaries which matches the indent in all respects. Dated 7 June, 1922, and annotated 'Biddenden Kent on inner face of vestry door' the dabbing shows a Roman script similar to that on the Allarde brass. It reads: Vnder this stone also is placed Richard y' Sonne of Henrye Allarde of the aige of too yeres and one qvarter he dyed the thirde daye of Ivne in the yere of ovr Lord. 1593 This Richard was no doubt named after his paternal grandfather whose day of death and grave-slab he also shares. Young Richard's short life would account for the smallness of the lost figure which was probably similar to that of Richard Best at Merstham, Surrey (M.S.V., 1587).6 No trace can now be found of this inscription and it must be presumed to have been lost in recent years. In his will' Richard Allarde makes no provision for a monument of any kind asking only that his body be buried 'where it shall please god by the Direction and Discreacon of my Executors'. To the poor of Biddenden and Rochester and ten other parishes he bequeaths a total of £13 16s. 8d. and 'to every of my Auntes Brothers Sisters Sonnes Daughters Kinsfolkes Allyes and frendes hereafter named for a Remembrannce of my Love towards them a Ringe of golde with the forme of a Deathes heade in it of the price of Twelve shillings for every man and of the price of nine shillings for every Woman'. 5 Mill Stephenson, A List of Monumental Brasses in Surrey (reprinted 1970), 277. 6 Ibid., 366. 'Public Record Office PROB 11/82 f. 62-4 dated 20 April, 1593, proved 10 July, 1593. 229 L.A. SMITH Fifty-four people are listed at a cost in rings of £27 12s. Od., but he offers his 'sister Gouldsmithe' the option of ten shillings in money. From the list we learn that Richard's wife Thomasin was a widow with two sons and two daughters and that Richard's son John who is named on the brass must have pre-deceased his father as he is not mentioned. Apart from small bequests to distant relatives and servants Richard leaves sizeable sums to his close family: £50 to Thomasin, £200 to Henry, £500 to Richard and £400 to Francis. To his daughters he gives a goblet of silver or silver and gilt. To the parishioners of Biddenden he leaves 40 shillings to repair the causeway ('cawsey') there and £20 to the parishioners of Biddenden, Cranbrook, Tenterden, Benenden and Rounden and adjoining parishes 'towards the amending of the highe waye betwene Staplehurst Churche and Stile Bridge' (N.G.R. TQ 759477). The £20 is given on condition that the parishioners 'or any other persons that usually trade and travayle that wayes (contribute) the some of a hundreth & fifty poundes of Lawfull Englishe money within twoe yeares next after my decease for and towardes the Repayring and amending of the saide Highe Waye ... And to thend that the saide hundreth and fifty poundes maye the more speedily and willingly be contributed and collected as aforesaide I humbly Desyre the Righte Worshipful! Sir Richard Baker, Knighte Mr Lambert and Mr Roberts Esquyers to move then habitannts aforesaide and other persons abovemenconed to enterprise and further this matter in suche sorte as shall seeme most convenient to their worshipps discreacon'. If the £150 was not forthcoming his bequest 'shalbe utterly frustrate and cease'. He also wills that all his moveable and household stuff be sold towards payment of his gifts and legacies, any 'goods chattells ready money plate howsehold cattell armor and other moveables' left over to be divided between the three sons. A codicil of 12th May, 1593, betrays a worry that the sale will not realise enough to meet his bequests so to make up any shortfall he earmarks one year's rent and profit from the lands and woods, mainly in Biddenden and Smarden, which he had left to his sons. Having re-established liquidity his generosity reasserts itself and he leaves to each of his sons in law 'a peece of plate of the price of seaven nobles'. 230