No . 131
The Trusty Servant
When I ’ m Cleaning Windows – the Story of the Chapel Glass
The Editor , Tim Giddings ( Co Ro , 09- ), commemorates the bicentenary of the ‘ restoration ’ of the east window and the 70 th anniversary of its partial recovery .
‘ In the park … is a ruined church , roofless ; but a side chapel , used as the Shirley mortuary , is walled and roofed . It was ivy covered , and the ivy was clinging to windows as well as walls , but we could see at once that the glass was medieval …, authentic fourteenth century , from the Founder ’ s east window , the drawing of the faces alone clear ( for the white glass was much less corroded than the rest ) and showing that marvellous delicacy which ranks it with the finest English medieval stained glass . Harvey took out his penknife , climbed up on a stone outside , and began to scrape at the corroded in the middle surface . It seemed as if something might be done to recover the colours .’ ( TS 2 ( 1957 )).
Thus Walter Oakeshott ( HM , 46-54 ) describes in the style of a Gothic romance his visit to Ettington Park with John Harvey ( Archivist , 49- 63 ). The sleuthing of Harvey ’ s late predecessor , Herbert Chitty ( Bursar , 1910-27 ; Archivist , 27-49 ), had tracked down the largest surviving parts of the medieval east window to this dilapidated mortuary chapel in Warwickshire . Oakeshott ’ s article celebrates its unveiling in Thurbern ’ s Chantry in 1951 , 70 years ago . From his new location there , the six-inch 14 th -century figure of King Richard II can see a more vibrant 19 th -century version of himself in the replacement east window .
The story of the glass ’ s round trip takes in seven centuries , allegations of Salopian subterfuge and that pantomime villain of Wykehamical history , George Huntingford ( Warden , 1789-1832 ). The original medieval glass was delivered in 1393 . The design matches that of New College ’ s 1380 scheme : a Tree of Jesse showing Christ ’ s royal Old Testament lineage , flanked by other kings and prophets .
We are in the unusual position of knowing who painted it , for he has included a small self-portrait of himself beneath the recumbent Jesse ’ s feet : Master Thomas of Oxford , operator istius vitri ( producer of this glass ). But by the 18 th century the imagery was only just intelligible , because of an opaque incrustation which had developed on the surface .
By the early 19 th century it was clear that something needed to be done . And so in July 1821 Warden Huntingford and the Fellows had the window removed by the Shrewsbury firm of Sir John Betton and David Evans for restoration . The firm quickly realised that the windows were too far gone for cleaning to be possible , so instead they made a complete copy ( apart from three small panels in the tracery ). The panels were installed in Chapel in November-December 1822 .
Their work is not held in high esteem . The colours are certainly from a more
Richard II ( 1393 ) Richard II ( 1821-2 ) Master Thomas St Jude , r ( 1913 )
18