No . 135 The Trusty Servant
Abraham , via Jesse and David . That summarizes the magnificence of the window , from Jesse lying at bottom centre to Mary suckling the infant Jesus in the centre .
Intriguingly there is a series of small secular figures shown as very small characters in the bottom lights . Despite not featuring among the saints in the nave , Wykeham appears twice in the two bottom corners , kneeling before the Virgin Mary .
Moving inwards , the next two lights reveal Edward III and Richard II , the kings under whom Wykeham served .
Finally , there are four very small characters . The least known is the Clerk of Works , one Simon Membury , directly below Jesse ’ s moustache . Facing him are William Wynford and the carpenter , Hugh Herland . These two were essential contributors to much of Wykeham ’ s life ’ s work . They met him while working at Windsor Castle and they spent the next 30 or 40 years building together .
Right next to Jesse ’ s left foot is Thomas Glazier of Oxford , the manufacturer of the glass , a very unusual inclusion given the insignificance of his status .
So , for an insight into the hopes and fears of Wykeham ’ s religious and secular life you need look no further than the windows of this chapel . The Virgin Mary takes pride of place , the English and post-biblical saints , among whom Wykeham would perhaps like to be counted , are formally portrayed in the nave but the most prominent figures from his secular life have crept in , the kings as his patrons , but also his building team , proof of the regard in which Wykeham held successful mortals , whatever their station .
Above all , there is a sense of permanence , that whatever he thought his future , our history , might hold , Wykeham just maybe anticipated that we would be discussing his sainted selections 640 years later .
My guided tour of the saints in Chapel is supposed to have taken five minutes . St Alban spent a whole term showing Pendlebury round . He is the only saint to speak , the others have to listen in silence while they are described and discussed . But in the final chapter , the statue of William of Wykeham comes to life . That ’ s his statue , to the extreme right , cradling a model of Chapel in his right hand .
St Alban and the Founder . Carved by Eardley of Westminster and installed in 1877
Although the words were put into his mouth merely 65 years ago , he speaks sense in a timeless way and what he said to Pendlebury 60 odd years ago is relevant today . Wykeham regrets the inaccessibility of the education he bequeathed because of its cost and wishes that more pupils could have access , and he recognises existential threats to private education that were present not only in the 1950s but continually throughout the College ’ s history .
I leave you with the tail end of their conversation , with the Founder speaking :
“ Steady and continuous change is necessary and healthy ; violent , catastrophic change is alien to our process of development – I hope and pray that this College will not be overtaken by it and that , by being preserved , it may be enabled to send out into the world men who combine a highly cultivated intelligence with courage , robustness , integrity , unselfishness and vision .”
And as he walked out of Chapel , Pendlebury was slightly surprised to find himself saying : “ Amen .”
Hugh Herland and William Wynford facing Simon Membury
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