THE EAST WINDOW
The stone tracery of this window was replaced 1875-8, but faithfully
copies the original fourteenth century one. In the eighteenth century
this window was still full of medieval glass, described in detail in
Nichols. Sadly in 1766 it was replaced by plain glass, with fragments of
the old glass jumbled together in the top of the window. Even these were
destroyed when a new stained glass window was inserted in 1868. The
present magnificent window was installed in 1923, made by Burliston and
Grylls. The central light depicts Christ, the Good Shepherd, and above
him the Virgin Mary and Child. St Aidan, on the right, was a Bishop in
Northumbria, who helped bring Christianity to the North of England, and
died at Bamburgh in 651. Next to him is St Hilda who
Gargoyle, Exterior, East
Window. |
was made Abbess of a
convent at Hartlepool by St Aidan in 649. Later she founded
monasteries for men and women at Whitby (she is seen holding
Whitby Abbey). She was a very influential figure in the church,
playing an important part in the celebrated Synod of Whitby in
664,and she remains an inspiration to women who feel called to
Christian ministry today. She died in 680. On the Gargoyle,
Exterior, East Window. left is St Augustine who in 596 was sent
by Pope Gregory to preach the gospel to the heathen English. He
was made Bishop and established his see at Canterbury, where he
also founded a monastery. Next to him is St Ethelreda who
founded monasteries for men and women at Ely and died there in
679. She was the most revered of all Anglo-Saxon saints. She is
seen holding Ely Cathedral, which stands on the site of her
monasteries.Why do we have these four great missionary saints
who helped spread Christianity in England in our East Window?
The clue is probably in the name Ethel, short for Ethelreda. The
window was given in memory of Ethel Atkins (who belonged to the
local family of hosiery manufacturers). |
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OTHER STAINED GLASS
WINDOWS |
The right window is on
the theme of education (presumably because Clive was a school
master):
at the top are Mary and
the infant Jesus, and in the two lights below angels point
children to the Christ child above. The next two roundels below:
Left is the Venerable Bede, who was a monk at
Jarrow & Wearmouth. These names are inscribed in the blue glass,
which are not ea AD731). On the right is William of Wykeham,
Bishop of Winchester, who founded the first School, at
Winchester, and the first College, New College Oxford in 1379
(by the Bishop’s right shoulder,
you can just make out ‘NEW COLL’). The main panels: on the left
is St Anne teaching her daughter the Virgin Mary to read – this
subject was
always a popular one among those advocating the education of
women. The book has a green cover, and white pages are visible
to the left. On
the right is Jesus with the teachers in the Temple (Luke 2. 41 –
52), and just above them are the tiny figures of Mary and Joseph
approaching with a lamp. Then at the bottom (on the left) is
Alcuin (735 – 804) with Charlemagne (742 – 814), and a group of
children. Alcuin was largely responsible for a Renaissance in
learning during Charlemagne’s reign. He set up schools at the
behest of the Emperor. He himself was educated at York, where he
later became master in 766. On the right is Boethius (480 –
524), with King Alfred (849 – 899); Alfred was the first
to translate Boethius’ most famous work into Anglo-Saxon. Alfred
did much to revive learning in this country. He was a man of
considerable education who gathered round him a band of scholars
from England, Wales and the Continent, and with their help
translated a number of the most popular Latin works of the time
into Anglo-Saxon. (The cat we think is Clare Dawson’s trade
mark!)
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South Aisle
Two outstanding windows (above
Traidcraft Stall)
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At the west end of the South
Aisle are two windows. The one on the left in memory of
Herbert and Edith Clarke. Herbert joined Sketchley Dye Works in
1887, and after the death of the founder of the company,
A.E.Hawley, he became chairman and governing director. The
Clarkes lived a Forest View (now in the grounds of John
Cleveland College) and each year opened their grounds for the
Sunday School Treats. The one on the right is in memory of Henry
and Ellen Taylor, and their son Clive (1899 – 1951), who was a
chorister at St Mary’s, and later became headmaster of Latimer
Street School, Anstey. These are fascinating windows with much
interesting detail and rich colouring, made by Clare Dawson, in
the 1950s. The left window has six panels based on the childhood
of Christ. The three lights at the top of the window depict
Mary, with the angel Gabriel, at the annunciation with a Latin
text beginning ‘Ave Maria’ Hail Mary….behold the handmaid
carpenter’s shop. The main panel is a marvellous Adoration of
the Magi. Instead of the usual two white men and one black man,
we have here representatives of three continents: an African, an
Indian and a Chinese man. Below this (left) is Simeon with the
child Jesus, and Mary, with Hannah in the background (Luke 2.
25-35); and (right) Mary with the boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke
2.41-52) |
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Coffee Bar
The only pieces of medieval (fifteenth century) stained glass which
survive today are two heads which will be found in the window above the
coffee bar in the north transept. These are over five hundred years old.
The window in the north wall of the eastern bay is by the famous C. E.
Kempe (1837 – 1907) placed here in 1897. It depicts, from left to right:
St Michael the Archangel, St George and the dragon, and St Alban, the
first English Christian martyr - three soldier saints - in memory
of Colonel Samuel Davis, and his son, Lieutenant Edgar Crofts Davis.
Kempe’s trademark, a wheat sheaf, is clearly seen in two of the upper
lights.
In the east window (Burliston & Grylls, 1933) we have Christ with
disciples and the centurion. (see Luke 7. 1-10)
Next to the South Transept
Chapel, going West given in memory of Ellen Atkins
(1881), by Ward and Hughes.
On the opposite
side of the church in the north aisle near the door is the
resurrection window in memory of Elizabeth and Margaret Yeomans (1925),
made by Christopher Webb (1886-1966). This window also repays attention.
At the very top of the window is a representation of the Trinity. The
next two lights below illustrate Isaiah 6.2 – the seraphim which each
had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered
their bodies, and with two they flew.
Beneath the seraphim is the text: Why seek ye the living Lord among the
dead? (Luke 24.5) – the words of the angel, below right. On the left are
two of the women who had accompanied Jesus who have come to anoint the
body of Jesus with their spices and perfumes – one is holding hers, the
other (wearing a magnificent dress!) has the jar at her feet. There is
another seraph at Jesus’ feet, but it only has four wings. Behind Jesus
flutters a flag with a red cross on a white background. This later came
to be known as the cross of St George, but in the Middle Ages it was
simply a Christian emblem. See the famous painting of the Resurrection
by Pierro della Francesca (1463-5) where Jesus is actually
holding the same flag. Note at the top of the three main lights the
roses – six in all– presumably because this is St Mary’s church (the
rose is Mary flower).
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Windows
in the Porch
In 1994 new windows were placed in
the porch – the previous windows had
long ago been vandalised, and nothing
was left of them. As you enter the porch,
on the left are the old cottages in
Church Walk (see Page 12) and on the
right the Hansom cab – the original design
by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, 1833
(see illustration on right). He lived for a
time in Hinckley where he built the first
Hansom cab. The window also depicts
the more common cab as it was
later developed. The windows were
made by Limelight Studios (Derek
Hunt), Thames Street, Leicester.
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ST MARY'S PARISH CHURCH, HINCKLEY.