The Misericords in
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Tucked away in the beautiful church of St. Mary in Beverley is a fine selection of medieval misericord carvings. They date from around 1445, and consist of twenty-eight carvings in two runs of choir stalls, although seven of the carvings are modern replacements. Misericords are the tip up seats often to be found in the choir stalls of our churches. The undersides of these are invariably carved with a variety of subjects, grotesques, natural themes, religious or secular. Originally they were only to be found where there was a collegiate foundation. At the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries many were destroyed and a large number were removed to local parish churches. The word misericord, is based on the Latin (act of mercy) and when the seat is raised the protruding lip allows the infirm or aged to rest themselves whilst giving the impression of standing at their devotions. The subjects represented on the St Mary’s misericords, as we follow them round from the south side from the east, continuing along the north side finishing again at the east end of the choir stalls, are described below. A very short glossary may be of assistance.
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1. A man's face beneath a large hat. From the corners of his mouth
issue two bunches of grapes, possibly symbolic of the importance
of viniculture in medieval times. |
2. A fox has been shot with an
arrow from the bow of a woodwose or wildman. He is tendering a large
purse to an ape that is holding up a urine flask. The medical fraternity
was much maligned during the medieval period and doctors were often
depicted by artists and craftsmen as apes. The ubiquitous urine
flask became the 'badge' of the doctor, as the art of uroscopy (the
examination of a patients urine) was a common practice. |
3. Modern. Foliate mask with crown. |
4. Man's face and foliage. |
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5. Two seated lions flank a woodwose who is armed with a rustic
club. Beneath their feet are two wyverns respecting each other. |
6 Modern. A man's face amid foliage. |
7. A chained and muzzled bear beneath a tree is being baited by
two mastiff type dogs. Bear baiting was a very popular 'sport' in
medieval and Elizabethan times. |
8. Two griffins on either side of a tree (of life?) at the base
of which are two rabbits. |
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9. Man's face, with crown, between two oak branches. |
10. A splendid elephant, on whose back is a turreted castle, stands
between two exotic trees. Note how the carver has erroneously given
it a segmented trunk. |
11. An ecclesiastic in hood and gown reading from a scroll, between
two cowled foxes, each holding a crozier. In the cowl of each fox
is a goose. |
12. Modern. An eagle and two stoats. |
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13. Modern. A fox taking a goose. |
14. A stag at bay lying beneath a tree is being attacked by a hound
on each side. |
15. Modern. Man's face amid foliage. |
16. Modern. Bearded man's face between two sprigs of leaves. |
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17. Ape doctor offering his services to a wealthy man who is holding
out a large coin, whilst turning his back on a poor man tendering
a small coin. |
18. Mounted knight thrusting his lance into the mouth of a wyvern,
another wyvern being behind him. |
19. Two woodwoses armed with rustic clubs stand between two wyverns
addorsed. |
20. Splendid boar hunting scene. A man armed cap-a-pie thrusts
his spear into the chest of a huge advancing boar, whilst clutching
his dagger for reassurance.
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21. Seated king between two griffins. This is a representation
of Alexander the Great. When the Macedonian warlord's conquests
led him to India and the 'end of the world' he wished to satisfy
himself that this was so. He ordered his soldiers to capture some
of the griffins that lived in the area, and starve them. He then
had them fastened to a basket like contraption into which he climbed,
then with spears laden with food pointed skywards above the creature’s
heads, the contraption rose carrying Alexander with it. Having satisfied
his curiosity, he turned the spears downwards and thus descended.
The carver however has misinterpreted the significance of the food,
and has given the king two sceptres. |
22. Modern. Pelican feeding her young on her own blood. |
23. An interesting tableau. A king holding a sceptre stands between
a man (Richard Coeur de Lion) slaying a lion, and a representation
of the ‘Clever Daughter’. To test the wisdom of
the daughter of one of his courtiers, a king set her an impossible
task. She had to come to him not on foot and not riding, not clothed
or unclothed and bearing a gift that was not a gift! The clever
daughter came to him straddling a goat with one foot on the ground,
not walking or riding. She was covered in a fishing net, not clothed
or naked, and at the king’s feet she placed a rabbit that immediately
fled, thus bringing a gift that was not a gift. The king married
her. |
24. This represents the meeting of the brothers Valentine and Orson,
from the popular medieval Romance. The brothers were separated at
birth, one to be brought up at court with all its privileges, the
other brought up in the forest by bears. Years later they meet when
Orson saves his brothers life, and become inseparable. |
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25. Man’s face between foliage. |
26. Fox in a pulpit preaching. A cleric on each side reads from
a scroll, with two apes with scrolls at the base. The clergy were
often satirised as rapacious foxes in all art forms, and their congregations
were usually geese. |
27. Curious 'Indian' like face with pierced ears and strange headdress.
From each side of the mouth issues a long pointed leaf. |
28. Two cowled foxes reading from a bible which is being supported
by an eagle, probably a representation of a pulpit. |
Last edited: 21 June 2002