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Lord Cromwell's Rebus in Tattershall Castle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2012

G. McN. Rushforth
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Extract

After the late Lord Curzon had bought Tattershall Castle as an empty shell, he had it roofed, the windows were glazed, and floors were inserted, so that the interior has regained something of its original use and appearance, and, in particular, it is now possible to examine in comfort the famous chimney-pieces which were rescued and replaced by Lord Curzon. As is well known, these are decorated with all the heraldry belonging to the builder of the castle, Ralph Lord Cromwell (1394–1456), including the badge of a purse to show that he was Lord Treasurer under Henry VI from 1433 to 1443. When I saw these for the first time in 1924 I noticed that on the chimney-piece of the ground-floor chamber the panels with the badge, alternating with those which contain the coats of arms, show the purse wreathed or framed by two branches or sprays of naturalistic foliage (pl. XXVI); and the same feature appears in the chimney-piece on the first floor; while on the third floor the same plant is associated with the purse in the spandrels of the fireplace arch. It is not represented on the fourth chimney-piece. The contrast between this natural leafage and the conventional carved foliage on the other parts of the chimney-pieces is very marked, and it is obviously intended to represent a real plant having a tall stem with narrow, pointed leaves. I felt sure that it must have a meaning, and this idea was confirmed when afterwards I went into the church, which was also built by Lord Cromwell, and saw, among the remains of the original painted glass, now collected in the east window, the Treasurer's purse again wreathed by similar sprays, treated rather more formally.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 1926 , pp. 163 - 165
Copyright
Copyright   The Society of Antiquaries of London 1926

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References

page 163 note 1 Casts of the chimney-pieces, made many years ago, are in the Architectural Court of the Victoria and Albert Museum. A photograph of part of one of these, kindly given to me by the Director, is reproduced in fig. 1. They are also well illustrated in Country Life, xxxviii (1915, second half), pp. 18 ff.

page 164 note 1 Ferrey, Edmund B., South Winfield Manor (London, 1870), pl. 9Google Scholar.

page 164 note 2 The New English Dictionary.

page 165 note 1 Evans, Lady, Lustre Pottery (London, 1920), pl. xiv, p. 49Google Scholar.

page 165 note 2 I am indebted to Lady Evans for both these instances.

page 165 note 3 Howard de Walden Library. Banners, Standards and Badges (London, 1904), p. 236Google Scholar.