Tag: photography

The Parish Church in Ludlow is famous for its 15th century misericords in the chancel stalls. These ignored carvings are found underneath choir stall seats and are mostly found in areas of the country whose wealth came from the medieval wool trade. The largest collection is housed at Salisbury Cathedral (106) compared to Hereford Cathedral (40) and the 28 intricately carved designs here in Ludlow.

Finally I have managed to get some decent photos of them all, so let me introduce you to them:

South Side 1 – 5

S1: One of the most famous of the Ludlow carvings and one that much speculation has been made about. The central figure is obviously a successful tradesman surrounded by his tools. The figure on the left is damaged but appears to be pointing to the right where we find symbols of the grave. The simple message being that no matter how wealthy and successful you are in life, death comes to us all.

S2: Simply a decorative arrangement of leaves with the distinctive rippling surface texture seen also on the poppy-heads of the north choir stalls.

S3:  Flanked again by leaves on either side this central character could be a porter or a peddlar putting on his boot and preparing for the road, perhaps with a bale of cloth on his back. Bales of white woollen cloth known as ‘Ludlow Whytes’ were well known in London and fetched good prices there.

S4: For once the carving of womanhood appears to have been done with affection. The suggestions are that it may show a woman and her daughters, or married and unmarried women.

S5: The owl is a medieval symbol representing ignorance not the wise old bird we think of today. In fact it was seen as a creature of the dark, shunning the light of the Gospel. It is being mobbed by two carved birds their necks twisted inwards.

Source of text: Historic Ludlow ” The Misericords and Choir Stalls” by Peter Klein (1986)

The Parish Church in Ludlow is famous for its 15th century misericords in the chancel stalls. These ignored carvings are found underneath choir stall seats and are mostly found in areas of the country whose wealth came from the medieval wool trade. The largest collection is housed at Salisbury Cathedral (106) compared to Hereford Cathedral (40) and the 28 intricately carved designs here in Ludlow.

Finally I have managed to get some decent photos of them all, so let me introduce you to them:

N1 – N5
N6 – N10

North Side 11 – 15

N11: Another one that is thought to have links with the Duke of York’s antecedents. This portrait of a king is similar to Edward III in old age, but as heads of kings are common on misericords and church carvings it could well be David or some other biblical king.

N12: An Angel blowing on a shawm with the upper part of the instrument missing from the right arm. Angels playing instruments are a common feature in medieval churches.

N13: The personal badge of Richard, Duke of York (1411-1460) is the Falcon and the Fetterlock. He was the manorial lord of Ludlow and owner of the castle.

N14: Plain

N15:  Four roses entwined with rose leaves and flanked by a double rose on either side, clearly symbolic of the House of York.

Source of text: Historic Ludlow ” The Misericords and Choir Stalls” by Peter Klein (1986)

The Parish Church in Ludlow is famous for its 15th century misericords in the chancel stalls. These ignored carvings are found underneath choir stall seats and are mostly found in areas of the country whose wealth came from the medieval wool trade. The largest collection is housed at Salisbury Cathedral (106) compared to Hereford Cathedral (40) and the 28 intricately carved designs here in Ludlow.

Finally I have managed to get some decent photos of them all, so let me introduce you to them:

North Side 6 – 10

N6: The Antelope, gorged (the neck encircled by a coronet or collar) and chained is the personal badge of Henry VI in whose reign the misericords were carved. The grotesque masks either side are usually regarded as pagan imagery so an odd choice to accompany the Antelope. Leafed faces are often associated with the Green Man present at May Day celebrations. In a Christian context they are more likely to be a reminder against loose morals and sin.

N7: A bishop supported on either side by a mitre. Possibly a portrait of Thomas Spofford (1422-1448) during whose time the chancel was enlarged and whose name appears in the great east window.

N8: The three ostrich feathers have been the personal badge of the Prince of Wales since the mid sixteenth century. At the time of this carving it was the badge of the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock who died in 1376 before he could succeed to the throne. He was father of Richard II (N10)

N9: Here we have an ass preaching at the pulpit to a congregation of birds, geese and other farmyard animals. On the left two figures are whispering to one another having spotted the deception. The moral is about the gullible and foolish listening to false doctrine, a warning against the followers of Wycliffe, the Lollards.(John Wycliffe was concerned about the wealth of the clergy in the Middle Ages and not liked by the Church)

N10: The Hart at Rest is the badge of Richard II who was deposed by the first of the Lancastrian kings, Henry IV. The Yorkists regarded Richard as the last true legitimate monarch. In the heraldic version the Hart was white. The hounds on either side gave the idea of the chase.

Source of text: Historic Ludlow ” The Misericords and Choir Stalls” by Peter Klein (1986)