A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Sir Gerard de L'Isle. Died about 1287. Stowe-ninc-Churches. The Purbeck effigy of Sir Gerard de L'Isle, executed in a truly grand style, is one of the finest of its period in the kingdom. The life- less attitude of the figure, cross-legged and with the right hand upon the breast, and the rare feature of closed eyes, is admirably ex- pressed in an intractable material, the flowing folds of the surcote, the details of the mail hood, the long hauberk and the chausses being executed with freedom and careful precision. It is apparent that a subsidiary defence was worn on the head under the mail hood, which is tightened round the temples by an unusu- ally wide fillet. The sword-belt, gigue and cingulum are barred at intervals for the buckle tongues, after the fashion of early effigies, the sword being worn so far behind that the man lies upon it, the chape only being visible, indicating that the use of the weapon was over. The peculiarity of closed eyes and the unusual position of the sword occur again in one of the outer figures in Purbeck marble (unappropriated) on the north side of the Round in the Temple church. Prick spurs are worn, and the effigy is of an earlier time than the assumed date of the death of De L'Isle — 1287. This seems to bear out the view that it was one of a sculptor's stock, made some years before. The slab narrows to the feet and was evidently made with the view of forming the lid of a coffin to be placed level with the pavement. Abbot Richard de London. Died 1295. Peterborough Cathedral. The fifth abbatical effigy in order of time lies fourth from the west end in the south aisle of the choir. It is executed in full relief upon a greatly mutilated slab of polished Pur- beck marble, and represents an aged man, bearded, bare-headed and with the tonsure. The hair is conventionalized in a series of small curls, the cheeks are sunk and the upper lip has the remains of a moustache. The figure is habited in an alb, stole and chasuble, and about the neck is worn the amice. The pastoral staff, now broken away, was supported at the lower end by foliage. The mutilated left hand carries the Gospels. Over the head is a pointed trefoil canopy enriched above with freely designed Early English foliage, now much abraded. The extremity of the right foot is broken away and the whole of the left. The effigy reposes upon a Purbeck marble tomb to which it does not appear to belong, indeed the heavy quatrefoiled panels which support the figure on the north side are of a later date. The panel at the west end of the tomb is filled in with good Early English foliage, and may possibly have formed part of the original monument. Sir Nicholas de Cogenhoe. Died 1280. Cogenhoe. The freestone cross-legged effigy of Sir Nicholas de Cogenhoe lies upon a plain coeval stone tomb, and the mail-clad figure shows a slight advance in the more capacious hood, the short surcote, and the small size of the shield and its sculptured arms. The head is still supported upon square and lozengy pillows, in this case the lozenge being below, and the coffin-lid shape of the slab has nearly vanished. * De Cogenhoe built the nave and aisles of the very interesting and beautiful church of Cogenhoe, his arms occurring four times with four other coats upon the capitals of the piers of the arcade — very rare features for that period. Sir John de Verdon. Died 1296. Brix- worth. The mutilated and abraded cross-legged effigy in Barnack rag of Sir John de Verdon, in the historic church of Brixworth, was dis- covered about 1868 built into an arched recess in the south wall of the south transept where it now lies. Although the defensive armour represented is the same as has already been noticed, this mail-clad figure presents an im- provement in the treatment of the armour, as well as a freer treatment in the art associated with memorials of this character ; the figure must be of the extreme end of the thirteenth century. The head rests upon the usual two pillows ; the legs from just below the knees have been destroyed. With the exception of the figure of De L'Isle, all the preceding military effigies are represented as alert and drawing their swords, and all wear mail mufflers continuous with the sleeves of the hauberk. Out of these the hand could be passed through a hole in the palm, to be laced up in the immemorial way still practised by modern Asiatics. SirWilliamdeGoldingham. Died 1296. Rushton. The cross-legged effigy of Sir William de Goldingham is the third of the polished Pur- beck statues in the county, and is probably from the same workshop as that of De L'Isle. Thanks to the inflexible material the figure is in the like fine preservation with those of De Esseby and De L'Isle, and though generally exhibiting the same military costume is some- what later in character. The separate mail 396
