Piety in peril : a religiously conservative sixteenth century school of church monuments in Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
During approximately twenty-five years of the early to mid-sixteenth century, a hitherto largely unnoticed series of Caen stone tombs were erected in Sussex and Hampshire churches with designs that emphasized religious imagery. These crudelycarved but high-status monuments displayed the piety of those commemorated and included a transitional mixture of Gothic and Renaissance motifs. Strong circumstantial evidence suggests they were carved by masons in Chichester, employed within a cathedral âworks organisation', who could offer lower transportation costs than those producing Purbeck marble tombs in London and Corfe, Dorset. The tombs satisfied the religiously conservative taste of local patrons with at least 14 tombs being designed as Easter Sepulchres. Later monuments appear incongruous when set against the backdrop of state-inspired change in religious doctrine and were among the last carved in the medieval tradition. As the pace of the Reformation quickened, the iconoclastic policies of the radically Protestant government of Edward VI constricted the masons' operations and probably brought their business to an end around 1550 - despite diversification into secular work. Employing archĂŠological recording
Hutchinson, David Robert
CC Archaeology ; DA020 England ; NB Sculpture ; NB1750 Religious monuments and shrines ; NB1800 Sepulchral monuments
Piety in peril : a religiously conservative sixteenth century school of church monuments in Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. During approximately twenty-five years of the early to mid-sixteenth century, a hitherto largely unnoticed series of Caen stone tombs were erected in Sussex and Hampshire churches with designs that emphasized religious imagery. These crudelycarved but high-status monuments displayed the piety of those commemorated and included a transitional mixture of Gothic and Renaissance motifs. Strong circumstantial evidence suggests they were carved by masons in Chichester, employed within a cathedral âworks organisation', who could offer lower transportation costs than those producing Purbeck marble tombs in London and Corfe, Dorset. The tombs satisfied the religiously conservative taste of local patrons with at least 14 tombs being designed as Easter Sepulchres. Later monuments appear incongruous when set against the backdrop of state-inspired change in religious doctrine and were among the last carved in the medieval tradition. As the pace of the Reformation quickened, the iconoclastic policies of the radically Protestant government of Edward VI constricted the masons' operations and probably brought their business to an end around 1550 - despite diversification into secular work. Employing archĂŠological recording
piety peril religiously conservative school church monument sussex hampshire isle_wight early hitherto_largely unnoticed series stone tomb erect sussex hampshire church design emphasize religious imagery high_status monument display piety commemorate include transitional mixture renaissance motif strong circumstantial evidence_suggest carve mason employ within cathedral work organisation could offer low transportation cost produce marble tomb london dorset tomb satisfy religiously conservative taste local patron least tomb design easter later monument appear set_backdrop state inspired change religious doctrine among last carve medieval tradition pace reformation iconoclastic policy radically protestant government edward_vi mason operation probably bring business end around despite diversification secular work employing recording