User:Vexald/Sandbox/Exeter Cathedral: Great East Window

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Exeter Cathedral's Great East Window was constructed in the late 13th century as part of the new Gothic-style cathedral which largedly replaced the preceding Norman structure.

The original East Window was glazed by "Master Walter", but it was in need of repair and renovation barely a hundred years later, under the charge of Robert Lyem. The earliest extant heraldry in the window dates from this time.

Repairs and renovations took place periodically after this, most notably in the mid-18th century (?), late 19th century (Frederick Drake), and after the Second World War (Roseveare), when glass was damaged by bombs in 1942 (some, but not all, had been removed for safety earlier in the war).

As a result of it's long and complicated history, the window contains heraldry originally made in the 13th to 18th centuries, but it has been moved, some has been relocated to other windows, and some has come to the East Window from other windows. As a result, none of the arms are situated in their original locations.

Table of arms

Numbers refer to the shield numbers in the key below.

#	Image	Shield	Details
1			Edmund Stafford (1344-1419), Bishop of Exeter 1395-1419 Blazon: Or, a chevron gules, a bordure azure semee of mitres of the field. Date: Late 1400s.
2			Richard Blund or Blundy (d.1257), Bishop of Exeter 1245-1257. Blazon: Lozengy or and sable. Date: Late 1400s.
3			Robert Chichester (d.1160/61), Bishop of Exeter 1155-1160/61. Blazon: Chequey or and gules, a chief vair. Date: Late 1400s.
4			Osbern FitzOsbern (d.1103), Bishop of Exeter 1072-1103. Blazon: Gules, a bend argent surmounted by a fess or. Date: Late 1400s.
5			Edward the Confessor (1003/05-1066), King of the English 1042-1066. Blazon: Azure, a cross patonce between five martlets or. Edward pre-dated heraldry, so his arms are later attributions, based upon the design on one of his coins.
6			William Courtenay (1342-1396), Archbishop of Canterbury 1381-1396. Blazon: The Archdiocese of Canterbury impaling Or, three torteaux gules, a label of three points azure each charged with three plates. Date: 1390s.
7			James Berkeley (d.1327), Bishop of Exeter 1327. Blazon: Gules, a chevron between ten crosses pattée argent. Some sources add an annulet for difference.
8			Royal Arms of England (1406-1603) Blazon: Quarterly, 1st and 4th Azure, three fleurs-de-lys or (France modern), 2nd and 3rd, Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or (England). This shield is fifteenth century and could be for any king from Henry IV to Henry VII.
9			Courtenay Blazon: Or, three torteaux gules, a label of three points azure.
10			Athelstan (c.894-939), King of the Anglo-Saxons 924-927, King of the English 927-939. Blazon: Per saltire gules and azure, on an orb or a cross bottony fitchy crowned or. Athelstan was king when the first church was built on the cathedral site. He pre-dated heraldry and so his arms are later attributions.
11			Leofric (bef.1016-1072), Bishop of Exeter 1050-1072. Blazon: Or, on a cross patonce sable a mitre of the field. Date: Late 1400s. Leofric became first Bishop of Exeter when the see was moved from Crediton in 1050. He pre-dated the existence of heraldry, so arms are later attributions.
12			William Warelwast (d.1137), Bishop of Exeter 1107-1137, & Robert Warelwast (d.1155), Bishop of Exeter 1138-1155. Blazon: Azure, a saltire argent. Date: Late 1400s. William and Robert were uncle and nephew.
13			William Brewer (d.1244), Bishop of Exeter 1224-1244. Blazon: Gules, two bends wavy or within a bordure azure charged with four mitres and four keys of the second.
14			Walter Stapledon (bef.1266-1326), Bishop of Exeter 1307-1326. Blazon: Argent, two bends wavy within a bordure sable. Date: Late 1400s.
15			George Neville (c.1432-1476), Bishop of Exeter 1456-1465. Blazon: Gules, a saltire argent. Date: Late 1400s.
16			Thomas of Lancaster, Duke of Clarence (1387-1421) Blazon: Quarterly France modern and England, a label of three points ermine. Date: Early 1400s. Each point of the label should also have a canton gules, but these have been omitted.
17			George Lavington (1684-1762), Bishop of Exeter 1746-1762. Blazon: Argent, a saltire gules; on a chief of the second three boars' heads couped or.
18			Edward the Confessor (1003/05-1066), King of the English 1042-1066. Blazon: Azure, a cross pattée between five martlets or. Edward pre-dated heraldry, so his arms are later attributions, based upon the design on one of his coins
19			Thomas Bitton(d.1307), Bishop of Exeter 1292-1307. Blazon: Ermine, a fess gules.'
20			John Grandisson (1292-1369), Bishop of Exeter 1327-1369. Blazon: Paly of six argent and azure, on a bend gules a mitre between three eagles Or. Date: 1390s. These arms appear twice in this window (see no.30). Alternative versions have, on the bend, three eagles or a mitre between two buckles.
21			Montagu Neville Blazon: Quarterly, I and 4 quarterly, i and iv, Argent, three fusils in fess gules (Montagu); ii and iii, Or, an eagle displayed vert (Monthermer); 2 and 3, Gules, a saltire argent, a label of three points gobony of the second and azure (Neville).
22			Edmund Lacy (d.1455), Bishop of Exeter 1420-1455. Blazon: Azure, three shovellers’ heads erased argent.
23			Tilly (maybe) Blazon: Argent, a cross gules between four crescents. The identity of these arms is not clear. They may belong to the Tilly family, but the cross in their arms is normally shown to be a cross patonce rather than a plain cross.
24			William Brewer (d.1244), Bishop of Exeter 1224-1244. Blazon: Gules, two bends wavy (sinister) or. Date: Late 1400s. This escutcheon has been fitted into the window backwards. The bends should not be sinister.
25			Robert Botyll, Grand Prior of the Order of the Hospital of St.John of Jerusalem 1440-1468. Blazon: Gules, a chevron between three woolcombs argent, impaling Gules, a cross argent. The placement of the white cross on red of the Order of St.John is unusual - it is normally placed on a chief. Even as an impalement it is odd, because the arms of the office normally go on the dexter side.
26			Frederick Keppel, Bishop of Exeter Blazon: Gules, three escallops argent, in chief centre point a martlet of the second.
27			Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1303–1377) & Margaret (de Bohun), Countess of Devon (1311-1391). Blazon: Or, three torteaux, a label of three points azure (Courtenay), impaling Azure, a bend argent cotised or between six lions rampant of the third (de Bohun). Date: 1390s. Hugh Courtenay married Margaret de Bohun in 1325. His/their tomb ...
28			Diocese of Exeter (old arms) Blazon: Gules, en saltire sinister two keys or and between them en saltire a sword argent hilted and pommelled of the second. This was the arms of the Diocese of Exeter until the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. Like the modern arms, it includes the keys of St.Peter and sword of St.Paul, but differently placed.
29			Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Northampton (1390-1447) Blazon: Azure, on a bend argent cotised or between three lions rampant of the second, three mullets pierced gules. Date: 1390s.
30			John Grandisson (1292-1369), Bishop of Exeter 1327-1369. Blazon: Paly of six argent and azure, on a bend gules a mitre between three eagles Or. Date: 1390s. These arms appear twice in this window (see no.24). Alternative versions have, on the bend, three eagles or a mitre between two buckles.
31			Thomas Brantyngham (d.1394), Bishop of Exeter 1370-1394. Blazon: Sable, a fess embattled counter-embattled between three Catherine wheels or.
32			Prince of Wales Blazon: France modern quartering England, a label of three points argent. Date: Early 1400s.
33			Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (1390-1447). Blazon: Quarterly 1. France modern, 2 & 3. England, 4. France ancient, within a bordure engrailed argent. Date: Early 1400s. Humphrey's arms normally had a plain bordure. The engrailed appearance here may be a result of later restoration work. Another oddity is the different versions of the French arms in the 1st and 4th quarters.
34			Diocese of Exeter (old arms) Blazon: Gules, en saltire two keys or and between them en saltire sinister a sword argent hilted and pommelled of the second. These arms have been placed in the window backwards - The keys should be en saltire sinister (see no.28). This was the arms of the Diocese of Exeter until the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. Like the modern arms, it includes the keys of St.Peter and sword of St.Paul, but differently placed.

Key to shield numbers

This is the same numbering scheme used by Brooks & Evans.

Bibliography

• Allan, John. An archaeological record of the high eastern gable of Exeter Cathedral, 2015-18. Part 2 : The Great East Window. Prepared for the Dean & Chapter of Exeter Cathedral, 2022. (John Allan Archaeology Report 157/2022).
• Brooks, Christopher & Evans, David. The great east window of Exeter cathedral : a glazing history. Exeter : University of Exeter Press, 1988. (ISBN 0859893170).
• Gibbs, Roscoe. "The heraldry and ancient stained glass in the Great East Window of Exeter Cathedral", in Devon notes and queries, Vol.3, January 1904-October 1905. pp.1-10.
• Wikipedia - biographies.