York Guides

IN the early part of the eighteenth century there were three interesting kinds of smaller wall tablets, Cartouches, Rectangular Copartments, and those of Pyramid shape, or with a Pyramidal background.

The Cartouches fall between the years 1686-1729, the Rectangular Copartments 1708 to 1764, whilst those of Pyramidal shape are between 1726 and 1758.

Many of the Parish Churches contain Ledger Stones-slabs of slate with elaborate coats of arms cut deeply into the surface. The hard stone has withstood the ravages of time, and these slabs, although laid on the floor of the church, show very few signs of wear.
They cover a period of fifty to seventy-five years-from the second half of the seventeenth to the first quarter of the eighteenth centuries.

Interesting examples are to be seen in the Minster, St. John's, St. Mary's(below), Castlegate, and St. Martin-cum-Gregory(right).

CARTOUCHES

Cartouches are derived from the tablets on which the coats of arms were displayed on the larger monuments. The name of the deceased person takes the place of the coat of arms, though it is often incorporated in the design when the person commemorated is armigerous.

With the exception of the two earlier ones, they are in freestone.

Within the limits of the cartouche they exhibit a great variety of florid design; the cherub is frequently introduced, the skull head only occasionally; there is a similarity in the use of drapery in those of Carter(left), Sowray(right), Perrot(below left) and Pawson (below right).

The cartouches form a very interesting series during the fifty years when they were in favour before the fashion changed; there are other examples in the Belfrey and St. Mary's, Bishophill Senior, not illustrated.

The earliest one is an alabaster cartouche in the Minster for Juditha Frewen, d. 1666 (right); there is another of almost identical design in the Belfrey Church for Anne Walker, who died in 1687. The interesting cartouche in St. Mary's, Bishophill Senior (left), the inscription on which is unfortunately illegible, must be by the York sculptor, Samuel Carpenter.

St. Martin-cum-Gregory has one for Thomas Carter, d. 1686 (see above), and Holy Trinity, Micklegate, one for Anne Danby, who died in 1695 (right), the remainder were all carved in the eighteenth century, finishing with that for John Harrison, d. 1729 (below left), in St. Michael's, Spurriergate. St. Cuthbert's contains one of a later date to Charles Mitley (below middle), the carver, who died in 1758; it is the poorest design of all of this type, and looks as if it had been one that he had not been able to sell and was used after his death for his own memorial.

Amongst the people commemorated are John White, d. 1715 (left), " Printer to the City of York and the five Northern Counties "-a Newcastle man: he printed the declaration of William of Orange and was rewarded by being made printer for the five Northern Counties. There is a cartouche to John Etty, carpenter, d. 1709 (right), in All Saints, North Street. His epitaph tells us:

" by the strength of his own genius and application (he) had acquired great knowledge of mathematics, especially geometry and architecture in all its parts, far beyond any of his contemporaries in this City."
" His art was great, his industry no less,
What one projected, the other brought to pass."

The Reredos in the Belfrey Church is his work. Grinling Gibbons was apprenticed to him. Thoresby mentions in his diary meeting him at York. It would seem likely that the painter, Etty, who was born at York, was in some way connected with this fine craftsman, although his parents came from the country.

 One of the finest of these cartouches is that to William Thornton, d. 1721 (left), in the churchyard of St. Olaf's, to which it was removed when an alteration was made to the church.

"Joyner and Architect," Drake says, "by the ablest judges of the former kind of work, he was look'd upon as the best artist in England, and for architecture, his reparation of Beverley Minster ought to give him a lasting memorial."

Maria Drake, d. 1728 (left), was the wife of the historian who gave his monumental history of the City.

RECTANGULAR COPARTMENTS

These wall monuments with the elongated shape of the cartouche in the Minster and Parish Churches, erected during the years 1708-44, form an interesting group. Some are in freestone, the finest in white and coloured marble. There is one to William Knight, d. 1739, in the Belfrey, and another to James George Atkinson, d. 1729, in St. Sampson's, which are not illustrated.

The earliest one is to William Mason, who died in 1708 (left), in St. Mary's, Castlegate; the latest to Alathea Fairfax, who died in 1744 (right), in St. Mary's, Bishophill Senior.

The restrained ornament and beautiful design are a great contrast to the florid cartouche which was popular at the same period. Fortunately, the tablet for Catherine and Christian North, d. 1734 (left), in the Belfrey is signed Charles Mitley, Edward Raper fecit ; it is similar in design to many of the others, so that we may presume that Mitley was responsible for some, if not all, of the others in this style.

There are two tablets of this type with rather more decoration taking it away from the severe rectangle, both in the Belfrey Church - Mary Grammer, d. 1738 (right) ; the Vavasour infant, d. 1728 (below right), with the pathetic epitaph of the stillborn child, which says:

How vain a thing is man, When God thinks meet Oftimes with swadling cloathes To join the winding sheet ! A web of forty weeks Spun forth in pain To his dear parents grief Soon ravelled out again. This babe, intombed, Upon the world did peep, Dislik'd it, clos'd its eyes, Fell fast asleep."
Flens moerensque scripsit.

PYRAMIDAL COPARTMENTS
The pyramid came from seventeenth-century Rome, which derived it from antiquity. It formed the tablet itself, or as a background for a more elaborate design. Of the three classes of wall tablets of this period, those based on the pyramid are the least pleasing.

Frances Graham., d. 1721 (right), is by C. Mitley, in Holy Trinity, Good-ramgate; it is in freestone, but shows signs of decay.

John Fothergill, d. 1734 (below), is very similar to that of Frances Graham, but not so elaborate; it is in the Belfrey Church.

Those to Thomas Lamplugh, in the Minster, and Sir Tancred Robinson, in St. Crux, are more imposing, they are in marble.

Thomas Lamplugh, d. 1747 (below left), was grandson of the Archbishop: "A faithful and true pastor, a tender husband, an indulgent father, a generous master and eminent for his general kindness, hospitality and charity."

Sir Tancred Robinson, d. 1754 (right): " Rose through all the gradation to the rank of flag officer in His Majesty's Navy "; was twice Lord Mayor of York: " died father of the City." The monument to Sir Tancred Robinson is signed Robert Avray, Ebor, and is a fine piece of work, a cherub holding a medallion, showing the head of Sir Tancred Robinson in front of the guns and flags of the Naval Commander. Underneath are the Sword and Mace of the Corporation; for this part of the design Mrs. Esdaile suggests that the work is so like several signed monuments by Thomas Adey, both in type and execution, that he was probably acquainted with his work, and may have been his assistant before he set up in York. He is not on the freeman's roll, and this is the only monument with his signature.

There are two simple examples of this type not illustrated-one is in St. Sampson's, the inscription on which has been obliterated, and another in Acomb Church to Elizabeth Wilson, 1758.