Interpreting Medieval Effigies: The Evidence from Yorkshire to 1400

This innovative study examines and analyses the wealth of evidence provided by the monumental effigies of Yorkshire, from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, including some of very high sculptural merit. More than 200 examples survive from the historic county in varying states of preservation. Together, they present a picture of the people able to afford them, at a time when the county was frequently at the forefront of national politics and administration, during the Scottish wars. Many monuments display remarkable realism, depicting people as they themselves wished to be remembered, and are accompanied by a great volume of contemporary sculptural and architectural detail. Stylistic analysis of the effigies themselves has been employed, better to understand how they relate to one another and give a firmer basis for their dating and production patterns. They are considered in relation to the history and material culture of the area at the time they were produced. A more soundly based appreciation of the sculptor's intentions and the aspirations of patrons is sought through close attention to the full extent of the visible evidence afforded by the monuments and their surroundings. The corpus is of sufficient size to permit meaningful analysis to shed light on aspects such as personal aspiration, social networks, patterns of supply and production, piety and wealth. It demonstrates the value of funerary monuments to the wider understanding of medieval society. The text will be accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue, making available a substantial body of research for the first time. The study considers the relationship between the monuments and related sculpture, architecture, painting, glass etc, together with contemporary documentary evidence, where it is available. This material and the underlying methodology are now available to illuminate monuments of the medieval period across the whole country. Its methods and messages extend understanding of all monuments, broadening its potential audience from the purely local to everyone concerned with medieval sculpture and church archaeology.

Table of Contents:
List of figures List of colour plates Acknowledgements Conventions 1 Introduction 2 The effigies 2a Description of the corpus 2b Aspects of design 2c Fate and fortune 2d Conclusions 3 Monuments in context 3a Introduction 3b Freestanding monuments 3c Canopied recesses 3d Tomb chests 3e Glass and painting 3f Armour and hearses 3g Dedicated locations 3h The churchyard 3i Conclusions 4 Makers and making 4a Fundamentals 4b Techniques 4c Relationships and series 4d Conclusions 5 Patrons and patronage 5a Historical context and Yorkshire society 5b The commemorated, their families and networks 5c Symbolism 6 Complexity and conclusions 6a The enigmatic priest’s monument at Welwick 6b Concluding remarks Bibliography Index List of Yorkshire's effigies to 1400

About the Author :
Brian and Moira Gittos, whilst pursuing different careers have been actively involved in archaeology for forty years, always working together. Since retirement, they have worked full time on their archaeological research projects. These are all centred on aspects of church archaeology and medieval monuments in particular. Both are founder members of the Church Monuments Society and between 2012 and 2015 were Associates of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York. In 1999 they were elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Through their involvement with a major conservation project on the monuments and the Athelhampton Chapel at Puddletown, they were joint recipients of the Dorset Archaeological Award for 2013.

Review :
This book is an absolute delight The volume is a complex yet lucid synthesis of their many decades of research, it is multi-disciplinary, breaking new ground that should benefit all students of church monuments. […] this is a highly important and rich study, superbly researched by the authors and finely produced in a fitting manner by the publishers. It certainly deserves to be on the shelves of all those interested in the monumental effigies of Yorkshire and beyond, a worthy and essential addition to any library of medieval subjects. To sum up, this is a rich and rewarding book which uses close observational study to shed new light on the construction, decoration and interpretation of Yorkshire’s collection of pre-fifteenth-century effigial monuments. The book is extensively illustrated, and its arguments are supported by a wealth of online appendices [...] This is a landmark book, and no one with any interest in English medieval monuments can afford to ignore it.