Hatchments in Britain Vol. 1: Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

by Leigh Summers

Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Simon Trelawney]

A very esoteric volume, part of a series, detailing the location and description of hatchments, county by county. I confess I had never heard of hatchments, which seem to be decorative, wooden shields and artwork celebrating the life of peers, baronets, knights and gentry and their wives, to be found in parish churches throughout the land, until I had come across these volumes. The descriptions of these hatchments deploy a truly wondrous vocabulary, suffused with magnificent (and to the uninitiated impenetrable) medieval terminology. To take one, wholly at random, Great Oakley in Northamptonshire:- "Sinister background black (dexter ermine): Or an anchor azure, on a chief azure three arming buckles or (Supple). In pretence: Or on a fess azure three escallops or (Brooke). Crest: a demi sea horse argent. Motto: Mors janua vitae."
So now you know!

[Ria]

A fascinating book detailing the history of hatchments, their purpose, what the individual designs mean and where they can be found.
Full of illustrations and great detail of all the various hatchments that can be found in the regions specified on the book.
Well worth reading even if you don't understand the full descriptions of the hatchments just for the sense of history.