Medieval Graffiti: The Lost Voices of England's Churches

by Matthew Champion

For centuries carved writings and artworks in churches lay largely unnoticed. So archaeologist Matthew Champion started a nationwide survey to gather the best examples. In this book he shines a spotlight on a secret world of ships, prayers for good fortune, satirical cartoons, charms, curses, windmills, word puzzles, architectural plans and heraldic designs. Drawing on examples from surviving medieval churches in England and Wales, the author gives a voice to the secret graffiti artists: from the lord of the manor and the parish priest to the people who built the church itself.

Here are strange medieval beasts, knights battling unseen dragons, ships sailing across lime-washed oceans and demons who stalk the walls. Latin prayers for the dead jostle with medieval curses, builders’ accounts and slanderous comments concerning a long-dead archdeacon. Strange and complex geometric designs, created to ward off the ‘evil eye’ and thwart the works of the devil, share church pillars with the heraldic shields of England’s medieval nobility.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, Medieval, Archaeology, Architecture, Medieval History

253 pages, Hardcover

First published July 2, 2014

About the author

Project Director of Norfolk Medieval Graffiti Survey & Suffolk Medieval Graffiti Survey

Matthew Champion studied history and landscape archaeology at the University of East Anglia. As a freelance archaeologist he is widely regarded as England’s leading expert on medieval graffiti inscriptions, and has worked with organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust, as well as writing and lecturing extensively upon the subject. Matthew is currently Project Director of the multi-award winning Norfolk and Suffolk Medieval Graffiti Survey – and sometimes wonders why he doesn’t have a real job. He lives in Fakenham, Norfolk.

Reviews

[Sam Worby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad but the book promises more than it delivers. It is a thematic overview of types of medieval graffiti in English churches.

The introduction promises insight into voices of ordinary people and makes a big deal that graffiti is a special insight that can't be delivered by textual sources which tend to represent authority (I don't necessarily agree with this premise). And the text explains types of graffiti. However, whenever the author tries to give an explanation for the meaning the graffiti had for people he is forced to either speculate (sometimes with an oddly dramatic tone), or rely on ... You guessed it ... textual sources. For me, the book only came alive when we were given that wider insight.

Personally I would have enjoyed a more rigorous analysis of the spatial context and what that might convey about how people used churches. Or an analysis that compared the meaning and context of different types rather than a general survey. However, I acknowledge that my tastes do run to academic rather than popular history.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, fascinating subject and doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but puts forth excellent theories. One of the most interesting books I've read this year.

[Holly]

I feel like the author couldn't decide if he wanted this to be geared toward an academic or popular audience. The style and content seem to alternate between the two. Pictures/sketches of the actual graffiti are few and far between, which is bound to disappoint a popular audience. (Instead, it's a lot of long-winded description.) Likewise, a lot of the ideas espoused in the book would have been better supported with the addition of graphs/tables/maps/footnotes. As an academic (but not someone specializing in this time period) there were many instances where the author raised an intriguing idea, and I found myself longing for visuals to support it. A few maps would have also made things easier for those unfamiliar with English geography.

The structure of the book is not great either. Each chapter focuses on a different type of graffiti. The author then rattles off all the prevailing theories as to what that graffiti means in one big stream of consciousness. (Often going off on long tangents about the day-to-day operations of a medieval English church, and medieval English society in general.) Splitting each chapter into sections--one for each theory or interpretation--would have resulted in a far more polished book and kept the author on track.

[Jonathan Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, seemingly thorough, discussion based on the current state of research. Not terribly exciting reading – but maybe that's too much to expect from a book of this kind. Discussion is focussed on cataloguing the particulars of graffiti inscriptions, without much in the way of theorising or big ideas (the author is rightly wary of speculating on the basis of incomplete evidence) – but the conclusion is thought-provoking. It describes the medieval church as an interactive space, i.e. a place that parishioners physically staked their claims upon, rather than simply attending as passive consumers of the spectacle of the mass.

[Hollie Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting topic - but the author is a bit … dull. They would frequently introduces graffiti to discuss and then go off on a bit of a ramble about something else. They also repeated phrases often which really irked me, and I think at some points he was just trying to meet a word count (which didn’t make for fun reading.) However - a very fascinating topic which I intend to further explore.

[Kate Innes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and will continue to enjoy the effect it has on my reading of churches. One is made to wish that the layers of white wash could be peeled away to reveal these telling yet ambiguous marks in churches - that now look blank and silent.

[Katherine McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amongst the five archeology/history books I've read in the last year (including Michael Pye's The Edge of the World), Medieval Graffiti is the most memorable and touching. You might expect a walk through the different kinds of symbols scratched into the walls of medieval churches to be dry and didactic. This was anything but. Instead, I got warm well written tales of how ordinary people in the past expressed their hopes, aspirations, pride and fears. The writing allowed me to visualize both how these depictions would appear on the walls now and how they would have looked when they were first etched. While many of the ideas discussed in the book about the meaning of symbols remain conjecture, this was always clearly stated and the reasoning well argued.

A thoroughly enjoyable surprise of a read!

[Gemma Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offered an enjoyable look into the typology of medieval graffiti found in the churches of the East of England (and beyond). A touch of humour throughout prevented it from being too dry and there were several really interesting insights. I particularly liked comments surrounding the possibility that compass marks were made by women using shears (rather than by masons, as was more commonly supposed), as well as the links between oak trees, lightening and modern electric lighting - some bathroom light switches today still have a turned acorn on the end of their chords. The graffiti created around times of great change and tragedy such as the Black Death, were also incredibly moving.

The idea that this graffiti helps us to explore elements of social history among the general population is a really interesting one and certainly gave me a lot of think about - particularly in instances where it appeared to function as devotional, rather than memorial, artwork.

It was refreshing to see that the author was unafraid of admitting when did not know the answer to a particular graffito’s origin or meaning. So many scholars simply make assertions based on personal feelings or hunches without definitive evidence, especially when the archaeology isn’t supported by many written sources - this book contained a much more mature, contemporary approach.

I would have liked some footnotes, or a bibliography, so that I could have found out more about some of the information mentioned and given the highly visual nature of the subject matter, more images would have been appreciated.

All in all, I feel like I learned a great deal from this book (I had several oooh moments) and would certainly dip into it again.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m inclined to agree that this falls a bit between the academic and popular stools, but it’s a little hard to see how it could be otherwise. It would be an extraordinary feat to turn this into a best-seller!

I was hooked from a review summary. It took so long to read because, after reading Chapter One, I wanted to take notes and needed to allow time for that and related reflection. In the end, I finished it in one sitting, including notes.

I live in Australia, a long way from the examples. If I get the chance I will certainly visit British churches with a new eye and perspective. It also leads me to view all churches a bit differently. The public space, or at least community or congregational space provides food for thought.

I have an interest in the history of embroidery and there is much of relevance here in the transmission of meaning, ideas, records, customs, beliefs, hopes and fears. There is clearly a lot more to learn, and some gaps that may never be filled, but this has added significantly to my knowledge, understanding and cultural connection.

[Gabriel Tamaș · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this read with excitement, expecting a rigurous academic study. I didn't find that, but I must say, overall I have no regrets reading this study. Even though it acts more like a popularisation study than anything else, the ideas contained in it came as a great help for my studies and interests.

This being said, Medieval Graffiti by Matthew Champion, comes as a good enough introduction to this topic. It compiles information and discoveries by academics and presents them in an approachable manner. Despite the colloquialism used here and there this is, by no means, a non-serious book. It's obvious that in its creation went hundreds of hours of fieldwork and research.

The final downside would be the lack of visual support. When dealing with the topic of unique visual art, examples should be crucial, yet the ones privided here are too low in number. Perhaps this could be fixed in a further edtion.

Otherwise, very intersting read

[Joseph Adelizzi, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps nothing in this book was more moving than reading the graffiti carved by those, centuries ago, who had lost a child or several children to an epidemic.

On a recent trip to Ireland we were shown markings on a stone pillar adjacent to the door of a chapel. The markings looked like insignificant lines, at least until we were told men heading off to battle would use their swords to flake off pieces of the chapel wall to bring with them into battle as a hedge against being killed. It's not so much what the graffiti says or portrays, it's what was going on in the life of the person carving the graffiti when he or she carved it that is so moving. Champion helps us realize that in Medieval Graffiti.

[Abigail Sarony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read though the very fact that we know so little about medieval graffiti does rather lend to every chapter basically ending with ‘we don’t know what this means’. I wonder if this book wouldn’t have been better as more of a coffee table style book with images being the main focus, considering it feels the short chapters are so fluffed out anyway to make the word count. The lack of images makes it quite a frustrating read unless you are up to googling every mention of graffiti. Not a bad read, the subject matter is interesting, the book just didn’t quite reached the potential it could.

[Valour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book, providing an excellent and intriguing introduction to the historical treasures littering Church (and Castle!) walls up and down the country.

It did also lead to me autistically shrieking "I KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE" at the recently repainted Consecration Crosses in Salisbury Cathedral, so watch out for that, if you have a tendency to be loudly enthusiastic about medieval buildings.

Highly reccomend - it's a very well written and accessible book, there is a helpful glossary of terms at the back for those of us who can't tell our clerestory from our triforium, and, better yet there's a list of churches with grafitti to visit, broken down by county.

[Ana Moth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful little book that offers a intimate insight into people who walked England's parish churches centuries ago. Some anecdotes are so moving they nearly brought me to tears. Champion also shows that the church was more than a spiritual place but also an important community building. The fun he has in speculating the meaning of the graffiti is palpable as he piles up theories, inviting you to consider each one. Champion also has a great passion for the subject which, along with his light touch to his writing, makes this an easy and enjoyable read.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really informative book about something I suspect very few people are even aware of and would completely miss if not consciously looking out for. Good with examples, places to visit and possible explanation, whilst emphasising the point that much of the 'graffiti' is a complete mystery. Gets a little bit padded-out towards the end of the book with the last two chapters less focused than the previous, but overall a highly informative read.

[Sam Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. The dramatic vision of Medieval churches with their brightly painted walls covered in wardings, charms and votive symbols. The mystery of artefacts such as 'mass dials' - miniature sundials cut into walls, often where the sun never hit, and which could have had no practical purpose. Brings alive a world where marriage services were conducted in church porches, fonts were inscribed to chase away demons and crosses and pentangles didn't always mean what you think.

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A joy, throughout; one of the most fascinating and evocative books I've read in a long time.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating topic but oh! how poorly illustrated!

[Maebh Howell · Rating 2 out of 5]

More brief than I would have liked but interesting nonetheless

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, I could not put the book down and read it in one hit. A fascinating topic in which I have become more interested as I visit more churches.

[Judith is reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible, cautious introduction to an under researched field.

I’m a medieval art historian and church crawler since my pre teens, yet Medieval Graffiti managed to take me down new rabbit holes and reintroduce me to buildings I thought I knew well. I have the advantage of living in East Anglia which is where a lot of the survey material cited for this boom comes from.

This book is by nature limited and an introduction only to a vast, understudied field of lay person / everyday art from the Middle Ages. It is only recently that scholarship generally has begun a move towards looking at marginalised/unglamorous voices from our past. This book is a friendly and fascinating addition, an addition that can only look at interpreting the fraction of material surveyed to date.

The author, rightly, avoids committing to absolutes or discussion of blanket trends. He presents an overview of themes and typologies known so far, and encourages readers to grab a torch and explore for themselves.

A special mention goes to the thorough debunking of Templar origin/conspiracy stories. An unfortunate but necessary job of any popular non fiction writer in a field where pseudoscience abounds. Champion does a superb no-nonsense job of focusing on empirical evidence and putting glamorous, but conjectural theories in perspective.

I hope to see a corpus or more extensive gazetteer appear on this subject in my lifetime. This is a way of accessing everyday lives from our social past that has been relegated for too long. More please.

[Helena Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Working in mason marks and medieval graffiti, I was looking forward to this and jumped to buy it. However, I must agree at least in part, with the rest of the reviews on what the book promised and actually delivered. The overall look of this little book is lovely and a pleasure for the eyes and to hold, but being a fan of Violet Pritchard's classic book and looking for more than just general information, I was left a little disappointed.

I still do recommend it as it does provide a good introduction and looks nice but you may be left wanting more...

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me inspiration when I needed it the most. A journey through medieval graffiti and an insight into the minds of the ordinary people of the medieval period. A real pleasure to read.