Henry III., or the beginning of that of Edward I., in the military costume of the time. As the mail does not appear to have been executed in sculpture, it was probably painted on the stone; for though no trace of colour has been discovered on it, the parts best protected where mail would have been apparent, namely, portions of the head, neck, and arms on the inner side, are remarkably smooth. If any remains of colour exist there, the light is very unfavourable for the discovery of them[1].
The knight is habited in a capuchon, which covers the head and neck, and somewhat overlaps the hauberk and surcote, like a small early camail; a hauberk with the stiff folds of the sleeves above the elbows strongly shewn; a surcote thin at the shoulders, moderately full about the breast, reaching nearly halfway between the knee and the ankle, open in front from a little below the sword-belt downwards, and falling thence in large folds on both sides, so as to discover the thigh of the left leg which crosses over the right, but the outline of this opening and the left leg are very rough from decay or ill-usage. The surcote is confined at the waist by a belt fastened with a buckle. The general costume and style of the figure leave no doubt in my mind of the capuchon and hauberk having once borne indications of mail either chiselled or painted. There is no shield or guige, nor was there ever any. The sword-belt passes obliquely over the hips, as is usual in effigies of the period, and it is attached to the scabbard at two places, so as to give the sword a slanting direction. The handle of the sword and the lower half of the scabbard are gone. The details of the sword-belt and the attachments of it to the scabbard are very good, and resemble what are found in some of the earliest brasses. The hands must have been brought together on the breast in an attitude of devotion; but these and the greater part of the fore-arms are broken off and have disappeared. The left leg, which, as before noticed, crosses over the right, is a good deal worn away at places, so that the form of it is much injured. The legs and feet no doubt once appeared in chausses of mail, though no trace of mail can be discovered on them. The point of the spur on the left foot is broken, but what remains of it, together with that on
- ↑ It is very probable that the figure had undergone some process of cleaning, several years since, which obliterated the traces of mail, and other more minute details.
