thirteenth century holding a child in her arms, but there is nothing worthy of notice in the dress[1], and the character of the little figure is precisely that of a child.
Why full-grown persons should have been represented by such diminutive effigies it may be difficult to discover. As in the case of brasses, in all probability economy sometimes of means, and sometimes of space, may have been occasionally influential. But as these effigies occur where economy is not likely to have been much considered, another motive must be sought. It seems not unreasonable to surmise that they were placed, with something of conventional propriety, where a portion only of the remains was deposited, and as the full-sized coffin or grave in other cases determined the magnitude of the effigy, so the small receptacle for the heart, or some portion of the remains, led to a proportionate commemorative effigy. I have stated that the hands of the Horsted knight were brought together on the breast. It is by no means improbable they may have supported a heart, as in some other examples.
Small effigies once introduced in this manner, it may have led to their being made simply commemorative in churches where it was wished to honour the founder or some great benefactor, though no part of his remains was there interred; but I am not prepared with any evidence of this.
An instance may be cited of two full-sized monumental effigies of a bishop; namely, Peter de Aquablanca, bishop of Hereford, one of them being in his cathedral, the other in the church of his native place, Aiguebelle, in Savoy, where, according to Godwin, his heart had been deposited[2].
I have not been able to meet with any well-authenticated case of a diminutive effigy placed over the grave of an adult.
The example of the effigy of a young female at Gayton, Northamptonshire, is not quite satisfactory[3]. I do not refer to brasses; they are common: and stone effigies considerably under life-size are not rare.
The following examples of diminutive effigies may be emumerated: Mapouder, Dorset,—cross-legged effigy 2 ft. long,
- ↑ This singular monument is at Scarcliffe, Derbyshire.
- ↑ See Mr. Kerrich's account of this curious monument, Archæologia, xviii. p. 188, plate xi. In like manner there were duplicate effigies of King Richard I. at Fontevrault and Rouen; and triplicates of Queen Eleanor at Westminster, Lincoln, and Black Friars, London.
- ↑ See Baker's Northamptonshire. This figure probably represents Matilda, daughter of Thomas de Gayton. It measures about 2 ft. in length.
