Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/215

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SEPULCHRAL MONUMENTS IX OXFORD CATPIEDRAL. 157 transept, of the reign of Henry the Sixth or Seventh, has shiekls charged with an inkliorn and penner, as if indicative of a notary. This memorial has been attributed by Browne Wilhs to James Soiich, or Zouch, who died A.D. 1503. He directed, by his will, dated Oct. 16, 1503, and preserved in the Prerogative Office, London, that he should be interred under this window in the north transept, and a tomb to be erected for him in the midst of the same window. He also bequeathed 30/. to the convent for vaulting that part of the church, in consideration of his being there buried. The brass effigy and inscription have been torn away from his tomb. Whether the slab with matrices of two brasses, of a male and female, under the watch-chamber, misnamed the Shrine of St. Frideswide, is a memorial of the same or of an earlier period than that structure, may be a point open to discussion. We have not the minutiae of costume to inform us, and merely the outhne of the figure. That of the lady indicates the mitred head-dress, a fashion of the middle of the fifteenth century. The outline of the other is indicative of no parti- cular period. There are some brasses in the Cathedral, but these, with one exception, I do not now propose to notice, as they are not remarkable. The brass I shall mention is now concealed frr ,n view ; it is that of an ecclesiastic, James Coorthopp, Canon of Christ Church and Dean of Peterborough. He died in 1551. He is represented as habited in the tunica talaris or cassock, over which is worn the surplice with sleeves ; and over this, covering the breast and shoulders and hanging down on each side with two pendent bands in front, is the abmicium, aumasse or amess, the furred tippet and hood. This is edged with " cattes tailes," to use an old phrase of the sixteenth century.* Of a monument in the south aisle of the choir, commemo- rating Robert Kyng, first Bishop of this See, who died 1557, little need be said. It is a recessed, canopied tomb, covered with shallow panel-work in minute divisions, but without any sculptured or incised effigy, and it is amongst the last works of the mediaeval school of monumental architecture, at this period in its dechne. matthew iiolbeciie bloxiiam. ^ The inscription is given by Browne Willis, Survey of Oxford Cathedral, p. 458.

  • See Cough's Sep. Mon., vol. i. p. 4.5, pi. xiv.

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