York Minster Burials...
York Minster Burials...
2012-10-11 10:51:53
Speaking of York Minster, I find this correspondence between Horace Walpole, an old friend of Ricardians everywhere, and Canon William Mason, Precentor at York an absolute delight....I have taken it from my copy of Royal Tombs of Medieval England by Mark Duffy (highly recommended).
The correspondence is regarding the burial place of William of Hatfield son of Edward lll and Philippa of Hainault. This little soul was born in 1336 and died the following year. He was buried north of the alter in the Minster. William's coffin and monument were, as is often the case, displaced, probably in the rebuilding of the choir in the 1360s. Here enters our friend Horace Walpole. He wrote to the Canon complaining of the neglect shown to Williams effigy thus:
"Your church of York enjoys an estate given by Queen Philippa on the burial of her son William and yet you have the conscience to let the poor Prince's tomb be tossed about without a yard of earth to call its own"..
Canon Mason replies:
"I have found an empty gothic shrine in a conspicuous part of the Minster which on measurement will exactly fit for William de Hatfield, in which I mean to place him (Dean willing)....But I must do it at my expence, I suspect, for although we have received 5 marks a year since the Reformation for not praying for William's soul. I do not think we shall be grateful enough to his alabaster body to place him in the said shrine.by expence of Chapter......However I think I can achieve this work for three to four guineas, and if you will go halves with me and write an inscription in right good classical gotho-Latin, you shall be heartily welcome...."
Walpole's reply;
'As a Goth, as a respecter of princes of the name William and as an uncle of one of that name, I shall certainly not refuse my mite to the enshrinement of the bones of poor William of Hatfield"
I'm certain Walpole, going by the above, if he had been alive today, would have given short shrift to any unnecessary delays in having our Richard reburied...God Bless you Mr Walpole...
Eileen
Eileen
The correspondence is regarding the burial place of William of Hatfield son of Edward lll and Philippa of Hainault. This little soul was born in 1336 and died the following year. He was buried north of the alter in the Minster. William's coffin and monument were, as is often the case, displaced, probably in the rebuilding of the choir in the 1360s. Here enters our friend Horace Walpole. He wrote to the Canon complaining of the neglect shown to Williams effigy thus:
"Your church of York enjoys an estate given by Queen Philippa on the burial of her son William and yet you have the conscience to let the poor Prince's tomb be tossed about without a yard of earth to call its own"..
Canon Mason replies:
"I have found an empty gothic shrine in a conspicuous part of the Minster which on measurement will exactly fit for William de Hatfield, in which I mean to place him (Dean willing)....But I must do it at my expence, I suspect, for although we have received 5 marks a year since the Reformation for not praying for William's soul. I do not think we shall be grateful enough to his alabaster body to place him in the said shrine.by expence of Chapter......However I think I can achieve this work for three to four guineas, and if you will go halves with me and write an inscription in right good classical gotho-Latin, you shall be heartily welcome...."
Walpole's reply;
'As a Goth, as a respecter of princes of the name William and as an uncle of one of that name, I shall certainly not refuse my mite to the enshrinement of the bones of poor William of Hatfield"
I'm certain Walpole, going by the above, if he had been alive today, would have given short shrift to any unnecessary delays in having our Richard reburied...God Bless you Mr Walpole...
Eileen
Eileen
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