Papplewick St James

Glass

Chancel

East Window

East window

The east window is painted glass by Francis Eginton and is a copy of Joshua Reynolds’ famous window in the antechapel of New College, Oxford. It depicts only two of the figures, Faith and Hope. It is signed and dated by the artist in 1796 and was probably commissioned by Frederick Montagu for the new church.

Nave

Window at the West End of the South Wall

In the baptistery area towards the back of the church, and in the south wall, are four panels of medieval glass which consist of two small standing figures of St Peter and St Stephen, a kneeling man and a group of clerics. This glass may possibly have come from Newstead Priory which held the advowson of Papplewick from 1170; the church was served by one of the canons during the Middle Ages.

The identification of the male donor (kneeling knight) seems to be that of Arnold or Ralph Savage of North Wingfield in Derbyshire. Ralph Savage was known to have been resident at Newstead Priory in the early 16th century and is a known patron of the community.

The top left figure is thought to be St Stephen. He is tonsured standing three-quarters right on a tessellated floor holding three stones in a cloth between his hands. He wears an apparelled alb, apparelled amice and murrey dalmatic, with white cloth maniple over the right shoulder and pointed shoes.

The top right hand figure is of St Peter. He is bearded and tonsured with a scalloped nimbus, standing three-quarters right on a tessellated floor within a raised plinth, holding two large yellow keys. He is dressed in a white mantle with yellow-stain hem over a blue robe. The plinth includes the scroll with black-letter inscription (Pet)rus.

Bottom right panel is the donor figure of Ralph Savage kneeling three-quarters right at a yellow stain kneeling desk. He has short cropped hair and is dressed in full plate armour, with the sheath of his sword appearing behind his legs. He wears a heraldic tabard bearing: Argent a pale lozengy sable (Savage), differenced by a crescent argent on the sleeve. The figure is executed in black line and stipple on white, with yellow stain used to highlight the kneeling desk and armour.

Six clerics in the bottom right panel all kneeling three-quarters left. Three are in the attitude of prayer, two have hands raised in adoration and one is suggested by a head only. They probably represent Augustinian canons and are therefore dressed in blue cappae over white albs or rochets. The heads and hands are executed in black line and stipple on white, with yellow stain to highlight the hair.  Below the figures are fragments of blackletter text badly broken by leaded breaks: /te:p:r/,//pirit{u}s:sa{n}cuts/pi/. Beneath are border pieces, including a crown in black line and yellow stain and two black line lozenge-filled rectangles.

St Stephen St Peter Six clerics Donor figure