The Rood Screen Paintings

The Rood screen has been dismantled and re-configured a number of times, and some parts are missing (see The Rood Screen page). Originally there were three bays on each side of the chancel, with four figures painted on each one; there are now only four bays remaining which have been re-set in such as way as to cover parts of them up. The three left bays are part of one side of the screen, each having an inscribed head. The fourth bay and the fragment depicting the Risen Christ are all that remain of the three bays on the other side. The remaining sections ended up in the local pub and their whereabouts are no longer known.

At the reformation the some of the faces were partially scratched out, and the whole was overpainted in white, on top of which sentences from Cranmer's Bible of 1539 were written in Black Letter script. Parts obliterated or missing are marked []; italic is for words added to the text; and editorial notes are written thus.

(Bay 1) 1 Timothy 1: 13b - 16

Be sober and trust perfectly on the grace that

ys brought unto you by ye declaryng of Jesus

Christ as obedient chyldren that ye geue not

your selues ouer unto your [ol]de lustes, by

whyche ye were led whan as [y]et ye were

ignoraunt of Christ but as he whiche called you

is holy euen so be ye holy also [i]n all mane[r]

of conuersacion because it y[s] written Be ye

holy, for I am holy saithe ye lor[d]

(Bay 2) Colossians 3 v 13b to 15

Holy and beloued put on tender mercy, kyndnes,

humblenes of mynde, mekenes,

longe suffrynge, forbearynge one another, and

forguynge one another, yf any man haue a

quarel agaynst another : as Christ forgaue you

[e]uen so do ye aboue all these thynges put on

loue, which is the bonde of perfectnes and th[e]

Peace of god rule in your h[ert]es to the

whych peace ye are called [in on]e body. An[d]

[se that y]e be tha[nkful.]

 

(Bay 3) 1 Peter 3 v 15b to 17

Be readye always alwayes to geue an answere to

euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope

yt is in you & that with meaknes

and feare hauy[ng]e a good conscience that

where as the[y ba]ckbyte you as euyll doars

they maye b[e as]hamed yt falsely accuse your

good conuersacion in Chri[st for] it is better

yf the wyll of God b[e so that] ye suffere for

[well doynge, then for euyll doinge. Top part of letters only visible]

(Bay 4) 1 Timothy 6 v 6 - 9

Godlynes is greate ryches If a man be

content with that he hath for we broughe not[h]ynge

Into the worlde nether maye we cary any

thyng out. But when we haue fode and

rayment we must ther with be content

They that wy[l] be ryche, fall into temptac[y]

on and snar[es] of the deuyll & into man[y]

folysshe & no[yso]me lustes which droune

men into per[dicyon &]destruccyon.

The Fragment of the Risen Christ continues this text

I Timothy 6 v 10 - 12

[For coueteousnes of money is the] roote of all

[euyll whych whyll some lusted afte]r they

[erred from the fayth, and tanglyd] the selues

[with many sorowes. But thou ma]n of God

[flye soch thynges. Folowe ryghte]wesnes

[godlines, fayth, loue, pacience, me]aknes.

[Fyght the good fyght of fayth. L]aye hande

[on eternall lyfe, wher vnto thou] art als[o

called, and hast professed a good p]rofessyon

[before many witnesses.]

Bay 1: fig. 1

St Michael the Archangel holds a spear with which he pierces a dragon at his feet.

Bay 1: fig. 2

St Katherine of Alexandria, towards the top left there are the spokes of a wheel on which she was broken.

Bay 1: Fig. 3

Unknown; A crosier can be seen, and two jars - one centre left and the other slightly lower on the right.

Bay 1: Fig 4

A figure holding a gold Patriarchal Cross; his clothes are black and gold.

Bay 2: Fig. 1

King Henry VI

Bay 2: Fig 2

St Barbara. She is holding a (fragmentary) golden tower in her right hand

Please note: Bay 2: Figures 3 and 4 are at present indecipherable.

Bay 3: Fig 1

S Roche with the angel (top left) bringing the tablet divinely written in gold to put under his head in prison.

Bay 3: Fig 2

? Mary Magdalen with a jar in her right hand

Bay 3 fig 3

King. ? St Gelasius

Bay 3 fig 4

S Helena of Constantinople with a cross, symbolising the true cross, which she discovered in Jerusalem.

Bay 4 fig 1

St Apollonia holding a horn.

At the very base of the bay, the top part of her name may still be seen.

Bay 4 fig 2

St Alban holding his special cross with a disc on top, clasping which he was martyred.

Bay 4 fig 3

S Zita holding golden keys in her right hand

Bay 4 fig 4

S Sebastian holding arrows in his right hand