Sockburn Hall, Darlington: an archaeological ... - English Heritage
Sockburn Hall, Darlington: an archaeological ... - English Heritage
Sockburn Hall, Darlington: an archaeological ... - English Heritage
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Figure 33. The knight’s<br />
effigy in the Conyers<br />
Chapel, photographed<br />
before 1968 (NMR<br />
BB68-05289).<br />
Appendix . Later memorials in All Saints’ Church<br />
In addition to the 9th- to 11th-century sculptured stones, the chapel of All Saints’ also<br />
contains a number of memorials <strong>an</strong>d other architectural fragments from later periods.<br />
These are listed below.<br />
Tomb covers<br />
The most striking tomb cover at <strong>Sockburn</strong> is the s<strong>an</strong>dstone knight’s effigy currently<br />
resting on several blocks in the western side of the chapel (Figure 33). It is remarkably<br />
well preserved, having suffered none of the iconoclasm or v<strong>an</strong>dalism associated with<br />
more accessible parish churches. The figure, dressed in mail <strong>an</strong>d surcoat, lies cross-<br />
legged on a slab measuring c.2.2 by 0.55m,a tri<strong>an</strong>gular shield covering the left arm <strong>an</strong>d<br />
the right h<strong>an</strong>d grasping the hilt of the sword which is also worn on the left side. The<br />
knight’s mail-coifed head rests on a pillow <strong>an</strong>d his spurred feet on a lion <strong>an</strong>d wyvern in<br />
combat. M<strong>an</strong>y authors have discussed this effigy. Lel<strong>an</strong>d thought it was the tomb of Sir<br />
John Conyers who died in 1395 (Toulmin Smith 1964,69),but the style,as Surtees noted<br />
(1823, 249) is clearly older. Pevsner (1983, 411) puts the date at c.1310-20. Knowles<br />
(1905,107) draws parallels with still earlier examples from the 1220s <strong>an</strong>d considers the<br />
effigy to date from the middle of the 13th century. More recent researches confirm<br />
that this style developed at about this time <strong>an</strong>d lasted for approximately 100 years<br />
(Grindey 2001, 44-45). At the time ofWilliam Dugdale’s visit to <strong>Sockburn</strong> in 1666 the<br />
effigy was located in the nave (Hunter Blair 1925, 56). Boyle (1892, 660) mentioned that<br />
the effigy was then preserved inside <strong>Sockburn</strong> <strong>Hall</strong>. It appears to have been returned<br />
to the church after the restoration of the chapel in 1900.<br />
A simple grave cover of perhaps 12th-century date lies in the south-east corner of the<br />
chapel. This stone is a light greyish limestone, some 1.6m long, 0.5m wide <strong>an</strong>d 0.2m<br />
thick. It is split in two lengthways, but both parts are present. The upper surface on<br />
ENGLISH HERITAGE <strong>Sockburn</strong>