From its foundation until the nineteenth century, the College of St George held land and property throughout the country and it was whilst researching these links that I came across the following porcine tale relating to St Anthony’s Hospital in London.

A medieval privilege enjoyed by the master and brethren of St Anthony’s was the right to take from Smithfield, London’s meat market, pigs considered unfit for slaughter.  With a bell tied about their necks, these scrawny animals were released onto the streets of the capital where it was a Londoner’s responsibility to feed them.  Having been fattened at the citizens’ expense the pigs were then used to feed the poor and needy in the care of St Anthony’s Hospital.

It is thought that this custom is the basis for images of St Anthony being accompanied by a pig.  Whatever the reason however, one such early sixteenth century representation of the saint still survives in the Catherine Room, No.2 Canons’ Cloister, Windsor Castle.

Richard (Assistant Archivist)

In a 15th century manuscript in the Archives of Balliol College, Oxford appears the following carol:

When these things following be done to our intent,
Then put women in trust and confident…

When sparrows build churches on a height
And wrens carry sacks unto the mill

This anonymous misogynistic carol details a whole list of seemingly impossible and unlikely events which must take place before a woman can be trusted. The above line is represented in the misericords of St George’s Chapel, showing the influence and familiarity of the poem. On seat 5 of the east side of the Quire, in the lower ranks, appears a carved image of what look like sparrows carrying sacks on their backs into a windmill.

The misericords were carved from oak between 1477 and 1484 to form part of the decoration in the newly constructed chapel of Edward IV. Aside from scenes like this taken from literature and proverbs, there are also representations of legends, games, animals and all aspects of human life. The carver could choose whatever he wanted to represent, which has led to the misericords in the choir being one of the richest collections of 15th century woodwork in the country.

Eleanor (Assistant Archivist)

Attached to a small yet significant piece of parchment in the Archives [SGC XI.G.1] can be found one of the earliest examples of a medieval lady’s seal to survive anywhere in the country.  Dating from c.1122-1133, the seal belonged to Matilda of Wallingford and shows her standing in full length robes.  In her hand Matilda holds a lily: the supreme symbol of the Virgin Mary and the most commonly found device depicted on noblewomen’s seals in this period.

The charter validated by Matilda’s seal states that she has given Great and Little Ogbourne to the Abbey of Bec in Normandy.  In doing so she hoped for the salvation of her soul and those of her ancestors.  By this gift Matilda also began a chain of events that would eventually lead, via the Hundred Years’ War and John, Duke of Bedford, to the spiritualities of Great and Little Ogbourne coming into the possession of St George’s Chapel.

Richard (Assistant Archivist)

The Archives and Chapter Library blog is written by all members of the department and will, hopefully, provide an insight into the wonderful collections that we look after. We aim to update the blog as frequently as possible so there will be plenty of new things to read. We’ll be including an ‘image of the month’ feature, posts on the highlights of the collections, and updates about some of the projects on which the department is working.

We also hope to read some of your comments so if something sparks your imagination, or perhaps you would like to see more about a particular topic, please let us know. Commenting on a post couldn’t be simpler, just complete the boxes below the post that you would like to write about.

Finally, don’t forget that we offer an enquiry service and welcome researchers in our reading room. If you have a question, or would like to consult our collections in person, you’ll find information about contacting us and making a visit elsewhere on the website, so if you see something that will be useful for your own research why not get in touch?

Richard (Assistant Archivist)