Canon and Mrs Crawley

Arthur Stafford Crawley (1876-1948), or rather “Staffy” as he was affectionately known by his friends and family, was appointed Canon of Windsor in 1934. He had led a fascinating life before coming to St George’s Chapel. He had visited India to teach, held various assistant curacy posts all over the country and even volunteered in 1915 to join the British forces as a chaplain during which he was awarded the Military Cross for rescuing, under fire, injured soldiers. Throughout his life he kept the letters he received giving us a wonderful insight into the world of ‘Staffy’ and his very well connected and influential family. These letters, amounting to over a thousand, are now held in St George’s Chapel Archives and Chapter Library and make very interesting reading.

His friends and family took full advantage of “the penny post” to send him letters full of news and gossip, lists of ailments and a recital of the forthcoming week’s events, support if Stafford was sounding particularly down in his last letter and, always, love wherever he was in the world, be it India or Windsor: a piece of home keeping him up-to-date and in the know. “My own darling Staffy…” begins Beatrice, Stafford’s younger sister, “Molly Balford is engaged to be married to Ralph Donaldson Hudson, her first cousin (cousins are always a pity to marry) otherwise it is a very good match for her. He has a lovely place Cheswardine in Shropshire.” (SGC M.126/A/10)

Even Stafford’s male family members and friends liked to keep him updated on events and news, from accounts of rowing or polo to criticising a mutual acquaintance. In one letter a friend from Magdalen College, Oxford, also attended by Stafford, writes “I dare say you heard what a fool Cottenham made of himself. He ran off with Lady Rose Leigh and of course had to resign the mastership. The divorce case is still on at present.” (SGC M.126/A/26) Almost everything they did was recounted in letters to Stafford and, as an outsider reading them, you soon get drawn into the social circle of the Crawley’s, their extended family and friends. These letters give a glimpse into upper middle class preoccupations in the early 20th century and leave you wanting to know the next piece of gossip, snippet of news from India or account of family life in the town or country.

Leanne Workman (Archives volunteer)

Hanging in the Ambulatory is a tapestry depicting Christ and 2 disciples at Emmaus.

According to an article in The Times, 20 August 1888, this tapestry had been recently found in the Chapter Library, cleaned and hung in the choir opposite Katherine of Aragon’s oriel window. It was repaired and framed in 1933 and hung in the nave, before being moved to the Ambulatory where it is now displayed. But where had it originally come from?

The tapestry shows Christ and his disciples at supper and was woven at Mortlake during the reign of Charles I. The Mortlake Tapestry Works were establised on the Thames in west London in 1619 by Sir Francis Crane, making use of the skills of immigrant Flemish workers. The Mortlake Tapestry Works were one of the most famous of their day, celebrated across Europe for the quality of their work. Their mark was the shield of St George, and it is partly from the success of the tapestry works that Sir Francis Crane was able to establish the Crane Foundation, set up to support the Military Knights of Windsor.

The tapestry was presented to the Dean and Canons by Lady Mordaunt, wife of John Mordaunt, Constable of the Castle and Royalist rebel, shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy and the return of Chapter to St George’s Chapel. It was intended to hang before the Altar, described as being after an original by Titian and was given at the instance of Dr Brown. [Inventory made 20 July 1667]. An entry in the Chapter Acts shows that Lady Mordaunt was given leave to lodge in Dr Brown’s house for the time of her lying in [SGC VI.B.3; 2 October 1665] and perhaps the tapestry was given in gratitude for this. It hung in the south quire aisle until the reign of George III when it appears to have disappeared until its rediscovery in 1887.

According to tradition the original painting depicts Emperor Charles V, Katherine’s uncle, as Christ, and the faces of the disciples being those of Philip II of Spain and Cardinal Ximenes, Prime Minister of Charles V.

Eleanor (Assistant Archivist)

Map of the World, 1555

Novus Orbis Regionum is a book attributed to Simon Grynaeus (1491-1553). The book contains a map, “Typus Cosmographicus Universalis”, which shows the understanding of the world within that era. The map illustrates the misunderstanding of scientists and geologists at that time, as it shows an oval shaped earth with disfigured continents. As you can see in the image above, North America as we know it is not present. In its place is a thin land-mass labelled as Cuba. The map is framed by images of “outlandish” animals, people and customs from throughout the known world. In the bottom left hand corner is an illustration of “Canibali”, the cannibals believed to live in [South] America. The outstanding quality of the woodcut map has led many to believe it is the work of Hans Holbein the Younger, who was linked with a number of publishers in Basel, Switzerland, where this book was published.

A copy of the 1555 edition of the book can found be in St George’s Chapel Archives and Chapter Library (SGC G261).

Matthew Alexander, Matthew Bush (Windsor Boys’ School)