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 In
the Late Middle Ages it was in the south choir aisle that the spiritual
treasures of the church were located. Clustered together towards the eastern
extreme of the aisle were: the body John
Schorne, a local, reputed saint; the body of Henry
VI, also venerated as a saint from 1484 onwards; and a relic of the
True Cross preserved in the so-called Cross
of Gneth.
The Cross of Gneth
 Depicted
on the boss of the vault at the very end of the aisle are portraits of
Edward IV and Richard Beauchamp, bishop of Salisbury, kneeling before
a Celtic cross. This is the Cross of Gneth, a prize won by Edward I from
the last native prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, who died in 1282.
This reliquary contained a relic of the True Cross and had been given
to the college by Edward III shortly after its foundation. The relic was
destroyed at the Reformation and the manner of its display within the
south aisle is not now known.
Richard Beauchamp's Book
 In the aisle wall just beside the boss depicting the Cross of Gneth is
a large, ornamented niche. Cut into the base of this is a beautifully
lettered inscription in Middle English which takes the form of a dialogue.
The terms of the dialogue make it clear that a book, probably a breviary,
was chained within this niche in the 15th century. Moreover, that the
book was intended for the use of visiting priests to say prayers for the
soul of Richard Beauchamp, bishop of Salisbury before the Cross of Gneth.
For the modernised English text of this inscription click here.
Pilgrims' Almsbox
 Firmly fixed to the floor of the south transept is a large, faceted iron
box raised on four thin legs. This extraordinary object is a medieval
offertory box set up adjacent to the tomb of Henry VI, who was revered
in the late Middle Ages as a saint. Each face of the box is decorated
with an initial H for Henry and a crown tops the largest of the five miniature
castle towers that surmount it. Pilgrims could push in their offerings
through numerous slits cut through these towers. Between the towers are
four key holes for operating the locks of the box, each one covered by
a sliding iron plate.
Henry VI began to be venerated as a saint after his body was brought
to the college in 1484 and this box is likely to have been made shortly
after that date by John Tresilian, the master smith. Tresilian probably
also produced the iron gate and door fittings for Edward IV's Chantry.
Curiously, record survives of an almost identical offertory box for the
nearby shrine of John Schorne but this has long since disappeared.
Royal Portraits
 Attached to the back of the stalls at the entrance to the south choir
aisle is a series of painted panels set up by Canon Oliver King in around
1493. They depict three English kings and a prince set on pedestals with
their coats of arms. From left to right these are Henry VII, Edward V,
Edward IV and Prince Edward, the eldest son of Henry VI. Beneath the figures
is an inscription recording King's service to all these sovereigns.
The paintings are executed to look like stained glass windows. Particularly
distinctive in this respect is the treatment of the background with a
pattern of diamond-shaped panels: typically late Medieval English glazing
schemes used diamond shaped pieces of glass to fill the areas around figures
in windows.
Within each diamond panel are the heraldic emblems of the particular
king depicted, respectively portcullises and roses of the House of Tudor;
the eagle and fetterlock of the house of York; the rose in a fireburst
of Edward IV; and the feather and swan of the House of Lancaster. Notice
that the crown of Edward V hangs above his head, a detail intended to
illustrate that he was never crowned king.
Edward III's Sword
 This
two-handed sword is 6ft 8 1/4 inches long and was probably displayed over
the stall of Edward III in the chapel he reordered for the college and
Order of the Garter, now the Albert Memorial Chapel.
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