A guide to Hatchments on display in Bottesford Church

 

[1] Elizabeth Howard, 5th Duchess of Rutland, died November 1825

Neil Fortey, 2013

 

[2] John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland K.G., died 1779

Neil Fortey, 2013

 

[3] John Manners of Hanby Hall, died September 1792

Neil Fortey, 2013

 

[4] Thomas Baptist Manners, died June 1705

Neil Fortey, 2013

 

[5] Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland K.G., died October 1787

Neil Fortey, 2013

Introduction

One of the things to see in a visit to St Mary’s is the hatchments that hang on the walls of the aisles, four at the western end of the north aisle, one more at the western end of the southern aisle. These beautifully painted wooden panels commemorate:

[1] Elizabeth Howard, 5th Duchess of Rutland, died November 1825;

[2] John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland K.G., died 1779;

[3] John Manners of Hanby Hall, died September 1792;

[4] Thomas Baptist Manners, died June 1705;

[5] Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland K.G., died October 1787.

Throughout the country one can see hatchments on display in many parish churches. Few church visitors are aware of the origins of these diamond shaped panels attached to church walls or hidden away in inaccessible places. Encased in a wooden frame and made of canvas or wood, the panels exhibit heraldic details, insignia of the person to whom they relate.

It is believed that hatchments originated on the continent of Europe and were carried in procession at the funeral of a Knight or Noble in Medieval times. Hatchments were erected in churches following interment. In some cases a hatchment was commissioned and hung on or over the door of the house of the deceased during a period of mourning and later taken to the church of burial.

The word hatchment is derived as a corruption of a Knight’s Achievement, the insignia on his shield and helm (helmet), his individual identification.

It is possible from the background colour, black or white, to establish whether the deceased was a husband, wife, widow or widower, bachelor or spinster: usually black for the deceased and white for the surviving spouse, the husband’s colour to the left side and the wife’s on the right. Should the deceased be a widower then the background would be all black. Hatchments representing a bachelor would contain his parent’s Arms and any other adornments to which the deceased was entitled on a totally black background.

In some cases, surrounding the Coat of Arms, a death’s head and crossbones would indicate that the deceased was the last of the family.

This page reproduces a display mounted in the church in November 2013 on behalf of the Friends of St Mary’s Bottesford.

[1] Elizabeth Howard, 5th Duchess of Rutland, born 1780, died November 1825

Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Frederick the 5th Earl of Carlisle, came from Castle Howard, Yorkshire. In 1799 at the age of 19 she married John Henry Manners, 5th Duke of Rutland K.G. It was Elizabeth who remodelled Belvoir Castle to her own designs in the early 19th Century. Her funeral procession in 1825 was the largest event ever organised at Bottesford Church.

The Hatchment depicts a white background dexter (left as you look at it) and a black background sinister (right as you look at it). Above the centre of the shields is a Duchess’ Coronet. The shield to the left is the Manners Coat of Arms, bars blue and gold surmounted by lion and fleur-de-lys, surrounded by the Garter.

The shield to the right bears the Howard insignia impaled by Manners. A white diagonal bend on a red background bearing the augmentation of Flodden (a small rampant lion on the white bend). Note six silver cross crosslets fitchy on the red background.

[2] John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland K.G., born 1696, died May 1779

A keen hunter, the Duke was responsible for establishing a pack of hounds at Belvoir from which the present packs of Belvoir and Cottesmore are descended. Affectionately known as “John of the Hill”, he was also an accomplished painter and collector of art works, and father of the famous Marquis of Granby.

John married Bridget Sutton, daughter and sole heiress of Robert 2nd Baron Lexington of Kelham Hall in 1717 (Bridget died in 1734).

This Hatchment, within an entirely black background, is surmounted by a Duke’s coronet. Again we have two shields, to dexter (left as you look at it) a repeat of the Manners Coat of Arms within the Garter and to sinister (right as you look at it) the Sutton Coat of Arms, silver with a black canton (quarter).

[3] John Manners of Hanby Hall, Lincolnshire and of Buckminster, Leicestershire, died September 1792

In 1765 John married Lady Louisa Tollemache, afterwards in her own right Countess of Dysart. There is another hatchment for John in Grantham.

This Hatchment, with a black background dexter (left as you look at it) and white sinister (right), is a single shield surmounted by a peacock standing on a chapeau. The shield to the left (dexter) depicts the Manners insignia and to the right (sinister) the Tollemache arms, a black fret 1st and 4th quarters, second and third quarters an imperial crown between stars within a double border (tressure flory, counter-flory).

[4] Probably for Thomas Baptist Manners, died June 1705

Thomas was the second son of John 1st Duke of Rutland and Catherine Noel, daughter of Baptist Noel, Viscount Campden. Thomas Baptist Manners died unmarried in 1705 and was buried at Bottesford.

The Hatchment, with an entirely black background, is the Manners Coat of Arms surmounted by a peacock standing on a chapeau. In this case the Manners Coat of Arms bears a crescent azure (blue) differentiating generation probably 2nd son. Note also a memento mori, a winged skull, below.

[5] Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland K.G., born 1734 died October 1787

Charles, son of the famous Marquis of Granby, inherited the title from his grandfather in 1779. He was passionate about the arts, a friend of Joshua Reynolds and an ardent gambler. From 1784 until his death he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He married Lady Mary Isobel Somerset, youngest daughter of Charles, the 4th Duke of Beaufort. Lady Isobel was a renowned beauty and society lady of her day. The duke died in Ireland and many hundreds of mourners lined the route of his funeral procession on its way back to the family mausoleum from Bottesford church.

The Hatchment, within a black background dexter (left as you look at it) and white sinister (right), surmounted by a Duke’s coronet and within the Garter, depicts Manners impaling quarterly France and England within a border blue and white Somerset. Note the supporter to the shield, a unicorn and a panther collared and chained.

Motto – “Pour y Parvenir” – literally ‘In order to achieve or succeed’ but better translated as “To Attain” or “Strive to Attain” (look it up in Wikipedia!).