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St Christopher, Irstead, Norfolk (‡Norwich) C.14, C.15

[Photo:T.Marshall] St. Christopher, Irstead [136KB]
Two examples here, one, now very faint, from the 14th century, and one from the 15th. This latter is fragmentary, but enough remains to confirm that it was one of the finest St. Christophers in England - the quality of the work is extremely high. At the far left are the remains of the red ochre 14th century example, (probably also a skilled painting), but the much larger-scale 15th century fragment is at the right. Enough remains of St.Christopher’s head to show the quality, perhaps, and certainly the detailed attention given to Christopher’s hair and features is very striking. The Child, barely visible now, is on his right shoulder and there is a fragment of text (enlarged detail, below right) I can make nothing of this; the script seems to be 15th century (I would very, very tentatively date it to around 1470) and the painting cannot, I think, be much earlier than this. One possibility is that it St. Christopher, Irstead, detail, inscription [15KB] belongs to another, now vanished, subject, but I think this is unlikely. But the script letters do not seem to be part of St. Christopher’s standard inscription [quoted in the Introduction].

Follow the links below for individual picture and text pages - ‡ in page heading = Diocese

Ashby St Ledgers, Northants NEW Belton, Suffolk Burnham Overy, Norfolk Cottered, Hertfordshire East Wellow, Hants
Edingthorpe Norfolk Fritton, Norfolk Haddiscoe, Norfolk Hemblington, Norfolk Impington, Cambridgeshire
Irstead, Norfolk Layer Marney, Essex Littlebourne, Kent Martlesham, Suffolk Molesworth, Northants
Oaksey, Wilts Paston, Norfolk Pickering, N. Yorks Raunds, Northants Shorwell, Isle of Wight
Slapton, Northants Stoke Dry, Rutland Thurlton, Norfolk Wickhampton, Norfolk Willingham, Cambridgeshire
Woodeaton, Oxon

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© Anne Marshall 2000