Malvern Misericord Mystery
Geoffrey Wheeler asked me to check whether the misericord on the next page was in Great Malvern Priory or not as he couldn’t remember seeing it. I dug out all my information on the priory and was pleased to find a good description of a lot of the misericords there - but of course this one wasn’t mentioned! So Jane and I visited the priory on a wet Saturday afternoon in September - yes, Morton was busy again with the weather.
Misericords are mercy seats (from the Latin misericordia meaning acts of mercy), because the undersides possess ledges upon which the standing monks could rest and take the weight off their feet during the long services. The popular name was “nodding seat” - if a monk fell asleep or bent forward the seat dropped down with a bang and let everyone know what had happened.
On the way in I purchased the guide to the all the ancient misericords in the church, but again no mention of this particular one - yet there it was, on the north side of the chancel in the front row (on the left-hand side as you face the altar). There are nine in the row and this is number eight, with nine being closest to the altar. Nine is a carving of two boars.
So why is it not mentioned in the guide? The book says there are twenty-two misericords on twenty-four stalls, but Jane and I counted thirty-six, an extra three on each of the four rows. To untrained eyes like ours they look identical but apparently the extra ones are ‘modern’, probably dating from the nineteenth century.
The ancient misericords form two sets of twelve carvings. One set represents the months of the year and is now incomplete as August and November are missing. The other set of twelve are miscellaneous subjects. They date from 1350 or 1380, but the ones depicting the months are of most interest to us as they date from between 1450 and 1480.
Very appropriately, the month of October is illustrated by a swineherd knocking down acorns from an oak tree to feed two boars. They are facing the man, backs bristling in anticipation. Others depict sowing seeds, weeding, hay-making and killing an ox.
The miscellaneous ones allow the carver to show scenes from everyday life and many are humourous. There are three rats hanging a cat, and a drunken husband being beaten by his wife (this one is upside down). Another shows a patient lying in bed supported by his wife, while a doctor examines a flask, comparing it with yesterday’s sample. This scene does not occur on a misericord anywhere else in the country.
But who carved the boar with the man peeping out from behind it? And when? Was it ‘acquired’ from another church? Jane is going to do some research into the mystery misericord, so watch this space.
Richard owned Malvern Chase when Duke of Gloucester and gave the west window to Malvern Priory. It is very similar to the east window in Exeter Cathedral, and contains full-length figures of Saint Lawrence, Saint George, St Christopher, Saint Katherine, Saint John, Saint James and Saint Cecilia. His arms with boar supporters used to be in this window but are now to be found (with the aid of binoculars) in the clerestory glass opposite the misericords on the north side of the chancel. There is more fifteenth century stained glass in this priory than in any other church. Malvern also has an unrivalled collection of medieval floor and wall tiles.