Page 15 - Ludlow Tower January 2023

Mischief among the misericords

Not the usual kind of mischief you might However, one
expect amongst choir boys (but not at afternoon a few months

St. Laurence’s, surely?). No, an ago, when I had no
altogether more subtle and hidden visitors with me, I was
mischief. looking, perhaps with a

I had been a steward, and later Church bit more care than Hidden green man
Guide, for nearly twenty years, spending usual, at the choirstalls
much time in the chancel explaining the rather than at the misericords – and I
wonderful mediaeval woodwork and suddenly saw a small green man looking

stained glass, before I came across the back at me! I must have walked past it
evidence of mischief, quite by chance. some hundreds of
times, and never
Most visitors look at the misericords. noticed it before, and it
Many praise the craftsmanship. Some set me thinking.
question the purpose of them (they Perhaps there were
were to enable elderly clergy and choir other faces I had never
to rest themselves on the ledge, but still Tusked monster seen before, so I started
appear to be standing for prayer, as one to look very carefully. Over the next

did then). Some people ask about the few weeks, whenever I had a chance, I
subjects of the carving – the domestic crawled around suspiciously. I found a
scenes, the animals, the heraldic symbols, dragon, a ‘green beast’, a tusked monster,
the king, the scene from hell. a number of grinning faces – all carefully

A few notice the hidden in plain sight.
green man, the pagan Mediaeval carvers must
spirit of the woods, have had a great sense

and ask why it is in a of humour and mischief,
church. In fact the knowing that most
early Christian people would never
church was good at find their jokes. Grinning man
adopting and Probably the Palmers
Green man on absorbing existing pre- Guild, who paid for all the woodwork
misericord
Christian practices (if and the stained glass had no idea about
they seemed to lead to no spiritual the hidden humour. At first I found two
harm). Many churches were built on or three faces, then eight, then ten, then
sites of pagan worship, for instance, as thirteen – but last time
evidenced by the number of very I counted, I found only

ancient yew trees in some churchyards. twelve. So perhaps one
Carvings of the green man are found in has gone back into
a number of churches and cathedrals (in hiding – in plain sight!
Lincoln Cathedral, for instance).
Alan Latchford
Green beast
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