Stained Glass of Percy Bacon
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St Lalluwy's, Menheniot
Posted 24 August 2022
St Lalluwy's is a rarity in Cornwall, one of only fourteen churches with a spire in the county. The church is mostly 14th century, with 15th century north and south aisles. It possesses a fine wagon ceiling and a beautifully carved pulpit installed in 1891 by Harry Hems of Exeter, a prolific carver of church reredos, screens and furniture, which depicts the polar exploits of Vice-Admiral Trelawney-Jago of Coldrennick and his ship 'Enterprise'. The dedication of the church has been a contentious issue for many years. In 1908, Canon C. E. Hammond, the Vicar of Menheniot, put forward a theory that the venerable edifice in which his ministrations take place was originally dedicated to St. Ladislas (Ladislas 1st, King of Hungary, and leader of the first crusade)1. As if to satisfy this conjecture there is a stained glass window of c1908 in the north aisle depicting that particular saint. In 1862 the Gentleman's Magazine reported that;
Whitaker, who was described as, "Clever but dogmatic", may have just been parroting Stockdale with regard to the church being the first to read liturgy in English2. In 1899 Forster and Egerton suggest that the church at Menheniot was anciently dedicated to St Neot3 as did Cox in 19124. That little seems to have been recorded about St Lalluwy, the discussion will doubtless be kept alive for many more years.
The church was restored by J P St Aubyn in 1866, and a further restoration took place by George Fellowes-Prynne in 1925. Some modern additions, particularly the vestry are insensitive.
The window is difficult to see in its entirety, except at an acute angle as a vestry formed of a wooden screen has been built around its base. Additions of this sort are doubtless a cheap way for a cash-strapped church to fulfill a need but the insensitivity of some is beyond me.
The window installed in 1927, is of three lights with simple Perpendicular tracery. It depicts a single figure in each light; (l-r): King Alfred the Great, Joseph and St Thomas. The dedication reads:
The Western Morning News reported his death as resulting from a tragic riding accident5.
Below each is a scene from each of the subject's life. In December 1926 Percy Bacon wrote6 to the Rev. Canon Edwards Spry Leverton, the incumbent at Menheniot at the time, explaining the design and enclosing an outline sketch:7
"The three principle figures, I think, speak for themselves, viz: Joseph in the centre as Ruler in Egypt, King Alfred in No.1 light, holding a Harp in his right hand and a sword in his left; and in the third light, St Thomas holding a spear in his left hand and a Flaming Torch in his right, symbolic of the Enlightenment.
"The little subjects below represent, under king Alfred making his vow to send alms to St Thomas in India at the time he was besieging the Danish Army which held London, (as kindly suggested by the Chancellor); under Joseph, Joseph interpreting the Dreams of the Butler and Baker; and under St. Thomas, Thomas showing the Native King the hospitals, schools etc. built by him in place of the palace for which he had received the money.
"The two large pieces of tracery are filled with Angels, similar to those in the previous windows, and in the two side pieces I have indicated two shields, also as in the former ones; these might contain the family coat of arms and the badge of the regiment to which the memorialised belonged, or any other heraldic device that may be desired."
The scene below Joseph is a depiction of his act of interpreting the dreams of the Pharaoh's cup-bearer and bread-maker (Genesis Ch. 40). That under King Alfred is a reference to a chapter in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for AD8838, which describes how Alfred sent two men, Sigehelm and Æthelstan, overseas with alms to both Rome and the Shrine of St Thomas in India. Dr Caitlin R Green's blog
explains more about the story.
The scene under St Thomas is essentially unified with the image of King Alfred making his vow. It shows a king with arms outstretched, and St Thomas before him. This scene is actually from the Acts of St Thomas, a Gnostic text, possibly written in the 3rd century, and not to be confused with the "Gospel of Thomas". In this story (which varies from Percy Bacon's short resumé in his letter to the Rev. Leverton), after the Apostles divide the world for their ministries, St Thomas travels to India where he meets King Gondopharnes, who learning that Thomas is a carpenter tasks him to build a palace, for which he hands over gold and silver. Thomas does not build a palace but gave the money to the poor. After a while Gondopharnes summons Thomas to ask him how he is getting on with the build of the palace and when he might go see it. Thomas replies, "Thou canst not see it now, but when thou departest this life, then thou shalt see it". Unsurprisingly, Gondopharnes is not best pleased, and has Thomas imprisoned. However, coincidentally Gondopharnes' brother dies and on going to heaven finds a palace already built, supposedly for Gondopharnes. He pleads to be allowed to go back to earth in order to tell his brother that his palace awaits him in that other place. Realising that Thomas had built him a palace in Heaven with the gold and silver by ministering alms to the poor on earth, Gondopharnes frees him to continue his ministry. The full story in English translation can be read on the Gnostic Society Library website.9 This scene from an apocryphal text, is a rare example of a Percy Bacon window deviating from the canon. Another example of this can be found in the studio's window in nearby Launceston, St Mary Magdalene.
The dedicatee, Joseph Clemens Congdon was commissioned into the Indian Army Reserve of Officers on 27th September 1918 at the tender age of 18 years10. The shield on the left side of the tracery, crossed kukris with letters "N H M P" indicates that he was serving in Burma with the Naga Hills Military Police. The shield in the tracery right light is blazoned with the badge of the 18th Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army (Burmese Star and crescent moon) over a peacock's fan, the national symbol of Burma. The years 1885 to 1889 refers to the The Third Anglo-Burmese War in which the 18th Infantry served. Inclusion of a scene from the apocryphal Acts of Thomas may be a reference to Lt. Congdon's service in India. It is unclear whether the reference to Lt. Congdon's service in the 18th Ghurka Regiment in the dedication is correct. The 18th Infantry was reformed in 1922 as the 4th Battalion, Jat Regiment.
Above: Comparison on the shield in the tracery and a cap badge of the Naga Hills Military Police, and a shield with the badge of the 18th Infantry Regiment, Indian Army.
References and Notes: Use your browser's Back button to return to text.
- The Guardian 7th October 1908 (related in Devon & Cornwall notes & queries by John S Amery, 1911; p3).
- Stockdale, Frederick Wilton Litchfield; Excursions in the county of Cornwall; 1824; p111. See also Jago, F W P: A Cornish Dictionary pii.
- Studies in church dedications : or, England's patron saints, by Arnold-Forster, Frances Egerton, 1857: p109.
- Cox, J. Charles (John Charles): Cornwall: 1912: p.174.
- Western Morning News - Thursday 28 May 1925: p5.
- Kresen Kernow: Ref No. D/R/4/28: Erection of stained glass memorial window in north aisle to Joseph Clemens Congdon of Scawns [died 1925]
with design and correspondence. - Letter from Percy Bacon to the rev. Canon Leverton, 14th December 1926. Lodged with Kresen Kernow: Ref No. D/R/4/28.
- British Library, Cotton MS Domitian A VIII, f55v.
- Acts of Thomas: Gnostic Society Library website. See also Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol 14, pp658-659, 1907 for summary. It is possible that Percy Bacon drew his inspiration for the predella scene under Thomas from the encyclopedia, rather than directly from an early translation of the original text. It is also possible he referred to Dr. M. R. James' translation of the Greek text, published in 1924 (Oxford, Clarendon Press) which is used by the Gnostic Society website..
- Gazette of India, Oct-Dec 1918.
Other Links:
- Menheniot Parish Council website, with a little history.
- Cornish Stained Glass Entry. This includes a copy of the letter from Percy Bacon to Canon Leverton and an image of the initial design.
Location Map:
Sat Nav Post Code: PL14 3RR