Corpus of Percy Bacon

Repton, St Wystan's

Derbyshire

St Wystan's Church, Repton, Derbyshire.

St Wystan's Church, Derbyshire

Christians are said to have worshipped on this site overlooking the ancient course of the River Trent since 653CE, when Alhflæda, daughter of Oswy, King of Northumbria, married Prince Peada, son of King Peada of Mercia. As a condition of the marriage, Peada was to be baptised and receive Christian teachings. From Lindesfarne, Alhflæda had brought with her four monks including Diuma. This marriage was not to last. In 855 Oswy defeats and kills Peada, and Prince Peada is murdered by Alhflæda shortly afterwards.

The present building is mostly 13th and 14th century, but the crypt under the chancel attests to a much earlier incarnation in the 7th century, as part of Repton Abbey. Repton, for a long time the capital of the Kingdom of Mercia, is the site of the first Christian church in the Midlands. The crypt is thought by some to have been built as a mausoleum for King Aethelbald. Later it was to become the final resting place of many Kings of Mercia including Wiglaf, Peada, Wimond and Saint Wystan, and it became a pilgrimage destination for venerating the relics of the latter. Guthlac is said to have visited the abbey in order to take the tonsure and religious dress before going on to be venerated as a saintly hermit at Croyland (Crowland) in Lincolnshire. All these characters are remembered in the south transept window in two predella lights by Dudley Forsyth of 1916 (see below). Available for a modest sum the church has a very good guide written in 1989 by Dr H. M. Taylor CBE TD FSA, but he skates over the stained glass. There is also a comprehensive website.

Jenkins¹ describes the interior of St Wystan's as, "badly scraped", commenting on the wall at the east end of the nave as being like the cliff face of a stone quarry. The stonework was not revealed until 1940 when during a partial restoration the plaster covering the walls was removed. It is nonetheless an interesting building with plenty of glass by the Powells Whitefriars workshop as well as Percy Bacon & Brothers.

Posted 29 May 2022.

West Tower Window; 1904: Christ Blessing Children

West Tower Window; Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me.

West Tower Window: Tracery (left).

West Tower Window: Tracery (centre).

West Tower Window: Tracery (right).

Tower west window

As part of the 1886 restoration² a western gallery had been taken down revealing the noble tower arch, and by extension the large perpendicular west window. It is still, sadly partially obscured by an uncouth grid of ironwork used to separate and guide the bell ringing ropes. Percy Bacon was a little late to the scene as most of the other windows had already been filled by Powell & Sons. In 1904 futher work was being carried out under the direction of architect Mr Naylor of Derby. The stonework in the west window was mostly renewed but some of the old tracery was retained and incorporated.³ Into this restored window. Percy Bacon & Brothers inserted new stained glass depicting Christ blessing children witnessed by three of his disciples (Mark 10:13-16). The main figurative themes use the same cartoon as that used in St Michael's and All Angels, Mickleham (Surrey) in an early window of 1894, and Haverhill (Essex), and also with a variation on the theme in St Wenn (Cornwall), the latter installed in 1901. In the tracery are angels, some with their wings at absurd angles to one another. Unlike the Mickleham execution which has a more unified scene across the three lights, the figures in each light of this window are placed within their own niches, constrained by side columns and under canopies. At St Wystan's the disciple on the left is haloed, but not so at Mickleham.

The window was given in memory of Robert George and Dorothy Emma Measham by their sister Mary, who died in 1914.

Inscription across three lights; "Jesus said unto them, Suffer the little children, To come unto me".

The window was given in memory of Robert George and Dorothy Emma Measham by their sister Mary, who died in 1914.

South Transept: Composite window (attribution only)

South transept: Saints Diuma, Wystan, Guthlac and Chad. Arms of Mercia and Lichfield and narrative panels by Dudley Forsyth.

Saint Diuma, first Bishop of Mercia.

Saints Wystan and Guthlac.

Saint Chad, founder and first Bishop of Lichfield.

Panels by Dudley Forsythe (1916): Guthlac being received into Repton Abbey by the Abbess Ælfritha & Prince Peada being baptized by Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne.

South transept window: A composite window: Figures possibly by Percy Bacon & Brothers of c1913 and a predella of 1916 by Dudley Forsyth.

The window in the south transept is a bit of a mystery, and even the Repton Church website fails to shed much light on the glass other than to confirm that the predella was executed in 1916 by Dudley Forsyth (discussed below), but speculates without citation that the main part is from the workshops of Alexander Ballantine and Sons of Edinburgh. However, it is much more likely that this is a Percy Bacon window. Apart from the stylistic similarities, two clear pieces of evidence emerge to suggest with quiet confidence of an accurate attribution to the Bacon workshop, even though this is still not 100% certain.

Firstly a style of lettering commonly used in Percy Bacon windows; the capital letter "S" such as in the saints' names is very distinctively Baconesque. This, however, is not a certain attribution as this form of letter can also be found in the output of other workshops. A more compelling piece of evidence is the figure of St Wystan (centre left). Wystan is depicted as a Saxon warrior with sword and shield, and comparing the figure painting with that of another (attributed) Bacon window in St Pega's, Peakirk, Cambridgeshire, it is clear this is the same model, if not painted by the same hand. To view images side-by-side click here (St Wystan's on right and St Pega's on left). Comparison of figures at (left) St Wystans, Repton, and (right) St Pega's, Peakirk.

The pinnacles on the central canopies are not centred on the ogee openings, and there are plain diamond quarries in the tops of the lights, and along the far side margins of the outer lights. This might suggest that the glass was not made for these apertures and comes from elsewhere, being adapted to fit. An article in the Derby Daily Telegraph of 7th August 1912 may shed some light on the matter:

REPTON CHURCH. in connection with the McMaster memorial to the late vicar two windows have been opened out in the parish church, Repton, one in the north-east in the nave opposite the organ of great architectural beauty, and the other in the south-west corner. These are to be filled in with stained glass, the subjects being St. Wystan and St. Guthlac. The amount subscribed is about £225. which may all be expended on the actual glass, other expenses will, it is expected, be defrayed from the McMaster League by consent of the trustees.⁴

Neither of these windows is the one in which we now find this glass. This suggests that the figures were indeed placed elsewhere to begin with and later moved to their present location. However, to add to the confusion a report in the same journal in July 1913 stated:

THE LATE VICAR OF REPTON. DEDICATION MEMORIAL WINDOW. The Rev. A. A. McMaster. Repton. died on July 28th. 1911. Shortly afterwards a committee, under the chairmanship of Dr. Cronk, was formed to consider a scheme for a memorial. The Rev. J. Gould was appointed treasurer and Mr. P. B. Wilson secretary, the latter leaving England, being succeeded Mr. C. H. Surtees. A sum of £225 was collected, and it was determined to erect a memorial tablet and a stained glass window. The former was placed in position at the beginning of the present year, but owing to unforeseen difficulties it proved impossible definitely to arrange for the commission of the window until April last. The committee then decided on the window in the Fyndern Chapel, now used as the choir vestry, but visible from the nave. They entrusted the execution of the window Mr. W. Dudley Forsyth, artist, of Hempstead, London, and suggested the following design: St. Diuma. who first preached the Gospel at Repton in AD 656; St. Chad, first Bishop Lichfield, 664: St. Wystan. patron saint of Repton and St. Guthlac the founder of Crowland, who was educated at Repton Monastery: the lower lights show the arms of Mercia and Lichfield. The window was carried out and placed in position in time for its dedication on the second anniversary of Mr McMaster's death. It a beautiful piece work, both in execution and colouring, the faces being exceptionally virile.⁵

What the "unforeseen difficulties" were is moot, though it is clear that there was a certain amount of "mission creep" with the two additional figures being added to the original proposal of the previous year. If the attribution to Bacon is correct, it would appear Mr Forsyth may have sub-contracted the works to that workshop, albeit the outline designs were possibly by him. Sub-contracting work was not uncommon; in 1920 Percy Bacon was commissioned by G Maile & Son at St Swithun's, Sandy (Bedfordshire) to complete the glass for a war memorial.

The Repton window depicts (left to right), St Diuma, St Wystan, St Guthlac and St Chad. Diuma, the first Bishop of Mercia was one of the monks brought by Alhflæda from Northumberland. St Chad was the founder of Lichfield Cathedral. He holds a model of that edifice. In the predella, the arms of Mercia, Guthlac being received into Repton Abbey by the Abbess Ælfritha, Prince Peada being baptized by Bishop Finan of Lindisfarne, and the arms of the Diocese of Lichfield.

References: Use your browser's Back button to return to text.

Jenkins, S. England's Thousand Best Churches; 1999. p114.
Nottinghamshire Guardian - Friday 30 July 1886.
The Builder, 13 Aug 1904, p187.
Derby Daily Telegraph; 7th August 1912.
Derby Daily Telegraph; 31st July 1913.

Location Map:

NGR: SK 30302 27169
Sat Nav Post Code: DE65 6FH