Percy Bacon & Brothers Stained Glass

Stained Glass of Percy Bacon & Brothers

Hutton Magna, St Mary's

County Durham

The church was rebuilt in 1878 by Austin, Johnson and Hicks of Newcastle, assisted by a significant donation from Miss Emily Matilda Easton, an heir to a mining family. Miss Easton was a generous benefactor to the Church of England, having endowed some £50,000 for the building of St Chad's in Bensham, Gateshead, as well as paying for many of the windows in that church. She was reported to have worshipped at St Mary's on her visits to nearby Layton.¹

St Mary's Church, Hutton Magna, South Chancel Window by Percy Bacon & Brothers

South Chancel 2: Nativity and Adoration of the Magi.

SC2: Nativity Scene.

SC2: Adoration of the Magi.

SC2: Tracery Lights.

SC2: Nativity and Adoration of the Magi.

South Chancel 2: Nativity & Adoration of the Magi. ND. (Attribution).

Posted 22 July 2024.

Although this window has a great many stylistic attributes which point to it being from the Percy Bacon Studio, no concrete evidence has yet come to light to confirm this. The connection with Emily Easton who, as mentioned above, endowed St Chad's, Bensham with a number of Percy Bacon windows, might suggest she also commissioned this one. A further connection with St Chad's is its architect, William Searle Hicks with whom Percy Bacon had worked during the building of that church. In 1866 Hicks was articled to the Newcastle firm of Thomas Austin and Robert James Johnson. When Austin died around 1875, Hicks became a partner in the firm and was responsible for the rebuilding of St Mary's in 1878. Unfortunately the window has no signature, dedication, date or indication of a donor to assist in establishing anything concrete. The window will therefore have to remain attribution only for the time being.

The window of two lights with tracery has representations of the Nativity, and Adoration of the Magi. Both scenes are enclosed within highly elaborate niches with wide columns in the style of Percy Bacon's mid to late 1890s work. In fact the Bacon Studios windows in the north chancel (NC1 & NC2 of 1896 and 1899 respectively) at St Mary's North Creake, Norfolk bear a striking stylistic similarity.

At the base of each light are texts from John Milton's poem, "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity":

"This is the month, and this the happy morn,
Wherein the Son of Heav'n's eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;"

"See how from far upon the eastern road
The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet…"

In the tracery, an angel holds a scroll; "Verbum caro factum est". This motif is also used in the NC1 window at North Creake, which further solidifies the attribution. In the trefoil openings putti surround shields. These are emblazoned with three lidded chalices or cups (left) and a star (right). Tantalizingly suggesting a dedicatee, these appear to be heraldic devices, the left being the arms of Schaw (or Shaw) of Sauchie, as well as other Shaw family branches including Shaw of Antrim and Down (Azure, three covered cups Or)..

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Notice of Emily Easton's death at the age of 93, with report on her works for the church. Newcastle Evening Chronicle - Friday 26 December 1913, p4

Location Map:

NGR: NZ 12634 12477
Sat Nav Post Code: DL11 7HQ