St Dunstan's Church Stepney

ST DUNSTAN'S CHURCH, STEPNEY

NORTH AISLE

Wall Monument

Elizabeth, widow of Richard Startute, Citizen and Fishmonger of London; d. 5 Dec 1620 aged 74 years.

Arms: On a lozenge; Argent [blackened] between two bendlets gules three covered cups sable.
Lysons gives the field as argent, but Pepys and Godman as azure; both call the charges garbs.


Startute	James

Wall Monument

Hugh James son of Hugh, Rector of Upwell, and Philippa née Hobart of Norfolk, d. 14 Jan 1728/29 aged 17.

Arms: Argent a cross patonce gules
Crest: On an esquire's helm, may be a salamander.

CHOIR NORTH WALL

Wall Monument

Robert Clarke Esq son of Roger Clarke Alderman of London, married to Margaretta daughter of John Langton sometime Governor of the English Company in Sprucia [i.e. Prussia], Poland, and their daughter Frances, died aged 1 3/4 years; he died 30 May 1610 aged 36.

Arms above: Barry of four gules and sable three roundels counterchanged (for Clarke)
Plausibly the "sable" is tarnished argent.
Arms on corbel: Clarke impaling: Sable two pallets engrailed between in chief three fleurs de lys or.


Clarke	Clarke=Langton

Wall Monument

William Dawtrey of Lincoln's Inn son and heir of William Dawtrey of Sussex, died 16 Oct 1589; he married 1574 Dorothy Stonley (Stirnet; IGI)

Unpainted marble: Quarterly of six: 1st and 6th, [Azure] five fusils in fess [argent] (Dawtrey of Moor House SSX); 2nd, [Azure] three doves close [or] (Wood); 3rd, [Gules] a bend engrailed [argent] between six crescents [or] (Rivers); 4th, [Sable] on each of three garbs [or] a dove close [argent] (Sharnfield or Skarfield); 5th, [Ermine] three bars [gules]; impaling: Quarterly of four: 1st and 4th, [Azure] on a fess between three [should be two] stags' heads cabossed [or] a fleur-de-lys [azure] between two demi-roses [gules] (Stonley of Ingerston ESS); 2nd, [ ] a lion rampant [ ] debruised of a bendlet [compony?] [ ]; 3rd, [ ] within a bordure engrailed [ ] a fess vair between two cinquefoils [ ] [but according to Lysons, within a bordure engrailed a fess vair and in chief a unicorn]

The description above is based on Lysons, especially the tinctures, which may then have been partially visible; however some details have been corrected.

Three disks, two at the head and one on the base of the monument, may have depicted emblems.

Wall Monument.

Rev Thomas Dod, Rector of Stepney, died 27 Jul 1727 aged 45, and Mary his wife, died 23 Mar 1773 aged 70; and their children

Argent [on a fess gules between] two cotices sable [three crescents or] (Dod); impaling: Gules a lion rampant reguardant [or]

So described by Lysons; Pepys and Godman describe the arms as they now appear


Dawtrey=Stonley	Dod=?

CHOIR SOUTH WALL

Wall monument with inlaid brass plates

For Thomasine [née Piers], [first] wife of John Brewster [Secondary of the Fines Office], died 1596 aged 46

[Sable] A chevron ermine between three estoiles [ermine] (Brewster of Suffolk); impaling: [Sable] A chevron ermine between three lions' heads erased [argent] a chief [or] (Peeres)

Crests, dexter: A bear's head erased [azure] (Brewster of Suffolk); sinister: A bird's [corbie's?] head erased [ ] semy of roses (?) [ ] ducally gorged [ ]

Additional details from Pepys and Godman, who do not describe the crests. Lysons does not describe the heraldry at all. Tinctures are from plausible matches in Burke GA.

Pillared monument

For Benjamin Kenton, who died 25 May 1800 aged 82

Three shields on pediment:

(a) Argent a cross gules (England)

(b) Azure a fess ermine in chief three fleurs-de-lys or [a variation of Kempton,whose fess is or: Burke GA]

Pepys and Godman report the tuns as "undecipherable, owing possibly to a careless repainting" and give the chevron as ermine, the tuns or.



Brewster=Piers	Kenton	Vintners' Company

Wall monument

For Sir Thomas Spert, Controller of the Navy to King Henry VIII, founder and Master Trinity House; died 8 Sep 1541

Sable two tilting-spears in saltire between four hearts or on a chief of the second a ship of the first
Crest: A broken ship's mast or rigged sable, from the masthead a flag of England

According to Pepys and Godman the field is gules; according to Lysons it is azure. Burke GA has: Azure two tilting-spears in saltire between four hearts or on a chief or a ship proper; Crest: A broken mainmast or shrouds sable in the roundtop six spears in saltire [sic] on the top the flag of St George; for Spert of Tetbury GLS.

Erected 1622; repaired 1725


Sir Thomas Spert

SOUTH AISLE

Wall monument

For Dame Rebecca widow of Admiral J Berry, wife of Thomas Elton of Stratford at Bow, died 26 Apr 1606 aged 52

Or three pallets gules overall on a bend azure three molets or; impaling: Azure a fish hauriant between two bends wavy or in dexter chief an annulet or [cf. Ventris of Oakington in Burke GA]

Lysons gives no tinctures; Pepys and Godman describe it as it now appears.

10.

Wall monument

For James Augustus Blondel MD who died 4 Oct 1734 aged 68.

[Azure] two bars and in chief a molet [or]

Sic in Lysons and in Pepys and Godman; however the bars have vertical hatching, as if for gules


Elton=?Ventris	Blondel

11.

Brass

For Nicholas Gibson Sheriff of London [died 1540] and his wife Avis. He founded the Coopers' Company School in Ratcliffe 1538; erected 1900.
Azure three cranes rising argent

Strype's editions of Stow, 1720 and 1755, report an original brass for Nicholas Gibson. By Lysons' time it seems to have gone. Stow seems to have misread his date of death as 23 Sep 1510.

12.

Wall monument

For Rev George Harper DD Rector of Stepney, died 26 May 1815 aged 54

Shield blank [So in Pepys and Godman]


Gibson	Harper

13.

Wall monument

For the Rev Henry Leche Rector of Stepney, died 15 Jun 1742

Ermine a chief indented gules, three crowns or (Leche)
Confirmed by Lysons, but Pepys and Godman repeat the blazon while sketching it crudely to make the crowns appear like a label or. This seems to have been copied by a restorer.
Crest: A cubit arm holding and entwined by a snake [or, as presently painted]

14.

Ledger stone

For the Rev Isaac Collman Rector of Stepney, died 6 Jan 1769

Arms worn to illegibility [Lysons reports the stone, but not the arms]


Leche	Collman

15.

Wall monument

For Lady Jane Dethick "alias Garter" wife of Alexander Neville of Poplar, died 29 Nov 1606 aged 69.

Quarterly of nine: 1. Gules on a saltire arg a rose gules [now sable] (Nevill); 2. Fretty [now lozengy] or and gules [on] a canton [ermine a ship sable] (Nevill ancient); 3. Gules [billety or] a lion rampant or (Bullmer); 4. [Ermine] a crescent gules (Eudo Earl of Brittany); 5. Or a chief indented azure (Middleham); 6. Azure semy of cross crosslets [now fitchy] argent three crescents or (Glanville); 7. Quarterly or and gules a bend sable (Clavering); 8. Azure an escutcheon barry of four argent gules within an orle of martlets argent (Walcot); 9. Argent on a chevron gules three fleurs-de-lys or (Pever); impaling: Or five eagles displayed in saltire sable (for Duncomb?)

Many details now differ from the blazon reported by Lysons.
The inscription states that she was married to Neville for 22 years, being the widow of Sir Gilbert Dethick, Garter King of Arms, who died in 1584. Lysons says she was born a Duncomb of Buckinghamshire, and the impalement is not the arms of this family; however Burke GA and Papworth give: Sable five eagles displayed in cross argent, for Duncum.


Lady Jane Neville

16.

Wall monument

For Capt Nathaniel Owen of Mile End Green, died 2 Feb 1708/09 aged 66, and his wives Mary (died 1685) and Bridget (died 1709)

[Argent] a lion rampant [sable] a canton [sable] (Owen of Shropshire); impaling: [Azure] a fess embattled ermine between three cockatrice's heads erased [] (probably Jesson or Jephson)

Tinctures as reported by Lysons; the shield is now unpainted

17.

Wall monument

For Alexander Weller JP of Steward Street, Old Artillery Ground, Citizen and silk thrower, died 10 Nov 1734 aged 68.

The shield above is now almost blank; Pepys and Godman reported two chevrons visible on the dexter, of which there is still a faint trace. Lysons blazons it as follows: Sable two chevronels between three roses argent (Weller of Rolvenden KEN); impaling: Argent a lion rampant gules on a chief sable three escallops argent (Russell).


Owen	Weller

19.

Aisle window

For the Worshipful Company of Coopers

In a roundel
Gyronny of eight gules and sable on a chevron betwween three annulets or a grose between two adzes azure on a chief vert three lilies slipped stalked and leaved argent
Motto: Love as brethren

Worshipful Company of Coopers

WEST END

20.

Royal Arms in painted metalwork

For Queen Victoria

Within the Garter:
Quarterly: England (1 and 4), Scotland, Ireland
Supporters: Lion and Unicorn
Crest: On a royal helm and Crown of St James, A lion statant guardant crowned or
Motto: Dieu et mon Droit

Queen Victoria

21.

Wall monument behind the organ

For Joseph Somes, shipowner of Mile End Old Town, MP for Dartmouth, who died 25 Jun 1845; the monument was erected by his widow Maria [née Saxton], died 26 Jul 1911, who is also commemorated.

Ermine a cinquefoil [gules] on a canton [azure] a buglehorn stringed [or]
Crest: On a castle tripletowered [argent] a cockatrice affronty [vert] combed wattled and wings expanded [gules]
Motto: Do ever good

Tinctures are taken from his hatchment at Igtham Mote KEN.


Joseph Somes

Sources cited:

John Stow, Survey of London and Westminster, 1698, edited John Strype 1720 and 1755
Daniel Lysons, Environs of London, vol.3, 1795
Walter Pepys and Ernest Godman, The Church of St Dunstan Stepney, 1905
Bernard Burke, General Armory, 1884
John Papworth & Alfred Morant, Ordinary of British Armorials, 1874

Photos: September 2011

Webmaster: Andrew Gray

Edited: 26/02/2012