Location of windows
The coding system is based on that used in ‘Nineteenth Century Norfolk Stained Glass’ by Birkin Haward. All windows are numbered consecutively from east to west in any north or south facing wall and from the centre outwards in any east or west facing wall. Windows of 2 and 3 lancet lights are shown as 2 and 3 light. A plan and key from the book by Birkin Haward is shown below.
Dates
In the column headed date, the date (without a + sign) is the date the window was made. In that column and in the column headed Memorial a date prefixed by a + sign is the date of death commemorated in the window.
Firms / Designers
Windows that are signed or have a maker’s mark are shown.
The booklet “Stained Glass Marks & Monograms” published by NADFAS, 8 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DA provides details of makers’ signatures and marks and short biographical information on many designers and firms.
Main subject(s)
A reasonably comprehensive listing of subjects is provided, except in cases where there are many small scenes or many saints, particularly if the windows are high up. For reasons of space, the title ‘Saint’ has often been omitted, most commonly in 4 evangelist windows.
Persons and events commemorated
These are mainly recorded only as a cross-reference to documentation. Many memorial inscriptions are now recorded, but in many cases are not a full transcription.
Sources
Where there is more than one documentary source, generally it is the first one consulted which is quoted. Hopefully, the source quoted is self-explanatory, with only the following needing explanation or comment.
Faculties
- Diocese of Chichester faculties are at the West Sussex Record Office, Chichester.
- Diocese of St Albans faculties are at the Hertfordshire Record Office, Hertford. (Potters Bar & South Mymms were formerly in the Diocese of London and earlier faculties are at the London Metropolitan Archives).
- Diocese of Southwark faculties are at the London Metropolitan Archives. (The County Borough of Croydon was in the Diocese of Canterbury until the 1980s and faculties are at Kent History & Library Centre, Maidstone. Until the formation of the Diocese in 1905, all the Southwark Diocese churches were in the Diocese of Rochester and pre-1905 faculties are at the Kent History & Library Centre, Maidstone).
- Diocese of London faculties are at the London Metropolitan Archives.
- Some churches now in the Diocese of Rochester were until 1905 in the Diocese of Canterbury, and these pre-1905 faculties and all Diocese of Canterbury faculties are at Kent History & Library Centre, Maidstone (& can be identified by references DCb/EF).
- Diocese of Guildford faculties are at the Surrey History Service, Woking.
- Faculties for Surrey churches in the Diocese of Winchester until 1927 are at the London Metropolitan Archives.
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire faculties are in the Oxfordshire Record Office.
- Hampshire, Bournemouth & Isle of Wight faculties are in the Hampshire County Record Office in Winchester, except for post-1927 ones in churches transferred to the new dioceses of Guildford (which are at the Surrey History Service, Woking) and Portsmouth.
- Essex & Outer London (Essex) faculties prior to 1877 are at the Kent History & Library Centre, Maidstone, from 1877-1914 at Hertfordshire Record Office, Hertford, and from 1914 at Essex Record Office, Chelmsford
- Wiltshire churches in the Salisbury diocese & Dorset churches are in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham
Record Offices
Archival material, parish magazines etc for some churches can be found at the County Record Offices. Each of the Outer London (formerly Surrey) boroughs has an open access Local History Centre, as have the boroughs of Bexley & Bromley and all of the Inner London, Essex and former Middlesex boroughs. In addition, material for some formerly Surrey churches is held at the Surrey History Centre, Woking and for formerly Essex churches at the Essex Record Office, Chelmsford
Newspapers/periodicals
Available at British Library, St. Pancras
Hardman Index
At the Birmingham Central Reference Library. It is quick and easy to use, saving trawling through countless order books. There are two disadvantages however – the Index only covers the years 1866-1935, and counties are not specified, so it is quite easy to miss a window if one does not recognise the place name, or if it is a common place name.
Powell Order Books/Cash Books
At the Archive of Art & Design. The references shown correspond directly with the Book volume and page numbers, eg 21/344 would be be AAD 1/21-1977, page 344, and 52/171 would be AAD 1/52-1977, page 171. The references, therefore, do not correspond with those used in the Dennis Hadley Index.
Kempe records
From 1893 are contained in the Commission Registers which are available for consultation on microfiche at the Archive of Art and Design, and also provide details of where designs have been reused. The Corpus of Kempe Stained Glass is intended as a complete listing of all Kempe/Kempe & Co stained glass (after the death of C.E. Kempe in 1907 the firm was known as Kempe & Co).
Morris & Co
The standard reference work on Morris & Co glass, including a catalogue of works, is A.C Sewter ‘The Stained Glass Work of Morris and his Circle’, shown in the Source column as ‘Sewter’.
BSMGP Directories
The British Society of Master Glass Painters produced a number of Directories between 1930 and 1972 listing recent works by members. A Directory listing a few works by each fellow of the BSMGP was issued in 2003.
Acknowledgements (from Robert Eberhard)
I am very grateful to Jamie Woods who has put my handwritten recording and researching notes of stained glass onto a computer record so that they can now be printed and made more widely available. Very many thanks also to Hugh Smith of Sawbridgeworth who has arranged for many locked churches to be opened, and driven me round on day tours to visit them. Due to him North and West Essex & Hertfordshire are well recorded. Thanks also to Alan Brooks who has recorded a number of churches in North Wiltshire. Thanks to Nick Wiseman who has both corrected and added entries for Sussex.
The web site was designed and managed by Peter Macleod until 2020 whom I thank for his time and effort.
Particular grateful thanks to Steve Shaughnessy who has very quickly had to redesign the website from scratch and make it available again.
Comments, additions and amendments
Will be welcomed and should be addressed by email to Robert Eberhard
See also the Contacts link at the top right of the page.