Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 1.djvu/217

Rh common use. Amongst the earliest recorded instances in England may be mentioned the tomb of Jocelin, bishop of Wells, placed by him during his life-time in the middle of the choir, and described by Godwin as formerly adorned with a figure of brass. He died in 1242. Dart describes the slab, from which the inlaid brass figure of Richard de Berkyng, abbot of Westminster, had been torn, as existing when he wrote. This abbot died in 1246. The brass which represented Robert Grosteste, bishop of Lincoln, who died in 1253, still existed when Leland visited the cathedral; and Drake describes the gilded brass which was formerly to be seen at York on the tomb of Dean Langton, who died in 1279.

The date of the earliest existing specimen is about 1290; it is the figure of Sir Roger de Trumpington, who accompanied Prince Edward in the holy wars, and is represented with his legs crossed. An interesting addition, hitherto unnoticed, has recently been made to the small list of sepulchral brasses of this early period, which represent knights in the cross-legged attitude; it is preserved in the church of Pebmarsh, near Halstead, in Essex, and has formed the subject of a beautiful plate in the series of brasses in course of publication by Messrs. Waller. It may be observed, that besides six existing brasses in this attitude, five slabs have been noticed, from which brasses of cross-legged knights have been torn: these are at Emneth, in Norfolk, Letheringham and Stoke by Neyland, in Suffolk, and two in Cambridgeshire. There is no reason, however, to believe that the brasses of this early period ever existed in England in any large number, and it is only towards the latter part of the fourteenth century that such memorials occur in abundance, presenting in their details a remarkable variety; so that although a great general similarity will be found between several brasses of the same date, no two specimens have hitherto been noticed which