Page:History of Norfolk 1.djvu/130

 I caused it to be taken out of its place, and the whiting, with which it had been washed over, to be scraped off cautiously; upon which, I discovered the colours with which it was first adorned, and found that the large stone on which he lies was green, representing the earth; his head lies on a pillow, and that on a cushion, both which were red, the cushion being flowered with silver, and the pillow with gold; his feet lie on a buck couchant ermine, which is the crest of the Boises; his gown was black, his cassock red, gilt all over, in imitation of embroidery, and powdered all over with ermine; round his waste is a girdle, which was green, buckled with a black buckle upon his breast; from the neck to the girdle was the complete arms of the Boises, which may still be seen in two of the chancel windows; the circumscription was in French, the letters being only painted on the stone which he lies on, and is all lost but these words, : KI: ---:AVERA:. However, we are not at a loss to know who he was, for from the arms and crest it is plain he was a Bois, from the habit, that he was a priest, and from the arch that he lies in, (which must have been made when the chancel was built, as any one upon sight of it must own,) that he was builder of the chancel; so that it can be nobody but William du Bois, priest, rector here, who, when he built the chancel, reserved this place for his own interment. He afterwards resigned this rectory, and was instituted to Garboldisham All-Saints, which he resigned some years after, for the vicarage of Great Conerth in Suffolk, of which place he died vicar, about 1352, At the removal of the effigies I found it was joined in the midst, and hollow, being full of burnt coals, which were put there to suck up the moisture, and keep the stone dry, that its colours might not be injured. I had it raised above a foot high from the ground, and painted in its original colours, causing this inscription to be put on a plate, and fixed to the wall:

"William du Bois, Priest, Founder of this Chancel, Patron and Rector of this Church, and of Garboldisham All-Saints, Vicar of Great Conerth in Suffolk third Son of Sir Robert du Bois, Knt. and Brother to that Sir Robert, who lies buried in the South Isle; He died about 1352."

Upon the ground, close to the arch, lies a large raised coffin-stone, with a cross on three grieces, the monument, perhaps, of his father; both which are here presented to your view.

There are two stones in the chancel disrobed of their inscriptions, but never had any arms or effigies.

On the south side of St. Anne's chapel, in the south isle, under the window, in an arch in the wall, lies an effigies of a knight, armed capà-pié, cut out of one piece of oak, which being in a dirty condition, I had it taken out and washed very clean, and upon removing it, found it hollowed and filled as the former, with burnt coals: the plank on which it lies was painted green, with flowers, grass, and leaves: the effigies is exact six feet, and proportionable in all parts; a sword hangs on