Introduction
The wodewose
Seven Deadly Sins
The day of Doom
A medieval zoo
A hungry dragon
The pelican
Iconoclasm
A wealthy benefactor
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The great majority of depictions of medieval people in our medieval churches are folk to whom no name can be put - the local priest, perhaps, a man sowing crops, tilling the soil or playing music; anonymous persons enacting the sacraments or representing moral tales.
But here is a man of known identity - though perhaps he can hardly truly be called one of the common folk.
This is Robert Wingfield, benefactor of the church of St Peter and St Paul in East Harling, Norfolk, England.
Obviously not a poor man, he sided with the Yorkists in the Wars of the Roses, as can be seen by the white roses upon his collar. Visibly devout, he no doubt hoped to squeeze his way into the Kingdom of Heaven, like a camel through the eye of a needle, by paying for this wonderful window, probably the best in the county, which has 20 mostly biblical scenes, depicting the life, death and resurrection of Christ.