The Windows

The Bennett Children's Window

Possibly the oldest stained glass window at St John's, this one is located towards the middle of the south aisle and it is believed to date from 1885, just 4 years after the church was built. The oldest light is the right light of  the two lights dedicated to different sisters of the Bennett family. This oldest light has a wonderful representation of Christ as The Good Shepherd, gently and lovingly bringing home a lost sheep (see Luke 15 verses 3-7 on the parable of the lost sheep).

It is dedicated "in loving memory of Dorothy Alice Bennett born January 23 1873 died March 22 1881" and the donor of the window is her mother, Mrs W S Bennett. The second sister was 17years old, "Muriel Hope Bennett born March 10 1875 died July 29 1892" and is remembered in the the left light. We know Mrs W S Bennett was still alive in 1898 because she was also the donor of the Backhouse Window. Mrs Bennett also seems to appear in the Parish Magazine of Nov 1900 as a subscriber to the new organ fund. It sounds as if she was quite a well-off woman too, if she could afford to pay for the installation of three separate lights. What a sad story of the parents losing two daughters at the ages of just 8 and 17 years and Muriel losing Dorothy when she was just 6 years old! Were there other children? Where did the money come from to pay for the windows, I wondered?

Thumbing through dusty, unwieldy and tattered old copies of The Cornishman for 1881 and 1892 I was able to discover that Dorothy Alice was the "second and beloved daughter of William Shepheard (unusual spelling) Bennett and Fanny Williamson Bennett" and they had then, in 1881, lived at 12, The Terrace, Penzance, presumably in Market Jew Street. Eleven years later, when Muriel Hope died, they had moved to Escot House in Morrab Road and Muriel is described as "the third and beloved daughter of W.S. Bennett, surgeon, of Penzance". Mr Bennett became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons and his profession probably explains where the money came from to pay for the various windows at St John's, although Mrs Bennett may have had a large private income of her own of course. Unfortunately we do not know the cost of either of these windows

The left light shows an angel but there is no indication as to which angel it might be. Jesus, referring to children in Matthew 18 v 10 says, "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father..." This appears to be the origin of the idea of a child's "guardian angel", albeit the child in this case was a young adult of 17.  There is mention of this light by the Vicar, The Rev'd Townend, in the October 1893 Parish Magazine, as follows, "....Miss Muriel Bennett, who used to worship at St John's, and who is now in God's Paradise awaiting the great day of the Lord. It is a pleasure to us to have a memorial of one of our regular communicants, and as we look at the figure of the angel.......we shall remember how she used to partake of 'angel's food', and how she is now being ministered to by the angels who carried her soul to the Paradise of God." The angel shown is dressed is a deep red robe with a golden shawl and has magnificent golden wings. 

The manufacturer of these two lights is understood to be the firm of Lavers, Barraud & Westlake who were founded in 1856 and where Westlake was the chief designer. The Diocesan Adviser on Stained Glass, Michael Swift, who incidentally did a full survey at St John's in April 2003 including a photographic record, says that there are the usual signs to identify this as a Westlake window, namely the details of the vegetation, the similarities of the canopies at the top of each light, the inscriptions at the bottom of the windows and the style in which the faces are painted. A detail of the face of the Good Shepherd is reproduced with this article and I am indebted to Sharon Clifton for this copy, the original of which is in colour. The vegetation in the right light appears to include oak leaves and clover leaves with daises and marguerites at the bottom. Compare the faces in the two lights as well as the long thin fingers of Christ and the angel. Finally, the left foot of each figure also bears comparison. Personally I think the older light with the Good Shepherd is of a better quality than the later angel and this may reflect a deterioration in the standards within the firm's craftsmen or the fact that the donor couldn't afford so much for the later light.

I have yet to discover anymore about this particular Bennett family and their other involvement with St John's, so if there is anybody reading this who might know, as usual I would be interested to hear from them. For information the writer has recently been asked by the PCC to become archivist to St John's, especially in view of the church's forthcoming celebration of it's 125th Anniversary in 2006. If you think you might have any items of interest or further information about the history of the church or those attending it please do not hesitate to mention it to me. The "church" is after all made up of people and is not simply the building in which we worship. 

The Dorcas & Lydia Window

There is an intriguing and poignant story attached to this window but before we delve into that there are other aspects to be looked at first.

This large and colourful window is in the south transept and immediately to your right before you go down the stairs to the Community Room. Because it faces south and receives plenty of sunshine and daylight generally the glorious colours of the glass are shown to great advantage and in all sorts of conditions throughout the year.It is one of the more recently installed windows, having been dedicated in 1955, and so well within the living memory of several of the older members of our congregation.

The window is dedicated to the memory of "Mrs Ellen Carhart Lane (nee Tregoning), a former Mayoress of Penzance who was born on 19 Sept 1879, married on 11 August 1903 and who died on 2 August 1953." She was the wife of Willie Herbert Lane, a Justice of the Peace and Mayor of Penzance in 1925-26 and a County Alderman, hence the initials CA after his name.

The window comprises three lancets or sections with the largest middle light featuring the Ascended Christ above a depiction of a woman distributing alms to the poor. The inscription at the bottom of the central window says "Full of good works and almsdeeds which she did" (Authorised Version) and so it must refer to Dorcas. The left light shows Dorcas holding a baby and comforting a young child. The story of Dorcas or Tabitha is recounted in Acts 9 from v36 onwards. She "was devoted to good works and acts of charity" as the New Revised Standard Version says and she made "clothing". In the right light Lydia is shown with purple cloth over her arm, a businesswoman from Thyatira and a "dealer in purple fabric" (Acts 16 vv14-15). She offered hospitality to Paul & Barnabas on their first missionary journey. We can reasonably assume that Mr Lane wished his wife to be remembered for her charitable works and it would be good to know exactly which organisations locally she was involved with or supported. The Ascended or Risen Christ expresses the certainty that Mrs Lane too had the hope of eternal life.

This window cost Mr W H Lane in the region of £1,000, a lot of money in 1954, when the commission was given to the firm of William Morris of Westminster. This William Morris of Westminster was quite separate from the famous Victorian craftsman, poet, socialist and designer of furniture and wallpaper. The actual designer of the windows at the firm of William Morris is understood to be Frederick W Cole. The firm's "signature", a Westminster-like portcullis, is clearly shown in the bottom right hand corner of the right light and just visible from ground level, and the work is dated 1954. The three windows manage to mention the entire immediate family as the three children, Vera, Doreen and Thurstan are shown on the inscription beneath the left Dorcas light and this illustrates how significant some stained glass windows can be to family historians especially as it includes Mrs Lane's maiden name of Tregoning, and her dates of birth, marriage and death.

Other interesting features of this window when looked at closely are the nail marks in the hands and feet of the Ascended Christ, the Dove of the Holy Spirit at the top of the central window and the "XP" motif beneath Christ's feet The XP monogram or symbol being the first two letters in Greek, ChiRho, of Christ's name, often used in early Christian art and on some Cornish Celtic crosses. Look also for the townscapes behind Dorcas and Lydia depicting Joppa, the home town of Dorcas and Thyatira, the home city of Lydia. However it is possible that the latter is in fact the city of Philippi where Paul met and converted Lydia. The bright red heart motif towards the top of the left light possibly symbolises compassion and the lit oil lamp above Lydia's head, perhaps symbolises being ready for hospitality or service to others. The differing expressions on the faces of the three prinicipal figures are also well worth closer scrutiny.

The "story behind the story" referred to at the start of this article is simply this. In July 1952 permission had been sought by Mr & Mrs Lane to install a window to commemorate their forthcoming 50th or Golden Wedding Anniversary in August 1953. Very sadly Mrs Lane died just 9 days before that anniversary and so her husband decided to turn the window into a commemoration of his late wife instead. Sadly a very human drama has left us with this fine legacy of a trio of beautifully coloured windows reminding us of the importance of our Christian faith leading to "good works and acts of love". As the Letter of James puts it "But be doers of the word and not merely hearers". As usual, if anyone knows anything further about this window the writer would be pleased to hear from them.

The East Window -Every Picture Tells A Story

Why was this window installed? It was installed as a memorial to Queen Victoria following her long reign. The subject is The Ascension of our Lord. The Queen died on 22 January 1901 and the window was unveiled on Easter Eve 1901, so there was some very swift work done. The large brass memorial to Queen Victoria also honours the memory of soldiers who died in  the South African/Boer Wars at the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. The full text of this memorial, which is on the right hand wall of the communion rail as you face the altar reads,

"To The Glory of God The East Window of this church was dedicated on Easter Eve AD 1901

In reverent memory of the noble Christian life the womanly sympathy and the bright example of QUEEN VICTORIA during her reign of 63 years AD 1837-1901 And in honour of her brave soldiers who died in South Africa AD 1899-1902 for Queen and Country."

So the brass memorial itself wasn't put in until 1902 at the earliest and at a time when the British Empire had probably reached its zenith. Britain was one of the Superpowers of the day and with the S African wars had introduced the concept of the "concentration camp" for Boer civilians. Look closely at the memorial and you will see two beautifully engraved designs of soldiers showing them holding a wreath in each hand whilst they support a central wreath around the words of the entire memorial. It is not known now if any St John parishioners were amongst the war dead but it seems more than likely. Thus all stained glass windows teach us social history as well.

How much did it cost to install? So far I have been unable to find out but the search will continue. And who raised the money or donated it? Was it the Parishioners themselves or wealthy benefactors? Again I have been unable to find out so far but it may be that some reader of an older generation may have some useful information on these points; if so, I would love to hear from them.

The detail of the window is of interest too. Note the nail prints in the hands of the Risen Christ. And who is the woman in the window beneath Christ's feet, as there is no mention in the New Testament records of a woman being present at The Ascension? It is of course Mary, the mother of Jesus, who has been traditionally represented since medieval times as always wearing blue and having her head covered. A careful scrutiny of the the Latin inscription on the left and right lights is difficult because of the saddlebars of the windows but to paraphrase, it seems to say "Men of Galilee, why stand there looking up into the sky?" The lowest panels of each light, which are partially obscured by the splendid reredos or screen, show in the left corner the disciple John leading Christ's mother from the Crucifixion, the centre panel showing two angels and the three Marys at the empty tomb (Luke 24 v 10), and the right hand panel the risen Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene and saying "Do not touch me" (John 20 v 17). Mary Magdalene, in stained glass, is usually shown with red clothing and no covering on her head.

Is it the original east window as most of us assume? No! The diocesan records show that an earlier "coloured glass" was installed there in 1889 by "the worshippers", so presumably it is the third east window, the original, from 1881, being of plain clear glass presumably. The manufacturers of the 1901 window were Messrs.Clayton & Bell of London, well-known both then and later but no longer in existence. The designer may have been John Clayton.

As Richard Coombs, a former Dean of Spokane, has commented about the importance of various aspects of fine stained glass windows, "the most important is spirituality.....a window should tell of the eternal, not the transitory, qualities of its subject, speaking not of flesh and blood but of the spirit of man and the Holy Spirit of God".  Whilst gazing at the east window we too can say "The Lord is Risen, the Lord is Risen indeed!"

The Francis, Giles and Animals Window

On 4th October each year we celebrate the Feast of St Francis and it was also the day when St John's Church was consecrated in 1881 by Bishop Benson, the first Bishop of Truro. We now have a St Francis Chapel, dedicated in Feb 2002 by the current Bishop of Truro, in the adjacent north transept.

The only actual reference to this window in the church guide, One Hundred Years at St John's, is "On the north side of the church is the window in memory of the Rev'd A G Coombs". The window consists of two lights, St Giles in the left light and St Francis in the right light. The wording or dedication of the window states that it is "In Remembrance of Arthur Grosvenor Coombs MA Vicar of this Parish 1939-1950. The church guide simply says "(he) had the disturbed period of the Second World War to deal with. Many men from the church and parish went into the forces and a large number of evacuees came temporarily to live in our midst. Mr Coombs eventually removed to Old Windsor where he died after a short ministry."

It is thought that although the window was in memory of The Revd Coombs it was not actually installed until sometime in the 1970s, possibly after the death of his second wife. At present the cost is not known but enquiries are continuing to see what further information can be gleaned from the Faculty granted for the insertion of this particular window.

The manufacturer of the window is clearly stated in the bottom right hand corner of the Francis light and was produced by "G.Maile Studios 10-12 The Borough Canterbury Kent." This inscription is on the firm's "logo" or "trademark" which is a gloved or gauntletted right hand in the colour gold. There are many similarities in style between this window and the Elizabeth and John the Baptist light, also along the north aisle, which suggest strongly that the same firm produced all three lights, possibly around the same time.

This window is my personal favourite amongst all the stained glass windows of St John's and is partly because of the beautifully light coloured glass used and the simple yet very effective designs employed. In addition extra light is allowed by the predominantly plain glass surrounding each figure thus enhancing the overall effect. God's concern for animals in also shown in each light with St Giles protecting the hind which had been hunted and shot at and St Francis's famous incident of his preaching to the birds.

According to David Farmer's Oxford Dictionary of Saints (1997) Giles, a hermit, was born in the early 7th century and founded a monastery in Provence. He became an immensely popular saint in the Middle Ages. In England at least 162 ancient churches were dedicated to him and at least 24 hospitals, the most famous of which are in Edinburgh and at Cripplegate, London. The legend behind the representation shown of St Giles is that a King Wamba was out hunting in the forest and shot at the hind but missed and instead the arrow lodged in Giles' thigh thus wounding and crippling him. Giles hermitage was deep in that forest. He became the patron saint of cripples, lepers and nursing mothers, based upon the story of him giving shelter to the hind. His feast day is remembered on 1st September.

Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) founded the Franciscan Order and is probably the most popular and influential saint since his death and he is currently enjoying something of a renaissance in the West generally and in Britain in particular at the present time. He was a very practical mystic who lived in great poverty but also with great joy and he literally embraced lepers. Farmer writes "Francis's close rapport with the animal creation, based on episodes in The Little Flowers has often inspired artists. His preaching to the birds was and is a favourite scene from his life...this affinity with animals emphasizes his consideration for, and sense of identity with, all elements of the physical universe, as seen in his Canticle of the Sun. It is this which makes him an apt patron of natural conservation." According to The Little Flowers the birds may have been swallows at the village of Carmano or, as noted in Adrian House's book on St Francis (2001)  "at a hamlet called Pian d'Arce where he preached to a large gathering of crows, jackdaws and pigeons." Certainly the birds represented in the St John's light appear to most resemble swallows with their distinctive forked tails.

At this distance in time we may not know in detail why these two saints were chosen to commemorate The Rev'd Coombs but it is possible he had a special interest in animals. What we do know about him is that after the tragic death of his first wife he married a Miss Sainsbury of St John's Choir and they moved away. After his death Mrs Coombs returned to live in this parish. I am indebted to a number of the members in the congregation who can still recall in outline something of The Rev'd Coombs. Any further memories of him would be gratefully received by the author.

"DOUBLE TRAGEDY HITS MICHELL FAMILY"

1908 was not a good year for Sir Lewis Michell of Penzance. In late July of that year his brother, John Hingeston Michell, aged 59, died and barely a month later in August his daughter, Ethel May Michell, who was aged 27 or 28, also died. The Michell window is the result and is the window in the south aisle nearest to the front of St John's church.

The left light is in memory of Sir Lewis Michell's daughter and consists of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a very young Jesus, whose arms are already outstretched as a symbol of the manner in which he was to die on the Cross. The right light commemorates his brother and is an illustration of John the Evangelist or the Apostle who has a number of artistic emblems associated with him, either an eagle, a chalice with a viper in it or, as shown here, a book and pen, representing his writing of the fourth Gospel.

John is patron saint of theologians, writers and all who work in book production. John, as one of the disciples, witnessed both the Transfiguration, Christ's agony in the garden of Gethsemane and was also at the foot of the Cross when Christ enjoined him to look after Mary, as though she were John's own mother. He is also familiarly known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved", John 19 v 26 & 27 and was an eye-witness to the resurrected Christ. The Apostle John is traditionally thought to also be the author of the three Letters of John found towards the end of the New Testament. The quotation in these windows is from 1 John 1 v 2 and says "for the life was manifested and we have seen it", and being 1908 the Authorised Version was the one quoted.

Beneath the left light the wording is "To the glory of God and in loving memory of Ethel May Michell born Jan 17 1881 died Aug 19 1908. This window is dedicated by her sorrowing relatives". The Cornish Telegraph newspaper of 27 August 1908 describes Sir Lewis Michell as "our distinguished townsman" and explained that his daughter actually died at his other residence at Powylsea in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Moreover the deceased Ethel's husband, Mr Robert C Michell, HBM (His Britannic Majesty) was abroad at the time of her unexpected death as he was Consul at Kertch in the Crimea. She was buried at Penzance Cemetery after a funeral service at St John's conducted by the Vicar, Ther Rev'd T F Maddrell and the curate, The Rev'd S J Daltry. One curious thing is that the newspaper report says Ethel May was born in1880 but the stained glass window says 1881; it seems more likely that the paper got the incorrect date than the window manufacturer who would have obtained the date from the family. The manufacturer of these two lights is clearly shown in the bottom right hand corner of the right light and is "Percy Bacon Bros. of 11 Newman Street, London W ". This is the only window made by them in St John's as far as we know.

The same clergy had conducted the funeral service of John Hingeston Michell a month earlier. The Cornish Telegraph reported that "We record with deep regret the death of Mr John Hingeston Michell, brother of Archdeacon (the Venerable F R Michell) & Sir Lewis Michell, which took place at Lescudjack House (which was located approximately where Treassowe Road & Penrose Gardens now stand)...Mr Michell only a short time since returned to Penzance in ill health, but despite the utmost that medical skill could do, he succumbed at the comparatively early age of 59 years. His inscription reads, "To the glory of God and in loving memory of John Hingeston Michell who fell asleep July 23 1908."  

The windows themselves were installed and dedicated at All Saints Tide on 7 November 1908 according to the Truro Diocesan Kalendar held at Diocesan House. Although we don't know the cost of these lights or exactly who paid for them it seems obvious that "the sorrowing relatives" would have included Sir Lewis Michell, Archdeacon Michell and Ethel May's husband, Mr Robert C Michell.

Particular things to look out for in these lights are the splendid facial features of both Mary and John. Their robes and hems are resplendent especially in the right, bright weather conditions. Also worth noting is the detail of the borders surrounding these lights with an interesting and exquisite variety of motifs which include crowns and what appears to be flames or tongues of fire.

Suggest title of "The Mother & Son Window"

Turning immediately to your left on entering the church, take a few paces and you will find yourself looking at a window of some contrast, with our patron saint, John the Baptist, featured in the right light and St Elizabeth teaching her son, the young John the Baptist, in the left light.

The two windows have many differences between them, not least the dates when they were inserted.

The "John" window was inserted in 1914 and was installed "In Loving Memory of Edward Townend MA Vicar of This Parish 1883-1896 Entered Into Rest 1913". He was only the second Vicar of St John's and according to the publication "One hundred years at St John's" he was "a quiet hard worker and was made an honorary Canon of Truro Cathedral". The manufacturer was J Wippell & Co. Ltd. of Exeter & London, as indicated in the bottom right hand corner of the window; incidentally this is not always the place to find the manufacturer's mark, as we shall see with some of the other windows.

As to the representation of the Baptist himself he is shown as bearded and wearing rather more than the description in Matthew 3 v 4 of "a rough coat of camel's hair, with a leather belt round his waist" (NEB). He is waving a warning right arm in the air and declaring of Christ, "Behold The Lamb of God" as indicated by the Latin wording "Ecce Agnus Dei". In the background we can see the blue River Jordan where John baptised Christ and the Lamb at his right foot indicates Christ. Sometimes in stained glass windows the Baptist is represented with a lamb and a white flag with a red cross on it, indicating the shedding of Christ's blood for us. On other occasions John the Baptist is shown as holding a staff in the form of a foliated cross, foreshadowing Christ's death on the cross. Finally,  with our window, John is holding a shell in his left hand, a symbol more usually associated with St James the Great.

The much brighter left hand light was installed in the late 1970s and is the newest window in the entire church. The inscription is self-explanatory. "This window is erected to the Glory of God and to Commemorate The Centenary of the Mothers' Union 1876-1976" It is not certain as to who made it but the Diocesan Adviser on Stained Glass suggests that it bears a great likeness in style and colour to the St Giles/St Francis window further along in the North aisle and the latter window was made by the firm of G Maile Studios of Canterbury as shown in the bottom right hand corner of that window. Some present members of the congregation, especially those associated directly with the Mothers' Union, recall this window being installed. Alas it was vandalised some years ago and the cost of repairs amounted to about £800-900, more than the original cost of installing the "Mothers' Union" window at £599.34.

In this window, in my opinion one of the most beautiful in the whole church with its gorgeously coloured glass, the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth, is teaching John to read whilst he carries a staff. It also represents one of the central objects of the Mothers' Union of supporting family life whilst educating children. All we know about Elizabeth is recorded in Luke 1. St John's has had a branch of the Mothers' Union since 1923, and with a current core of 15 or so members, still continues to meet regularly today on the first Wednesday in each month. It is now open to men and women of all ages and has its own noticeboard of activities at the back of the church. Barbara Jory continues to be the MU contact on tel. Pz 368876, and I am indebted to her for some of the information about the MU centenary window. We should be grateful that we not only have a beautiful Mothers' Union window but that we still have an active branch here at St John's.

Finally, look for the shell at the top of the window which parallels the shell in the adjacent window, held by John himself. This is something of a mystery with these two windows - why the shell?