Statues - Hither & Thither

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(University Church of St. Mary the Virgin)

Statues on the Tower of the University Church

sir George Frampton
13th century (copies)

Description

At the foot of the spire of the tower of the University Church are 12 statues in 24 shallow niches on the three faces of the pinnacles at the top of the buttresses, 12 niches are empty. A few statues has the name inscribed in the base.

Most of the depicted figures are unidentified. We base our list on the research of Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford (1897). The 12 statues lettered by him A to L.

The statues are there from the 13th century, two were replaced and one was refronted in 1852 (B, C, and D). For only three statues is sure who they represent (A, D, F, G and J), from the three copies of 1852 the originals are lost and only known from a print of 1674, from which it appears B had a crown, C a mitre and D neither. Three statues depict archbishops with the pallium (E, I and K) and two bishops (C and H). Statue C shows now the name of Walter de Merton.

In the late 19th century eleven of the statues were replaced by true copies made by George Frampton. For the three statues B, C and D of 1852 Frampton made new designs, for C the figure of Walter de Merton was chosen, since it is facing Merton College.

Oxford - Statues on the Tower of the University Church
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West side, south pinnacle:

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A. St. Mary with Child, the patroness of the church.
B. s. iohannes evan... - St. John the Evangelist, conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John - considered to be the same person as John the Apostle (Wikipedia)..
South side, west pinnacle:
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walt de merton eps. roc.. - Walter de Merton (c. 1205 - 1277), Bishop of Rochester and founder of Merton College (Wikipedia).
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South side, east pinnacle:
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D. s. iohannes bapt. - St. John the Baptist, (c. 6 BC- c. 36 AD), itinerant preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River. He baptized Jesus at "Bethany beyond the Jordan." (Wikipedia)..
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East side, south pinnacle:
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E. An archbishop, perhaps St. Thomas Becket, archibishop of Canterbury (looking towards his see).
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East side, north pinnacle:
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F. King Edward II, in whose time the tower was finished and by whom the church was given to Oriel college.
G. St. Hugh of Lincoln (c. 1135-1200), Bishop of Lincoln; In 1194, he expanded the St Mary Magdalen's Church Wikipedia). Shown with his tame swan.
North side, east pinnacle:
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H. A bishop, perhaps St. William of York.
I. An archbishop, Jackson concludes 'There is no clue to the identity of the personage represented'.
North side, west pinnacle:
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J. St. Cuthbert of Durham (c. 634 - 687), patron saint of Northern England (Wikipedia). He holds the head of St. Oswald in his hand
K. An archbishop, 'whose identity unfortunately must left to conjecture.'
West side, north pinnacle:
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L. A bishop, perhaps Richard of Wych, bishop of Chichester (Wikipedia).
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According to Vicar Ffoulkes the statues represent some of the prelates who attended in 1280 the translation of the relics of St. Hugh to the new choir in Lincoln: archbishop Peckham (E) and the archbishop of Dublin (I), each looking towards his cathedral; a bishop of Durham (H), facing his see, the archbishop of York (K) and a bishop of Salisbury (L). Ffoulkes takes the king to be Edward I, who also attended the translation of the relics. Jackson did not agree with this.

Sculptor

Sir George James Frampton, RA (London 1860-1928), British sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Philip Opher, Oxford Sculpture (Heritage Tours Publications, 2009).
Thomas G. Jackson, The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford (Oxford, 1897).

Location (N 51°45'10" - W 1°15'13")