On the other side of the steps the handsomer Ramryge Chantry commemorates Abbot Thomas Ramryge, who also has a rebus—a ram wearing a collar with the letters R. Y. G. E. upon it. He entered office in 1492, and, strange to relate, no details of his rule are known. The date of his death is also a blank. Yet here is his fine monument in the Perpendicular style.
Behind the Wallingford Screen lies the Saint’s Chapel, with the Shrine of St. Alban in the centre.
“The bones of St. Alban were of course counted as the chief treasure of the Abbey, in some respects the most valuable relics in the kingdom, since they were the bones of the first Christian martyr in the island. It was meet and fitting, then, that the most splendid resting-place should be chosen for them. The bones themselves were enclosed in an outer and an inner case; the inner was the work of the sixteenth Abbot, Geoffrey of Gorham (1119-1149), and the outer of the nineteenth Abbot, Symeon (1167-1183). These coffers were of special metal encrusted with rich gems. It is recorded that the reliquary was so heavy that it required four men to carry it, which they probably did by two poles, each passing through two rings on either side of the coffer. It is said to have been placed in a lofty position by Abbot Symeon; but the pedestal of which we see the reconstruction to-day was erected during the early part of the Fourteenth Century, in the time of the twenty-sixth Abbot, John de Marinis (1302-1308). This was built of Purbeck marble and consists of a basement 2 feet 6 inches high, 8 feet 6 inches long, and 3 feet 2 inches wide, above which were four canopied niches at each side and one at each end; these were richly painted and probably contained other relics; in the spandrels were carved figures, at the corners angels censing. At the west end was a representation of St. Alban’s martyrdom; on the south side in the centre was, and still is, a figure of King Offa holding the model of a church; in the next spandrel to the east the figure of another king; on the east side a representation of the scourging of St. Alban, and on the north other figures, of which the only one remaining is that of a bishop or mitred abbot. In the pediments or gables were carvings of foliage, and round the top of the pedestal ran a richly-carved cornice; round the base stood fourteen detached shafts, on which perhaps the movable canopy rested, and outside three other shafts of twisted pattern on each side, which carried six huge candles, probably kept burning day and night, certainly during the night, to light the chamber holding the shrine. On this lofty pedestal, 8 feet 3 inches high, the glorious shrine rested. It was rendered still more ornate than it was in Abbot Symeon’s time by the addition of a silver-gilt turret, on the lower part of which was a representation of the Resurrection with two angels and four knights (suggested by the guard of Roman soldiers) keeping the tomb. A silver-gilt eagle of cunning craftsmanship stood on the shrine. All these additions were given by Abbot Thomas de la Mare (1349-1396). A certain monk also gave two representations of the sun in solid gold, surrounded by rays of silver tipped with precious stones. Over all was a canopy which, like many modern font-covers, was probably suspended by a rope running over a pulley in the roof, by which it might be raised. There is a mark in the roof remaining, possibly caused by the fastening of the pulley. An altar, dedicated to St. Alban, stood at the west end of the pedestal.
“Such a precious thing as this jewelled shrine and the still more precious bones within it could not be left for a moment unguarded and unwatched, for stealing relics, when a favourable opportunity arose, was a temptation too great to be resisted by any monks, however holy. So on the south side of the shrine was erected a watching loft; the one that remains was constructed probably during the reign of Richard II., and his badge appears on it, but, no doubt, from the first there was some such place provided for the purpose of keeping guard. The chamber had two stories: the lower contained cupboards, in which vestments and relics were kept, these are now filled with various antiquarian curiosities, Roman pottery from Verulamium, architectural fragments, etc. An oaken staircase leads up into the chamber where the ‘custos feretri’ sat watching the shrine day and night, guard of course being changed at intervals. It must have been trying work watching there during the night-time in frosty weather, but monks were accustomed to bear cold. The watching chamber was built of oak and was richly carved. On the south side of the cornice are angels, the hart—badge of Richard II., the martyrdom of St. Alban, Time the reaper, and the seasons; on the north the months of the year are represented.”—(T. P.)
On the south side is buried Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of Henry IV., brother of Henry V., and uncle of Henry VI. He died in 1447. The handsome tomb was probably erected by the Abbot Wheathampstead, who was a great friend of Duke Humphrey’s.
In the north aisle of the Saint’s Chapel we come to the pedestal of the Shrine of St. Amphibalus ([see page 362]). It stood in the centre of the retro-choir until Lord Grimthorpe removed it to its present position.
An oak screen separates the Saint’s Chapel from the Retro-Choir. This is Lord Grimthorpe’s work, and through it we pass. The Retro-Choir dates from the end of the Thirteenth Century, and has been greatly restored. In the centre once stood the shrine of St. Amphibalus (now removed to the north aisle of the Saint’s Chapel), and there were several altars: to Our Lady of the Four Tapers; to St. Michael; to St. Edmund, King and Martyr; to St. Peter; and to St. Amphibalus.
The Lady-Chapel, greatly restored, dates from the latter part of the Thirteenth and early part of the Fourteenth Centuries. Several changes of style may be noted. The side windows are fine examples of the Decorated, and the statuettes ornamenting the jambs and mullions still remain. The eastern window of five lights is a strange combination of tracery and tabernacle work. Originally the Lady-Chapel was separated from the retro-choir by a screen. The glass in the windows is modern, and the stone vaulting is also modern. Historical associations are numerous.
Beneath the floor lie the hated Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, grandson of John of Gaunt; Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, son of the famous Hotspur; and Thomas, Lord Clifford: whose bodies were found lying dead in the streets of St. Albans, after the first battle in 1455, in which they fell fighting for the Red Rose party.
Beyond the eastern bay on the south side was built the Chapel of the Transfiguration, dedicated in 1430. Of late years this addition was rebuilt for a vestry. The walls were made lower than the original ones, so as to show the fine window above that consists of a traceried arch within a curvilinear triangle, beneath which is a row of niches. Beneath these is a very fine row of sedilia and piscinœ. The carving in the new chapel is very naturalistic, and represents the poppy, buttercup, primrose, gooseberry, rose, blackberry, pansy, ivy, maple, and convolvulus and other local flowers and leaves.