The sedilia are very fine, and worthy of careful inspection.
The East Window consists of nine lights, and has been terribly mutilated, partly by fanatics, partly owing to lack of care within the last century. In design the window resembles the windows on the north and south sides of the chapel. It was erected in Abbot Farley's time (1472-1479), and possibly by a Thomas Compton, seeing that in the quatrefoiled circles in the heads of the lower lights there are rebuses—a comb with TÕ, and CÕ with a TON (for Compton), as well as two intertwining initials. Much of the glass seems to have been put in after removal from other windows in the cathedral, and this makes the deciphering of this window no easy undertaking.
The tiles in the Lady Chapel are of great interest, and one cannot help regretting their gradual deterioration under the feet, occasionally the hobnailed feet of visitors, and the slower but surer destruction by the accumulations of grit under the matting on the floor. They may be best examined by turning up the matting near the Clent tablet on the south wall.
On a pattern made up of sixteen tiles, four times repeated can be read, "Ave Maria gra' ple' Dus tecum" i.e. "gratia plena Dominus tecum." On others similarly designed, "Domine Jhu (Jesu) miserere." On others, "Ave Maria gra' ple'" and "Dne Jhu miserere." These tiles in square sets of sixteen and four respectively were placed alternately, and separated by plain dark bricks. On others again will be found "Orate pro Aiâ Johis Hertlond (pro anima Johannis)." Some too seem to have been transferred from Llanthony Priory to the south chapel. They are inscribed, "Timetib' deû nihil deest," i.e. "Timentibus deum nihil deest." There are others in the chapel, "Letabor in mia—et sethera," and "Deo Gracias."
The monument to Sir John Powell (1713) on the north wall is not beautiful, though a good specimen of its time. It is impossible not to regret that it was ever allowed to be erected in the chapel. Powell was a judge of King's Bench, and is here represented in his gown, hood, mantle, and coif.
Other monuments are those to Eliz: Williams, 1622 (the figure is raised on one elbow); to Margaret Clent, 1623, with a touching epitaph. On the floor, near the Williams monument is a small brass, concealed by matting, to Charles Sutton, an infant seven days old. The brass contains two Latin lines modelled on the lines of Ovid's "Tristia," and run:
"Parve, nec invideo, sine me, puer, ibis ad astra,
Parve, nec invideas, laetus ad astra sequar."
Many of the slabs on the floor will repay perusal, most of them being well cut and fairly well preserved. In Brown Willis' "Survey of Gloucester" will be found a full record of all the tombstones which in his time (1727) were in this chapel, but have since been removed or re-used.
Turning to the right on leaving the Lady Chapel, the north-east chapel, which is called Abbot Boteler's Chapel, is the next in order. It dates from 1437-1450. The reredos should be closely examined, as it retains many of its original features—viz. statuettes, traces of painting on the shields above, and a very good piscina.
The tiles in the floor are in many cases excellent specimens, especially those with fish upon them. It seems a pity that these tiles should be doomed to disappear under the nails of sight-seers, who as a rule look at nothing but the effigy of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and go away satisfied when they have proved for themselves that the effigy is of wood.