Monument of Sir John Manners and his wife, Dorothy Vernon.
This cornet and frieze surmount a semicircular arch, beneath which are the kneeling figures, facing each other, of Sir John Manners, in plate armour, and his wife, Dorothy Vernon, in close-fitting dress, with cap, and frill or ruff around the neck. Between them there is a pedestal, bearing the following incription:—“Here lyeth Sr John Manners, of Haddon, Knight, second sonne of Thoas, Erle of Rutland, who dyed the 4 of June, 1611, and Dorothie his wife, one of the daughters and heires to Sr George Vernon, of Haddon, Knight, who deceased the 24 day of June, in the 26 yere of the raigne of Queen Elizabeth, 1584.” Above the pedestal is a large shield, with quarterings of the armorial bearings of the families of Manners and Vernon and their alliances; the shields bearing the sixteen quarterings of Manners, differenced with a crescent, impaled with the twelve quarterings of Vernon. On the spandrels are also shields of arms, the one bearing Manners quartering Roos and two others; and the other, Vernon quartering Avenel and two others. The lower part of the monument contains four figures of the children of Sir John and his wife Dorothy, and two shields, the one bearing the arms of Manners, and the other those of Vernon.
At the opposite or north end of the chapel is a much larger and more pretentious monument, that of Sir George Manners, son and heir of Sir John Manners and Dorothy Vernon, and of his wife, Grace Pierrepoint. At the top is a large shield bearing the arms of Manners with its sixteen quarterings, and on each side is an obelisk. Beneath these is a massive and bold cornice, supported on Corinthian pillars, forming a recess in which is a semicircular arch, elaborately carved, and over it the inscription, “The day of a man’s death is better than the day of his birth.” Under this arch and cornice are the effigies of Sir George Manners and his wife, kneeling, and facing each other, while between them is a double desk, or lectern, on the front of which are the words—“Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up before thee,” and a shield bearing the arms of Manners impaling Pierrepoint. Behind the figures, on a tablet, is a Latin inscription, which has been thus translated:—“Sir George Manners of Haddon, Knt., here waits the resurrection of the just in Christ. He married Grace, second daughter of Sir Henry Pierrepoint, Knt., who afterwards bore to him four sons and five daughters, and lived with him in holy wedlock thirty years. She caused him to be buried with his forefathers, and then placed this monument, at her own expense, as a perpetual memorial of their conjugal faith, and she joined the figure of his body with hers, having vowed their ashes and bones should be laid together. He died 23rd April, 1623, aged 54. She died ——.” Sir George is represented in armour, and his lady is habited in close dress, with ruff, hood or coif, and long veil. Beneath the figures of the knight and his lady, the monument is divided into two heights, each of which is formed into an arcade holding the effigies of their children. The upper arcade consists of four semicircular arches, with shields of armorial bearings in the spandrels. Within the first of these arches is the effigy of the eldest son—a “chrisom child”—who died in infancy and is, as usual, represented bound up, mummy fashion, in swaddling-clothes; in the second, the kneeling effigy, in armour, of John Manners, who ultimately succeeded to the title of eighth Earl of Rutland; and in the third and fourth, those of two of the daughters. In the lower arcade, which is formed of five archways, the first two being semicircular and the remaining three pointed, are respectively the kneeling effigies of Henry Manners, who died at the age of fourteen, and is habited as a youth; Roger Manners, in armour; and three daughters. In the spandrels of the arches, as in the upper arcade, are a series of shields with armorial bearings. Over the nine arches are the nine inscriptions as follows:—Over the “chrisom child,” “Mine age is nothing in respect of thee;” over the son and heir, “One generation passeth and another cometh;” over the youth, Henry Manners, “My days were but a span long;” over the fourth son, Roger, “By the grace of God I am what I am;” over the daughters, beginning with the eldest, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband,” “The wise woman buildeth her house,” “A gracious woman retaineth honour,” “A prudent wife is from the Lord,” and “She that feareth the Lord shall be praised.” On the pedestal by Sir George, “Christ is to me both in death and life an advantage,” and on the opposite one, by his wife, “I shall go to him, he shall not return to me.” The arms on the shields are those of Manners, differenced with a crescent; Pierrepoint; Manners impaling Montague; Sutton impaling Manners; Howard impaling Manners; and the other alliances also impaled.
On the wall is a memorial to John Manners, son of Dorothy Vernon and her husband, Sir John Manners, with the inscription—“Heare lieth buried John Manners, gentleman, third son of Sr John Manners, Knight, who died the xvi day of July, in the yeere of our Lord God 1590, being of the age of 14 yeers.”
The most ancient, and certainly one of the most interesting, monuments in the church, is that of Sir Thomas de Wendesley, or Wensley, of Wensley, who was killed at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. It is an altar-tomb, with the recumbent effigy of the knight in plate armour, wearing the conical helmet or bascinet, and camail or tippet of chain mail, with gussets of the same at the arm-pits. His girdle, which is exceedingly rich, encircles his hips; the sword is lost, but the dagger remains. His surcoat is emblazoned with his arms, and he wears the collar of SS. On the front of the helmet is inscribed IHO NAZAREN.
In the chancel is an altar-tomb to John Vernon, 1477, the inscription on which runs as follows:—“Hic jacet Johis Vernon filius et heres Henrici Vernon qui obiit xii die mensis Augusti Anno Dni Mo cccclxxvii cuj anime piciet̄ dē;” and in the Vernon Chapel is an incised slab, with the arms of Eyre.
In the nave is a small but exceedingly beautiful monument bearing the half-length effigies, side by side, under an elaborately-crocketed canopy, of Sir Godfrey Foljambe and Avena his wife. The knight is represented in armour, with conical helmet or bascinet, and tippet of chain mail; his surcoat bearing the arms of Foljambe. The lady wears a reticulated caul. In each of the spandrels is a shield, the one bearing the arms of Foljambe, the other that of the family of Ireland, of Hartshorne, to which the lady belonged.
There are several tablets and inscriptions in various parts of the church which are worthy of a passing glance, and there are also some memorial stained-glass windows of good design. Among these is one in memory of the late Duke of Rutland, representing the Resurrection, bearing the following inscription:—“The above window was erected, by subscription, in memory of John Henry, Duke of Rutland, who died 20th January, 1857, aged seventy-nine years.” Others are put in to the memory of the late Mr. Allcard and of Mr. Jonathan Wilson and others.