Fig. 165. William FitzAlan, earl of Arundel (ob. 1487), from his effigy at Arundel.
Fig. 166. Joan countess of Arundel, from her effigy at Arundel.
The monument in St. Peter's church, in Sheffield, of George earl of Shrewsbury (ob. 1538) and his two wives represents him in armour, with the mantle and collar of the Garter, and a coronet, now broken, about his head. His wives also have coronets, which are happily complete, and are composed of continuous series of twelve short points tipped with pearls. The earl's coronet seems to have had similar points, but with sixteen pearls instead of twelve.
The effigy circa 1500 at Whitchurch in Salop of that famous warrior, John Talbot earl of Shrewsbury, who was killed in 1453, also represents him in the mantle of the Garter over his armour and a coronet about his head. This is unfortunately badly broken, but seems to have resembled that on the Sheffield figures.
Besides these examples of coronets of earls and their countesses a few illustrations of those worn by dukes and duchesses may be cited.
It has been already noted that the shields on the monument of Humphrey duke of Gloucester (ob. 1446) at St. Albans are surmounted alternately by crested helms and by caps with coronets. These coronets have a richly jewelled circlet on which is set, instead of leaves, a series of what seem to be cups full of daisies, with small triplets of pearls between.
Another good coronet is to be seen on the effigy of Thomas Holand duke of Exeter (ob. 1447) on the monument formerly in St. Katharine's hospital by the Tower, now in the chapel in Regent's Park. The duke's coronet here is quite narrow, and composed of some eighteen or twenty trefoils set close upon a band (fig. [167]); but his two duchesses have coronets of triplets of pearls with intermediate single pearls, like those of the countesses of Westmorland at Staindrop (fig. [168]).