The Church of St James the Great, Aslackby
The Royal Arms
Aslackby’s Royal Arms have hung in the store at the west
end of the north aisle for, probably, 150 years. It is
believed that they were originally in the chancel,
possibly the chancel arch itself judging by the pointed
arch shape. In the middle of the nineteenth century such
things were extremely unfashionable and were lost from
many churches. In the 1850s the chancel of Aslackby
Church was restored and it is most likely that the arms
were put out of sight at this time. They were
undervalued to such an extent that they were cut down to
fit the space behind the pillar in the store. The outline
can still be seen on the south wall. Here the arms
suffered greatly from damp, coal dust and general
neglect. In March 2008 the arms were carefully moved to
the present position to await conservation.
Many such paintings of Royal Arms of different periods
are to be found in churches; they were displayed as a
sign of loyalty to the Crown and obedience to the
Sovereign as Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Following the Restoration in 1660 the display of the
Royal Arms in churches was required by Statute. Such
images of the Royal Arms were quite often painted over or
altered as new monarchs succeeded.
This example shows a ‘full achievement’ of Arms: helmet,
mantling, crest, supporters and motto. The Arms on the
shield are one element of the full achievement and are
sometimes displayed by themselves. In the case of the
Royal Arms it is usual to show the full achievement.
Our Royal Arms are Hanoverian. The Elector of Hanover
inherited the throne following the death of Queen Anne
under the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1701, and
became King George I. The fourth quarter of the arms
(bottom right) show the new King's domains in Hanover
(Brunswick-Lüneburg-Westphalia, surmounted by the
Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire.
At this stage we cannot tell whether these arms were
placed here during the reign of George 1, George 11 or
George 111. But we do know that they are pre 1801 for
after that time the French arms in the second quarter
(top right) were removed.
The Parochial Church Council hopes to attract grants to
completely restore and re-hang the arms. To this end
Christian Duke and Associates have been engaged to
appraise the arms and carry out paint tests. These have
shown that the arms are of very good quality and an
important ‘find’.
The First Quarter:
The gold lions of England and the red lion of
Scotland
The Second Quarter:
The gold fleurs-de-lis of France
The Third Quarter:
The gold harp of Ireland
The
The
The
The
The
Fourth Quarter:
gold lions of Brunswick
blue lion of Luneburg
silver horse of Westphalia
gold crown of Charlemagne