Misericord of oak depicting a man pulling out his tongue with both hands, made for Blagdon Church, Somerset, 1500-1520.

Rectangular oak board with a narrow, rounded bracket in the centre, that serves as the ledge. Beneath the bracket is a carved head and torso of a man in a hooded cap with a rolled brim and two lappets. The man is pulling out his tongue with both hands, flanked by vine foliage extending from the bracket and terminating in naturalistic trefoils.There are two iron hinges on either side of the bottom of the board

Given by Mrs E. Davies

One of eight misericords removed from Blagdon church, Somerset about 1820. They are a mixture of figurative and purely decorative foliage carvings. The shape of the seats and the carving style compares very closely with the misericords at Worle church a few miles away. The treatment of vine leaves and grapes in both sets, and the use of cloaked human heads (see W.4-1948) strongly suggests that both sets of sculpture were by the same rustic carver. These misericords are examples of country craftsmanship at its best enlivened by naivety of inspiration and robustness of character. Since the subjects at Blagdon include feeding the swine, and Adam and Eve at their biblical occupations, it is quite possible that there was a Labours cycle here.

As it happens, the stalls at Worle can be dated precisely to the early years of the sixteenth century. One misericord there bears the letter P and the monogram R.S.P., the P probably standing for prior, and R.S. for Richard Spring, prior of Woodspring and vicar of Worle, 1499-1516. It is useful thus to be able to date the Museum's carvings, despite the appearance on the vine foliage misericord (W.5-1948) of the 'trefoil' leaf which first appeared at the beginning of the fourteenth century. Here is a good example of a country craftsman being stylistically behind the times and a possible instance of the tendency to historicism in the fifteenth century.

Notes from R.P. 47/2619

11 November 1947 letter Mrs E Davies to V & A
offers as a gift "eight 14th cent. miserere seats originally in Blagdon Church, Somerset". They were discarded when the church was repaired in the middle of the last century and then acquired by Mrs Davies' great grandfather, and later in possession of her father, Ernest Baker of Weston-s-mare. She notes the seats were once lent to the V & A.

12 November 1947 Minute paper Thorpe to Edwards
explains that the 8 misercords were removed @ 1820 from Blagdon Church, near Bristol. They date from the 15th century with subjects including Adam & Eve and the Prodigal Son. They were lent to the 1930 Medieval Exhibition at the V & A by Mr Ernest Baker F.S.A. (Mrs Davies father). Cat. No. 721 recorded in Baker's name (N.F. 5875/1925 - contact was Dr F C Eeles - Secretary of the Central Council For the Care of Churches, who once had an office at the Museum).

12 November 1947 letter Edwards to Mrs Davies
accepts her generous offer of the misercords, an "interesting" and "important addition to the collections".

Undated response from Mrs Davies
arranges to ship the misercords along with some oak fragments from Blagdon.

20 December 1947 Edwards note to Ashton
reports that the misercords were shown in the Medieval Exhibition and date from about mid 15th century "although not of outstanding quality" they are "obviously acceptable as a gift". He recommends that the carving fragments sent with the misercords be accepted as a courtesy but notes that they are "worthless".

Undated list of objects submitted on approval for gift
8 misercords mounted on 2 backboards comprising:

Backboard No. 1
Misercord No. 1 3 heads etc. W.4
2 Grapes and leaves W.5
3 Swineherd and swine W.6
4 Floral, leaves etc. W.7

Backboard No. 2
Misercord No. 1 Grotesque figure W.8
2 Adam & Eve W.9
3 Leaves & fruit W.10
4 Two figures, one seated W.11

30 December 1947 letter Ashton to Mrs Davies
acknowledging the misercord gift as "a valuable addition to our collections of medieval woodwork". He also accepts the fragments for inclusion in the reference section.

'Misericord' is the name given to the ledge supported by a corbel which is revealed when the hinged seats in medieval choir stalls are tipped up. The word comes from the Latin misericordia which means pity and alludes to the original function of the ledge.

The rule of St Benedict, introduced in the sixth century AD, required the monks to sing the eight daily offices of the Church (Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers and Compline) standing up. They were only permitted to sit during the Epistle and Gradual at Mass and the Response at Vespers. Such long hours spent standing was particularly arduous for the older and weaker monks and they soon adopted a leaning staff or crutch to help take the weight off their feet.

By the eleventh century the rules were slightly relaxed and misericords were introduced – the monks were able to perch on the ledge and lean back slightly, taking much of the weight off their feet whilst still giving the appearance of standing up straight. They were in use wherever the monks were required to sing the daily offices, including cathedrals, abbeys and collegiate churches. They sometimes even appeared in Parish churches.

The earliest mention of misericords appears in the eleventh century in the rules of the monastery of Hirsau in Germany. It is not known when they were introduced in Britain but the earliest surviving examples are found at Hemingbrough in North Yorkshire and Christchurch in Dorset. Both date from the early thirteenth century. The earliest complete set of misericords is in Exeter Cathedral and dates from 1240 to 1270.

The choir seat, the ledge and the corbel supporting it were made of a single piece of wood, usually oak. The corbel provided an ideal platform for medieval craftsmen to carve all manner of narrative scenes and decoration. British misericords differ from those elsewhere in Europe by having subsidiary carvings on either side of the central corbel. These are known as supporters and are often used to develop the theme introduced in the carving of the corbel.

Over half of the misericords in Britain are decorated with foliage but of those which do have narrative decoration, both in Britain and on the Continent, very few depict religious subjects. More common themes included scenes of everyday life and moral tales, often being depicted in a humorous way.

Whether, as has been suggested, the lack of religious scenes was because the hidden location of the misericords meant craftsmen were more free to be creative with their carving, or whether the monks would have thought it inappropriate to sit on images of Christ, Saints or biblical scenes is not known. However, their lack of overt religious content together with their concealed physical position probably contributed to a large number of them surviving the Reformation and still existing today.

References:
Church Misericords and Bench Ends, Richard Hayman, Shire Publications, Buckinghamshire, 1989 (no copy in the NAL)
The World Upside-Down – English Misericords, Christa Grössinger, London, 1997

Made for Blagdon Church, Somerset

The term 'misericord' is derived from the Latin word for 'mercy'. These wooden brackets were carved on the underside of choir-stalls, so that when the seat was folded away, they offered a discreet support to the standing monks during long services. They were often carved with worldly subjects but even these could have a moralising undertone.

Carved heads or masks appeared frequently on misericords throughout Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. The faces assume a variety of lively expressions, of which girning (making faces) and tongue-pulling are the most common. Subversive humour was often part of the design of misercords. This may seem at odds with the sober atmosphere expected of a church, but as they were only seen by the clergy, and not by the congregation, the carvers' imaginations were allowed free reign.

W.8-1948