Misericord, English, oak, ca, 1419, from St Nicholas Chapel, King's Lynn

Misericord carved with a standing eagle grasping a live rabbit outside a burrow, while two other rabbits emerge from nearby holes, one under a tree. The seat bordered with a four-sided double moulding. Flanking the scene are two supporters in the form of stylised pomegranate fruit/flowers on a long tendril. Carved from a solid plank, with the two upper corners cut away to form 45 degree angles. The back roughly cleaned with an axe. With splits along the bottom edge where are cut two mortices for the original hinges (missing). A portion of the eagle's left leg missing.

This misericord is one of ten (W.6 to 12 and 52 to 54-1921) which were purchased by the V&A from the Architectural Association (34 & 35 Bedford Square, WC1), per Messrs Bricciani & Co. 254 Goswell Road, EC1., in 1921. The group was purchased in 1921 as part of a larger acquisition of fifty-eight pieces of woodwork for £500. It was originally assumed that all ten misericords were from St Nicholas Chapel, Kings Lynn until G.L. Remnant – in A Catalogue of Misericords in Great Britain , Oxford, 1969 – pointed out the differences in design in the seats.
It is now thought the misericords divide into two groups: one of six (W.6,9, 10, 11, 12 and 54-1921), which are still believed to be from St Nicholas and one of four (W.7,8,52 and 53-1921) which, while possibly still from East Anglia, are not now thought to be from St Nicholas. This misericord is one of the six still thought to come from St Nicholas.

The Chapel of St Nicholas, Kings Lynn was founded by William Turbe, Bishop of Norwich, 1146-74, for the use of the inhabitants of the 'New Lande' he had laid out for building north of the Purfleet. His chapel was pulled down and on its site was built a small chapel, the west end of which remains (probably dates to 1200-1210). The present building was constructed in the early years of the fifteenth century and completed about 1419. This misericord was part of the original fitted wooden furnishings and was sold by the church wardens of St Nicholas, along with other objects, in 1852 to the Royal Architectural Museum.

Four of the six misericords associated with the Chapel of St Nicholas, Kings Lynn have supporters forming letters. Although there are other examples of this feature (e.g. from Cartmel Priory) it is relatively unusual. The letters could be the initials of donors to the church. (In the case of St Nicholas this is a distinct possibility, as the rebuilding of the chapel at the beginning of the fifteenth century was funded by the citizens of Kings Lynn.) Tracy suggests that the devices on the supporters of W.6-1921 may point to one of the donors being a ship's chandler, an appropriate occupation in a thriving medieval seaport.

Another possibility is that all the letters are in some way related to each other and that, along with other letters on misericords now lost they meant something when the seating they adorned was arranged in a certain order - a motto perhaps.

It is possible that the letters relate to prayers. The letters on all four misericords are formed of the same pseudo-ribbon as that clasped between the hands of the kneeling figure on this misericord (W.9-1921). Again, parallels can perhaps be drawn with medieval manuscripts, which quite often used blank, ribbon-like banners or scrolls to symbolise the spoken word. It seems plausible, even likely, that the banner clasped by the kneeling figure represents prayer, either as a means of showing themselves at prayer and thus recommending themselves as a pious person worthy of the mercy of God, or to encourage the prayers of others, either for them as donor or in general.

Tracy says p. 66 that misericords with a bird of prey in the act of catching a rabbit are often seen, citing an example at Stowlangtoft (Suffolk) of about the same date. Francis Bond, Wood Carvings in English Churches, Misericords (London 1910), p.35 refers to examples in New College, Oxford and Wells Cathedral. "This [subject] may refer to the hostility of the eagle to the hare as the emblem of incontinence; but may be merely a record of woodland life, the eagle being a hawk or falcon."

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, to ease the strain of standing for long periods by providing a seat-rest.

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 humerous 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.

Information taken mainly from:
Church Misericords and Bench Ends, Richard Hayman, Shire Publications, Buckinghamshire, 1989 (no copy in the NAL)
The World Upside-Down - English Misericords, Christa Grössinger, Lonodn, 1997
(NAL = 273.H.95)

'Misericord' is the name given to the ledge supported by a corbel or bracket, set on the underside of the hinged seats in the choirs of churches. They had no religious function but gave some support to the monks and clergy in the long parts of the services when standing was required. This explains the name 'misericord', which comes from the Latin for mercy. The decoration was often amusing and sometimes moral.

The subject of a bird of prey in the act of catching a rabbit is not unusual on misericords. The rabbit hunt in medieval art often served as a conceit for the male lover's pursuit of the woman. However, the eagle, often a symbol of the Christian soul, can also suggest the demon who ravishes souls, when depicted as a bird of prey.

W.10-1921