Dacre beast - The Dolphin

Carved, painted and gilded oak figure of a dolphin, bearing the medieval arms of the Greystoke family.

Accepted in lieu of inheritance tax by H M Government and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum; with additional funding from the Friends of the V&A, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, Mr Ralph Brocklebank, and the Old Possum's Practical Trust

Accepted in lieu of inheritance tax by H M Government and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum; with additional funding from the Friends of the V&A, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, The Art Fund, Mr Ralph Brocklebank, and the Old Possum's Practical Trust

The four Dacre beasts were loaned for display at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle Nov. 2000 - Jan 2001.

The Dacre Beasts were commissioned by Lord Thomas Dacre (1467-1525) in about 1520 and were displayed in the rebuilt hall at Naworth Castle, Cumbria. He was a formidable soldier who fought on the side of Henry Tudor against Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and with the Earl of Surrey against the French and the Scots at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Lord Dacre's prowess was epithomized by the battle cry "a read bull, a read bull, a Dacre, a Dacre". The crowned dolphin is the supporter of the Greystoke coat of arms. In 1488 Lord Dacre eloped with Elizabeth Greystoke (1471-1516), the heiress to the baronies of Greystoke and Fitzwilliam. Through his marriage Lord Dacre acquired Morpeth Castle and the manor of Henderskelfe, later rebuilt as Castle Howard. In 1577 Lord William Howard, son of the third Duke of Norfolk, married Elizabeth Dacre and the Dacre properties have descended in the Howard family. The barony of Gilsland was acquired through Ranulp de Dacre's marriage to Margaret de Multon in 1317. Ranulph de Dacre received a licence to crenellate Naworth in 1335. The beasts thus demonstrate the antiquity of the Dacres-one of the most powerfu Northern families-and the importance of two dynastic marriages.
They were probably made by local craftsmen from oak grown on the estate, although the names of the carvers and painters have not been recorded. Their design is derived from contemporary grants of arms to the Dacre, de Multon and Greystoke families. Dendrochronological analysis recently demonstrated that the single trunk of oak from which all four beasts were carved was felled between 1499 and 1549. Testing of the polychrome decoration has revealed at least three successive paintings on the Bull, the Ram and the Dolphin. Samples from the earliest decoration contain pigments available in the first quarter of the 16th century and are likely to form part of the original decoration. The Dacre Beasts have remained in the hall at Naworth since early 16th century.
The present decoration dates from the 1840s and was executed after the fire at Naworth of 1844. The staves and coats of arms held by the beasts also date from the mid-19th century. The present appearance of the Dacre Beasts reflects mid-19th century antiquarian interest. They were rescued from a major fire at Naworth in 1844, and restored in 1849 under the careful supervision of the Victorian architect Anthony Salvin (1799-1844) who wanted the new work to marry as closely as possible with the old. Repainting of the Dacre Beasts was done by a Mr Wilkinson.

Historical significance: The Dacre heraldic beasts are unique national survivors of free standing large-scale wooden heraldic sculpture from the English Renaissance. Although there is both written and pictorial evidence for contemporary Royal Beasts, the Dacre Beasts are apparently the only recorded surviving heraldic beasts representing a noble family. They are also of considerable regional interest as they represent one of the most powerful families in Northern England. These heraldic sculptures demonstrate the primitive nature of British art in the early 16th century before the impact of the Italian Renaissance later in the reign of Henry VIII.

The crowned dolphin figure comes from the coat of arms of the Greystoke family. Elizabeth de Greystoke, an heiress, eloped with Thomas, Lord Dacre in 1488. There has been much debate as to whether the creature represents a salmon or a dolphin. We use ‘Dolphin’ on the basis that the Greystoke ‘Dolphin’ is mentioned as such in Smith’s Ordonnances in 1599. There is no grant of supporters in evidence for the 1st Earl of Carlisle, whose title was created in 1661. (Information supplied by Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms to Dr Tessa Murdoch c2003). An eyewitness account of the Naworth fire of 1844 also refers to it as a dolphin.

Probably made 1507-1525; the banners added about 1844. There is a suggestion the beasts might have come from Kirkoswald, Cumbria.

Reason For Production: Commission

Object Type
The figure of a dolphin holding a banner, forms part of a group which, together with bull, ram and griffin, are known as the Dacre Beasts. The banner bears the medieval arms of the Greystoke family, which are represented by 'three cushions d'argent' (three silver-coloured diamonds). The Dacre Beasts are rare survivors of a tradition of heraldic ornament. They represent one of the most powerful families in northern England and are a unique survivors of free standing, large-scale wooden heraldic sculpture from the English Renaissance.

People
Elizabeth de Greystoke (1477-1516) was Thomas Lord Dacre's wife. The Dacres were one of the most powerful families in northern England during the Middle Ages.

Places
Naworth Castle, Brampton, Cumbria, was a family seat of the Dacre family from 1317 until 1577, when the Castle became the property of Lord William Howard through marriage to Elizabeth Dacre. Dacre Beasts have stood in the Hall at Naworth Castle since the early 16th century.

Materials & Making
The Dacre Beasts were probably made by unnamed local craftsmen from a single, large oak grown on the estate.

Additional Information
The Dacre Beasts were repainted in 1849 after the fire at Naworth in 1844. The poles and coats of arms held by the beasts date from the mid-19th century.

W.9:1 to 5-2000