There is an abundance of fascinating carvings on the underside of the seats in the Choir. These carved ledges are known as ‘misericords’ because they provided merciful relief to the monks as they stood for hours in prayer. These carvings are mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries and reveal a world of imagery and an insight into the musings of the medieval mind.
Samson and the lion
The carving is extraordinarily rich and detailed but unlike the roof bosses in the Nave and Transepts, the misericords give no special preference to scriptural themes. Most of the misericords date from the period of two Bishops, twenty-two from the time of Bishop Wakering (1416 - 1435) and thirty-five from the time of Bishop Goldwell (1472 – 1499).
Several of the local gentry helped pay for the rebuilding of the choir under Bishop Wakering and their support was recorded for posterity by their coats of arms on the misericords. Sometimes the gentry are depicted themselves such as the carving of Sir William Wingfield and his wife Margaret who stand side by side with the wife holding her husband’s gauntleted hand.
There are a few religious subjects such as Samson struggling with a lion but apart from the references to donors most of the carving consists of animal forms with allegorical significance. There are evil-threatening wyverns (two-legged dragons) with outstretched wings and grimacing snouts; there are dragons fighting lions; a lion in a stand-up struggle with a collared bear; and a naked man assailed by a wyvern, a dragon, and a lion simultaneously. The choice of subject, the imaginative use of the very limited space available, and the skill of the carver are all remarkable.
Gluttony riding on a sow
Allegory is even more prevalent in the carvings of the 1480s misericords. A wild man with a monstrous club has subdued and chained a lion; a warrior with lance and shield fights with a griffin, a mythical creature with the front part of an eagle and the rear part of a lion; Green Men look out menacingly from their foliate faces.
Some of the seven deadly sins are also represented.
- Gluttony is shown riding on a fat sow. He has a pot belly and a feeding bowl dangles on a cord from his neck. He is tipping a tankard towards his mouth and the drink spills down his neck as his hat falls off the back of his head.
- Lust dressed in a netted tunic, is shown riding on a stag, grasping its antlers with one hand and holding a squirrel in the other hand. The image of a horned stag is often used to depict lust.
Sir William Wingfield and his wife
To find out more
If you are interested in the misericords of Norwich Cathedral, we stock both books and replicas in our Gift Shop in the Nave and online.
Dragon and lion fighting
Lust riding on a stag