The Visitation, and the Baptism of Christ, by Clayton & Bell in St Matthew's, Ashford, Surrey

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The Visitation, and the Baptism of Christ

Clayton & Bell (attributed)

1877

St Matthew's, Ashford, Surrey

This lovely window, the first in the south aisle, is one of two here dedicated to the memory of Sir John Edward Harington. It depicts two popular scenes from the New Testament: Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth, and Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist. Over the figures in each light are a circle of angels, the first set with differently coloured wings, and the second pierced by a radiant stream of light descending from the hand of God, with the Holy Ghost as a dove hovering in the middle. [Commentary continues below.]

Photograph by John Salmon and text by Jacqueline Banerjee.

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According to the peerage, Sir John was a 10th Baronet, who had been born on 22 May 1821, and died at the age of 55 on 9 February 1877. He had been a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, and Deputy Lieutenant of Middlesex (Ashford was in Middlesex until it became a part of Surrey in 1965). He had married into the Brownrigg family — another name found in these memorial windows is that of Katharine Brownrigg. These were the sort of people who were benefactors of the church, and whose survivors chose to memorialise them in this way.

Related Material

Bibliography

Eberhard, Robert. "Stained Glass Windows at St Matthew's, Ashford, Surrey." Church Stained Glass Windows. Web. 12 March 2017.

peerage.com. Web. 12 March 2017.

Created 3 November 2016