St Joseph
James Powell & Sons
South aisle, All Hallows, Gospel Oak
1914
The elderly Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary, is depicted with lilies suggesting perhaps his celibacy before marrying Mary, and/or also the old legend that he was chosen for his biblical role because, among widowers whose sticks were collected, his alone burst into flower—a sign of his divine selection. The window was a memorial to Alfred George Boyden, who died in February 1914. The inscription describes him as having been a chorister and server, and genealogical records set his age at about eighteen (his birth was recorded in June 1895).
Photograph by John Salmon and text by Jacqueline Banerjee.
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