A medieval tradition of portraying the monarchs of the day in architectural sculpture continued into the twentieth century. Dozens of three-dimensional regal portraits now dot the Cathedral, from the Houses of Normandy to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

We have previously discussed the statues of King Henry I and Queen Matilda of Scotland, inserted in the West façade c.1160 (see Statue Swap). Monarchs can also be found adorning the Cathedral fabric from the thirteenth, fourteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The large archway on the east of the South Nave Transept terminates at either end in head stops featuring a crowned King and Queen. The dating of the nave transept to c.1240 (Alexander 2006, 162) suggests they represent King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence. Henry is noted as using his royal authority leniently, hoping to appease the more hostile barons and maintain peace in England. Historian David Carpenter judged him to have been a decent man, who nethertheless failed as a ruler because of his naivety and inability to produce realistic plans for reform.

 Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen consort of England as the wife of Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during his absence in 1253. Eleanor is depicted with a noticeable scowl, perhaps reflecting her unpopularity in the country. She was once pelted with stones, loose pieces of paving, dried mud, rotten eggs and vegetables in London.

Bishop Hamo de Hythe is credited with the insertion of the Presbytery sedilia on the south side of the high altar in the 1340s, requiring the removal of two Purbeck marble shafts. Two male head corbels were inserted as their terminators. Although neither are clearly depicted crowned, they bear a resemblance to King Edward II and  III, supported by their mid-fourteenth-century date. An unpopular King, Edward the II was deposed in 1327 after failed military campaigns in Scotland and aggressive taxation campaigns. He was succeeded by his son King Edward III.

At age seventeen Edward III led a successful coup d'état against his mother Isabella of France, and her lover Roger Mortimer, the de facto ruler of the country. The younger King Edward is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father,

Although no later medieval or Early Modern rulers are apparent in the architecture of the Cathedral, Rochester was considered Royalist during the Civil War. A large coat of arms of King Charles II hangs in the South Quire Aisle, originally more prominently placed over the Great West Door (find out more about Rochester, the Cathedral and Charles II in the years after the English Civil War in our previous post Black Boy Alley). Sculpted monarchs saw a renaissance in the Gothic Revival, in advance of Sir Gilbert Scott’s extensive restorations of the Cathedral in the mid-nineteenth century. Scott’s restorations at Rochester Cathedral are well documented and the date of each piece of fabric worked on is recorded. Though the head stops high on the east exterior elevation of the Presbytery have weathered beyond recognition, we know Scott’s work on the Cathedral occurred between 1871 and 1877 during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

Victoria’s 63 year reign was the second longest in the history of the United Kingdom, only overtaken by Elizabeth II in 2015. Parliament voted her the additional title of Empress of India in 1876. If Victoria is depicted, we can hazard a guess that the head stop opposite (perhaps on the south?), although also weathered beyond recognition, once depicted Prince Albert. Albert initially felt constrained by his role of prince consort, without power or responsibilities, but gradually developed a reputation for supporting public causes such as educational reform and the abolition of slavery worldwide.

The pulpitum was designed by John Loughborough Pearson RA and executed in Weldon stone by Nathaniel Hitch. Two small head stops terminate the label of the central archway. The completion of the pulpitum c.1904 falls in the reign of King Edward VII, the son of Queen Victoria (although this is a somewhat flattering depiction..). During the long reign of his mother, Edward was largely excluded from political power, and gained a reputation as a playboy prince. His own reign was noted for fostering good relations between Britain and other European countries, especially France, but his relationship with his nephew was poor - the German Emperor Wilhelm II.

Alexandra of Denmark was queen-empress consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress consort of India from 1901 until her husband’s death in 1910. Alexandra was generally popular, although largely excluded from wielding political power and unsuccessful in attempting to sway the opinion of British ministers and her husband's family to favour Greek and Danish interests. She also greatly distrusted her nephew Wilhelm II and supported her son George V during the First World War.

Interpreting the Cathedral’s hundreds of sculpted heads, figurative and grotesque sculpture is a major ongoing project and not without its pitfalls and unknowns, requiring specialists from the world of history, archaeology and architecture, botany, mythology, art and more! Noticed something wrong or missing? Let us know: jacob.scott@rochestercathedral.org

Jacob Scott

Research Guild