Many old English churches house monumental brasses. Made of flat sheets of brass, the pieces are engraved with figures, coats of arms and sometimes inscriptions. They are set in a stone slab on the floor or wall of the church. Some are over 600 years old.
In great Britain during the Middle Ages the social systems were such that each local lord of the manor dominated the village and the church. When the lord died, he was commemorated in his local abbey, cathedral, or village church according to his status.
Through the twelfth century stone and marble memorials, mostly recumbent statues were the usual forms of memorial. These statues filled every available space, wore badly and probably were not the medium for eternal memorials.
Memorial engravings on brass plates were more durable. Space savers, they could be walked upon and cost no more than marble or stone.
Brass plates were brought from Cologne, France. Transportation costs were enormous. Brass was brought slowly and laboriously by horse and cart or down river by boat to the sea, then by boat across the channel and the North Sea and finally along muddy, stony roads by horse and cart to the engravers’ workshops.
The earliest English brasses date from 1275. The early fifteenth century produced the finest monumental brasses. The indents in the floors of the early churches remind us of the thousands and thousands of brasses. Many of the finest were destroyed by the wholesale destruction of the great abbeys, the Cromwellians who plundered and the Royalists who used brass for munitions. Elizabeth I issued edicts strictly forbidding any damage or mutilation of monuments to the dead and demanded restoration and repair of damaged monuments. Brasses that survived other disasters offended Victorians who ripped them up and laid tile.
From the remaining military, ecclesiastical and civilian brasses, we learn much about the life, fashion, armor and customs of the villages, churches, and castles of the Middle Ages.
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| http://stlukeslb.org/StLukes/brass.html |
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| Brass Rubbing - Griffon |
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| Mama's Brass Rubbing |
Description: See a display of over 100 brass markers depicting medieval life. Make waxed reproductions. (A piece of history you can take home). Victorian Tea by Reservation.
Event Maximum and Minimum Costs: Admission to the exhibit is free. Cost for materials start as low as $5.00. Group rates for rubbing and for tea. Mats and ready-made rubbings also available for sale.
Group rate details: Groups of eight or more by reservation only. Includes docent talk. Tea and Rubbing--Adults: $23.00, children (K-12) $13.00. Rubbing only: $6.50 (for any brass with standard price up to $8.00).
Event Website Address: http://stlukeslb.org/StLukes/brass.html
Event Ticket Link:
Event Date: October 24 - November 17
Event Start Time: 9:30 AM
Event End Time: 4 PM
Event Phone number:
Event Email: brass.rubbing.lb@gmail.com
Event Location: 525 E. 7th St., Long Beach CA 90813-4503
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