ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH POINT OF INTEREST

When Roger Dodsworth, the antiquary, visited St Martin’s in 1627, this figure lay on the north side of the chancel, likely in a recess. Carved around 1270, it’s among the oldest surviving medieval effigies in Yorkshire.

 

Later set into the north wall of the nave by restorers in the late 17th or early 18th century, the legs were broken off and the body turned sideways to fit its present position beside the pulpit.

 

The shield shows the Bulmer arms and is thought to commemorate Sir John de Bulmer II who died before 1268.

 

The early lineage of the Bulmers of Bulmer, and later Wilton-in-Cleveland, is unclear, and their link to the well-known Ansketil de Bulmer (fl. late 11th–early 12th century) is uncertain.

 

Sir John III seems to have been the great-great-grandson of Stephen de Bulmer, Lord of Bulmer, who may have been a younger brother of Alan de Wilton I and a son of Ralph de Farlington. Sir John III succeeded his father, also Sir John, and his wife Alice. In 1235–36, the elder Sir John inherited Wilton-in-Cleveland from a cousin, Thomas de Wilton. He mainly lived at Bulmer, received free warren rights in 1251, and died in 1268. His widow Katherine (née Salvin) gave up her dower claim in favour of their son, Sir John IV (d. 1299), a distinguished soldier buried at Guisborough Priory.

 

The effigy is heavily covered in whitewash. The knight wears a rounded skull-cap under a mail coif, secured with leather thongs and a headband. The mittens, part of the hauberk sleeves, have thumb-pieces but no finger separation. His hands are raised in prayer. A guige runs over the right shoulder to support a heater-shaped shield with the Bulmer arms, carved in a rough style. The sleeveless surcoat is belted at the waist with a narrow strap, its end hanging down the left side. The sword, once with straight quillons, and its belt are both badly damaged.

 

The Bulmer coat of arms, which the shield bears, depicts a lion rampant; the beast is standing on its left hindpaw with two forepaws raised. This heraldic symbol signifies courage and readiness. It appears widely in medieval iconography, including on the Scottish coat of arms going back to the 12th century and later in the incorporated coat of arms of Great Britain.