The Locked Inkwell, The Bear & The Ragged Staff…
Barely noticed in the Brethren’s kitchen,
Padlocked and wall-mounted ‘neath a sill,
Lies a metal, 16th century inkwell
To facilitate a Tudor resident’s quill…
Carved and polished, lying solid and smooth:
The Earl of Leycester’s epitaph
On bench-ends appears in the Chantry Chapel,
The bear and the ragged staff…
Not quite gargoyles but protruding,
Below a roof in the courtyard they stare
Mischievously down at the casual eye,
Holding staffs, those rambunctious bears…
Pete Ray
February 2018
At The Lord Leycester’s Hospital in Warwick…
Robert Dudley founded the hospital after finding the former ancient Chapel of St James in 1571, setting it up as a refuge for disabled, or ex-soldiers and their wives.
Changed only from 1950 onwards and after restoration, the Hospital still houses ex-servicemen to this day…
Well worth a visit…
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| KING JAMES I CHAIR... |
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| EDGE HILL CANNONBALL... |
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