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the Church of St Mary: In Center of Chancel is Very Fine Monument to Lord Williams of Thame

In Center of Chancel is Very Fine Monument to Lord Williams of Thame

In the center of the chancel is a very fine monument to Lord Williams of Thame (d.1559), the town's leading citizen and benefactor, and his wife Elizabeth. The tomb-chest is made of black and white marble in a Flemish style, featuring angle pilasters with Renaissance arabesques. The effigies of the couple are carved from alabaster with great skill. Lord Williams wears a cloak over his armor with a chainmail codpiece; his wife wears a cloak over a chemise. Their feet rest on a greyhound and a unicorn. The monument was damaged in the Civil War and repaired in the 17th century by William Bird of Oxford, who carved a new unicorn, greyhound and other stonework. The strapwork panels probably also date from this restoration.

Credit: Holly Hayes