Merevale Church and Abbey: The Stained Glass, Monuments and History of the Church of Our Lady and Merevale Abbey

Merevale Church, which is the Gate Chapel of Merevale Abbey (1148), contains some of the most important Cistercian stained glass in the British Isles, and includes the famous Jesse window. This book contains a description of the medieval and 19th-century glass, with over 120 pieces listed in the East window alone. There are chapters on how medieval stained glass was made and in iconography of Jesse windows. The colour plates of all the stained glass are from the RCHME. The book opens with the history of Merevale Abbey and a description of the ruins and the Gate Chapel. Included is a copy of the Inventory of the Abbey at the Dissolution, and details of the subsequent owners, the Deveraux, Stratford and Dugdale families. The work of the antiquarian, Sir William Dugdale is a cornerstone of the book. The monuments are also recorded in detail. The appendices include a description of the medieval Rood Screen that was once in the Abbey church, details of a Wall Painting of 1240 that may be the earliest in the country, details of the 41 books that were in the Abbey Library around 1130, and the medieval floor tiles. The text finishes with a glossary of glass, architecture, heraldry and armour, and also includes a list of all the names in the Churchyard.