John Mulsho and wife - Geddington, Northamptonshire

Brass dedicated to John Mulsho (d1400) and his second wife Joan1 at St Mary Magdalene church Geddington, Northamptonshire.  This is one of the most striking examples of a cross-brass from the late 14th century, the brass stands out among Northamptonshire memorials for its rare iconography and delicate artistry. It reflects a late-medieval shift from purely heraldic display toward personal piety, with St Faith symbolising constancy and the hope of eternal salvation. The brass is attributed to the London “B” series workshops, noted for their elegant engraving, controlled line, and refined ornament.2 The long, slender proportions of the cross and the fine architectural detailing around the quatrefoil head are characteristic of the late-Decorated Gothic style. Its design, combining a devotional cross with donor portraits, marks it as both a prayer for intercession and a testament of faith. Today it remains one of the most refined and distinctive cross-brasses surviving from the early 15th century.

Consisting of a floriated cross with two figures praying to St Faith at the base. A tall, slender cross rises from a small stepped base, the shaft terminating in an ornate quatrefoil head. Within this quatrefoil is engraved St Faith, standing frontally and holding the gridiron, the instrument of her martyrdom. The saint is represented as a youthful female figure, haloed and robed, a symbol of steadfast faith under persecution.

Below, on either side of the cross shaft, kneel John Mulsho and Joan, his second wife.  Both are shown in half-length profile, facing inward toward the cross and the saint. They raise their hands in prayer, and from each mouth issues a scroll (now partly defaced) inscribed with a Latin prayer for mercy. Their arrangement at the foot of the cross reinforces the theme of devotion and intercession.

Around the slab runs a marginal inscription in Gothic (black-letter) script, requesting prayers for their souls and recording John’s death in 1400. Portions of the inscription are lost but the general formula follows contemporary memorial conventions.

The brass was moved to Geddington in 1972 from the church of St Faith at Newton-in-the-willows, which is now disused and derilict.

John Mulsho represented Northamptonshire from Parliament from 1388. Closely associated with King Richard II by 1397 he was one of Richard's most trusted servants.1 It was John Mulsho that delivered the writ to Justice Rickhill instructing him to go to Calais with the Earl of Nottingham to extract the confession from the duke of Gloucester.1 .This admission of treason thus obtained by the judge was read before Parliament in September 1397 to justify his condemnation.3

When Henry Bollingbroke invaded in 1399 Mulsho was one of the first to resist the invasion, but quickly changed sides.1

• 1. a. b. c. d. History of Parliament
• 2.
  
  Saul, Nigel English Church Monuments In The Middle Ages: History And Representation Oxford, New York 2009.

  p78.

• 3.
  
  Saul, Nigel Richard Ii Yale English Monarchs Series Yale English Monarchs Series New Haven and London Yale University Press 1999.

  pp378-9.