Published in Windlesora 08 (1989)
© WLHG
The ‘Windsor Connection’ can be found in various places, some made at Old Windsor — about a hundred of these are known and a publication is in hand — others were worked by artists with Windsor connections, or commemorate ‘worthies of Windsor’.
For example, in Salisbury Cathedral two windows can be seen between the south east and southern transepts. The eastern one (no. 33 in the official list) is a memorial to Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Leopold George Duncan Albert, Duke of Albany, and President of the Royal Windsor Tapestry Manufactory at Old Windsor. He was born 3rd April 1853 and died at Cannes on 28th March 1884. The left hand light shows Jacob’s dream, the right hand the sealing of the servants of God with St John writing what he heard.
The western window (list no. 34) has been described as one of the better designs to come from William Morris and Burne Jones. The subjects are Angeli Laudantes (Angels praising and Angels ministering) and the window is a memorial to Captain George Eyre Townsend, R.A. The window was erected in 1879 from a design by Sir Edward Burne Jones and executed by William Morris. The Victoria & Albert Museum have a record that Charles Haines, tapestry weaver of Old Windsor, worked on the design apparently after the Royal Windsor Tapestry Works closed in 1890 and he went to the William Morris works at Merton Abbey. The two cartoons for the designs were sold for fifty-one guineas in 1898. It was apparently intended that there should be a series of six but only two were carried out.
Another Salisbury Cathedral example with a Windsor connection is in the north transept, east side. The extreme right hand window (list no. 8) is a memorial to Bishop John Douglas who died on 18th May 1807 and was buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where he was Dean, with his son William Douglas, Precentor, who died on 19th March 1815. Scenes from the Resurrection of Christ form the subject matter:
1. Christ’s appearance to the two disciples at Emmaus
2. Christ’s appearance to St Thomas
3. Christ’s charge to St Peter.
Below are the Bishop’s arms which are those of the See impaling those of Douglas and Ogstoun. The work was erected by Clayton and Bell.
Gordon Cullingham
Acknowledgements
I am indebted to The Stained Glass of Salisbury Cathedral, R.O.S. Spring
Windsor Local History Group 