The Tudor brasses

Here are just three of the many spectacular Tudor brass rubbings which we use to surprise and delight the children.

Thomas Bullen d.1538 Hever, Kent In this brass, Sir Thomas is seen wearing the collar of roses and badge of the Order of the Garter to which he was elevated in 1523. He was the father of Anne Boleyn and of course the grandfather of Elizabeth the first. A very ambitious man, he was extremely active in Henry VIII's court and he became English Ambassador to the Netherlands. His family home was Hever Castle. The creature at his feet is a Griffin, another symbol of bravery and a part of his family coat of arms.

Roger le Strange d.1506 Hunstanton, Norfolk This huge, elaborate memorial brass is three metres long and one and a half metres wide. Roger is wearing a heraldic tabard and he was one of Henry VII's bodyguards. The side shafts of the canopy depict his most important friends because the more significant they were, the more status he gained. The most surprising thing about this figure is that he is depicted with uplifted hands, as are the supporting figures. This is very unusual and one possible explanation is that the pose was supposed to illustrate amazement at the vision of heaven.

Nicholas Culpeper and wife d.1510 Ardingly, West Sussex The knight is wearing typical Tudor armour of plate and chain mail. His rounded feet are particularly symbolic of this period. He stands on a grassy mound representing the garden of paradise complete with clover leaves representing the holy trinity. The star on his coat of arms signifies that he was the third son. Elizabeth is wearing Tudor dress with a 'dog kennel' headdress. Also depicted are their children - ten boys and eight girls - standing beneath an inscription in English which was created with gaps for the date of Elizabeth's death.