A Hatchment is a funeral escutcheon or armorial shield enclosed in a black
lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased
person's house. It was usually placed over the entrance at the level of the
second floor, and remained for from six to twelve months, after which it was
removed to the parish church.
These diamond-shaped funeral hatchments first
came into vogue into the early 17th century, but are rarely used today, but many
hatchments from former times remain in parish churches throughout England.
The are objects of considerable artistic merit, besides being of great
interest and important to students of heraldry, genealogy and local history.
This is the second volume of this valuable series, in which those hatchments
still surviving in Britain are recorded for the first time.
Contents:
General Introduction
Abbreviations
Norfolk
Suffolk
Select Bibliography
Index
