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 volume contains details of the hatchments that still survive in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire. An unusual source of information, but still valuable, the Hatchments are now recorded for the first time.
Contents:
General Introduction
Abbreviations
Bedfordshire
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Wiltshire
Select Bibliography
Index
