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
Cheshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and
Staffordshire. An unusual source of information, but still valuable, the
Hatchments are now recorded for the first time.
Contents:
General Introduction
Abbreviations
Cheshire
Derbyshire
Leicestershire and Rutland
Lincolnshire
Nottinghamshire
Select Bibliography
Index
