There are five stained glass windows in the Corona. Much of the original medieval glass, dating from c.1200-1220, was significantly damaged by Puritan iconoclasts during the 1640s. The first three windows were skilfully restored by the Cathedral glazier, the prolific George Austin Jr. during the 1860s.

On the left is the extraordinarily plain tomb of Cardinal Reginald Pole(L) (1556-1558) Cardinal Pole was the last Catholic archbishop, who was the cousin of, and served under, Queen Mary Tudor, daughter of Katherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. Mary’s attempts to restore Roman Catholicism to England led to much bloodshed, including the burning at the stake in March 1556 of Pole’s predecessor and mastermind of the protestant Reformation (and Henry’s divorce from Katherine) Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.

On the right is the rather more elaborate memorial to Archbishop Frederick Temple (1897-1902) in bronze and Cornish granite who is shown kneeling in his Archbishop’s cope (as worn at the coronation of Edward VII in 1902). Temple is buried in the Cloister garden, where there is a memorial slab carved by Eric Gill.

The Burial of Christ (c.1982) is a copy in bronze of an original sculpture made by Kenyan sculptor Rosemary Namuli in 1947. It shows Christ’s body wrapped in cloth, as it would be at an East African funeral. The four bearers (possibly representing the Apostles) envelope and protect the body with their large hands as they carry it on their shoulders.

Wedged in between two columns opposite the Corona is the plainest tomb in the Cathedral – the tomb of Cardinal Odet de Coligny. The Cardinal was a French aristocrat, Calvinist Protestant and brother of Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the military and political leader of the Huguenot party of France. He died in 1571 – some claimed he was poisoned – whilst staying as a guest at the Cathedral lodging house. It was a time of political and religious turmoil in France and he was interred here temporarily, until his family could claim the body.

After 452 years, he is still here.

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This tomb in Purbeck marble with alabaster effigy, portrays a serene-looking Archbishop, with cherubs at his head and a small dog at his feet. The niches around the base of the tomb would once have contained small anonymous sculpted figures, called ‘pleurants’ or weepers, representing mourners. These figures, beautifully sculpted objects in their own right, were perhaps too collectible for their own good and have long since disappeared.

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On our left, opposite Archbishop Courtenay, is the oldest intact tomb in the Cathedral, that of Hubert Walter (1193-1205), archbishop during the reign of Richard I, “Lionheart”.

This is a substantial tomb in Purbeck marble, with a gable top with six carved heads – one of which (the first on the left, at the front) may be intended to represent Saladin, the Kurdish sultan. Prior to becoming Archbishop, Hubert Walter accompanied Richard I on the Third Crusade and negotiated a treaty with Saladin in 1191, and was even a guest of Saladin in Jerusalem following the negotiation. On his return to England, Walter took command of the realm during Richard’s more or less permanent absences on Crusades and, when the returning Lionheart was taken captive in 1192 and subsequently imprisoned in Mainz, Germany at the behest of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI, Archbishop Walter was instrumental in raising the ransom of 150,000 marks to free him.

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Nobody knows for certain why he became known (though not in his lifetime) as the Black Prince. Some say it was the colour of his armour, others because he was merciless to those he defeated in battle. There is no doubt he was a fearless and ferocious warrior, who won his spurs at the age of 16 alongside his father in the battle of Crécy (1346) and fought in many battles during the Hundred Years’ War with France. After his victory at Poitiers in 1356 he became the most feared military commander in Europe.

The Prince was married to his cousin (for which he needed papal dispensation) Joan “the Fair Maid” of Kent in 1361. He survived many battles but did not outlive his father and died in 1376, aged 45, of a debilitating bacterial infection contracted while fighting in Spain. When the king, Edward III, died a few months later, in 1377, he was succeeded by the Black Prince’s 12-year-old son, who became Richard II.

The Prince’s Will laid out very specific instructions regarding his tomb, which were followed to the letter, apart from his request to be buried in the crypt undercroft, alongside his chantry chapel (now the Huguenot Chapel). The Black Prince was a national hero and therefore was buried here in the Trinity Chapel alongside the Shrine of Thomas Becket.

Replicas of the Black Prince’s Achievement are attached to a bar above the tomb and consist of his armorial jupon (a surcoat, made to be worn outside armour), helmet with its chain fastening, cap of maintenance with leopard crest, shield of poplar wood, gauntlets of gilded copper lined with leather, and the scabbard of his sword.

The prince’s sword disappeared long ago, probably during the upheavals of the English Civil War (1642-51) as did his dagger and sporting shield – and all the precious stones set into his helmet. The items on display over the tomb are faithful replicas made in 1954 – a selection of the originals can be seen in the Making History exhibition in the Crypt (subject to rotation for conservation purposes). It had been previously assumed that the achievements were purpose-made to adorn the tomb, but conservation work carried out for the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Opus Anglicanum embroidery exhibition in 2016, revealed that the jupon had actually been worn by the prince during his lifetime.

1The first window in the south aisle (after the Corona Chapel) was probably designed in c.1207 but installed after the monks returned from exile in France in 1213. There are 16 roundels in this window:

1-8 The 8 roundels in the top half of the window were reconstructed in 1893 using fragments of ancient glass and do not relate to any specific miracle, though the borders and background are thought to be original.

9-12 The next 4 roundels in the lower half of the window, tell the story of William Kellett, a carpenter who injures his leg with an axe and is visited by St Thomas. His leg heals miraculously and, after giving thanks at the tomb, he is able to go back to work.

13-16 The bottom 4 roundels tell the story of Adam the Forester who is shot through the neck with an arrow when he comes across two poachers, who make off with a deer. In his sick bed, Adam is shown drinking the Holy Water of St Thomas, and is visited by three bearded friends. Miraculously cured, he is pictured giving thanks at the tomb.

3The two roundels at the bottom of the otherwise plain third window, were introduced by Samuel Caldwell Jr. in 1929. The first roundel contains the often-reproduced portrayal of pilgrims on the road to Canterbury, one riding on a white horse. The second shows pilgrims at the tomb, over which hangs a red sanctuary lamp, with priest in attendance. Caldwell was a master of stained glass reproduction, using both medieval and new glass, and it has been a matter of debate to what extent these panels are “creative reconstructions”, rather than faithful restorations of a medieval original. Recent research by Dr Rachel Koopmans strongly suggests the latter!

5The fifth window contains 13^th century glass, collected from various parts of the Cathedral or, possibly, made by Samuel Caldwell Jr. in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The window is made up of 16 panels, consisting of 6 central roundels interspersed with 5 half-roundels down either side.

1-4 Starting from the top of the window, the first cluster of four panels tells the story of the groom, John of Roxburgh. His horse bolts and throws him into the River Tweed. He is rescued by St Thomas and crawls out of the River. Two friends in a boat, search for his body, whilst John is happily tucked up by the fire at the toll-keeper’s house.

The remaining panels mainly consist of unrelated scenes. Those that can be explicitly identified are:

9 The 3rd half roundel on the right shows Henry of Beche, lame, barefoot and on crutches, making a pilgrimage with his parents.

13 The fifth central roundel down, shows a girl, possibly Cicely, the daughter of Jordan of Plumstead, sitting up in bed, after recovering from a fatal illness after being given a girdle (held in the background) dipped in holy water from the tomb of St Thomas.

14-15 The bottom two half-roundels depict a young boy, Gilbert, son of William le Brun. On the left, Gilbert sits up in bed, kissing his Father’s bearded face, while his Mother looks on. On the right, Gilbert, accompanied by his parents, is laying a coil of wire on the tomb.

6The sixth window contains 22 panels, probably dating from 1214 to 1220. Although the two bottom panels depict the Shrine, they were probably made and installed before Becket’s Translation, in anticipation of the event on 7^th July 1220. This window is made up of 11 interleaved rows containing alternating pairs of panels. Starting from the top the first 3 rows (6 panels) are devoted to the story of the unlucky 16-month-old child, Geoffrey of Winchester.

1 shows the child Geoffrey dying of fever in his cradle, while his mother and grandmother look on in anguish. St Thomas appears with a book under his arm, a hand raised in blessing and Geoffrey is cured. 2 the naked child, supported by his mother, puts money into the box, held by a bearded monk…

3 But then, a wall falls on the unfortunate Geoffrey’s cradle and buries him. 4 Geoffrey’s mother and grandmother pray, while father sits, head in hands, among the rubble.

5 Geoffrey’s mother calls upon St Thomas and faints. A servant throws water over the mother, while another tackles the rubble with a mattock or shovel. 6 the child is found unharmed under the rubble. One of the servants points in wonder and the other, shovel in hand, beckons to the father and grandmother, while his mother stoops over him.

7 James, the infant son of Roger, Earl of Clare, who has died of a hernia. As women gather round the bier and, although the Countess of Warwick urged her not to, James’s mother asks St Thomas for a miracle. 8 James’s mother holding his body at the tomb, where the Holy water of St Thomas is applied, the father indicating the place.

9 Edwin of Berkshire at the tomb, lame and on crutches, with arms outstretched. A monk blesses Edwin, while his mother stands back with her hands clasped in prayer. There is a lectern with a book and a prominent money box. 10 Edwin stoops to make an offering, while his mother stands by, holding his crutches.

11 Elias, a monk from Reading, suffering from eye trouble or leprosy, meets two pilgrims and asks for holy water. 12 Elias, cured of leprosy (note the dappled pink spots on his skin), being examined by two physicians, while an abbot looks on and Elias puts his hands to his eyes. (The recorder of the miracles, Benedict, reports that watery eyes are an early sign of leprosy.) The physicians are holding a phial of urine up to the light, making a uroscopic examination, while Elias uncovers his arms and legs to show that his skin is clear. The large number of lepers shown in the miracle windows may be accounted for by the existence of a leper hospital at Harbledown, 1 mile NW of Canterbury.

The next eight panels 13-20 tell the story of William of Gloucester. William was working on the estate of Becket’s arch rival, Roger de Pont l’Évêque, Archbishop of York. No connection with Becket is shown in the window but it may be assumed that he prayed to St Thomas while his rescue was in progress. 13 William is buried when a trench, which he is digging to lay water pipes, collapses on him. 14 The priest is told 15 A woman reports that he is still alive. 16 A bailiff hears groans coming from the trench. 17 The priest organises a rescue party 18 The bailiff tells the priest 19 The villagers arrive with digging equipment. 20 William is exhumed, the hand of God being shown in the clouds above.

21-22 The panels at the bottom of the window show the Shrine when new. It is clear that offerings were expected from all pilgrims.

 Ref. David Bell – A Guide’s Guide to Canterbury Cathedral §6.56