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St. James the Great : Hales, Norfolk (!unknown ?Norwich) C.14
Photo:T.Marshall ![St. James as pilgrim, Hales [24KB]](halessja.jpg)
St. James the Great, described in the Bible as the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, was the patron saint of pilgrims and pilgrimages in the Middle Ages. His own great shrine at Compostela in northern Spain was the most popular in the Christian world after Jerusalem and Rome. There are a few paintings of him left in the English parish church, and he is sometimes found on painted screens. Here he looks less obviously like a pilgrim than he sometimes does elsewhere, but he has his pilgrims staff in his right hand and perhaps once wore a traditional pilgrims hat, as in the painting at Belton, not far away. It may be that the church at Hales was one that pilgrims visited en route - to Walsingham or the Holy Rood of Bromholm further north in Norfolk, south to Canterbury like Chaucers pilgrims, or to Lowestoft or Felixstowe to take ship for pilgrimage abroad. And there were any number of smaller local shrines in this area, as everywhere.
James is holding a faded scroll in his left hand. What was written on it is long gone, but it was possibly his Article - Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary - according to the old belief that each of the points in the Apostles Creed was actually contributed by an individual Apostle.¹
It is just possible in this photograph to make out (above and to the left of James) the beginning of the curve of the 12th century apsidal chancel, with its scrollwork border where it meets the roof. This too was painted at one time, and there are some faint traces left. In the nave, opposite James, is a figure behind the reading desk who may be John the Baptist; there is also a partly uncovered painting of St. Christopher, and two angels with very large trumpets high up at either side of the chancel arch. This latter is probably the remains of a 15th century Doom.
¹Although authorities sometimes differ on which Article belongs to which Apostle. This is the one given to James in the 15th century stained glass at Fairford, Gloucester (not to be missed by anyone in that area).
St. Andrew Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Anne teaching the Virgin to read-Corby Glen, Lincolnshire
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St. Antony and the Pig, Barton, Cambridgeshire
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St. Barbara : Hessett, Suffolk
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St. Bartholomew : Selling, Kent
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St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Castor, Cambs
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St Catherine of Alexandria, Cold Overton, Leicestershire NEW |
St.Catherine of Alexandria : Hardley Street, Norfolk
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St.Catherine of Alexandria : Old Weston, Northants
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St.Catherine of Alexandria : Pickering, N. Yorks
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St.Catherine of Alexandria, life of : Sporle, Norfolk
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St. Catherine of Alexandria, Martyrdom of: Burton Latimer, Northants NEW |
St. Catherine of Alexandria or another female saint : Ashley, Hampshire NEW |
St. Clement : South Leigh, Oxon.
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Scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert : Pittington, Co. Durham NEW |
St. Dunstan holding the Devil by the nose : Barton, Cambs
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St.Edmund : Boxford, Suffolk
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St. Edmund : Lakenheath, Suffolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Bishopsbourne, Kent
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St.Edmund, Martyrdom of : Fritton, Norfolk
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St. Edmund (or St. Walstan) : Gisleham, Norfolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N.Yorks
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Troston, Suffolk
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St. Edmund, Martyrdom of : Weare Giffard, Devon
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St.Eloi, Broughton, Bucks
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St. Eloi and the possessed horse, Slapton, Northants
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St. Eloi, as bishop & blacksmith, Wensley, N.Yorks
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St.Erasmus, Martyrdom of : Chippenham, Cambs
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St. Etheldreda : Willingham, Cambs
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St. Francis Preaching to the Birds : Little Kimble, Bucks
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St.Francis Preaching to the Birds : Wissington, Suffolk
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St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, Slapton, Northants
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St. George & Dragon : Banningham, Norfolk
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St. George & Dragon : Broughton, Bucks
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St. George & Dragon : Earl Stonham, Suffolk
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St. George & Dragon : Fritton, Norfolk
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St. George & Dragon : Hornton, Oxon
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St. George dedicating himself to the Virgin : Astbury, Cheshire
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St. George, with the princess : Little Kimble, Bucks
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St. George & the Dragon : Kirtlington, Oxon NEW |
St.Helena, Broughton, Bucks
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St.James the Great : Hales, Norfolk
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Life of St. James, Stoke Orchard, Gloucestershire
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St. James the Great, meeting pilgrims : Wisborough Green, Sussex
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St. James the Great, Yelden (or Yielden), Beds NEW |
St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Heydon, Norfolk
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Idsworth, Hampshire
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Old Weston, Northants
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St. John the Baptist, Martyrdom of : Pickering, N. Yorks
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Life of St. John the Baptist : Cerne Abbas, Dorset
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St. John the Evangelist, Selling, Kent
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St. John the Evangelist, Weston Longville, Norfolk
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St. Margaret of Antioch : Old Weston, Northants
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St. Margaret and the dragon : South Newington, Oxfordshire
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St. Margaret of Antioch Martyred, Stoke Dry, Rutland
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St. Margaret of Antioch, Life of : Charlwood, Surrey
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Life of St. Margaret, Wendens Ambo, Essex
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Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Duxford, Cambridgeshire
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Martyrdom of St. Margaret, Ashby St Ledgers, Northamptonshire NEW |
St. Martin dividing his cloak, Chalgrave, Beds
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St. Martin dividing his cloak, Wareham, Dorset
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St Michael, with kneeling donor, South Newington, Oxfordshire
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St.Nicholas of Myra, life of : Little Horwood, Bucks
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St. Nicholas of Myra, two miracles of : Wissington, Suffolk
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St. Nicholas of Myra & the Boys in the Barrel, Padworth, Berkshire
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St. Nicholas of Myra & the Boys in the barrel, Bishopsbourne, Kent NEW |
St.Paul : Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Paul : Beckley, Oxon
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St. Paul : Selling, Kent
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St. Peter : Beckley, Oxon
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St.Peter : Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Peter, Martyrdom of : Chacombe, Northants
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St. Peter : Selling, Kent
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SS. Peter & Paul, Old Idsworth, Hampshire NEW |
St. Roch : Pinvin, Worcs
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St. Sexburga? : Willingham, Cambs
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S. Stephen, Martyrdom of, North Stoke, Oxon
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St. Stephen, Stoning of: Black Bourton, Oxon
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St. Stephen, Stoning of: Catfield, Norfolk
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St.Swithun (?) enthroned : Old Weston, Northants
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Scenes from the life of St. Swithun : Corhampton, Hampshire
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St. Thomas Becket, blessing, Hauxton, Cambs.
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Archbishop, possibly Thomas Becket, blessing, Shorthampton, Oxfordshire NEW |
St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, Marston Magna, Somerset
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St. Thomas Becket, Murder of, North Stoke, Oxfordshire
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St.Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Burlingham, Norfolk
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St. Thomas Becket, Murder of : South Newington, Oxfordshire
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St. Walstan of Bawburgh? or St. Edmund : Gisleham, Norfolk
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St. Zita : Horley, Oxon
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St. Zita : Shorthampton, Oxon
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Unidentified female saint : Heydon
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© Anne Marshall 2001