Article
The East Window at St Michael’s Church, Theydon Mount
The stained glass was donated in July 1919 by Mrs Hunter of Hill Hall, to
commemorate her husband (and herself, if you look closely at the dedication!)
and the end of the Great War. Mrs Hunter was a leading society hostess and
patron of the arts, and she had many musical, literary and artistic friends,
including John Singer Sargent, the famous portrait painter. Sargent’s protégé
Wilfrid de Glehn was another of her many house-party guests, and it was de
Glehn who designed the window – one of the only three he did in England.
The design is an allegory of the First World War. On the left is Joan of Arc, with
soldiers in French WW1 army uniform behind her. On the right is St George,
with English soldiers behind, and in the centre is St Michael the Archangel,
slaying a dragon and holding the scales of justice. Above them all is a white
dove carrying an olive branch. The whole picture symbolises England and
France uniting to defeat evil, bringing justice and peace.
The window is dedicated to “Major Charles Hunter of the Northumberland
Hussars”, who died in 1917. His enormous wealth came from coal – his family-
owned coalfields in Northumberland, Durham, and North America. He adored
and indulged his extravagant wife Mary, who told the novelist Edith Wharton
in all seriousness, “I feel it is my sacred duty to spend as much of Charlie’s
money as I can.” Although he died during the war, it was of natural causes. He
was 62 at the outbreak of war and furious that he could not serve at the Front
with his regiment. He was known for his physical courage and was especially
fearless on horseback. Hence the motto “Nowt fears him” – an admiring
comment by a Northumbrian farmer in the hunting field.
The strange motif in the corner of the window intrigued Peter Cormack, former
curator of the William Morris Gallery and stained-glass expert, who was invited
to look at the window by Peter Doe as part of the Glaziers’ Company visit. He
felt sure it was some sort of engineering diagram, and by calling on a military
museum colleague, found in a 1915 War Office Publication called “Treatise on
Ammunition”, an illustration of a No 16 artillery fuze (as it was then spelt). The
left-hand diagram matches almost exactly. It is in the bottom right-hand corner of the centre panel and can only be seen
properly with difficulty, by peering behind the projecting top of the 1950s altar
piece. If you do, you will also see a small banner underneath the main
dedication banner, declaring “Nowt fears him”.
What’s it all about? What was the connection between Charlie Hunter and the artillery? The
Hussars were a yeomanry regiment, not artillery, so perhaps it was something
more personal. Although his fortune came from coal, it’s possible he also
owned factories – one unverified source mentions manufacturing screws. No
doubt this sort of factory could have been adapted to make munitions for the
war effort.
The gift of the window appears in the parish records, at the Easter Vestry of
April 7th 1920, reporting on events of previous year.
“The Rector stated that the heating apparatus was working very
satisfactorily. He also reported that during the past year, a stained-glass
window had been placed in the east end of the Church [^ in pencil] to the
memory of her husband Major Hunter of Hill Hall, and that a Memorial
Tablet had been placed in the South wall by the Parishioners to the
memory of the men of the Parish who had laid down their lives in the
Great War – a Faculty being obtained in both instances.”
The Easter Vestry Minutes were usually fairly brief and factual at this time, but
it was normal to record thanks to donors for gifts, and the shortness of the
Rector’s comment hints at disapproval. He had already been offended by the
behaviour of at least one of Mrs Hunter’s guests in church – according to the
village schoolmistress of the time, Henry James the American novelist
ostentatiously read a book during the sermon! The Rector seemed reluctant to
even mention Mrs Hunter’s name, despite pencilling in an insertion mark. She
had held lavish parties at Hill Hall throughout the war, heroically serving
dressed lobster to her well-heeled guests and having her luxury home
photographed by Country Life. Rector Stanley would have been ministering to
bereaved and suffering ordinary parishioners, and probably resented Mrs
Hunter’s upstaging of how the war was remembered. Note the fuller
reference to “the men of the Parish who had laid down their lives in the Great
War”.
De Glehn’s drafted design is just like the finished window except that it did not
originally include the artillery fuse, the Northumberland Hussars, or the motto
‘Nowt fears him’. Perhaps Mary Hunter, aware that everyone knew Charlie
had not seen active service, had them all added to emphasise his courage and
contribution to the war effort.
An anonymous writer in the 1919 church magazine wrote:
The stained-glass window which Mrs Hunter has placed in the East End of Mount Church in
memory of Major Charles Hunter, Northumberland Hussars, was dedicated by the Rector
before the “Peace Thanksgiving Service” on July 13th, and after the Dedicatory Prayers, the
hymn “For all the saints who from their labours rest” was sung. The window which is very
beautiful and rich in colouring was designed by W G de Glehn, Esq., of Cheyne Walk,
Chelsea, and makes a very handsome addition to our already beautiful little Church.
At least everyone could agree on that!
