Brass Rubbing: Samuel Harnsnett

From Horowitz. 2002. This magnificent brass is an exception to the rather poor execution of brasses in the 17th century and later, no doubt because Samuel Hirsute, Archbishop of York, planned the entire work. Over his long gown a richly embroidered cope is worn. On his head is a tall miter to which are attached two strips of silk (inflame). In his right hand is a testament; his left hand holds a long staff (crozier) ending in a crook rather than a cross. In the curve of the crook (volute) is a rose. His brass portrays the only 17th-century churchman with a cope, deemed "Popish" by the Puritans. Samuel, however, was a "High Churchman" seeking to revive the primitive church, and he thus wore medieval, although Catholic, garments. He did refrain from beginning his inscription "Pray for the soul of" for fear of having it defaced by zealous Protestants seeking to erase all "Roman" forms of superstition as they saw it. The Latin inscription under his feet translates as follows: Which identical epitaph, the Most Reverend Prelate, out of his abundant humility, ordered to be placed here to his memory. This refers to the marginal Latin inscription, which appears less than humble despite his vain attempt at humility: Here lies Samuel Hirsute, formerly vicar of this Church; first the unworthy Bishop of Chichester, then the more unworthy Bishop of Norwich, and finally the most unworthy Archbishop of York; who died on the 25th of May in the year of our Lord 1631. Because enough is known of this man to fill a separate book, only a brief outline of his life will be attempted here. His church preferments were much more numerous than stated in his humble epitaph, making him a true pluralist because he held several offices simultaneously, each with its own income. His real last name was Halsnoth, a family of bakers and workers in Colchester, Essex. Samuel won a scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, at the age of 15 and soon developed a great disliking for the Calvinistic doctrines of the day, preferring the old primitive church practices. Yet while he chastised Puritans, he as well abhorred the Roman Church (or so he said), stating in his will that he renounced "from my heart all modern, Popish superstitions and also all novelties of Geneva [Calvinism]." Then again, if indeed he was actually inclined toward Rome during his lifetime, renouncing such behavior "from my heart" in a will that might be read publicly was a good insurance policy against his tomb coming under attack by Puritan vandals. After becoming an important churchman, Samuel licensed a book on Henry IV to be printed; this was done with a dedication to the Earl of Essex, once the favorite of Queen Elizabeth. the dedication, however, was taken by the queen as a threat to the crown, since Henry IV overthrew the rightful monarch (Richard II) in 1399 just as the Earl of Essex once attempted to do to Elizabeth. The author was imprisoned, but Samuel escaped punishment, as did a playwright involved with the play Henry IV: William Shakespeare. The bard had another connection with the Archbishop - a book by Samuel written in 1601 was used by Shakespeare for parts of his King Lear. While Bishop of Norwich, Samuel angered the local Puritans by enforcing strict church discipline, often similar to Catholic practices. Many complaints were laid against him, including his setting up of an image of the Holy Ghost "fluttering" over the font. Besides his church preferments and his seat on the king's Council, the archbishop also sat on royal commissions to administer justice. In 1619, he inquired into the misappropriation of monies and income of lands given for charitable purposes. One of the constables in charge, a "Richard Lincolne," was accused of "misemploying" four pence out of £18 in 1613. This Richard Lincolne was in fact the direct ancestor of the 16th President of the United States: Honest Abe Lincoln. Samuel was an obstinate man who loved pomp, perhaps the reason for his epitaph of "humility" that tried to minimize the high living he led. His will stated the disposition of his brass: A marble stone laid upon my grave with a plate of brass molten into the stone an inch thick, having the effigy of a bishop stamped upon it with his mitre and crosier staff; but the brass to be riveted and fastened clear through the stone as sacrilegious hands may not rend off the one without breaking the other. (The brass is now riveted high up on a wall in the church, thus lessening the chance that "sacrilegious hands" will vandalize it.) He asked to be buried near his wife, Thomasine. (Churchmen could be married since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.) His likeness was undoubtedly taken from an actual sculpture, one such bust of which can be seen today on the main street in Colchester. The monumental brass to Samuel Harsnett is perhaps the last great brass created in England since the art began.

Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England: The Horrowitz Collection. Morton Grove, IL: Portcullis Productions, 1980 (1979). p. 36-37. Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England. The Horowitz Collection. New Edition, 2002. p.46-48.