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St. Mary’s Church has a number of stained-glass windows, one of which is a memorial to those who lost their lives in WW1. It was installed on the South side of the church in 1921.

St Mary’s WW1 Memorial Window by the C.E. Kempe and Co

The window was made by the company of Charles Eamer Kempe (1837 – 1907), a stained-glass designer and manufacturer. He had wanted to be a clergyman, but a bad stammer made this impossible. At university he developed an interest in medieval history, imagery and motifs. He secured a position at Clayton and Bell where he learned the techniques of stained-glass making and designing. He was largely self-taught and used skilled professionals to create full-size cartoons (drawings used as guides for stained-glass windows). Kempe’s London studio opened in 1866 making stained-glass, furnishings and vestments.

The firm’s trademark was a wheatsheaf, inspired by Kempe’s coat of arms. After Kempe’s death in 1907, his cousin, Walter Earnest Tower, took over as chairman of the company and renamed the firm ‘C. E. Kempe and Company’, who then used a black tower above the golden wheatsheaf as their new trademark. The Great Depression caused a lack of orders and the firm closed in 1934. Kempe and his company’s work can be seen all around the country.

C.E. Kempe and Co. trademark in WW1 Memorial Window – Located at the bottom left of window

Stained-glass windows were used nationally as a form of memorial at this time. After the First World War, many organisations and groups erected war memorials, and windows were a popular fashion choice. The faux medieval style fitted into the atmosphere of the church.

A war memorial fund was set up by the church’s vestry committee, led by Revd. Charles Vernon Brown. The particulars of the window were discussed and that it should be accompanied by a brass plaque with the names and regiments of the fallen – along with the names of the places where the soldiers had fought – along the top of the window. It was decided in 1919 that the window should be continued to be worked on, whilst the plaque should be put on hold until all of the names of the fallen were known.

An Extract from St Mary’s Vestry Minutes, dated 11^th March 1919, shows the care and consideration that was taken to make a fitting memorial:-

“(2) Instead of the Emblems in the upper lights scrolls with ‘France’, ‘Belgium’, ‘Salonica’, ‘Mesopotamia’, were suggested.

(3) The names “Gabriel” and “Michael” to be inscribed on the pedestals.

(4) Attention of the artist to be called to the seeming want of proportion in the leg and waist of St. Michael. *Note: the proportions weren’t altered.

(5) The Brass Memorial tablet to be fixed to the lower part of the window splay and to be of the following shape and to be suitably engraved and lettered with plain and Old English letters filled in with wax enamel.“

The window was dedicated in May 1921 with a service and unveiling by local dignitary Colonel Bateman, as reported by the Craven Herald and Pioneer.

The First World War left many with a sense of sorrow, but also victory in the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for this and many nations, in the pursuit of peace and justice. The imagery of the window is designed to reflect both grief and hope.

Angel Gabriel in WW1 Memorial Window

Archangel Michael slaying a dragon in WW1 Memorial Window

It depicts the angels Gabriel (Peace) on the left-hand side, and Michael (Victory) on the right. Gabriel holds lilies and Michael is stabbing a dragon; both hold banners and are wearing crowns with wings of peacock feathers, a familiar theme in Kempe’s work.

Michael’s name means ‘who is like God.’ He was one of the guardians of the people of Israel and thought to be the protector of the Church. One of the ‘key moments’ from the Book of Revelation is when Michael led a war against Satan in heaven and cast him down to earth. A common image from this story is of Michael clothed in armour and trampling a dragon, representing Satan, such as in our window’s image. Michael’s intercession was also believed to be powerful enough to save people from hell.

Gabriel, means; ‘God is strength’. Gabriel is mostly attributed as the announcer of God’s messages and he will blow the horn for the last judgement. Through his links to Mary, he is often shown with a Lily which is the most common symbol of Mary, which in this image he holds in his hand. Above the angels are scrolls with the four main countries that soldiers from this community fought and died in: France, Belgium, Salonika and Mesopotamia.

The pearls surrounding the vestments and armour, symbolise loyalty and purity, and bells calling people to services. The style is a traditional Kempe design, with an old English medieval theme and muted colours. It is a testament to the strong feeling of the community that more money than required was raised to create this window, that looks forward with renewed hope and looks back to the hardship of war.

A booklet on the stained glass windows of St. Mary’s church, Embsay with Eastby, is available in the church, cost £5.

Jennifer Stearn, Embsay-with-Eastby Historical Research Group – (photographs by J Stearn)