Misericords of North West England

Misericords, carved into the underside of choir stall seats in major churches and cathedrals, reveal the otherwise lost skills of medieval craftsmen, together with important insights into the thought of the period.

The images, as powerful representations of the constant struggle between sin and virtue, and often drawing on the fantastic, depict many strange monsters alongside scenes that are domestic in character; the mother watching the fox stealing the cock, or marital disharmony in the kitchen.