An alabaster scene from a shrine to William of York. St. William is seen saving the life of King Edward I, who is falling down a mountain. The detail of the boats in the river and expressions on the peoples faces are excellent. It is thought that only about 5% of medieval shrine material in England survives today, due to the reformation and other religious and civil conflict. William was a 12th Century priest and probably related to King Stephen, who supported his election to Archbishop of York. William lost the archiepiscopate due to the election of a Cistercian Pope, Eugene III. After a convoluted political process he regained the seat in 1153 and returned to York. He was so popular in the city that the Ouse Bridge collapsed under the weight of the supporting crowd, but no-one was killed and this miracle was attributed to William.
I’m not sure about Edward surviving a fall and attributing it to William, I can’t find this story online anywhere.
Yorkshire Museum, 73 images processed in Metashape May 2022.
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