International Heraldry describes hatchments as “a distinctive rendering of a dead person’s arms, represented on a lozenge, not lozenge shaped arms, but arms painted within a lozenge shaped frame”[1] . The tradition of hanging these armorial shields or escutcheons in churches goes back to the 17th century and its roots extend further back to the time when the family of a dead knight would display his helmet and shield in the church or family chapel[2].

Hatchments have now largely fallen into disuse, but many hatchments from former times remain in parish churches throughout England. Many English parish churches contain one or two hatchments to a lord of the manor, or previous vicar. Nevertheless, hatchments (and similar heraldic memorials) occasionally feature in consistory court judgments. Continue reading →