Great Cloister: A Lost Canterbury Tale presents a new study of the heraldry, genealogy and history of the Canterbury Cathedral cloister. It is the first comprehensive and complete study of this monument ever undertaken, and it provides a detailed chronology as well as many new insights into the families who were donors. The monument is revealed to have been the personal project of Archbishop Thomas Arundel (d.1414), an individual closely connected with the overthrow of King Richard II. The work as a whole provides considerable insights into the revolution of 1399 and the troubled reign of Henry IV as seen through the lens of individual families.The cloister, as originally conceived, contained 856 heraldic shields, badges and devices of which 576 were unique. Some 365 families, principalities, religious foundations and other individuals both real and imagined were represented, some with more than one shield or device. More precisely, there were 252 families, 51 peerage families, 3 English royal families (Lancaster, York and Beaufort), 20 principalities, 12 religious foundations, 9 bishops, 7 saints, 3 heroes, 4 cities or towns, 2 priests, 1 monk and 1 for God himself (in the form of the Holy Trinity). The origins and evolution of each shield represented are considered in detail.Table of ContentsForeword by His Grace the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal Explanation of shield numbers Introduction History of the Cloister’s construction Dating the cloister Thomas Arundel as Archbishop of Canterbury The Cloister as a roll of arms The Bay of Reconciliation (Bay 30) The Royal Bay (Bay 32) The Arundel Family Bay (Bay 33) Lollards in the cloister The English Cardinals Other bishops and monks Religious foundations The Archbishop’s friends Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen The last bay The lost paper record of the Cloister Roll Problems of the sources Willement’s Three Sources Incorrect repainting Heraldry in the era of the Cloister Heraldic authority Ricardian innovations Female arms Cadency marks King Henry IV The lost shields Bay 1 Bay 10 Bay 11 Bay 12 Bay 15 Bay 17 Bay 20 Bay 25 Bay 26 Bay 29 Bibliography Alphabetical list of shields Numerical list of shields The shields
