Historical Context

The Allerton Cope dates from the later fifteenth century or first part of the  sixteenth century.  The cope is decorated with a type of embroidery called opus anglicanum, the Latin designation for English medieval embroidery. The background material is made of satin weave silk (probably Italian).  It is embroidered principally with silver gilt thread and coloured silks mostly floss, both of which would also have been imported.

The cope was found in a chest in Allerton Church in 1858 and it is thought that around this time the cope was turned into an altar frontal. It is suggested that John Gunthorpe, who was Dean of Wells from 1472-1498, gave it to Chapel Allerton Church. In the late nineteenth century and it was mounted and put on display in Taunton Castle.

The embroidered central design is a representation of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.  She has a nimbus and is surrounded by a glory from which rays emanate and has an angel on either side.  Three cherubim on wheels are at her feet.  The embroidered motifs of the frontal were made separately on linen and then applied to the ground material.  The spangles and lines of silver gilt thread have been added directly onto the silk background completing the design.

The cope is worn and faded, which makes it difficult to appreciate how colourful it would have been originally with the embroidery in brightly dyed silks and the sparkle of silver-gilt thread.  It would have been very attractive when seen in candle light.

The cope represents the earliest item of textile in the collections cared for by the Somerset Heritage Service.  The cope is a good example of early English ecclesiastical embroidery. As far as we are aware the Allerton Cope is the only example of such work that is held by a public institution in Somerset.

The Allerton Cope will be a key feature in the new display in the Museum of Somerset.  The refurbished Museum is due to open in August 2010 so the deadline for the completion of conservation work will be October 2009.

The chosen contractor is Textile Conservation Ltd who were established in 1989 and are based in Banwell.  Alison Lister will be undertaking the work.  Alison is the Director/Principal Conservator and is an accredited member of the Institute of Conservation and an Associate of the International Institute for Conservation.

The Allerton Cope (circa 1490) –  Some unanswered questions

(With thanks to Fiona Torrens-Spence for researching this article and giving us permission to include it here)

The Allerton Cope (a mantle worn by a church man) is one of history’s unresolved mysteries. It was discovered at the bottom of a coffer in Allerton church in the nineteenth century and was given to Somerset County Museum.  Analysis showed that it dated back to pre-Reformation times, and even today it is possible to see that the cope was once a thing of great beauty.  The embroidery of the assumption of the Virgin Mary is exquisite and even the details of the cherubs’ tiny faces are beautifully worked.  The fabric out of which the cope was made and the richly coloured embroidery threads which once gave the cloak an alluring glitter, were extremely expensive and included silver threads. It was as much a treasure in its own period as it is today.

In the late medieval period the tiny church at Chapel Allerton was just about the most insignificant place of worship in the diocese of Bath and Wells. It was not even dignified with a saint’s name and was probably administered by Wedmore Church (the mother church).  Standing on the edge of the, as yet undrained, malarial Somerset marshes, it was the back of beyond and the end of an extremely muddy track.  The pretty church we know today was largely built in the nineteenth century and the late medieval church would have resembled a low barn or store house.  So how did a richly embroidered medieval cope come to be found there?

Historians think the answer may lie in the Chapel Allerton connection with John Gunthorpe, Dean of the diocese of Bath and Wells amongst other things.  He was an exceptionally learned and important man who held key positions under Edward 1V, Richard 111, and Henry V11.  This was an extraordinary achievement, given that England was in the midst of the Wars of the Roses and these King’s were at each others throats.

John Gunthorpe became Dean of Bath and Wells when he was quite old and he purchased the little parish of Chapel Allerton shortly before his death, and left it to the Bishop of Bath and Wells on the condition that Masses should to be said for his soul at Allerton church.  It is thought that his cope, his greatest earthly treasure, was sent to Chapel Allerton as a gift to the church.  It would have served a similar purpose to a relict and the cope of this great man would have been venerated by the local clergy and people.

The Dissolution of the Monasteries happened about forty years after the cope was given to Chapel Allerton and it probably survived the general looting and destruction of relicts because Allerton was so far from the madding crowd.  The frightened clerics of Chapel Allerton could have furtively wrapped up this treasure and hidden it at the bottom of a chest in a dark corner of the church.

The question which remains is, did the people who lived in the Allertons guard the secret of the cope because they still believed in the old Roman Catholic Faith, or were they so far off the beaten track that there was simply no contact with the outside world?  We will probably never know the answer, but the cope has a very interesting history and is the earliest textile item in the collections cared for by the Somerset Heritage Service.

If you visit the Museum of Somerset at Taunton Castle you can view the cope in the medieval room.  It has been beautifully and painstakingly restored and the detail is breath taking although the colours are sadly faded and the silk discoloured by time.  It just goes to show that the art of the late medieval period was far from the grey two-dimensional work that we are inclined to think of.                                         Fiona Torrens-Spence

The total cost of restoration will be £5000

Friends of the County Museum has donated      £2000
The Allerton History Society                            £1000
Somerset County Council                                   £500
Allerton Harvest Home                                      £300

This leaves a shortfall of £1200 and the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society are currently being approached for a contribution towards the cost.

The History Society would like to have a series of photographs of the Cope and its restoration which will be displayed in the Church.

Gerald Prince Secretary 01934 710261