St Peter's Parish News
Thursday 1 January 1970
Saints and sheep dip: the Cowper Window
The stained-glass window in the middle of the north aisle of St Peter’s is quite a fascinating piece. The stone tracery is Perpendicular in style, and as readers of Christopher Green’s fascinating history book will already know, this probably dates the window to some time in the 15th century. The glass, however, is Victorian, and unusually it features the artist’s signature – if you look carefully you’ll find the initials NHW (Nathaniel Hubert Westlake) hidden in two different places. The images in the window appear with texts from the ancient Christian hymn, the Te Deum, which describes the citizens of heaven praising God:
We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubin and Seraphin : continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of Sabaoth;
In this window we see angels, and figures representing “the goodly fellowship of the Prophets” and “the glorious company of the Apostles”: Saints John the Evangelist, Joseph, John the Baptist, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Along the bottom row are three saints of the Early Church: St Clement (Pope Clement I, consecrated by Saint Peter himself); St Catherine of Alexandria (with the wheel of her martyrdom); St Leonard (patron of prisoners, holding manacles). There are also three English saints: King Edward the Confessor (note Edward’s exquisite robed decorated with 3D jewels); St Hugh (or Hugo) of Lincoln, 12th-century Bishop of Lincoln (seen here with his legendary pet swan – note that St Peter’s was originally in the Diocese of Lincoln ); and St Thomas Beckett, England’s most famous saint who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral (in the mid-12th century, Thomas was in charge of Berkhamsted Castle). At the centre is a traditional depiction of Christ Enthroned in Majesty (note how Christ’s hands and feet bear the scars of the Crucifixion), and above his head is the hand of God the Father pointing down in blessing.
The brass plaque at the bottom records that this window was installed in memory of William Cooper (1813-1885) — not Cowper the poet, but the Berkhamsted sheep dip manufacturer! The Cooper factory is now long gone, but the Cooper family all lie buried in the large family vault in Rectory Lane Cemetery, behind the Rex Cinema.
www.rectorylanecemetery.org.uk 
