Cardinal Wolsey's Tomb-house,, headpiece for Chapter VII,"How the Earl of Surrey and the Fair Geraldine plighted their troth in the Cloisters of Saint George's Chapel," p. 56, for the fifth serial instalment of Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance (December 1842) in Ainsworth's Magazine, "Book the First: Anne Boleyn." 8.8 cm high by 10.2 cm wide, roughly framed. The Delamotte interpretation of the High Gothic edifice sets the stage for Cruikshank's steel-engraving of the lovers' meeting in the cloisters. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Passage Illustrated
At the appointed hour the duke proceeded to the lower ward, andstationed himself near Wolsey's tomb-house. Just as he arrived there, the vesper hymn arose from the adjoining fane, and its solemn strains somewhat soothed his troubled spirit. But they died away; and as the jester came not, Richmond grew impatient, and began to fear he had been duped by his informant. At length the service concluded, and, losing all patience, he was about to depart, when the jester peered round the lower angle of the tomb-house, and beckoned to him. Obeying the summons, the duke followed his conductor down the arched passage leading to the cloisters.[Chapter VII. "How the Earl of Surrey and the Fair Geraldine plighted their troth in the Cloisters of Saint George's Chapel," p. 58]
Other Views of St. George's Chapel
- Cloisters near Saint George's Chapel
- South side of Saint George's Chapel
- Interior of Saint George's Chapel, looking towards the Choir
- West End of Saint George's Chapel
Complemented by Johannot's steel-engraving of the lovers, the jester, and Richmond
Above: Johannot's somewhat Impressionistic realisation of the overheard lovers' conversation, The Meeting in the Cloisters of Saint George's Chapel (December 1842). [Click on image to enlarge it.]
References
Ainsworth, William Harrison. Windsor Castle. An Historical Romance. Illustrated by George Cruikshank and Tony Johannot. With designs on wood by W. Alfred Delamotte. London: Routledge, 1880. Based on the Henry Colburn edition of 1844.
Patten, Robert L. Chapter 30, "The 'Hoc' Goes Down." George Cruikshank's Life, Times, and Art, vol. 2: 1835-1878. Rutgers, NJ: Rutgers U. P., 1991; London: The Lutterworth Press, 1996. Pp. 153-186.
Worth, George J. William Harrison Ainsworth. New York: Twayne, 1972.
Last modified 11 December 2017