Ewelme, St. Mary.
The tomb of Thomas Chaucer and his wife Matilda. Thomas was the son of Geoffrey Chaucer, and Speaker of the House of Commons on three occasions under Henry IV and Henry V.
A little piece of Suffolk in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside.
Alice de la Pole was the grandaughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and the wife of the notorius William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and serial political meddler. In the 1430's, they obtained a Royal licence from Henry VI to complete the church, which had been started by Alice's father Thomas Chaucer. The building was modelled on Wingfield church, which was on the Duke's estate in Suffolk. Also built were an adjoining school and almshouses, which remain to this day. Alice and her parents are buried within the church. Alice's tomb is one of the finest to survive from the medieval period.
William de la Pole's political scheming finally caught up with him in 1450. He was impeached by parliament and banished from the kingdom. However on his way into exile, he was intercepted by a mob of outraged commoners, subjected to a mock trial, and beheaded. His body was later found lying on Dover beach, and transferred by Alice to the Carthusian priory in Hull.
Ewelme, St. Mary.
The tomb of Thomas Chaucer and his wife Matilda. Thomas was the son of Geoffrey Chaucer, and Speaker of the House of Commons on three occasions under Henry IV and Henry V.
A little piece of Suffolk in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside.
Alice de la Pole was the grandaughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, and the wife of the notorius William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, and serial political meddler. In the 1430's, they obtained a Royal licence from Henry VI to complete the church, which had been started by Alice's father Thomas Chaucer. The building was modelled on Wingfield church, which was on the Duke's estate in Suffolk. Also built were an adjoining school and almshouses, which remain to this day. Alice and her parents are buried within the church. Alice's tomb is one of the finest to survive from the medieval period.
William de la Pole's political scheming finally caught up with him in 1450. He was impeached by parliament and banished from the kingdom. However on his way into exile, he was intercepted by a mob of outraged commoners, subjected to a mock trial, and beheaded. His body was later found lying on Dover beach, and transferred by Alice to the Carthusian priory in Hull.