West End Stained Glass Windows

The stained glass (West End), installed in 1905 is the work of stained glass manufacturers Jones & Willis, who are almost certainly also responsible for the church’s two other stained glass windows.

Founded in Birmingham in the 18th Century Jones & Willis were primarily a supplier of cloth for ecclesiastic purposes. In 1844 the family refounded it as a manufacturer & supplier of church fittings, initially known as Newton, Jones, and Willis. At its peak further workshops were found in London (Great Russell Street) and Liverpool.

Left-hand Window: Arms of Bishop Arthur Riddell (Northampton)

Arthur Riddell was born in York in 1836 and was Bishop from 1880 until his death in 1907.

An uncle of Bishop Riddell, William Riddell (1807 – 1847) was also a Catholic Bishop, briefly serving as the Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District of England in 1847.

The arms bear the shield and motto of the Catholic Riddell family whose seat was at Morpeth in Northumberland. The motto is ’Deus solus auget aristas’ (God alone grants the increase) – illustrated by the sheaves of corn on the shield.

Centre Window: Arms of Pope Pius X

Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto (1835 – 1914) served as Patriarch of Venice from 1893 until his election to the papacy in 1903. The lion of St. Mark is the emblem of Venice. Beneath it are emblems used in the arms of Pius X when he was Bishop of Mantua. The star represents the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Anchor in a stormy sea is Pope Pius’ way of characterizing the Office of Bishop.

Right- hand Window: Arms of the Diocese of Northampton

The arms show the symbols of the two patrons of the Diocese, lilies for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and cloughs for St Thomas a Beckett. (in heraldry ‘beckit’ is the word for clough).

The motto ‘Instaurare omnia in Christo’ (To restore all things in Christ) is not a diocesan motto but rather that of Pius X. By using it, Bishop Riddell may have been signalling his sympathy with the Pope’s anti-modernist views.

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