Ludlow Palmers
helping to conserve the fabric and treasures of St Laurence's
The Decalogue Window

This window depicts six of the ten commandments by showing sinners being caught in the act. Clearly it is impossible to depict somebody not committing something. The window was restored in 1854 by David Evans at which time the C15 glass as we see it was in place. But it is not thought this is its original location as in 1684 a reliable source places another window here, and as four of the commandments are now missing, it seems likely that they were lost when the survivors were moved.

The commandments depicted are numbers 5-10 in the pre-Reformation canon; that is with 1 and 2 in modern use combined and 10 split into two. The format is the same in each panel. God, or in two cases the Virgin and an angel, presides over a scene. The scene below depicts Moses giving the commandment on a stone to a group of people with, in the foreground, the commandment being broken.

The tracery contains a number of angels and saints. Top row: St Michael weighing souls; an unidentified abbot; the Virgin of the Annunciation

Second row: Thou shalt not murder — a body lies in the foreground killed, presumably, by the small keeling figure; Thou shalt not commit adultery — the couple in the foreground are showing serious intent; Thou shalt not steal — the thief in the foreground is cutting the purse from the man in the green headgear.

Third row: Thou shall not bear false witness — the target audience here is apparently royalty which maybe demonstrates that this commandment applies to everybody; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife — the man in the yellow headdress seems to be positively leering at the lady on the right; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house — another one aimed at high places with a castle under seige.

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