Brass Rubbing: Sir Richard de Buslingthorpe

From Horowitz. 2002. This knight is a half-effigy, secured to the wall in the small parish church. He wears plain ailettes on his shoulders, and the strap fastening his coif or hood is shown. His head rests on two pillows. The gloves are covered with scales of plate, giving a fish-like appearance, which is unusual. In his hands he clasps a heart, which could possibly mean that the died abroad and only his heart was buried in the church. It could also represent mercy. Sir Richard's inscription, long missing and here translated, gives added information to what little is known of his life: "Here lies Sir Richard the son of Sir John de Boselyngthorpe on whose soul God have mercy." A stone effigy of Sir John lies on an altar tomb near Sir Richard's brass in the church. A "Richard de Buselyngthorpe" owed King Edward I 12 marks and nine shillings on 13 October 1295, with his lands and goods placed as collateral for the debt. He was alive in 1297 and listed as a landowner. Nothing else occurs in the records until 1306, when a knight bearing his name held lands of the king. This may have been the son of the knight portrayed in the brass.

Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England: The Horrowitz Collection. Morton Grove, IL: Portcullis Productions, 1980 (1979). p. 8. Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England. The Horowitz Collection. New Edition, 2002. p.17-18.