Brass Rubbing: John Leventhorp

From Horowitz. 2002. John is dressed in traditional late-15th century military costume. His breastplate has a projecting ridge and lance-rest, which he used for a banner in processions as one of the four gentleman-ushers of King Henry VII. The precatory clause of his inscription is defaced as per the 1643 ordinance banning such superstitious practices. The original slab for the brass contains two indents where shields were once placed. His tilting helmet is curious, having the head of a man at the apex. John's feet rest on a dog. The Leventhorps of Herefordshire were a branch of an old family living at Leventhorpe Hall in the West Riding of Yorkshire. John's ancestors were strong adherents of the Lancastrian kings, and he followed in their footsteps by supporting the self-proclaimed heir to that dynasty, Henry VII. A letter from the king to his Royal treasury (Exchequer), dated in 1499, refers to the fact that John Leventhorp had not been paid for two years as one of the ushers of the Royal Chamber. Although the king demanded his full payment, it is not known if John ever received it. He died on 6 August 1510.

Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England: The Horrowitz Collection. Morton Grove, IL: Portcullis Productions, 1980 (1979). p. 31. Horowitz, Mark R. The Monumental Brasses of England. The Horowitz Collection. New Edition, 2002. p.39-40.