Sculpture, Dates and Patrons: Dating the Herefordshire School of Sculpture

Abstract

The origins of the Herefordshire School of Sculpture have traditionally been associated with Shobdon Priory, although both Leominster Priory and Kilpeck Church have also been suggested. This paper proposes that the origins of the Herefordshire School should be sought elsewhere, most probably in Hereford Cathedral. Recent studies tend to date the activity of the Herefordshire School earlier than was previously supposed, but it is here argued that these principal monuments of the School are actually later in date than the revisions suggest and that the Herefordshire School of Sculpture was active for around thirty years, into the early 1160s. The importance of lay patronage is confirmed, but scope for the influence of churchmen in the promotion of the School is also proposed. Some of the schemes adopted may have served to convey messages intended to help the church protect itself and its possessions in the turbulent times of the Anarchy.