Cheshire: Historian James Balme saves 14th century window

James Balme came across a 14th century carved oak double gothic window that was once part of a medieval priest house.

James, from Warrington, is renown for saving such historic items, with the Warrington Guardian reporting in July 2022 how he found an extremely rare and sacred 16th century Sanctus bell – which once hung in an ancient church in Rome – in an English garden.

With his latest find, the oak window is believed to have been carved and constructed between 1360 to 1399 by skilled medieval carpenters, and it would once have been built into the wall of a house of a chantry priest in the late 14th century.

The solid oak window was carved sometime between the reign of King Edward III and King Richard II, with James remarking that its survival is ‘absolutely extraordinary’.

The window had lain unnoticed in storage in an 18th century Devon cottage for many years until in its new owners decided to get rid of the dust collector last month.

But when James spotted it was being disposed of, he immediately recognised its age and importance, and quickly contacted the owner to arrange to acquire it to preserve it from further decay or damage.

The historic 14th century carved oak double gothic window

James, who also presents historical documentaries and specialises in researching, writing and filmmaking about ancient churches in Britain, says he was amazed and shocked by his latest discovery.

“When I first saw a photograph of the medieval oak window, I knew immediately just how important a discovery this was,” he commented.

“It was very clear to me that this was a double gothic window of the 14th century, and almost certainly from a religious building context or similar.

“The thought that this was being disposed of by the owner of the cottage as ‘unwanted’ was a little scary, and I knew I had to rescue the window.

“I immediately arranged with the owner that I would acquire the frame and pay for it to be transported privately back here, so I could preserve and consolidate the window, giving it more stability as it was in a very poor state of preservation after more than 600 years.”

But this was just the start of saving a wonderful piece of medieval history, with James’ research into the origins of the oak window soon paying dividends.

James previously discovered an extremely rare and sacred 16th century Sanctus bell that once hung in an ancient church in Rome

He said: “Obviously, the discovery of this medieval window is very special, and as with all my discoveries I put in a great deal of background research.

“With the oak window being some 400 years older than the cottage, it was clear that the window had been brought to the cottage after the destruction of the original medieval building from where it was once used.”

Research highlighted that just 300 metres away from the cottage once stood the College Chantry of St. Mary, founded in 1373 by Sir Guy de Brian, a standard bearer to King Edward III and lord of the manor.

Today, all that remains is the tower, with the rest of the religious buildings demolished following the dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII.

Local records make mention that when the 18th century cottages were being built nearby, residents helped themselves to what materials remained from the demolished religious buildings to use in the construction of the cottages.

“It seems very reasonable to speculate that the medieval oak gothic window was removed from the priest house and put into storage at the cottage, with the intention of using it at a later date, however it seems it was simply forgotten about,” James added.

The historic 14th century carved oak double gothic window

Once he had preserved the oak window, he contacted a leading expert in ancient and historical architecture who confirmed that the window was indeed most probably from the house of a chantry priest of the late 14th century.

He confirmed that this particular window would not have been glazed, but instead would have once had shutters fitted.

Glass in the 14th century was extremely expensive and reserved for the nobility and cathedrals.

James said: “To have found such a rare piece of our medieval history and to have my discovery confirmed by a leading expert in the field is very exciting.

“I am sure that a full record of this 14th century oak gothic window will be made in due course.”

To find out more about James and his discoveries, visit his history channel at youtube.com/@tvpresenter4history