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The Shrewsbury and Lady Chapels

The Shrewsbury Chapel

In the 16th century the Lords of the Manor of Sheffield were the Earls of Shrewsbury. The Shrewsbury Chapel was built in or around 1520 by George Talbot, the 4th Earl, as a family chapel with a burial vault below. The monuments in this chapel have been described by the 19th century historian Joseph Hunter as being among the finest in the land.

The monument to George, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury The monument on the north side shows the figure of George Talbot who died in 1538, flanked by his two countesses: Ann who died in 1520 and Elizabeth who died in 1567. The monument was erected in Elizabeth’s lifetime.

The Earl is dressed as a Knight of the Garter. His feet rest on a Talbot - a medieval hunting dog and an heraldic device for the family. A Talbot can also be seen carved on one of his rings. The two countesses are richly dressed with their coronets and robes showing their armorial bearings . The figures are of extraordinary beauty and are intended to be portraits. The marble tomb on which the effigies rest is richly carved.

Against the south wall is the massive monument to George, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. He was husband of Bess of Hardwick and custodian of Mary Queen of Scots during her fourteen years of imprisonment in Sheffield. He is represented lying on a rush mat on a lofty sarcophagus, wearing elaborately engraved armour, his feet resting on a Talbot. The inscription records his faithful military and diplomatic service during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I and his integrity as the guardian of Mary Queen of Scots.

In the Shrewsbury Chapel is an outstanding example of a pre-reformation altar. Behind this is an alabastor reredos erected in 1935 at the time of the restoration of the Chapel. The figures represent the Crucifixion of Christ and the saints of the chapels whose altars stood in the medieval church.

The Chapel remained a Roman Catholic chapel in an Anglican setting until 1933, when it was presented to the Cathedral by the Duke of Norfolk for ‘the use of the parishioners’.

The Lady Chapel

The ceiling bosses of the Lady Chapel feature green man imagery. They include the tree of life above the altar, the green man and his consort, the Sheelana- gig (the mother goddess). The Lamb of God, a symbol of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, is the only Christian image among these roof carvings.

On the south wall of the Lady Chapel is a 13th century stone which must have been the ‘Scratch Dial’ or ‘Mass Clock’ of the old parish church. In this area are many fascinating memorials to Sheffield people. For many, life was hard and short lived.

You can download our leaflet about the Shrewsbury Chapel here.

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The Shrewsbury and Lady Chapels

The Shrewsbury Chapel

The Lady Chapel