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Tudor monuments at Sheffield Cathedral
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Tudor monuments

In the 16th Century the Lords of the Manor of Sheffield were the Earls of Shrewsbury. The Shrewsbury Chapel in the south-east corner of the church was built circa 1520 by George Talbot, the Fourth Earl, as a family chapel with a burial vault below. The monuments in this chapel have been described by Joseph Hunter as being among the finest in the land.

The Monument to the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury

The monument on the left shows the figure of George Talbot who died in 1538. To the left and right of the Earl are his two countesses: Ann who died in 1520 and Elizabeth who died in 1567.The tomb was erected in the lifetime of the second countess.

George Talbot was born in 1468. At the age of 13 he married Ann and they had 11 children. He became involved in military and diplomatic work and was a commander in the English invasion of France in 1513. He was later made Lt General of the North. In 1530 he entertained Cardinal Wolsey who was travelling south to face trial. In 1536 the Earl was responsible for putting down the rebellion against Henry 8th’s religious policy, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. His second wife survived him for 29 years.

The Monument to the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury

Against the south wall of the chapel is the massive monument to George, the sixth Earl of Shrewsbury, 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 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. Looking after Mary and her retinue nearly ruined him financially.

Recent history

The Chapel became the property of the Dukes of Norfolk who inherited the Manor of Sheffield from the Shrewsbury family through marriage. It 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 monument to the Fourth Earl of Shrewsbury has recently undergone extensive conservation work, including laser treatment cleaning of its surface. The costs were met by generous grant aid from the Wolfson Foundation and the Sheffield Church Burgesses.