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St. Mary the Virgin - Bottesford

Monuments to the Dukes of Rutland

The chancel of the church at Bottesford contains a remarkable collection of monuments to the first seven Dukes of Rutland. Dating between 1543 and 1679, they provide a fascinating history of monument design from highly decorative polychromed alabaster to the more austere classical marble figures.

There have been a number of repairs and restorations, the most recent in the 1950’s involving recreation of the painted scheme on the monument to the 4th Earl. Nimbus carried out a survey in 2000 and established that two of the monuments (to the 1st and 3rd Earls) were in need of conservation.

The alabaster chest monument to the 1st Earl was being badly disrupted by corroding cramps used in its construction. Following detailed recording, the monument was dismantled and then re-erected using stainless steel cramps. Because much of the polychrome was retained on the alabaster (particularly the effigies themselves), this had to be suitably protected before dismantling could take place. The core was consolidated using hydraulic lime and broken pieces of the alabaster pieced together with polyester resin. Given the monument was in a stable environment, plaster of Paris was used to rebuild the alabaster elements and to point the joints which were then toned in with acrylic paints. Light cleaning of all surfaces was carried out with a white spirit, synperonic and water mix.

The ornate canopied monument to the 3rd Earl had also been subject to disruption. However, a decision was made that the problem could be overcome with only partial dismantling of the canopy, supporting columns and ends of the chest. Similar methods were used as with the 1st Earl. Broken sections of the shelf and inscription panels had been crudely pieced together with cement – these were all carefully separated into the component pieces and then fixed together using polyester resin and small threaded dowel. When all the structural work had been completed, the surfaces were lightly cleaned and waxed.

Client: PCC of St. Mary the Virgin, Bottesford