2012

SX9292 : Tomb of Dorothy, Lady Dodderidge

taken 12 years ago, near to Exeter, Devon, England

Tomb of Dorothy, Lady Dodderidge
Tomb of Dorothy, Lady Dodderidge
A fine early C17th tomb bearing the effigy of Dorothy, Lady Dodderidge. She is shown reclining upon a cushion nestling a skull, a classic "memento mori" symbol reminding us of our mortality. The last line of the gilded plaque behind her bears the date (in Latin) primo Martij Anno Dom: 1614, meaning that she died on 1st March 1614.
Dorothy died fourteen years before her husband, whose tomb lies next to hers - see SX9292 : Tomb of Judge John Dodderidge
Exeter Cathedral

The majority of the building of the Cathedral church of Saint Peter as seen today was commenced in 1275 and externally is mostly of the Decorated period of Gothic architecture (c.1250-1350), though its foundations go back to Saxon times and there are substantial Norman and Early English parts. The Decorated period is itself split into two sub-periods, the earlier "geometric" sub-period (1250-1290) and the later "curvilinear" (1290-1350). Exeter Cathedral exhibits both these styles, but rather more from the former period despite its construction continuing well into the latter one. In general the eastern half of the building containing the Quire, Presbytery and Lady Chapel is from the early Decorated, while the nave is mostly of the later period, though the windows seen on the southern side of the nave abutting the Silent Cloister look more Geometric than Curvilinear to me.
The towers which rise above both transepts however exhibit Romanesque features such as semi-circular topped blind arcading. Romanesque architecture dates from the Norman period (c.1070-1180) so are part of the earlier minster built on this site by the Normans.
Exeter's greatest feature is probably its marvellously ornate West Front which is covered in statuary. This is one of the finest surviving examples of Decorated architecture in Britain. Unfortunately at the time of writing (June 2012) much of this glory is covered in the ugliest conceivable tatty garish wrapping, no doubt to protect it from the elements while repairs are carried out.
Internally the ceiling of the nave is "palm vaulted" typical of the transition from the Decorated to the Perpendicular period.
A surprisingly brief EH listing can be found here LinkExternal link
A detailed pdf map of the Cathedral area here LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Historic sites and artefacts Religious sites Place: Exeter Cathedral Exeter other tags: Tomb Effigy Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
This photo is linked from: Other Photos: · Tomb of Judge John Dodderidge ·
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SX9292, 2635 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Monday, 4 June, 2012   (more nearby)
Submitted
Friday, 8 June, 2012
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SX 9216 9253 [10m precision]
WGS84: 50:43.3413N 3:31.7462W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SX 9216 9254
View Direction
SOUTH (about 180 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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