The Home Beautiful: The Betley Hall Windows, 1550-1620

Stained Glass Quarry from Betley Hall, 1550-1620
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Small diamond-shaped panels of stained glass like these are called “quarries.” These quarries were first recorded as being installed at Betley Hall in Staffordshire—the elegant home of the Tollet family--in the Eighteenth Century. The glass panels, however, were most likely made before the Tollet’s mansion was built—sometime in the early Seventeenth Century or late Sixteenth. It is believed that these quarries were salvaged when the original Tollet mansion was demolished in 1783, and leaded into a window in the new Betley Hall which was later built on the site.

During the Elizabethan age,  glass painters often referred to popular prints for inspiration for their designs. Some of the figures in these quarries, made between 1550 and 1620, are thought have been based on an engraving by the prolific German printmaker Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1440-1445 - 1503).

Each of the twelve panels which were salvaged from the original mansion depicts a figure (with one exception-- one depicts a maypole with the inscription “A Mery (sic.) May.”   The other eleven decorated panels depict the following : A fool, six panels each show a man dancing, a man playing a pipe and a tambour, a man on a hobby horse, a woman with a long veil holding a flower. The woman is probably a representation of the Queen of the May.

The dance which is represented here is almost certainly the Morris Dance which was an element of festivities at court and at popular communal celebrations in Tudor England.  For the dance, the participants would stand around a maypole (a tall decorated pole).  The dancers would enact the certain roles: the fool, bell-wearers, a man on a hobby horse and another playing a 'pipe and tambour' - a type of flute played with a small drum.  

The panel at the top of the page shows the “fool.”  The others, pictured below, show the other participants of the Morris Dance.   These quarries date from a period when stained window glass was becoming increasingly scarce. An alternative was devised wherein white glass was painted with colored enamels. Happily, this technique enabled glass painters to produce far more detailed compositions than ever before.

The Home Beautiful: The Henry Holiday 'Aspasia in the Pnyx' Window, 1886-1890

Aspasia In Pynx
Henry Holiday, 1886-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Henry Holiday (1839-1927) was a renowned designer of stained glass, and painter, who, between 1863 and 1891, worked as a freelance designer for the glass makers Powells at Whitefriars in London. In 1891. Holiday set up his own stained glass studio through which he took on some of his most impressive commissions.

This piece was one of the last Holiday created for Powells. It was completed between 1886 and 1890. The image on this panel was probably taken from the painting “Aspasia in the Pnyx,” which Holiday painted between 1886-8. Aspasia was the mistress of Pericles, the great and controversial Athenian leader of Greek antiquity. “The Pnyx” refers to an area of land where the Greek popular assembly met.

The original painting was included in Holiday’s book “Reminiscences of My Life” which was published about 1914. Miss Kathleen Douglas-Pennant (later Lady Falmouth), daughter of Lord Penrhyn, was employed as the model for Aspasia.

Here, Holiday has incorporated his painting into a quatrefoil panel of clear and colored glass, which has been painted and stained.

The Home Beautiful: The Betley Hall Windows, 1550-1620

Stained Glass Quarry from Betley Hall, 1550-1620
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Small diamond-shaped panels of stained glass like these are called “quarries.” These quarries were first recorded as being installed at Betley Hall in Staffordshire—the elegant home of the Tollet family--in the Eighteenth Century. The glass panels, however, were most likely made before the Tollet’s mansion was built—sometime in the early Seventeenth Century or late Sixteenth. It is believed that these quarries were salvaged when the original Tollet mansion was demolished in 1783, and leaded into a window in the new Betley Hall which was later built on the site.

During the Elizabethan age,  glass painters often referred to popular prints for inspiration for their designs. Some of the figures in these quarries, made between 1550 and 1620, are thought have been based on an engraving by the prolific German printmaker Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1440-1445 - 1503).

Each of the twelve panels which were salvaged from the original mansion depicts a figure (with one exception-- one depicts a maypole with the inscription “A Mery (sic.) May.”   The other eleven decorated panels depict the following : A fool, six panels each show a man dancing, a man playing a pipe and a tambour, a man on a hobby horse, a woman with a long veil holding a flower. The woman is probably a representation of the Queen of the May.

The dance which is represented here is almost certainly the Morris Dance which was an element of festivities at court and at popular communal celebrations in Tudor England.  For the dance, the participants would stand around a maypole (a tall decorated pole).  The dancers would enact the certain roles: the fool, bell-wearers, a man on a hobby horse and another playing a 'pipe and tambour' - a type of flute played with a small drum.  

The panel at the top of the page shows the “fool.”  The others, pictured below, show the other participants of the Morris Dance.   These quarries date from a period when stained window glass was becoming increasingly scarce. An alternative was devised wherein white glass was painted with colored enamels. Happily, this technique enabled glass painters to produce far more detailed compositions than ever before.

The Home Beautiful: The Henry Holiday 'Aspasia in the Pynx' Window, 1886-1890

Aspasia In Pynx
Henry Holiday, 1886-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Henry Holiday (1839-1927) was a renowned designer of stained glass, and painter, who, between 1863 and 1891, worked as a freelance designer for the glass makers Powells at Whitefriars in London. In 1891. Holiday set up his own stained glass studio through which he took on some of his most impressive commissions.

This piece was one of the last Holiday created for Powells. It was completed between 1886 and 1890. The image on this panel was probably taken from the painting “Aspasia in the Pynx,” which Holiday painted between 1886-8. Aspasia was the mistress of Pericles, the great and controversial Athenian leader of Greek antiquity. “The Pynx” refers to an area of land where the Greek popular assembly met.

The original painting was included in Holiday’s book “Reminiscences of My Life” which was published about 1914. Miss Kathleen Douglas-Pennant (later Lady Falmouth), daughter of Lord Penrhyn, was employed as the model for Aspasia.

Here, Holiday has incorporated his painting into a quatrefoil panel of clear and colored glass, which has been painted and stained.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Betley Hall Windows, 1550-1620

Stained Glass Quarry from Betley Hall, 1550-1620
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Small diamond-shaped panels of stained glass like these are called “quarries.”  These quarries were first recorded as being installed at Betley Hall in Staffordshire—the elegant home of the Tollet family--in the Eighteenth Century. The glass panels, however, were most likely made before the Tollet’s mansion was built—sometime in the early Seventeenth Century or late Sixteenth. It is believed that these quarries were salvaged when the original Tollet mansion was demolished in 1783, and leaded into a window in the new Betley Hall which was later built on the site.

During the Elizabethan age,  glass painters often referred to popular prints for inspiration for their designs. Some of the figures in these quarries, made between 1550 and 1620, are thought have been based on an engraving by the prolific German printmaker Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1440-1445 - 1503).

Each of the twelve panels which were salvaged from the original mansion depicts a figure (with one exception-- one depicts a maypole with the inscription “A Mery (sic.) May.”   The other eleven decorated panels depict the following : A fool, six panels each show a man dancing, a man playing a pipe and a tambour, a man on a hobby horse, a woman with a long veil holding a flower.  The woman is probably a representation of the Queen of the May.

The dance which is represented here is almost certainly the Morris Dance which was an element of festivities at court and at popular communal celebrations in Tudor England.  For the dance, the participants would stand around a maypole (a tall decorated pole).  The dancers would enact the certain roles: the fool, bell-wearers, a man on a hobby horse and another playing a 'pipe and tambour' - a type of flute played with a small drum.  

The panel at the top of the page shows the “fool.”  The others, pictured below, show the other participants of the Morris Dance.   These quarries date from a period when stained window glass was becoming increasingly scarce. An alternative was devised wherein white glass was painted with colored enamels.  Happily, this technique enabled glass painters to produce far more detailed compositions than ever before.

Decorating Tip: Windows to the Outside

We spend so much time decorating the insides of our homes, we often forget that the outside spaces are just as much a part of the house. If you have a front or back porch that could use a little color and excitement, you might consider hanging some salvaged windows from the porch beams, facing the outside.


Many antique stores have stained and leaded glass windows that have been rescued from old homes that have been, sadly, demolished. These windows are quite beautiful, and, often can be purchased in expensively. While you can display them within your home, I like to hang them outside from heavy industrial chain. They gently sway in the breeze, catching the light and sending pleasing colors around the porch. It’s a great way to add charm and elegance to an outdoor space without a lot of work and expense.