Bablake Schools

A Mysterious Motif, 1666 In 2009 the charity chairman, Victor Keene, ventured into the Bond's loft to inspect work being undertaken and discovered a previously unknown design. It could be described as a daub or fresco, but 'motif is perhaps the best word to use. The motif is of a fleur-de-lis and rose and crown with the inscription 1666. What might be the meaning of the motif? The fleur-de-lis has many associations: it is strongly linked to France and French history; many Catholic saints, particularly St. Joseph, are often depicted with a lily; in English heraldry it is the cadence mark of a sixth son; and since the 16th century it has been used on a compass rose to mark north. Speculation might be that it was a celebration of the return of Catholic King Charles II earlier in 1660, Puritan ruler Oliver Cromwell having died in 1658. The great Fire of London was in 1666 so that might have been a matter to commemorate, but this seems unlikely in Coventry. It was also the year of the first Burying in Wool Act, which required all corpses other than plague victims and the destitute to be buried in a pure English woollen shroud, to the exclusion of all foreign textiles. This would have been a significant boost to Coventry weavers and the city's economy, perhaps meriting recognition. In Chapter 2 it was seen that 1666 was also when three aldermen and the town clerk were appointed to inspect both almshouses and report on them. Or was the person responsible for the motif a sixth son? The matter is entirely one of speculation, but a more prosaic explanation might be that it was simply done by a builder undertaking work in the attic, not in 2009 but more than three hundred years earlier. The attic bears reminders left by others in the form of signatures written on areas of plaster, e.g. Jack Rowley Electrician 12 July 1939; Jack Carpenter 20 January 1975 and Ben Sloan 2004. But none match the splendour of the far older, and very mysterious, motif. It should also be noted that the attic retains many of its original Tudor features. There are areas of wattle and daub, and the original timbers can be seen. These would have been cut and shaped shortly after felling and before being transported to Bond's. Marks can be seen on them indicating an order for construction. Large wooden pegs, rather than metal nails, were used to secure the timbers and are still visible.