The stained glass was greatly neglected until 1920 when Miss May Ffytche of The Old House in Church End arranged its repair which was done with great care by Lowndes & Drury in London, with assistance in sorting and re-arranging the pieces by Miss Townshend and Miss Howson. Before being sent back to Clavering, most of the glass was exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1921 for students to see it. In addition to the repairs, a large panel made up of fragments, which had been lying about loose, was set up in the north aisle. No attempt was made to restore the glass, the spaces were filled with white glass toned or smeared to give it a soft and quiet appearance. Lettering recording the re-leading was placed in the main window.
[Francis Eeles gives a detailed description of each panel of the St Katharine Window at the east end of the north aisle, of which extracts are given below. The original article can be read in the bound volumes of the TEAS in Saffron Walden Town Library.]
The St Katharine Window, east end of north aisle. There were probably originally 12 panels, filling the whole window, telling the story of the martyrdom of St Katharine. Only four remain. Below is first of all a description of the lights.
The left hand light is an angel on blue background, with feathered body, golden belt, long thin feathers on legs and arms, hands raised and figure is turned towards centre of window.
(from left) An angel in an albe with hands raised, looking towards centre of window, with blue background. Next to the angel is St Gabriel with feathered body, arms and legs, kneeling on right knee, his right hand raised and pointing to a scroll that says ‘ave maria…’ (head and upper body missing), background is unusual pink. St Gabriel forms Annunciation scene with Blessed Virgin Mary in right-hand light but most of her is missing except the head. She looks to left towards St Gabriel and the Dove approaches her face.
Both the lights on the right are angels, the one on the right has a blue background but is very fragmentary, the one on the left has a red background with a feathered figure, golden belt, looking towards centre of window and is nearly perfect. Foreground is little roses in circles
The first of four scenes from the life of St Katharine. This one is almost perfect. St Katharine is disputing with the pagan King Maximin’s philosophers, who are said to have been sent by the king to reason with her and afterwards to have been converted by her. St Katharine in a blue mantle and golden crown is standing on left with hands raised, addressing the philosophers, who are seated more or less in a ring in the middle of the picture. 4 of the 50 philosophers are shown, dressed in red and blue gowns and hoods, two of them with round caps, one with th e tonsure. Words issue from St Katharine’s mouth on a scroll. One philosopher holds a scroll in his left hand and points towards her with his right, with words coming from his mouth and from another and the 4th holds an open book. The king who has a white beard is enthroned on the right, wearing a crown, white coat and over it a cloth of gold trimmed with fur and a fur cap. Below is the beginning and end of an inscription.
St Katharine before the King. This is rather a fragmentary panel. St Katharine in blue on the left with hands outstretched; the king seated on a golden throne on right wearing deep fur hood, with long, white, curly hair. The end of his sceptre can be seen towards left of picture. The scene is probably the king disputing with St Katharine or condemning her. The panel is made up with fragments brought from elsewhere including the left hand lower corner of a tracery light with a chequered floor and a piece of drapery and two pieces of glass on which lines have been painted to represent the leads of quarry glazing
St Katharine put in prison. This is a very fine scene. The prison is rather like the porch of a gothic church, with battlements and a low pitched roof covered with leads crockets on the gable. On the lower part of the side wall is a large quatrefoil panel enclosing a shield a shield bearing a plain cross. St Katharine crowned and in blue mantle as in other panels, is being pushed into the prison by a man in a dark red coat edged with white fur. A small sword hangs by his side (head missing). From the prison door another man is pulling St Katharine in, he is dressed in sea green. The king is on the right, in rich rob with deep ermine hood. Near him stands a sword-bearer in white and gold, holding a sword. Below is part of inscription.
This shows the philosophers converted by St Katharine being burnt by order of the king. St Katharine on left in blue (head missing), king enthroned on right in robes of gold and white. In foreground centre is heap of red shades representing heads and bodies of burning philosophers, being stirred up by the executioner with a long rod. He stands below St Katharine on left and wears a pointed cap (legs missing). Above the souls of the martyrs are ascending in the form of white birds towards the eternal Father whose face and uplifted open hands appear above pale blue clouds and stars at the top of the picture. The treatment of the whole scene is brilliantly clever and effective. Below is part of an inscription.
Francis Eeles gives the following description of some of the other fragmentary glass in the other north aisle windows
This light is filled with fragments, mostly pieces of inscriptions. They are nearly all different sized lettering and from different subjects, but enough remains to show there was a considerable quantity of stained glass in the church. There was a series of prophets for we have a fragment showing a foot projecting beyond and below the base of the scene into the inscription band with the letters ‘chias’ and another with ‘seas’, probably Malachias and Oseas. We have also ‘bell vxoris sue’ and ‘vx[or]is’ in another fragment. On another is ‘et Cristine’. The latter suggest prayers for the souls of donors’ wives, though they may possibly have been gifts by them. There are two pieces of glass, one with an inscription in two lines, the other in three, both curved and forming part of labels attached at one time to figures. High up in the light is a fragment of a man’s fur-edged coat with his left leg, and at the top is part of a medallion with a monogram and a golden twist border. Two little roundels in the middle cusps of the tracery may be in situ.
A splendid figure of St Michael [the head does not seem to belong to this panel and may have been inserted as the original head was missing]. His right arm is raised and the hand holds a sword which passes behind his head. The red surcoat bears a white cross with blue sleeves, a fur lined cloak. There are feathers round the arms and the wind feathers have eyes like peacock feathers. The circular brooch of the mantle is golden. The blue background is diapered with multifoils in circles and there are golden jewels, mostly circular. The border surrounding the panel is unusual consisting of a stem spreading out at intervals into a circle enclosing a quatrefoil alternating with a large leaf, rather like a Savoy cabbage. It is similar to the borders in English illuminated mss of the period 1380-1440.The lower part of the figure and some of the border are made of fragments from elsewhere. This figure is probably in its original position in the church.
Remains of a figure of St Christopher. This is very fragmentary and most of the upper part has gone. The hand grasps a yellow staff. Below the hand and on the right and also a little on the left is the water of the river. Around the centre is a large piece of red garment covered with a pattern of golden cords twisted together and intersecting. At the intersection of these lines of twisted cords are blue jewels. Along the white border of this rich red robe are red and blue jewels alternating. All this elaborate glass has been very beautifully cut and leaded. A small portion of St Christopher’s grey beard remains higher up, and further to the left is a part of the Holy Child in blue, resting on his shoulder. At the extreme left is a bush with green leaves on the river bank. At the top of the light is some blue background with the end of a white windmill sail, and further down a piece of what appears to have been a wooden wheel, probably from one of the scenes in the life of St Katharine.
