The miracle of the cockerel that escaped Henry VIII (From Gazette & Herald)

The miracle of the cockerel that escaped Henry VIII

EXPERTS are crowing over a rediscovered cockerel that escaped the "fowl" deeds of Henry VIII's henchmen.

The unique piece of 13th century stained glass window from Rievaulx Abbey, featuring a striking red cockerel, re-surfaced at English Heritage's Central Science Laboratory in Portsmouth as part of an ongoing programme likely to take many decades to re-evaluate over 5m items in the national collection.

The cockerel's first great escape came in 1538 when Henry VIII looted the nation's abbeys, with the best quality glass being sent to London and lesser grades sold locally or melted. Experts believe the king's men discarded the cockerel as rubbish and it joined over 50,000 tonnes of masonry, soil and rubble that accumulated over the next four centuries, incredibly staying intact.

Just after the First World War, it saw sunlight once again. Famous archaeologist Sir Charles Peers used de-mobbed soldiers to clear Rievaulx's debris, which was up to five metres deep in places, and uncovered thousands of relics along the way. However, records were often incomplete and after being lifted from the rubble, the cockerel slipped the net and was soon entombed in an anonymous cardboard box for over 80 years.

For the Cistercian monks who built Rievaulx, the cockerel greeting the dawn every morning was symbolic of spiritual renewal and a new start. Set within the great eastern window, the chicken would have been strongly illuminated by beams from the rising sun.

John Lax, English Heritage head custodian at Rievaulx, added: "It's also possible that the supposedly austere Cistercians simply wanted something whimsical around the borders of the window to lighten its appearance. Whatever the motivation, it is a very high quality piece of work that would have been painted by a professional craftsman. It's a miracle it has survived and we hope to have it on display to the public soon."

To celebrate the cockerel's resurrection, English Heritage is also commissioning a range of china plates embossed with the cockerel to be sold at Rievaulx.

Updated: 10:46 Wednesday, October 08, 2003