| Description | Brief notes re a picture in an altarpiece at St. Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel, introduced by Dr. Welton [written 'Walton'], rector, c. 1710, representing Dr. White Kennett (1660-1728), Dean (later Bishop) of Peterborough, as Judas. [See the entry for Kennett in the Dictionary of National Biography for an account of this incident]. Also pencil sketch made by W. T. [?] in 1808, to which these notes have been later attached. The sketch shows [a parody of ?] an altarpiece with 3 statues of saints (with haloes and rosaries) and 'Orate pro nobis' ['pray for us'] inscribed below, plus the kneeling figures of two men and two women with a small dog.
[See also pamphlet LP 1766, classed at 221.2 in the Local History Library]. |
| AdminHistory | The altar piece at St. Mary's is a painting portraying the Last Supper, with Christ blessing the bread. Judas turns away, purse in hand, at the front of the table on the left. There is a tray holding an urn and jug in the foreground (1). The artist, James Fellowes (1690-1760), was well-known for his portraits of clerical figures. In the original work he employs a combination of engraving and etching (2).
Fellowes painted the work c. 1714, at the request of the Rector of St. Mary's Richard Welton (1671/2-1726), who placed it in the church as an altarpiece. It proved controversial, with Judas represented as a likeness of Bishop White Kennet (1660-1728), typically clad in a black habit, short wig and a velvet patch on his forehead. Welton, who held strong Jacobite sympathies, and Bishop Kennet had been engaged in a lengthy feud. Through the offices of the Bishop of London, Kennet ensured that the altarpiece was removed (3).
The first church was built on a site in Adler Street as St. Mary's de Matefelun, possibly through the patronage of a family of that name. Later, it was commonly referred to as St. Mary's, Whitechapel. Evidence suggests that it was built from white chalk rubble, hence its early name 'white chapel', from which modern Whitechapel has evolved (4). The church underwent renovations and repairs and has been rebuilt several times, most recently in 1880-81. It was gutted by fire bombs in December 1940. The Adler Street site was finally cleared in 1952. It became known as St. Mary's Park, and was renamed Altab Ali Park in 1998.
Sources of information:
1/2. A Representation of the Altar-piece lately set up in White-chappel Church (British Museum)
3.'The Church of St. Mary's Matfelon, Whitechapel': Part 1, 10 June 2016 in surveyoflondon.org
4. Part 1 (Ibid)
5. Part 2, 1 July 2016 in surveyoflondon.org |