Object Literature
The custom of painting hatchments started at the end of the seventeenth century and has continued until our time, although new hatchments are very rare indeed. This hatchment was essentially prepared by Church wardens as a tribute to for display in the North Yorkshire church anew old have been painted by a local artist. It is fair to say that funeral hatchments are conventionally diagonal-square in format and they are items of public mourning rather than being associated with the funeral itself, for which the lozenge format remains the norm.
George IV died at Windsor on 26 June 1830. He had ruled as Regent for nine years and King for ten. His father’s ill health had led him to anticipate coming to the throne for most of his adult life, but in the event, he did not become King until 1820 at the age of 57. By the time he succeeded George III, he was already suffering the effects of years of overindulgence.
A quite wonderful work of art that has been in private hands since its removal.