Fishers of Men

by B. van Cleve

The ‘Fishers of Men’ window is situated on the west side of St. Peter’s church. It is a Kempe window and was manufactured 1907.

This stained glass window consists of five tiers. On top are two angels with banners, followed further down by three regal figures, left and right a king and in the middle the daughter and wife of a king, who became an Abbess. This is followed by a band of six angels with musical instruments. The lowest tier shows Jesus, calling Peter to follow him.

The Angelic Realm

The two angels in the top tier each hold a banner. The banners read:

O sing unto the Lord a new song   let the congregation of Saints praise Him

Kings and Queens

The next tier shows three regal, historical figures with crowns, richly decorated clothing, and insignia of power. The figure to the left represents Edmund of East Anglia. He lived in the 9th century and died 869 at the hands of the Vikings.

The figure to the right represents Edward the Confessor. He was born around 1003 and died 1066. He is described as an Anglo Saxon English king.

The figure in the middle represents Etheldreda, the daughter of king Anna of East Anglia. She lived from around 636 to 679 and founded a double monastery. She is depicted with a model of Ely Cathedral in her arms. On the banner underneath the cathedral we read:

Eccles Elien

which is probably the abbreviation for

Ecclesia Eliensis.

The Calling of Peter

The bottom tier shows Jesus in the middle with halo and ‘Fleurs de Lys’. Around his head floats a banner with the words:

Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

In the left light we see the sail of a boat in the background, and in the foreground two figures with halo, one is kneeling. According to ‘The Corpus of Kempe Stained Glass in the UK and Ireland’ they represent Peter (in the foreground) and Andrew. The two figures in the right light with halo are said to represent John and James. They are depicted alongside three figures without halo, probably their father and two hired men.

The logo of C E Kempe & Co Ltd, a single wheat sheaf with superimposed black tower, can be seen next to Peter’s right foot.

The dedicational text reads:

This window was dedicated on the Feast
of St. Peter 1909, in grateful memory of
Annie Barbara, wife of John Julius Hannah,
Vicar of Brighton 1888-1902, and Dean
of Chichester, who died May 10: 1907.

The date of death is different to that to be found in some online sources, who claim she died on August 30th, not May 10th 1907.

All images © B. van Cleve

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Floor plan of stained glass windows in St. Peter’s church Brighton