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George, whose head rests on his helm, crested with a hand clutching a broken lance, is depicted
with long hair, a beard and wearing a ruff. His feet are resting on his gauntlets.
Above Sir George, against the wall, kneeling on crimson cushions with gilt tassels, are the
east-facing figures of his first wife, Mary Knightley and third wife, Jane Glover, who had
this six-poster tomb-chest, in the north aisle, erected.
Purefey's second wife, Dorothy Denny, is seen represented on the head end of the chest.
Around the base of the front of the tomb are the figures of his four surviving children.
Kneeling face to face, are George who, as the heir, is wearing a sword, and his wife Ann.
Between the couple are the arms quarterly
1. and 4. Azure, three stirrups or (Purefey of Misterton)
2. and 3. Sable, six hands embracing argent (Purefey of Drayton) impaling Sable,
a chevron ermine between three crescents argent (Glover).
On the other side are Edward, Elizabeth and Joyce. Behind the effigy and under the two
kneeling women, on black marble tablets, are two inscriptions:
Mary, first wife of George Purefrey, esq,
daughter and coheire of Sir Valentine Knightley, knt,
and of Ann his wife, daughter and
coheire of Sir Edward Upton, Knight of the Bath,
and Ann his wife, daughter of Edward Seymour,
Duke of Somersett, dyed Apr, 18, 1617.
Jane, Lady Glover, widdow of Sir Thomas Glover
Knt, and daughter of Francis Roberts
esq third wife of George Purefrey esq, by
whom she had issue one onely daughter,
Elizabeth: who, in love to her husband,
caused this monument to be erected 1631.
On the central front pillar is a third inscription, on two tablets one above the other:
George Purefrey,
esq, dyed 13 May
1628 anno
ætatis 45. He
married to his
second wife
Dorothy, sister
to Edward Denny
Earl of
Norwich, by whom
he had no issue.
He had issue by his first
wife, Mary, 4 sonns and
5 daughters, whereof
these four expresst in
this tombe are living
(viz) George, Edward,
Elizabeth and
Joice and the other 5
Valentine, William,
Mary, Ann and Jane are
deceased. There are
only married George,
the eldest son, to
Ann the eldest daughter
of Sir Thomas Glover,
knt, and the Lady
Jane his wife: and Elizabeth,
the eldest daughter, to
Sir John Francklin knt.
On the frieze of the arch are the following impalements:
- Qly. 1st and 4th Azure, three stirrups or (Purefoy of Misterton) 2nd and 3rd Sable, three pairs
of gauntlets embracing argent (Purefoy of Drayton): impaling Qly. 1st and 4th Ermine
2nd and 3rd Paly of six or and gules (Knightley)
- Qly. 1st and 4th Purefoy of Misterton, 2nd and 3rd Purefoy of Drayton: impaling Gules, a saltire argent between twelve crosses
paty or (Denny)
- Qly. 1st and 4th Purefoy of Misterton 2nd and 3rd Purefoy of Drayton: impaling Argent,
three phoens sable, on a chief of the second a greyhound (Roberts)
- Qly. 1st and 4th Purefoy of Misterton 2nd and 3rd Purefoy of Drayton: impaling Sable,
a chevron ermine between three crescents argent (Glover)
- Argent, on a bend azure three dolphins seient (Fawcet): impaling Qly. 1st and 4th
Purefoy of Misterton 2nd and 3rd Purefoy of Drayton
- Knightley impaling Azure on a fess engrailed between three spearheads argent
a greyhound sable (Unton)
- Unton impaling Gules, two wings conjoined in lure or (Seymour).
On the roof of the monument are two sets of arms:
- Qly.
1st and 4th Purefoy of Misterton, 2nd and 3rd Purefoy of Drayton
- as 1
- Qly. Or and gules, a crescent in centre argent (Mondavile)
- Or three piles gules, on a canton argent a mullet pierced sable (Wellesburgh)
- Gules, a fess ermine between two chevronels argent (Charnells)
- Or, on a fess gules three mullets pierced argent: impaling Qly. 1. Gules a chevron ermine
between three leopard faces or (Wylford) 2. Argent on a fess azure three escallops or (Pye)
- Or, on a fess gules three water-bougets argent (Bingham) 4. Argent, a chevron
sable (Rempstone)
- Paly of six argent and azure (Strelley) 6. Argent, a fess dancetty sable (West).
Quarterly of twenty,
- Qly 1st and 4th Ermine 2nd and 3rd Paly of six or and gules (Knightley)
- Gules, two bars ermine (Boteler)
- Or, two bendlets azure (d'Oyley)
- Azure, a stag's head caboshed or (Browton)
- Argent, on a saltire sable five swans argent (Burgh)
- Argent, a lion rampant within a bordure engrailed sable (Harpur)
- Azure, a chevron between three hawk's lures argent (?)
- Argent, on a fess gules five lozenges or (Harrowden)
- Gules, two bars argent and a canton ermine (St John)
- Argent, a chevron gules between three birds sable (Trevenoth of Cornwall)
- Argent, a lion rampant gules (Leigh)
- Argent, a fess azure between three torteaux (Oblis)
- Gules, on a chief argent three lozenges sable (Bluet)
- Argent, three chevronels engrailed gules (Wareyn)
- Or, a chevron between three escallops azure (Littleton)
- Azure, on a fess or between three spearheads argent a greyhound courant sable (Unton)
- Gules, two chevrons argent (Fettyplace)
- Argent, a chevron between three griffin heads erased sable (Coplestone)
- Bendy of six or and azure within a bordure gules (Merbroke)
- Azure, three griffins segreant argent armed gules (Yonge).
In 1593, while only nine years old, George succeeded to the family estates, marrying his first
wife, Mary, great-granddaughter of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, in 1604. He was an ardent
Puritan and was involved in the publication of the 'Marprelate Tracts'.
Martin Marprelate, who claimed kinship with Piers Plowman, wrote satirical witty pamphlets
that brought the ideas of the Puritans to the general public. It was not long, however,
before Marprelate's press was
suspended and the ringleaders, including Purefrey, heavily fined.
The Norman French motto,
Pure foi ma foie ('Pure faith and joy') is a punning reference
to the family name.
The church of St Michael
Sepulchral Effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland
Text copyright Max Matthews 2002. Selected text copyright Bob Trubshaw 2025–6.
Images copyright Max Matthews 2002 or Bob Trubshaw 2002, 2025–6.
No copying or reproduction without prior written permission.
Published by Heart of Albion Press
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