ABSTRACT
The fragmentary and much restored Perpendicular monuments which can be found in a few City churches and in a number of the parish churches scattered around the Greater London suburbs might seem to be an unpromising subject for research. Much greater attention has been given to their predecessors of the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly to the famous group in Westminster Abbey, and to the few more exceptional early 16th-century essays in the Renaissance style. One of the most distinctive attributes of many late medieval tombs is the private screened enclosure which marks out the area around the tomb. The more common type of late medieval Purbeck tomb, widespread in the Home Counties, and very likely emanating from London workshops, is much plainer. From the survivals, it is clear that some London tombs are not of inspiring quality, and have helped to give the late medieval monument a poor reputation as being repetitive and mass produced.
