Rayne Village Shield

Image: © Trevor Wright Taken: Unknown

The Rayne Village Shield hangs from a post in the middle of the village and depicts aspects of village history, including agriculture and the, now closed, iron foundry works. Top left: the spinning wheel and straw plait represent past industry, i.e. wool yarn spinning, weaving and straw plaiting, Top right: the plough share represents the first improved plough made at Rayne Foundry with other agricultural implements, Bottom left: a modern Tractor representing today's industry of farming and agriculture, Bottom right: showing the filling of a mould, representing techniques once used when there was a working Foundry in Rayne, and Centre: Sir Giles Capel's Helmet, representing our historic background. Sir Giles wore the helmet when he jousted in feats of arms as a Knight of King Henry VIII. In his will Sir Giles directed that his best helmet and arming sword should be set above his "funeralls" and for nearly 300 years the helmet hung on an iron bar over his altar-shaped tomb in All Saints Church. When the church was pulled down in 1840 all the Capel tombs were destroyed and the helmet was removed by the builder, William Parmenter of Bocking. It was found with another on a peg in his workshop by a Miss Courtauld, later Madame Arendrup. She bought it and gave it to Baron de Cosson, the then greatest living authority on the history of arms and armour. It was exhibited in London and later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of New York who sent the copy back to England.

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