God's House at Ewelme

God's House at Ewelme is an extraordinary survival from England's late-medieval past: a well-documented and preserved chantry foundation established in 1437 by William and Alice de la Pole, then Earl and Countess of Suffolk. As originally constituted, it supported a school, a community of 13 almsmen and two priests. Their prayers and activities were to be offered for the praise of God and benefit of their founders' souls. This text uses the wealth of architectural, artistic and documentary evidence at Ewelme to create a portrait of God's House in the 15th century. Through this, it aims to represent the values and forces which shaped chantry devotion during this period. It examines the patronage of the de la Poles, the history of the foundation, the architecture of the complex, the life that was led by its community and the figures who lived there.