St Stephen's Parish
Serving the Catholics of Skipton, Craven and the Dales
The Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel is in the east transept of the church and was part of the 1853 additions. In the architectural plans drawn up at that time it was called the Lady Chapel. Over the years it has had a variety of names each suited to its changing use: Tempest chapel, Martyrs' chapel and the Tribune:
Tempest chapel because all around the walls are memorial tablets of marble and brass to the Tempest family; Martyrs' chapel because the Altar here is dedicated to the Martyrs of England; Tribune because this was an enclosed area in which the nuns from the convent and the school-girls would attend Mass.
The Altar in this chapel was erected in 1932 by Brigadier-General Roger Tempest and his sister Blanche in memory of their parents Arthur Cecil and Eleanor Blanche. Their coats of arms stand out on the base of the altar. Carved on the ledge behind the altar are the words: "Beati Martyres Angliae, O(rate) P(ro) N(obis)", 'Blessed Martyrs of England, pray for us." The tabernacle here is made of brass and the door is inscribed with the Five Wounds of Christ, an emblem of the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) when northern England rose in protest against Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. Nicholas Tempest was subsequently martyred at Tyburn.
Memorials to the Tempests, many whom are buried in the crypt of the church, are placed here. They cover a range of styles from neo-medieval to neo-Classical to modern. This chapel also houses the Font.
Also here is the relic of St Stephen. In a letter from Walter Joseph Tempest to his brother Sir Charles, 9 June 1848 he wrote:
"A short way out of the Porta San Stefano in Jerusalem, is a place where St Stephen was martyred. The form of his body was imprinted on the rock where he was stoned... I have therefore applied to the Patriarch for leave to take a lump of the rock, which he granted me... I send you the authentication... It is a great treasure."
One can leave the church from here and come from the side door onto the lawn.
