Zouche of Harringworth

In Athelhampton’s Library, sunlight glows through this jewel of ancient stained glass. It’s a complicated shield, and often in tours, we talk about the shield next to this one instead!

This shield belongs to the Zouche family of Harringworth, quartered with the arms of Cantilupe, Braose, and Clare — dynasties whose power stretched across medieval England.

The Zouches were influential enough to give their name to Ashby de la Zouche in Leicestershire, where their castle once dominated the town. At Athelhampton, their story continues: in 1501, Elizabeth Martyn of Athelhampton married John Carew, whose mother was Katherine la Zouche.

In this one window you’re not just looking at coloured glass, but at centuries of family history — from Ashby’s castle to Athelhampton’s Great Hall — shining as brightly now as it did in Tudor times.

When you visit, have a look for it in the Library, one of 20 rooms open to explore.

The arms are Quarterly of four:

1 & 4: Gules bezanty — la Zouche

2: Or, a lion rampant Azure — de Braose (a variant; some branches show Azure, a lion Or)

3: Gules, three leopard’s faces jessant-de-lys Or — de Cantilupe

With the Clare chevrons (Or, three chevrons Gules) appearing through the Cantilupe line.

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