The Humber Street Madonna, c.1401-1450
This silver figure of Mary with the baby Jesus was found in Humber Street in Hull. Archaeologists were digging there to learn more about the past. It is only 5.7cm high and was probably part of a larger shrine to the Virgin Mary.
During the Middle Ages many people worshipped Mary and thought of her a kind of Goddess. Many churches and monasteries were dedicated to her. This is still the case in many Catholic countries.
This silver figure was discovered during an excavation in 1964, near the site of the medieval walls of Hull. It was found in the 16th century rubbish levels, along with many pottery sherds. The Humber Street Madonna is a fragment separated from a larger object such as a shrine. It has been identified as English work from the first half of the 15th century (1400s).
At the time this figurine was left in the cityâs rubbish England was undergoing the great religious changes of the Reformation. In 1533 Henry VIII passed legislation making him Head of the Church of England and removing the Catholic Pope's influence. All the monasteries in England were closed and their gold and riches were claimed by the King.
After the Reformation decorated crosses and crucifixes were forbidden and many shrines to Mary were removed or destroyed. English Reformers returned to a simpler form of worship. Crown commissioners confiscated or destroyed much of the gold and silversmiths' work in the medieval churches.
Before the Reformation there were shrines to Mary throughout the British Isles and some still survive today.
Before the Reformation, the twelfth and thirteenth centuries had seen a huge growth of the cult of the Virgin Mary. This movement found its largest expression in French cathedrals which are often dedicated to "Our Ladyâ. Many cities also placed themselves under her protection.
