1a St Frideswide and her Companions. 1b St Frideswide founding her first Convent. 1c A Messenger from the King of Mercia. 1d The King comes to take her by force. 2e The Flight of St Frideswide to Abingdon. 2f The Flight of St Frideswide to Abingdon. 2g The King of Mercia and his soldiers in pursuit. 2h St Frideswide taking refuge in a pig sty. 3i The flight of St Frideswide to Binsey. 3j The King of Mercia in pursuit. 3k St Frideswide founding a new Convent at Binsey. 3l Her merciful deeds. 4m The return of St Frideswide to Oxford. 4n The siege of Oxford by the King of Mercia. 4o The siege of Oxford by the King of Mercia; the King struck blind. 4p The Death of St Frideswide.
As Eve Blau observes on p. 142 of "Ruskinian Gothic The Architecture of Deane and Woodward 1845-1861" The window was "erected on the bequest of Dr. John Bull who died in 1858," but she incorrectly states "the fault for the overcrowding of the small panels was Woodward's". Benjamin Woodward (1816-61) was commissioned in 1860 by the Dean of Christ Church to design the stonework for the St Frideswide window at the east end of the Latin Chapel in Christ Church Cathedral. According to Blau, Woodward gave Burne-Jones the wrong set of measurements for the window apertures. However, the incorrect scale and overcrowding of the figures is entirely due to Burne-Jones's inexperience designing for the medium. The tracery above the four lights contains the following; Top roundel is the Ship of Souls. Five pointed light left: The Garden of Eden with the serpent in the tree baring an inscription on a scroll "Arbor scientiae" meaning "Tree of Knowedge (or Science)". Above flames, a symbolof Hell Burne-Jones has taken the idea of the Tree of Knowledge from The Tree of Science (Arbre de la ciència, Arbor Scientiae) a work by Ramon Llull (1232-1316) that he wrote in Rome between 1295 and 1296, The image include here is taken from a 1505 edition. Five pointed light right: Kneeling Angels on either side of a tree inscribed on a scroll with "Arbor Vitae" meaning "Tree of Life", above clouds, a symbol of Heaven, also taken from Ramon Llull. Three small lights containing Angels, one holding the Sun, one holding the Moon and three other Angels in Chorus.
James Powell & Sons, The Whitefriars Glass Company The Account Book of Window Dept 1845-1868 - on page 135 for December 1860 are the accounts for the St Frideswide window in Christ Church, Oxford: 135 December 1860. 15 The Very Rev.d The Dean of Christchurch Oxford. Four light window & tracery. Painted from Mr Jones designs of the Legend of St Fridewide. Fletcher lights 4 - 10" 2 1/4 x 2" 4 = 95.8. Tracery 1 - 3" 9 x 3" 7 1/2 = 13.9. - 2 - 3" 7 1/4 x 3" 2 = 23.3. - circular 2 - 1" 0 1/4 x 1" 0 1/4 say 2.0. - circular 1 1" 2 1/4 x 1" 2 1/2 say 2.4. 134.4. Miss Oakman reducing drawings 15 days. Mr Grieve Painting & sorting glass 181. Mr Burrow Painting etc 159. Gwynne cutting glass 83. Fletcher glazing & fixing. ... (costing of the window). A/c 1/1/61 to T N Deane Esq. Upper Mission St. Dublin. It would appear from this entry that the window cost £287 in total.
