The Brooke Window
The Brooke Window The visitor walking along the landing of the west wing of Astley Hall will find the stained glass window overlooking the internal courtyard. A stained glass window that was thought to have been brought to Astley when Richard Brooke married Margaret the Charnock heiress. The religious imagery leads you to believe that the older, coloured pieces of glass, were brought from Norton Priory that the family had purchased following the dissolution of the monasteries in the time King Henry VIII. In the top left and right corners the diamond shaped pieces of glass contain the letters, IHS representing the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek capital letters, ΙΗΣ. More fully ΙΗΣΟΥΣ or Ιησους. These are also incorporated in the symbols of the Jesuits, The Society of Jesus The Brooke Window The Society of Jesus The window is dated 1600 and below this can be seen the image of a badger though it often mistaken for a boa