St Edmunds church is dedicated to St Edmund, martyred in the 9th century who was King of East Anglia
In February 1928 it was proposed to erect a stained glass window in St Edmunds Church Seaton Ross. The window was to be in memory of the late churchwarden, Mr Charles Preston and his wife Mrs Betsy Preston.
The subject being 3 inserts in the life and martyrdom of St Edmund. The left hand light (west light) represents Bishop Humbert and St Edmund on the night before the latter’s martyrdom. Bishop Humbert had crowned St Edmund in earlier, happy days. The centre light is St Edmund’s martyrdom showing him tied to a tree, transfixed with Danish arrows (these arrows and 3 crowns are the emblem of St Edmund). The right hand light (east light) shows the finding of St Edmunds head. His head, which was decapitated, was recovered by the Angles, led to it by a wolf, which barked ‘Heugh, Heugh’ (Here! Here!). The body of St Edmund was taken and interred at Bury, St. Edmund.
The cost of the window in 1928 was £100.00 and the designer was Mr Harry Victor Milner a renowned glazier from Whipsnade in Bedfordshire.
As with The Ascension window, The St Edmund (Preston Memorial Window) is also a really beautiful window with magnificent colours and visitors should take the time to stand and look at what is a work of art.
The inscription on the window reads: “To the Glory of God and in memory of Charles Preston who died November 9th 1926 and his wife Betsy Preston who died December 2nd 1926 R.I.P”.
Malcolm Young