English Gentlewoman. Born the youngest daughter of Dame Elizabeth and Sir Thomas Hare of Stow Hall, Norfolk. She never married, and at about age 55 she apparently injured herself while sewing and soon succumbed to blood poisoning. She reportedly lived an unremarkable life, but with her death achieved a measure of fame. According to her will: "I desire to have my face and hands made in wax with a piece of crimson satin thrown like a garment in a picture hair upon my head and put in a case of Mahogany with a glass before and fix'd up so near the place were my corps lyes as it can be with my name and time of Death put upon the case in any manner most desirable if I do not execute this in my life I desire it may be done after my Death." Her wishes were carried out in every detail. It is uncertain if the effigy's face was an actual death mask or taken from life and the hands were modeled on her own hands. The wig is also known to be her own wig made with real hair, although reportedly the wig was at least two decades behind the fashion, as country ladies were slow to catch up with London tastes, the clothing belonged to her as well. The effigy has withstood the ravages of time very well, it is the only surviving wax funerary figure in England outside of Westminster Abbey. It was cleaned and restored in the 1980s, and remains in the north chancel of the Stow Bardoph parish church inside a plain mahogany cabinet with a bronze plate engraved in part: "Here lyeth the body of Sarah Hare."
English Gentlewoman. Born the youngest daughter of Dame Elizabeth and Sir Thomas Hare of Stow Hall, Norfolk. She never married, and at about age 55 she apparently injured herself while sewing and soon succumbed to blood poisoning. She reportedly lived an unremarkable life, but with her death achieved a measure of fame. According to her will: "I desire to have my face and hands made in wax with a piece of crimson satin thrown like a garment in a picture hair upon my head and put in a case of Mahogany with a glass before and fix'd up so near the place were my corps lyes as it can be with my name and time of Death put upon the case in any manner most desirable if I do not execute this in my life I desire it may be done after my Death." Her wishes were carried out in every detail. It is uncertain if the effigy's face was an actual death mask or taken from life and the hands were modeled on her own hands. The wig is also known to be her own wig made with real hair, although reportedly the wig was at least two decades behind the fashion, as country ladies were slow to catch up with London tastes, the clothing belonged to her as well. The effigy has withstood the ravages of time very well, it is the only surviving wax funerary figure in England outside of Westminster Abbey. It was cleaned and restored in the 1980s, and remains in the north chancel of the Stow Bardoph parish church inside a plain mahogany cabinet with a bronze plate engraved in part: "Here lyeth the body of Sarah Hare."
Bio by: Iola
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