Dame Mary Billing

Dame Mary Billing, of Conington in Huntingdonshire, was a benefactor to St Margaret's church Westminster, giving money towards building the south aisle, and she was buried in the church with a monument depicting her figure. This disappeared, with several other monuments, when the churchwardens had the chancel floor levelled in 1742 - only a small fragment remains embedded in the wall near the east door.

But an engraving of it was published in 1631. On the tablet on top of a tomb chest was an image of Our Lord shedding rays from above with the Virgin Mary kneeling opposite an angel. Around the figure of Mary were four coats of arms and a label from her mouth read "Blessed Lady have mercy". One of the shields showed "argent, a double headed eagle displayed, sable" impaling "argent, two bars nebuly sable and a canton". The main inscription was:

Here lieth Dame Mary Bylling, late wife to Sir Thomas Bylling, Knight, chiefe Justice of England, and to William Coton and Thomas Lacy: which Mary died the 14 day of March in the yeare of our Lord God 1499

In modern dating this date would be 1500. She was the daughter of John Folville and her first husband William Cotton, son of Sir Richard, died in 1459. Her second husband was Thomas Lacy. Sir Thomas died in 1481.

The engraving by Weever also includes a figure of a kneeling knight in armour with a double headed eagle on his surcoat with a group of figures behind him. It is not known where this was on the monument.

Further reading for Sir Thomas

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004