The Fitzalan Chapel is the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

of the church of St Nicholas in the western grounds of

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

, in

West Sussex, England West Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Crawley, and the county town is t ...

. Dating to the 14th century, the chancel is used as the private mausoleum of the

FitzAlan FitzAlan is an English patronymic surname of Anglo-Norman origin, descending from the Breton knight Alan fitz Flaad (died 1120), who accompanied King Henry I to England on his succession. He was grandson of the Seneschal of the Bishop of Dol. ...

s and later the

Howard family The Howard family is an English noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has of ...

. The church is one of the very few that is divided into two worship areas, a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

area (the chancel) and an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

area (the nave and transepts). It is a Grade I-listed building.

History

Richard FitzAlan, 3rd Earl of Arundel Richard Fitzalan, 3rd Earl of Arundel, 8th Earl of Surrey ( 1313 – 24 January 1376) was an English nobleman and medieval military leader and distinguished admiral. Arundel was one of the wealthiest nobles, and most loyal noble retainer of the ...

, was responsible for the building of the Chapel posthumously according to his will. The original Fitzalan Chapel consisted of the entire building, and was built as the Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity in 1380 by commission of

Richard FitzAlan, 4th Earl of Arundel Richard Fitzalan, 4th Earl of Arundel, 9th Earl of Surrey (1346 – 21 September 1397) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander. Lineage Born in 1346, he was the son of Richard Fitzalan, 3rd Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancast ...

, whose family owned Arundel Castle. It is an example of

Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

architecture, and the architect and mason is believed to have been

William Wynford William Wynford or William of Wynford (flourished 1360–1405) was one of the most successful English master masons of the 14th century, using the new Perpendicular Gothic style. Life and career He is first mentioned in 1360 when at work at Winds ...

. A number of noted

Fitzalan FitzAlan is an English patronymic surname of Anglo-Norman origin, descending from the Breton knight Alan fitz Flaad (died 1120), who accompanied King Henry I to England on his succession. He was grandson of the Seneschal of the Bishop of Dol. ...

and

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

family members are buried in the chapel, many in tombs adorned with sculpted effigies. Most of the recently deceased

Dukes of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

are buried there. The chapel was badly damaged in 1643 during the siege of Arundel Castle by the Parliamentarians' cannons during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. It remained neglected throughout the 18th century. During this period, the Anglican parish was established in the western portion of the church building.

Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk Bernard Edward Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk (21 November 1765 – 16 March 1842), was a British peer. Early life Howard was the son of Henry Howard (1713–1787) by his wife Juliana Molyneux, daughter of Sir William Molyneux, 6th Baronet (die ...

, is credited with initiating major repairs to the Fitzalan Chapel circa 1837, and his successors expanded and restored the chapel further. Fitzalan Chapel is now vested in an independent charitable trust (No. 279379), and accepts donations for further maintenance and preservation. It is currently open to the public by access from the castle grounds.

Burials

Thomas FitzAlan, 5th Earl of Arundel Thomas Fitzalan, 5th Earl of Arundel, 10th Earl of Surrey (13 October 1381 – 13 October 1415) was an English nobleman, one of the principals of the deposition of Richard II, and a major figure during the reign of Henry IV. Lineage He was ...

(1381–1415) *

Beatrice, Countess of Arundel Beatrice of Portugal ( ; c. 1380November 1439), LG, was a natural daughter of John I of Portugal and Inês Pires, born before the marriage of her father with Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt. She was a sister of Afonso, Duke o ...

(c. 1382–1439), wife of the 5th Earl and daughter of King

John I of Portugal John I ( WP:IPA for Portuguese, �uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in 1383–85 crisi ...

John FitzAlan, 6th Earl of Arundel John Fitzalan, 6th Earl of Arundel, 3rd Baron Maltravers (1 August 138521 April 1421) was an English nobleman. Origins He was the son of John Fitzalan, 2nd Baron Arundel (1364-1390), by his wife Elizabeth le Despenser, daughter of Edward ...

(1385–1421) * Eleanor Berkeley, Countess of Arundel (d. 1455), daughter of

Sir John Berkeley John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1602 – 26 August 1678) of Berkeley House in Westminster and of Twickenham Park in Middlesex, was an English royalist soldier, politician and diplomat, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley fa ...

Beverstone Beverston is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 132, decreasing to 129 at the 2011 census. The village is about two miles west of Tetbury. Beverst ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel, 4th Baron Maltravers (14 February 140812 June 1435) was an English nobleman and military commander during the later phases of the Hundred Years' War. His father, John Fitzalan, 3rd Baron Maltravers, fought ...

(1408–1435), originally buried at Église des Cordeliers at

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

; excavated in the mid-19th century; features

cadaver monument A cadaver monument or ''transi'' is a type of funerary art, funerary monument to a deceased person, featuring a sculpted tomb effigy of a skeleton, or of an emaciated or decomposing dead body, with closed eyes. It was particularly characteristic ...

William FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel William Fitzalan, 9th Earl of Arundel, 6th Baron Maltravers (23 November 1417 – 1487) was an English nobleman. Born on 23 November 1417, William was the second son of John Fitzalan, 6th Earl of Arundel (1385–1421), and Eleanor Berkeley (d ...

(1417–1487) * Joan Neville, Countess of Arundel (1434–1462), eldest daughter of

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury KG PC (1400 – 31 December 1460) was an English nobleman and magnate based in northern England who became a key supporter of the House of York during the early years of the Wars of the Roses. He ...

* Thomas Salmon (d. 1430), Chamberlain to

King Henry V Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against ...

* Agnes Salmon (d. 1418), wife of Thomas and Principal

Lady-in-Waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

William Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel William Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel, 8th Baron Maltravers KG (147623 January 1544) was an English peer, styled as Lord Maltravers from 1487 to 1524. FitzAlan was the son of Thomas Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel, and Margaret Woodville (di ...

(1476–1544) * Anne Percy, Countess of Arundel (d. 1552), second wife of the 11th Earl and daughter of

Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainme ...

Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel (23 April 151224 February 1580) was an English nobleman, who over his long life assumed a prominent place at the court of all the later Tudor sovereigns. Court career under Henry VIII He was the only s ...

(1512–1580) *

Mary Arundell Mary Arundell may refer to: *Mary Arundell (courtier) (died 1557) *Mary Arundell, Baroness Arundell (c. 1563–1607) *Mary or Margaret Arundell (died 1691), wife of John Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Trerice