Foxing Daun Russell: Moral lessons of poultry on misericords and in literature

This paper discusses representations of the pursuit of the fox in misericord carvings in England, taking up Elaine Block and Kenneth Varty's point that the 'isolation of [the] dramatic chasing of the fox within churches almost certainly means that it could be given a moral point'. The carvings are considered in the light of English written sources of the period, including Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale, preaching materials and beast allegory. Interpreting them in this context, it is suggested that their 'moral point' concerns the need for rigorous adherence to clerical discipline and a warning of the consequences of failure.