The West End Windows
The sequence begins at the west end of the church with two old testament figures - Elijah and Moses. Moses is portrayed with a beard, and flowing hair. Rays of light appear at each side of his head, looking rather like horns. Some artists actually mistook the light for horns, so he is often portrayed with real horns!
The next window takes us into the New Testament, showing St Simeon (Jesus being presented at the Temple) and John the Baptist (and Jesus being baptised). Originally, the font stood directly in front of this window, but in recent years it has been moved to a more central position. (There is a tiny font pictured at the top of the window).
The North Side Windows
The Parables window shows the stories of the sower, the good shepherd, the prodigal son and the talents.
The next theme is Jesus with children.
We then move from the nave into the chancel of the church, where we see Matthew and Mark. This window is the only one in the sequence to show the trademark of William Wailes and the date - 1849.
Luke and John feature in the following window.
The East Window
At the east end of the chancel, we see the crucified Christ between Mary and John, with weeping angels at his feet. The lower lights show Christ being tempted in the garden, Christ carrying the cross and Mary and John walking away. This is a very rich and beautifully coloured window, providing the congregation with a strong image for worship and contemplation. The design won a first prize in the Great Exhibition of 1851 and is in memory of Edward Trafford Leigh, who's wife had the church built in his memory.
(The final window of the sequence shows St Peter and St Paul. This is now rather hard to see due to later building work blocking out the light.)
The remaining stained glass in St Edward's, on the South side, is more modern, and was installed individually and manufactured by different glass makers. Kelly's Directory of the West Riding of 1861, states that all the windows were filled with stained glass by Wailes. Evidence suggests that the windows on the south side of the church were coloured but not necessarily pictorial. If they had been, they would probably still survive.
The South Side Windows
Continuing our walk round, we first come to the Lycett Green window. This was designed by Sir John Ninian Comper in 1935 and features his mark of a strawberry plant with fruit, leaves and flowers, and the date in Roman numerals. Comper studied with Charles Eamer Kempe for a while. You can see another example of his windows at Easingwold and he produced a beautifully painted and gilded cover for the font in the crypt of York Minster. The window commemorates the life of Ethel Mary, wife of Sir Lycett Green and features the Virgin and Child, and St. Ethelburga.
The Brierley window of 1923, was designed by John Charles Bewsey, who was also a pupil of Kempe. He worked mainly in the 1920s and 1930s and died in 1940. The window features his mark of an heraldic device of a rose, surrounded by a motto in gothic letters. Walter Henry Brierley was a church warden at St Edwards and a highly regarded architect. His final building was Goddards on Tadcaster Road (he died before it was completed). This window is dedicated to his wife, Gertrude, with whom he is buried in Dringhouses Cemetery. Featured in the window are St. Barbara (with her tower), St. Gertrude (Mrs. Brierley's name saint) and St. Sytha (the patron saint of housewives).
We then come to the Grisdale window, commemorating the lives of Jessie and John Grisdale (warden), who both died in the 1960's. It was designed by Harry Harvey of York. This window features St Dorothea and St Giles, and at the top the linked initials JG.
The final window is also by Harry Harvey, and features an image of St Edward the Confessor and his coat of arms/emblem. This was presented by Raymond Burn (warden) in 1976. Neither window appears to carry the Harvey emblem of his initials and an ear of wheat. Harry Harvey and Harry Stammers had been invited to York in 1947 by Dean Milner-White. In 1956, Harvey set up his own studio, and carried on working until the 1980s. Another fine example of his work can be found in the Guildhall west window in York.