[The copyright is reserved by Dr John L. Kirk]

When the church was re-opened after the restoration in 1879, the walls of
the nave were covered with a thick coat of yellow wash, but there were
many living who remembered the accidental discovery of the strange
pictures that were for a time exposed to the wondering gaze of the
congregation. The distraction caused by this novelty led to the coat of
yellow wash that undoubtedly did infinite harm to the paintings. At the
subsequent restoration, which was carried out by degrees as the necessary
funds were forthcoming, it was found that portions of some of the figures
had perished, and it is a most regrettable fact that the restoration
included the painting in of certain missing parts whose details could only
be supplied by analogy. From Mr Lightfoot's description it seems that in
the large picture of St George and the Dragon a considerable part of the
St George's body was missing; that the representation of Herod's Feast and
the lowest scene of the life of St Katherine of Alexandria were very badly
damaged by the attachments of mural tablets. On the whole, however, the
paintings when uncovered were in a good state of preservation, and the
colours were more vivid than they were left after the re-touching by Mr
Jewitt.

[Illustration: Some of the Wall Paintings in Pickering Church.

THE SEVEN CORPORAL ACTS OF MERCY.

They are, from left to right:--(1) Feeding the hungry (partly missing in
photograph)[A]; (2) Giving drink to the thirsty; (3) Compelling the
stranger to come in; (4) Clothing the naked; (5) Visiting those in prison;
(6) Visiting the sick; (7) Burying the dead.