Introduction
William Joy (fl. 1329–1348) was an English master mason, or architect, of the Decorated Gothic style, known for his work on several English cathedrals.
Joy's cathedral work shows influences of Bristol Cathedral, and he may have originated from that area.
Wells Cathedral
William Joy was a colleague of the master mason Thomas Witney, and took over his work at Wells Cathedral in 1329.Joy extended the choir and retrochoir and designed the choir vault. Joy built the scissor arches to prevent the central tower from collapse after cracks appeared in the tower following repairs made after an earthquake in the 13th century.Several attempts had been made to strengthen the tower, but Joy's uniquedesign has not only held, but decoratively references the Saltire Cross, the cross of St Andrew, the patron of Wells.
Exeter Cathedral
The Bishop of Exeter, John Grandisson, founded a new church at Ottery St Mary, which was built by Joy.In 1342 he was put in charge of works at Exeter Cathedral.Initially he was charged with completing designs by Witney.
The screen of the west front (illustration) is Joy's design.Consisting originally oftwo tiers of sculptures in canopies, it covered the original arches and contains the chantry of Bishop Grandisson. The first tier had sculptures of 25 angels, of which 23 remain. The second tier has niches for 25 sculptures of kings and knights.Ten sculptures dating from the 1340s survive today.
Work on the cathedral was halted in 1348 by the Black Death, which struck just before Christmas. As Joy is not mentioned after this date, it is likely that he was one of the victims of the plague.