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These "mercy seats" provide a flat seat for the "sitting part" of a service but then during "standing part" the seat, which is hinged, can be folded up still leaving a nice little ledge to rest the bum on during long prayers. They probably said long prayers in those days, this one is from the 15th century and shows St. Michael and the dragon.

The motifs at the side are called supporters and have the head of wodehouse in vine-leaf circle.