34:6
Bond
B71
_ English churches
Aee. No.
-vrvr- ;-"
'" * ')
-' * -; J */
Keep Your Card in This Pocket
Books will be issued only on presentation of proper
library cards.
Unless labeled otherwise, books may be retained
for two weeks. Borrowers finding books marked, de-
faced or mutilated are expected to report same at
library desk; otherwise the last borrower will be held
responsible for all imperfections discovered.
The card holder is responsible for all books drawn
on this card.
Penalty for over-due books 2c a day plus cost of
notices.
Lost cards and change of residence must be re-
ported promptly.
Public Library
Kansas City, Mo.
TENSION EMVELUKCORI
S. Anne Teaches the Virgin to Read,
** n ** ** "1
Dedication^* ^PaSroii T Saints
f/i(i
of English Churches
ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLISM
SAINTS AND THEIR EMBLEMS
BY
FRANCIS BOND, M.A.
F.G.S., Hon. A.R.I.B.A.
Author of " Gothic Architecture in England," " Cathedrals of England and Wales,"
" Screens and Galleries in English Churches," " Fonts and Font Covers," " Stalls
and Tabernacle Work," "Misericords," "Westminster Abbey," "Introduction to
English Church Architecture "
WITH 252 ILLUSTRATIONS
HUMPHREY MILFORD
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
London, New York, Toronto, Melbourne, and Bombay
1914
S. John Baptist.
All Saints' North Street, York.
PREFACE
THIS book should be pleasant to read, for it has been pleasant
to write. It grew out of a perusal of Miss Arnold-Forster s
Studies in Church Dedications (3 vols., SkefHngton, 1899). Of
this the third volume is composed of statistics, and gives the
first and only complete list of saints commemorated in the
dedications of English churches. These include modern as well
as mediaeval dedications. It seemed worth while to strip off
all dedications of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
leaving only those of more ancient date. The next step was to
arrange these earlier dedications in order of frequency of
occurrence, as a key to the respective popularity or unpopularity
of the various saints. The results, both as to popularity and
unpopularity, were so surprising that it was hardly possible not
to pursue the inquiry further, and endeavour to ascertain how
the old churchmen came to have such very different ideas from
our own as to the merits or demerits of the saints. The inquiry
turned out not to be easy, as may be judged from the long list of
books in the bibliography (see below) which it was necessary
to read and digest. Then some sort of order or system of arrange-
ment had to be devised. It would not have been very profitable
to discuss haphazard, just as they happened to occur in order
of frequency, saints of such diverse characteristics as S. Andrew,
S. Nicholas, S/ Margaret, S. Helena, S. Thomas of Canterbury,
and the rest ; it would be to compare chalk with cheese. It was
necessary to divide them up into various categories. Of these
evidently the first category was of those saints whose biography,
or part of it, appears in the New Testament. Even here .the
results of the order of merit, if it may be so termed, of the
Biblical saints required considerable inquiry and discussion.
How did it come about, for instance, that SS. Andrew and
Matthew should have such overwhelming popularity as against
other apostles and evangelists ? It is only by delving down to
the fifth century legend of the happenings at Wrondon, the City
of Dogs (page 154), that the key to the mystery was at length
vi PREFACE
discovered. After discussion of the anomalies of the popularity
of Biblical saints, there still remained the far larger crowd of
non-Biblical saints. Of these by far the most numerous are
Celtic saints of Cornwall and Wales, of whom little is said
in this volume, because of most of them little is known, and of
several nothing at all (see pages 10-12, 25-27, 192, 193). These
being expunged from the list, there still remained a very large
number of non-Biblical saints, whose respective merits and
demerits it was desirable to examine. These have been divided
into classes. Of these the first is composed of saints of royal
blood, chiefly of Anglo-Saxon dynasties, but headed by the
great Roman empress, Helena (pages 72-83). Then follows a
consideration of saints distinguished by their theological scholar-
ship as compared with those who won greater acceptance by
austerity and asceticism of life (pages 84-91). There follows a
list of the chief saints, not excluding the charming legends of
S. Bridget of Kildare, to whom was due the evangelisation of
Western Europe and Ireland (pages 92-100). These are followed
by the saints who brought about the conversion of the Anglo-
Saxon kingdoms ; special attention being directed to the position
occupied by women in the Anglo-Saxon church (pages 101-108).
The largest category is that of the "white-robed army of
Martyrs," which, beginning in the first century and extending
with breaks up to the execution at Whitehall in 1629, is largely
a synopsis of the history of Church History in Western Europe
through seventeen centuries (pages 109-136). A list of other
good men is given, who though never formally canonised, or if
canonised, not commemorated in dedications, nevertheless were
popular saints with common folk (pages 137-145 and 194-200).
The categories are now complete. Each contains strange
anomalies. An attempt had to be made to explain the indiffer-
ence felt by the old churchmen to some saints, their love and
admiration of others. Some sort of explanation, or rather a
series of explanations, is offered in the twelfth chapter, e.g., that
a particular saint was specific against some common danger or
malady, or that his story lent itself readily to representation in
pictorial art, or that his relics were widely diffused, or that the
legend was in praise of virginity, or of loving-kindness to poor
people, and the sick, and cripples, and lepers, and captives, and
little children, and the birds and beasts of the forest ; but far
away above all, that the biography had been written up by
mediaeval men of letters, in whose hands, then as now, lay the
gift of immortality (pages 146-182). Finally, it is asked how far
these diverse biographies are veracious, and an attempt is made
to set forth canons of credibility of legendary lore (pages 183-
PREFACE vii
1 88). So far Hagiology in general had been dealt with, but it
seemed interesting also to inquire how far local Hagiology
agreed with or differed from it; test counties, therefore, were
examined for the purpose, and the results are given in Chapter
XVI. A comparison also has been made of the popularity of
saints as shown in church dedications, and as shown in church
bells and calendars ; the calendars of Bede and Sarum are given
at length. Also a chapter is added on the consecration services
of churches in Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and mediaeval times.
The second part of the book is devoted to an explanation of
the symbolism which occurs so abundantly in every branch of
mediaeval church art (pages 243-291).
The third part consists of an alphabetical list of emblems to
facilitate the identification of representations of the saints.
This is followed by an alphabetical list of saints chiefly those
commemorated in the dedications of English churches followed
by the emblems characteristic of each. These two lists should
be of use to the archaeologist, but still more to a traveller who,
like the present writer, has been visiting this summer the stained
glass of Chartres and Le Mans, the pictures galleries of Florence,
Milan, and Venice, and the churches of Brittany with their
wealth of images. By the aid of these lists the identification of
English saints represented in sculpture, pictorial art, stained glass,
ivories, and the like, may in most cases be readily accomplished.
For the illustrations of the book the writer is indebted to the
kindness and co-operation of many friends. For photographs,
drawings, or blocks, acknowledgments are due to Mr S. Ambler,
Mr E. W. Andrew, Rev. T. N. Baxter, Mr H. C. Beckett, Dr G.
G. Buckley, Mr P. B. Burroughs, Miss Kate M. Clarke, Mr F.
H. Crossley, Mr W. Davidson, Messrs Dawkes and Partridge,
Mr W. Marriott Dodson, Mr J. F. East, Mr W. Eaton, A.R.LB.A.,
Rev. J. T. Fowler, D.C.L., Mr A. Gardner, F.S.A., Mr S. Gardner,
Mr Cecil Gethen, Mr Harry Gill, Mr Advent Hunatone, Mr F.
Jenkins, Miss Mabel Leaf, Rev. Walter Marshall, F.S.A., Mrs E.
M'Clure, Dr Philip Nelson, Mr C. F. Nunneley, Mr A. Y. Nutt,
Mr W. T. Oldrieve, F.R.I.B.A., Mr T. Phillips, Mr H. Plowman,
Miss E. K. Prideaux, Rev. C. O. Raven, Mr E. A. Reeve, Mr. A.
W. Searley, Mr S. Smith, Mr W. S. Weatherley, F.R.I.B.A., Mr
D. Weller, Mr G. H. Widdows, A.R.LB.A., Rev. W. E. Wigfall,
Mr W. Percival-Wiseman, Mr W. P. Young ; reproductions of
the above are distinguished by the initials of the owner of the
photograph or block. The following books also have been
drawn on for illustrations : Calendar of the English Church^ by
permission of Messrs Parker ; Rood Screens and Rood Lofts, by
Mr F. Bligh Bond, F.R.I.B.A., and Dom Bede Camm, by
viii PREFACE
permission of Messrs Pitman and the joint authors; the new
series of the Reliquary ; the drawings of the Ranworth Rood
Screen, by Mr C. J. Winter; Medieval Figure Sculpture in
England, by Professor E. S. Prior and Mr Arthur Gardner, by
permission of the Cambridge University Press and the joint
authors ; and the volumes in the English Church Art Series by
the.present writer on Westminster Abbey and Rood Screens and
Galleries in English Churches.
Valuable information has been kindly supplied from various
sources ; special acknowledgments are due to the Right Reverend
G. F. Browne, Dom Bede Camm, Miss Kate M. Clarke, Mr G.
C. Druce, Rev. J. T. Fowler, D.C.L., Mr C. E. Keyser, Dr
Montague James, Mrs E. M'Clure, Mr W. J. N. Millard,
A.R.I.B.A., Mr C. F. Nunneley, Dr Philip Nelson, Miss E. K.
Prideaux, Mr H. B. Walters, Rev. W. A. Wickham.
The text has had the advantage of revision by Rev. G. C.
Niven, Rev. G. W. Saunders, and Mr F. B. Walters, F.S.A. A
bibliography has been prefixed to the text, and indexes will be
found at the end of the volume, together with alphabetical lists
of Saints and their Emblems. The writer will be glad to receive
corrections and suggestions through his publisher, Mr Humphrey
Milford, Oxford University Press, Amen Corner, London, E.G.
CONTENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY ------- xi
PART I
CHAP.
I. DEDICATION, MEANING OF: DEDICATIONS TO THE
HOLY TRINITY AND TO THE SECOND AND THIRD
PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD i
II. MEMORIAL, PROPRIETARY, AND PERSONAL DEDICA-
TIONS ------ g
III. LIST OF SAINTS, WITH NUMBER OF DEDICATIONS
ARRANGED IN ORDER OF FREQUENCY - - 17
IV. THE CHIEF BIBLICAL SAINTS COMMEMORATED IN
DEDICATIONS - - - - 28
V. REASONS FOR SELECTION OF A PATRON SAINT - 65
VL DEDICATIONS TO SAINTS OF ROYAL BLOOD - - 72
VII. DEDICATIONS TO SAINTS WHO WERE EVANGELISTS
OR THEOLOGIANS, OR WHO WERE ASCETICS 84
VIII. DEDICATIONS TO THE EVANGELISERS OF WESTERN
EUROPE AND IRELAND - - - -92
IX. DEDICATIONS TO THE EVANGELISERS OF ANGLO-
SAXON ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND - - 101
X. DEDICATIONS TO THE NOBLE ARMY OF MARTYRS - 109
XL SAINTS WITHOUT DEDICATIONS - - -13?
XII. How SAINTS ROSE INTO POPULARITY - - 146
XIII. CRITERIA OF THE CREDIBILITY OF THE LEGENDS OF
THE SAINTS - - - - -183
X CONTENTS
CHAP.
XIV. COMPOUND DEDICATIONS CHANGE OF DEDICATION-
LOST DEDICATIONSALTERNATIVE DEDICATIONS
SPURIOUS DEDICATIONS - - - 189
XV. UNCANONISED SAINTS - - - - - 194
XVI. METHODS APPLICABLE TO THE STUDY OF DEDICA-
TIONS ; COMPARATIVE RESULTS IN SELECTED
COUNTIES; DEDICATIONS OF BELLS - - 201
XVII. SAINTS COMMEMORATED IN CALENDARS: CALENDARS
OF BEDE AND SARUM - - - 220
XVIIL CONSECRATION OF CHURCHES - - - 238
PART II
XIX. ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLISM - 243
PART III
XX. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS:
ECCLESIASTICAL VESTMENTS - - - 292
XXI. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SAINTS WITH THEIR EMBLEMS 307
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES - 333
GENERAL INDEX - - - - - 341
XI
BIBLIOGRAPHY
IT should be clearly understood, says Mr Bates, 1 that there is no
authoritative list of English dedications in existence. Among
the public Records are two works known as Pope Nicholas'
Taxatio of 1291 and the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1536, containing
the names of all parishes in England and Wales ; these were
drawn up primarily to ascertain the value of the benefices, and
only incidentally, as in the case of a town with many churches,
are the dedications added. The latter work, known as the
Valor Ecclesiasticus or Liber Regis, was first printed in 1711
by John Ecton. It was not till 1742, after the death of Ecton,
that an edition was published, in which the dedications were
added, as far as he was able to obtain them, largely from hear-
say and fishing inquiries, by the well known antiquary, Browne
Willis. In 1786 John Bacon brought out a new edition of the
Liber Regis, based on the the labours of Ecton and Willis, but
omitting all mention of their names from the title page.
The following are the chief authorities on the dedications of
English churches :
BACON. Liber Regis, vel Thesaurus Rerum Ecdesiasticarum* 1786.
ECTON. Thesaurus Rerum Ecclesiasticantm. 2nd edition. 1754.
LAWTON. Collectio Rerum Ecclesiasticarum de diocesi Eboracensi. 1 840.
Clergy List. Published annually.
Diocesan Calendars. Published annually.
MACKESON. Guide to the London Churches. Published annually.
For general purposes Miss Arnold-Foster's Studies in Church Dedi-
cations or England's Patron Saints (London, 1899), will be found all
sufficient
CELTIC SAINTS
Round the dedications of Celtic saints a considerable litera-
ture has gathered. The following are among the most important
works :
REES, Rev. RICE. Essay on the Welsh Saints. London, 1836.
BORLASE, W. C. Age of the Saints. Truro, 1878.
1 Rev. E. H. Bates in Somerset Archaeological Proceeding^ li. 105.
xi
xii BIBLIOGRAPHY
REES, Rev. W. J. Lives of the Cambro- British Saints; translated.
Published by the Society for the Publication of Ancient Welsh
Manuscripts.
NEWELL, E. J. A Popular History of the Ancient British Church.
1887. Truro Diocesan Kalendar.
FORBES, BISHOP. Kakndars of the Scottish Saints. 1872.
BARING-GOULD, S. A Catalogue of Saints connected with Cornwall^
with an Epitome of their Lives and List of Churches and Chapels
Dedicated to them. Royal Institute of Cornwall^ xiii. 439 ; xiv. 25,
260; xv. 17, 256, 347; xvi. 144, 279, 395; xvii. 155.
EVANS, J. T. Church Plate of Pembrokeshire, with Notes on the
Dedications of Pembrokeshire Churches. Lo ndon, 1905.
KERSLAKE, THOMAS. The Celt and the Teuton in Exeter. Archaeological
Journal^ xxx. 211.
Vestiges of the Supremacy of Mercia. Translations of the Bristol
and Gloucester Archaeological Society ', 1872.
The Welsh in Dorset. Dorset Field Club, iii. 74.
BARING-GOULD, S., and JOHN FISHER. The Lives of the British Saints^
the Saints of Wales and Cornwall^ and such Irish Saints as have
Dedications in England. London, 4 vols., 1907-1914.
STOKES, WHITLEY. Three Middle-Irish Homilies on the Lives of Saints
Patrick, Brigit) and Cohtmba. Calcutta, 1877.
STANTON'S Menology of England and Wales contains three appendixes
as follows :
(a) An alphabetical list of Welsh saints, to whom churches are
dedicated, or whose names appear in some ancient
calendar.
(b) A list of other Welsh saints, or eminent persons sometimes
called saints, but to whom no churches are known to have
been dedicated, and many of whom, it is probable, have
never in fact been honoured as saints.
(c) A list of Cornish saints, not only those named in the above
Menology, but others to whom churches have been
dedicated, or who have given their names to places,
but have left no sufficient record of their lives.
DEDICATIONS
The following deal with the subject of dedications generally:
BINGHAM, J. Antiquities of the Christian Church. New edition, 10
vols. Oxford, 1855.
BRIGHT, CANON W. Chapters of Early English Church History.
Oxford, 1878.
BROWNE, CHARLES. Transactions of St PauPs Ecclesiological Society,
vol. i., v. 267.
PEACOCK, EDWARD, Archcsological Review, ii, 269.
HARINGTON, E. C. The Rite of Consecration of Churches. London, 1844.
BIBLIOGRAPHY xiii
The following deal with the dedications of the churches in
particular counties or districts :
VENABLES, PRECENTOR. Dedications of the Churches of Lincolnshire
as Illustrating the History of the County. Arch ceo logical Journal,
xxxviii. 365.
Dedications of the Parish Churches of Nottinghamshire. Associated
Societies' Reports, v. 10 and xvii. i.
RAINE, CANON. Dedications of the Nottinghamshire Churches, as shown
by Wills. Associated Societies' Reports ; xvi. ii. 231, 239.
Dedications of the Yorkshire Churches. Yorkshire Archaeological
Journal^ vol. ii. 180.
JACKSON, J. E. Names of Wiltshire Churches. Wilts. Archaological
Magazine \ xv. 98.
GREGORY, J. V. Dedication Names of Ancient Churches in Durham and
Northumberland. Archtzological Journal, xlii. 370.
BATES, E, H. Dedications of the Churches of Somerset. Somerset
Arch&ological Society, Ii. 105.
DUNCAN, LELAND E. Dedications in the Diocese of Rochester. S. Paul's
Ecclesiological Society, i i i . 241.
Ecclesiological Notes concerning the Deanery of Shoreham, Kent.
Archceologia Cantiana, xxiii. 134.
Parish Churches of West Kent. Testamenta Cantiana. 1907.
HUSSEY, ARTHUR. Dedications in East Kent. Testamenta Cantiana.
1907.
ATTREE, F. W. T. Some Hampshire Dedications gathered from Pre-
Reformation Wills. Hampshire Field Club Papers, ii. 33 1
AUDEN, H. M. Shropshire Dedications to Celtic Saints. Shropshire
Archaeological and Natural History Society, iii. i. 284.
CLARK-MAXWELL, W. G. Some Local Dedications in their bearing on
Local Church History. Shropshire Archaeological and Natural
History Society, iv. i. 363.
GIBBON, C. Dedications of the Churches and Chapels in the Rapes of
Chichester, Arundel, and Bramber. Sussex Archaological Collections,
xii. 6 r.
ROWE, J. B. Dedications of the A?icient Parish Churches, Chapels and
Religious Houses of Devon. Devonshire Association, xiv, 93.
OLDHAM, D. W. Church Dedications in Devonshire. Devonshire
Association, xxxv. 746.
LIVES OF THE SAINTS
For the LIVES OF THE SAINTS the chief authority is the Acta Sanctorum,
compiled by the Bollandists. Their object was to print the best
text ; for the authenticity of the legends they are in nowise re-
sponsible. Over sixty volumes have appeared, and it is still
incomplete.
BAILLET J. Vie des Saints. 1739.
XIV BIBLIOGRAPHY
BUTLER, ALBAN. Lives of the Saints. 12 vols. London, 1812, 1813;
this contains also lists of the relics of the saints s and of the places
where they are to be found.
BARING-GOULD, S. Lives of the Saints. 1 6 vols. 2nd edition. 1877.
NEWMAN'S Lives of the Saints. 6 vols. 1901. This series was
prepared by various hands at the suggestion of Cardinal Newman,
and was never completed.
SMITH and WAGE'S Dictionary of Christian Biography. 3 vols. The
articles are by eminent scholars, and are of high critical value.
4 vols. London. 1877-1887.
Miss ARNOLD-FORSTER in Studies in Church Dedications, vols. i. and ii.,
gives a critical account of the lives of saints who are commemorated
in dedications.
JAMESON, Mrs. Sacred and Legendary Art. The legends of the
saints are mainly considered from the point of view of their repre-
sentation in mediaeval and modern art : the book consists of three
parts:
I. The History of Our Lord and of Old and New Testament
Personages. 2 vols. 1864.
II. Legends of the Madonna. 2nd edition. 1857.
III. Legends of the Monastic Orders. 2nd edition. 1852.
JACOBUS DE VORAGINE (Venice, 1480). The Golden Legend. Translated
by William Caxton. Reprinted by William Morris. 1892.
Calendar of the English Church. Illustrated. Parker. 1851.
HARCOURT, C. G. V. Legends of S. Augustine, S. Anthony ', and S.
Cuthbert, painted on the back of the stalls in Carlisle Cathedral.
Illustrated. Carlisle, 1868.
WEAVER, F. W. On the Cult of S. Barbara. Somerset Archaological
and Natural History Proceedings. 1893.
HORSTMAN, CARL. Nova Legenda Anglice. As collected by John of
Tynemouth, John Capgrave, and others, and first printed, with New
Lives, by Wynkyn de Worde in 1516. 2 vols. Oxford, 1901.
STANTON, RICHARD. Menology of England and Wales. 1887.
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS
On the emblems of the saints the chief English authority is Husenbeth ; s
Emblems, 3rd edition, edited by Dr Jessop.
On the paintings of saints on the rood screens of Norfolk see G. E.
Fox in Victoria County History of Norfolk, ii. 529; and ditto,
Notes on Painted Screens and Roofs in Norfolk (Archaological
Journal, xlvii. 65) ; and on those of the Devonshire screens see
Rood Screens and Rood Lofts, London, 1909, by F. Bligh Bond
and Dom Bede Camm. On screens generally and their paintings
see bibliography prefixed to Screens and Galleries, by Francis
Bond, London, 1908.
KEYSON, C. E., on Panel Paintings of Saints on Devonshire Screens, in
Archceologia, Ivi. 183.
BIBLIOGRAPHY XV
WILSON. English Martyrologe. 1608.
CHALLONER. Britannia Sancta. London, 1745.
BLAISE. Vie des Saints. 2 vols. Paris, 1825.
KEYSER, C. E. Notes on some Fifteenth Century Stained Glass in the
Church of Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen. Norfolk and Norwich
Archaologial Society ) xvi. 306-319.
NELSON, PHILIP. Ancient Painted Glass in England. London, 1913.
WINTER, C. J. W. Rood Screen at Ranworth, Norfolk. Norwich,
1867.
GUNN, Rev. JOHN. Rood Screen at Barton Turf, Norfolk. Norwich,
1869.
BIRCH and JENNER. Early Drawings of Illuminations in the British
Museum. London, 1879.
MICKLETHWAITE, J. T. Statues in Henry the Sevenths Chapel^
Westminster. Archaologia, xlvii. 361.
CAHIER, CH. Characteristiques des Saints. 2 vols. Paris, 1867.
CALLOT, JAQUES. Images de tous les Saints et Saintes de Fann'ee.
Paris, 1636.
TWINING, LOUISA. Symbols and Emblems of Early and Medfaval
Christian Art. London, 1885.
MOLANO. De Historia SS. Imaginum et Picturarum. Lovanii, 1771,
ALT, A. Die Heiligenbilder.
RADOWITZ. Ikonographie der Heiligen. Berlin, 1834.
ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLISM
DURANDUS' Rationale. First book, translated with introduction by
Neale & Webb.
DIDRON'S Christian Iconography. Completed by Miss Margaret Stokes.
Bohn's Library, 1886.
MALE, EMILE. The Religious Art of the Thirteenth Century in France.
Translated by Dora Nussey. London, 1913.
PORTER, A. K. Medieval Architecture, ii. 115-145.
J. ROMILLY ALLEN'S Early Christian Symbolism in Great Britain and
Ireland before the Thirteenth Century, being the Rhind Lectures for
1885. Whiting, 1887.
POOLERS Appropriate Character of Church Architecture.
HULME, EDWARD. Symbolism in Christian Art. London, 1892.
KALENDARS
MASKELL'S Monumenta Ritualia EcclesicB Anglicana. 2nd edition.
1882.
GELDART, E. Manual of Church Decoration and Symbolism. Oxford,
1899.
BLUNT'S Annotated Prayer Book. 1903.
NEWMAN'S Lives of the English Saints. First volume.
Miss ARNOLD-FORSTER prefixes to her first volume on Dedications a
XVI BIBLIOGRAPHY
calendar (movable feasts excepted) showing the days allotted to
those saints who have churches dedicated to them.
FORBES, BISHOP. Kalendars of the Scottish Saints. 1872.
MART^NE, EDMOND, and DURAND, URSIN. Vetenim Scriptorum etMonu-
mentorum, historicorum, dogmaticorum, moralium amplissima collectio.
9 vols. Paris, 1724-1733.
GURANGER, DOM. The Liturgical Year. Translated by Shepherd.
Dublin and London, 1867.'
STANTON, RICHARD. Menology of England and Wales. The seventh
appendix gives a list of 21 martyrologies consulted in the pre-
paration of the work.
GASQUET and BISHOP. Edward 71. and the Book of Common Prayer.
London, 1890.
PART I
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH
CHURCHES
CHAPTER I
Dedication, Meaning of -Intercessory Power of the Saints Dedications to
the Holy Trinity The Second Person in the Godhead Holy Cross or
Holy Rood S; Sepulchre The Third Person in the Godhead.
ALL over Christendom, in the Latin and in the Greek Church,
every church and chapel is or was connected with the name of
some saint or of some sacred place or event ; with the name of
the Blessed Virgin, S. Peter, S. Michael, the Holy Sepulchre, the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, or the like. It must be borne
in mind, however, that no church or chapel is immediately
consecrated or dedicated to any saint or event, but solely to
Almighty God. Churches, says Hooker, 1 were consecrated .to
none but the Lord only. The general name " church " doth
sufficiently show this, for it doth signify nothing but the " Lord's
House." But founders of churches, for distinction's sake, did
each yphat liked him best, intending that the name of the saint
to whom the church was dedicated should put the person who
used or heard the name in mind of some memorable thing or
person. And S. Augustine saith, " To the saints we appoint no
churches, because they are not unto us as gods, but as memorials
as unto dead men, whose spirits with God are still living." So
also Bingham 2 writes that " the naming of a church by the name
of a saint or martyr was far from dedicating it to that saint or
martyr, though it served for a memorial of him among the living,
and so far was an honour to his memory, though dedicated only
1 Ecclesiastical Polity^ v. 13.
2 Origines Ecclesiastica^ vol. ii. p. 529.
2 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
to God and His service." This being so, it is properly not right
to refer to a church as being dedicated to such and such a saint
or event ; it is a sort of convenient shorthand way of expressing
that we mean that it is dedicated to God in memory 0f such and
such a saint or event. It is in this sense, and with this reserva-
tion, that the term "dedication" is used throughout this volume.
A convincing proof of this, which does not seem to have been
hitherto pointed out, is that many a town hall and hospital is
known abroad as Hotel Dieu or Maison Dieu (a fine example of
the latter is still in use at Dover), but neither at home nor abroad
are any churches dedicated to the First Person of the Trinity.
Had such a dedication been given, the meaning would have
been that the church so dedicated was dedicated to God the
Father in memory of God the Father.
As regards England, we are now able to get a comprehensive
view of the whole subject of English dedications. 1 It is one of
curious interest, throwing strange and often unexpected side-
lights on the feelings and practices of English churchmen,
whether in Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, or Post-Conquest days. The
dedications of the churches of England have much to tell us of
English Christian belief and feeling from the beginning of Church
history up to the present day.
In the first place it may be noted that, as was to be expected,
a considerable number of churches are dedicated to the Trinity
in Unity or to the Second or Third Persons of the Godhead.
And here, at the very outset, we come across something which
was not to be expected. It is that the above three dedications
are outnumbered, far and away, by others. Altogether the
three yield no more than 450 Pre-Reformation examples : a
small number compared with the 2,335 dedications to the
Blessed Virgin, 1,255 to All Saints or All Hallows, 1,140 to
S. Peter, 687 to S. Michael and All Angels, 637 to S. Andrew.
The reason for this is probably to be found in the ever-growing
tendency to attach great importance to the Intercessory Power
of the Saints, to the belief in the efficacy of their mediation,
which is already to be found in Christian doctrines and practice
even as early as the fourth century.
1 Thanks to Miss Frances Arnold-Forster, who in the third volume of
her Studies in Church Dedications^ has given first the number of dedications
of churches and chapelries, ancient and modern, connected with each saint
or sacred event ; secondly, an alphabetical list of all the English parishes
with the dedications of their several churches ; and thirdly, an alphabetical
list of the saints, followed by the names of the parishes- in which their
churches are found.
A. II.
Trinity Emblem.
From brass at Tideswell, Derbyshire;
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
HOLY TRINITY
Under this heading are found 297 ancient 1 dedications.
Comparatively few churches were dedicated to the Holy Trinity
or the Sacred Trinity before the closing years of the twelfth
century. But S. Thomas of Canterbury had been consecrated
Archbishop in 1170 on the first Sunday after Whitsuntide ; he
had celebrated his first mass in Prior Conrad's Trinity chapel,
which was to be burnt down four years later ; and it was to this
Trinity chapel that the archbishop constantly resorted for
private prayer. The Church of Rome had refused to institute a
separate festival to the Holy Trinity, but Becket ordained that
all churches in his province should henceforth observe the first
Sunday after Whitsuntide as Trinity Sunday. 2 After the
rebuilding of Canterbury choir the relics of the archbishop had
been transferred in 1220 from the crypt to the chapel at the
back of the High Altar occupying the same relative position as
his beloved Trinity chapel. 3 The great English martyr, there-
fore, whose influence was enormous throughout Christendom,
was closely connected in the popular mind with the doctrine of
the Trinity, and the result was naturally a great increase in the
number of dedications of churches to the Holy Trinity. At a
second period also this dedication was in special favour ; viz.,
from the time of Henry VIII. to the end of the seventeenth
century ; this was due mainly to a reaction against the venera-
tion of non-Biblical saints and of saints in general. It was
Henry VIII. who introduced the Trinity into the dedications of
the cathedrals of Ely and Winchester and of Trinity College,
Cambridge, A third period is the first half of the nineteenth
century, when the evangelical party in the Church selected this
dedication for more than 230 churches. 4
It is of interest that our mercantile marine, our harbours,
anchorage grounds, lighthouses, lightships, and buoys are all
under the care of a guild founded in 1515 by Sir Thomas Sport,
who had been captain of the great galleon Harry Grace a Dieu,
1 The term " ancient dedication " as used throughout this volume is
not synonymous with " Pre- Reformation " dedication, as it includes all
dedications of the sixteenth and seventeenth century.
2 It was not till nearly 150 years later that the Roman Church universally
followed the practice of the English Church in observing Trinity Sunday as
settled by Becket. The Greek Church does not recognise this festival.
3 The new chapel was called S. Thomas' chapel, but in modern times it
has recovered its old style of Trinity chapel.
* Arnold-Forster, i. 27.
HOLY TRINITY
under the title of " the Master, Wardens and Assistants of the
Guild or Fraternity of the Most Glorious and Undivided Trinity,
and of S. Clement," the latter being more immediately connected
with roads and anchorages by reason of the part played in
his legend by an anchor. Another contemporary use of this
A. Y. N.
From a brass to Lady Exeter (1474) in S. George's chapel, Windsor.
dedication may be cited. When Columbus was on his third
voyage to America, he saw riding across the sea what appeared
to be three distinct mountains of islands ; but as the vessel
drew near, they merged into one another at the base, being a
single immense mass of basalt. This so struck him that he
named the island Trinity Island, La Trinidad On his first
6 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
voyage the first land he reached was christened by him Saviour
Island, "San Salvador." 1
THE SECOND PERSON IN THE GODHEAD
(THIRTY-EIGHT DEDICATIONS)
For the reason given above the direct dedications to Our
Lord are few. "Christ Church" occurs twenty times.
Canterbury cathedral has retained this dedication ever since
it was appointed by Augustine in the seventh century. When
Henry VIII. set to work to re-dedicate the cathedrals, his
favourite names were "The Holy Trinity," "Christ Church "
and "The Blessed Virgin Mary." It was he who introduced
the name of Christ into the dedications of the cathedrals of
Worcester, Rochester, Chester, Durham, and Oxford. In
another form the dedication appears as Jesus chapel at
Troutbeck, near Windermere, and at Southampton ; and
formerly as "The Holy Jesus" at Attercliffe, Yorkshire.
Thirteen dedications are found to " S. Saviour" or " Our
Saviour" \ the best known is that of Southwark cathedral,
which, till Henry VIII. suppressed the Augustinian house, was
dedicated to S. Mary Overie, S. Mary over the river. In his
presence in the Holy Host (" Hostia"} at the Eucharist Our
Lord is commemorated once in " S. Mary and Corpus Christi"
Hatherley Down, Gloucestershire ; and once in " S. Mary and
the Holv Host" Cheveley, Cambridgeshire. Both Oxford and
Cambridge have colleges dedicated to " Corpus Christi " as well
as to "Jesus."
HOLY CROSS OR HOLY ROOD
Connected with these is a series of dedications bearing on
incidents of the life of Our Lord. Of these the most numerous
are the twenty-three dedications to the " Holy Rood" and the
eighty-three to the "Holy Cross" In our Church Calendar the
I4th of September is marked as "Holy Cross Day" ; in the
Roman Calendar, more precisely as Exaltatio Cruets, the " Setting
up of the Cross/' by way of distinction from the 3rd of May,
which is the day when the Cross was discovered, Inventio Cruds. .
The latter date commemorates the discovery at Jerusalem by
the Emperor Constantine of three crosses, the former the
dedication of a church built over the spot. In later days the
Holy Cross was carried off by the Persian conqueror, Chosroes,
1 Charles Browne, Tramactions of 5. Paul's Ecclesiological Society ', i. 269.
HOLY ROOD
but was ^ at length recovered by Heraclius, who brought it back
and set it up again on its old site in Jerusalem, On its original
W. M. D.
Alabaster panel in S. Peter Mancroft, Norwich.
discovery a large slice from it was cut off by the Empress
Helena and sent to Rome, where there was built to receive it
8 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
the famous church of S. Croce in Gerusalemme. In America
numerous places bear the name of Vera Cruz because their
churches contain fragments of the True Cross; Santa Cruz owes
its name to the fact that it was discovered on Holy Cross Day.
Among noteworthy dedications are those of Holyrood abbey, 1
Scotland ; S. Cross, Winchester ; Holy Cross abbey at Shrews-
bury; Holy Cross and S. Lawrence, Waltham, Essex; and
S. Crux, a parish church in the city of York, now demolished.
S. SEPULCHRE
A remarkable group is that of the circular churches dedicated
to S. Sepulchre or Holy Sepulchre at the Temple, London,
Cambridge, Northampton, and Little Maplestead, Essex. The
circular plan of these was an imitation of that of the church of
the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem with which the Knights
Templars and the Knights Hospitallers were closely connected.
The demolished Cluniac priory of Thetford, Norfolk, had this
dedication. Altogether there are 150 dedications connected
directly, and 112 connected indirectly with Our Lord.
THE HOLY GHOST
Two dedications to S. Esperit survive in Warwickshire,
Marton, and Wappenbury, and from their form may well have
come down from Norman days. North of Basingstoke station
may be seen the ruins of the chapel of the Holy Ghost built
by Bishop Fox and Lord Sandys ; portions of its famous glass
have been removed to the parish church. 2
1 Charles Browne, Ibid^ 272,
2 Arnold-Forster, i. 18-36.
CHAPTER II
Memorial, Proprietary, and Personal
Dedications S. Edward, K.M.
Celtic Dedications
SETTING aside the above dedications
to the Second and Third Persons in
the Godhead we come to what are,
in a vast majority, dedications to the
saints. Of these three classes may
be distinguished. The first com-
prises the dedications of "Memorial
Churches" \ the second what Bishop
Stubbs calls "Proprietary Dedica-
tions " ; the third, which enormously
outnumbers the others, may be styled
" Personal Dedications?
Some of the oldest, if not the
oldest of all, are dedications of those
churches which were built over the
actual tomb of a martyr to com-
memorate his faithful witness. From
the fourth century onwards such
memorial churches were built in every
land. As soon as the Peacexrf the
Church, 312 A.D., set the Church at
liberty, churches were built over the
tombs of the martyrs at Rome,
usually above ground, such as the
basilicas of S. Peter and S. Paul
extra muros, sometimes down in the
Catacombs, partially or wholly under-
ground, such as the basilicas of S.
Lorenzo, S. Agnese, S. Clement, and
S. Petronilla. So we in England
built new churches or re-dedicated
old churches to be the memorials of
many a beloved saint, S. Alban, S.
Etheldreda, S. Guthlac, S. Ethelbert,
i
1
w. s. w.
S. Edward, K.M.
Westminster.
10 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S/ Frideswide, S. Cuthbert, S. Chad, S. Edmund, and many
another. Perhaps the earliest memorial church is one at
Carthage, which S. Augustine tells us was dedicated to S.
Cyprian in the place where he suffered martyrdom in the
year 258. An example nearer home is that of the boy-
King Edward slain at eventide in 979 at the gate of Corfe
Castle. He was buried at Wareham ; afterwards his remains
were transferred to Shaftesbury abbey, where the shrine was so
famous that the town was long known as Edwardstow. In the
church of Lady S. Mary, Wareham, a low vaulted chapel of
curious construction is shown ; it is known as S. Edward's
Chapel, and is reputed to be a reproduction of the little wooden
chapel in which the body of S. Edward, King and Martyr, was
deposited after his murder, 1
A second class comprises those churches which com-
memorated not the martyr or saint buried within their walls,
but the founder of the church. Such a church was not
dedicated to the founder by himself, but by his admirers or
successors. In many cases we are certain that this was so; .;,
S. Cuthburga founded Wimborne minster and dedicated it to
the Blessed Virgin ; later on the dedication was changed to
" S. Cuthburga." These Proprietary Dedications are especially
characteristic of the Celtic Church. 2 Indeed, strictly speaking,
there were no dedications at all in the Celtic Church. There
was a ceremony of consecration it was exceedingly elaborate
e.g.) at Lastingham, where it is described at length by Bede,
but the church was not dedicated. All churches founded in
any one of S. David's missionary tours were called "David's
churches," those founded by S. Teilo were called "Teilo's
churches," and so on ; but they were not dedicated either to
S.- David or S. Teilo. Such of these proprietary dedications as
survive are naturally of very ancient date. Historically too they
1 On the west front of Wells cathedral he is represented holding in
his. hand the stirrup cup (broken) given him at the gate of Corfe Castle
by his stepmother, on whom he tramples. In Henry the Seventh's
chapel, Westminster, is a statue, unfortunately mutilated, of S. Edward,
K.M. (9).
2 The Celtic proprietary dedications stand quite apart from the usual
personal dedications, and require detailed and lengthy treatment, for which
therejs.no room in this volume. There are admirable treatises on the
subject by Rice Rees, Borlase, Baring-Gould, and others, which are
detailed in the Bibliography prefixed to this volume, and to these the reader
is referred. It may be taken as generally true, that in this book, as in Miss
Arnold-Forster's three volumes, the dedications dealt with do not refer
to Wales.
II
T. P.
S. Eclward, K.M. . S. Kenelm.
West Front of Wells Cathedral
12 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
are very important ; for by working out the groups of churches
so named it may be possible to delimit the district within which
the Celtic saint worked. 1 As has been pointed out above, it
is not unusual to find the founder's dedication set aside in favour
of a re-dedication to himself. The process was not ajways so
drastic. Sometimes the original dedication was retained, but
the founder's name was added ; e.g., Lichfield cathedral was
dedicated by S. Chad to S. Mary; Ripon cathedral by S.
Wilfrid to S. Peter ; Minster in Sheppey to S. Mary ; but the
dedications are now to SS. Mary and Chad, SS. Peter and
Wilfrid, and SS. Mary and Sexburga. 2
Both these classes were quite outnumbered by the Personal
Dedications, Of these we may distinguish two classes. The
first has already been dealt with ; it comprises all those churches
which are dedicated to the Second Person or the Third Person
in the Godhead or to the Holy Trinity: it is a small class.
The second class comprises what we may style Intercessory
Dedications ; that it includes more than ten thousand examples
will give some idea of the proportions which the doctrine of
intercessory mediation ultimately assumed in the mediaeval
Church. At first it seemed to be thought that intercession, to
be effectual, should be made at the tomb of the saint whose
mediation was desired the S. Peter, S. Paul, S. Apollinare, or
the like or at any rate within the walls of his memorial church.
But only one church in all Christendom contained the body of
a S. Peter, a S. Paul, or the like, Even when the relics of the
saints became more widely diffused, there was many a village
church in Christendom without even the fragment of a relic of
the saints whose aid and mediation it was desired to obtain.
This necessitated an extension of the personal dedication.
1 "There can be little doubt that the primitive churches were not dedicated
at all in the modern sense ; in other words, they were not put under the
protection of any particular saint or patron. The earliest churches were
named after the person who built them, or from the locality in which they
stood, or from some marked characteristic of the building. If they bore
the name of a saint or martyr it was because they were erected over his
grave or contained his relics, and thus became in a sense his monument "
(Precentor Venables in Arch&ological Journal, xxxviii. 366).
2 "In most cases," says Mr Kerslake, "the proprietary dedication has
been ousted altogether ; in some it has been allowed to remain as part of
a * compound dedication'; <?.., Crowland is dedicated no longer to the
primitive local saint only, but to S. Mary, S. Bartholomew and S.
Guthlac. So also with the dedications of S. Peter and S. Etheldreda
at Ely, S. Andrew and S. David at S. David's, S. Teilo and S. Peter
at LlandafF.*
S. Edmund. S. Alban. S. Olave.
From a painting on rood- From the brass of Abbot From a rood-screen in
screen in Norfolk. Delamere, in S. Albans Norfolk,
abbey.
J. H. P.
S. Anthony. S. Denis. S. Stephen.
From" an illuminated MS. From a painting on the From painted glass, Nettle-
rood-screen, Grafton stead church, Kent.
Regis, Northants.
14 DEDICATIONS OK ENGLISH CHURCHES
All the mediaeval churches of the Roman Rule were placed
beneath the protection of some saint, even if the church con-
tained no fragment of him. Of these intercessory dedications
in England some 6000 are addressed to Biblical saints, the
personages in the Old and New Testaments. Such dedications
are obvious and natural ; and being obvious and natural are as
a rule not of great interest; it is when we reach the non-
Biblical saints that the real interest of the study of dedications
begins. For the present we will take the Biblical and non-
Biblical saints together ; and we will arrange them, if we may
so say, in order of merit, at any rate in the order of their
respective popularity as shown in the dedications of English
churches up to the end of the seventeenth century. The
following are the respective numbers of English dedications up
to that period.
In the following analysis of Miss Arnold-Forster's statistics
the dedications include those both of churches and chapelries.
Eighteenth and nineteenth century dedications are here, as far
as possible, excluded ; they are included in Miss Arnold-
Forster's tables ; hence her lists will be found to give larger
totals than are set out here. A few eighteenth and nineteenth
century examples may have crept in under the heading of
compound or alternative dedications, or dedications of de-
molished churches, but they will not be numerous : nevertheless
it should be remembered that the totals here given may be slightly
overstated. And it must be borne in mind, that whatever
pains be taken, results can only be approximately correct : there
is a very large percentage of dedications of doubtful authenticity
as well as many that are still unknown. A very large number
of chapels were built in the fifteenth and sixteenth century at
the request of hamlets far from a parish church, the rights of
baptism and burial, however, being reserved to the mother church.
At the Reformation the vast majority of these chapels perished,
and even when they are known to have existed or exist still, it
is seldom that the dedication can be ascertained. The dedica-
tions of chapels inside churches, e&, of S. Erasmus in West-
minster abbey, are not included in the statistics. Where there is
a compound dedication, e.g., to SS. Peter and Paul, each saint
is credited with one dedication. If there are two or more
dedications, and it cannot be ascertained which is the correct
one, each saint is credited with one ; e.g., if some accounts give
S. Mary and others S. Sampson as the patron saint of a
particular church, one dedication is credited to S. Mary and one
to S. Sampson. Dedications are included of churches which
have perished but of which documentary evidence exists. The
S. Erasmus. S. Augustine of Hippo. S. Cornelius.
From painted glass, San- From an illustrated MS. From a Flemish MS,
dringham church, Norfolk.
J. H. P.
S. Clement S. Leonard. S. Hubert
From the Lubeck Passionals. From stained glass, San- From a painting by
dringham church, Wilhern.
Norfolk.
1 6 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
table below does not stop at the Reformation, but includes
dedications up to the end of the seventeenth century ; very
few churches, however, were built between the Reformation and
the Restoration, and not many between 1660 and 1700. So
the results therefore may be taken as a view almost wholly
of Pre-Reformation dedications.
D. w.
S, John Evangelist.
Westminster.
CHAPTER III
LIST OF SAINTS, WITH NUMBER OF DEDICATIONS,
ARRANGED IN ORDER OF POPULARITY
S. Stephen - - 46
S. Thomas the
Apostle - - 46
S. Anne - - 41
S. Clement - - 41
S. Denys or Diony-
sus 41
Our Lord - - 38
S. Chad - - 33
S. Matthew - - 33
S. Gregory - - 32
S. Philip - - 31
S. Augustine of
Canterbury - 30
S. Luke - - 28
S. James the Less - 26
S. David, Wales - 23
S. Faith - - 23
S. Benedict of Cas-
sino 20
S, Dunstan - - 20
S. Bridget or Bride 19
S. Edward the Con-
fessor - - 17
S. Ethelbert- - 16
S. Edith of Poles-
worth - - 15
S. German - - 15
S.Hilda - - 15
S. Petrox - - 14
S. Barnabas - - 13
S. Olave or Olaf - 13
S. Etheldreda - 12
S. Werburga- - 12
S. Alban - - n
S. Pancras of Taor-
mina 10
I. The Blessed Virgin
2,335
30-
fAll Saints, 1,217 }
31-
2.\ or
I 2 ^ ^
[All Hallows, 38 j
32.
(S. Peter, 1,129 j
33-
3.J S. Peter ad vin-
1,140
34-
{ cula, II
4. S. Michael or S.
35-
Michael and All
36.
Angels
687
37-
5. S. Andrew -
637
38.
6._S^John Baptist
5OO
39-
|"y^ Nj^frnla.*? -
437
40.
8. S. James the Elder
414
9. S. Paul
326
41.
10. Holy Trinity
297
42.
II. S. Margaret -
261
43-
12. S. Lawrence -
239
44.
13. S. Mary Magdalene
187
45-
14. S. John, Apostle
and Evangelist -
181
46.
15. S. Leonard -
177
47-
1 6. S. Martin
173
48.
17. S. Bartholomew -
165
1 8. S. Giles
162
49-
19. S. Helena
135
50.
20. S. George
126
21. Holy Cross or Holy
5 1 -
Rood
1 06
52.
53-
Ate*
54-
23. S. Cuthbert -
72
55-
24. S. Oswald
6 7
-56.
25. S. Botolph -
6 4
57-
26. S. Catherine -
62
58.
27. S. Edmund -
61
59-
28. S. Swithin -
58
29. S.Wilfrid -
48
i8
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Dorothea.
From a MS. in the
Bodleian Library.
S. Clare. S. Faith.
From the Spanish Gallery From a brass in S. Lawrence
in the Louvre. church, Norwich.
J. H. P.
S. Frideswide,
From Cardinal Wolsey's Rvangelisterium in the
library of Magdalen College, Oxford,
S. Martha.
From a painting at
Florence.
LISTS OF SAINTS
Nine Dedications
60. S. Christopher
61. S. Cyril
62. S. Guthlac
63. S.Jude
68. S. Cadoc
69. S. Columba
70. S. Maurice
64. S. Kenelm
65. S. Kentigern or Mungo
66. S. Mildred
67. S. Teilo
Eight Dedications
73. S. John of Beverley
71. S. Patrick
72. S. Rumbald
Dedications
| 74. S. Julian Hospitaller
Six Dedications
75. S. Dubricius
76. S. Eadburga
77. S. Felix
78. S. Gabriel
79. S. Mark
80. S. Pancras of Rome
8 1. S. Remigius or
82. S. Samson of Dol
83. S. Vincent
84. S. Winifred
85. S. Anthony the Great
86. S. Sepulchre
Five Dedications
87. S. Agnes
88. S. Alphege
89. S. Blaise
90. King Charles Martyr
91. Holy Innocents
92. S. Julitta
93. S. Kebi
94. S. Leger
95. S. Milburga
96. S. Paulinus
97. S. Piran
98. S. Radegund
99. S. Ebba
Four Dedications
100. S. Agatha
101. S. Aldhelm
1 02. S. Alkmund
103. All Souls
104. S. Cecilia
105. S. Godwald
106. S. Hybald
107. S. Neot
1 08. S. Ninian
109. S. Nun or Nonna
1 10. S. Osyth or Sitha
in. S. Owen or Ouen
112. S. Rumon
113. Wynwalloe or Wonnow
20
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Blaise.
From painted glass, Christ Church
cathedral, Oxford.
S. Agatha.
From painted glass, Winchester
cathedral
J. H. P.
S. Lawrence.
From painted glass, Nettlestead
church, Kent,
S. Etheldreda.
From Porter's Lives of the
Saints,
LISTS OF SAINTS
21
Three Dedications
114. Holy Spirit or Holy
Ghost
115. S. Bega or Bees
116. S. Constantine of Corn-
wall
1 17. S. Cosmas
1 1 3. S. Damian
119. S. Edith of Wilton
120. S. Erme
121. S. Eustachius
122. S. Hilary of Poitiers
1 23. Martyrs or Holy Martyrs'
124. S. Ives
125. S. Magnus
126. S. Melan
127. S. Menaacus
128. S. Meugan
129. S. Nectan
130. S. Osmond
131. S. Quiricus or Cyril
132. S. Senan
133. S. Simphorian
134. S. Theobald
135. S. Wenn or Gwen
1 36. S. Wyston or Winston or
Wistan
Two Dedications
137. S. Advent or D\vyn-
wen
138. S. Aldate or Eldad
139. S. Alkelcla
140. S. Aroan or Arvans
141. S. Basil
142. S. Bertoline or Bertram
143. S. Brandan or Brendon
144. S. Breock or Brioc
145. S. Candida or Whyte
146. S. Clare
147. S. Cleodicus or Clydog
148. S. Cornelius
149. S. Crida or Creed or
Sancreed
1 50. S. Deiniol or Deinst
151. S. Eanswith
152. S. Egwin
153. S. Elphin or Elgin
154. S. Erth or Herygh or
Urith
155. S. Everilda or Emeldis
156. S. Evilla or Eval or
Noell or Uvell
157. S
158. S,
159. S,
1 60. S,
161. S,
162. S,
163. S,
164. S,
165. S.
166. S,
167. S,
168. S,
169. S,
170. S,
i/i. S,
172. S,
173- S,
174. S,
1/5- S,
176. S,
177- S.
Firmin
Fridesvvide
Genesius or Genewys
or Gennys
Genevieve
Hippolytus
Hubert
Just
Lambert
Lucy
Mabena or Mabyn
Melorius or Melor
Mewan or Mevan
Paternus or Padarn
Sebastian
Sidwell or Sativola
Tesiliah or Tyssilio
Tewrdic or Tewdwr
or Theodoric
Ursula
Vedast
Vigor
Wulfram
22
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Barbara.
From a MS. in the Bodleian
Library.
S. Lucy.
From a painting in the Spanish
Gallery in the Louvre.
J. H. P.
S. Agnes.
From painted glass.
S. Catherine
From stained glass, West Wickham
church, Kent.
LISTS OF SAINTS
One Dedication
1 80. S. Acca
1 8 1. S. Adeline
182. S. Aidan
183. S. Aldwyn
184. S. Allen
185. S. Arilda
1 86. S. Aubyn or Albinus
187. S. Austell or Hawstyl
1 88. S. Barbara
189. S. Barrog
190. S. Bartholomew of Fame
191. S. Brannoc
192. S. Branwallader
193. S. Breaca
194. S. Brevita
195. S. Briavel
196. S. Britius or Brice
197. S. Bruard or Breward
198. S. Buriena
199. S. Cadwaladr
200. S. Calixtus
20 1. S. Carantoc or Cairnech
202. S. Cassyon .
203. S. Clarus or Clair or
Cleer
204. S. Clether
205. S. Collen
206. S. Congar
207. S. Corentin
208. S. Crewenne
209. S. Cuthburga
210. S. Cyprian
211. S. Day or Dye
212. S. Decuman
213. S. Dilpe
214. S. Dinabo
215. S. Dingat
216. S. Disen or Disibod
217. S. Dochoe
218. S. Dominic
219. S. Eadnor
220. S. Eata
221. S. Edwin, King
222. S. Edwould
223. S. Egelwine
224. S. Elidius
225. S. Eloy or Eligius
226. S. Enoder
227. S. Enodoc or Wenedocus
228. S. Erney
229. S. Ethelburga of Barking
230. S. Ethelwald or Adel-
wold
231. S. Fabian
232. S. Felicitas
233. S. Feock
234. S. Fimbarries or Finbar
235. Four Crowned Martyrs
(Quattuor Coronati)
236. S. Francis of Assisi
237. S. Geraint or Gerrans
238. S. Germoe
239. S. Gluvius
240. S. Gomonda
241. S. Goran or Guron
242. S. Goven
243. S. Gwithian or Gothian
244. S. Hardulph
245. Holy Angels
246. S. Hugh of Lincoln
247. S. Hydroc
248. S. Illogan
249. S. Illtyd
250. S. Ive or Ivo
251. S. Jerome
252. S. John de Sepulchre
2 53- S. Joseph of Arimathea
254. S. Julian or Juliana
255. S. Kew
256. S. Keyna or Kayne or
Ceinwen
257. S. Kingsmark or Cyn-
farch
258. S. Kuet or Knuet
259. Queen Kyneburga
260. Abbess Kyneburga
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Giles.
From painted glass, Sandringham
church, Norfolk.
S. Wilfrid.
From Masculi Encomia
Ccelituum.
J. H. P.
Si Ambrose.
From Callot's Images.
S. Veronica.
From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.
LISTS OF SAINTS
261. S. Laud or Lo
262. S. Levan
263. S. Lioba
264. S. Lucian
265. S. Mapley
266. S. Marcellina
267. S. Marvenne or Mere-
wen n a
268. S. Materiana
269. S. Matthias
270. S. Mawes or Mauditus
271. Mawnanus or Mawnan
272. S. Maxentius
273. S. Medardus or Medard
274. S. Menefrida or Minver
275. S. Meran or Merryn
276. S. Meriadoc
277. S. Merther
278. S. Metherian
279. S. Mewbred
280. S.ModwenorModwenna
281. S. Moran or Maruan
282. S. Morwenna
283. S. Onslow or Onolaus
284. S. Pandiana
285. S. Pega
286. S. Petronilla
287. S. Pinnock
288. S. Protus or Pratt
289. S. Probus
290. S. Protasius
291. S. Quintin or Quentin
292. S. Ricarius or Riquier
293. S. Richard of Chichester
or de \Vych
294. S. Robert of Knares-
borough
295. S. Ruthin
296. S. Salvy
297. S. Samson of York
298. S. Sexburga
299. S. Silin
300. S. Silvester
301. S. Sithney
302. S. Stedian
303. S. Stithian
304. S. Tallan
305. S. Teath or Tetha
306. S. Teggvyddy or Tegg-
wedd
307. S. Torney
308. S. Tudy
309. S. Twinnock
310. S. Uny or Ewny
311. S. Veep
312. S. Walstan of Bawburgh
313. S. Wandregisilus
314. S. Wei vela
315. S, Wendreda
316. S. Wendron or G wendron
317. S. Wen nap
318. S. Weonard
319. S. William of Norwich
320. S. Winnow
321. S. Withburga
322. S. Wolfrida or Wilfrcda
323. S. Wolstan or Wulstan
324. S. Woolos
325. S. WynnerorGwinearor
Fingar
What must strike every one in this analysis, especially in the
lists of dedications which occur only once or twice, is the
extraordinary number of saints whom nobody has ever heard of.
These are nearly all from Celtic districts, especially from Corn-
wall, or from districts adjacent to Cornwall and Wales. 1 They
go back to the early days of Christianity in this country ; nearly
1 It may be repeated that the above list includes dedications in England
including Cornwall, but not those in Wales.
4
26
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Guthlac.
From a MS. in the
Cottoniari Library.
S. Dunstan.
From painted glass in a window of the
Bodleian Library.
S. Oswald.
From the Lubeck Passionate.
S. Nicholas.
From a MS. in the Bodleian
Library.
CELTIC SAINTS
all of them did their work
before Augustine from the
South and Aidan from the
North set forth to evangelise
Anglo-Saxon England. The
vast majority of these Celtic
saints, as the table shows,
have only one or two dedica-
tions to their credit. They
perhaps were saints in the
opinion of their own parish,
and in the opinion of the
next parish ; but their reputa-
tion extended little further.
The fact is, they were not
saints at all at the outset;
but merely missioners who
first evangelised the village,
or persons who built the first
humble Christian church of
wattle or wood. Time rolled
on ; in many cases the whole
story of the foundation of the
church had long been for-
gotten. Finally, on the an-
alogy of churches dedicated
to a S. Andrew, a S. Leonard,
a S. Michael, it was concluded
that' the ancient missioner or
church-builder whose name
clung to his church was him-
self a saint also.
The Virgin and Child.
S. Lawrence, Ludlow.
28
CHAPTER IV
List of Biblical Saints, with Number of Dedications, arranged in Order of
Popularity The Blessed Virgin S. Peter S. Michael S. Andrew
S. John Baptist S. James the Greater S. Paul S. Mary Magdalene
S. John the Evangelist S. Stephen S. Thomas the Apostle S. Anne
S. James the Less All Souls All Saints S. Petronilla.
The Annunciation. Bench end at Warkworth.
BIBLICAL SAINTS
WE may now take out the personages in the gospel story,
and arrange them in the order of their popularity as shown
by the dedications. A very
remarkable order it is !
BIBLICAL SAINTS
1. The Blessed Virgin 2,335
2. S. Peter
3. S. Michael -
4. S. Andrew -
5. S. John Baptist
6. S. James the Elder
7. S. Paul - - . -
8. S. Mary Magdalene
9. S. John the Apostle
10.- S. Bartholomew -
11. S. Stephen -
12. S. Thomas the
Apostle -
1 3. S. Anne
14. S. Matthew -
1 5. S. Philip
1 6. S. Luke
17. S. James the Less -
1 8. S. Barnabas - -
19. S. Jude
20. S. Gabriel - -
21. S.Mark
22. The Holy Innocents
23. S. Joseph of Ari-
mathea
24. S. Matthias -
25. S. Petronilla -
The Blessed Virgin
(2,335 Dedications]
p. A-c.
The Annunciation,
Wells Cathedral
The position of this first name explains itself. History is
crowded with examples of woman's appeals for man. And to
whom should God listen so readily as to Our Lady, His Mother
on earth, whom mediaeval art loved to represent as crowned
by her Son, and seated beside Him on her throne, ever ready
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
W. M, D.
The Annunciation; Gresford, Denbigh.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN 31
and able to make intercession to Him for all who brought their
supplications to her? At first indeed this dedication is not
one of the most common. In Bede's list there are but three
dedications to Our Lady ; those to SS. Peter and Paul out-
number all the rest put together. But in the twelfth century,
under the influence of S. Bernard and Pope Innocent the Third
(1198-1216), a great impulse of increased veneration for the
Blessed Virgin was felt through Western Christendom. At the
end of the twelfth and throughout the following century Lady
chapels were built, or were rebuilt on a larger scale, and hundreds
of parish churches set apart one of their altars to Our Lady.
From this time her dedications continually increased in number;
even Henry VIII. added to them, by re-dedicating to "Christ
and the Blessed Virgin Mary " the cathedrals of Chester, Durham,
and Rochester. Many were the forms in which love and
reverence for the Mother of God found expression. 1 Sometimes
the dedication was to " S. Mary " or to " S. Mary the Virgin,"
sometimes to the "Blessed Virgin" or the "Blessed Virgin
Mary" ; twice to " Our Lady" ; twice to " Our Lady of Pity" ;
once to " S. Mary of Charity " ; once to u S. Mary de Grace " ;
once to " Lady S. Mary " ; once to our " Lady of Sorrows " ; 3
once to the " Mother of God." Sometimes there were several
churches in one town with this dedication ; to distinguish these
we get such curious forms as " S. Mary the Great," " S. Mary
the More," or " S. Mary le More," " S. Mary Senior " ; and again
" S. Mary the Less," and " S. Mary Junior."
To make up the total of 2,335, the dedications have to be
added which commemorate the festivals of the Blessed Virgin.
" Lady Day," March 25th, was observed as the festival of the
Annunciation as far back as the fifth century. It is the more
strange then that there is only one example of a dedication to
the '* Annunciation." There is but one also to the " Purifica-
tion," one to the "Salutation," 2.2., the "Visitation," and one
to the "Conception." There are twelve dedications to the
" Nativity," which was observed as a feast in the fifth century.
August the 1 5th, the feast of the Assumption, is still a great
harvest holiday on the Continent. It was believed that the
1 In the scene of the Annunciation much prominence is usually given to
the archangel Gabriel, who frequently holds a scroll with the salutation At'e
Maria, gratia plena^ benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris
tui (30). In the Wells Annunciation, the treatment of which recurs in
alabaster in the British Museum, Gabriel is a tiny angel (29). The lily is
nearly always present.
2 Her symbol a heart pierced with a sword appears on a stall end in
Wensley church, Yorkshire. F. E. H.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
E. K. P.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
Speke Chantry, Exeter Cathedral.
S. PETER
33
Blessed Virgin did not die a natural
death, but was "taken up" to heaven
by her Son. There seem to be thirteen
dedications to " The Assumption of the
Virgin Mary," or to " Our Lady of
Assumption," including Salisbury cathe-
dral. 1
5". Peter (1,140 Dedications]
The frequency of this dedication is
also natural. First, there was the great
Roman influence, asserting the suprem-
acy of S. Peter among the apostles.
Secondly, there is the feeling that turned
the scale against the Celtic Church in
the Synod at Whitby, when the authority
of S. Columba paled before that of the
champion of the Roman party, the
Prince of the Apostles, to whom Our
Lord Himself promised the keys of
heaven. "If Peter is the doorkeeper,"
said King Oswy, "I will in all things
obey his decrees, lest when I come to
the gates of the kingdom of heaven,
there be none to open them." Dedica-
tions to S. Peter are both numerous
and ancient York minster was dedi-
cated to S. Peter early in the seventh
century ; Peterborough abbey not long
after. Ely, Exeter, Gloucester, Peter-
borough, Ripon, Winchester, and York
cathedrals all have, or once had, dedica-
tions to S. Peter. 2 As for the abbey
of S. Peter, Westminster, when King
Sebert of Essex built the first church^ in
the seventh century on Thorney isle,
a fisherman on the Lambeth marsh late
one wintry eve saw
" A strange wayfarer coining to his side
Who bade him loose his boat and fix his oar,
And row him straightway to the further
shore."
1 Arnold- Forster, 41-50.
5
, 51-55-
S. Peter.
Ran worth Rood-screen.
34
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
H. P.
S. Peter.
West Front of Peterborough Cathedral.
S. PETER
35
The stranger lands where " The Minster's outlined mass rose dim
from the morass." " .
" Lo, on a sudden all the pile is bright \
Nave, choir, and transept glorified with light ;
While tongues of fire on quoin and carving play,
And heavenly odours fair
Come streaming with the floods of glory in,
And^carols float along the happy air. 57
It was S. Peter come to consecrate his own church.
C. F. N.
S. Michael weighing Souls.
Wall painting at South Leigh, Oxon.
36 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
When the Empress Eudocia visited Jerusalem, she was
presented with the two chains with which S. Peter was bound.
One she sent to Constantinople, where a church was built for
it ; the other to Rome, where there is still an important church,
S. Peter ad vincula, on the same site. From this latter chain
the pope at times took filings to be presented as relics ; they
were usually enclosed in a golden key ; such was the origin of
the prison church of S. Peter ad vincula in the Tower of London,
where lie Anne Boleyn and many others. 1 This dedication
occurs in England about eleven times. In the vaulted chancel
of S. Peter-in-the-East, Oxford, the. diagonal ribs are carved
with a chain- pattern ; the original dedication therefore may
have been " S. Peter ad vincula." The collect for Lammas Day,
*'.*., " loaf-mass day," August ist, in the Sarum Manual, " Bene-
dictio novorum fructuum," runs, " O God, Who deliveredst blessed
Peter the Apostle from his chains, and set him, untouched, at
liberty ; deliver us, we beseech Thee, from the bonds of our
sins, and mercifully protect us from all evil."
S. Michael (687 Dedications]
The great archangel is only mentioned in the Bible five
times, 2 but dedications to him either as " S. Michael " or " S.
Michael and All Angels," are extraordinarily common. He was
especially the protector of high places, as one sees at S.
Michael's Mount, Cornwall, facing Mt. S. Michael, Normandy,
S. Michael's chapel at Le Puy, perched on the stump of an old
volcano, and Skelig Michel on the west coast of Ireland.
On the summit of Brent Tor, in the middle of Dartmoor, is
a church dedicated to S. Michael, where the custom used to be to
commence service with the' Absolution, the penance of climbing
up so steep a hill being considered as equivalent to the recital
of the Confession. 3
This chapel in many churches was placed in a loft, eg., over
a porch; at Christ Church, Hampshire, it occupies the whole
space between the vault and roof of the Lady chapel, where it
retains the name of S. Michael's loft In the most common
representation in which the saint tramples down a devil, or a
devil in the shape of a dragon, the symbolism is that of the final
victory of the principle of Good over that of Evil, which is to
1 Charles Browne, Transactions of St Patefs Ecclesiological Society, 282.
2 But there, is a host of passages in which the commentators identified
S. Michael with persons not mentioned by name in the Biblical narrative.
3 Charles Browne, /#</., 279.
37
W. D.
S. Michael.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
38 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHUKCHES
be found everywhere in ancient Egyptian art, and indeed in all
religious art.
The battling of S. Michael and the dragon is taken from
Revelation xii. 7 :
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon ; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed
not ; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world : he was cast out into the earth, and 'his
angels were cast out with him."
Secondly, S. Michael is the leader of the Church Militant in
heaven, and so the protector and . champion of the Church
Militant on earth. Thirdly, he has succeeded to the functions
of the pagan Hermes or Mercury, who is himself derivative
from Egyptian art ; hence he is represented with a pair of
scales, in which he is weighing the souls of the departed,
and which often a little imp is trying. <fco pull down ; e.g.,
on the grille of Henry the Seventh's monument at West-
minster and in a wall painting at South Leigh, Oxfordshire
(35).
What especially distinguishes him is a series of apparitions,
the first at Colossae in Phrygia ; this at once led to a special cult
in the Eastern Church, and early in the fourth century the
Emperor Constantine built and dedicated to him a magnificent
church in Constantinople. In the West also there were famous
apparitions of S. Michael. In the fifth century he appeared in a
high place, viz., on the summit of Mount Gargano in Apulia,
where he revealed a cave-church with three altars, and a spring
of pure water which was sovran against diseases. In the next
century there was a great plague in Rome, and S. Gregory,
afterwards pope, for three days headed a procession through the
streets, singing what were afterwards known as the Great
Litanies. On the third day, when opposite the Mole or Mau-
soleum of Hadrian, Gregory beheld the archangel alight upon
the Mole, sheathing a bloody sword, and the plague was stayed.
In the ninth century a chapel dedicated to S. Michael was built
on the Mole : Ecclesia Sancti Angeli usque ad coelos^ and ever
since the Mole of Hadrian has been known as the Castle of Sant'
Angelo. In modern times a bronze statue has been placed on
the summit of the castle, the work of a Flemish sculptor ; " not
beyond criticism ; but with its vast wings poised in air, and seen
against the deep blue sky of Rome or lighted up by a golden
sunset, to me ever like what it was intended to represent a
s. MICHAEL 39
vision." 1 A fourth legend, which is but a variant of that of
Mount Gargano, describes an appearance of S. Michael to a
Bishop of Avranches, which led to the building of a church on
the lofty rock opposite Pontorson ; this church developed in the
twelfth century into one of the greatest Romanesque abbey
churches in Normandy. Dedications to S. Michael occur at all
periods, but many are of great antiquity ; it is remarkable also
The Blessed Virgin and S. Michael.
Westminster.
that they are peculiarly common in Celtic districts and in the
North of England. No saint is more frequently depicted, for,
being a fighter, and clad in armour and vanquishing a dragon,
he was admirably adapted for pictorial representation, whether
in stained glass, where the coils of a great ruby dragon told
with great effect, or on bench ends, as at Haverfordwest, ^or
on misericords, as in Norwich cathedral. Moreover, the joint
i Mrs Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, i. 98. The apparitions of
S. Michael are given at length in the Golden Legend.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
s>
S. Andrew.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
dedication gave recognition to the deep-
seated mediaeval belief in the ministry
of angels, On S. Michael's Day, 2gth
September, the English Church still
prays God " mercifully to grant that, as
Thy holy Angels always do Thee
service in . heaven, . so by Thy appoint-
ment they may defend and succour us
on earth." The angelic host, moreover,
were peculiarly adaptable for pictorial
treatment ; angels and cherubim and
seraphim in the windows abode in the
trefoils and quatrefoils of the tracery
bars, and perched on every hammer-
beam of the roofs. 1 It is to be noted
that S. Michael's Day is properly the
8th of May; Michaelmas Day, 2Qth
September, is the anniversary of the
church built in honour of S. Michael
on Mount Gargano. 2
5. Andrew (637 Dedications}
It is not easy to see why S. Andrew
should be such a favourite, surpassing
in popularity even S. James and S.
John and S. Paul. Fuller says : " I read
at the Transfiguration that Peter, James
and John were admitted to behold
Christ, but Andrew was excluded. So
1 See illustrations of the roofs of Woolpit,
Knapton, Fressingfield, East Stonham, etc., in
the writer's Introduction to English Church
Architecture.
2 At South Leigh (35) on the right are
seen little demons trying to weigh down the
scales, and to plunge the souls of the wicked
into hell mouth which yawns below. On the
left a soul in the scales obtains the intercession
and help of Our Lady, who holds a rosary in
her left hand. At Ranworth, S. Michael with
uplifted sword is about to slay the dragon on
which he stands (37). S. Michael and the
dragon are also represented on the rood-screen
at Ashton, Devon (213).
S. JOHN BAPTIST 41
again at the reviving of the daughter of the ruler of the
synagogue these three were let in and Andrew shut out.
Lastly, in the Agony in Gethsemane the aforesaid three were
called to be witnesses thereof, and still Andrew left behind."
On the other hand, S. Andrew was the Protoclete, the first called
of the apostles. And two of the very earliest and most
important churches in the history of Anglo-Saxon Christianity,
Rochester cathedral and Hexham abbey, were and are still
dedicated to S. Andrew. S. Augustine of Canterbury had come
on his mission from the monastery of S. Andrew on the Cselian
Hill at Rome, and he dedicated Rochester cathedral to S.
Andrew. And when S. Wilfrid went to Rome, he prepared
himself in "S. Andrew's oratory" for his mission to unify
English Christianity ; and when he built his church at Hexham,
of which the crypt and the foundations of the apse still exist, he
dedicated it to S. Andrew. Of Scotland S. Andrew is the
patron saint, and thus his cross saltire finds its way into the
Union Jack. As we shall see, the popularity of S. Andrew is
mainly of literary origin, his mission labours having been
written up in most amazing fashion.
6". John Baptist (500 Dedications)
John the Baptist was indeed "a burning and a shining
light" to our forefathers; in popularity he surpassed all the
apostles and evangelists except Peter and Andrew. The pre-
sumption therefore is that when a church is anciently dedicated
to " S. John/* it is the Baptist, not the apostle, who is to be
credited with it. The chief festivals of S. John the Baptist are
at midsummer, S. John's Eve and S. John's Day, which have
superseded a primeval solar feast. But some villages still
commemorate in their feast on 2Qth August the " Decollation of
S. John Baptist" The Baptist was the patron of the Knights
Hospitallers, whose function was to guard the Holy Sepulchre
at Jerusalem, and to provide convoy and protection for pilgrims
to and from the Holy Land. The plan of their church at
Little Maplestead, Essex, with circular nave surrounded' by an
aisle, is a repeat of that of the mother church in Jerusalem, and
the church is dedicated to S. John of Jerusalem. For scores of
years the gateway of S. John, Clerkenwell, appeared on the
outer cover of the Gentleman's Magazine ; here are still the
headquarters of the revived order of S. John of Jerusalem. It
is very remarkable that the Baptist should have had so vast a
popularity. Unlike S. Andrew, S. Nicholas, S. Margaret, and
scores of others, his story had not been and could not be
42 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
"written up" ; all there was of it is told shortly but completely
in the gospels, and received subsequently little literary embellish-
ment. But this short gospel story was admirably adapted^ for
pictorial embellishment (vi). There was the robe of camel hair
the baptism in the river Herod's feastthe dance or rather
tumbling the decollation of the Baptistthe bringing of the
head in a charger. Moreover, the Baptist had the merit of
distinctivcness. To put a book in the hand of S. John
The Baptist and S. John.
Westminster.
Evangelist told little ; there was a crowd of saints who had
written gospels, epistles, theological treatises. But the Baptist's
vestment of camel's hair identified him at once to everybody.
Again, the commemoration of his nativity on 24th June connected
him with one of the very greatest festivals of the Pre-Christian
world And on the Christian side he was connected above aH
other saints with the great sacrament of Baptism, which in the
mediaeval world still vied to some extent with the sanctity of
the Lord's Supper. And so he is represented hundreds and
S. JAMES THE GREATER
43
thousands of times in missals, 'wall paintings, mosaics, tapestry,
bench ends, statuettes, stained glass; his image frequently
appeared in Early Christian baptisteries, but, strange to say,
very seldom indeed on mediaeval fonts, even when, as in the
Seven Sacrament fonts of East Anglia, 1 the font received most
elaborate sculptural treatment In the Italian Renaissance, on the
other hand, the Baptist obtained charm-
ing recognition, as a small figure in
white marble standing on the edge of
the font. The Baptist is one of the
very few who has two saint's days in
the Calendar; his great festival, S.
John's Day, preceded by S. John's Eve,
being at midsummer on 24th June ;
while his death is commemorated on
2Qth August
S. James the Greater (414 Dedications)
It was not the simplicity of the Bible
story and of the words of Eusebius
that gave S. James his great popularity,
but the legendary stories, especially
that of the battle when he rode with
Christian warriors of Spain and wrought
death and defeat on the Moors. So he
became the patron saint of Spain, and
the Spanish Canterbury bears his name,
l% Santiago," Sant lago, S. James.
This church was dedicated under the
title of S. James the Apostle, "San
Giacomo Apostolo," which in time,
being shortened to " Compostella," be-
came so unintelligible that the Spanish
term for S. James or Giacomo was
added, giving the city its present redupli-
cated title of Santiago de Compostella.
The form "James " appears to be Celtic, and may have come
to us through the Scotch kings, who were styled Hamish^ i.e^
James. The Syriac form, however, was Yacoub, and this was
retained in the Latin and Greek forms of Jacobus, or Jacob.
Here and there the ancient and correct form is retained in
S. James the Greater.
Westminster.
1 See the writer's Fonts and Font Covers for illustrations and descriptions
of these, pp. 257-264.
44 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
b. w.
S. John Evangelist. S. James the Greater.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
S. PAUL
45
dedications ; e.g., in the twelfth-century
church of SS. Philip and Jacob at
Bristol.
S. James was par 'excellence the
patron of pilgrims, and being usually
represented in pilgrim dress, with a
scalloped shell fastened to his hat,
and a long staff and a wallet, has
the merit of being easily recognis-
able. As all the world and his wife
went pilgriming in the thirteenth,
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, re-
presentations of S. James and dedi-
cations in his honour continually
increased in vogue. It is not possible
to state with precision how many
dedications he has ; for some may
belong to S. James the Less, and vice
versa. 1
S. Paul (326 Dedications]
Most striking of all is the com-
paratively low position of S. Paul ;
modern Christendom would perhaps
put him at the top of the list Even
the figures given fail to represent the
unpopularity of this dedication. For
of the 326 dedications, no less than
283 are "double dedications," viz., to
"S. Peter and S. Paul." If we deduct
those dedications in which S. Paul is
indebted for his position mainly to
the popularity of ~S. Peter, the total
is actually reduced to 43. And some,
even of the 43, are suspect; in some
cases they are certainly dedications to
S. Pol de Leon, or to Pawl. Hen, or
to Paulinus. Among the earliest are
1 In a statue at Westminster S. James has
a staff and wallet ; on his hat is a scallop
shell (44). There is a similar representation
on the grille of Henry the Seventh's tomb
(43).
S. Paul.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
46 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. W.
S. Martha or S. Elizabeth. S. Mary Magdalene.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
S. PAUL 47
the dedications of S. Paul's cathedral, London, and that ,of
Jarrow. Benedic Biscop had dedicated Monkwearmouth to
S. Peter ; so he dedicated Jarrow, which he built later, to S.
Paul. Similarly S. Peter's is the West Minster, and S. Paul's the
East Minster of London. The two saints are commemorated
together on 2Qth June, and both, if Eusebius' statements are
warranted, suffered martyrdom together on the same day.
SS. Mary Magdalene and Barbara.
Westminster.
S. Paul is represented as tall, broad-shouldered, dignified, with a
bald forehead and a long beard, and holding point downward
before him the long sword by which he was decapitated. 1
1 On the Ranworth screen S. Paul is represented with the sword pointing
upward: usually it points downward. In Exeter cathedral, on the vault of
S. Paul's chapel and on the tomb of Bishop Marshall, S. Paul holds the
sword upwards by the point: this is said to represent "the sword of the
spirit which is the word of God" and not the sward of martyrdom
E. K. P.
4 8
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. AND P.
Female Saint and S. Mary Magdalene.
West Front of Wells Cathedral.
S. MARY MAGDALENE 49
S. Mary Magdalene (187 Dedications}
The life-story of S. Mary Magdalene has been enriched by
confounding her first with Mary of Bethany, secondly with 4t the
woman that was a sinner," thus making; her to be a woman of
evil life, an assertion for which there is not a grain of evidence.
Nevertheless our Christian forefathers believed it, and practically
everybody believes it nowadays. Not only were 187 churches
and chapelries dedicated to her, but she has a college at Oxford
and another at Cambridge. Probably some of her dedications
have been shortened to " S. Mary," and have been transferred to
Our Lady. S. Mary Magdalene is indebted almost wholly for
her renown to the pathetic episode in the gospel wrongly
attributed to her. 1 Whether attributed wrongly or not, no words
or act of Christ touched our fathers more deeply than this
instance of loving-kindness to a sinner. We shall hear it echoed
in the forgiveness, though but for one day each year, of Judas
Iscariot, and in the words of God to Satan pleading against the
harshness of his penalty. 2 It was not till much later days that
the celebrated legend grew up of the oarless boat that brought
Lazarus and Martha and S. Mary Magdalene and the two Maries
to Provence, where the fame of the two Maries has quite
eclipsed that of the others. 3
6". John^ Apostle and Evangelist ( 1 8 1 Dedications]
We should have expected more than 181 dedications to one
who was at once the " beloved disciple " and the most spiritual
of the evangelists. Perhaps King John contributed to make the
name less popular both as a Christian name (it was largely
superseded by " William ") and as a dedication name. Beverley
minster is dedicated to S. John ; not to S. John of Beverley,
as is often said, but to S. John Evangelist, a church of whom
the archbishop found there when he retired to Beverley in the
seventh century. Another John is S. John of Bridlington : to
him also there may be dedications now appropriated to S.
John Evangelist (199).
1 In her statue, which is 6 feet i inches high, on the west front of Wells
cathedral, she holds a box of ointment in her hand, and wears a flat cap and
chin band (48). At Westminster she is shown with flowing locks ; she is
opening the lid of the box of precious ointment (46). On the tomb of Henry
the Seventh she has flowing locks and holds the vase in her left hand (47),
She is also represented, with S. Barbara, on a bench end at Coombe-in-
Teignhead, Devon (118).
2 Page 99. 3 Page 145-
'So
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. John Evangelist.
All Saints', York.
S. JOHN EVANGELIST JL
S. John Evangelist is well commemorated in the Calendar,
for he has a red-letter day and a black-letter day. The latter
falls on 6th May under the name of " S. John ante portam
Latinam" and keeps alive the tradition found in Jerome and
TertulHan that on that day the saint was thrown into a cauldron
of boiling oil before the Latin gate at- Rome and emerged
S. S.
S. John ante port. Laf,
Misericord in Lincoln Minster,
unharmed. In the east window of the south aisle of Lincoln
minster is a figure of S.John immersed by order of the Emperor
' Domitian in a cauldron of oil, placed over a furnace, the flames
of which are fed by two figures, one on either side, by means
of poles. 1 On a misericord in Lincoln minster the saint
(mutilated) stands in a cauldron, round which are faggots which
have just been lighted ; a man on 'the left blows up the fire with
Nelson's Pointed Glass, 141.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Mary Cleopas and her family.
Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York.
w. s. w.
S. John Evangelist.
Westminster.
S. Stephen.
Westminster,
54 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
a bellows. 1 Few, if any, village feasts are kept on 6th May, but
on that day is held the annual commemoration of benefactors at
S. John's College, Cambridge. Many a church now dedicated to
the Evangelist, properly belongs to the Baptist; e.g., Ulpha
chapel in Cumberland now bears the dedication of S. John
Evangelist, but its fair is held on S. John Baptist's Day (Old
Style). The Evangelist, or, as he is sometimes termed, S. John
the Divine, i.e., the Theologian, had many claims to pre-eminence
here and abroad. There was a tradition that a priest of Diana
challenged him to drink a draught of poison, but that when he
made the sign of the cross over it, Satan rose from it in the form
of a dragon and flew away. Moreover, he was the patron of
King Edward the Confessor, whose body, once venerated by the
whole English race, reposes secure at Westminster behind the
High Altar in the great shrine of marble and mosaic built for
him by Henry III. 2
S. Stephen (46 Dedications)
English dedications to S. Stephen do not appear till
Norman days. Perhaps the introduction of his name is due to
the fact that William the Conqueror dedicated his own abbey
church at Caen to S. Stephen. The influence of this great
church in its plan and architectural design was very great in
the history of English church building ; and its dedication to
S. Stephen would naturally have grqat weight. The coronation
of King Stephen took place on S. Stephen's Day ; and near the
abbey of Westminster he built S. Stephen's chapel, greatly
enlarged later by the Plantagenet kings ;*part of its structure is
incorporated in the present Houses of Parliament. 3
1 In the misericord at Lincoln the body of S. John has been broken
away ; the man on the right has lighted a fire, which is beginning to curl
up from the faggots ; the man on the left is using a bellows (51). There is
a fine etching of this subject by Albrecht Durer in the print room of the
British Museum.
2 On the Ran worth rood-screen (61) and in a statue at Westminster, S.
John bears in his left ha*nd a chalice and dragon ; with his right hand he has
just made the sign of the cross (53). On the grille in Henry the Seventh's
chapel he bears the poisoned chalice (16). The chalice and dragon with
a palm appear on a shield in the Stanbury chantry chapel in Hereford
cathedral (135). In stained glass at York he is shown with the eagle, his
evangelistic emblem (50).
3 In glass at Nettlestead S. Stephen is shown in a dalmatic as a deacon,
holding in one hand a closed book and in the other a stone. At Ranworth,
Norfolk, the stones are held in a napkin (55). At Westminster the stones
support an open book (53).
55-
S. Stephen.
H.a,n"vvortli Rood-screen.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Rood-screen, Ranworth, Norfolk.
S. THOMAS
57
5. Thomas the Apostle (46 Dedications]
Many of these dedications no doubt belonged originally to
S. Thomas of Canterbury, whose name Henry VIII. ordered to
be deleted from the service books in 1537. Here and there,
however, the dedication is genuine, e.g., S. Thomas Hospital,
opposite the Houses of Parliament, replaces a hospital built in
1215 by Peter de Rupibus, Bishop
of Winchester, and dedicated to
"S. Thomas the Apostle." So
also at Stanhope in Durham the
dedication of S. Thomas must be
to the apostle, for the fair is held
on 2 ist December. S. Thomas is
often represented as a carpenter or
builder.
According to the apocryphal Acts
of the Apostles, he was appointed to
India by casting of lots. And when
he came there, he was brought before
King Gudnaphar (an actual personage,
who was reigning near the Punjab,
A.D. 46), who asked him, "What art
thou skilled to make? " And Thomas
replied, "In wood I make yokes and
ploughs and ox-goads, and oars for
barges and ferry-boats and masts for
ships; and in hewn stone I make tomb-
stones and monuments and palaces of
kings." And the king said, "Build
me a palace." And Thomas set forth
on the sand the ground plan of a
palace. There were doors to the east
for light, and windows to the west for
air ; and he put the bakehouse to the
south, and water-pipes to the north.
And the king said, "Verily it is a
good palace," and gave him money for
the building, and went forth on a far West Front of Exeter Cathedral,
journey. But when he returned, lo !
there was no palace, for Thomas had spent the king's money on
the poor. But the king was wroth and ordered Thomas to death on
the next day. Now the king's brother had died. But in the night
the soul was restored to his body, and he returned to the king, and
told the things that had happened on his passing, and that he had
seen heaven and the mansions thereof, and among them was a great
and glorious palace, and that it had been built for the king by
8
S. Thomas.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
w. s. w.
S. Anne.
Westminster.
Thomas, his architect. So the king
forgave Thomas and was baptized. 1
The apocryphal Acts report
that S. Thomas was stabbed to
death at Mazdai in Persia. He
is represented in Art holding a
spear or an arrow, or, more
frequently, with a carpenter's
rule. S. Thomas is the patron
saint of Portugal and of Parma.
S. Anne (41 Dedications]
It was from the apocryphal
gospel of James that the names
Joachim and Anne were obtain-
ed as the parents of the Blessed
Virgin. S. Anne was exceed-
ingly popular in later Gothic
days ; she is often depicted
teaching Our Lady to read.
After 1530 there, passed a
hundred and fifty years without
any dedication to S. Anne. But
in the later days of the seven-
teenth century many churches
were dedicated to her, with one
eye to the good mother of Our
Lady and the other to " Good
Queen Anne." For some reason
S. Anne is a patron of wells,
<?.-., at Buxton, Malvern, and
Nottingham. 2
S. James the Less
(26 Dedications]
The title of S. James the
Less gives an impression of the
1 In the west front of Exeter
cathedral S. Thomas bears a model
of his palace (57). On the Ran worth
screen he carries the spear by which
he was slain (56).
3 Arnold- Fprster, i. 99.
S. JAMES THE LESS
59
apostle which is the exact reverse of the truth: in reality
S, James was by far the more important, being a near relative,
o&X<<fe, of Our Lord, and president of the first General Council
of the Church. S. Philip and S. James the Less happen to
share one feast day between them. The latter had met
martyrdom in the East, and his relics were brought to
Constantinople and afterwards to Rome, where they were
placed in a reliquary which already contained some relics of
SS. Christopher and Anne.
Westminster.
S. James the Less. A church was built to contain this reliquary,
and was dedicated to SS. Philip and James on the ist of May,
A.D. 560, which ever since has been the joint festival of the two
saints in the Western Church. 1 In the Eastern Church S. Philip's
1 On the Ran worth screen S. Philip carries a basket of loaves (61).
On, the rood-screen at Cawston, Norfolk, he holds a staff in one hand and
a closed book in the other (62). In the stall-panels at Blythburgh he holds
the Tau cross on which he was said to have been crucified (63).
6o
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
/tfv
S. James the Less.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
Day is I4th November, and S. James 3
Day loth April. 1
All Souls (4 Dedications) \
This dedication is of late date, being
due to a monk of Cluny, who in 998
visited Sicily and Mount Etna, and
being drowsy, fell asleep on the warm
mountain side, and there had a vision
wherein he saw the devil rebuking
his aides-de-camp, Belial, Mephistopheles,
Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and the rest, for
letting so many Christian souls escape
-their clutches. They urged in reply
the great interference they experienced
from the new order of Cluniacs. These
things became common talk in Cluny
and throughout Christendom, and a
special day, the 2nd of November, was
appointed when prayers should be made
for the release of souls from purgatory ;
an Act to that effect was passed by
the English Parliament. A college at
Oxford, dedicated to All Souls, was
founded by Archbishop Chichele, under
the influence of Henry VI., and the
fellows were enjoined by its statutes to
pray for the souls of those who had
fallen in the wars of Henry V. 2
All Saints or All Hallows
The origin of this festival is a little
unusual. In the year 73 1 Pope Gregory
III. added a new chapel to Old S.
Peter's, Rome ; and dedicated it to All
Saints. The dedication took place on
1st November, which has been set apart
for the commemoration of All Saints
ever since. The form All Hallows
is more common than All Saints in
ancient dedications.
1 Charles Browne, Ibid^ 284.
2 Charles Browne, Ibid.^ 285.
6i
Rood-screen, Ranworth, Norfolk.
62 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Matthias.
Cawston Rood-screen.
rt
H
S
s
ft
CO
64 DEDICATIONS OF ENCxLlSH CHURCHES
S. Petronilla
To her probably is dedicated Whipstead church, Suffolk.
Her name was taken to mean " Peter's little daughter," and out
of this "diseased etymology" there grew up curious and
interesting legends, which are discussed at length in Bishop
Lightfoot's Clement of Rome, vol. i., and in Miss Arnold-
Forster's Studies iu Dedications, i. 100, to which also the student
is referred for an account of the other Biblical saints to whom
churches are dedicated.
CHAPTER V
Reasons for Selection of a Patron Saint S. Andrew S. Pancras of Rome
SS. George and Denys Four Crowned Martyrs Monastic Connections
Benedictine Influence Dedications to Missioners S. German
Private Reasonsfor Dedications Cluster- Dedications Mother Churches
in City of London.
ALTOGETHER there are some 370 saints to whom English
churches or chapelries are or have been dedicated. Of these
23 are mentioned in the Bible. This leaves a vast multitude
of non-Biblical saints. But from these we must separate,
as 'has been pointed out above, a very large number of saints,
especially in Wales and Cornwall, who were really not saints
at all. Even with this further deduction there was a great crowd
of non-Biblical saints for the mediaeval Christian to choose
from. One would like to know what decided his choice. Some
of these saints seem to modern eyes to be honoured quite
beyond their merits, and others just as certainly not to have
won their just meed of praise. Why should such persons as
S. Nicholas, S. Margaret, S. Leonard, S. Giles be so high up the
tree? Why should S. Mark, an evangelist, and one whose
memorials are to be seen in every nook and corner of the
Venetian empire, have but a paltry half-dozen churches in
England, while S. Nicholas has 437? Why should S. Michael
have 687 dedications, while S. Gabriel, the angel of the
Annunciation, has but 6, and S. Raphael and S. Uriel none at
all ? Nearly every name suggests a query and calls forth a
remonstrance. Probably we shall never get to the bottom of the
matter ; the mediaeval mind is often very curious in its workings,
and now only too often incomprehensible.
But there are some reasons which may be detected for the
mediaeval churchman's likes and dislikes. For instance, many
dedications are plainly due to knowledge 'of ecclesiastical pro-
cedure on the Continent, or to visits to holy places outside
England. We have seen that the churches at Rochester and
Hexham were not merely dedications to S. Andrew, but probably
also loving reminiscences of the monastery of S. Andrew at
Rome. But this monastery was built on land that had belonged
9
66 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
to the boy-saint, S. Pancras. So when S. Augustine dedicated
to S. Pancras the very first English church he had consecrated
its foundations and some parts of the walls have lately been
brought to light 1 -he doubtless had in his mind the monastery
on the Cadian Hill which so long had been his happy home.
Manchester cathedral is dedicated to " the Blessed Virgin Mary,
SS. George and Denys." Randle Holme, a Lancashire anti-
quarian, who wrote in 1652, tells us that this is because the
church was made collegiate in 1433 by Thomas de la Warre,
who attached to it the names of the champions of England and
France, because he was himself half an Englishman, half a
Frenchman. Certainly no one would have dedicated the
Canterbury church, now gone, to "the Four Crowned Martyrs,"
unless he had personal knowledge of some church at Rome
dedicated to the "Quattuor Incoronati," four craftsmen who
were beheaded by Diocletian because they would not sacrifice to
^sculapius. 2
Geography also had something to say to the choice of a
dedication. Thus S. Nicholas, being patron of ships and sailors,
was of more avail in maritime countries and towns ; e.g., Brighton,
Harwich, Liverpool, Lynn, Newcastle, Yarmouth ; the inland
county of Derbyshire has not a single church, and only one
chapel dedicated to him. 8 Again, it was common for churches
and chapels on eminences to be dedicated to S. Michael, e.g.,
Abbotsbury, Dorset, and S. Michael's church on the Tor above
Glastonbury, where on the tower all that remains is a statue
of S. Michael with the scales, weighing souls.
Sometimes the association of a dedication is with a neigh-
bouring monastery. Thus Glastonbury monks of the Benedictine
abbey dedicated one of the parish churches of the town to S.
Benedict, the founder of their order. And when the church of
S. Mary, Spalding, passed into the possession of S. Nicholas's
abbey at Angers, it was re-dedicated to "SS. Mary and Nicholas."
Again, the parish church of Ashton-under-Hill in Gloucestershire
is dedicated to S. Barbara ; it is her only church in England.
This village is, however, connected ecclesiastically with the
neighbouring village of Beckford, and in Beckford there used
to be a cell of the Augustinian house of "SS. Martin and
Barbara " in Normandy.
1 See Arch&ologia Cantiana, vol. 25.
2 There is still at Rome a large church so dedicated ; it comprises
portions built in 626, three years after the Canterbury church was burnt down.
3 At Condicote, Gloucester, the church is dedicated to S. Nicholas, and
the villagers are known as "Condicote Sailors." H . B. W.
S. DUNSTAN 67
In not a few instances we may trace the frequent occurrence
of a dedication to services rendered to the Benedictines in the
establishment of their order in England. In the seventh
century an East Anglian abbot, who had been much on the
Continent, introduced the new and rigid discipline of the Black
Monks. It is certain that Ceolfrith, one of the disciples of
S. Wilfrid, visited Botolph in 670 with the express purpose
of being instructed in the Benedictine Rule. Dedications to
S. Botolph number no less than 64. S. Oswald of Worcester,
A.D. 992, was also devoted to the propagation of Benedictine
influence ; even more thoroughly than Dunstan, he carried into
practice the substitution of monks for secular canons; the
founding and oversight of monasteries were his special delight.
In Dunstan, at once Archbishop of Canterbury and Prime
Minister of England in the tenth century, the Benedictines had
a most constant and powerful friend. All sorts of stories, among
others that of the talking crucifix, were invented to show his
indignation with the secular clergy, whose lives certainly at that
time ill bore comparison with those who lived after the strict
Benedictine Rule. Dunstan is commemorated with 20 dedica-
tions, chiefly in the South of England. In painted glass in the
Bodleian, S. Dunstan with a pair of pincers has seized a devil
who appears to be making off with a couple of chalices. The
saint was an expert silversmith, and at the back are seen various
vessels of silver and gold; much of the church plate in
Glastonbury abbey was said to have been made by Dunstan
(26). Gervase of Canterbury speaks of him as "Sicut David
psalterium sumens, citharam percutiens, modificans organa,
cimbala tangens. Praeterea manu aptus ad omnia; facere
potuit picturam, literas formare, scapello imprimere ex auro,
argento, aere et ferro et quidlibet operari. Signa quoque et
cimbala faciebat" (Twysden's Scriptores, x. p. 1646.} l
Not only in Celtic districts but elsewhere a dedication may
commemorate the visit of some famous missioner, a S. Chad, a
S. Aidan, or a S. German. The latter was consecrated, in 418,
Bishop of Auxerre, where the campanile, choir, and crypts of the
1 On the screen at Great Plumstead, Norfolk, he is seizing a dragon with
a pair of pincers, which unfortunately are mutilated (68). A boss in the
vault of Exeter cathedral shows S. Dunstan standing and playing a large
harp. According to William of Malmesbury, " Most of all he delighted not
only in the practice but the science of music and in the making of musical
instruments." It is said of him that one day he hung his harp on the wall,
while designing some embroidery, in which also he was an expert, and as he
sang over his work, the harp of its own accord played an accompaniment (157).
68
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
great church of S. German still survive. Later on he was sent
by the Gallican Church more than once to aid the British
Church in withstanding Pelagianism. During one of these visits
m^^
S. Benedict.
S. Dunstan.
the British were threatened with an attack by heathen Saxons ;
but before German was ordained he had been a*fme soldier and
a "dux." His tactics now were so successful thai the British
won theTamous "Alleluia Victory." There is no doubt as to
the reality of these visits, and doubtless some of the fifteen
S. GERMAN
6 9
English dedications are attached to places visited by S. German ;
at any rate that of S, German's in Cornwall, where the tradition
is that he landed, and where both the town and the noble
. church preserve his name.
S. Martin.
S. Giles.
In some cases the choice of dedication is due to some private
reason, which" as a rule is nowadays irrecoverably lost. But in
some cases we know the reason for the choice ; e.g., it was
common for a man to put himself under the protection of the
70 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
saint on whose day he was born ; and if he liked to found later
a church, a chapel, a hospital, a college, to put that also under
the same patronage. King Henry VI. was born on S. Nicholas
Day, and dedicated his two foundations, King's College,
Cambridge, and Eton College, to SS. Mary and Nicholas'
Again, the lord of the manor of Rotherfield, Sussex, being
grievously sick, had gone to the monastery of S. Denis near
Paris, and had obtained relief. On his return in 792 he built a
church at Rotherfield and dedicated it to S. Denis. The well-
known antiquary, Browne Willis, in 1724 built a church at Fenny
Stratford ; he laid the foundation stone on S. Martin's Day, and
dedicated it to S. Martin, because his grandfather had died on
S. Martin's Day in S. Martin's Lane. In somewhat similar fashion
King Stephen dedicated the famous chapel which he built at
Westminster.
Sometimes there is a cluster of identical dedications confined
to one small area ; eg., to S. Denis and to S. Andrew near
Sleaford and Folkingham in Lincolnshire, and to S. Edith in
the Lincolnshire marsh, and S. Helen on the eastern slope of the
Lincolnshire Wolds. It may be that rebuildings or additions
took place simultaneously in these groups of churches, and that
the churches after the rebuilding were re-dedicated to the favourite
saint or the patron saint of the consecrating bishop. 1
In a few examples, chiefly modern churches, the dedication
is due to the fact that the younger church has assumed the
dedication of the mother church with the aid of whose funds it
was erected. In the City of London this is specially provided
for by Act of Parliament ; hence such examples as S. Dionis or
Denis, Fulham ; S. Antholin, Nunhead.
Usually, however, churchmen had full liberty of choice as
regards dedications to non-Biblical personages; and though their
choice comes so often as a surprise to a modern churchman, it
by no means follows that it was without rhyme or reason.
1 Borlase's Age of the Saints, 67.
W. M. D.
S. Dunstan.
Ludlow.
S. Helena.
Westminster.
CHAPTER VI
Non-Biblical Saints Saints of Royal Blood S. Helena Anglo-Saxon
Saints Danish Saints Edward the Confessor Anglo-Saxon Prin-
cesses S. Hilda Early Christianity of Wales S. David The Sons
of Brychan.
NON-BIBLICAL SAINTS OF ROYAL BLOOD
LEAVING the saints connected with the Bible story, we turn
to the far more numerous examples of later date. We will
begin, as in duty bound, with saints of royal blood. 1
It is astonishing what a swarm of kings and queens and
princesses, with their sisters and their cousins and their aunts,
attained to the honours of sainthood. The dedication lists
begin nobly with an empress, S. Helena, the wife of the Roman
emperor, Constantine.
S. HELENA OR HELEN
S. Helena has the large number of 135 dedications. 2 It is
an honour she well deserved as a historical personage, but there
can be little doubt that her position is rather due to the unhistoric
legends that gathered round her. The genuine Helena is
perfectly well known from the history of her contemporary,
Eusebius, whose account we epitomise. According to S. Ambrose,
who wrote but seventy years later, she was an innkeeper's daughter,
and this was the general and received belief. One day
Constantius, nephew of the reigning emperor, Claudius, met her,
and in due course they were married. For twenty years they
had a happy married life. Then for State reasons a separation
took place, which lasted till Constantius' death fourteen years
later. Their son was the great Constantine, the first Christian
1 In Stanton's Menology^ Appendix III., is a list of saints belonging to
the reigning houses of the various kingdoms in England, from the time of
S. Augustine.
2 There is an excellent article on the Empress Helena by Bishop John
Wordsworth in Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography, sub
wee ; see also Arnold- Forster, Ibid.) i. 181.
S. HELENA 73
emperor. His love, respect, and honour of his mother were
remarkable, both during the separation from Constantius and after
he came to the imperial throne. In 312 Helena joined her son
in allegiance to Christianity ; though not hitherto a worshipper of
the True God, so good and sweet was her nature that "she
seemed from her tender years to have been taught by the
Saviour Himself." On his accession and all the days of her life
Constantine ever sought fresh ways to do her honour. By all
the legions and in all the provinces she was styled Augusta and
ImperatriX) and gold coins were stamped bearing her image ;
also he gave her authority to use the imperial treasures as she
would. In old age she determined to " worship In the very
footsteps of Christ." She was nearly eighty, but " had a youthful
spirit," says Eusebius, " and the greatest healthiness both of body
and mind." And so she set out for Jerusalem, where she felt
that she ought to give thanks with supplications for her son so
glorious, the emperor, and for his sons, the Caesars, her grand-
children. Constantine had put at her disposal the vast wealth
of the Imperial Exchequer; and though herself plainly clad and
living with simplicity, she "heaped innumerable benefits and
favours both on cities and churches and on every private person
who approached her." While in the Holy Land, she founded
the great church of the Nativity at Bethlehem, a still standing
memorial of her munificence. 1 Some time later " she closed her
life, the great Emperor being present with and standing by her,
paying all imaginable respect and embracing her hands." So
passed one of the most noble and gracious women that
ever stepped across the scene of history. This is the true
Helena. 2
The other Helena is extremely unhistoric. The first thing
told which endeared her above everything else to all Christen-
dom was the part she took in the discovery of the Cross while
she was in Jerusalem, and in the dispersion of precious fragments
of it throughout Europe. But Eusebius, who was her con-
temporary, says not a word of this. It is inconceivable that,
writing in such detail as he did of the empress, he should have
omitted this momentous fact. The whole story of her connection
1 It has been held that this church was not built till the time of Justinian,
but later knowledge shows that it is substantially of the age of Constantine.
See monograph on the church, published for the Byzantine Research Fund
in 1910.
2 In Henry the Seventh's chapel, S. Helena is reading an open book
supported by a Tau cross (71). She also bears a cross in an alabaster table
in the vestry of S. Peter Mancroft, Norwich (7).
10
74 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. AND P.
S. Ethelred. S. Ethelbert.
West Front of Wells Cathedral.
S. HELKNA 75
with the Inventio Crucis grew up later, but not much later.
It first appears in the historian Socrates a hundred years after
her visit to the Holy Land the divine vision which caused her
to go on pilgrimage ; the bringing to light of three crosses ; the
test which showed one only of the number to be endowed with
miraculous powers of healing ; the gift to Constantine of the two
nails, and the strange use he made of them, converting them
into helmet and bridle ; and lastly, the ascription of the erection
of the church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem to Helena,
and not to Constantine, its real founder.
In addition to all this, an English myth grew up, and more
than one. For these we are indebted to the chroniclers Geoffrey
of Monmouth and Henry of Huntingdon, two of the worst liars
in the Middle Ages. Starting with a vague tradition that the
Emperor Constantine was born in Britain, they fill in all the
detail. She was the daughter of
" Old King Cole,
That merry old soul,"
who reigned in Colchester. This the Colchester people devoutly
believed, and in 1407 founded one of the most fashionable of the
guilds of the Middle Ages, that of S. Helen, whose chapel was
dedicated to the Holy Cross ; later on, the guild was converted
into the '* Fraternity of S. Elene." But there was another
tradition that the birth of her son Constantine took place in
York ; whether that was so or not, he spent a considerable time in
that city. And so the great county became interested in his
mother, Helena ; and no less than 34 churches are dedicated to
her in Yorkshire : one of them, indeed, S. Helen-on-the- Walls,
York, claims to contain the grave of her husband, Constantius ;
in Yorkshire she stands sixth in order of popularity. She was
very popular also in the neighbouring county of Lincolnshire,
where she stands seventh, with 28 dedications. Other interesting
churches dedicated to her are the nuns 1 churches of Elstow
(Helen-stow), Bedford, and S. Helens, Bishopsgate, London, and
the parish church of S. Elena, Thoroton, Notts. 1 In Lancashire,
she gives her name to smoky " S. Helens.' 1 To gauge her true
position we should add to her dedications those to "Holy
Cross " or " Holy Rood."
At Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, are eighteen panels of
stained glass, c. 1480, which depict the life of S. Helena. The
first depicts her birth, with the scroll, " Hie nascitur Elena Coyle
regis filia? " Here is born Helena, daughter of King Cole." At
1 Arnold-Forster, Ibid., \. 188.
7 6
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Motley, Derbyshire, is another Holy Cross window in ten panels,
brought from the refectory of Dale Abbey. 1
From this fourth-century empress we pass to the Anglo-
Saxon kings of the seventh and following centuries. In early
Anglo-Saxon days political murders were so frequent that
D. \V.
S. Ethelbert.
Hereford Cathedral.
S. Edmund.
Westminster.
royal saints had not long to wait for martyrdom. There are
dedications to Edwin, first Christian king of Northumberland
(i), defeated and slain in 633 ; to Oswald (67), his successor,
defeated and slain in 642 ; to Oswin (i), king of Northumbria,
murdered in 650; to Ethelbert (16), king of East Anglia,
1 Nelson's Painted Glass, 70, 131.
ANGLO-SAXON KINGS 77
assassinated in 794 by Offa, king of the Mercians ; Hereford
cathedral is dedicated to Ethelbert ; l to Alkmund (4), the boy-
j. H. P.
S. Edward the Confessor granting a Charter to a Monastery.
From painted glass in the Priory of Great Malvern.
1 King Ethelbert was murdered, it is said, by King Offa at the instigation
of the wife of the latter, Queen Cynethryth, on whom he is seen trampling
in the west front of Wells cathedral (74). The small statue of S. Ethelbert
shown on page 76 was dug up about the year 1700 at the entrance to the
Lady chapel of Hereford cathedral.
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
king of Northumbria, murdered in 800 by Hardulph, as well as
to Hardulph (i), his murderer ;' to Edmund (61), king of East
Angiia; murdered by the Danes in 870; Bury S. Edmund
commemorates his name. To these add three boy-kings, all
foully murdered ; Kenelm of Mercia (9), murdered at the
instance of his sister in 819; Wyston or Winston of Mercia (3),
assassinated by order of his uncle in
849, and Edward, king of the West
Saxons (5), murdered at Corfe Gate in
979. Next we have a Scandinavian
king, Olaf or Olave (13), whose mis-
sionary message was the simple one,
" Be baptized or be killed " ; he fell in
1030. Then comes a somewhat un-
kingly king, Edward the Confessor (17),
who died in his bed in 1066. Abnormal
both In body and mind, he was almost
an albino, and was subject to strange
trances, and "saw visions," and was
devoted to every observance of religion ;
on the one hand he was looked at with
superstitious reverence, on the other
hand he was regarded with that curious
mixture of feelings, more pity than con-
tempt, that country people still have for
an " innocent" He was, moreover, the
last on the long roll of the old dynasty
of Anglo-Saxon kings. For a long
time he was practically the patron saint
of England, till Edward III. converted
S. Edward's chapel at Windsor into
S. George's chapel, and formally con-
stituted S. George England's patron
saint 1 Richard II. does not appear
in dedications; nor do Edward II. or
Henry VI.,. though both were held in
great reverence. It was not till -1649
. that England provided itself with
another kingly saint and the last, King Charles the Martyr.
D. \V.
The Confessor.
Westminster.
^ * On a tile in the Westminster Chapter house the king is shown giving
his ring to a beggar (173). He is represented on the grille of Henry the
Seventh's chapel, but the ring is missing (78). Similar is the representation
on the tomb of Henry the Se venth (i 17), In glass at Malvern he is giving
a charter to a kneeling monk (77).
ANGLO-SAXON PRINCESSES
79
When from kings we
turn to saintly queens and
saintly princesses, they
abound amazingly. Both
in the Celtic and in the
Anglo-Saxon Church this
was so. Thus " in the East
Anglian royal family there
were three sainted sisters
S. Etheldreda of Ely, S.
Sexburga, and S. With-
burga. 1 These sisters again
are connected with many
another .royal saint The
Northumbrian abbess Hilda
is their maternal aunt ; the
Mercian saints, Werburgh
and Milburgh, are their
nieces; Etheldreda is allied
by marriage with the Wes-
sex princess, S. Cuthburga ;
while S. Sexburga's mar-
riage with Ercombert, king
of Kent, brings her into
kinship with all the saints of
the Kentish royal family." 2
And there are many others,
some of high family, and
some of royal blood, such
as S. Frideswide, 3 S. Pega,
S. Sidwell, S. Alkelda, S.
1 On page 20 S. Etheldreda
is represented as a crowned
abbess. On the ground lie the
crown and sceptre she resigned
in order to take up conventual
life.
2 Arnold - Forster, Ibid.) ii.
351-
3 In Oxford cathedral S.
Frideswide is depicted in four-
teenth-century glass, crowned,
bearing a sceptre in her left
hand and a closed book in her
right (18).
S. Etheldreda.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
80 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Eadburga of Pershore, S. Eanswith, 1 S. Edith of Polesworth,
S. Wolfrida, and that charming girl, S. Edith of Wilton. Of
royal ladies there are some twenty-five to whom Anglo-
Saxon churches are dedicated ; and of these three only have
the title of martyr ; S. Alkelda, S. Arilda, and S. Osyth. How
then are their posthumous honours to be accounted for? It is
not to be attributed to chivalry, for the glamour of chivalry
had not yet come in with the Normans, with whom no form of
obeisance to woman could be too reverential, while all the time
she was to them but a pretty toy. There never was a time in '
the history of England when women were given such full scope
for the power which many possess in an exceptional degree, of
organisation and administration, as in Anglo-Saxon days. The
Anglo-Saxon ladies were strenuous and capable both in Church
and State; in the foundation of their institutions and in the
government of them displaying judgment, tact, and ability. Of
S. Hilda Bede says, u Such was her wisdom, that not only all
common people in their necessities, but even sometimes kings
and princes sought counsel of her." The monastery at Whitby
was in fact the great theological college of all England ; among
Hilda's pupils were five bishops ; one of them was S. John of
Beverley. The Church acknowledged such good service by the
highest honour it could confer. Then one must remember how
new Christianity was in the seventh and eighth centuries ; the
story of the conversion of the English kingdoms was fresh in
all minds and .was on all lips ; and to the personages in the
story, the king who had brought Christianity into his realm, the
queen who had converted a heathen husband, the princess who
had founded the first convent, to all these the Anglo-Saxon
world was full of gratitude and praise.
Earlier still, in the Celtic Church, royalty is equally con-
spicuous in the calendar of saints. There again few won their
way to sainthood by the bloodstained path of martyrdom.
After the departure of the last Roman soldier in 407, life in
England had been one long horror up to the Settlement in the
seventh or eighth century ; every fragment of Roman civilisa-
tion, and practically every trace of the British Church, had been
obliterated on English soil. In the words of the petition of the
British Christians to Rome in 446 : " The barbarians drive us to
the sea, the sea to the barbarians ; we are massacred or we are
1 On an ivory in the British Museum S. Eanswith is seen standing on a
sturgeon. To the right are the Blessed Virgin and S. Peter. At
Folkestone S. Eanswith is shown on the Corporation seal with two fishes
on a half hoop ; and on the Mayor's seal with a fish on each side of her.
CELTIC SAINTS
8r
drowned," Wales, on the other hand, was for the most part a
quiet and peaceful land in those days ; the last half of the fifth
S, Eanswith. The Virgin and Child. S, Peter,
Ivory Panel in British Museum.
and the beginning of the sixth century, just when things were
about at their worst in England, was almost a Golden Age
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Rood-screen, Ran worth, Norfolk.
CELTIC SAINTS 3
there ; and it was at this time that the greatest church work of
Wales was clone. Christianity was the settled religion of the
country ; organised in a very curious way, not at all after the
episcopal fashion which ultimately prevailed in England, and
which later was forced on Wales, but directed by the heads of
monasteries. Now it is that S. David and his associates worked ;
some of them of noble or royal blood ; also that extraordinary
royal family in Brecknockshire, which goes by the name of the
" Sons of Brychan," who, according to Welsh tradition, were
forty-nine in number, while the Cornish lists reckon over
seventy. To them are to be added eight minor royalties ; and
that by no means exhausts the list. 1
1 For the literature on Celtic Saints see the Bibliography prefixed to the
volume.
CHAPTER VII
Dedications to Evangelists, Divines, and Theologians SS. Ignatius and
Polycarp Dedications to Saints of Pious and Austere Life S. Chad
S. Cuthbert S. Botolph S. Guthlac.
TURNING to more general considerations, we note in the
dedications of English churches the comparative indifference
shown to scriptural learning and theological literature. S. Paul
gets little credit for his epistles. The apostle S. John, with
Gospel and Apocalypse to his credit, is far below his name-
sake, the Baptist, in popularity. None of the evangelists,
S. Matthew 1 (33 dedications), S. Mark (6 dedications), S, Luke
(8 dedications), S. John (181 dedications), stand high on the list.
,As for the Faithers^ of the., Church, the great jQ^or^ajad
JheolQgians, who formulated, defended, and promulgated that
' body of doctrine which is the life-blood of the Church's teaching, to
most of them those who dedicated the churches were indifferent.
S.Jgnajtius had personal knowledge of the apostles, and passed
tEe tradition on to S. Polycarp. The former suffered martyrdom
at Rome, c. no : " I am ground/' he said, ' by the teeth of wild
beasts that I may be found pure bread of Christ." Polycarp
also had known the aged apostle John, and was wont to describe
his intercourse with the " beloved disciple " and with others who
had seen Our Lord, and would repeat their words. He suffered
martyrdom at the stake in 168. Yet we have no ancient church
dedicated either to Ignatius or to Polycarp. Nor is there one
to S. Cyprian of Carthage, to S. Chrysostom of Constantinople,
or to the great S. Ambrose of Milan. 2 Those who built our
churches cared little for those who wrote the Scriptures, and for
popularity of S. Matthew is probably largely due to the story of
his^imprisonment and rescue in the City of Dogs (page 154).
2 On the rood-screen at Ashton, Devon, S. Ambrose is represented as a
bishop with crozier and closed book (267). In another representation he is
rebuking the emperor ; behind him is a hive, because as a child, bees, the
symbol of eloquence, had settled on his lips, as on Plato's (24). In Henry
the Seventh's chapel, S. Ambrose holds an open book in one hand, and in
the other a broken scourge or "discipline" (85).
w. s. w.
w. s. w.
S. Ambrose.
Westminster.
S. Antony.
Westminster.
86 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
those who interpreted the Scriptures still less. The reason is
not far to seek. Nowadays we print Bibles by the million ;
everybody can have a whole Bible for a few pence. But in the
old days hardly anybody had a Bible, and practically nobody
could read, Moreover, in the services it was not the custom to
read great blocks of Scripture, any more than it is now in
Catholic churches ; it was only a few selected verses here and
there that people were familiar with. And if the Bible was but
an empty name to them, they were still less likely to have on
their shelves the voluminous works of the Fathers.
Our forefathers had no particular respect for a man sitting at
a desk ; they liked to see him doing something ; the strenuous,
active life was their ideal, not the contemplative peacefulness of
the scholar recluse. They liked to see their saint riding about
slaying dragons and rescuing chained maidens, like S. George,
or, clad in shining armour like S. James, charging down the
Moors.
On the other hand, it is very clear that simple saintliness was
held in the very highest regard. Holiness of life canonised
many a good man and woman. Many a pretty story survives
to teH us how affecting was the spectacle of a life of innocence
and piety. When S. Chad was dying, one of his chaplains heard
a sweet melody of singing, which descended from heaven into
the saint's oratory, and filled the same for about half an hour,
and then rose again to heaven. Nor could any life well be less
eventful than that "of S. John of Beverley-^-a life of study and
teaching, of missioning and healing, and a final three years of
prayer in his dear refuge at Beverley. Of Edward the Confessor,
William of Malmesbury says, "He was a man devoted to God,
and God directed his simplicity."
But the world liked outward and visible signs of the holy
life ; it^ looked for austerities, asceticism. The hermit and the
anchorite were older personages than monk and nun, and kept
firm hold of the popular imagination. All over Christendom
and from the earliest times this was so. It is a far cry from
England to the deserts of Egypt and Sinai, where S. Antony
had his abode till his death in extreme old age in 356, unfriended
save by a wild boar ; l but the mediaeval world did not forget him
1 On the screen at Ashton, Devon, S. Antony holds a Tau staff, and
probably had a bell; at his feet is a wild boar (141). In an illumination he is
shown with book and bell, Tau crosses, and pig (13). He appears with
rosary and pig on the tomb of Henry the Seventh at Westminster (153). In
a statue in Henry the Seventh's chapel he has a rosary, sheath-knife, and
Tau staff; in his right hand is a bell below is a pig (85).
D. W.
S. Cuthbert. S. Eloy.
Henry the Seventh's , 'Chapel, Westminster.
88
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Oswald
Wells; Cathedral.
S. CUTHBEKT
8 9
or S. Simeon Stylites, and many another who fought and sub-
dued the temptations of the world, .the flesh, and the devil.
Another saint, with many churches, was S. Leonard (177 dedica-
tions), who from being courtier to King Clovis turned hermit.
Another famous hermit and abbot \vasS. Giles (162 dedications),
of very uncertain date but with
many churches. S. Jerome was
more respected as an anchorite
than as a theologian. It is as
a fierce, half-naked, old hermit,
beating his breast with a stone,
that he is most often repre-
sented in later Italian art -
Of S. Cuthbert (72 dedi-
cations) we have detailed ac-
counts from his contemporary,
Bede, in the seventh century.
Me was a shepherd lad, keeping
his master's flocks in Lauder-
dale; athletic and brave, a good
horseman and a good fighter.
But one night when saying his
prayers, he saw in the dark sky
a track of light, down which
descended holy angels, and
presently returned bringing
back from earth a resplendent
soul. Next morning he heard
that Aidan, Bishop of Lindis-
farne, the Evangeliser of
Northern England, had died
in the night. So Cuthbert,
then fifteen, joined the monks
of Melrose. Then for many
years he went forth as a
missioner among the savage
Border folk, traversing to and p. N.
fro the wild country from S. Cuthbert.
Solway to Forth, passing
weeks and even months away from Melrose, preaching, adminis-
tering the .sacraments, and practising extraordinary auster-
ities ; stone bathing-places, where, as was the wont with
Celtic saints, he would lie all night in freezing water engaged
in prayer, are still shown here and there in the country-
. side. Then for twelve years he was prior of Lindisfarne;
90 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
when at home observing the harshest discipline, three nights out
of four singing the praises of God as he paced the aisles ; and
again continuing his labours in Northumbria, preaching, healing
the sick, confessing, and communicating. Then, when nearly
forty, he left Lindisfarne for a rocky islet opposite Bamburgh,
hollowing a cell out of the rock, and building round it a mound
so high that he could see " nothing but Heaven to which he so
earnestly aspired." To Fame came the faithful, humble and
great, from all Northumbria to make confession and receive his
blessing. For two years he was dragged away from his cell to
be Bishop of Lindisfarne, missioning once more all over the
countryside from Lindisfarne to Carlisle, preaching, confirming,
confessing, healing the sick and halt, penetrating remote dales,
crossing pathless fells, living in the open or under a shelter ojf
branches of trees. After Christmas, 686, he returned to his
beloved Fame, to make preparation for his passing, and two
months later was buried at the foot of the cross which he had set
up. " I would fain rest," he said, " where I have fought my
little battle for the Lord, from whence I hope my merciful
Judge will call me to a crown of righteousness. Bury me,
wrapped in the linen which I have kept for my shroud out of
love for the abbess Verca, the friend of God, who gave it me." l
At the south end of the choir transept of York minster is a
vast window which retains 85 panels of ancient glass. In it are
depicted (i) His childhood, boyhood, and youth ; (2) his
monastic life at Melrose, Ripon, and Lindisfarne ; (3) his retire-
ment to Fame Island ; (4) his life as Bishop of Lindisfarne ; (5)
his second retirement and death at Lindisfarne ; (6) his shrine
and posthumous miracles. 2
Then there was S. Botolph, who dwelt in a dismal hut amidst
the swamps of the fenland rivers, and in the East of England has
no less than 64 dedications, but only a single one in the West
country ; he flourished in the seventh century, and is credited
with being one of the pioneers in England of the Benedictine
Rule, which, however, did not come into predominance till the
time of Archbishop Dunstan three centuries later.
In the eighth century there was his successor, S. Guthlac, 3
with 9 dedications, who abode in the swamps of Crowland
summer and winter, amid snow and mire, flood and ice, ague and
1 Baring-Gould's Lives of the Saints^ aoth March.
2 Nelson's Painted Glass, 257.
3 In the Harley Roll Y 6 in the British Museum are eighteen pictures of
the life of S. Guthlac. In the illustration S. Guthlac is chastising a devil
with a scourge or "discipline" (26).
S. GUTHLAC 91
rheumatism, wearing himself out with impossible fasts, till his
poor brain gave way, taking the will o' wisps of the marsh for
tapers of dancing witches, and " the myriad shriek of wheeling
waterfowl " for howls of witches and devils, who had great heads
and crooked nebs and fierce eyes, and cried hoarsely with their
voices, and came with immoderate noise and horror and tugged
him from his cot, and led him to the black fen and sunk him in
the muddy waters ; after which they brought him into thick
beds of brambles that all his body was torn ; and they beat him
with iron whips, and after that brought him on their creaking
wings athwart the cold regions of the air. 1 After his death
there rose above his bones, on piles driven into the mud, the
abbey church of Crowland, whereof the north aisle and western
steeple still survive, and which, with its dykes and parks and
vineyards and orchards and rich ploughlands, fed in time of
famine all the fenland folk, and whose tower was a sanctuary
for them that fled from slavery and wrong, for between " the
four rivers " of Crowland, S. Guthlac and his abbot were the only
lords. S. Guthlac's life is recorded by Felix of Crowland, a
contemporary. Many a saint, e.g., S. Martin of Tours and
S. Cuthbert, though not a professed hermit, led lives of as
stern asceticism as any of them.
1 Raring- Gould, nth April, and Kingsley's Hermits.
CHAPTER VIII
Dedications to the Evangelisers of Western Europe, Scotland, Wales, and
Ireland S. Martin of Tours S. German S. Ninian S. David S.
Patrick S. Remi S. Bridget S. Brandan S. Wulfram-S. Boniface.
ESPECIALLY did the Church turn with grateful eyes to those
who brought into the shadow of darkness the glad tidings of the
gospel of peace. Among them was S. Martin of Tours (173
dedications), who in the last half of the fourth century did so
much to Christianise the villagers of Western France, who
remained sunk in heathendom long after the towns had accepted
the new religion. The life of the saint was written about AJ).
392 by Sulpicius Severus, some years before S. Martin's death.
He was a tribune or colonel in a Roman cavalry regiment
quartered in Amiens in the year 332. It was a winter so
exceedingly severe that men died of cold in the streets. One day
S. Martin, riding out of the town, met a naked beggar, and with
his sword divided his cloak in half, giving one half to the beggar. 1
That same night he saw in a dream the Lord Jesus, having
on His shoulders the half of the cloak which had been bestowed
on the beggar. Then said He, " Thus hath my servant Martin
arrayed me, though yet unbaptized." In his twenty-third year
he was baptized, and in 371 was elected Bishop of Tours. One
day in his cathedral he saw a poor beggar
"Then Martin bade his archdeacon straightway
That he should without delay clothe the poor man.
But the archdeacon would not clothe the poor man ;
And the poor man stole in to Martin,
And bemoaned to him that he was very cold.
Then Martin immediately unclothed himself
Under his chasuble secretly, and put his own raiment
On the poor man, and bade him go out.
Then after a little space the archdeacon came,
And said that it was time that he should go into church
To say mass for the people and to do honour to God.
Then Martin said to him that 'he could not go
Into the church before the poor man was clothed.
1 This is the scene portrayed in Vandyck's famous picture at Windsor.
93
S. Martin. S. ArmeL
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
94 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Then the archdeacon, being angry, went
And brought a garment impatiently to him,
Mean and little, bought at little cost,
And with great ire laid it at his feet and said :
' Here is the garment, but here is no poor man.'
Then the holy man bade him wait outside somewhile,
Desiring that he should not know that he was naked ;
Then he clothed himself with the mean garment,
And went to church and at once said mass,
At that very same mass three of the monks
And one of the priests and one of the nuns saw
Above Martin's head as it were a burning globe
So that the flame drew the hair far up." l
The -devil was scandalised at the indiscriminate lavishness of
S. Martin's charity. But the saint replied, " O most miserable
one ! if thou also couldest repent, thou also shouldest find mercy
through Jesus Christ/ 7 Innumerable are the stories told of
S. Martin, and greatly to his credit. He was a furious rooter
up of Paganism, its temples and its idols ; nor was he to be
deterred by impersonations of Jupiter, Minerva, Mercury, or even
a Venus rising from the foam of the sea. But there is not room
to allude to a tithe of the pleasant stories told about him, which
made him, next to S. Nicholas, the best liked saint of Western
Christendom. The west window of S. Martin's church, York, has
a figure of him in the central light; there are also thirteen
panels depicting incidents in his life; the window was begun
in 1437.2
Nearly all the painted glass in S. Mary, Shrewsbury, is
Flemish or German ; some of it from the church of S. Jaques,
Liege. At the feet of S. Martin are the three geese. It was
customary to kill and eat a goose at Martinmas in memory of
the geese which the saint scolded and banished because of the
mischief they did (95).
There was S. German of Auxerre, who more than once in the
early years of the fifth century ventured into Britain, leaving
memorials of his 'successful campaign against the heresy of the
British theologian, Pelagius, in the shape of 15 dedications.
1 Mlfric's Homily, XXXI. 900,
2 At Westminster a cripple holds up his bowl for alms to S, Martin, who
is represented as a bishop (93). In another statue he wears the cloak which
he divided with a beggar ; underneath is armour to show that he had been
a soldier ; and he carries a mitre to show that he became a bishop. The
omission of the horse and beggar is no doubt due to want of space (162),
On the screen at Great Plumstead, Norfolk, he holds his crosier in his left
hand, and an open book in his right (69).
95
W, M. D.
S. Martin*
The Blessed Virgin.
Gresford Church, Denbigh.
The Magi.
9 6
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
There is S. Ninian, with 4 dedications, the "Apostle of the
Picts"; 1 a wealthy British nobleman, who on his conversion
went to Rome for theological training, and on his return built
what in those days was a
great achievement a church
of stone ; this he called
Whitherne, "Casa Candida,"
perhaps because it was white-
washed, as was old York
minster; this was in A.D. 432.
This church he dedicated to
S. Martin of Tours ; this is
the very first recorded church
dedication in Britain. Ninian
evangelised Galloway and
the neighbouring districts.
In Prince Arthur's chantry
chapel in Worcester cathedral
is a statuette holding a heavy
chain. This representation
also occurs in Mr Leighton's
Book of Hours (see page 146),
where the saint is in episcopal
attire, and holds in one hand
a crosier and in the other
a heavy chain or perhaps
fetters ; he was Bishop of
Whitherne. At the foot of
the page is an " oratio deuotis-
sima ad Sanctum Ninianum."
" Ave gemma confessorum
Ave dux et doctor tnorum
Niniane pontifex."
" Salve sanctitatis rosa
Mundi lampas luminosa
Cunctis eris opifex."
" Gaude pater pietatis
Summae sidus honestatis
Regnans in galwedia," etc,
A. J. N.
S, Ninian.
Prince Arthur's Chapel,
Worcester Cathedral.
To the last half of the fifth
and to the beginning of the
For his life see Newman's Lives of the English Saints.
S. BRIDGET 97
sixth century belongs a vast host of Celtic missioners, Irish,
Welsh, Breton, Cornish ; greatest of whom were S. David and
S. Patrick, the Apostles and patron saints of Wales and
Ireland. The fame of Remigius, the Apostle of the Franks
whose great abbey church of S. Re"mi is one of the twin glories
of Rheims crossed the Channel, and is shown forth in 6 dedi-
cations. He it was who had baptized Clovis, king of the
Franks, amid a magnificence of ceremonial long remembered
in Eastern France ; his life-story may be seen carved in stone
on the tympanum of the doorway of the north transept of
Rheims cathedral.
To the sixth century belong S. Bridget and S. Columba.
Bridget was a delightful, impulsive, warm-hearted, thoughtless,
hospitable Irish girl, but a bad housekeeper. Often when dinner-
time arrived, Bridget had given away the milk and butter to
passing tramps and the bacon to the dog.
On a time came two lepers unto Bridget to ask an alms. Nought
was there in the kitchen but one single cow; Bridget gave it to the
lepers. But one, who was a haughty leper, said, " Never am I to be
slighted with a single cow." Then said Bridget to the other, who was a
lowly leper, " Stay thou here to see whether God will put anything in
the kitchen, and let the haughty leper fare forth with his cow." Then
came a heathen having a cow for Bridget, and she gave it to the lowly
leper. And the two lepers fared forth to the Barrow river, and the
river rose up against them. Through Bridget's blessing the lowly leper
escaped and his cow; but the haughty leper and his cow fell to the
bottom of the river and were drowned. 1 Another day she came'in wet
through, and hung her wet cloak on a sunbeam, taking it for a clothes-
line; and the sunbeam did not move, but remained there, "as if on
pot-hooks," till eventide, when Bridget released it, and it hasted away to
catch up the sun. 2
On another occasion, waiting for her father in his chariot, she gave
away his sword ; all she had to say in defence was that if beggars asked
for her king and father, she would give him away also. Another day
she came over the mountain, where there was a madman, and great
fear seized the virgins who were with her. But quoth the madman : " I
cannot be ungentle to thee, O nun, for thou art merciful to the poor
and wretched. Reverence the Lord, O nun, and every one will
reverence thee ; love the Lord, and every one will love thee ; fear the
Lord, and every one will fear thee." Then the madman fared forth,
1 Whitley Stokes, Three Middle- Irish Homilies on the Lives of 55.
Patrick, Brigit, and Columba. Calcutta, 1877.
2 The legend of the sunbeam is unfortunately rather common ; at least
nine saints hang their cloaks on a sunbeam ; four their glows ; jau4 <one
an axe.
13
98 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
and wrought no harm upon them. 1 The chronicler shall be left to set
forth the worth and passing of Bridget. " There hath never been," he
says, "any one more bashful or more modest than that holy virgin ; she
never washed her hands or her face or her feet amongst men ; she
never looked a man in the face ; she never spoke without a blush. She
was abstinent, innocent, generous, patient; she joyed in God's com-
mandments ; she was steadfast, lowly, forgiving, charitable. She was a
consecrated vessel for keeping Christ's body; she was a temple of
God; her heart and her mind were a throne of rest for the Holy
Ghost, Towards God she was simple; towards the wretched com-
passionate : her miracles and wondrous deeds like the sand of the sea :
her soul is like the sun in the heavenly city among quires of angels
and archangels, in union with cherubim and seraphim, in union with
all the Holy Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Ghost. I, the writer,
beseech the Lord's mercy through S. Brigh's intercession. Amen."
In Ireland her churches are almost numberless ; in England
she is remembered by 19 dedications, one of which is Wren's
church of S. Bride, Fleet Street, London. In memory of her,
the "Fiery Dart," as she was called, the nuns of Kildare for
700 years kept ever burning a sacred fire. 2 From Ireland too
came S. Columba, from whose mission station at lona went
forth the evangelisers not only of Scotland, but of Northern
England. In Scotland he had some 50 dedications, in England 8.
S. Brandan 3 also was an Irishman ; two English churches
are dedicated to him. The stories about S. Brandan are only too
good to be true. S. Brandan voyaged forth for seven years to
an isle of the West, another Avilion
" Where falls not hail nor rain nor any snow,
Nor ever wind blows loudly ; but it lies
Deep-meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hollows crown'd with summer sea."
"And it was a very fair land, standing thick with flowers; and hard
by a noble well stood a spreading tree, whose every bough was laden
with fair white birds so that the leaves might scarce be seen ; and they
sang so merrily that it was a heavenly noise to hear. Then the saint
bade tell wherefore they sang so merrily ; and one made answer :
1 Whiiley Stokes, Ibid., 77. The homily of S. Brigit is from a manu-
script of the fifteenth century preserved in the library of the Royal Irish
Academy, and evidently incorporates very ancient materials.
2 She is not to be confounded with S. Bridget of Sweden, who founded
the order of the Briggittines, and is represented with a pilgrim's wallet
and staff.
3 An English version in prose and verse of the legend of S, Brandan has
been edited by Mr Thomas Wright for the Percy Society.
S. BRANDAN 99
* Sometime^we were angels in heaven ; but when Lucifer our master fell
through pride, we fell with him ; but since our trespass is but little, our
Lord hath set us here out of all pain, to serve Him, and to praise Him
on this tree in the best manner that we can.' And yearly, at the Easter
tide, S. Erandan and his companions returned to keep the holy season
in the Paradise of Birds." l
It was on one of these voyages that S. Brandan met Judas
Iscariot, who, for a brief space of respite from eternal woe, floats
past on an iceberg. One act of kindness, Judas told S. Brandan,
one only had he done in his lifetime ; and
" That germ of kindness, in the womb
Of mercy caught, did not expire ;
Outlives my guilt, outlives my doom,
And friends me in the pit of fire."
From every story of this far-away, mystical Irish saint there
shines forth a real soul, one that ever preached a gospel of pity
and forgiveness and long-suffering and love ; and that the Lord
is full of compassion and mercy, and forgiveth sins, and saveth
in time of affliction. Brandan and Bridget were lovely in their
lives ; if anything, still more beautiful is the story of the great
Columba ; here only a passing reference can be made to it If
Columba, Brandan, and Bridget are typical examples of what
Christianity was in Ireland before the English missioners and
soldiers arrived, Celtic Ireland must have been an Island of
Saints. And indeed it was. Saints they had in such abundance
that they were exported in large numbers for Continental use.
Irish religion was a religion of simple piety and love.
Here is another story setting forth mercy and loving-kindness.
" It is taken from some ascetical work, the title of which," says
Count Joseph de Maistre, " I forget."
A saint, whose name I have also forgotten, had a vision in which he
saw Satan standing before the throne of God. And the Evil one said,
" Why hast thou damned me, who offended but once, and hast saved
thousands who have offended many times against Thee?" And God
said, "Hast Thou asked for pardon once?" For forgiveness is not
denied but to them that ask not 2
44 The mercy of man is upon his neighbour,
But the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh ;
Reproving, and chastening, and teaching,
And bringing again, as a shepherd his flock."
1 Arnold-Forster, Ibid.> ii. 37.
2 Count Joseph de Maistre, Lettres, etc., i. 253, quoted in Delehaye,
Ibid.) 231.
100 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
To the eighth century belongs the mission of S. Wulfram,
Archbishop of Sens, to Friesland. It was S. Wulfram who was
baptizing King Radbod, when the old king suddenly asked, " But
what of my ancestors?" "Those who died unbaptized are
assuredly damned," was the stern reply. "Then," said King
Radbod, stepping out of the water, " I cannot give up the
companionship of my ancestors." S. Wulfram died c. 720 ; he
has two dedications, Dorrington and Grantham. The next and
the greatest evangelist of the century, and in Europe, was a
wealthy young Devonshire man, Wilfred of Crediton, who gave
up his monastic life at Nutshalling or Nursling, in Hampshire,
and went as a missionary to Friesland, there continuing S.
Wulfram's work. After work here, and in Bavaria and Saxony,
he was raised to the rank of a missionary bishop, and started on
a life-long campaign against the heathenism of Central Germany.
His success was immense ; the whole country was evangelised ;
schools and monasteries and churches arose on all sides ; he is
the true Apostle of the Germans. In his later days he became
Archbishop of Mayence ; was the friend of Kings Carloman and
Pepin, and the leading churchman in Europe. When seventy-
five years old he went forth once more on a mission to Friesland,
and there was slain in 755 in a sudden attack of armed
marauders. His name appears in six English dedications.
101
CHAPTER IX
Evangelisation of England S. Gregory S. Augustine of Canterbury S.
Paulinus S. Aidan S. Cuthbert S. Chad S. Felix S. Kentigern
S. Birinus S. Wilfrid S. Aldhelm.
ALL the above famous missioners, S. Martin, S. German, S. Ninian,
S. Re"mi, and the Celtic saints, S. Patrick, S. Brandan, S.
Columba, S. Bridget, and S. David, did their life-work mainly, if
not wholly, outside England, and earlier than the seventh century.
With that century begins and is carried far towards completion
the great work of the Conversion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms
to Christianity. This Conversion has its own bead-roll of honour,
and scores of dedications survive to tell of the gratitude of the
Church to the two famous missions, which, one from the South,
the other from the North, revived the dying embers of British
Christianity. In the South the impulse came direct from Rome,
and from that greatest of the Popes of Rome, S. Gregory, to
whom, in a life of terrible hard work and constant suffering, his
mission to England was an especial delight. All know the story
how, when a monk, he saw for sale in the market-place at Rome
fair-haired boys from Yorkshire. " Non Angli sed angeli," he
said, and heard how England was sunk again in heathenism ;
and then and there organised a mission to England. But
permission was refused, and the mission fell through. Gregory,
however, did not forget the Yorkshire boys, and twenty years
after sent forth a mission of his own, headed by S. Augustine.
Pope Gregory then is really the Apostle, or at any rate, one of
the two Apostles, of the English, as indeed Bede expressly
acknowledges: "'We may and ought to call him our Apostle,
because he made our nation, till then given up to idols, the
Church of Christ ; so that, though he is not an Apostle to others,
yet he is so to us, for we are the seal of his Apostleship in the
Lord," The success of the Roman mission in Kent and the
conversion and baptism of King Ethelbert in 597 were a great
joy to Gregory, and spite of his world-wide activities, he
personally directed the English mission down to the smallest
details. Augustine referred everything to him; in fact the
whole mission was governed from Rome rather than from
IO2
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Canterbury, and Gregory, not Augustine, was its real head.
Rightly and duly therefore is our Apostle, Pope Gregory the
Great, commemorated in the dedications of 32 English churches. 1
S. Gregory died in 604, and his missioner, S. Augustine, in the
following year ; he had .worked at the mission seven years, and
left his record behind in the foundation of the archbishopric of
J. H. P. .
The Mass of S. Gregory.
. From a M.S. in the Bodleian Library.
Canterbury and of the bishoprics of Rochester and London.
1 The following are the emblems of the Crucifixion represented on the
altar at the Mass of S, Gregory (102).:
The Cross. The Thirty Pieces of Silver.
The Three Nails. The Hammer and Pincers.
The Spear. " The Ladder.
The Sponge. The Sword.
The Pillar and Cord. The Lantern.
The Two Scourges. The Three Boxes of Spices for
The Three Dice. Embalming.
103
A. W.'S.
Gregory Mass.
Paignton, Devon.
104
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Felix.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
At least 30 churches are dedi-
cated to S. Augustine ; his
noblest monument was the mon-
astery at Canterbury, which he
dedicated to SS. Peter and Paul,
but which was re-dedicated in
commemoration of its founder
by S. Dunstan; the foundations
of the vast Norman church of S.
Augustine have recently been
disinterred. S: Paulinus was one
of a second mission sent by Pope
Gregory to help S. Augustine.
Eight years he laboured with
great success in the court of
Northumbria, penetrating from
this far down into the Midlands,
and baptizing vast multitudes in
the rivers of Yorkshire and the
Trent. Part of the Derwent is
still called the Jordan, in memory
of the many baptisms in its
waters of subjects of King Edwin
of Northumbria. With the fall
however of Edwin's kingdom
the mission collapsed, and S.
Paulinus spent his last years at
Rochester, of which he became
bishop. He died in 644 : he had
worked at the evangelisation of
England for forty-three years.
He is commemorated by 5 dedi-
cations ; but it is likely that
some of the churches which bear
the name of S. Paul really belong
to S. Paulinus.
The other mission did not
come from Rome at all, but
from the Celtic Church of the
North, whose headquarters were
at lona and Lindisfarne. Till
recently the great work of S.
Aidan had received scanty re-
cognition. Now Bishop Light-
foot has gone so far as to
S. AIDAN
105
assert that "Not Augustine but Aidan is the true Apostle of
England." Aidan died in 651 at the old royal Northumbrian
city of Bamburgh ; whose parish church is the only one
dedicated in his honour. We may well believe that many a
church once commemorated his great work ; but all that was
to the credit of the Celtic Church would be studiously ignored
when at the Synod of Whitby the Roman Church succeeded in
S. Kentigern.
Glasgow Cathedral.
expelling Celtic Christianity from England. To Melrose and
Lin.disfarne and Northumbria belong, as has been said above,
the labours of S. Cuthbeft ; he made a deep impression on his
times, and is greatly honoured in his own country. With him
are connected the original dedications of Durham cathedral,
where at length his body found rest and still remains, and of
Bolton and Worksop priories, both dedicated to SS, Mary and
Cuthbert Dedications to S. Cuthbert are rare in Southern
England ; that of the parish church of Wells is an exception.
io6
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Altogether he Is commemorated
S. A.
S. Wilfrid.
Ripon.
in 72 churches. S. Chad was a
mission-bishop, first at York,
afterwards at Lichfield, where
he died in 672 ; his dedica-
tions number 32. S. Felix
was the Apostle of East
Anglia ; he died in 654 ; he
has 6 dedications; his name
is preserved in the S. Felix
School, Southwold. 1 S. Biri-
nus died in 650 ; his work
was in Wessex. He was
buried in Dorchester Priory
church, Oxon., from which his
relics were translated to Win-
chester cathedral. It was
reported of S. Birinus that
after celebrating mass before
going on board ship, he left
behind his corporal, which
was the gift of Honorius.
When he remembered it, the
ship was already at sea, but
Birinus threw himself over-
board and made for shore,
recovered the corporal, and
returned over the water
to the ship. This scene
is represented in stained
glass in Dorchester Abbey
church.
An earlier evangelist, who
deserves mention, though his
work was on Scottish soil, was
S. Kentigern or Mungo ; his
mother was S. Enoch ; both
their names survive at Glas-
1 On the Ranworth screen the
orphrey of the chasuble and ap-
parel are of fleur-de-lis pattern,
which has been thought to indi-
cate a bishop of French origin,
probably S. Felix, Apostle of the
East Angles. H. A, W.
S. WILFRID TO/
gow, the former in S. Mungo's cathedral, the latter in a railway
station. 1
The following century, the eighth, saw the death of one of the
greatest and most strenuous of the seventh-century churchmen
of England, S. Wilfrid ; he was sufficiently remarkable as a
missioner and a bishop, but still more so, perhaps, for the
persistence and success with which he worked for the triumph of
the Roman Church and the downfall of the Celtic mission in
England. His was an extraordinarily active and troubled
life ; at one time an archbishop, at another an exile, at another
a simple missioner to the starving fishermen of Wessex ; again
and again travelling to Rome on appeal from the English Church,
gathering together all Roman fashions of ritual and architecture,
and the Benedictine ways of the Roman monastery, bringing
them back and introducing them into the churches which he
built. The very stones and mortar put together by S. Wilfrid
still survive in the crypts of Ripon and Hexham, orientated
in Italian fashion to the west. Altogether he has 48
dedications ; Ripon minster, where he lies buried, was re-dedi-
cated to SS. Peter and Wilfrid. 2 A famous scholar and missioner
in the West country was S. Aldhelm or Mallem (z>., "My
Aldhelm") of Malmesbury ; a notable ascetic was he; winter and
summer nightly he said his psalter standing up to his neck in a
pool of water. He wrote songs and ballads too ; and if the
village folk would not listen to a sermon, he would sing them his
poetry. His great memorial is the monastery of S. Aldhelm
(the nave of its twelfth-century church still stands) and the town
itself, Malmesbury, i.e., Mealdelmesburgh. He died c. 720 ; four
churches are dedicated to him. 3 And so ends with the eighth
1 The illustration shows a shield carved recently and placed in the roof of
the choir of Glasgow cathedral (105). In his early days his companions killed
a tame robin, which was a favourite with their master, S. Serf, and threw the
blame on Kentigern. But Kentigern breathed upon it and it returned to
life. On another occasion they put out all the lights which it was Kentigern's
duty to attend to. But he went out it was winter and brought in a frozen
branch, which, when he breathed upon it, burst into flame. See also
page 322.
2 The small figure illustrated was found buried under the Dean's stall in
1863, and is probably S. Wilfrid (106). In an old print he is shown baptizing
the heathen ; in the foreground are fragments of temples and idols he has
thrown down (24).
3 His pastoral staff was reputed to have budded with ash-leaves during
the course of a long sermon at Bishopstrow, Wiltshire, where the church is
dedicated to him : other symbols of his miracles are the beam, the book
and the boy. G. F. B.
108 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
century the story of the great missionary movements of the
Dark Ages of mediaeval England. Henceforth the work was
to hold what had been won work in the main of organisation
and consolidation, which found scope for the services of many
great men ; in the ninth century S. Swithun of Winchester
(58 dedications), in the tenth century S. Dunstan (20 dedications),
in the eleventh century S. Wolstan or Wolfstan of Worcester (i
dedication) and S. Osmond of Salisbury (3 dedications), to whom
we owe the " Use of Sarum." The remaining great churchmen
whose names appear in dedications are, in the twelfth century
S. Thomas of Canterbury (46 dedications), and in the thirteenth
century S. Hugh of Lincoln (i dedication) and S. Richard of
Chichester (i dedication).
CHAPTER X
Chronological List of Martyrs S. Candida S. Agnes SS. Cosmas and
Damian S. Vincent S. Blaise S. Cyr S. Margaret S. Constantine
S. Leger S. Winifred S. Oswald S. Osyth S. Edmund S.
Alphege S. Thomas of Canterbury King Charles the Martyr
Distribution and Dispersion of Relics of Martyrs S. Bartholomew.
A VERY important set of dedications consists of those which
commemorate the " white-robed army of Martyrs/' The choice
of martyrs' names, however, seems singularly capricious. Hardly
any two men rendered greater services than those great Fathers
of the Church, Ignatius and Polycarp, and both suffered
martyrdom ; yet we have not a single ancient dedication to
either. Setting aside the martyrdoms of Biblical personages,
the long list contains, in the first century, the names of SS.
Gervase and Protasius of Milan (i dedication), and of S. Pancras,
Bishop of Taormina (10 dedications), reputed to have been sent
on mission to Sicily by S. Peter himself.
To the second century belong S. Clement (41 dedications),
who at any rate in legend suffered martyrdom ; S. Eustachius
(3 dedications), the Roman officer to whom appeared a stag
with a dazzling cross in its antlers, bidding him follow Christ; 1
S. Hermes or Erme (3 dedications), who may have been a
prefect at Rome ; S. Cecilia (4 dedications), whose blood-stained
body was recovered in the Catacombs by Pope Paschal I. in
817; and S. Symphorian of Autun (3 dedications), who like
1 The illustration, which is from the west front of Wells cathedral, shows
S. Eustace carrying two boys across a river ; both children are mutilated ;
originally each had a hand on the father's shoulder. But in the Golden
Legend the story goes that S. Eustace (whose legend is largely a version
of that of Job), after losing all his property and his friends and his wife, fled
from his enemies with his two boys. But coming to a torrent, he found it
raging so furiously that he could not carry both across at once. So he left
one behind, and then crossed with the other, whom a wolf carried away.
Then he returned for the first child, but found that he had been carried off
by a lion. In later days the boys met and recognised one another and their
mother, and happiness returned to Eustace for a brief space (no).
no
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. AND P.
Female Saint. S. Eustace.
West Front of Wells Cathedral.
MARTYR SAINTS III
Eustachius, scorned to redeem his life by sacrifice to the gods
of Rome.
In the third century there are S. Hippolytus of Rome (2
dedications) who was torn asunder by wild horses, unless indeed
the story be derived from a "diseased etymology" of his name ;
S. Fabian, Bishop of Rome (i dedication); S. Agatha of Sicily,
who has 4 dedications, including that of the ruined Premonstra-
tensian abbey near Richmond, Yorkshire ;* a great Father of the
S. Agatha.
: From stained glass at Manor Farm, Beauvale, Notts.
Church, S. Cyprian of Carthage (i dedication); S. Lawrence,
who has the astonishing number of 237 dedications; 3 S. Denis
(41 dedications), .;patron saint of France, "Bishop of the
Parisians," who ended this, present life under the sword, and
carried his severed head ., to Mont-Martre. S. Maurice (8
dedications), whose name survives in the little town of S, Moritz,
1 In glass at Winchester S. Agatha holds a nipple in a pair of pincers
(20) : in glass at Beauvale Manor farm she holds a breast (i 1 1).
2 In glass at Nettlestead S, Lawrence wears the dalmatic of a deacon,
and bears a closed book and the model of a gridiron (20).
112
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Lawrence.
Ranworth Rood-screen.
S, Pancras of Rome.
From brass of the Prior of S. Pancras' Abbey, Lewes, at Cowfold, Sussex.
114 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
the place where occurred the decimation of the Theban legion ;
S. Sebastian, with but two dedications in England, for his fame 1
was eclipsed by the similar martyrdom of Edmund, king of
East Anglia; S. George, the patron saint of England, with
126 dedications ; S. Lucian (i dedication), Bishop of Beauvais ;
and perhaps the most remarkable of all, S. Christopher, with
9 dedications.
To the fourth century, during the Diocletian persecution in
303 and 304, belongs S. Pancras of Rome (6 dedications), executed
with the sword at the age of fourteen ; his church, of which
important remains have been brought to light in the grounds of
S. Augustine's College, Canterbury, was the first in England
dedicated by S. Augustine, who had been a monk in the
monastery of S. Andrew, Rome, founded by S. Gregory, and
built on land which had belonged to the Pancras family.
Another victim was S. Candida (2 dedications), who is probably
commemorated in the church of S. Candida and the Holy Cross
at Whitchurch, near Lyme Regis, near which was formerly
a well bearing her name. Not far away are Whitestaunton,
White Cross, White Lackington, White Town, all probably
connected with S. Whyte or Candida. A better known virgin
martyr is S. Agnes of Rome (5 dedications), who suffered
martyrdom by fire ; she was but thirteen years old.
" Agnes," says ^Elfiic, 2 " in her thirteenth year lost mortality,
And found eternal life, for that she loved Christ."
To her suitor, the son of the prefect of Rome, when he
brought her precious gems and worldly ornaments, she made
answer :
" Depart from me, I have another lover,
Who hath granted me for a pledge the ring of His Faith,
And hath set His token upon my face
- That I should love none other beside Him.
He hath shewed me also His incomparable treasures,
Which He hath promised me if I follow Him.
1 In Henry the Seventh's chapel S. Sebastian is represented naked and
tied to a tree : on each side is an archer with a cross-bow (160). The picture
galleries of Italy are crowded with representations of the martyrdom of S.
Sebastian.
2 Homily VI L 25, from ^Elfric's Lives of Saints, edited for the Early
English Text Society by Professor Skeat, 1881 ; two more series of his Homilies
were edited by Thorpe in 1844-1846. ^Elfric wrote his Homilies between
993 and 997 ; he was first a monk at S. Swithun's, Winchester, 'and after-
wards Prior of Eynsham.
S. AGNES
I may not to His dishonour choose another
And forsake Him who hath espoused me by His love.
To Him alone ever I keep my troth ;
To Him I commit myself with all devotion."
S. Faith. Westminster.
"I bless thee," she said, as the flames encompassed her, "0 Father
of my Lord Jesus Christ, who permittest me unfearing through the
u6
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
flames to come to Thee. Lo ! what I believed, that I see; what I
hoped for, that I hold : what I desired, that I embrace. Thee I con-,
fess with my lips ; thee with my heart I altogether desire. One and
true God, I come to Thee."
A. w. s.
SS. Cosmas and Damian.
Wolborough Screen, Devon.
The basilica of S. Agnese at Rome is her great memorial. 1 The
1 In glass in the possession of Dr Philip Nelson a lamb is seen springing
up at the feet of S. Agnes (180). In the other illustration (22) she is read-
ing a book, and at her feet sits a lamb.
S. FAITH 117
Diocletian persecution numbered many victims outside Rome.
S. Faith of Agen (23 dedications) is said to have suffered by fire.
To her was dedicated the crypt of Old S. Paul's. At the east
end of the revestry of Westminster abbey is a thirteenth-century
painting of S. Faith. Beneath is the Crucifixion. On the left
The Confessor and S. Vincent.
Westminster.
is a Benedictine .monk perhaps the painter of the picture from
whose lips issues the couplet
" Me quern culpa gmvis premit, erige^ Virgo salutis ;
Fac mthi placatum Christum, deleasque reatuni?
" Raise me, Maid and Saviour, weighed down by the load of my
sin; reconcile Christ to me, and wash away mine iniquity" (115).
The martyr carries a metal bedstead, as also in the brass of Prior
Langley in S. Lawrence's church, Norwich (18); and in stained
glass in Winchester cathedral. Martyrdom was the fate also
of the two Arabs, Cosrnas and Damian (3 dedications), who
iiS
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
are said to have practised medicine in Cilicia. 1 The legend
of these two saints is of ancient origin, and at quite an early
date they were represented as the successors of the Dioscuri ;
S. Catherine. S. Mary Magdalene.
Bench Ends at Coombe-in-Teignhead.
and the honours paid to them at certain of their shrines
undoubtedly betray points of contact with pre-existing forms
1 On the Wolborough screen Cosmas has in his right hand a pestle or
ladle, and in his left a mortar or jar ; Damian holds up a glass phial (i 16).
S. VINCENT
119
of worship. 1 The Spanish deacon, S. Vincent (6 dedications),
was roasted over a slow fire till pain brought on uncon-
sciousness, when he was removed to a soft bed, reserved for
further torture ; but in his stupor he sank and died. Cape S.
Vincent is one of his many
memorials. 2 The persecu-
tion even reached the distant
Britons; and S. Alban (n
dedications) was executed at
Verulamium, because, though
a Pagan, he had sheltered a
Christian priest 3 S. German
of Auxerre, with many other
bishops and clergy, c. 430, is
said to have worshipped at
the shrine of .England's Pro-
tomartyr. S. Catherine of
Alexandria (62 dedications)
is said to have been saved for
a time by the breaking of the
toothed wheel to which she
was bound, but was after-
wards scourged and behead-
ed ; angels bore her body to
Mount Sinai, where in the
ninth century it was dis-
covered amid great rejoicings.
Another victim was Julian the
Hospitaller (7 . dedications),
an Egyptian physician : S.
Julian's hospital or ".God's
House " at Southampton pre-
serves his name. S. Blaise
(5 dedications) was Bishop, of
Sebaste in Cappadocia or
Lesser Armenia ; he was
carded with iron combs and K . M . c .
beheaded, c. 316. His most S. Blaise.
important church in England Rood . scree n, S. Mary Steps, Exeter,
was that of the Benedictine
1 Delehaye, -Ibid., 191.
2 S. Vincent, as one of the patron saints of Henry the Seventh, is
represented on his tomb (117).
3 On a brass at S. Albans the saint is shown with a cross as missioner
or preacher, and with the sword by which he was decapitated (13).
I2O
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
priory at Boxgrove, dedicated to SS. Mary and Blaise. 1
Because of the manner of his- torture he became the patron
saint of all , wool-combers, and till 1825 "Bishop Blaize
Festival" was a high day at Bradford with processions and
pageants ; and a child of five was chosen to recite the bishop's
story in verses, which began thus :
" Hail to the day whose kind, auspicious rays,
Deigned first to smile on famous Bishop Blaize," 2
, H. G.
S. Lucy.
From stained glass at Manor Farm, Notts.
1 In glass at Oxford, S. Blaise is represented as a bishop, holding in his
hand a wool-comb (20). On the rood-screen of S. Mary Steps, Exeter,
S. Blaise is represented with a comb in the right hand, and in the left what
looks like a club. The panel, however, has been clumsily repainted, and the
club is probably a taper with beams radiating from it. The story is that on
his way to prison he extracted a fish bone from a child's throat. In the
evening the mother brought to the. prison food and a taper, and the saint
promised that all who offered once a year a taper in memory of him should
have relief from throat trouble (119),
2 Arnold-Footer, /#&, L 494.
121
n. w.
S. Winifred. S. Margaret.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
16
122 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Cyriac or S. Cyr of Iconium (9 dedications) was three years
old when his mother, Julitta, was put on the rack for her faith
by the heathen governor. The little child tried to run to his
mother, crying, " I am a Christian too/ 1 when he was seized and
flung against the marble steps and killed. The mother was then
beheaded. S. Lucy of Syracuse (2 dedications) plucked out
her eyes rather than marry a pagan. 1 To this period, perhaps,
belongs the story of S. Barbara (i dedication), who may have
lived in Egypt; and of S. Margaret of Antioch in Pisidia (261
dedications), a very apocryphal martyr, but a very great favourite
in dedications, largely, perhaps, because of the last words she
uttered before her execution.
" Hearken to my prayer, God, and grant to every man who shall
write my life and relate my works or shall hear or read them that his
name be written in the book of eternal life ; and whosoever shall build
a church in my name, do not bring him to thy remembrance to punish
him for his wrongdoings."
But in 312 A.D. came the Peace of the Church, and axe and
s\vord and fire, scaffold and cross, gridiron and rack and wheel,
ceased for a time to provide their quota of Christian martyrs.
For two whole centuries, except in the Celtic Church, no names
of martyrs survive in our list of dedications. The most remark-
able is that of Constantine or Cystennyn, a king of Cornwall in
the sixth century. In a letter written in 547, Gildas tells of his
perjuries and dissoluteness, even of sacrilegious murder of two
youths in the very church itself. But a great grief fell upon him
in the' death of his wife, and he was henceforth a changed man.
He gave up his royal state and retired to an Irish monastery,
where he lived unknown, grinding corn in a quern for the monks,
till one day one of his brethren heard him say, with a laugh, to
himself, "Can this be King Constantine of Cornwall, wlio wore
helm and bore shield, drudging at a handmill?" His identity
discovered, he was placed among the students, -and afterwards
went as a missionary into Scotland, There he laboured under
the great Columba, and there in Cantire he met a martyr's death.
To Constantine three if not more English churches are dedicated,
and the Cornish parish of Constantine bears his name.
To the seventh century belongs S. Leodegarius, Bishop of
Autun (5 dedications), whose remains now rest at Poitiers.
When Autun was besieged, he defended it as long as defence
was possible, and then ransomed the lives of all at the price of
1 In a painting in the Louvre, S. Lucy holds the palm of martyrdom and
carries her eyes in a dish (22, 120).
S. LEGER 123
his own. He was blinded and tortured and mutilated in every
limb ; but at last recovered articulate speech. The letter which
E. W. A.
S. Leger, S. Apollonia.
Rood-screen at Ashton, Devon.
he wrote to his mother after the loss of his eyes and the slashing
of his lips is still extant Two years later he was conducted
forth into the forest. For long the executioners wandered about,
124 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
seeking a fitting place, till the bishop said, " It is useless, my
children, to tire yourself further ; do quickly that for which you
have come forth." Then he knelt down and received the death
blow. Ashby S. Leger preserves his name, and its church is
dedicated to SS. Mary and Leodegare. 1 Six churches are
attributed, more or less doubtfully, to the Welsh virgin, S.
Winifred or Gwenfrewi, who is supposed to have lived in the
seventh century, but whose legendary life is five centuries later.
At any rate her name is preserved in the spring which bursts
up in Holywell, Flintshire. A spring of such volume and
force was doubtless an object of worship long before Christian
days. Above ground is a fifteenth-century chapel of the Church
of England ; the undercroft forms another chapel, leased to the
Roman Catholic Church. Pilgrims still resort to it in great
numbers ; and crutches, spinal jackets and the like, hung on the
walls round the pool in which the sick are immersed, bear
evidence to the recoveries that have taken place. It is perhaps
because of her connection with this famous spring that her name
is attached to two other springs, Holywell, Oxford, and
Woolston, Salop. 2
To the same century belong two Christian kings of
Northumbria, each slain by Penda, the heathen king of
Mercia ; viz., S. Edwin and S. Oswald. 8 S. Edwin (i dedication)
was the first Christian king of Northumbria ; it was his queen,
Ethelburga, who brought with her from Kent S. Paulinus as her
chaplain. In 627 King Edwin was baptized in the church of
S, Peter, York, the first York minster. In 636 he was defeated
and slain by Penda. His successor, King Oswald (67 dedica-
tions), was one of the greatest and best of all the kings we have
had 'in England, to be ranked with the French S. Louis and our
1 On the screen at Ashton, Devon, S. Leger bears the auger with which
his eyes were bored out (123).
2 In the illustration there are at the feet of S. Winifred what looks like a
beheading block and a severed head (121).
3 S. Oswald is often represented with a raven which he used as a
messenger to obtain the conversion and hand of a pagan princess. In the
Lubeck Passionate he is receiving a letter from her and sending her a ring
(26). Or he holds in his hand a dish, as on the west front of Wells cathedral.
He was seated at dinner one day with S. Aidan, and there was outside a
great crowd of poor folk begging for food. So the king sent them the food
on his silver dish, and brake the dish and distributed the fragments to them.
Wherefore, said S. Aidan, the right hand that brake the dish should be
blessed. And after the king's death his right hand was found to be incorrupt,
and was preserved in Peterborough abbey as one of its holiest treasures
(88).
125
W. M. D.
S. Lambert
S. Mary's, Shrewsbury.
126
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
own Alfred. He fell in 642. His skull was preserved at
Lindisfarne; and when the body of S. Cuthbert set out on -.its
long wanderings Durhamward, it was placed in his coffin, where
it was seen in 1829 and 1899. S. Oswald's fame spread far ; he
K. M. C.
S. SidwelL
S. SidwelPs Church, Exeter.
is mentioned in Swiss and German liturgies, and he is the patron
saint of Zug. Queen Osyth or Sitha (4 dedications) ran away
from an apostate husband and became a nun at Chick or S.
Osyth in Essex. Danish pirates sailed up the Coin and slew
her; the place where she fell is still called the "Nun's Well."
ROYAL MARTYRS
127
When her head was struck from her body, there gushed forth a
spring of pure water ; and she walked to her grave as she is
shown on the Convent sealcarrying her~head in her hand.
To the eighth century belongs King Ethelbert of East
Anglia (16 dedications), murdered by Offa, king of the Mercians ;
also S. Lambert, Bishop of Maestricht, slain in /OQ, 1 to whom
there are two dedications ; and S. Sidwell or Sativola, martyred
in 740 on the site of S. Sidwell church, Exeter, which there-
fore is a memorial church. The church of Laneast, Cornwall, is
dedicated to SS. Welvela and Sativola. By far the most notable
martyr in this century was that
greatest of the men of Devon and
most famous of missionary bishops,
S. Boniface, slain in 755 (6 dedica-
tions).
In the ninth century almost all
the English martyrs are .of royal
blood. They include young King
Kenelm of Mercia (9 dedications) ;
Wyston or Winston, another child-
king of Mercia (3 dedications) ;
Alkmund, a young king of North-
umbria (4 dedications). Then we ;
come to the terrible times which
were to open out in England for
nearly a century and a half another
broad road to martyrdom : these
were the days of the " piratical
forays of the heathen Vikings.
Then it was, from the end of the
ninth century, that the Irish built
their Round Towers, each to be
a strong place of refuge for the
congregation of .the church hard
by; then it was in England that yet another roll of saints and
martyrs was added to the lists of those to whom England
should dedicate her churches. They comprise S. Edmund,
king of East Anglia (61 dedications) ; . S. Alkelda (2 dedications) ;
S. Alphege (S dedications) ; and two more martyrs, Scandinavians
both, King Olaf(i3 dedications) and Earl Magnus (3 dedications). 2
1 The window at S. Mary's, Shrewsbury, contains foreign glass, probably
Flemish. The saint's name appears at the back. Below is the donor of the
glass (125).
2 S. Magnus was beheaded in an invasion of the pagan Northmen.
J. F. E.
S. Edmund's Head.
Ely Cathedral.
128 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
As the number of his dedications shows, few things appealed
more to churchmen and Englishmen than the martyrdom of
S. Edmund, the beloved king of East Anglia, where one-third of
his dedications occur. Tradition of long date connects his
martyrdom with the village of Hoxne, Suffolk, where still
Goldbrook stream is shown, beneath the bridge of which he hid,
a bridge which no wedding party will cross and the field where
till 1848 stood a very ancient oak, twenty feet in girth, to which
it was said he was bound as a target to the Danish arrows.
When the tree fell, there was found " the point of an arrow, partly
corroded, projecting from the inside of the hollow part of the
trunk, about four and a half or five feet from the ground, which
part had warted nearly two feet through the inside of the tree,
and was perfectly decayed about the arrow, and was covered
a little more than a foot thick with sound wood, the annual ring
or layer showing the growth of more than 1,000 years, as near
as can be made out" 1 After a time the king was unloosed
from the tree and beheaded. In many places in East Anglia,
e.f. 9 on the parapet of the beautiful porch of Pulham S. Mary the
Virgin, a wolf is shown guarding his head. 2
Here is a tenth-century version of the story. After the retreat
of the Danes there was great search for the head 'of the king,
and at last they came to the place
" Where lay a grey wolf who guarded the head,
And with his two feet had embraced the head
Greedy and hungry, and for God's care durst not
Taste the head, but kept it against other beasts.
Then they were astonished at the wolfs guardianship,
And carried the holy head home with them.
But the wolf followed forth with the head
Until they came to the town as if he were tame,
And then turned back again unto the wood." 8
In stained glass, in a window of the Lady chapel of Bristol
cathedral, S. Edmund is depicted nude, tied to a tree ; in his
body are arrows shot by two archers ; also a white wolf guards
1 Bury Post, Oct. nth, 1848.
2 On the Norfolk rood-screen S. Edmund holds in his hand two arrows
(13). On a stone seat in Ely cathedral the wolf is shown guarding the
king's head (127). The statuette on the grille of Henry the Seventh's tomb at
Westminster is shown with a crown in Hollar's drawing. It probably held
an arrow or arrows (76). In a stone statue in the same chapel, S. Edmund
holds in one hand the orb of sovereignty ; in the other probably was an
arrow (158).
Homilies.
S. ALPHEGE 129
a head. Of the vast abbey of S. Edmund at Bury, Suffolk,
where his remains were finally enshrined, little but the gateways
remain.
To the tenth century belong young King Edward the Martyr,
referred to above, and a princess of somewhat doubtful authen-
ticity, Alkelda, with 2 dedications: she is said to have been
strangled by the Danes.
To the eleventh century belongs S. Alphege, Archbishop of
Canterbury, with 5 dedications, including that of S. Alphege,
Greenwich, which is a Memorial church erected on the site of
his murder. From the 8th to the 29th of September ion,
Canterbury had been besieged by the Danes. It was defended
by the archbishop till it was taken by treachery. S. Alphege
refused to allow himself to be ransomed ; and after being dragged
about for seven months, was slain with stones and arrows in a
drunken orgy of the Danes. 1 His bones lay for ten years in
S. Paul's, London, till they were translated "with much state
and bliss and songs of praise" to Canterbury cathedral by King
Canute, himself a Dane. In Norway, King Olaf or Olave the
Stout was so stern a proselytiser that the country rose against
him, and he was slain near Trondhjem in 1030 ; whereupon he
became Olave the Saint : he has 13 dedications in England.
S. Olaf is represented in the east window of the south aisle of
Holy Trinity church, York, as a saintly personage, with
moustache and beard, carrying in his left hand three stones ; the
story is that finding that a maidservant had been forced to bake
instead of saying her prayers, he turned three of the loaves into
stones. 2
To the twelfth century belongs another Northman, S. Magnus,
Jarl of Orkney, with 3 dedications. On his way from Mass he
was arrested and beheaded in 1 107 ; people say that a flower
may always be found in bloom where he fell. On either side of
London Bridge a church commemorates a Northman, the
London church of S. Magnus facing the Southwark church of
S. Olave. Both these commemorate martyrdoms which took
place far away. But England was to have one more famous^
martyr, the most famous of all, S. Thomas of Canterbury, whose
murder in 1 170 sent a wave of horror through Christendom.
Here is the story of the martyrdom in Caxton's translation : "Then
one of the knights smote him on the head as he kneeled before the
1 S. Alphege is probably one of a group of saints represented on an ivory
in the British Museum.
2 In the illustration S. Olave or Holofius carries a spear and loaves (13).
For the shape of the loaves cf. S. Sitha (217).
17
130 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
A. H. . .'
S. Thomas of Canterbury.
From Prior Nelonde's brass at Cowfold, Sussex.
S. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY 131
altar. And one, Sir Edward Gryme, that was his crossbearer, put forth
his arm with the cross to bear off the stroke, and the stroke smote the
cross in sunder and his arm almost off, wherefore he fled for fear, and
so did all the monks that were at that time at Compline. And then
smote each at him, that they smote off a great piece of the skull of his
A. G.
Murder of Becket
Alabaster Table.
head 1 that his brain fell on the pavement. And so they slew and
martyred him ; and were so cruel that one of them brake the point of
1 He is therefore sometimes represented bearing in his hand the corona or
upper portion of his skull ; ^in one of the statues of the west front of
Wells cathedral (132). In a window at the east end of the south aisle of
Lincoln nave S. Thomas of Canterbury is represented carrying in his hands
the severed crown (corona) of his skull, escorted to heaven by three angels,
two in front, while a third urges him forward (Nelson's Painted Gtass, 141)
132
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
T. P.
S. Thomas of Canterbury and Warrior.
West Front of Wells Cathedral.
S. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY
133
his sword against the pavement ; and thus this holy and blessed Arch-
bishop saint Thomas suffered death in his own church."
There is hardly a country in Europe but has churches dedi-
cated to S, Thomas of Canterbury. In England 80 dedications
have been traced. But in 1537 Henry VIII. blotted out Becket's
name from the service-books, and most of the saint's churches
no doubt either changed their dedications, or, lopping off the
last two words, left the dedication apparently to S. Thomas the
apostle. A curious history attaches to the little cruciform
Norman church high up on the downs between Guildford and
Murder of Becket
Boss in Exeter Cathedral.
Dorking, on the way by which the pilgrims went to Canter-
bury. Originally it was the church of the " Holy Martyrs";
then, no doubt after the murder of Becket, it was re-dedicated to
"S. Thomas of Canterbury and All Holy Martyrs"; then when
the former part of the second dedication had to be dropped, it
became " Martyrs' church " ; finally this was corrupted into
" S. Martha's church "on S. Martha's Hill ; a dedication otherwise
quite unknown in England. 1 And so we come to the last solemn
scene of all, the end of the sad, eventful story of the martyrs,
the death at Whitehall in 1649 of King Charles,
1 Charles Browne, Ibid., 293.
134 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
" Who nothing common did or mean
Upon that memorable scene,
But bowed his comely head
Down, as upon a bed."
Churches are dedicated to Charles, King and Martyr, at
Falmouth and Plymouth, Peak Forest, Derbyshire, Newtown,
Salop, and Tunbridge Wells.
A special reason which kept the
name of a martyr in repute was the
survival and the wideness of diffusion
and the reputation of his relics. Of the
non-Biblical saints in our lists of dedica-
tions, only two go back to the first
century of our era. One is the double
dedication of SS. Gervase and Protasius.
They are supposed to be the proto-
martyrs of Milan, and to have been
executed in the time of Nero. The
preservation of their names for 1,900
years is wholly due to the discovery by
S. Ambrose in the fourth century of the
bodies of two men of wondrous size,
which were believed to be those of the
twin brothers. As far as dedications go,
they are honoured more than Ambrose ;
for Little Plumstead, Essex, is dedicated
to them, while to Ambrose we have no
certain dedication at all. So also the
name of S. Clement is held in the
greater honour because of the strange
story of his shrine and relics. It may
well be that the name of England's
proto-martyr, S. Alban, would have
altogether perished, had not Offa, king
of the Mercians, warned by a dream,
searched for his grave on the hillside of
S. Albans, from which he translated
the relics with all pomp and magni-
' ficence to the abbey church which he
built to guard them.
A good many dedications to foreign saints are undoubtedly
due to the fact that one or more English churches had obtained
.portions of their relics. Thus in the year 665 Pope Vitalian
sent some of the relics of S. Pancras of Rome to King Oswy of
Northumbria. The puzzle is that of the eight dedications to
S. Bartholomew.
Westminster.
S. BARTHOLOMEW 135
S. Pancras of Rome, one is in Kent, three in Sussex, three in
London ; only one, at Wroot, Lincolnshire, is within what were
Oswy's dominions. The same explanation may apply to several
cases in which there are .but one or two dedications to some
Gallican or Italian or Spanish saint ; eg., to S. Medard at Little
Bytham, Lincolnshire ; to S. Firmin at North Crawley, Bucks.,
and Thurlby, Lincolnshire ; to S. Sebastian at Great Gonerby,
Lincolnshire, and Wokingham, Berkshire.
Of the apostles the premier places are taken by S. Peter,
S. Andrew, S. James the Greater, S. John, and S. Bartholomew,
w. P. Y.-
S.John Divine. S. Bartholomew.
Stanbury Chantry, Hereford Cathedral.
with 1,140, 637,414, 181, and 165 dedications respectively. Next
comes S. Thomas with 46 dedications, some of them dubious.
Why was that "somewhat obscure" apostle, Bartholomew, so
much in favour ? It is not that his legendary history is specially
striking. The reason is probably to be found in the many
strange tales that were told of the miraculous preservation of his
remains, as well in their wide diffusion. In the Middle Ages
half the leading cities of the Continent appear to have boasted of
some relic of this apostle. Nor was England omitted in the
distribution. An arm was taken to Canterbury by Anselm ; it
is possible that this relic may have influenced the dedication of
several English churches. 1 His great memorial is the church of
Arnold-Forster, /<&/., i. 82.
136 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Bartholomew, Smithfield, begun in 1123, of which the chancel
and transept still remain. It was founded by Raherus or Rayer,
"a pleasant-witted gentleman," says Strype, "and therefore in
his time called the king's minstrel."
Being at Rome on pilgrimage, he fell ill of malarial fever, and
vowed to found a hospital " for the recreacion of poure men " if he
recovered. Then he was carried up in a vision by a great beast having
four feet and two wings, to a very lofty place, whence he saw the
horror of the bottomless pit. From this he was saved by a majestic
personage who said unto him " I am Bartholomew, the Apostle of Jesus
Christ, that come to succour thee in thy anguish, and to open to thee
the secret mysteries of heaven. Know me truly by the will and
commandment of the High Trinity to have chosen a place in the
suburbs of London at Smithfield, where in my name thou shalt found
a church; and it shall be the house of God; there shall be the
tabernacle of the Lamb, the temple of the Holy Ghost This spiritual
house Almighty God shall inhabit and hallow it and glorify it ; and his
eyes shall be open and his ears intending on this house night and day,
that the asker in it shall receive, the seeker shall find, and the ringer or
knocker shall enter. Wherefore doubt thee not, in God having trust ;
do thou make nothing of the costs of this building, only give thy
diligence, and my part shall be to provide things necessary, and to
build and end this work, and with evident tokens and signs to protect
and defend continually under the shadow of my wings this work by me
accept." With these words the vision " disparyschyd.de."
Rayer, returning to London, got the sanction and help of his
master, King Henry L, and began the work, which was soon
aided by miraculous agency, for a marvellous light shone on the
building as it arose ; the blind who visited it received their sight,
cripples were healed, and the hiding-place of a choir-book hidden
by a Jew was miraculously revealed. R'ahere died in 1144,
leaving the church in the charge of thirteen Austin Canons,
increased by his successor to thirty-five, 1 S. Bartholomew is
recorded to have been flayed alive, and is represented with a
flaying knife in his hand, and sometimes with his skin over his
arm, as on the bronze grille round the tomb of King Henry VII.
in Westminster abbey.
1 At Blythburgh S. Bartholomew holds a flaying knife (63) ; this also
appears with his name in the Stan bury chantry, Hereford cathedral (135).
On the grille in Henry the Seventh's chapel, Westminster, his skin, including
the skull, is thrown over the left arm (134).
137
CHAPTER XI
Saints without Dedication S. William of York S. Dorothy
S. Ursula Les Saintes Maries.
SUCH then is the story, told as briefly as may be, of the long
roll of the saints whose names and whose merits and whose
services the English Church has delighted to commemprate in
the dedications of her churches. It is a list which gives furiously
to think. Some personages appear whom perhaps it is a
little difficult to recognise as saints. It was not primarily for
religion that Archbishop Alphege, Kings Edwin and Oswald of
Northumberland, and .many another Anglo-Saxon king gave up
his life. Many a high-born Saxon lady earned canonisation by
precisely such services as those rendered by the founders of
Cheltenham College, and Girton, Newnham, and Somerville.
Equally strange are the omissions. No English church is
dedicated to the "Apostles" as a whole; though Justinian's
church of the Apostles was as famous in Christendom as S,
Sophia, and was indeed the prototype of S. Mark's, Venice.
Of the apostles, S. Simon and S. Jude have no individual
dedications, but are nine times commemorated together. 1 S.
Matthias has one doubtful dedication. 2 There are many dedica-
tions to S. Anne, the apocryphal mother of the Blessed Virgin,
but none to the mother of S. John Baptist, the cousin of the
Blessed Virgin. 8 Yet " Elizabeth " is one of the most popular
Christian names in England, reminding one, as it does, not only
of the S, Elizabeth of S. Luke's gospel, but of good S. Elizabeth
of Hungary and of the greatest of our English queens. We have
no ancient dedication to S. Mary of Bethany, but that is because
she was identified with S. Mary Magdalene. Cleopas' walk to
Emmaus with the risen Lord on he first Easter Sunday
is forgotten; as also are Silas, fellow-sufferer with S. Paul at
1 On the Ranworth screen, S. Simon, having been a fisherman, carries a
fish (56) ; while S. Jude carries a boat (82).
2 On the stall panels at Blythburgh, S. Matthias holds the axe by which
he was slain (63). So also on page 261.
3 S. Elizabeth is depicted in Morley church, Derbyshire, with a blue
cloak over a white robe, and holding a book in her right hand.
18
138
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. William of York.
York Minster.
Philippi, and Timothy and
Titus and Philemon. So
it is with the Fathers of
the Church ; we have no
ancient dedication to S.
Ignatius of Antioch, or to
S. Polycarp of Smyrna,
or to S. Athanasius of
Alexandria, or to S. Chry-
sostom of Constantinople.
Of the agents of the Con-
version of Anglo-Saxon
England, Birinus was for-
gotten; except so far as he
once shared a compound
dedication of Winchester
cathedral As to the
founders of the great Re-
ligious orders, there is no
recognition of the Cluniac
S. Berno, of the Carthusian
S. Bruno, of the Cister-
cians, Stephen Harding
and S. Bernard ; nor of the
Black Friar, S. Dominic. 1
Saddest of all is the omis-
sion of Bede, to whose
lifelong scholarly labours
we owe such knowledge
of early Church history as
is to be found nowhere
else in Europe. Without
commemoration in dedica-
tions, but not uncommon
on roods, screens, and
stained glass, is S. Wil-
liam, Archbishop of York,
after whose death in 1154
thirty-six miracles were
1 S. Dominic, in a print in
the British Museum, has a star
over hisjhead, a church in his
left hand, and in his right a
closed book, plant and crucifix.
139
S. William of York,
All Saints', York.
140 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
reported to have been, wrought, at his tomb, a list whereof
formerly hung in the vestry of the minster : he was canonised
E. W. A.
S.Dorothy. S. Clement.
Rood-screen at Ashton, Devon.
in 1227. The great window in the north-east transept of York
minster contains 105 panels of ancient glass, depicting the
donors of the window, scenes from the life of S. William, the
S, WILLIAM OF YORK
141
miracles performed after his death, incidents connected with his
translation, and miracles of his lifetime. 1
S. Antony of Egypt. S. Ursula.
Rood-screen, Ashton, Devon,
A very favourite saint, not commemorated by any dedication,
1 The glass in the minster (138) is more than a century older than that of
All Saints V North Street, York (139).
142
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
P. N.
and
her
she
:? is S. Dorothy. She is
said to have been a
high-born maiden of
Csesarea ; and having
become a Christian
during the Diocletian
persecution, was or-
dered by the prefect
to sacrifice to the
gods. On her refusal
she was put to the
rack ; and two of her
old playmates, who
had been Christians
and had apostatized
through fear, were
called in to persuade
her to follow their ex-
ample. But Dorothy
succeeded in bringing
them back to the
Christian faith, and
they were at once hur-
ried off to martyrdom.
Dorothy was reserved
for further suffering ;
and when her life was
visibly sinking under
the torments, she also
was led to the block.
The prefect urged her
even then to recant
and ask forgiveness of
the gods ; but she an-
:,; swered that she would
ask forgiveness for
- himself in the land
whither she was going,
" a land of perpetual
light and joy, and
spring and sunshine,
and fadeless flowers
delicious fruits." Theophilus, a notary, standing by, asked
jestingly to send him some of the flowers and fruit of which
spoke. This she promised- to do, and was presently beheaded.
, S. Ursula.
Wooden statuette.
S. URSULA 143
And not long after there appeared to Theophilus a beautiful
boy with three roses and three apples, and saying, " These my
sister Dorothea sends from Paradise," immediately vanished.
Theophilus became a Christian, and he too soon after suffered
martyrdom. 1
S. Ursula too is without a dedication in any English church ;
which is the more surprising as she was fabled to be a British
princess, to whom there were 11,000 virgins for handmaids.
With these she sailed over the sea in a day, the ship having so good
a wind, and came to a port of Gaul, and thence by some round-
about route to Rome, where she talked over the Pope Cyriacus
and the Bishop of Ravenna and other bishops, and was joined by
Prince Conan and a British king, whom some style her husband,
Ethereus. 2 With these companions, some of whom are shown in
the illustration on page 306, Ursula and her companions set out
to Cologne, which was besieged by the Huns. Whom when the
Huns saw, they ran upon them with a great cry, and all the
virgins they beheaded save the blessed Ursula, whom their prince
shot at with an arrow so that she died. Ursula and her virgins
are buried at Cologne in a great church dedicated to her. With
arrow and numerous virgins she is depicted in fifteenth-century
glass at Hault-Hucknall, Derbyshire. At Morley, Derbyshire,
she is represented in stained glass, ascending up to heaven with
eleven virgin martyrs in a sheet. 3
The Church of England is poorer also for the loss of a
Bearded Lady. S. Wilgeforte or Uncumber actually went to
the length of praying for a beard in order to ward off suitors,
which it did effectually ; her statue in Henry the Seventh's
chapel, Westminster, represents her with a woman's long-hair,
but a bushy beard. According to Sir Thomas More she was in
great favour with housewives, because "for a peck of oats she
would not fail to uncumber them of their husbands."
We may add the names of two saintly personages who have
no dedications in England, but are held in great honour in
Provence, viz., two Maries ; not Our. Lady or S. Mary Magdalene
1 On the rood-screen at Ash ton, Devon, S. Dorothy carries in one hand
a basket of fruit and in the other the palm of martyrdom (140). In glass in
the possession of Dr Philip Nelson, S. Dorothy bears a flower in her left
hand and a basket of fruit in her right (180).
2 There are varying histories of her journey, all alike unveracious.
According to one version her husband was Ethereus, a British king ; and
among her companions was Pantulus, Bishop of Basle ; Jaques, Bishop of
Liege ; Sulpicius, Bishop of Ravenna ; and Cyriacus, who is fabled to have
resigned the papal throne to go with her. See the Golden Legend.
3 Nelson's Painted Glass, 70.
144 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. \V.
S. Barbara. S, Uncumber.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
THE TWO MARIES 145
or Mary of Bethany, but Marie Salome and Marie Jacobe, as
they are styled in French.
The story goes that some three and thirty years after the Ascension
there was a great persecution in Judsea, and S. Mary Magdalene,
Lazarus, and Martha, Mary, the mother of the Apostles James and
John, and Mary, the mother of James the Less, and others, were
arrested and put on board a ship without oars or mast or rudder, and
set adrift. After many days they were thrown ashore in the swamps
of the Rhone. Here a spring of pure water bubbled up in answer to
their prayers, and an altar was set up, fragments of which are said still
to remain. S. Mary Magdalene and Lazarus evangelised Marseilles,
and Martha Tarascon ; l but the two Maries stayed behind, and in due
course died, and were buried near the spring and altar, and over their
grave arose a church, which in 1144 was rebuilt,, strong and new and
fortified against the raids of the Saracens j this is the existing church,
in which still flows the precious spring. In the sixth century mention
is made in a will of the church of the two Sanctce Marm de nave;
and the ancient armorial bearings of the place show a ship containing the
two Maries together with their servant, and the legend Navis in Pelago.
In 1448 good King Rene of Provence got permission to excavate, and
found buried two bodies, one on each side of the altar, and also four
skulls arranged in a square exactly in accordance with the story
preserved by Gervais of Tilbury, a chronicler of the preceding century.
In December the relics were solemnly transferred to three coffers in the
presence of a cardinal, an archbishop, twelve bishops, and" four abbots,
and the coffers were placed in a strong chest, locked and sealed, and
above the chancel was built a strong room of stone for its safe custody.
Above the chancel arch is an opening through which every year on the
24th of May the chest is passed, and slowly lowered by a capstan to
the floor of the nave, where it remains for twenty-four hours. All the
district attends the ceremony, for on it depend good harvest and good
fishing, and many cures are wrought of the afflicted. 2
1 In a painting at Florence, S. Martha is shown exorcising the dragon of
Tarascon with holy water; A huge canvas model of the dragon is still
preserved at Tarascon ( 1 8, 46).
2 Sacristy, iii. 188.
146
CHAPTER XII
Dramatic Stories S. Margaret of Antioch S. Barbara S. George S.
Clement S. Andrew S. Maurice and the Theban Legion S. Lawrence
S. Anthony the Great S. Erasmus S. Sebastian S. Cecily S.
Catherine S. Christopher and the Child S. Rumbald S. Nicholas
S. Leonard S. Benedict Julian the Hospitaller S. Elizabeth of
Hungary S. Roche S. Giles SS. Cosmas and Damian S. Hubert
S. Eustace S. Francis. .
IF now we turn to those who were actually admitted to the
roll of honour, the reason for their presence is sometimes far to
seek. Perhaps we do not always remember that the old Church
folk were very human people ; more human, less sophisticated
than ourselves. The Bible stories and the Legends of the Saints
meant to them all that Mudie's Library or the Times Book
Club means to us. Just like ourselves nowadays, they preferred
a good story to a bad one, an interesting story to a dull one,
one with plot and incident and adventure to a story of ordinary
people behaving in a commonplace manner ; they liked flesh and
blood personages better than abstractions; they liked local
colour and abundance of detail and characterisation ; they liked
" strong " situations ; they liked a story with plenty of fighting
and adventure in it, if possible there should be dragons j 1 they
1 Saints famous for conquest of dragons were SS. Michael, Pol de Leon,
George, Martha, Margaret, and Armel. In a Book of Hours conjectured
to have been executed in the time of Henry VII. for his son, afterwards king,
and now in the possession of Mr Leighton, 40 Brewer Street, W., is a
representation of S. Armigile, to which these words are affixed : " Whooso
deuotely say this prayor folio wyng in the worship of allmyghti god and
saynt Armyle they shalbe relesyd of all maner of sickenesse and soris."
" Sancte die preciose
Aduacote gloriose
Confessor Armigile."
The whole prayer is given in full from the Horae^ No. 51, in Dr Montague
James' Catalogue of Fitzwilliam MSS. In the above MS. S. Armyle is
depicted in full armour, over which is a blue cloak ; he is bearded and has
the tonsure ; in his right he holds a red book, in his left a crosier ; under
his feet is the dragon of the river Seich which he slew. In a statue at
DRAMATIC STORIES
147
liked the dramatic and
picturesque; they liked in-
cidents that gripped the
imagination; they liked the
ghostly and supernatural ;
they wanted miracles and
plenty of them, and the
more out of the ordinary
the miracles, the more im-
pressive they were ; they
greatly liked stones about
relics ; they appreciated
Virtue and the Triumph of
Virginity as much as a
Drury Lane gallery ; and
just as much they loved to
hear of the simple affec-
tions of daily life, of mother
and child, husband and wife,
brother and sister; they
loved stories about children
and about lovers of chil-
. dren ; and very much also
stories about kindness to
poor folk, and the sick, and
' the lepers, and the captives ;
and as much as anything,
being country folk, they
liked stories about animals.
As the stories were passed
on from one generation to
another, they were ampli-
fied and . improved ; ulti-
mately a fine old crusted
legend was evolved. The
story of the stoning of
S. Stephen in the Acts is
Westminster he is leading off a
dragon which he had bound
.round the neck with his stole
(93). On an alabaster plaque
in the possession of Stonyhurst
College S. Armel wears plate
armour under a chasuble, and
with his stole holds a dragon.
S. Margaret of Antioch.
Ranvvorth Rood-screen.
148 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
dramatic enough; and gained him 46 dedications; he ^ might
have had more, but, being in the Bible, the story did not
admit of amplification arid embroidery. On the other hand,
no mention is made in the Bible of the latter days of S. Mary
Magdalene ; and so she could be provided by mediaeval admirers
with a set of legends as to her doings in Provence, and obtained
187 dedications. So withS. Andrew ; it is not to the^Scriptural
but to the legendary story that he owes in the main his 637
dedications. 1 The apostle S. Thomas stands fairly well in the
list because of his adventures, not as an apostle, but as carpenter
and builder in a missionary tour in India. S. Margaret of
Antioch is a somewhat apocryphal saint, and 261 dedications
seem rather more than she deserves. But listen to her story :
"Then there suddenly appeared to her in the corner of the prison
a marvellous dragon ; from his nostrils proceeded smoke and fire, and
he uttered a strong, rough voice, and fire from his mouth gave light to
all the prison. And the dragon came at her with his mouth wide open,
and swallowed her. But the sign of the cross which she put upon her
grew in the mouth of the dragon, and became greater and greater
until it cleaved him into two pieces."
Of this there was an improved version, which makes out that
Margaret did not make the sign of the cross till she had been
swallowed and was inside the dragon ; and she is often shown
just emerging from the ruptured beast. 2 From this an important
corollary was drawn, viz., that as Margaret had escaped from
the dragon's belly, she was the proper saint to be invoked by
women in the pangs of childbirth. This doubtless contributed
greatly to her popularity. Of the legend of S. Barbara one
version is told at length in the Golden Legend.
Her father was building a cistern or piscina with a tower, and in
his absence she caused three windows to be substituted for two. And
when he returned, he demanded why three. And S. Barbara answered,
"These three windows betoken clearly the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, on whom we ought to believe and worship." Then he
incontinent drew his sword to have slain her, but she was borne away
to a mountain. Here her father found her, and took her by the hair,
1 One should take into account, however, the fact that both Pope
Gregory, and S. Augustine, and S. Paulinus, and S. Wilfrid were all in
one way or other connected with the Benedictine monastery of S. Andrew
on the Cselian Hill at Rome.
2 On Ranworth screen (147) and in an alabaster tablet in the vestry of S.
Peter Mancroft, Norwich (7), S. Margaret is seen thrusting her cross-staff
into the mouth of a dragon. At Westminster (121) the cross at the top of her
staff has been broken off. On an ivory in the British Museum she is seen
emerging from the middle of a dragon's back.
S. BARBARA
149
and drew her back to the town
and delivered her to the judge.
Next day and many days she
was beaten and tortured ; at
last her father slew her with
his own hand. Whereon fire
from heaven descended on
him, and consumed him in
such wise that there could not
be found any ashes of all his
whole body.
Hence she is repre-
sented as the protectress
from thunderbolts and
lightning, and, by an exten-
sion, from explosions by
cannon or musketry, and
may be seen depicted in
company with armour and
field-pieces. In Italian men-
of-war it is common to call
the stoke-hole The Santa
Barbara. Six churches . in.
Norfolk contain ancient
glass in which she is de-
picted. She appears near
a tower or carrying a
tower on four Norfolk rood-
screens ; sometimes she
holds the palm of victory ;
or, in Germany, she holds a
feather, because the rods
with which she was beaten
were turned into feathers. 1
Trie legend of S. George,
- l At Westminster S. Barbara
carries her tower in her left hand,
and an open book in her right
(144). She also carries a tower
in an alabaster tablet in. the vestry
of S. Peter Mancroft, Norwich
(7), In an illumination S,
Barbara is shown crowned, with
palm and tower, and trampling
on her father (22).
S. Barbara.
Rood-screen, Ranworth,
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S, George.
Ran worth Rood-screen.
S. GEORGE
the dragon, and the rescued princess looks like a derivative
from the Greek story of Perseus and Andromache: 1 and
itself has had many imitators, such as the tale of Moor of
Moorhall, " who slew the dragon of Wantley," and that of
the Knight of Lambton, "John that slew the Worme." S.
George is said to have been a tribune in Cappadocia ; and
coming to Libya, he found a town,
Silene, assailed by a pestilential dragon,
to whom the townsfolk paid quit-money
till they had spent on it all their beasts,
and their sheep, and their sons, and their
daughters ; last of all the lot fell upon
the king's daughter. But as she wended
out of the city, S. George came forth
and said, " Fear nothing ; in the name of
Jesus Christ I will be of aid/' And the
dragon arose- from out the water. But
S. George made the sign of the cross,
and with his lance pierced through the
dragon and cast it to the ground, and
bade the princess put her girdle round
the monster. Which done, the dragon
followed like a dog. And when they
had brought it into the town, the folk
feared and marvelled, and S. George
struck off the dragon's head. 2
S. George was identified by the
historian Gibbon with a rascally army
contractor of Cappadocia ; but it is
pretty certain that the saint is of earlier
date than the contractor. The^popu-
larity of S. George in England was of
comparatively late date. Historical
reason is given for it It is said that he
appeared at the head of a large army,
carrying a red cross banner, to help
Godfrey de Bouillon against the Saracens
at the siege of Antioch,
1 See E. S. Hartland, The Legend of Perseus^ vol. iii. 38. London,
1896.
2 At Ran worth S. George with uplifted sword is about to slay the dragon
on which he stands (150). On the grille in Henry the Seventh's chapel,
Westminster, he has helmet, shield, sword, and plate armour (151). On the
tomb he is shown as a Roman soldier with banner and sword (broken) ;
below is the dragon (153).
S, George.
Westminster.
1 52 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
" A bloodie Crosse he bore,
The deare remembraunce of his dying Lord."
Moreover, King Richard Coeur de Lion had a vision, bidding
him to take for his battle-cry next day, " S. George for England"
This he did, and won the day ; and S. George became the patron
saint of Richard and his family and his soldiers. Under
Edward III. he became the patron of the Order of the Garter,
for the knights of which a magnificent chapel, dedicated to
S. George, was built at Windsor by Edward IV. and Henry VII.
It was under the flag of S. George a red cross on a white field
that Nelson won the battle of the Nile. And the Union Jack
(which, by the way, we owe to Oliver Cromwell) consists of a
combination of S. George's red cross, the cross saltire of
S. Andrew of Scotland, and the white cross of S. Patrick of
Ireland. 1
This is what the clerks used to sing according to Sarum use
on S. George's Day, till the Missals and Breviaries were reformed
by Pope Clement VII. and the reference to the dragon cut out 2
O Georgi martyr inclyte
Te decet laus et gloria,
Predotatum militia ;
Per quern puella regia,
Existens in tristitia,
Coram dracone pessimo
Salvata est. Ex ammo
Te rogamus corde intimo
Ut cunctis cum fidelibus
Coeli jungamur civibus
Nostris ablatis sordibus ;
Et simul cum ketitia
Tecum simus in gloria ;
Nostraque reddant labia
Laudes Chris to cum gratia :
Cui sit honos in secula.
Henceforth, as Spenser says, S, George was to be saint of
England.
" Thou, among those saints which thou doest see,
Shalt be a saint, and thine own nation's friend
And patron ; thou Saint George shalt called be,
Saint George of merry England, the sign of victory."
1 Charles Browne, /<&*#., 287.
2 Baring- Gould's Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, 296.
S. GEORGE
153
At S. Neots, Cornwall, is the whole life of S. George in twelve
panels of stained glass, beneath each of which is a Latin scroll,
(i) S- George fights against the Gauls. (2) He is captured by
them and slain at the shrine of the Blessed Virgin ; who (3)
brings him to life from the grave, and (4) arms him. (5) He
rescues Princess Clcodolinda and slays the dragon. (6) He is
arrested for treason and brought before the king. (7) His body
SS. George and Antony. Westminster.
is torn with rakes. (8) On hands and knees he is ridden by the
emperor's son. (9) He is heavily weighted and hung up by the
wrists. (TO) He is set in boiling lead, (u) He is dragged by
a wild horse. (12) He is beheaded. 1
Of the Fathers of the Church, S, Clement of Rome is the
most popular : not that he was regarded as a theologian superior
to Augustine, 2 or Jerome, or Chrysostom, or Athanasius, but
1 Nelson's Painted Glass^ 63.
3 In an illumination S. Augustine holds in his band a heart (15). On the
Ashton screen he holds a book (267).
20
154 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
simply that there were better stories in circulation about him.
S. Clement is made to go on mission to the Crimea ; there, by
orders of Trajan, he is thrown into the sea with an anchor round
his neck ; every year on the day of his martyrdom the sea
recedes two miles, and there appears a stone shrine " not made
by mortal hands." On the weathercock of S. Clement Danes in
the Strand is an anchor. 1
The vast popularity of S. Andrew he stands fifth on the
list of dedications is mainly due to the History of the Mar
Matthew and Mar Andrew, the blessed Apostles, when they
converted the City of Dogs^ the inhabitants of which were
cannibals. The author of this "history" was Leucius Charinus ;
and though this outrageous legend was declared heretical by
Pope Gelasius so early as the fifth century, it had gripped
Christendom, and in England alone S. Andrew obtained 637
dedications. The story goes that after the gift of tongues at the
feast of Pentecost, the apostles drew lots to decide the places to
which each should go on mission. It fell to the lot of S. Matthew
that he should go on mission to Wrondon, or the City of
Dogs, whither he departed. - There he was cast into prison
and sentenced to be executed at the expiration of thirty days.
During his imprisonment the Lord Christ appeared to him, and
promised to send S. Andrew to his succour. Twenty-seven days
afterwards Our Lord called S. Andrew and his companions and
took him away in a ship, the crew whereof consisted of Christ
Himself and two angels. In the course of the voyage the
apostle and his companions sink into a deep sleep, and in a
vision the Garden of Paradise appears to them. They land at
Wrondon and proceed to the prison, where the jailers fall dead.
S. Matthew 2 and the other prisoners are liberated, and are in-
continently translated to a mountain where S. Peter awaits them.
Meanwhile in the city the escape of the prisoners is discovered,
and lots are cast to find the guilty person, who is to be eaten for
food. But instead of the victim his son and daughter are
substituted, and are led off to the place of execution. Here,
however, S. Andrew meets them, and by exercise of prayer
prevents the sacrifice. The apostle is then denounced by the
1 On the rood-screen at Ashton, Devon, S. Clement wears the papal triple
tiara, and holds a double cross and anchor in one hand and in the other a
closed book (140). In the Lubeck Passionate S. Clement has the papal triple
tiara and double cross ; and holds in his left hand an anchor (15).
2 In the statue at Westminster S. Matthew wears spectacles ; an angel
holds up his gospel in one hand and an inkhorn in the other (155). On
the Ran worth screen S. Matthew holds the sword by which he was slain
(82).
S. ANDREW
155
devil, and is arrested and
put to the torture. There-
upon he lifts his eyes to
heaven and sees " large trees
which had grown up and
borne fruit," which are pieces
of flesh torn from his body.
The same night his wounds
are healed ; the city is inun-
dated. S. Andrew, however,
escapes; the flood ceases, and
the dead are restored to life ;
but the father of the two
victims and the executioner
are swallowed up alive. These
doings convert the citizens,
and they build a church.
The visit of S. Matthew and
S. Andrew to Wrondon is
depicted in ten panels of
stained glass in a window
at Greystoke, Cumberland,
which is dated 15 2O. 1
Many of the legends, no
doubt, owed their popularity
to the fact that there was
something in them that made
its appeal at once, and, once
heard, was always remem-
bered. A famous legend is
that of the legion or brigade
of Christian soldiers under
the command of Mauritius,
which in the third century
refused either to join in
Pagan sacrifices or to be
led against the Christians of
Gaul. The legion was de-
cimated a first time, and yet
again. A third time Mauritius
was ordered by the Emperor
1 See Nelson's Painted Glass,
67, from which the legend is
quoted.
S. Matthew.
Westminster.
156 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Maximin to obey, and a third time he refused. O Casar," said
he, " we are thy soldiers, but we are also soldiers of Jesus Christ.
We are ready to follow thee against barbarians, but we will die
rather than fight against our brethren." Whereupon a general
massacre of the whole legion took place. This legend ^is so
ancient and is so widely distributed that it doubtless has a historic
basis. Another favourite story in England was that of the yoke
of oxen that dragged the Holy Cross all the way from the West
of England, but no further than Waltham in Essex would they
go ; and thus resulted the great abbey church of Holy Cross, of
which the twelfth-century nave still survives. Such are the
stories of S. Denis I and S. Osyth, carrying their heads in their
hands; that of the stag and crucifix which appeared to S.
Eustachius, and again to S. Hubert. 2
More especially was this so if the saint was associated in
legend with some special emblem. Each time folk saw a
carpenter's rule they were reminded of the apostle S. Thomas ;
a flight of arrows reminded them of S. Sebastian, and of
Edmund, king and martyr; a comb reminded them of S.
Blaise ; a wheel, of S. Catherine ; a gridiron, of S. Lawrence, 3 or
S. Vincent ; a pig, of S. Anthony ; a goose, of SS. Martin and
Werburga ; a swan, of S. Hugh ; a horse shoe, of S.^ Eloy. 4
Each one of these provided a " memoria technical" keeping the
story from being forgotten.
Some of the stories were decidedly humorous the humour,
perhaps, of the type of the farmers' " ordinary " ; such as that
masterpiece of mediaeval wit, the temptation of S. Dunstan by
the devil in the form of a beautiful girl, whom the saint put to
flight by seizing him by the nose with red-hot pincers.
1 On the rood-screen at Kenn, Devon, S. Hubert is shown as a hunter
(177). In a wooden statuette in the possession of Dr Philip Nelson, he has
become a mitred abbot and is vested in a cope fastened with a large morse
or brooch (178). In a painting by Wilhem, S. Hubert holds a model of a stag
on a closed book (15).
2 On a rood-screen at Grafton Regis, S. Denis is shown bearing his head
in his hands (13).
3 In the east window of Ludlow, Salop, which is dedicated to S.
Lawrence, is glass (c. 1445) illustrating the life of S. Lawrence, the patron
saint of the church. There are twenty-seven panels in three tiers. For full
account of these see Nelson's Painted Glass, 176.
4 In a boss of the vaulted porch of Ugborough church, Devon, S. Eloy
is represented hammering a horse shoe on an anvil. At Westminster he
holds a horse shoe in his right hand (87). In German glass at Stoke Pogis
he is in plate armour, with a lion at his feet and a sword in his right hand ;
in his left he holds a hammer and an anvil.
S. ANTHONY 157
Here is a slightly different version of the legend :
" The Divell appearing to him on a time in the likenesse of a yong
and beautifull woman tempting him to uncleanesse, he tooke up a
paire of pinchers that then lay by him, and caught the foule beaste by
the upper lippe, and soe holding him fast and leading him up and
down his chamber, after divers interrogatories drave him away."
Very famous too were the temptations of S. Anthony, a
hermit in the Egyptian desert in the fourth century, in whose
cell the demons spread a table covered with delicious viands, and
hovered round in the shape of lovely women, who with softest
E. K. y,
S, Dunstan.
Boss in Exeter Cathedral.
blandishments allured him to sin. Well-known pictures of the
scene were executed by Salvator Rosa, Ribera, Annibal Caracci,
and Teniers, who painted it twelve times. Gluttony is one of
the vices which S. Anthony subdued by abstinence and
austerities ; it may be symbolised by a black pig at his feet. The
monks of the order. of S. Anthony kept droves of pigs, which
were regarded as sacred, and were allowed to feed where they
would. On this they grew fat ; hence the proverb of the fatness
of a " Tantony pig."
Another item that greatly affected the popularity of a saint
was the frequency of the evil against which the saint was specific.
Most of us, one time or other, have toothache ; hence the some-
158 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
D. W.
S. Erasmus. S. Edmund, K.M.
Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster.
S. ERASMUS
IS9
what obscure saint, Apollonia, was in great request. 1 A more
serious pest, the plague, raged horribly in the Middle Ages;
hence the popularity of S. Roch, pointing to the plague-spot on
S.Erasmus.
Alabaster panel in Society of Antiquaries.
his thigh. Mortal danger at childbirth sent every .mother to
intercession of S. Margaret. Life assurance for one day was
the bid for popularity made by S. Christopher. And so with
others.
3 On the screen at Ashton, Devon, she holds a tooth in a pair of pincers
(123).
i6o
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Some again owed their popularity in part to the fact that
they lent themselves readily to representation in art.
S. Erasmus was in great vogue in England in late days.
His image is known to have been present in at least eleven "
churches in the mediaeval diocese of Rochester. He appears in
S. Sebastian. Westminster.
stained glass in Lullingstone church, Kent ; and a small chapel
is dedicated to him in Westminster abbey. He is a somewhat
apocryphal saint ; but the gory subject of his martyrdom made
him a favourite in stained glass, wherein his bowels are shown
being drawn out by a windlass, or coiled round it 1
1 In glass at Sandrmgham, S. Erasmus is shown as a bishop in eucharistic
vestments ; he holds a windlass ; the bowels are not shown (15). Sometimes
the martyr is prostrate, and the windlass is horizontal above. In the
S. SEBASTIAN l6l
S. Sebastian has but two dedications ; but the manner of
his martyrdom made him a good subject for the painter.
Here is /Elfric's description of the martyrdom of S.
Sebastian : 1
" Then the soldiers led away the servant of Christ,
And set him for a mark, even as Diocletian commanded,
And fastened their arrows into him before and behind,
As thickly on every side as a hedgehog's bristles,
And so left him alone, lying for dead."
In the martyrdom of S. Sebastian the saint is usually shown
naked, shot at by two or three archers, sometimes with cross-
bows : whereas S. Edmund is generally represented in royal
dress, and archers may be shown, as at Ely, or the king may
merely hold an arrow or sheaf of arrows.
Other subjects "telling" in wall painting, carving, stained
glass, and rood-screens were S. Michael weighing souls (35),
S. Christopher and the Child (168), and Cecily playing on a harp
or an organ, or what in a Devon screen looks like a lute. 2 On
the other hand, the story of S. Lucy was ineffective owing to the
minute size in the representation of the eyes on a platter which
she bore in her hand. Those subjects which were seen most
frequently in church windows, over doorways, and on walls
naturally were best remembered.
But the most important factor yet remains. This was the
influence of literature. We must not imagine that the old folks
had no literature. There were plenty of religious biographies,
and marvellous stories of all birds and beasts and fishes. And
just as now an interesting biography popularises its hero, while
a dull one sinks him in oblivion, so it was then. The more
romantic the biography, and the better written, the more popular
the saint Hence, among other things, the enormous popularity
of S. Martin of Tours ; though he is not an Englishman, he has
173 dedications in England. His biography was written in his
lifetime, and in a short time Rome and Egypt and Carthage
alabaster plaque illustrated, a judge or notary holds a scroll, and Diocletian,
holding a falchion, sits cross-legged on a seat, with one foot on the saint.
Round the feet of the latter is a rope which is hauled taut by a man below
(159). Very similar tablets are to be seen in Norwich castle museum, and in
the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (158).
* Homily V., 4*4-
2 In stained glass at Combs, Suffolk, S. Cecilia is about to be placed m a
cauldron of boiling oil, her persecutor, Almachius, standing near ; in another
fragment she is chained to the city gate, and is about to be slain by a soldier
with a sword (Nelson's Painted Glass^ 191).
21
1 62
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
w. s. w.
. S. Martin.
Westminster.
were full of it ; the book-
sellers at Rome were at their
wits' end to meet the de-
mand ; S. Martin was mobbed
at Tours by tourists ; and the
happy biographer had to
bring out a sequel with more
miracles than ever. Few
saints had so many stories,
and such good ones, told of
them as had S. Martin. S.
Nicholas runs him hard. If
anyone will turn to William
Caxton's translation of the
Golden Legend, he will have a
full afternoon's reading, and
a pleasant one, over the lives
of these two saints. Such
books were to the mediaeval
clerk what the Gentlemen of
France and Treasure Island
. are to us. This more than
anything else is the root and
origin of the popularity of
many of the saints. While
alive they were at any rate
some of them inconspicuous
persons ; e.g., Bishop Blaise,
Bishop Nicholas, Bishop
Erasmus; they became con-
spicuous and famous because
they fell into the hands of a
first-rate novelist. It may be
urged that the common folk,
being illiterate, could not
have been influenced by liter-
ature. But this is to ignore
two considerations. The first
thing is that such" important
things as church dedications
were not settled by the com-
mon folk, but by -learned
clerks, who could all more
or less read Latin. The
second is that the clerks
S. CATHERINE 163
made for the use of the people selections, Legenda, from the
legends of the saints, which were read aloud to the people on
the -feast day of each saint ; and it by no means follows that the
Legenda were always read to them in Latin; there were numer-
ous translations in the vernaculars.
As with SS. Martin and Nicholas, so the story of S.
W, E. W.
S. Catherine of Alexandria.
Percy Tomb, Beverley Minster.
Catherine of Alexandria was polished by generations of Greek
romancers; hence she has 62 dedications. Unfortunately, she
is reputed to have died in 307, and the first mention of her in
history or legend does not occur till five centuries later. The
'legend appears to be a compound of the stories of two saints,
one of Alexandria, the other of Mount Sinai. Alexandria was
famous for learned women, such as Hypatia; among them was
the Princess Catherine, who was as beautiful and pious as she
164
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S. Catherine of Alexandria,
Ludlow.
was learned. She spurned all
marriage -except with the Spouse
of the Church, and defended her
principles against all the philo-
sophers of the day with the wicked
Roman emperor acting as assessor.
So eloquent and so interminable
was her discourse that the exas-
perated emperor ordered her to
execution, bound to spiked wheels
which should tear her flesh to
pieces. The wheels, however,
broke, and she was put to the
sword. 1 (Hence she is represented
sometimes with a sword in her
hand, sometimes with a wheel at
her feet, and trampling on Maxen-
tius, as in her statue in Henry the
Seventh's chapel, Westminster. 2 )
1 Execution by the sword here, as
often, seems an anticlimax. Thus S.
Clement of Ancyra, after enduring tortures
which were prolonged over twenty-eight
years, and which it would take a whole
page to enumerate, after all had his head
struck off by the sword. Decapitation by
the sword was the normal punishment,
and it is likely enough that in the legend
of many a martyr all the previous tor-
lures enumerated by the chronicler are
but customary rhetorical embellishments.
2 In a cusp of the Percy tomb in
Beverley minster (163) and in glass at
West Wickham, Kent, S. Catherine is
crowned and tramples on the Emperor
Maximin : by her side is a spiked wheel,
and she bears the sword of martyrdom
(22). She is seen also in a bench end at
Coombe-in-Teignhead with crown, sword
and wheel (118). In the tracing from glass
in Castle Howard, which was made by
Mr William Fowler of Winterton and for
which the writer is indebted to his son,
Rev. J. T. Fowler, D.C.L., the execu-
tioner holds S. Catherine by the hair
i6 S
ItHSSSf?,')-' ' -^Sr^^SSS^. - ' - .^-jv
Execution of S. Catherine,
Stained glass at Castle Howard.
1 66
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Then angels took up the dead body and bore it over the desert
and over the Red Sea to the summit of Mount Sinai, where was
founded the famous convent of S. Catherine, in which was found
the Sinattic codex of -the New Testament. Because of her
scholastic victory over Maxentius and his heathen philosophers
she is patron saint of schools. S. Catherine has 62 dedications,
and has imprinted her name on S. Catherine Downs and S.
J. H. P.
S. Christopher.
From a MS. in the Bodleian Library.
Catherine's Point, in the Isle of Wight, a S. Catherine's Hill near
Winchester, and another near Christchurch, Hants. The : c Cat and
Wheel " is a public-house sign. In the nave of York minster the
first window from the east end of the north aisle contains
representations of the martyrdom of S. Catherine ; the glass is
c. 1306. (i) She appears before the Emperor Maximin, who is
with his right hand ; in his left is a sword. Below kneel the donors of the
glass (165). In the Ludlow window;S. Catherine has sword and wheel (164).
In the group at Norwich she has sword only (7). .
S. CHRISTOPHER 1 67
seated on a throne, with a devil perched on his shoulder. (2) She
argues with the philosophers. (3) Being confuted, they are
executed by Maximin's order. (4) She is visited in prison by
the Empress Porphyry, whom she converts. (5) She is bound to
spiked wheels, which are shattered by two angels, armed with
swords. (6) She is beheaded and angels bear her soul to heaven.
Other scenes are depicted in the tracery of the window. 1
One of the most popular collections of stories was the
thirteenth - century Golden Legend, which contained among
others the story of S. Christopher, who was reputed to have
suffered martyrdom in the third century.
The whole story may well have grown out of the etymology of the
Greek word "Christopher," which signifies "Christ-bearer." In the
old days hermits often stationed themselves by the banks of rivers,
hoping to find favour with heaven by guiding travellers across perilous
fords. One day there came to one of these hermits a big heathen
giant, who wanted to be useful somehow, but did not know how. The
hermit set him to help travellers across the river; and this he did for
many years, supporting his steps by a knotted bough plucked from a
tree. But one dark and stormy night he heard cries, and there was a
little child begging to be put across. So he put the child on his
shoulder and strode into the river. The wind blew and the rain fell,
and the stream beat against him, and the child grew heavier and
heavier, so that the giant could hardly keep his footing, and the weight
on his shoulders was almost more than he could bear. And he looked
up at the child, and the child said to him, " Heavy is the burden
because thou earnest Him who bears the sins of the world." And
then the giant knew that it was the Child Jesus. And when they came
to the other bank, he fell down and did homage, and took Him for his
master all the_days of his life. 2
It was believed that whosoever saw S. Christopher and the
Child, on that day should be neither sick nor sorry, nor on that
day meet death. There was not a church in England but had
an image 3 of S. Christopher or else a wall painting. The usual
entrance to a parish church was by the south door; facing this
on the north wall of the nave, was commonly a gigantic representa-
tion of S. Christopher and the Child. We have nine ancient
1 Nelson's Painted Glass> 246.
2 In an illumination fish are shown swimming" in the river, and a hermit
with a lantern on the further bank pointfs out the ford ; above is his cell (i 66).
It was said also that the staff by which S. Christopher supported his steps
broke forth into leafage, as is shown in stained glass at All Saints', North
Street, York (168).
3 One remains at Terrington S, Clement's, Norfolk, and is illustrated in
the writer's Introduction to English Church Architecture^ p. 49.
i68
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
U, L,
S, Christopher and the Child,
All Saints', York.
S. CHRISTOPHER 169
churches and chapels, and seven ancient bells dedicated to
S. Christopher. At Shapwick, Dorset, is a bell with the
inscription :
ILLONEMPE DIE NULLO LANGUORE GRAVETUR
CRISTOFORI SANCTI CAMPANAM QU1CUMQUE TUETUR
*>., " Whoever looks on S. Christopher's bell, on that day shall
be neither sick nor sorry." This is taken from an old Latin
hymn, which, however, reads SPECIEM, "face," for which
CAMPANAM has been substituted to the ruin of metre and
sense. 1 Another version reads :
-ILLO NEMPE DIE MORTE MALA NON MORIERIS
CRISTOFOR! SANCTI SPECIEM QUICUMQUE TUERIS
/.*., " If thou, whoever thou art, lookest on S. Christopher's face,
On that day thou shall not die an evil death."
Another version is in the form of a pentameter :
CRISTOFORUM VIDEAS POSTEA TUTUS ERIS
i.e., " Behold Christopher ; then shalt thou be safe."
Doubtless many another saint, e.g., S, Perpetua, equally deserved
honour ; just as
" Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona
Multi ; sed omnes illacrimabiles
Urguentur ignotique longa
Nocte, carent quia vate sacro."
Many a story is in praise of virginity, and in deprecation of
the married state. For centuries the Church had the greatest
difficulty in enforcing celibacy on the clergy ; and regarded with
favour every story of virginal purity. Sometimes the maiden
flies from the passion of a wicked man, as do S, Frideswide of
Oxford, S. Agatha of Sicily, S. Winifred of Holywell. Some-
times the suitor is unexceptionable in birth and morals ; which
make his repulse all the more creditable to the maid ; e.g.,
S. Lucy of Syracuse, S. Margaret of Antioch, and S. Agnes of
Rome ; sometimes the story of the maid, e.g., of S. Catherine, is
a protest against marriage with anybody, good or bad. If
married already, then the saint runs away from her husband
with the general approval of everybody, e.g., S. Etheldreda of
Ely and S. Osyth, If she does not run away, then husband and
wife live in virginal continence, like Valerian and Cecilia. S.
Bridget of Ireland was so beautiful that all men desired her, and
1 Walters' Church Bells of England, p. 288.
I/O DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
she prayed that her beauty might pass from her. So a distemper
fell upon her, and she lost an eye and became unsightly. But
when she received the veil, the lost eye and her former beauty
returned to her.
Other tales tell of the good mother teaching her little girl,"
as S. Anne taught Our Lady ; or of that Christian mother of
Autun who cried out from the city wall to her son, S.
Symphonan, as he was being led away to execution, " Fear not
the death which leads to certain life." Mothers liked stories
about good little children, and were not likely to allow to pass
out of remembrance S. Pancras of Rome, 1 and three-year-old
S. Cyril, and S. Kenelm singing the Te Deum till the murderer's
blow struck off his head. 2 Precocious saintliness made the
closest appeal of all. There are 8 dedications to S. Rumbald,
who as soon as he was born said three times in a firm voice, " I
am a Christian." Then he demanded baptism ; and being
baptized, preached a sermon, and in due course of nature died
three days after. In j3LJ3n^vras^pi^y in
"stood iipJn his
gave {baaksjthat it had
Moreover, from the first he observed the fasts of the
Church, only taking the breast once on Wednesdays and
Saturdays. And folks loved not only children but lovers of
children. When the annual whipping-day came round, the
boys of the King's School, Canterbury, resorted for aid to
the tomb of S. Dunstan in the cathedral, and he kindly sent a
deep sleep upon the masters. 3
But the patron saint of children was and is S. Nicholas. He
was born at Panthera, a city of Lycia in Asia Minor, in the
third century, the son of rich Christian parents.
1 Of S. Pancras it was said by Gregory of Turone, Doctor, that if there
be a man that make a false oath in the place of S. Pancras' sepulchre, he
shall be travailed with an evil spirit and out of his mind, or he shall fall on
the pavement all dead. On the brass at Cowfold S. Pancras is shown
trampling on a Saracen (113).
2 In the west front of Wells cathedral, S. Kenelm is represented as young
and beardless, and tramples on a woman prostrate over a book. He had
been left in charge of his sister, Quendrida, who had him murdered. At his
funeral she was reading the Psalter backward as a charm, when her eyes
dropped out and stained the book with blood at the words, "This is the evil
of them that defame to the Lord, who speak evil against my soul." The
bloodstains, says William of Malmesbury, are still to be seen on the Psalter.
W.R. L-(u).
3 Arnold-Forster, i. 329.
S. NICHOLAS
171
While still young, he inherited great wealth from his parents.. Now
it happened that in that city there was a nobleman with three daughters,
so poor that he was about to send them forth to earn their bread by
J. H. P.
S. Dunstan at the feet of Christ
Facsimile from an Anglo-Saxon manuscript in the Bodleian Library,
said to have been drawn by the hand of the saint himself.
a life of shame. But one night Nicholas threw a purse of gold through
the window, and with this dowry the poor nobleman married the
172
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
eldest daughter. A second night
Nicholas threw through a purse
of gold, and with this the second
daughter was downed and mar-
ried. So also with the third
daughter. S. Nicholas is repre-
sented with the three purses on
the font in Winchester cathedral. 1
Again, during a great famine
at Myra, three children were kid-
napped and set before the guests
as meat. One of the guests was
S. Nicholas himself, who hurried
to the cellar and found in the
pickling cask the dismembered
limbs of three children. He
made the sign of the cross, and
the three boys stepped out of
the cask hale and whole. This
scene also is depicted on the
font in Winchester cathedral.
Also there was a rich man
who vowed a great cup to the
altar of S. Nicholas in gratitude
for the birth of a son and heir.
But the cup was so beautiful
that he gave a smaller one, and
kept the big gold cup for him-
self. One day later, journeying
with his son, he bade him fill
the big cup with water. But the
boy, overbalancing, fell in and
was drowned. Then the father
returned and gave to the altar a
silver cup, but it fell off, and this
happened a second and a third
time. And while all were amazed,
the rich man's son appeared
himself, safe and sound, for good
S. Nicholas had saved him. And
the father gave both cups to
the altar, and returned home
with his son. This scene is
represented on the font at Ledel-
ghem.
S. Nicholas.
Westminster.
1 Illustrated in the writer's Fonts
and Font Covers ^ 169.
S. NICHOLAS
173
He is also the patron saint of wolves and Russians. From
sunset on the sixth of December, S. Nicholas' Day, to sunrise
next morning, the wolves will not touch even chicken ; they
spend the night in meditation, and will not hurt you even if you
step upon their tails. And he is the protector of sailors, and is
the patron of many a church by the sea, e.g., at Brighton and
Great Yarmouth.
Many stories are told of his powers over the sea. One day
certain mariners in the ^gean called on his intercession to save
them from the stormy sea, and S. Nicholas appeared and calmed
the sea, and with lighted taper in hand, steered the ship to
port. No wonder that Nich-
olas, Archbishop of Myra,
has 437 dedications. 1
Another virtue, appreci-
ated far more then than now,
simply because nowadays we
have seldom opportunity to
exhibit it, was kindness to
captives. The petition in the
Litany that it may please
God to "show pity upon
all prisoners and captives,"
means little to us, but it had
a terrible meaning in the
Middle Ages, when the Vik-
ings and the Saracens and
the galleys of Algiers were
at sea, and every jail was a
deadly pesthouse. S. Cyprian
of Carthage, to aid a fund The Confessor. Westminster,
for the ransom of captives
in the hands of the Berbers, sold all that he had, even his
beautiful gardens, though his friends bought them in and restored
them to him. But the great patron of prisoners and captives
1 In Henry the Seventh's chapel, S. Nicholas is a short stout bishop
holding a boy in a basket (172). In an illumination he is shown as a bishop
in the act of benediction ; near are three boys in a tub (26). In a lancet
window beneath the "Bishop's Eye" in Lincoln minster, the second window
from the east, is a ship at sea beneath clouds. In the ship are two sailors,
one of whom holds an oar and a vase of oil ; on the shore stands' S. Nicholas
in vestments and mitre ; in one hand he holds his crosier, while with the
other he draws the ship to land by a rope attached to its sail (Nelson's
Painted Glass^ 139).
174 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
was the hermit, S. Leonard, the Howard of the sixth century.
To him prayed the captives and the captives' friends ; and in
many a church of S. Leonard fetters hung up in grateful remem-
brance of release by his ''ntercessionary power. He has 177
dedications in this country. 1
One must recollect, too, that there was no system of relief
organised by poor laws, and that generosity to poor folk was far
more incumbent than it is now, and held a much higher position
among the social virtues. S. Benedict's directions were, " All
the guests who come to us shall be received as the Lord Himself,
for one day He will say, ' I was a stranger and ye took me in. J
And when the guests are poor, Christ is more especially received in
their persons?* The story of S. Martin of Tours dividing his
cloak with the beggar is one which the mediaeval world was not
likely to let die. There was the famous story, too, of the
Confessor and the ring and S. John Evangelist.
One day the Confessor was returning from mass in the Abbey, when
in a certain street of Westminster a beggar asked for alms, and the
king drew the ring from his finger and gave it to him. Four and twenty
years after two pilgrims in India, from Ludlow, met " an old man, white
and hoary and joyously like unto a clerk," also in pilgrim's dress ; who,
when he found that they were Englishmen, admonished them that they
should journey to King Edward, and should take the ring and say from
me to him, This is the ring that thou didst give me in a certain street
in Westminster, and I am John Evangelist. Six months from this day
shalt thou quit the world and shalt abide with me for ever." And the
two pilgrims went to their own country, and expounded these things
to King Edward in his palace of Havering-atte-Bower, and gave the
ring to him. And the king set forth to order his passing.
Evidence for these things is that in the great collegiate church
of Ludlow, founded by the Confessor, the stained glass in the
chapel of S. John Evangelist depicts the story of the Ring.
Also the name of " Havering " is held to be a corruption of
" Have a ring."
Nor did people forget that Our Lord went about healing the
sick, and was at least as ready to relieve their bodies as their
souls. Of all his pastoral duties, what S. John of Beverley liked
best was to nurse and tend the sick. Julian the Hospitaller and
his wife Basilissa, on their wedding night, consecrated their lives
to the service of God and man ; their house they turned into a
1 In stained glass at Sandringham, S. Leonard has fetters and an open
book (15).
3 On the rood-screen at Great Plumstead, Norfolk, S. Benedict has his
crosier in his left hand and a scroll in his right (68).
S. ROCH
hospital, and all their wedded life
they spent in ministering to the
sick and the lepers, till came the
martyr's crown. It is told of S.
Elizabeth of Hungary that she
laid in her bed a foul leper whom
no one would tend any longer.
The indignant duke, her husband,
tore off the bedclothes, when " at
that instant God Almighty opened
the eyes of his soul, and instead
of the leper he saw on the bed the
figure of Christ Crucified." An-
other day when he met her, she
had a heavy basket of food she
was carrying to the poor. She
was ashamed when he asked her
what she was carrying ; but when
he insisted on looking in, there
was nothing inside but red and
white roses.
A very popular saint was S.
Roch.
This is William Caxton's version of
his story, translated from the Golden
Legend. " Now this Roch was ever in
great study how he might in the name
of Jhesu and His passion deliver
mortal men from the hurt of pesti-
lence. And so a whole year he visited
the houses of poor men at Placentia,
and they that had most need, to them
he did most help, and was always in
thospytal. And anon he was himself
sore taken with the pestilence under
his both arms. And he went forth
from the city into a certain wood.
And there he was an hungered, and
every day a hound brought him bread
from his master's board. Then said
the master, 'Since this hound without
reason bringeth him bread, I sooner
ought to do it which am a Christian
man. 7 And long he and Roch lived
in the woods.; and the wild beasts
which wandered in the woods, what
175
W, S. W.
S. Roch.
Westminster.
176 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
hurt, swelling, or sickness they had, they ran anon to S. Roch, and
when they were healed, they would incline their heads reverently and
go away." l
The martyrs Cosmas and Damian were especially popular
physicians because they worked without fee or reward, and
tended the dumb beasts as well as their fellow- men. They are
patron saints of Bean and Challock, Kent, and Keymer, Sussex,
and, originally, of Stretford, Hereford.
Again our forefathers were but few of them town folk, and if
they were, the town was small and the country near, and they
liked stories about country life and the animals they saw in the
farmyard and the woods. And there were many stories, especi-
ally of the hermits and of their power over the wild creatures,
who from constant familiarity with their gentle ways had lost all
shyness and fear. It was perhaps natural that they should ; but
it was believed by the country folk that the friendship of the
creatures was of supernatural character. This the hermits
believed themselves. One day a visitor found S. Guthlac of
Crowland discoursing with two swallows, perched fearlessly on
his shoulders, and " lifting up their song rejoicing." " Hast thou
never heard, brother," said Guthlac, " that he who hath led his
life after God's will, the wild beasts and the wild birds have
become the more intimate with him?" S. Blaise fled from
persecution to the woods and caves, and won the love of all the
wild creatures and brought them submissive to his will.
S. Giles (162 dedications) is a hermit of most uncertain date ;
he lived in the forests of the delta of the Rhone either in the
sixth or the eighth century. One day a royal hunt wounded a
hind, which fled to its friend, S. Giles, and put its head on his
knee for protection. Another version, which is followed on a
misericord in Ely cathedral, makes the arrow miss the hind and
hit the hermit. On the misericord the hermit is seen with an
arrow sticking in his leg; he is telling his beads; and the hind
is trustingly laying its head on his knee. S. Giles was lame ever
after, and so became the patron saint of all cripples and, by
extension, of all beggars. It was common for blacksmiths to
set up their smithies outside the gates of the mediaeval cities,
ready to attend to the shoes of travellers' horses and mules. It
would be convenient for the travellers to hear an early Mass
while their beasts were being shod ; so near the smithy was
built a church, e.g^ S. Giles, Oxford, at the junction of the Wood-
1 In Henry the Seventh's chapel, S. Roch has a pilgrim's staff and
wallet, a rosary and cross keys on his hat ; he points to a plague-spot on his
thigh (175).
S. HUBERT
177
stock and Banbury roads ; S. Giles, Cambridge, where three
roads meet ; S. Giles, Norwich ; S. Giles, Northampton ; S. Giles,
Cripplegate, London. 1
The most important memorials of S. Giles are the nave of
the abbey church of S. Gilles, Provence, world-famous for the
sculpture of its Romanesque facade, and the picturesque cathedral
of S. Giles, Edinburgh.
A great favourite abroad was the story
of S. Hubert (2 dedications), especially in
the Ardennes district, where his great
abbey church still stands. He was a
mighty hunter, not even sparing stag and
boar on Good Friday. One day he came
upon a stag bearing in its antlers a great
crucifix, from which there was a voice
bidding him turn to the Lord. The con-
version of the sinful noble was instan-
taneous. He resigned his pleasures and
his sports, and became a priest and after-
wards a bishop; he died in 727. S.
Eustace (3 dedications) was a wealthy
officer in the Roman army, and was
martyred about 118 A.D. Many centuries
afterwards a romance was fabricated about
him, almost identical with the story of S.
Hubert S. Eustace and S. Hubert are
the patron saints of huntsmen.
When S. David of Wales was a little
boy, learning the Psalms and Lessons and
the Mass, " a golden-beaked pigeon used
to play about his lips, teaching him and
singing the hymns of God." Then there
is the story of the big swan which was so
fond of S. Hugh of Lincoln, and followed
him about everywhere when he was at B.ANDC.
Stow Park. From the minute description
given of the bird, it seems to have been a wild swan or hooper. 2
1 On the screen at Great Pltimstead, Norfolk, an arrow is shown piercing
the saint's leg, while a hart springs up at his feet (69). In glass at
Sandringham he holds an abbot's crosier, and a hart springs up at
his feet (24).
3 Sir Charles Anderson writes that he has seen a gander, which followed
a Lincolnshire farmer every day when he went shepherding, waddling along
with great air of satisfaction, and fondling his legs with neck and bill when
he stopped (178).
178
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
S, Hubert.
Wooden statuette.
A. G.
S. Hugh.
S. Mary's Spire, Oxford.
S. FRANCIS 179
There were the wild geese which were devastating Weedon, and
which S. Werburga drove into a stable; next morning they
came running up to her, begging to be let out. S. Samson of
Dol could not scare the sparrows from his master's corn, so he
drove them " like a flock of sheep " into the barn, where " they
sang mournfully and repented for the damage done to the corn."
S. Neot kept the crows out of the corn by the simple expedient
of building a mound round them. Throughout Europe all sorts
of privileges were given to S. Anthony's pigs, "Tantony pigs."
When S. Kentigern was seeking where to build a monastery,
a wild boar trotted through the forest before him, and stopped
when the fitting site was reached. S. Cuthbert, not to distress
his hostess, S. Ebba of Coldingham, had partaken of her
hospitality ; but in penance secretly walked up to his neck in
the sea. At dawn he was there still, " praising God." When he
came out, " two otters left the sea, and lying down before him
on the sand breathed upon his feet and wiped them with their
hair." 1 And every one knows how Francis of Assisi loved flowers
and birds and every living thing. We will conclude with a
quotation from the Little Flowers of 5. Francis of Assisi] 2 is he
not our namesake?
"What time Saint Francis abode in the city of Agobio there appeared
in the country an exceeding great wolf, terrible and fierce, which not
only devoured the flocks but also men, insomuch that all folk stood in
great fear. For the which matter, Saint Francis, having compassion on
the people, wished to go forth unto that wolf, albeit the townsfolk all
gave counsel against it ; and making the sign of the most holy cross
he went forth, putting his trust in God. And lo ! the said wolf made at
Saint Francis with open mouth ; and Saint Francis made over him the
sign of the most holy cross. Whereas Saint Francis made the sign of
the cross, right so the terrible wolf shut his jaws and stayed his running,
and came gently as a lamb and lay him down at the feet of Saint Francis.
Thereat Saint Francis thus bespake him : * Brother wolf, much harm hast
thou wrought in these parts and done grievous ill, spoiling and slaying
the creatures of God ; and hast dared also to slay men made in the
image of God; for which cause thou art deserving of the gibbet as
a thief and a most base murderer, and all men cry out and murmur
against thee. But I would fain, brother wolf, make peace between
thee and these, so that thou mayest no more offend them, and they
1 At Westminster S. Cuthbert holds a sceptre in his right hand, and the
head of S. Oswald in his left (87). There is a similar statue in Prince
Arthur's chantry chapel in Worcester cathedral. At the bottom of a
statuette of S, Cuthbert in the possession of Dr Philip Nelson, an otter is
seen drying the left foot of the saint
2 Newly translated out of the Italian by T. W. Arnold. Dent, 1907.
i8o
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
IJL:*
S. FRANCIS l8l
may forgive thee for all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs
pursue thee any more.' At these words the wolf with movements of
body, tail and eyes, and by the bending of his head, gave sign of assent
of his will to abide thereby. Then spake Saint Francis again : ' Brother
wolf, sith it pleaseth thee to make this peace, I promise thee that I will
see to it that the folk of this place give thee food alway so long as thou
shalt live, so that thou suffer not hunger any more ; for I wot well that
through hunger hast thou wrought this ill. But sith I win for thee this
grace, I will, brother wolf, that thou promise me to do none hurt to
any more, be he man or beast dost promise me this ? ' And the wolf
by bowing of his head gave clear token that he promised. Then quoth
Saint Francis : * Brother wolf, I will that thou plight me troth for this
promise.' And Saint Francis stretching forth his hand to take plight of
his troth, the wolf lifted up his right paw before him and laid it gently
on the hand of Saint Francis. Then quoth Saint Francis : 'Brother wolf,
I bid thee in the name of Jesu Christ come now with me, and let us
go stablish this peace.' And the wolf set forth with him, in fashion
as a gentle lamb, whereat the townsfolk made marvel; and all the
people, men-folk and women-folk, great and small, young and old, gat
them to the market place to see the wolf. And the folk being gathered
together. Saint Francis rose up to preach, avizing them how far more
parlous is the flame of hell, the which must vex the damned eternally,
than is the fury . of the wolf that can but slay the body : how much
then should they fear the jaws of hell that be afeard of the jaws of one
so small a beast? And done the preaching, said : * Dost thou promise,
brother wolf, to keep firm the pact of peace, that thou offend not man
nor beast nor any creature ? ' Then the wolf, lifting up his right paw, laid
it in the hand of Saint Francis. Therewith this act, and the others set forth
above, wrought such great joy and marvel in all the people, that they lift
up their voices blessing God, that had sent Saint Francis to them, who by
his merits had set them free from the jaws of the cruel beast. And there-
after this same wolf lived two years in Agobio, and went like a tame
beast in and out the houses, without doing hurt to any, or any doing
hurt to him, and was courteously nourished by the people ; and as he
passed, never did any dog bark behind him. At length, after two years'
space, brother wolf died of old age ; whereat the townsfolk sorely
grieved, sith marking him pass so gently through the city, they minded
them the better of the virtues and the sanctity of Saint Francis."
One more story of S. Francis. "Once on a day it befell that a
certain young man took turtle doves to market, and Saint Francis who
had tender pity for gentle creatures, met him and said unto him : * I
pray thee give them me, that gentle birds, upon which the Scripture
likeneth chaste and humble souls, may not fall into the hands of men
that would kill them.' And the young man gave them to Saint Francis,
who, taking them in his bosom, spoke tenderly to them : e O my sisters,
simple-minded turtle doves, why have ye let yourselves be caught?
Now would I fain deliver you and make you nests, that ye may be
fruitful and multiply according to the commandments of. your Creator.'
182
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
And Saint Francis made nests for them all ; and they, abiding therein, did
lay eggs and hatch them ; and so tame were they, that they dwelt with
Saint Francis and his brothers as though they had been fowls that had
always fed from their hands, and never did they go away until Saint
Francis with his blessing gave them leave to go. And it came to pass
that the young man also became a brother and lived in the Order
in great sanctity."
Of S. Francis it is
recorded that on the
fifteenth day of Septem-
ber 1224 there appeared
to him the vision of a
fiery seraph, between
whose wings was the
figure of a man crucified,
which was his gracious
and tender Master, Jesus
Christ the Lord. And
on the body of S. Francis
there was imprinted the
image of a crucifix as it
were a seal on soft wax.
And the marks of nails
appeared on the palms
of his hands and the
upper part of the in-
steps of his feet. And
in his side there was a
wound, which for the
two more years he lived
at times threw forth
blood. These marks
were the famous Stig-
mata. S. Francis died
in 1226; the Francis-
cans, or Grey Friars or~"Little Brothers," only arrived in Eng-
land two years before. Our ancient churches had got their
dedications long before this ; but of the churches built by the
Franciscans themselves, two at any rate were dedicated to S.
Francis ; one a great church at Norwich, and the other the
splendid London church in Newgate Street, afterwards dedi-
cated to Christ by Henry VIII., whose site was formerly
occupied by Christ's Hospital and now by the General Post
Office and Christ church, Newgate Street ( 1 80). The stigmata
are shown on rood-screens at Hempstead and Stalham, Norfolk,
and Bradninch, Devon.
OF srm/mcis* (BR/IDQIDCH)
B. AND C.
1 33
CHAPTER XIII
Criteria of the Credibility of the Legends Martyrdoms of Perpetua
and Procopius.
IT may now perhaps be asked some will have asked long
before this " How much are we to believe of all this ? Is it
all true ? Or is it all false ? " To neither question can a direct
affirmative be given. It would be ridiculous to credit all the
wild stories that are told of S. Margaret, S. Barbara, S. Catherine,
S. Ursula, and scores of others. But it would be equally foolish
to be so sceptical as to believe that there is no historical basis
for any of the legends of the saints. In many of the narratives,
in their main points, there is a substratum of truth. Bede, for
instance, wrote much about matters of his own time or of the
times immediately preceding his own, and much of it bears the
impress of a careful, painstaking, scholarly mind. So with the
plain and simple narrative of the Martyrdom of S. Perpetua of
Carthage a narrative wholly free from late embellishment
which is perhaps the reason why no English church is dedicated
to her. 1 " It bears every mark of authenticity " ; it is allowed on
all hands that the narrative, minus its rhetorical embellishments,
is the genuine work of contemporaries.
It is recorded of S. Perpetua that, while in prison, she saw in a
dream a golden ladder which reached from earth to heaven ; but so
narrow that only one could mount at once. To the two sides of which
ladder were fastened swords and hooks and knives, to the intent that if
any went up carelessly he was in danger of having his flesh torn. And
at the foot of the ladder there was an enormous dragon who terrified
those who would mount. But Perpetua said, "In the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ he shall not hurt me." Then the dragon, as if afraid,
lifted away his head, and Perpetua mounted to the top, and there she
saw a garden, and in the midst thereof a tall man dressed like a
shepherd, milking his sheep, and around were many thousand persons
clad in white. Then Perpetua knew that the day of her martyrdom
was at hand ; and soon afterwards, with S. Felicitas, she was sent to
the amphitheatre of Carthage to be exposed to wild beasts on the festival
1 See The Passion of 5. Perpetua, edited by Very Rev. J. A. Robinson,
D.D., Dean of Wells, 1891.
1 84 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
of Caesar Geta. Both were tossed and gored by a wild cow, and then
were sent away to be despatched at the end of the show by the ' con-
fectores.'
The plain unvarnished account of the martyrdom of Cyprian
also carries conviction of authenticity with it. So also for the
legend of Procopius there is a definite and reliable historical
basis ; for two versions remain of the account of his contemporary,
Eusebius, who was Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. He relates
that Procopius held the rank of exorcist, and was reader and
interpreter in Syriac. He was good and gentle, fasting much
and living a hard life. u Entering Caesarea one day, he was
taken before the governor Flavian, and ordered to sacrifice to the
gods. But he proclaimed that there are not several gods, but
One God, the creator and author of all things. Neither would
he sacrifice to the emperors. * Listen,' he said, * to Homer ' :
" c OVK ayaSuv TroAu/cot/jtm'?/ t$ KoipcLvos ecrro), ets /focriAei"?. 5
Whereupon he was led off to the place of execution, and they
cut off his head. This was in the first year of our persecution
(that of Diocletian, c. 302), and took place at Csesarea." This
simple and dignified account was expanded and embellished
later into two legends of extraordinary complexity and length,
filled with detail entirely mythical.
A very great deal of detail, too, is true, if not of the saint of
whom it is told, yet surely and certainly of very many others. It
cannot be proved now that S. Catherine suffered on the wheel, but
it is known that a Christian slave- woman, Charitana, was broken
on the wheel in the Diocletian persecution. It cannot be proved
that S. Agatha and S. Lucy and S. Agnes preferred a Christian
death to a Pagan marriage ; but it is surely and certainly true
that this brought many another Christian maiden to her death.
And so with other stories of Christian heroism and piety. There
is danger in believing too little as well as in believing too much.
We may be sure that for every name we know of a Roman
officer who refused sacrifice to the gods of Rome, of every
maiden who guarded virginity with death, indeed for every name
of a martyr that we know, there are ten, it may be a hundred,
names which we do not know and never shall know; "which
have no memorial, who are perished as though they had never
been, and are become as though they had never been born."
In his Introduction to Hagiography, translated by Mrs
V. M. Crawford under the title Legends of the Saints, Pere
Delehaye proposes a classification of the Acts of the Martyrs
and of hagiographic documents in general, which has already
met with considerable acceptance, notably from Professor
CANONS OF HAGIOLOGY 1 85
Harnack. Following this in the main, eight categories may
be formulated :
I. The first comprises official reports of the interrogatories
of martyrs before Roman proconsuls. These are of the highest
value. But even these require critical examination, e.g., the
most perfect model of Proconsular Acts, the Passio Cypriani, is
in reality a composite record, consisting of three separate
documents ; first, the official text of an early examination by a
proconsul in 257, as a result of which Cyprian was sent into
exile ; then the official report of the arrest and a second
examination in 258 ; finally the account of the martyrdom. In
the authentic Acts the martyr does not pose ; one hears only
the words of the judge and the martyr, and one is present at the
carrying out of the sentence ; it is an official record ; the editor
introduces nothing of his own into the words he puts into the
mouths of the judge and the accused. Few such records exist ;
the Passion of the Scillitan martyrs is one of the best of them.
II. The second category of authentic Acts comprises un-
official accounts of eye-witnesses. They may be (i) Docu-
ments in which the accused alone speaks in his own name ; (2)
those in which a contemporary chronicles the evidence ;
(3) those in which he in addition adds testimony of his own,
as in several chapters of Eusebius' Martyrs of Palestine^ and in
the life of Cyprian by Deacon Pontius. With these we may
compare the narratives of Bede concerning such of the missioners
of his time as were personally known to him, and the chroniclers
of the martyrdom of Edmund, king of the East Angles, and
Edward, the young king of Wessex.
III. The third category is composed of Acts of which the
principal source is a written document or documents belonging
to the first or second category. This document may be abridged,
amplified, interpolated, or recast to any extent, small or great.
The difficulty is to pick out the original document. Thus the
life of the Empress Helena is based on genuine historical
documents ; but as we have seen, these were later on amplified,
recast, and falsified to a large extent. To this category a great
mass of biography is to be referred. It cannot be questioned
for one moment that there is adequate evidence in documents
of early date that S. Martin, S. Leger, S. Remigius, S. German,
S. Boniface, not only are real historical personages, but did
actually do missionary work at the times and in the districts
and very much in the fashion that they are reported to have
done ; the same is true of S. David in Wales ; SS. Patrick,
Columba, Brandon, in. Ireland ; SS. Aidan, Cuthbert, Ninian,
Hilda, Wilfrid, in Northumbria ; and of SS. Birinus and Chad
24
1 86 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
in the South of England and the Midlands. Strip off the later
embellishments, and a solid substratum of historic fact remains.
The proportion of fact to embellishment varies immensely, from
say 90 per cent, to nearly nil. From the large proportion of fact in
the biography of a saint of late date, such as S. Francis, we pass,
as time recedes backward, to an ever-decreasing amount of fact,
and an ever-increasing amount of myth : the earlier the date
at which the saint lived and worked, the more difficult it is to
obtain anything beyond a bare modicum of satisfactory evidence.
There can be little doubt that SS. Hubert, Leonard, Sebastian,
Vincent, Lawrence, Botolph, Giles, Nicholas, were^once living
men, and did some such work as they are credited with ; but the
longer ago it is since they lived, the greater is the accretion of
additional and false elements with which their story has been
encrusted. It is to be noted also that though the documentary
evidence of a biography may be of quite late date, yet it may
be based on ancient data known to the biographer, though not
to ourselves, e.g., the Lives of S. Bridget of Kildare were mostly
written centuries after her death, but they are based on ancient
material, for they contain numerous references to an ancient
state of things in the numerous references to archaic tribe-law,
wizards and wizardry, and the presence of the cow in the kitchen.
IV. The fourth category consists of Acts of which the kernel
is not a document, but certain facts, which if few, are real ; e.g.,
the name of the saint, the locality where he worked or perished,
the existence of his shrine, the date of his feast. Round this
the writer constructs what nowadays is termed a historical
romance. And of course, then as now, the proportion of history
and fiction may vary very considerably, as it does in Esmond
as compared with The Virginians, or Hypatia compared with
Westward Ho, or in Sir Walter Scott's novels. Among such
historical romances we may place the legends of the mission
work of the apostles Andrew, Matthew, Thomas, and James the
Greater, and the legends of Edward the Confessor, the two
Maries, Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, and many other
undoubtedly real personages, among whom we should like to
include S. George.
In this, as in the following categories, the legends contain a
large amount of repetition. When imagination failed the writer,
as not infrequently happened, he calmly transferred to his own
hero or heroine the details that belonged to another : wholesale
plagiarism is exceedingly common. The biography of S.
Remachus is servilely imitated from that of S. Lambert ; and
of the Lives of S. Hubert, S. Eustace, S. Meinulf, S. Arnold of
Metz, and S. Lambert several portions are shared in common ;
CANONS OF HAGIOLOGY l8/
the passion of S. Martina is literally the same as that of S.
Tatiana ; S. Castissima owns the same acts as S. Euphrosyne,
and so with many others.
The passion of S. Vincent and S. Lawrence is borrowed from
that of the martyrs of Phrygia, as told by Socrates and Sozomen.
The miracles of the ship that comes to a halt and that of the
oxen who refuse to go further are of common occurrence ; they
are told of the arrival of S. James the Greater in Spain, of S.
Lubentius at Dietkirchen, of S. Maternus at Rodenkirchen, of
S. Ernmerammus at Ratisbon, of the girdle of the Blessed Virgin
at Prato, of the Volto Santo at Lucca. 1
V. To the next class belong those imaginative romances in
which there is no kernel at all, not the least substratum of fact ;
in which we cannot accept that the saint even existed. Such
imaginative romances were written, like modern novels, to edify,
instruct, and please, and there is no more sinister motive at
the back of the composition than in a modern novel, such
as Treasure Island or The Delectable Duchy. To this class
we may refer such legends as those of SS. Ursula, Catherine,
Barbara, Margaret, Dorothy, and Roch. The probability is that
these are no more real personages than the characters in a
modern novel. In this class the personages, as well as the
incidents, are invented, and the only question we are entitled to
ask is whether they are ben trovato. Such stories were written
with as innocent a motive as any modern work of fiction.
VI. A special subdivision may be devoted to those saints
whose legend is suggested by the etymology of their names ;
eg., S. Agnes ("a lamb"), S. Hippolytus ("torn by horses"),
S. Christopher ("Christ-bearer"), S. Petronilla ("Peter's little
daughter ") ; to which we may perhaps add Havering (" Have a
ring") in the story -of the Confessor and the Evangelist. 2
VII. Another subdivision includes explanations of pictorial
representations. S. Denis, S. Osyth, and others suffered death
by decapitation. This the pictorial artist depicts in a forcible
way by showing them with their head in their hands. Then
comes the legend-monger, and starts them walking, head in
hands ; eg., S. Denis to Montmartre.
VIII. The last category comprises those legends in which the
direct aim is not the edification or amusement of the reader, but
the selfish personal interest of the writer or of the society to
which he belongs. These narratives may be catalogued simply
1 Delehaye, Ibid., 31, 102, 104.
2 To these may be added SS. Sidwell and Cornelius. In Flemish glass
S. Cornelius is shown with the papal triple tiara, but with a bishop's cross ;
in his right hand he holds a horn. As S. Corentin,he protects Breton cattle.
1 88 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
as Downright Deliberate Forgeries. At such work the early
mediaeval chroniclers were adepts. They were in constant
practice. Living in religious houses, and being the only people
who could read or write, or who could understand Latin or
Norman-French, it was the easiest thing in the world to palm off
forgeries on the laity. If there was a link loose in a monastery's
title to property, it was the most natural thing in the world to
supply it by inventing a charter from some bygone monarch,
or a grant from some defunct landowner ; thus the house was
able to secure to itself with the greatest case manors and tolls and
fishing rights, and the like, to which it had little, if any, right at
all. It was only natural then to transfer this system of swindling
and forgery to the province of legendary history, with a view to
aggrandising the house to which the writer belonged. Some-
times, however, two religious houses were at variance, and each
side brandished forgeries in the other's face, as for instance, on
the question whether the relics of S. Alban had been returned to
S. Albans monastery or were still at Ely. Among forgeries
perpetrated to increase the kudos of a monastery we may
without doubt include those of the visit of Joseph of Arimathea
to Glastonbury and that of S. Peter to consecrate the new abbey
church at Westminster.
189
CHAPTER XIV
Compound Dedications Change of Dedication Lost Dedications
Dedications to Unknown Saints Dedications to Little Known Saints
Doubtful Alternative Dedications Spurious Dedications.
COMPOUND DEDICATIONS
IN a large number of churches the dedication is not to one saint,
but to two or more. Sometimes the dedication, e.g., to SS. Peter
and Paul, SS. Philip and James, was from the first a compound
one. But more frequently a single has become a compound
dedication by process of accretion. Some of these compound
dedications arise naturally from family relationship. The rela-
tionship may be that of mother and child ; thus the church of
Beaulieu, Hampshire, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and
Child. Or the child's name may precede the mother's; there
are 5 dedications to Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin ; and
3 to SS. Cyriacus and Julitta, Husband and wife are com-
memorated together, but not in an English church, in the dedi-
cation to SS. Julian and Basilissa. The dedication SS. Gervase
and Protasius is of twin brothers ; so are the three dedications
to SS. Cosmas and Damian. On the other hand, there are no
compound dedications to the apostolic brothers, James and
John, or Andrew and Peter.
Some compound dedications are due to natural association ;
e.g., i to All Saints and All Angels ; 3 to S. Helen and the
Invention of the Cross. Others are simply due to the fact that
the saints in question were bracketed together in some one of
the calendars ; e.g., SS. Fabian and Sebastian, 2Oth January, I
dedication ; SS. Simon and Jude, 28th October, 3 dedications.
Of compound dedications, that of SS. Peter and Paul is faraway
the most common ; it occurs 286 times. The reason for this is
to be found not so much in the desire to bracket together the
Apostle of the Jews and the Apostle of the Gentiles, as in the
fact that both were believed to have been executed on the same
day, 29th June.
Or again, where the dedication was not really to a saint at
all, but to the man whose preaching had organised the first
Christian congregation or whose money had built the first church,
1 90 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
the name of an authentic saint was not infrequently added in
after days, e.g., SS. Menaacus and Dunstan (3 dedications), the
Blessed Meran and Thomas-a-Becket, SS. Pandiana and John
the Baptist ; while S. Bees was re-dedicated to God, S. Mary of
York, and S. Bega.
The addition of the name of a Biblical to that of a non-
Biblical saint is very frequent, especially when the fame of the
latter had paled ; e.g., S. Candida and Holy Cross. Waltham
abbey originally commemorated only the miraculous trans-
portation of a portion of the Holy Cross ; afterwards the name
of S. Lawrence was added. In similar fashion probably may
be explained dedications to SS. Andrew and Eustachius, Holy
Trinity and S. Osyth, SS. John and Alkmund, SS. Mawnanus
and Stephen, SS. Peter and Etheldreda, SS. Peter and Wilfrid.
Most of all was it desired to obtain in addition the intercession
of Our Lady, whose name therefore appears in a vast number
of compound dedications. In the case of several cathedrals
complexity was produced by the addition of the favourite dedica-
tion names of Henry VI 1 1., viz., Holy Trinity, Christ, or the
Blessed Virgin. Winchester cathedral illustrates the process of
accretion. There is a vague tradition that it was originally
dedicated to S. Amphibalus, the priest who was sheltered by
S. Alban, conjointly with SS. Peter and Paul and S. Swithun.
At the Conquest the dedication was changed to " SS. Peter and
Paul and Swithun." Henry VIII. re-dedicated it to The Sacred
and Undivided Trinity. Now it is described in the Clergy List
as the church of the Holy Trinity, SS. Peter, Paul, and Swithun.
In other cases the compound form is simply due to the
consolidation of parishes. The process of consolidation has
been carried furthest in the City of London, producing such
cumbrous compounds as " SS. Anne and Agnes with S. John
Zachary," and most complex of all, " S. Nicholas Cole Abbey,
S. Nicholas Olave, S. Mary Somerset, S. Mary Mountshaw, with
S. Benet, Paul's Wharf, and S. Peter, Paul's Wharf"; here six
parishes have been consolidated.
In such churches of monks or canons as were parochial,
there was a special reason why a double dedication might arise,
that while the whole church was dedicated to one particular
saint, the parochial nave or aisle might have a special dedication
of its own, e.g.> Bridlington priory church was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, but the parochial part of it to S. Thomas of
Canterbury. So also the priory of Nunburnholme, Yorkshire,
was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, but the parish church to
All Hallows. 1
1 Raine in Yorkshire Arch&ological Journal^ ii. 182.
CHANGED AND LOST DEDICATIONS igi
CHANGE IN DEDICATION
Not infrequently an entirely new dedication has been sub-
stituted. The occasion for it no doubt was frequently a re-
consecration following a rebuilding of a church or important
additions made to it. Sometimes the very existence of the
dedication had passed out of memory. Sometimes the name
had become unpopular because identified with superstition, the
reason given by Henry VI II. for suppressing dedications to S.
Thomas of Canterbury. Henry seems to have meant to abolish
all dedications except his three favourites ; for in 1536 he issued
a proclamation that every saint's day should be abolished, and
that in future every parish feast should be held on the first
Sunday in October, a proclamation which fortunately was pretty
generally disregarded. Again, I5th August is a feast day still
observed in many villages ; in all these there is a presumption
that the original dedication was to the Assumption of the
Virgin, and was afterwards changed as being without scriptural
warrant. A very complex series of changes is seen in the great
and beautiful church of Milton Abbas ; it was dedicated to " SS.
Mary, Michael, Samson, and Branwallader." Later this was
reduced to "SS. Mary and Samson"; later still to "S. James
the Great." This last change illustrates what had become
increasingly common in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries,
and of course still more so after the Reformation, viz, the
addition or the substitution of names of Biblical saints; and
above all, of " All Saints " or u All Hallows/' the dedications to
whom reached the great number of 1,217. * n some cases a
wealthy and popular chantry overshadowed the church in which
it was founded, its name ultimately taking the place of the
original dedication. Thus the church at Cambridge, now called
" Little S. Mary's " to distinguish it from the University church
of " Great S. Mary's," was originally S. Peter's church, from which
the adjacent college got its name of " Peterhouse." The parish
church of Hitchin is now dedicated to S. Mary ; but in 1475 a
licence was issued by the Bishop of Lincoln to found a " gild of
S. Mary in the church of S. Andrew, Hicchyn, co. Hertford."
Here the original dedication to S. Andrew has been supplanted
by the guild dedication.
LOST DEDICATIONS
Every ancient church once had its patron saint Sometimes
the church has disappeared, and the dedication with it
Nowadays, in many a parish, there are few villagers who can tell
one to whom the church is dedicated ; to them it is simply " the
IQ2 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
church " or " the parish church " or " t'owd church." No wonder
that so many churches are anonymous ; there are said to be over
500 ancient churches and over 1 50 ancient chapelries without a
known dedication. Many, however, have been recovered of late.
Burial in the parish church was formerly not forbidden ; and in
such case the legal title of the church will be mentioned in the
will of the deceased. Sometimes the name of the patron saint
has been retained in the name of the village, while it has been
lost in the dedication of the church ; thus the name of Peakirk,
once written Pegkirk, is in itself quite sufficient to show that the
dedication of the little old church is to S. Pega, sister of S.
Guthlac of Crowland. But this does not always follow. From
the form of the name of a Kentish parish, Bethersden or
Betrysden (Beatrichesdenne), it has been argued, erroneously,
that the parish church was dedicated to S. Beatrice ; whereas the
village feast, which is nearly always on dedication day, is on
20th July, the festival of the famous S. Margaret of Antioch,
who is known by documentary evidence to be the patron saint.
The date of the parish feast is of great importance in settling
dedications, e.g. t the church of Wimborne is dedicated to S.
Augustine; the village feast is kept on the day of S. Augustine
of Canterbury ; therefore the dedication is not to S. Augustine
of Hippo. It should be remembered, however, that the village
feast may be held according to the Old or the New Style, so that
it may be necessary to deduct from the date of the present feast
day from ten to thirteen days. Sometimes the date of the
village feast is no guide at all ; for if dedication day fell at some
busy period of the year or in winter, it was not seldom changed
to one of the greater feast days or holidays. Arranged in
order of dement, the following English counties had most
dedications untraced in 1899 :
Devon - - 60
Dorset - - 50
Essex - - 37
Somerset - - 37
Sussex - - 37
Yorkshire - - 29
By researches among wills, Canon Raine added greatly to our
knowledge of Yorkshire dedications, and reduced the unknown
dedications of Nottinghamshire to 6.
DEDICATIONS TO UNKNOWN SAINTS
In the case of some saints, especially of those of Celtic blood,
all memorial of them has passed away except the dedication ;
e.g., SS. Alwys, Breward, Dilpe, Erney, Torney, Gomonda, Kuet,
Materiana, Merther, Metherian, Newlyn, Onslow, Stedian,
ALTERNATIVE AND SPURIOUS DEDICATIONS 193
Tallan, whose churches are in Cornwall and Devon ; and SS.
Dinabo, Mapley, Weonard in Hereford and Monmouth.
DEDICATIONS TO LITTLE KNOWN SAINTS
In this class Celtic proprietary dedications naturally bulk
large. Some of the least known saints are SS. Merryn or
Meran, Cleer, Grada, Creed, Sanscreed, Day or Dye, Eval or
Uvell or Noell, Just, Winnow, Pinnock, Twinnock, all in Corn-
wall ; and elsewhere SS. Briavel, Elphin or Elgin, Eadnor, and
Ruthin.
DOUBTFUL ALTERNATIVE DEDICATIONS
Where a dedication is not given full-length, it is often impos-
sible to know for certain to which of two saints it should be
credited ; e.g., it is very often difficult to decide between S.
John the Apostle and S. John the Baptist, or S. Mary the Virgin
and S. Mary Magdalene, or S. Thomas the Apostle and S.
Thomas of Canterbury, or S. Margaret of Antioch and S.
Margaret of Scotland, or S. Augustine of Hippo and S. Augustine
of Canterbury. Bede says that S. Paulinus built a stone church
at Lincoln ; this church, or rather one of its successors, probably
occupies the original site; but here, as at S. Paul's Cray,
Paulinus' name has been shortened to " Paul," thus confusing
him with the apostle. No doubt many a minor saint has been
ousted by one with a bigger reputation, who happened to have a
name identical or similar.
SPURIOUS DEDICATIONS
Lastly, there are dedications which are no dedications.
These are particularly common in the City of London, where
S. John Zachary has nothing to do with Zacharias. It is a
church of S. John Baptist which had been conveyed by the Dean
and Chapter of S. Paul's to one Zachary, and to which people
added Zachary's name to distinguish it from S. John Baptist on
Walbrook. So it is with S. Andrew Hubbard, S. Lawrence
Pountney, S. Catherine Coleman, S. Margaret Moses ( = Moyses),
S. Benet Finck (or Finch), and S. Benet Sherehog ; there was
living in the City in 1122 a certain " Wilhelmus Serehog" and
later, an " Alwinus Sherehog." l
1 For Compound, Changed, Lost, Alternative, and Spurious Dedications,
see Arnold- Foster, Ibid^ chaps. 50 and 51.
194
CHAPTER XV
Uncanonised Saints- King Henry the Sixth Sir John Schorn.
UNCANONISED SAINTS
IN early days there was no formality whatever about canonisation.
The conditions of sanctity were of a most uncertain character.
No formal process, certainly no reference to Rome, was required
to put a departed worthy on the roll of the saints. Piety and
blamelessness of life were desiderata ; but the proofs of holiness in
the technical sense were miracles, and these proofs were estimated
simply by the vox populL A good man died ; signs were believed
to be wrought at his tomb or by his intercession ; the multitude
flocked to the place, and his claim to sanctity was carried by
acclamation. Eadmer records a conversation between Anselm
and Lanfranc, in which the former supports the canonisation of
Archbishop Alphege on substantial reasons alone. The first
step taken to regularise canonisation was to require for it
episcopal sanction. 1 The next step was to refer all proposals
for canonisation to Rome, where counsel for prosecution and
defence were formally appointed, and the departed worthy was
sat upon with all the formalities of a court of law ; it is not long
since this process was gone through to secure the canonisation
of Joan of Arc. In the later Middle Ages the power of canonisation
was one of the most valuable perquisites of the pope ; enormous
sums being levied by the Papal Court on the friends of the
candidate, so much so that not infrequently, as in the case of
Bishop William De Marchia of Wells, the process had to be
abandoned, though heavy expenditure had already been incurred.
The present system or process of canonisation dates back to
Benedict XIV., who was pope from 1740 to 1758.
Among English saints who obtained informal canonisation
only, probably the one most venerated was King Henry VI.
In a letter dated 1504, Pope Julius II. acknowledges to have
heard that "some miracles, ut pie creditor, have been wrought by
the intercession of King Henry VI. and crowds of people have
begun to flock to his tomb." His sufferings and the rumours
1 Forbes' Kalendar of Scottish Saints, xlix.
UNCANONISED SAINTS
195
of a violent death had deeply impressed all England, and he was
venerated in every county, especially in the North. His statue
on the rood-screen in York minster was an object of devotion,
and a Yorkist archbishop in 1479 had to forbid that it should
Henry the Sixth.
Rood-screen, Barton Turf.
be venerated; it was removed in the sixteenth century. At
Alford, Lincolnshire, there was a bequest to "King Henry's
Light and S. Anthony's Light" In-Ripoh minster, offerings
were made to King -Henry VI. in 1502 and 1525. At Windsor,
196 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
where was his tomb, as in the case of formally canonised saints,
little signs or tokens 1 were manufactured, to be carried home by
pilgrims. A list of miracles wrought by the saintly king is
printed by Hearne as an addition to Otterburn's Chronicle ; and
in the year 1500 his life had attained to the dignity of a legend,
which was put forth by a monk at Windsor, prefaced by the
following hymn :
Salve ! miles preciose
Rex Henrice generose
Palmes vitis celice ;
In radice can tat is
Vernans flore sanctitatis
Viteque angelice.
Salve ! forma pietatis,
Exemplar humilitatis,
Decus innocentiae !
Vi oppressis vel turbatis,
Moestis atque desolatis
Scola paciencie.
Cetera desint
Henry VII. made formal demand for the canonisation of
Henry VI., but declined to pay the extortionate sums demanded
by the Papal Court He had intended to remove the Windsor
tomb to the easternmost recess of his new chapel at Westminster,
which was made ready for it Here is a Sarum prayer :
"Prsesta, qusesumus, omnipotens et misericors Deus 5< ut qui
devotissimi Regis Henrici merita miraculis fulgentia pie mentis affectu
recolimus in terris, ejus et omnium sanctorum tuorum intercessionibus
ab omni peste, febre, morbo ac improvisa morte ceterisque eruamur
malis, et gaudia superna adipisci mereamur. Per dominum nostrum
Jesum Christum filium tuum." 2
On the rood-screen at Gateley, Norfolk, the saintly king is
depicted with Sir John Schorn. 3 The latter was never canonised,
and came too late (he died in 1 308) to get commemoration in
dedications. He was a gentleman by birth, Rector of North
Marston, Bucks., and Doctor of Divinity ; his greatest feat
1 One of these is illustrated in the British Archaeological Journal for
1845, P- 205.
y On the veneration of King Henry VI. see Edward Peacock in Proceed-
ings of the Society of Antiquaries, 1891, p. 227 ; and Stanley's Memorials of
Westminster Abbey^ 3rd ed., pp. 162 and 616.
3 The prefix "Sir" means "parish priest," not "knight" or "baronet."
UNCANONISED SAINTS
197
Sir John Schorn.
Rood-screens at Gateley and Cawston.
was that he once conjured the devil into a boot 1 It was also
said of him that by reason of frequent prayer his knees had
1 See drawing from the screen of AJphington, Devon, in Bond and Camm's
Rood Screens and Rood Lofts, ii. 238.
198 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
become horny ; also that during a drought, at the request of his
distressed parish he struck the ground with his staff and a spring
(now a well) broke forth. This spring was chalybeate, and
among other purposes was good against gout, which may have
been the devil in the boot. On the rood-screen at Cawston he
is depicted with the cap, cloak, and hood of a Doctor of Divinity ;
on the Gateley screen his name is annexed
MAGISTER JOHANNES SCHORN
He was depicted in the east window of his own church, and
had an image at Canterbury ; at first his shrine was in his church
of North Marston, but when the living came into the possession
of the college in 1481, it was removed at great cost to S. George's,
Windsor. The Fabric Rolls for the igth and 2Oth year of
Edward IV. show heavy expenditure, which includes among
other things " lintels for the enterclose of the chapel of Master
John Schorne." This was placed in the east corner of the south
aisle. Later on it was returned to Long Marston, and such was
the resort of pilgrims during the century it remained there that
at the Suppression the offerings were estimated to amount to
not less than 500, say 6,000 in our money, each year. Erasmus
says that there were nearly as many pilgrims to Long Marston
as to Walsingham. In 1538 Dr Loudon writes that at Long
Marston " Mr Johan Schorn standeth blessing a boot, whereunto
they do say he conveyed the devil. He is much sought for the
ague." On the i/th of September he writes that he is about
to send up Mr Johan Schorn to London. 1
Quite a long list might be drawn up of persons who obtained
popular, but not formal canonisation. 3 Among them are Simon
de Montfort; John of Bridlington; Bishop Dalderby of Lincoln ;
Thomas, Duke of Lancaster, who was beheaded at Pontefract in
1322, and whose burial-place in the Cluniac priory there became
a place of pilgrimage ; and Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York,
beheaded by order of Henry IV. in 1 398. Scrope's tomb was
resorted to by thousands as that of a saint ; offerings were
made at it, and miracles were said to have occurred before it
1 See Norfolk and Norwich Archaological Society^ ii. 283, and the
Reliquary and Illustrated Archceologist, vii. 37.
2 In the illustration on p. 199 S. John of Bridlington is shown with
S. William of York. The former was prior of the Augustinian priory of
Bridlington, Yorkshire, He died in 1379 ; and at a later day his relics were
removed to a shrine behind the high altar : moreover, a feast day was
assigned to him in the calendar. An attempt to canonise him, however,
was unsuccessful.
199
G. H. W,
SS. William of York and John of Bridlington.
From stained glass at Morley, Derbyshire.
200 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Henry IV. forbade the offerings ; and the officials of the cathedral
were ordered to pull down the wooden screenwork by which the
tomb was enclosed, and to pile wood and stone over it so as to
prevent access of the people. Offerings, however, were still made,
and at the Reformation the treasures deposited in the adjoining
chapel were among the richest in the cathedral. l At Wells
too, the vaulting of the retrochoir was so planned as to enclose
a saint's chapel for Bishop William de Marchia, whose canonisation
the chapter desired to obtain, but were obliged to desist owing
to the excessive demands of the Papal Court. Here is a Latin
effusion of a pious versifier, indignant that the stories of his
favourite saint are received with incredulity, though great' works
are still wrought at his tomb through his intercession :
" Tumba tamen protestatur
Ubi vir hie veneratur ;
Hsec non falsa, ut affatur,
Preciosa paginal
" Licet non canonicatur,
Adhuc autem operatur
Per hunc Pater, cum precatur,
. Plura beneficia."
1 For an inventory of these see Monasticon Anglicanum, viii. 1206, and
Canon Raine's Fabric Rolls of York Minster^ 225.
201
CHAPTER XVI
METHODS APPLICABLE TO THE STUDY OF
DEDICATIONS
Dedications of Churches in selected counties Northumberland, Durham,
Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Kent, Wiltshire, Somerset,
Devonshire, Shropshire, Pembrokeshire Comparison of Saints com-
memorated in Dedications and on Bells.
So far we have spoken in the main of the dedications of
English churches generally. It is of considerable interest to
examine how far the general conclusions that have been obtained
hold true of restricted districts. So far, however, in few English
counties have the dedications been made the subject of serious
study. It is a task peculiarly incumbent on the provincial
archaeological societies, and should be taken in hand at once.
In most of the counties there are now complete and accurate
accounts of the Church Plate and others of the Church Bells ;
similarly investigations should be carried out into the dedica-
tions and patron saints of the churches of the county. A few
suggestions may be offered as to the way to go to work. The
first thing is to get a complete list of all the dedications, and where
possible, of their dates. For this list resource may be had to
the Diocesan Calendar, the Clergy List, the Postal Directory,
and the like. Then the dedications must be tested, one by one.
If they are only known by hearsay, say so. But they may be
corroborated by mediaeval wills or other documents. The date
of the village feast or fair, 1 which was usually held on the
1 In most of the towns and parishes of England (except where the
privilege of new fairs had been obtained in ancient times), the old fairs,
whether fixed by custom or by charter, depend upon the patron saint of the
church. Thus the primitive fair of Oxford was on S. Frideswide's Day,
October iQth, because that was Dedication day at the priory church. At
Canterbury, S. Thomas was murdered on September 29th, and his body was
translated on July 7th ; this occasioned two fairs annually in that city. On
July 7th there is a fair at Bromhill, near Brandon Ferry, and another at
Westacre, near Swaffham, both in Norfolk ; in both places are old ruinous
chapels, which were dedicated to S. Thomas of Canterbury. The charters
for fairs granted by kings of England were often a confirmation rather than
26
202 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
anniversary of the dedication of the church, may be evidence*
But it must be remembered (i) that the saints' days in the
calendar were sometimes moved to another date (as may be
seen below by comparing the calendars of Bede and Sarum) ;
(2) that the village feast day was sometimes altered, e.g., by
enactment of Henry VI I L, or to take it out of harvest time, or
to bring it to a time of year when good weather might be ex-
pected j 1 (3) and that the date of the fair may be New Style or
Old Style, and the latter may vary as much as three days.
Then when the individual dedications have been as far as
possible verified, they should be grouped under the names of the
respective saints commemorated. The next thing is to arrange
the names of the patron saints in order of popularity. Then
comes the interesting attempt to explain the abnormal popularity
of some, and the abnormal unpopularity of others. Finally, the
order of popularity in the individual county should be compared
with that of the neighbouring counties, and with that of all
England, taking into account also diocesan boundaries and
changes in them.
It will probably be found desirable to divide the subject into
two parts : dedications before and dedications after the end of
the sixteenth century.
For the whole subject of dedications Miss Arnold-Forster's
book is the standard work.
If the district is Celtic, or if Celtic dedications are numerous,
then the dedications must be approached by a totally distinct
line of research, for which some knowledge of Welsh, and at any
rate a pretty thorough acquaintance with the literature which
has grown up on the subject of Celtic dedications and Celtic
saints, are desirable. A list of books dealing with this special
subject will be found in the bibliography prefixed to this volume.
The counties which have been selected for a cursory
examination in this volume are Northumberland, Durham,
Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottingham, Kent, Wiltshire, Somerset,
a new grant ; thus King Richard gave a charter for a fair to be held
eight days in Peterborough, beginning on the feast of S. Peter ; but a fair
had been held on that day, June 29th, from time immemorial, because the
church was dedicated to S. Peter.
1 Lawton mentions that at Bishop Wilton, Yorkshire, the parish feast, up
to the middle of the fifteenth century, was held on September i5th, the vigil
of S. Edith of Wilton, who therefore, and not S. Edith of Polesworth, is the
patron saint of the church : but since the said day fell at a lime when York-
shire people were busy with their harvest, John, Archbishop of York, trans-
lated the said feast until the Sunday the next ensuing, every year solemnly
to be celebrated.
YORKSHIRE DEDICATIONS
203
Devonshire, Shropshire, Pembrokeshire. It is not attempted to
forestall detailed and thoroughgoing research, but merely to
present a few obvious surface conclusions.
YORKSHIRE DEDICATIONS
The following table has been compiled by the writer from
the list of ancient dedications in Yorkshire, as set forth by
Mr Lawton in his Collectio rerum ecclesiasticarum de diocesi
Eboracensi, as verified and corrected by Canon Raine, from wills
prior to 1560 preserved in York and those formerly kept at
Richmond, Yorkshire, but now in London. It must be borne
in mind that in this and all the county lists doubt often exists as to
the real ascription of dedications to S. John, S. James, S. Peter,
S. Paul, S. Thomas, S. Augustine, S. Edward, and others ; that
a good many dedications have not been determined with
certainty, and several are still unknown. The order given below,
however, is probably approximately correct, though not the exact
figures. For Yorkshire the order of dedications is as follows : l
1. All Saints or
All Hallows 144 2
2. Blessed Virgin
Mary - 129 I
3. S. Peter - 50 3
4. S. Michael 41 4
" 5. S. Andrew - 38 5
6. S. Helena - 34 19
7. S.John Baptist 33 6
8. S. Nicholas 29 7
9. S. Oswald - 22 24
10. Holy Trinity 22 10
11. S. James 21 8
12. S. Leonard - 18 15
13. S. Cuthbert - 16 23
14. S. Lawrence - 14 12
14. S. Martin - 14 16
14, S. Paul 14 9
17. S. Wilfrid - 13 29
1 8. S. Hilda - 11 50
19. S. Giles - 10 1 8
20. S. Mary Mag-
dalene - 10 13
21. S.Bartholomew 8 17
22. S. Margaret - 7 1 1
23. S. Catherine 6 26
23. S. Edmund 6 27
23. S. John Evan-
gelist - 6 14
26. S. Stephen 5 30
27. S. Augustine 4 40
27. S. George - 4 20
27. S. Thomas of
Canterbury 4 22
30. S. Anne - 3 32
30. S. Clement - 3 32
30. S. German 3 50
30. S. Gregory - 3 38
30. S. John of
Beverley - 3 73
35. S. Agatha - 2 100
35. S. Alban - 2 58
35. S. Botolph - 2 25
35. S.Christopher 2 60
35. S. Edward - 2 48
35. Holy Cross or
Holy Rood 2 21
35. S. Patrick - 2 68
1 In all these tables the first column of figures gives the local order, the
second the number of dedications, tfre third the general order as shown in
Chapter III.
204 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
To the following only a single church is dedicated :
42. S. Akelda
43. S. Alkeld (?)
44. All Souls
45. S. Benedict
46. S. Bridget
47. S. Columb
48. S. Cyprian
49. S. David
50. S. Denis
51. S. Edith
52. S. Everilda
53. S. Faith
54. S. Felix
55. S. Jude
56. S. Lambert
57. S. Matthew
58. S. Maurice
59. S. Olave
60. S. Osyth or Sithe
61. S. Quintin
62. S. Radegund
63. S. Richarius
64. S. Robert of Knares-
borough
65. S. Ronald
66. S. Sampson
67. S. Saviour
68. S. Sepulchre
69. S. Simon
70. S. Swithun
71. S. Ursula
72. S. Werburga
73. S. William of York
74. S. Winifred
The first surprise is that the Blessed Virgin is ousted from
her precedence in favour of All Saints. Secondly, there is a
grateful remembrance, pleasant to notice, of Yorkshire saints.
S. Cuthbert belongs rather to Lindisfarne and Northumberland,
and the chief relics of him were in Durham cathedral and
Bamburgh, but his fame had crossed the Tees, and his position
rises from 23rd to I3th. S. Wilfrid, by his connection with
Hexham, was Northumbrian, but as Archbishop of York and
founder of Ripon minster, he was a Yorkshireman ; moreover,
he had done in his day more than anyone else to secure that
Christianity in England should be of the Roman, not of the
Celtic type: his position rises from 2$th to I7th. S. Hilda, the
learned abbess of Whitby, rises from soth to i8th: a cluster of
little churches is dedicated to her in the Whitby district. Good
John of Beverley was not forgotten in his own country ; he
rises from 73rd to 3Oth. S. Oswald, the Christian king of
Northumberland, gave his life fighting with the heathen,
praying with his last breath for his soldiers : " Lord have mercy
on their souls," said Oswald as he passed. He rises from the
24th to the 9th place. S. Robert, the Hermit of Knares-
borough, has a single dedication. S. William of York came
too late to have more than one church dedicated to him, and
this has been demolished. Chiefest among local saints may
be placed S. Helena, for it was known that her son spent
considerable time in York, and it was believed that he was born
there. Of Celtic saints few are commemorated. Of the Irish
DEDICATIONS OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM 2O$
saints, S. Patrick has two dedications, one of them the magnificent
church of Patrington ; S. Columb, S. Bridget, and S. Sampson
have one each ; of the Welsh saints, S. David and S. Winifred
also one each.
DEDICATIONS OF NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
In the following lists the churches of Northumberland and
Durham respectively are arranged according to the number of
dedications up to iSoo: 1 omitting dedications which occur but
once :
NORTHUMBERLAND
DURHAM
21 I
13 4
10 23
1. Blessed Virgin
Mary
2. S. Michael -
3. S. Cuthbert -
4. S. Bartholo-
mew -
5. S. Andrew -
6. Holy Trinity
7. John Baptist -
7. S. Peter
9. S. Nicholas -
9. All Saints
ii. S. Helen
ii. S. Giles
13. Holy Cross -
13. S. Anne
13. S. Maurice -
13. S. Paul-
13. S. Wilfrid -
13, S. Oswald -
13. S. Mary Mag-
dalene
13. S. Thomas of
Canterbury
In both counties a very high position is held by S. Michael.
It is possible that this dedication is a survival of Celtic
Christianity. In Wales the dedications to S. Michael are
outnumbered by those to the Blessed Virgin; but the latter
are mostly found in the English and Flemish districts, and in
J The statistics are those of Mr John V. Gregory in Archaeological
Journal^ xlii. 381.
8
17
7
6
S
10
5
6
5
3
4
7
4
2
3
3
19
18
2
21
2
2
32
68
2
9
2
29
2
24
2
13
2
22
i. Blessed Virgin
Mary
23
I
2. S. Andrew -
7
S
3. S. Michael -
6
4
3. S. Cuthbert -
6
23
3. All Saints -
6
2
6. John Baptist -
S
6
6. S. James
S
8
8. S. Peter
4
3
8. S. Mary Mag-
dalene
4
13
10. King Edmund
3
27
1 1. Holy Trinity
2
10
ir. S. Nicholas -
2
7
1 1. S. Helen
2
19
ii. S.Hilda
2
So
ii. S. Margaret -
2
ii
ii. S. Thomas of
Canterbury
2
22
206
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
churches of modern foundation the former in Celtic districts
and churches of ancient foundation. In Cornwall the Blessed
Virgin has 9 dedications, S. Michael 5. It is remarkable that
S. Peter has sunk in Northumberland and Durham to the
7th and 8th position respectively, in spite of early and im-
portant dedications at Monkwearmouth, Jarrow, Lindisfarne,
Bamburgh, and Brinkburn. S. Andrew may owe his high
OF sient*.
position partly to the fact that he is the patron saint of Scotland,
of which Northumberland for some time formed a part, and
to^the influence of the important churches of Newcastle, Hexham
priory, and Auckland ; round Hexham is a cluster of dedications
to S. Andrew. To S. Bartholomew there were 8 dedications
in Northumberland, but only one in Durham ; some of the
Northumberland dedications probably belong to the Bartholomew
Fame Jsles. S. M
who was a hermit in the
Margaret has two
LINCOLNSHIRE DEDICATIONS
207
churches in Durham ; the Christian name of Margaret is still
very common in the district, perhaps not altogether without
reference to S. Margaret of Scotland. Considering the excessive
popularity in Yorkshire of the dedication to All Saints, it is a
little surprising to find that in the two northern counties it
occupies an exceptionally low position.
DEDICATIONS OF LINCOLNSHIRE
Of the Lincolnshire churches Precentor Venables gives the
following list 1 (Churches with but a single dedication are
omitted.)
97
2
89
3
68
S
68
i
31
7
31
ii
28
19
28
4
25
6
19
8
16
16
IS
12
IS
IO
10
32
8
17
7
(?)50
7
24
7
22
6
25
6
32
6
14
6 15
6 21
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
13
45
60
30
28
27
1. All Saints
2. S. Peter
3. S. Andrew -
3. Blessed Virgin
5. S. Nicholas -
5. S. Margaret -
7. S. Helen
7. S. Michael -
9. S. John Baptist
10. S. James
11. S. Martin
12. S. Lawrence -
12. Holy Trinity
14. S. Clement -
15. S. Bartholo-
mew -
1 6. S. Edith
1 6. S. Oswald -
1 6. S. Thomas of
Canterbury
19. S. Botolph -
19. S. Denis
19. S. John Evan-
gelist
Lincolnshire in early days was either treeless, untilled
chalk wold or interminable swamp. The natives were
said by unfriendly neighbours to be web-footed. Anyway,
though they built many churches, they produced but few saints.
Of these three appear in the dedications : S. Guthlac, who rises
from 6oth to 25th; S. Botolph, from 25th to igth; and
S. 'Hybald or Hygbald (4 dedications), whom Bede mentions,
1 Archaological Journal \ xxxviii. 390.
19. S. Leonard -
19. Holy Cross -
19. S. Mary Mag-
dalene
25. S. Benedict -
25. S. Guthlac -
25. S. Stephen -
25. S. S within
29. S. Edmund -
29. S. Edward -
29. S. George
29. S. Giles
29. S. Hybald -
29. S. Thomas
Apostle
29. S. Vincent -
36. S. Chad
36. S. Faith
36. S. German -
39. S. Cuthbert -
39. S. Paul
39. S. Wilfrid -
20
18
100
30
75
36
43
So
23
29
29
208
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
and who seems to have been a good pious man, and probably
abbot of Bardney, in the seventh century. His mission centre
was probably the village of Hibaldstow, and his dedications
are in the village of Hibaldstow and its two neighbours at
Manton and Scawby ; a fourth dedication is at Ashby-de-la-
Launde, in South Lincolnshire ; there are no other dedications
to him in England. A certain amount of northern influence is
apparent : as in Yorkshire, All Saints takes the premier place
in the dedications, ousting the Blessed Virgin, who stands
exceptionally low; S. Helena advances from the igth to the
7th position ; and S. Oswald from the 24th to the i6th. On the
other hand, S. Cuthbert and S. Wilfrid lose ground. Others
who improve their position are S. Clement, S. Benedict,
S. Vincent, S. Denis, and S. Edith: the latter two, and also
S. Helen, because of groups of "cluster-dedications."
DEDICATIONS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
The chief dedications of Nottinghamshire churches, as shown
by Canon Raine, are as follows :
1. S. Mary the
Virgin
2. All Hallows -
3. S. Peter
4. S. Helen
5. Holy Trinity-
6. S. Wilfrid -
6. S. Peter and
S. Paul -
8. S.John Baptist
8. S. Michael -
10. S. Giles -
11. S. Nicholas -
12. S. James
12. S. Lawrence -
12. S, Martin
12. S. Oswald -
34
i
33
2
16
3
IS
19
14
JO
12
29
12
29
II
6
II
4
IO
18
7
7
6
8
6
12
6
16
6
24
1 6. S. Andrew - 5 5
17. S. Edmund 4 27
1 7. S, Leonard - 4 15
19. Holy Rood - 3 21
19. S. John of
Beverley 3 73
19. S.John Evan-
gelist- - 3 14
19. S. Mary Mag-
dalene - 3 13
19. S. Swithin 3 28
24. S. Catherine - 2 26
24. S. Cuthbert - 2 23
24. S. David 2 43
24. S. George 2 20
24. S. Margaret - 2 1 1
This county is next door to Lincolnshire, but was in the
diocese of York, having for its cathedral Southwell minster,
adjoining which the Archbishop of York had a palace. It was
natural, therefore, that the Yorkshire saints should be com-
memorated in Nottingham in numerous dedications ; among
them S. Helena stands fourth on the list with 1 5 dedications ;
S. Wilfrid has risen from 29th to 6th; S. Oswald from 24th
KENTISH DEDICATIONS
2O9
to 1 2th; S. John of Beverley has 3 and S. Cuthbert has
2 dedications. S, Giles, S. Edmund, and S. Swithin have all
improved their position ; while S. Michael, S. Andrew, and
S. Margaret have greatly receded.
KENTISH DEDICATIONS
The following list of dedications of Kent churches has been
compiled from the lists of Mr Leland L. Duncan and Mr Arthur
Hussey. Dedications which occur once only are omitted.
15. Holy Cross - 5
15. S. Andrew - 5
15. S. Augustine
of Canterbury 5
15. S. Bartholo-
mew -
19. S. Leonard -
19. S. Clement -
19. S. Dunstan -
19. S. Mildred -
23. S. Catherine -
24. S. Alphege -
24. S. Stephen -
24. Holy Trinity
21
5
40
17
iS
32
45
60
26
87
30
10
1. Our Lady - 116 J
2. S. Peter - 82 3
3. All Saints - 38 2
4. S. Nicholas - 30 7
5. S.John Baptist 21 6
5. S. Margaret - 21 n
7. S. Martin - 18 16
8. S. Michael - 17 4
9. S. Lawrence - 14 12
10. S.James - ii,8&43
11. S. Mary Mag-
dalene - 10 13
12. S. George - 7 21
13. S. Botolph - 6 25
13. S. Giles - 6 1 8
The table shows a considerable rise in popularity of five
saints. Four of these rise because they are local saints:
Alphege and Dunstan were both Archbishops of Canterbury ;
so also was Augustine ; it is possible, however, that some of his
dedications belong to the theologian, Augustine of Hippo.
Mildred is almost the typical saint of Kent 1 But why should
Botolph have six churches dedicated to him so far from the
fenland ? S. Nicholas rises from 7th to 4th ; S, Margaret from
i ith to 6th ; S. Martin from i6th to 7th ; S. George from 2ist
to 1 2th ; Holy Cross from 2ist to i$th ; S. Clement from 32nd
to 1 9th ; S. Stephen from 3Oth to 24th. There is a drop in the
position of dedications to the Holy Trinity from the loth to the
24th place ; of S. Michael from 4th to 8th ; and of those to
S. Andrew from the 5th to the iSth place; the latter is the
more remarkable as S. Andrew is the patron saint of Rochester
cathedral.
1 For her pretty story see Bishop Stubbs in Dictionary of Christian
Biography.
27
2IO
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
No Celtic saints appear above : and S. Botolph is the only
non-Kentish local saint. Few counties offer so many depar-
tures from the normal ; the Kentish men and the men of Kent
had evidently strong opinions of their own on hagiography.
A comparison of dedications of Kentish churches with a
list of the images known from wills to have existed in parish
churches, naturally shows marked divergences, the dedication
having usually been given centuries before images referred to in
late wills were set up. In West Kent, Mr Leland L. Duncan
found that after those of Our Lady, the most common images
were those of
2. S. Catherine
3. S. Christopher
4. S, Nicholas -
5. Holy Trinity
6. S. James
7. S. John Baptist -
IMAGES
48 (nearly half the number
of churches)
43
41
40
34
32
DEDICATIONS OF WILTSHIRE
The following tables show the dedications most in favour in
Wiltshire : it includes several doubtful examples. 1
1. Blessed Virgin
Mary
2. All Saints -
3. S. Peter
4. S. Michael -
5. S. Andrew -
5. S.John Baptist
7. S. Nicholas -
7. S. James
9. Holy Trinity
10. Christ Church
10. Holy Cross or
Rood
12. S. Leonard -
13. S. George
13. S. Paul
15. S. Giles
15. S. Margaret -
17-
73
I
17-
45
2
34
3
17-
23
4
17-
22
S
21.
22
6
21.
18
7
18
8
23-
10
10
23.
9
38
23-
9
21
23-
8
'S
7
2O
23-
7
9
6
18
23-
6
ii
S. Catherine 5 26
S. John Evan-
gelist - 5 14
S. Lawrence - 5 12
S. Martin - 5 16
S. Swithun 3 28
S. Thomas of
Canterbury
S. Aldhelm -
S. Anne
S. Bartholo-
mew -
S. Edith of
Wilton
23. S. Mary Mag-
dalene - 2 13
23. S. Stephen - 2 30
3 22
2 100
2 32
114
1 The dedications are given on the authority of Mr J. E. Jackson.
SOMERSET DEDICATIONS
211
This is an exceptionally normal county, the order of the
first eight dedications being the same for Wiltshire as for all
England. There were few local saints to break into the order,
the only ones of importance being S. Aldhelm and S. Edith, each
with only 2 dedications. The northern saints, S. Helen,
S. Cuthbert, S. Wilfrid, S. Oswald, do not appear on the above
list ; nor the fenland saints, S. Guthlac and S. Botolph ; nor
the East Anglian saint, King Edmund ; nor the Midland saint,
S. Chad ; nor does it contain any Celtic saint
DEDICATIONS OF SOMERSET
Mr Bates has printed in vol. Ii. of the Proceedings of the
Somerset Archceologzcal and Natural History Society all the
church dedications known in that county. Omitting dedica-
tions which occur once only, the following is the result:
1. Blessed Virgin
2. All Saints
3. S. Peter
4. S. Michael -
5. S. Andrew -
6. S.John Baptist
7. S. Paul -
8. S. Nicholas -
8. S. James
10. Holy Trinity
10. S. Mary Mag-
dalene
12. S. George
12. S. Leonard -
14. S. Lawrence -
15. S. Martin
104
i
43
2
41
3
40
4
36
S
27
6
19
9
i7
7
17
8
H
10
H
13
ii
20
ii
15
10
12
9
16
1 6. S. Giles - 8 18
17. S. Bartholomew 6 17
17. Holy Cross - 621
19. S. Catherine 5 26
19. S. John Apostle 5 14
19. S. Margaret 5 1 1
19. S. Thomas of
Canterbury 5 22
23. S. Augustine 3 30
23. S. Gregory - 3 38
25. S. Bridget - 2 47
25. S. Edward - 2 (?)48
25. S. Stephen 2 30
25. S. Thomas
Apostle 2 30
As in Wiltshire, the results are of quite normal character, the
order of the first ten dedications of Somerset being almost identical
with those of all England : this is largely due to the absence of
local saints in this county. The special saints of other localities,
S. Helena, S. Oswald, S. Wilfrid, S. Hilda, S. Aldhelm, S. Edith,
S. Chad, S. Edmund, S. Botolph, S. Guthlac, S. Swithun, all
fail to obtain a place in the above list S, Bridget is the only
Celtic saint. S. George, S. Catherine and S. Margaret all rise
in popularity.
212
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
DEVON DEDICATIONS
The following list has been drawn up from a paper by Mr B.
Rowe :
1. Blessed Virgin
2. S. Peter
3. S. Michael -
4. S. Andrew -
5. All Saints or
All Hallows
6. S.John Baptist
7. Holy Trinity
8. S. James
9. S. George
10. S. Martin
10. S. Mary Mag-
dalene
10. S. Paul -
10. S. Petrock -
14. S. Catherine -
15. S. Leonard -
15. S. Nicholas -
17. S. Margaret -
17. S. Thomas of
Canterbury
19. S. Giles
No account is taken here of numerous cases in which a
dedication appears in one church only. There are several
churches of which the dedication is unknown.
Perhaps one of the most striking features of the list is the
comparative paucity of Celtic dedications, which is the more re-
markable as they swarm in the neighbouring county, Cornwall.
This seems to point to the fact that the Tamar was an " oceanus
dissociabilis " to the two counties, and that at the chief church-
building periods the state of feeling between Devonian and
Cornishman was such that the former had very little use for any
saints of the latter. S, Michael, however, is to be regarded as
largely a saint, if only by adoption, of the Celtic Church : and
he occupies the third position in the list of Devon dedications. 1
S. Petrock, or Petrox, with 12 dedications, stands high on the
list. He was of Cornish royal stock, and lived in the sixth century.
1 On the screen at Ashton, Devon, S. Sitha bears a book in her right hand,
and a bunch of keys in her left (213). At Mells, Somerset, she carries three
loaves and a bunch of keys (217).
13
I
19. S John Apostle
8
H
50
3
19. S. Lawrence -
8
12
37
4
22. S. Gregory -
7
32
34
S
23. S. Nectan
S
114
23. S. Pancras
S
(?)S9
29
2
23. S. Stephen -
5
30
28
6
23. S. Thomas
22
IO
Apostle
S
30
20
8
27. S. Bartholo-
13
20
mew -
4
17
12
16
27. S. Edmund -
4
27
27. Holy Cross -
4
21
12
13 27. S. Swithun -
4
28
12
9
31. S. Anne
3
32
12
53 31. S. Bridget -
3
47
II
26 31. S. David
3
43
IO
IS
34. S. Brendonus
2
1 80
10
7 34. S. Clement -
2
32
9
ii 34. S. Edward -
2
(?)
| 34. S. Helena
2
19
9
22
34. S. Luke
2
41
8
18
34. S. Winifred -
2
75
DEVONSHIRE DEDICATIONS
213
He studied in Ireland, and visited Rome.' On his return he
landed at Padstow, and then probably visited the parishes where
E. W. A.
S. Sitha. S Michael
Rood-screen at Ashton, Devon,
his dedications are now found. His relics were long kept in the
famous ivory casket still to be seen at Bodmin ; in 1 177 they
were stolen and were carried off to an abbey in Brittany, and
214 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
were only restored through the personal intervention of King
Henry II. S. Nectan (5 dedications) was one of the many children
of the Welsh saint, Brynach. It was at Hartland that Githa,
mother of King Harold, founded a college in honour of
S. Nectan, by intercession to whom her husband, Earl Godwin,
had been saved from shipwreck ; the relics of the saint were
long preserved in Hartland church, which is dedicated to him,
and his statue is still to be seen on the east side of the church
tower. There are 3 dedications to S. Bridget of Ireland, 2 to
S. Brendan, another Irish saint, and 3 to S. David of Wales.
With the dedications of Devon we may compare those of
Shropshire, which, though embedded in a Celtic district, has
hardly one authenticated Celtic dedication, except perhaps that
of S. Sampson and S. Owen's well at Wenlock.
In an interesting and valuable paper on Celt and Teuton in
Exeter? Mr Kerslake has shown that the interpretation put by
Palgrave and Kemble on the statement of William of Malmesbury,
that "King Athelstan found the Cornish Britons and the
English settlers at Exeter living side by side under equal law,"
was erroneous. It was believed by these two historians that up to
that time the river Exe divided the two nations. But the church
dedications show that the dividing line was the Roman Foss-
way, to the north of which the Britons had been driven by the
invaders coming from the estuary to the south. North of the
Fossway are churches dedicated to S. Petrock, S. Kerian,
S. Fancras, S. Paul (Pol de Leon), all distinctively Celtic dedica-
tions. At Kilkenny also there may be seen two nationalities,
sharply divided, in what are called " Irishtown " and " English-
town " ; so also at Galway and elsewhere.
DEDICATIONS OF SHROPSHIRE
Mr Cranage, in the last volume of his Churches of Shrop-
shire^ arranges the known dedications as follows :
1. Blessed Virgin 42 i I 10. S. Margaret - 6 11
2. S. Michael - 28 4 ! 10. S. Giles- - 6 18
3. S. Peter - 26 3 12. S. George - 5 20
4. S.John Baptist 20 6 j 12. S.Bartholomew 5 17
5. All Saints - 14 2 \ 12. S. Lawrence - 5 12
5. Holy Trinity- 14 10
7, S. Andrew 1 1 5
8. S. Chad - 7 36
8. S. Paul 7 9
12, S. Mary Mag-
dalene - 5 13
12. S. James - 5 8
12. S. Leonard - 5 15
1 Archaological Journal , xxx. 211.
SHROPSHIRE DEDICATIONS 215
1 8. S.John Evan- I 29. S.Agatha
gelist- - 3 14 ' 29. S. Calixtus
1 8. S. Nicholas - 3 7 ; 29. S. Eata
20. S. Alkmund - 2 100 ' 29. S. Gregory
20. S. Catherine - 2 26 j 29. S. Juliana
100
1 80
1 80
33
180
20. S. Cuthbert - 2 23 j 29. S.Lucy - 137
20. S. Edith - 2 50 29. S. Mark - I 75
20. S. Martin - 2 16 29. S. Ruthin - r 180
20. S. Milburge - 2 87 29. S. Thomas
20. S. Oswald - 2 24 Apostle - i 30
20. S. Swithun - 2 28 29. S. Ethelbert - I 49
20. S. Thomas of 29. S. Helen - i 19
Canterbury 2 22 i 29. S. Sampson - I 75
29. Holy Cross - i 21 I
In the Salop dedications some local saints naturally take a
prominent place. S. Chad of Lichfield has no less than 7
dedications. S. Alkmund was a young king of Northumbria,
who was murdered A.D. 800 ; somehow or other he was buried
at Lilleshall in Shropshire, but his body was afterwards removed
to S. Alkmund's, Derby, which subsequently became a famous
place of pilgrimage. 1 Other of his churches are Whitchurch and
Shrewsbury, Salop, Duffield (re -dedicated to "All Saints"),
Blyborough, Lincolnshire, and Aymestry, Hereford. S. Edith
has 2 dedications ; in the various English churches with this
dedication it is not always possible to separate those of S. Edith
of Polesworth from those of S. Edith of Wilton and those of
S. Edith, the wife of Edward the Confessor and sister of King
Harold, to whom the Herefordshire village, which still goes
by the name of Stoke Edith, was granted. S. Milburga (2
dedications) was a granddaughter of the old heathen Penda,
king of Mercia, who slew King Oswald. She seems to have
spent most of her life at Wenlock, where she was abbess.
When she was pestered by a wealthy suitor, the stream between
rose high and effectually cut off his importunities. She died
about 722. 2
It is interesting to note that Shropshire gave a welcome to
saints of other localities S. Cuthbert, S. Oswald, S. Eata, all
of Northumbria; S. Ethelbert of Hereford; S. Swithun of
Winchester ; S. Thomas of Canterbury ; as well as three Celtic
saints SS. Juliana, Ruthin, and Sampson. S. Nicholas falls
from the 7th to the *i8th place, probably because Shropshire
1 Arnold-Forster, Ibid., ii. 324.
2 Arnold-Forster, Ibid., ii. 379.
216
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
is an inland county. S. Giles, S. George, and S. Bartholomew
all rise in popularity.
DEDICATIONS OF PEMBROKESHIRE
With these English counties it may be interesting to
compare the Welsh county of Pembroke. Of its churches 24
dedications are unknown. Of the rest the dedications are
as follows :
1. Blessed Virgin
2. S. David
3. S. Teilo
3. S. Michael -
5. S. James
5. S. Brynach -
7. S. Dogfael -
7. S. John Baptist
7. S. Ismael
7. S. Nicholas -
7. S. Peter
12. S. Andrew
13. S. Colman
13. S. Cristiolus - - 2 18. S. Mallteg - - I
13. S. Lawrence - - 2 i 18. S. Meilyr - - i
13. S. Madoc - - 2 | 1 8. S. Mynno - - i
13. S. Martin - - 2 j 18. S. Oswald - - i
1 8. S. Aidan - - i | 18. S. Petrox - - i
1 8. S. Ailbhe - - i 18. S. Rheithan - - i
1 8. S. Bridget - - i 18. S. Rhian - - i
1 8. S. Caradoc - - i | 18. S. Teloi - - i
1 8. S. Catherine - - i 1 8. S. Thomas - - i
1 8. S. Cewyll - - i 18. S. Tudwal - - i
1 8. S. Clydei - - i 18. S. Tycefyn - - i
1 8. S. Decuman us - i 18. S. Tysilio I
1 8. S. Edren - - i 18. S. Usyllt - - i
In examining the Pembrokeshire list one is struck at once
with the vast preponderance of Celtic saints, the greater part of
unknown provenance. Among the best known of them S. David,
of S. David's cathedral, stands 2nd ; S. Teilo, of Llandaff
cathedral, is 3rd ; S. Brynach is bracketed 5th ; S. Dogfael and
S. Ismael are bracketed 7th ; S. Colman, S. Cristiolus, and
S. Madoc are bracketed I3th ; then come nearly thirty to whom
but a single church is dedicated. The chief position is held as
usual by the Blessed Virgin, with 22 dedications ; then come
22 1 8.
S.
Florence
.
13 1 8.
S.
Giles
-
8 1 8.
S.
Gwyndaf
-
8
1 8.
S.
Gwynnog
-
5
1 8.
S.
Gwythwr
-
S
1 8.
S.
Howel
-
4
1 8.
S.
Illtyd
-
4
1 8.
S.
Issels
-
4
1 8.
S.
Justinian
-
4
1 8.
S.
Keyne
-
4
1 8.
S.
Leonard
-
3
1 8.
S.
Llawddog
-
2
1 8.
Holy Martyrs
2
1 8.
S.
Mallteg
-
2
1 8.
S.
Meilyr
-
2
18.
S.
Mynno
-
2
IS.
S.
Oswald
-
I
1 8.
S.
Petrox
_
I
1 8.
S.
Rheithan
_
I 18.
S.
Rhian
-
I
18.
S.
Teloi
-
I
1 8.
S.
Thomas
-
I
1 8.
S.
Tudwal
_
I
18.
S.
Tycefyn
-
I
1 8.
S.
Tysilio
-
I
1 8.
S.
Usyllt
-
PEMBROKE DEDICATIONS
217
successively S. Michael, S. James, S. John Baptist, S. Nicholas, S.
Peter, S. Andrew, S. Lawrence, S. Martin, S. Aidan, S. Catherine,
S. Giles, S. Leonard, Holy Martyrs, S. Oswald, S. Thomas
the Apostle. These dedications, including
those to the Blessed Virgin, are no doubt
due to the immigration of Anglo-Normans
and Flemings into the county (c. 1 100). To
this day Pembrokeshire is a double county :
the northern half is Celtic, the southern half
English ; the north folk are small men
speaking Welsh, the latter are big men
speaking English. The two districts were
each protected of old by its own line of
castles ; and to this day when English and
Welsh meet at market day, there is apt
to be a free fight. Both in Pembrokeshire
and in Glamorgan, which latter county
was divided up among Norman adventurers
(c. 1090), the number of dedications to the
Blessed Virgin is far above the average of
the Welsh counties generally; and many
of the parishes where her dedications occur
have not even Welsh names. Indeed,
a dedication to S. Mary the Virgin may
be regarded prima facie as of late date.
Welsh dedications to S. Michael are pro-
portionally thrice as numerous as in
England ; and as they occur quite as much
in purely Celtic as in semi-foreign districts,
they are probably anterior to any foreign
occupation. But, undoubtedly, the oldest
dedications in Wales are those of native
missioners/
DEDICATIONS OF BELLS
J. H. P.
S. Sitha or Zita.
From painted glass of the
fifteenth century in Mells
Church, Somersetshire.
A comparison of dedications of
mediaeval churches and chapels with those
of mediaeval bells leads to some curious
results. From the time of Charlemagne
it was common to baptize bells and to give them Christian
names, like human beings. This is definitely stated on some
bells, eg. :
28
1 Rev. J. T, Evans, Church Plate of Pembrokeshire.
218
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
SUM ROSA PULSATA MUNDI KATERINA VOCATA
" I that am struck am called Katherine, rose of the world."
VIRGINIS EGREGIE VOCOR CAMPANA MARIE
" I am called the bell of Mary the excellent virgin."
NOMEN PETRI FERO QU1 CLAVIGER EXTAT IN EVO
" I bear the name of Peter who carries the keys for all time."
DICOR EGO THOMAS LAUS EST XRI SONUS MAS
" I am called Thomas; my sound, O man, is the praise of Christ."
In some cases the tenor or other of the bells bears the name
of the saint to whom the church is dedicated; but far more often
this is not so. To some extent the order of popularity of the
saints is similar in the dedications of churches and bells.
MEDI/EVAL
MEDIEVAL
DEDICATION. CHURCHES DEDICATION.
CHURCHES
AN V D CHAPELS.
AND CHAPELS.
Virgin Mary - 2,335 (i) S.Paul
326 (9)
All Saints and
Holy Trinity -
297 (10)
All Hallows - 1,255 ( 2 )
S. Margaret
26l (ll)
S. Peter and S.
S. Mary Mag-
Peter advzncula 1,140 (3)
dalene -
187(13)
S. Michael or S.
Our Lord -
150(19)
Michael and All
S. Thomas of
Angels - - 687 (4) Canterbury -
80 (22)
S. Andrew - 637 (5) S. Catherine
62 (26)
S. John Baptist * 495 (6) S. Anne -
41 (27)
S. Nicholas - 437 (7) S. Augustine -
30 (28)
S. James the Elder 414(8) S. Gabriel -
6(29)
Virgin Mary (i) - 900
S. John Baptist
(2) - - Most of 260
S. Catherine (3) - 170
Our Lord (4) - 160
S. Gabriel (5) - - 158
S.Peter (6) - - 154
S. Michael (7 )- 1 10
S. Margaret (8) - 106
S. Anne (9) - - 90
Holy Trinity (10) - 80
S. Thomas of Can-
terbury (n) Most of 80
S. Andrew (12) - - 66
S. Mary Mag-
dalene (13) - - 52
S.Nicholas (14)- - 48
S. Augustine (15) - 43
S. Paul (16) - - 41
All Saints (17) - - 40
S. James the
Elder (i 8) - - 26
[ Frequently the Baptist and the Evangelist cannot be distinguished on bells.
BELL DEDICATIONS 219
Any very close coincidence, however, between the dedications
of churches and church bells is hardly to be expected : the
churches for the most part received their dedications hundreds
of years before bells were placed in them. On the other hand,
the minor altars are as a rule much later than the original
foundation of the church, and in some districts, eg., in Norfolk,
a large number of coincidences have been observed between
the dedications of minor altars and those of the bells. As
regards dedications of the bells, there were special reasons
why particular saints were in favour. No less than 2,335
churches and chapels were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
In all these and in every church one of the commonest
representations was that of the Annunciation, in which the
personages were the Blessed Virgin and S. Gabriel. Now every
Christian person was wont at least once a day to repeat the
words of S. Gabriel : " Ave Maria, gratia plena, benedicta tu in
mulieribus et benedictus fructus ventris tui " ; and a special
bell was often set apart to be rung at those hours on which good
Christians were expected to say their Ave Maria. S. Catherine,
in church dedications, stands 26th ; in bell dedications she is
3rd. For this there are two reasons. One is that the bells were
rung by rope and wheel, and the wheel is the emblem of
S. Catherine ; the other is that she was apparently the patron
saint of the London bell- founders, a large number of whose bells
survive in Essex, Kent, and Sussex. A bell at Theddlethorpe,
Lincolnshire, has the inscription
CATERINA PIA PROTEGAS NOS A NECE DURA
and one at Shapwick, Dorset
I KATERY(N)E GODDES DERLYNGE
TO THE(E) MAR1 SHAL I SYNG
The proportion of bell dedications depends very largely on
the predilections of the founders. As the London founders
favour S. Catherine, so the Bristol founders favour S. Anne
and S. George ; the Bury founders the Virgin Mary ; the
Nottingham founders the Holy Trinity and Our Lord ; and
so with the rest 1 The most popular inscription to Our Lord
at all periods, especially in the Midlands, is
IMS NAZARENUS REX JUDEORUM
sometimes with the addition
FILI DEI MISERERE MEL
1 On Bell Dedications see Walters' Church Bells of England^ pp.
256-80,
22O
CHAPTER XVII
CALENDARS
SAINTS COMMEMORATED IN CALENDARS
THE ecclesiastical calendar is but a Christianised version of the
Fasti of Pagan Rome, feasts of the saints taking the place of
those of Pagan deities, and the Sunday
Letter that of the Littem Nundinales*
For a considerable time, no doubt, the
two calendars existed side by side;
the secular calendar or Fasti, and the
ecclesiastical in which were noted the
obits of bishops and the birthdays
of martyrs. A small calendar, the
earliest on record, records the death
and burial of some of the popes down
to Julius L (337-352) and of some
of the martyrs, chiefly Roman.
Eusebius wrote the first important
martyrology, De Martyribus (c. 372) ;
it was scarce even In the sixth cen-
tury, and seems no longer to exist.
It is probable that this treatise of
Eusebius was translated wholly or in
part by S. Jerome (c. 4OO). 1 From
this time onward a stream of calendars
and martyrologies appeared in the
Western Church. 2
It may be of interest to see what
opinion as to claims. to saintship was
held by those who compiled the
Prayer Book of the Church of
England.
1 See preface to Bishop Forbes* Kalendars
of the Scottish Church.
2 On p. 220 an angel is shown relighting
S. Genevieve's taper, which had been blown
B. AND c.
S. Genevieve.
Kenn rood-screen, Devon, out by a devil.
CALENDARS
221
I. It includes all the apostles and evangelists.
II. It includes a large number of saints to whom English
churches were dedicated before the end of the seventeenth
century, as follows :
S. Lucian
S. Hilary
S. Fabian
S, Agnes
S. Vincent
S. Blaise
S. Agatha
S. David
S. Chad
S. Gregory
S. Benedict of Cassino
S. Richard de Wych
S. Alphege
S. George
S. Dunstan
S. Augustine of Canterbury
S. Boniface
S. Alban
S. John Baptist's nativity
S. John Baptist's decollation
S. Martin's translation
S. Swithun
S. Margaret
S. Mary Magdalene
S. Anne
S. Lawrence
S. Augustine of Hippo
S. Giles
Holy Cross
S. Lambert
S. Cyprian
S. Michael
S. Jerome
S. Remi
S. Faith
S. Denis
S. Etheldreda
All Saints
S, Leonard
S. Martin
S. Britius
S. Hugh
Edmund, K.M.
S. Cecilia
S. Clement
S. Catherine
S, Nicholas
S. Lucy
S. Stephen
Holy Innocents
S. Silvester
So far there is a considerable amount of agreement between
the calendar and the dedications.
III. On the other hand, a vast number of saints to whom
ancient churches are dedicated find no place in the Prayer Book
calendar. Even if we do not take into account those to whom
few churches are dedicated, the omissions are still most serious.
In most cases this is not due to the compilers ; they were not
trying to draw up a brand-new list of saints, but to bring out an
amended version of the English calendars already in use,
especially that of the Sarum breviary. Whether it was their
fault or that of their predecessors, or of both, a list was produced
of very defective character. Crowds of Celtic saints are com-
memorated in English dedications, but not in the Prayer Book.
222 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
That was to be expected ; the history of the Celtic Churches was
a terra incognita till some half a century ago, and is still familiar
to but few. There are indeed hundreds of worthies of Wales
and Cornwall, Ireland and Brittany, whose absence we can well
put up with; but we strongly object to lose S. Patrick,
S. Columba, S. Bridget, S. Brandon, S. Teilo, S. Ninian,
S. Constantine. Equally sad was the fate of the history of
the Anglo-Saxon Church there was little knowledge of it
and little interest in it till modern days; and so there are
omitted dozens of the good people who had introduced, or
worked for, or given their lives for Anglo-Saxon Christianity.
Among them are S. Cuthbert, S. Oswald, S. Botolph, S. Wilfrid,
Edward the Confessor, S. Ethelbert, S. Edith of Polesworth and
S. Edith of Wilton, S. Hilda, S. Werburga, S. Eadburga,
S. Milburga, S. Osyth, S. Mildred, S. Guthlac, S. Kenelm,
S. John of Beverley, S. Felix, S. Paulinus. Equal ignorance of
and indifference to Continental Church history led to the
omission of S. German of Auxerre, S. Remi, S. Radegund,
S. Leger, and S. Theobald. Then having shown their contempt
for the Celtic Church, the Anglo-Saxon Church, and the Gallican
Church, the calendars omit also a bevy of saints connected with
the earliest struggles of the infant Christian Church ; so we lose
the Empress Helena, S. Pancras of Rome and S. Pancras of
Taormina, S. Eustace and S. Maurice, S. Julian the Hospitaller,
S. Julitta, SS. Cosmas and Damian, S. Cyril, S. Christopher,
Anthony the Great, and, finally, the archangel Gabriel. On the
other hand, the sixteenth-century calendar kindly supplies us from
the York and other calendars with new saints to whom no
churches are dedicated ; these are S. Perpetua of Carthage ;
S. Bede; S. Crispin of Agincourt; S. Prisca, a virgin martyr
of the ^third century ; S. Valentine, a Roman priest of most
uncertain history, but with pleasant modern associations ; S.
Niconiede, a Roman priest and martyr ; S. Enurchus, a printer's
error for Evortius, Bishop of Orleans in the fourth century;
and S. Machutus, Bishop of S. Malo in the seventh century,
the only Celtic saint, except S. David, honoured with a place
in the Prayer Book calendar altogether a most oddly
assorted company. We must not forget to add the name
of King Charles, Martyr, who was included in all calendars
up to 1859, when the special form of prayer for January 30
was given up.
The Prayer Book calendar, as we have it now, owes its '
form to two sets of revisers. Those of 1561 comprised Parker,
Archbishop of Canterbury ; Grindal, Bishop of London ; Dr
William Bill, and Mr Walter Haddon; it was practically a
CALENDARS 223
revised version of the Sarum calendar. A second revision, in
1661, added the names of S. Alban, S. Bede, and S. Enurchus.
It should be added that for a long time the Prayer Book
version had a rival in such calendars of the Church of England
as were not bound up with the Prayer Book. These were
published by the Stationers' Company under the authority of
the Archbishop of Canterbury ; this authority was not given up
till 1832. The Stationers included in their calendars All Souls,
S. Patrick, and S. Thomas of Canterbury.
As an example of the utter carelessness which characterises
the revisions of our calendars we may cite the words of
Sapientia on i6th December. Many people stoutly believe that
this is a dedication, and is equivalent to that of the great
church Santa Sophia at Constantinople. The phrase is simply
the first two words of the first of seven anthems, which were to
be sung before the Magnificat at Vespers, from the i6th of
December to Christmas Eve. The whole antiphon is :
" Sapientia qua ex ore aUissimi prodisti^ attingens a fine usque
ad jinem^ fortiter suamterque disponens omnia ; veni ad docendum nos
viam prudentis?
Putting the results together, the calendars of Sarum, York,
and Hereford, and those of the Reformed Church, can but be
regarded as a record of ignorance of, or indifference to, Church
history, discreditable alike to the mediaeval churchman who
drew them up, to the churchmen of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries who revised them, and to the churchmen of the
following centuries who have retained them unamended. 1
But though English churchmen have still to put up with this
wretched production, attempts to revise it have been made here
and there. The most drastic is that of the .Irish Church, which
has solved the difficulty of selection by expunging all names
of saints except those who have red-letter days," and for whom
a special collect, epistle, and gospel are provided.
The Episcopalian Church of Scotland, on the other hand,
has enriched its calendar by the addition of Celtic saints,
S. Columba, S. Cuthbert, S. Mungo, S. Patrick, King David,
Queen Margaret, and others, and one outsider, Bishop Cyril.
An attempt has also been made to supply the English
Church with a full-blown calendar. This is printed in the first
appendix to the sixth volume of Lives of the English Saints^
entitled a " Provisional Catalogue of English Saints," and was
compiled in 1843 by J. H. Newman, afterwards Cardinal, and
1 An excellent account of the Prayer Book calendar by F. E. Warren
will be found in the third volume of Hierurgia Anglicana^ pp, 245-59.
224 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
includes a few "eminent or holy persons, who, though not in
the Sacred Catalogue, are recommended to our religious memory
by their fame, learning, or the benefits they have conferred on
posterity."
Two draft calendars in MS. by Archbishop Cranmer, which
were never issued, are printed by Messrs Gasquet and Bishop in
Edward VL and the Book of Common Prayer, pp. 32-34,
388-394. In the first of these there are 58 holy days, in the
second 162. In a book of Latin prayers of the time of Elizabeth
(1560) the number rises to 303; this calendar is practically
identical with that of the Latin Prayer Book of 1560.
An interesting calendar of the eighth century is attributed
to Bede ; it is entitled Calendarium Floriacense^ and is printed by
Martene ; and probably dates from the last year of Bede's life,
A.D. 735 : it is reprinted below.
Between the calendar of Eastern and Western Christendom
there is the striking difference that the former introduces saints
freely from the Old Testament. The list includes the whole of
the prophets, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Job, and very many
others. A Byzantine calendar is printed in Neale's Introduction
to the History of the Holy Eastern Church^ ii. 768.
But to the student of English dedications the calendars of
primary importance are those of Sarum, York, and Hereford ;
the first of these is printed below : any additions made to it in
the Uses of York (1526) and Hereford (1502) are noted (but
not the omissions that occur in these calendars). Many varia-
tions occur in the different versions of the Sarum calendar,
as may be seen by comparing the Sarum calendars printed
in MaskelPs Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesi& Anglicance with that
printed by Dr Blunt from a Missal of 1514 in the library of
Bishop Cosin of Durham. Editions of the calendars for the
York and Hereford Uses were printed by the Surtees Society :
they are given in extenso in Blunt's Annotated Prayer Book,
pp. 130-76. In an appendix to Husenbeth's Emblems of the
Saints eight calendars are printed in parallel columns, viz., the
Roman, Sarum, Scottish, Old English, 1 French, Spanish, German,
Greek. Mr Maskell, in Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesitz Anglicante,
pp. 186-225, prints two Sarum calendars ; the first, in English,
may be of the end of the fourteenth century. He also prints
two months of an English rhymed calendar.
1 This calendar occurs in the Catholic Almanack for 1687, and in old
Manuals of 1706 and 1728 ; also in the Paradise of the Soul in 1720. It is
much fuller than that of Sarum, every day of the year being filled up. It is
reprinted in Geldart's Manual of Church Decoration and Symbolism.
CALENDARS 225
In the sixteenth volume of the second edition of Baring-
Gould's Lives of the Saints is printed a " Celtic and English
Kalendar of Saints proper to the Welsh, Cornish, Scottish, Irish,
Breton, and English People," accompanied by notes.
Canon Christopher Wordsworth has printed in Archceologia,
vol. li., two calendars, apparently transcripts of mediaeval
documents. One is the kalendar of Lincoln, and was probably
drawn up late in the fifteenth century; the other is that of
Peterborough, and probably belongs to the last half of the
fourteenth century.
Other examples of calendars will be found in various editions
of the Post-Reformation Services and Primers published by the
Parker Society. R. T. Hampson's Medii Aem Kalendarium
includes calendars dating from the tenth to the fifteenth century.
In the fifth appendix to Stanton's Menology of England and
Wales is a list of 108 calendars.
226
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
JANUARY
BEDE.
I. Circumcision
2.
3-
4-
6. Epiphany
7-
8,
9-
10. S. Paul the first hermit
11.
12.
13. S. Hilary
14. S. Felix
1 6. S Marcellus
l?. S. Anthony
1 8. S. Prisca
19.
20. S. Sebastian
21. S. Agnes
22. S. Vincent
23-
24.
25.
26.
27.
28. S. Agnes
29.
30.
3'.
SARUM.
i. Circumcision
2.
3-
4-
5-
6.
7.
S. Edward
Epiphany
Translation of S. William
(York)
S. Lucian and his companions
8.
9-
10. S. Paul, Hermit (York)
ii.
12.
13-
14.
IS-
16.
17-
1 8.
19-
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31-
S. Hilary(sfad Remigius, York)
S. Felix
S. Maurus
S. Marcellus
S. Sulpicius (and Anthony)
S. Prisca
S. Wolstan (S. Germanicus,
York)
SS. Fabian and Sebastian
S. Agnes
S. Vincent
S. Emerentiana ( York)
Conversion of S. Paul
S. Polycarp ( York)
S. Julian (and SS. John and
Paul, Hereford)
S. Agnes (apparition of, to
her parents)
S. Bathilda
CALENDARS
227
FEBRUARY
BEDE.
I.
2. Purification of B.V.M.
3-
4-
5. S. Agatha
6.
7-
8.
9-
10.
ii.
12.
13-
14. S. Valentine
1 6. S. Juliana
17.
1 8.
19-
20.
21.
22.
23-
JJ}S. Matthias
26.
27.
28.
29.
SARUM.
1. S. Bridget (and Ignatius,
Hereford)
2. Purification of B.V.M.
3. S. Blasius
4. S. Gilbert (York}
5. S. Agatha
6. SS. Vedast and Amandus
;.
8.
9-
10. S. Scholastica
1 1. Translation of S. Frideswide
12.
13-
14. S. Valentine
15-
16. S. Juliana
17-
1 8.
19-
20.
21.
22. S. Peter's Chair at Antioch
23-
^}S. Matthias
26.
27.
28.
29.
228
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
MARCH
BEDE.
I.
2.
3.
4-
5-
6.
7-
8.
9. The Forty Holy
Martyrs
10.
11.
12. S. Gregory
^3.
14.
IS-
1 6.
17-
1 8.
19.
20. S. Cuthbert
21. S. Benedict
22.
23-
24.
25. Annunciation of B.V.M.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
SARUM.
1. S. David (S. Albinus, York]
2. S. Chad
3-
4-
5. S. Pieranus (Hereford]
6.
7. SS. Perpetua and Felicitas
8.
9-
10.
ii.
1 2. S. Gregory the Great
13-
14.
IS-
16.
17. S. Patrick
1 8. S. Edward, K.M.
19.
20. S. Cuthbert
21. S. Benedict
22.
23-
24.
25. Annunciation of B.V.M.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
CALENDARS
229
APRIL
BEDE.
SARUM.
I.
i. Visitation of S. Mary ( York}
2.
2.
3-
3. S. Richard
4-
4. S. Ambrose
S-
5-
6.
6.
7.
7-
8.
8.
9. The Seven Virgins
9-
10.
10.
ii.
11.
12.
12,
13-
13-
14. SS. Tiburtius, Vale-
14. SS. Tiburtius, Valerian, and
rian, and Maximus
Maximus
IS-
15-
1 6.
16.
17-
17-
1 8.
1 8.
19.
19. S. Alphege
20.
20.
21.
21.
22.
22.
23. S. George
23. S. George
24.
24. Translation of S. Wilfrid
( York)
25. S. Mark
25. S. Mark
26.
26.
27.
27.
28. S. Vitalis
28. S. Vitalis
29.
29.
30.
30. S. Erkemvald
230
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
MAY
BEDE.
i. S. Philip
2.
3-
SARUM,
4-
5-
6.
7-
Invention of the Cross.
S. Alexander and
his companions
S. Victor
10. S. Gordian
ii.
12. S. Pancras
14. S. Isidore
IS-
id
17.
18.
19. S. Pudentiana
20. S. Basil
21.
22.
23-
24.
25. S. Urban
26.
27.
28.
29.
30. S. Felix
31. S. Petronilla
I. SS. Philip and James
2.
3. Invention of the Cross. S.
Alexander and his com-
panions
4-
6. S. John ante portam Latinam
7. S. John of Beverley
8.
g. Translation of S. Nicholas
10. SS. Gordian and Epimachus
11. (Dedication of Church of
Hereford]
12. SS. Nereus, Achilleus, and
Pancras
14-
16.
17-
1 8.
19-
20.
21.
22.
23*
24.
25.
26.
27,
28.
29.
30.
31.
SS. Dunstan, Pudentiana
S. Ethelbert, K.M. (Hereford)
SS. Aldhelm and Urban
S. Augustine of Canterbury
(and Bede, York}
S. German
S. Petronilla
BEDE.
CALENDARS
JUNE
231
I.
2.
3-
4-
5-
6.
7-
8. S. Medard
9. SS. Primus and Feli-
cianus
10.
1 1. S. Barnabas
12.
14.
15. S. Vitus
16.
17. SS. Diogenes and
Blastus
1 8. SS. Mark and Mar-
cellian
19. SS. Gervase and
Prothase
20.
21.
22. S. James the Apostle
23*
24. S. John Baptist
2S-
26. SS. John and Paul
27.
28. S. Leo
29. SS. Peter and Paul
30.
SARUM.
1. S. Nicomede
2. SS. Marcellinus and Peter
Martyr
3-
4. S. Petrock ( York}
5. S. Boniface and his fellow-
Martyrs
6.
7-
8. SS. Medardus and Gildardus
(and William, York}
9. Translation of Edmund
the Martyr. SS. Primus
and Felician
10.
n. S. Barnabas
12. SS. Basilides,Cyrinus, Nabor,
and Nazarius
13-
14. S. Basil
15. SS. Vitus, Modestus, Cres-
centia(andEdburga, York)
1 6. Translation of S. Richard.
(SS. Ciricus and Julitta,
York and Hereford)
17. (S. Botolph, York and Here-
ford)
18. SS. Mark and Marcellian
19. SS. Gervase and Prothase
20. Translation of S. Edward,
K.M.
21. (S. Leufred, York and Here-
ford)
22. S. Alban
23. S. Etheldreda
24. Nativity of S. John Baptist
25.
26. SS. John and Paul, Martyrs
27.
28. S. Leo, P.C.
29. SS. Peter and Paul
30. Commemoration of S, Paul
232
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
JULY
BEDE.
I.
2. SS. Processus and
Martinianus
3-
4-
6."
8.
9-
10. The Seven Brethren
n.
12.
13-
14-
15. S. Cyricus
16.
17.
1 8.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23*
24.
25. S. James, brother of
John
26.
27.
28.
29. SS. Felix, Simplex,
Faustinas, and
Beatrice
30. SS. Abdon and Sennes
SARUM.
2. Visitation B.V.M. SS. Pro-
cessus, Martinianus, and
Scorthan
3*
4. Translation and Ordination
of S. Martin
5-
6.
7-
8.
9-
10.
ii.
12.
13-
14-
IS-
16.
17-
1 8.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23-
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
Translation of S. Thomas
the Martyr
(S. Grimbald, York and
Hereford)
(S. Everilda. York}
The Seven Holy Brethren
Translation of S. Benedict
(S. Cletus, Hereford}
Translation of S. Swithun
Translation of S. Osmund
S. Kenelm
S. Arnulph
S. Margaret
S. Praxedes
S. Mary Magdalen (and S.
Wandragesil, York and
Hereford}
S. Apollinaris
S. Christina
SS. James, Christopher, and
Cucufatus
S. Anne
The Seven Sleepers (and S.
Martha, York}
SS. Sampson and Pantaleon
SS. Felix, Simplex, Faustinas,
and Beatrice
30. SS. Abdon and Sennen
31. S. German
CALENDARS
233
6.
EEDE.
The Maccabees
S. Stephen, Pontiff
S3. Sixtus, Felicis-
simus, and Aga-
petus
7-
10.
ii.
12.
S. Laurence
S. Tiburtius
14.
IS-
1 6.
17.
1 8.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23-
24.
Assumption of S. Mary
S. Agapetus
S. Timothy
25. S. Bartholomew
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31-
S. Augustine
Passion of S.
Baptist
John
AUGUST
SARUM.
1. S. Peter's Chains
2. S. Stephen, Pope and Martyr
3. Invention of Stephen, Proto-
Martyr
4-
5. S. Oswald
6. Transfiguration, SS. Sixtus,
Felicissimus,and Agapetus
7. Name of Jesus, S. Donatus
8. S. Cyriacus and his fellow-
Martyrs
9. S. Rom anus
10. S. Laurence
U.S. Tiburtius (and S. Taunnus,
Hereford}
12.
13. S. Hippolytus and his fellow-
Martyrs
14. S. Eusebius
15. Assumption of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
1 6.
17. Octave of S. Laurence
1 8. S. Agapetus
19. S. Magnus
20. (S. Oswin, York}
21.
22.
23. SS. Timothy and Apollinaris
24. S. Bartholomew (and Audoen,
York}
25. (S. Hilda, YofK) (Deposition
of S. Thomas of Hereford}
26.
27. S. Rufus
28. S. Augustine of Hippo and
Hermes
29. Beheading of S.John Baptist
30. SS. Felix and Adauctus
31. S.Cuthburga(S.Aidan, York)
234
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
SEPTEMBER
BEDE.
I.
2.
3-
4-
5-
6.
8. Nativity of S. Mary
9-
10.
i. SS. Prothus and
Jacinthus
12.
14. SS. Cornelius and
Cyprian
IS-
16.
1 8.
19.
20.
21. S. Matthew
22. S. Maurice and his
fellow-Martyrs
23-
24. Conception of S. John
Baptist
25-
26.
27. SS.CosmasandDamian
28.
29. S. Michael
30. S. Jerome
SARUM.
i.
2.
3-
4-
5-
6.
7-
8.
9-
10.
SS. Giles and Priscus
Translation of S. Cuthbert
(and S. Birinus, York}
S. Bertinus
(S. Evurtius, York}
Nativity of Blessed Virgin
Mary (and S.Adrian, York]
S. Gorgonius
SS. Prothus and Hyacinthus
12.
13. (S. Maurille, Archbishop of
Rouen, York}
14. Holy Cross Day. SS.
Cornelius and Cyprian
15. S. Nicomedes
16. S, Edith (SS. Euphemia,
Lucina, and Geminianus,
York}
17. S. Lambert
1 8.
19.
20.
21. SS. Matthew and Laudus
22. S. Maurice and his fellow-
Martyrs
23. S. Thecla
24.
25. S. Firmin
26. SS. Cyprian and Justina
27. SS. Cosmas and Damian
28.
29. S. Michael
30. S. Jerome
CALENDARS
235
BEDE.
r. S. Remedius
2.
3. Passio duorum
veddorum
4-
6.
S.
9. SS. Marcellinus
Genuus
10. S. Paulinus
ii.
12.
13-
14.
IS-
16.
17.
1 8. S. Luke
19.
20.
21.
22.
23-
24.
25.
OCTOBER
SARUM.
Heu-
and
1. SS. Remigius, Germanus,
Vedast and Bavo, Melorus
(Amandus and Piatus for
last two, Hereford]
2. SS. Thomas of Hereford and
Leodegar
5-
6.
7-
8.
9-
IO.
II.
12.
14.
IS-
id
17-
1 3.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23-
24.
25.
(S. Francis, York and
ford)
S. Faith
SS. Marcus and Marcellian
(SS. Osyth, Marcus, Mar-
cellus, and Apuleius, Here-
ford}
S. Pelagia ( York}
S. Dionysius and his fellow-
Martyrs ( York adds John
of Bridlington, Hereford
mentions Rusticus and
Eleutherius)
S. Geron and his fellow-
Martyrs (York adds S.
Paulinus)
S. Nicasius and his fellow-
Martyrs
(S. Wilfrid, York and Here-
ford)
Translation of S. Edward
Confessor
S. Calixtus
S. Wulfran
S. Michael of the Mount
S. Etheldreda
S. Luke
S. Frideswide
(S. Austreberta, York)
The 11,000 Virgins
S. Romanus
SS. Crispin and Crispinian,
and S. John of Beverley
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
OCTOBER continued
BEDE.
26.
27.
28. SS. Simon and Jude
29.
30.
BEDE.
I.
2.
3-
4-
S-
6.
7-
8. The Four Crowned
Saints
9-
10.
ii. S. Martin
12.
14.
1 6.
1 8.
19.
20.
21.
22. S. Cecilia
23. S. Clement
24. S. Chrysogonus
25-
26.
27*
28.
29. S. Saturninus
SARUM.
26.
27.
28. SS. Simon and Jude
29.
30. S. Germanus
31. S. Quintin
NOVEMBER
SARUM.
1. All Saints
2. All Souls
3. SS. Winifred and Eustace
4-
5-
6. S. Leonard
7. (S. Willebrord, York and
Hereford}
8. The Four Crowned Martyrs
9. S. Theodore
10. (S. Martin, Pope and Con-
fessor, York}
11. S. Martin (and S. Menna,
York and Hereford}
12. S. Menna
13. S. Britius
14. Translation of S. Erkenwald
(S. Dubricius, Hereford)
15. S. Machutus
1 6. S. Edmund, Archbishop
17. S. Hugh (S. Anianus, York
and Hereford)
1 8.
19.
20. S. Edmund, King and Martyr
21.
22. S. Cecilia
23. SS. Clement and Felicitas
24. S. Chrysogonus
25. S. Katharine
26. S. Linus
27.
28.
29. SS. Saturninus and Sisinnius
CALENDARS
237
DECEMBER
BEDE.
SARUM.
I.
2.
3-
4-
5.
6.
7-
9-
10.
ii. S. Damasus
12.
13-
14.
IS-
16.
17. S. Ignatius
18.
19.
20.
21, S. Thomas
22.
23. S. Eugenia
24.
25. Nativity of Our Lord
26. S. Stephen
27. S. John Evangelist
28. Innocents
29,
30.
31. S. Silvester
I. (SS. Chrysanthus and Daria,
York and Hereford)
2.
3. (S. Birinus, Hereford)
4. S. Osmund
5-
6. S. Nicolas
7-
8. Conception of Blessed Virgin
Mary
9-
10.
ii.
12.
13. S. Lucy
14-
IS-
16. "OSapientia"
17-
18.
19.
20.
21. S. Thomas
22.
23.
24.
25. Nativity of Our Lord
26. S. Stephen, Proto-Martyr
27. S. John Evangelist
28. Holy Innocents
29. S. Thomas, Archbishop of
Canterbury
30.
31. S. Silvester
238
CHAPTER XVIII
THE CONSECRATION AND DEDICATION
OF CHURCHES
THE object of consecration of churches, says Hooker, 1 is twofold ;
first of all it makes them public, /.., no longer private property,
but the property of God ; and secondly, it signifies the use to
which the property is to be put it is to be a divine use. So
also Bingham (viii. 9), that by the consecration of a church is
meant the devoting or setting it apart peculiarly for divine
service. Perhaps the earliest definite reference to a consecration
service is in the rebuke addressed by the Emperor Constantine
to Athanasius in 335, because "he had celebrated the holy
mysteries in a church before it was consecrated " ; for this he
humbly apologised to the emperor. There is a sermon extant
of S. Ambrose (A.D. 380) entitled De Dedicatione Basilica, and
in a letter to his sister he speaks of having dedicated a church.
The great church at Tyre was demolished in the Diocletian
persecution, and many others shared its fate. But after the
Peace of the Church they were rebuilt, and Eusebius speaks of
the solemnisation of "festivals of dedication of churches" in
every city. Eusebius also describes in detail the dedication
services of Constantine's great church of the Holy Sepulchre at
Jerusalem, in which the historian himself took part. Pope
Hyginus is reported as saying in 138, "Omnes basilicas cum
Missa debent consecrari." In 324 Pope Sylvester decrees in a
general synod, " Nullus presbyter Missas celebrare prsesumat,
nisi in sacratis ab episcopo locis." In the seventh century
Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, gives directions as to the
consecration of a church, and in 816 the Council of Chalcuith
passed a canon De modo consecrandi ecclesias : and in 1076 it was
ordered at a Council in Winchester " that mass should not be
celebrated in churches unless they had been consecrated by
bishops."
For all these Christian consecrations there were of course
Old Testament precedents in the dedications of Solomon's
1 Hooker, Book V., chap. xii.
CONSECRATION SERVICES 239
temple (i Kings, chap, viii.), the dedication of the second
temple (Ezra vi. 16), the solemnities and feasts of dedication
in the time of Judas Maccabeus, and the dedication of the
temple built by Herod, of which Josephus gives an account
(Book XV., chap. xiv.).
The religious part of the ceremony was performed by clergy
of episcopal rank. There were indeed occasional instances of
consecration in emergency by priests, but these were always
censured and condemned. It was also laid down that a church
should be consecrated by the bishop of the diocese in which it
was situated, and not by the bishop of another diocese.
Special services were prepared and were used (i) When
the corner stone or foundation stone of the church was laid. (2)
At the dedication. (3) At each anniversary of the dedication.
At the dedication the following hymn was sung :
i.
Urbs Jerusalem beata
Dicta pacis visio,
Quae construitur in coelis
Vivis ex lapidibus,
Ut angelis coronata,
Ut sponsata comite.
2.
Nova veniens e coelo,
Nuptiali Thalamo
Praeparata, et sponsata
Copuletur Domino ;
Platese et muri ejus
Ex auro purissimo, etc.
In Cornwall procedure of dedication was quite different
from that of mediaeval days, at any rate, so long as the
usages of the ancient British Church prevailed. " It was
customary when any holy man, were he bishop or priest, wished
to found a church or a monastery, that he should come himself
to the spot on which the future edifice was to be raised, and here
continue forty days in the exercise of prayer and fasting. This
done, the ceremony was completed, and all that was required
by way of consecration was effected." l
Very similar was the process of consecration of Anglo-Saxon
churches in the seventh century. About the year 678, Bishop
Cedd consecrated the monastery and church of Lastingham,
1 Borlase's Age of the Saints^ 44.
240 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
purposely placed in a remote hollow of the wild Cleveland moors
of the North Riding. Bede tells us l that he resolved to follow
the ancient ritual of fasting and prayer before consecration in
order to purge the site from taint of sin ; and fasted for forty
days, Sundays excepted, till eventide, when his meal was a crust
of bread, an egg, and a little milk mixed with water.
Becon (1512-67), in his Reliques of Rome, gives an account 2
Consecration Cross.
Ottery S. Mary.
of the ceremonies of consecrating a church, which, from its date,
is worth transcribing :
" When any church is to be hallowed, this order must be observed.
First all the people must depart out of the church, and the deacon must
remain there only, having all the doors shut fast unto him. The bishop
with the clergy shall stand without before the church door and make
holy water mingled with salt. In the mean season, within the church
there must be set up twelve candles burning before twelve (consecration)
1 Plummer's Bede, i. 175.
2 Quoted in Maskell's Monumenta Ritualia Ecclesics Anglicance^ vol. i.
CONSECRATION SERVICES 241
crosses 1 that are appointed upon the church walls. Afterward the
bishop, accompanied by the clergy and people, shall go thrice about the
church without ; and the bishop, having in his hand a staff with a bunch
of hyssop on the end, shall with the same cast holy water on the church
wails. And the bishop shall come unto the church door, and strike the
threshold with his crozier staff, and shall say, Tollite portas (Psalm
xxiv. 7). Then shall the deacon that is within say Quis est iste Rex
gloria ? To whom the bishop shall answer, Dominus fortis, dominus
fortis in prtzlio. At the third time the deacon shall open the church
door, and the bishop shall enter into the church accompanied with a
few ministers, the clergy and the people abiding still without. Entering
into the church, the bishop shall say, Pax huic domui. And afterwards
the bishop, with them that are in the church, shall say the Litany.
These things done, there must be made in the pavement of the church
a cross of ashes and sand, whereon the whole alphabet or Christ's cross
shall be written in Greek and Latin letters. 2
"After these things the bishop must hallow another water with
salt and ashes and wine, and consecrate the altar. Afterwards the
twelve crosses that are painted upon the church walls, the bishop must
anoint them with chrism, commonly called cream. These things once
done, the clergy and the people may freely come into the church, ring
the bells for joy, etc."
Since the Reformation there has been no prescribed form
of dedication of churches ; but early and important precedents
are to be found in the consecration by Bishop Andrewes in
1620 of a church near Southampton ; that of Fulmer church,
Buckinghamshire, 3 by Dr Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1610;
1 " On Consecration Crosses " see Rev. E. S. Dewick in Arch&ological
Journal^ Ixv. 1-34.
2 Alphabets were sometimes inscribed also on bells and fonts. See the
writer's Fonts and Font Covers, 117, and Walters' Church Bells of England,
329. There may be a reference to Our Lord's stooping and writing on the
ground (John viii. 6). In the Sarum ritual the cross seems to be the cross
saltire, or S. Andrew's cross ; each alphabet begins at the top : on the left
begins the Greek, on the jight the Latin alphabet. There was thought to
be in the alphabet a mystical reference to the beginnings or elements of
Christian doctrine : " Lac vobis potum dedi, non escam," said S. Paul. A
very similar ritual is mentioned by S. Gregory in the sixth century. See
MaskelPs Monumenta RituaKa, i. 208, who gives the Sarum ritual in full in
i. 196. Durandus on Symbolism (edit. Neale), p. 237, gives the form of
dedication used by S. Dunstan. Martene gives ten forms.
3 For the Fulmer dedication, see Stow's Chronicle, pp. 997-99* where
there is a full and very interesting account. The text of Bishop Andrewes 7
form of consecration is printed as an appendix to Harington, On the
Consecration of Churches, p. 145. The consecration of S. Katherine Creed
is described in Rushworth's Historical Collections, ii. 77 ; the so-called
242 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
and S. Katharine Creed, London, and Stanmore, Middlesex, by
Bishop Laud in 1630 and 1634.
A form of consecrating churches, chapels, and churchyards
was passed by the Lower House of Convocation in 1712, "with
a design to have it established among the offices of the
Liturgy " ; it was compiled chiefly for the consecration of the
(50) new churches; it was never, however, legalised. It is
printed in Harington, Ibid., 179.
The Irish forms of the Consecration and of the Restaurations
of churches, dated 1666, are printed in the third volume of
Hierurgia Anglicana, pp. 188-220 (London, 1904).
" Popish ceremonies " employed thereat were urged against Laud at his trial :
one of them was that "as soon as the Bishop came within the church door,
he fell down upon his knees." "True," said Laud : "it was no more than
my duty, being a House of Prayer." For the form of consecration used at
Stanmore Magna, see Oughton's Ordo Judidorum^ ii. 249, and Harington,
195.
PART II
CHAPTER XIX
ECCLESIASTICAL SYMBOLISM
Symbolism of the Plan and Fabric of Churches Orientation of Churches
Deviation of the Axis of the Chancel Emblems of the Trinity The
First Person of the Godhead The Second Person of the Godhead
The Agnus Dei Vesica Piscis The Pelican in Piety Monograms of
Christ The Fish The Third Person of the Godhead The Blessed
Virgin The Apostles The Evangelists The Doctors of the Church-
The Magi The Sibyls The Church The Gallant Ship of Christendom
The Devil Heaven Hell Mouth The Soul The Cross The
Crucifix The Crown of Thorns Instruments of the Passion The
Nimbus The Aureole Prayer Symbolism of Numbers Symbolism
of Colours Geometrical Figures Pentalpha Fylfot Months and
Seasons Zodiac Sagittarius Emblems of Mortality.
"ALL things," says Durandus, "as many as pertain to matters
ecclesiastical, be full of divine significations and mysteries and
overflow with a celestial sweetness, if it be that a man be diligent
in his study of them, and know how to draw * honey from the
rock and oil from the hardest stone/ 1 Wherefore I, William,
by the alone tender mercy of God, Bishop of the holy church
which is in Mende, will knock diligently at the door, if so be
that the key of David 2 will open unto me, that the King may
bring me in and show me the heavenly pattern which was shown
to Moses in the mount" With which pious prcemium Durandus
set forth to expound in his Rationale the inward and spiritual
purport of the church and every part of the church, and of each
and all of its rites and ceremonies and observances. With like
solemnity, six centuries later, Mr Walcott rebukes those who
should venture to question the symbolic origin of the planning
of the Christian church. " It would be difficult," he says, 3 "to
assign any other reason than symbolical consideration as that
which influenced our forefathers in laying out the ground-plan
of their churches; and he is not to be envied who should
1 Deuteronomy xxxii. 13. 2 Apocalypse iii. 7.
3 Walcott's Church and Conventual Arrangement^ 61.
244 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
attempt to impugn their attempt to embody holy doctrines in
external objects and to make the material fabric suggestive of
Christian verities." Mr Poole 1 goes further still : while by the
translators of Durandus we are told that not only the plan of
a church but every detail has symbolic import :
"The whole fabric of a church, its general plan, and its many
details, are capable of expressing religious truth in a symbolical language
of its own. The earthly building is but the symbol of the spiritual
church, the Heavenly Jerusalem. A Christian church always embodied
mysteries of the Christian religion ; always shadowed forth ecclesiastical
polity ; always conveyed instruction in religion and morals. A Gothic
church, in its perfection, is an exposition of the distinctive doctrines of
Christianity, clothed upon with a material form; in Coleridge's words it
is a ' petrifaction of our religion/ Very beautiful is the vision of the
medieval church of England to the eye of faith. Far away, long
before we catch our first glimpse of the city, the three spires of the
cathedral, rising high above the smoke and stir, preach to us of the
most Holy and Undivided Trinity. As we approach, the transepts,
striking out crosswise, tell of the Atonement ; the Communion of Saints
is set forth by the chapels clustering round choir and nave; the
weathercock bids us watch and pray; the hideous forms that seem
hurrying from the eaves speak the misery of those who are cast out from
the Church \ spire, pinnacle, andfinial, the upward curl of the sculptured
foliage, the upward spring of the flying buttress, the sharp rise of the
window-arch, the high-thrown pitch of the roof, all these, overpowering
the horizontal tendency of string-course and parapet, teach us that,
vanquishing earthly desires, we also should ascend in heart and mind.
Deep down, profound, unseen, the Church is seated upon the Rock ;
its foundations are the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the
chief corner-stone. We enter. The triple breadth of nave and aisles,
the triple height of pier-arch, triforium, and clerestory, the triple length
of choir, transepts, and nave, again set forth the Holy Trinity. And
what besides is there that does not tell of our Blessed Saviour :^ Him
First, in two-fold nature, in the double western door ; Him Last, in the
distant altar ; Him Midst, in the great Rood ? Close by us is the font,
for by Regeneration we enter the Church ; it is deep and capacious, for
we are buried with Christ in Baptism ; it is of stone, for He is the Rock ;
its spiry cover teaches us, if indeed we be risen with Him from its
waters, to seek those things which are above. Before us in long-drawn
vista are massy piers, which are the Bishops and Doctors of the Church ;
each is of many members, for many are the graces in each saint ; round
the head of all is delicate foliage, for all were plentiful in good words.
Beneath our feet are the badges of worldly pomp and glory, the charges
of prelates and nobles and knights, in the presence of God as worthless
dross. Overhead rises indistinct in the gloom the high-pitched roof;
angels on the hammerbeams, angels on the collars, angels on the
1 Poolers Appropriate Character of Church Architecture^ pp. 18, 19, 40.
SYMBOLISM OF CHURCHES 245
cornice ; a great host of faithful witnesses, arrested as it were midway
in heavenward flight, spirits of those who, generation after generation,
have gathered within the sacred walls, cherubim and seraphim, thrones
and principalities and powers, quick and dead, church militant and
church triumphant, gathered together in common prayer and worship,
with psaltery and lute and harp singing the praises of Him who is
worthy to receive blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and
power and might. 1 Down below, in the rich deep glass of the windows,
is yet ^ another multitude of saintly forms, each in fair niche enshrined.
Here is the glorious company of the Apostles ; the goodly fellowship of
the Prophets ; the noble army of Martyrs ; the jubilant chorus of the
Virgins ; Kings who have exchanged an earthly for a heavenly crown ;
Doctors of the Church who have taught the faith ; Bishops who have
given in a glad account to the Shepherd and Bishop of Souls. Passing
up the nave, through serried ranks of the Church Militant, we reach the
Rood Screen, the barrier between it and the Church Triumphant, thereby
typifying Death, the portal of Life Eternal. High above it hangs on His
triumphal cross the image of Him who by His death has overcome
death ; on it are portrayed Saints and Martyrs, His warriors, who fight-
ing under their Lord have won their rest, and have entered into
immortality. The screen itself glows with gold and crimson ; with
gold, for they have on their heads golden crowns ; with crimson, for they
passed through the Red Sea of Martyrdom. Through the delicate
traceries of the screen we catch faint glimpses of the Sanctuary
beyond. There are massy stalls, for in Heaven is eternal rest : there
are the sedilia, emblems of the seats of the Elders round the Throne ;
there is the piscina, for they have washed their robes and made them
white ; there, heart and soul and life of all, is the altar with the ever-
burning lights and golden carvings and precious jewels ; even Christ
Himself, by whose only merits we have admission to the inheritance of
Heaven."
Such is an English church as seen by the eyes of a pious
churchman. 2
Much of its mysticism and of its beauty dissolves in analysis.
Transept and aisled nave, pier-arcade and clerestory originally
were not designed to express the dogma of the Trinity;
aisles and clerestories were employed in basilicas in pre-Christian
times ; the triforium arose from the necessity of roofing a vaulted
1 More than a hundred carved figures ornament the cornice of the roof
of Carlisle choir, and many texts in black letter may still be read. " Lift up
your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord." " Praise ye the name of
the Lord." " Praise God in His sanctuary." " Exalt ye the Lord our God,
and worship at His footstool." " O magnify the Lord with me, and let us
exalt His name together."
2 Introduction to Neale and Webb's translation of the first book of
Durandus* Rationale.
246 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
aisle ; the arch was pointed to make that vaulting easier ; the
pinnacle is there to load the buttress ; the flying buttress to
transmit the thrusts of a cross-ribbed vault ; the roof is high-
pitched to throw off the rain and snow of a northern clime ;
sedilia, piscina, altar, chapels all find their origin in the needs of
ritual, not in symbolism ; and so with the rest Though, however,
it is possible greatly to exaggerate the mystical significance of
the planning of the mediaeval church, yet it would be a mistake
to imagine that all symbolism is ex post facto. Of all emblems
that of the Cross is of pre-eminent sanctity to the Christian.
There can be no doubt that many great churches were built
cruciform that their very plan should make the ground bear
everlasting witness to the manner of the death of Christ. Again
and again we see the express instruction given that such and
such church shall be built " in modum cruets!' Such an ever-
present remembrance of the Crucifixion could not but find favour
with the mediaeval ecclesiologist. Yet, strange to say, this
lively and abiding symbolism of the cross-plan is the exception,
not the rule. Even in early Christian days the great majority
of the basilicas, whether in Rome or Ravenna, show no signs of the
cruciform plan. In mediaeval days, indeed, almost all the greater
churches were cruciform in plan. With the parish churches it was
not so. In the twelfth century, indeed, and here and there
sporadically in the following centuries in England and in
Normandy, small cruciform churches occur. But far more
common from the first was the non-transeptal plan ; and as in
later days the parish churches grew in size and importance, the
tendency was more and more to increase their area by the
addition, not of transepts, but of aisles. Boston church, not S.
Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, was the normal type of the English
parish church in the later Gothic. Even in the greater churches
respect for the cruciform plan seldom hindered the builders from
obliterating it to the eye by a conglomeration of later chapels.
In many a parish church also, originally cruciform, e.g., S. Martin's,
Leicester, in later days the aisles were rebuilt as broad as the
transept was deep, and the transept was thrown into the
broadened aisle, thus obliterating the cruciform plan. Uni-
versality then is lacking in the symbolism of the cruciform plan,
where above all it might be expected to be present.
Next to the symbolism of the cross, perhaps nothing
presents itself of more mystic import than the orientation of the
plan, with altar to the east. Yet, strange to say, the orientation
of the church was precisely the reverse in many early Christian
basilicas ; in the great majority of these it was the main entrance,
not the altar, which was at the east At Rome the churches of
ORIENTATION OF CHURCHES 247
S. Peter, S. Paul extra muros} and S. Lorenzo as they were origin-
ally built, as well as over forty others, including the patriarchal
basilicas of S. John Lateran, "omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum
mater et caput? and S. Maria Maggiore, had the altar to the
west ; only about half a dozen of the Roman basilicas had an
eastern apse. In fact the first churches followed the orientation
of the Roman temples, in which Vitruvius recommended that
the entrance should be to the east. It was not till the eighth
century that the eastern replaced the western apse generally.
At all times the Italians attached little importance to orientation.
At Caen also, while the Abbaye-aux-hommes, S. Nicolas and
S. Jean, all point to the east, the Abbaye-aux-dames, S. Gilles,
S. Pierre, and Notre Dame all point to the south.
But whether a church is orientated west or east, the orienta-
tion is often inaccurate. Thus at Rome, out of forty-one
basilicas which point to the west, only twenty-one point due
west. Similarly, of mediaeval churches which are set eastward,
a considerable number are some points north or south of east.
It has been suggested that in these latter the chancel is
orientated to the point where the sun rises on the festival of the
saint to which the church is dedicated. This may be true in
some cases, but the number of contrary instances is too large
to warrant so wide-sweeping a generalisation.
Another curiosity of planning is the not infrequent occurrence
of a deviation of the axis of the eastern limb of the church to
north or south. This is thought to be symbolical of the fact
that Our Lord, dying on the cross, " bowed His head and gave
up the ghost" And as the tradition is that His head sank on
His right shoulder, the axis of the chancel was deflected in
memoriam to the north. This hypothesis has received much
support ; eg., recently from M. Victor Mortet, M. Brutails,
M. Male, M. Anthyme S. Paul, and to some extent from De
Caumont, Viollet-leDuc, and M. Camille Enlart. It is rejected
by M. Choisy 2 and by Comte Robert de Lasteyrie. 3 An almost
1 The first church of S. Paul, that of the Emperor Constantine, had its
doorway to the east in the Via Ostiensis. Its foundations have been
found ; it was a small church. But in 386 it was rebuilt on a much
larger scale, and the altar was set eastward. The Bollandists have a legend
that Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, seeing a church that had been
built on another axis, swung it round to the east by a push from his shoulder,
thus placing it in its right position.
2 Histoire rf Architecture > ii. 473-
3 For an exhaustive account of the facts and theories see Comte de
Lasteyrie's "La deviation de ?axe des eglises, est-elle symbolique?""io. the
M'emoires de tacadtmie des inscriptions et belles-lettres >, vol. xxxviu, 2nd
Part ; Paris, 1905 (305).
248 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
fatal objection is that not one of the liturgists of the Middle Ages
mentions the deviation of the axis. Now it is a first principle of
ecclesiastical symbolism not to suppose symbolical intent or to
accept an explanation founded on such supposition if it be not
proved to be contained in the writings of the Fathers or of the
ancient liturgists. So far from this, Durandus, one of the most
eminent of the latter, says that the chancel ought to look straight
to the east, " recte inspiciat versus orientem> videlicet versus ortum
solis equinoctialem? Nevertheless, if the deviations were always
to the north, the hypothesis would be admissible ; one could only
conclude, not that it was not there, but that it had in some
unaccountable way escaped notice by the ancient liturgists. In
most cases where it occurs the deviation is to the north. It is
curious that out of twenty Roman basilicas which do not point
true west, only two lie to the south of west ; all the rest tend
more or less to the north-west M. Brutails 1 asserts that almost
invariably the deviation is to the north in the mediaeval churches.
De Caumont 2 observed a deflection to the north in more than
a hundred churches of the twelfth and thirteenth century. In
England also a marked deviation to the north is common ; e.g.,
in the cathedrals of Lichfield, Bristol, and Old S. Paul's, and the
abbey churches of Whitby, Bridlington, and S. Mary's, York.
On the other hand, in several important English churches, e.g.,
the cathedrals of Canterbury and York and the abbey churches
of Tynemouth and Selby, there is an equally marked deflection
to the south. So also in France, Comte de Lasteyrie gives a long
list of churches with a southern deviation of axis, including
Domfront, La TrSnite at Angers, Le Dorat, S. Gilles, S. Germer,
the Kreisker, Vzelay, S. Germain-des-Pres, Nimes cathedral,
and S. Hilaire de Poitiers, S. Nicholas-du-Port near Nancy,
Preuilly, and S. Savin. If, then, deviation of axis be significant
of the inclination of the head of Our Lord, we can only say that
the tradition is by no means uniform. Moreover, representations
of the agony of Our Lord on the cross were exceedingly rare
till the twelfth century or later ; in that century Our Lord was
still usually represented on the cross with body straight and
head high, not leaning on the right shoulder. Now of the
churches mentioned above, some were set out in the eleventh
century. Is it likely that their planning had reference to a scene
which it still pained good Christians to represent ?
What, then, is the rationale of a phenomenon of so frequent
occurrence? In some few cases, doubtless, especially in town
churches, the deviation of the axis of the chancel was due, like
numerous other irregularities of plan of common occurrence,
1 Uarchtologie du moyen age } 9, 8 Ab&tdaire, 299.
DEVIATION OF AXIS 249
simply to the cramped nature of the site. Such an explanation,
however, would hardly hold of a monastic church, built in the
open country on an unencumbered site. In such a case as this
some other explanation must be looked for. Now in mediaeval
building bad work was done as well as good, just as at present ;
some churches were built with rock-like foundations, like Amiens ;
others, like the nave, choir and transept of Peterborough in the
twelfth century, the west front in the thirteenth, the eastern
chapels in the fifteenth, with hardly an apology for a foundation.
So it was also with the planning. Of two twelfth-century
churches, Dorchester priory and Romsey abbey, the former is
set out with perfect accuracy, while the latter is casual in the
extreme, varying almost from bay to bay. Some of this was
due simply to carelessness, though some allowance must be
made for lack of instruments of precision. With the aid of these
it is now possible for two gangs of miners starting many miles
apart to bore through the Alps, and make their tunnels meet
within a few inches. Without such aid the old men found it
difficult to keep a long church straight. In some English
churches more than 500 feet separates east and west A slight
initial error in the setting out would assume formidable
dimensions. There was besides a special difficulty nearly
always present when a new choir was built ; this was the survival
of the old choir. Nowadays we pull down before we build up.
But in the Middle Ages it was the rule to retain the old building
for worship while the new one was being built. If the plans of
Canterbury be examined, it will be found that the original choir,
that of Lanfranc, was of the same breadth as the nave. But the
next choir built, that of Conrad, is broader than the nave. This
was to allow its being built on either side of and around
Lanfranc's narrow and low choir. The same is the case at
Selby, Lincoln, York minster, Tideswell church, and frequently
elsewhere. In such a case it was impossible to see whether the
axis of the new choir was being set out precisely in the line of
that of the old nave. With modern instruments there would be
little difficulty. But the old men had not modern instruments.
In most cases, not in all, they did their best. Certainly the
better of the builders had no wish to build a crooked church.
Indeed it is recorded that the architect of a church at Metz,
built between 1371 and 1409, in which there is a pronounced
deviation of axis, " ashamed of having made his work so crooked,
died of grief and distress? Mr Choisy x reminds us that at
S. Peter's, Rome, the builders had a narrow escape of getting the
nave out of line with the choir. Nor is such a contingency
^Histoire ^Architecture^ ii. 437.
32
2 SO DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
impossible even now, in spite of our modern appliances. At
Aberystwyth, there has been built recently by degrees a rather
long, cruciform church. When the temporary east wall was taken
down, it was found that the new choir had a most perceptible
list to the south. If that can happen nowadays, we need not be
surprised that many a mediaeval church is crooked. When the
present choir of York minster was set out late in the fourteenth
century, measurements to the west were stopped by the still exist-
ing twelfth-century choir. In this last-mentioned choir again, it
had been equally difficult to obtain correct alignment ; for when
it was begun, there was standing an eleventh-century choir.
Before that there had been one, if not more, Anglo-Saxon choirs.
Every one of these choirs tended to produce errors of alignment
in its successor, and these errors are summed up in the crooked-
ness of the present choir. With such a history as this behind it, is
it surprising that there is in York choir the insignificant deviation
to the south of two feet four inches ? Selby abbey choir, in the
same way, is the successor of the Norman choir and that probably
of one or more Pre-Conquest choirs ; here there is a deviation of
five feet to the south. So with many others.
There is, however, a class of churches to which these con-
siderations apply with less force, viz., homogeneous structures,
built " d'un seul jet? Some few of our smaller churches fall
into this category, but very few indeed of the great cathedral,
monastic, or collegiate churches ; of the latter Salisbury cathedral
is the chief example. In the He de France Gothic, on the
other hand, this class is comparatively large ; it includes great
cathedrals, such as Notre Dame, Paris. But even these churches
are hardly ever, if ever, homogeneous throughout. Closer in-
spection reveals, e.g., in Notre Dame, that the church was really
built in sections. Now when a section was built, e.g., the choir,
or the choir, transepts, and eastern bays of the nave, then, in
order to enable the section completed to be used for worship, it
would be enclosed to the west by temporary walling, and the
presence of this screen of masonry would make accuracy of
alignment difficult. On he whole, we conclude that it is quite
unnecessary to invoke symbolism as an explanation of the
deviation of the axis of the eastern limb of a church.
While, however, symbolism cannot be proved to have had
any ^ considerable influence in determining the plan of the
mediaeval churches, it was undoubtedly employed to a very
great extent elsewhere ; and a very great amount of mediaeval
art is quite unintelligible without some acquaintance with the
symbolic import of the representations. To some of the more
important of these we now turn.
THE FIRST PERSON OF THE TRINITY
251
THE TRINITY
The Trinity is hardly ever represented in Norman sculp-
ture. In Gothic days the Trinity is a group in which the
First Person in human form holds in front of him the crucified
Son, and a dove issues from his mouth, or from the mouths both
of Father and Son. This is very common in the later stained
glass, and on fonts and bosses (3).
A favourite geometrical emblem is that shown below ;
which reads "The Father is not the Son, the Son is not
the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost is not the Father; the
Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God."
Another device consists of three circular rings interlaced, and
inscribed Trinitas Unitas. Cf. 288, 276.
THE FIRST PERSON OF THE TRINITY
God the Father is not represented by a full-grown figure
before the thirteenth century; in the sixteenth century He
often wears pontifical robes and a tiara. The First Person
occurs more often in Old Testament than in New Testament
scenes; of the latter the chief are the Baptism, the Transfigura-
tion, the Agony in the Garden, and the Transfiguration. The
earliest representation is that of the Divine Hand issuing from a
cloud : this occurs in a tomb in the Catacombs, dated A.D. 359,
in which Moses Is shown receiving from God the tables of the
Law. The reference may be to such texts as " His right hand
and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory"; "Thy hands
have made and fashioned me " ; " Thou openest Thy hand, they
are filled with good " ; " The works of His hands are. verity and
judgment." The Divine hand appears in the Bayeux tapestry
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
over the church of S. Peter; in the Romsey crucifix; on the
Norman font in Lenton church, Notts. 1
THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY
The Second Person of the Trinity is represented symbolically
in early Christian art as Orpheus and as the Good Shepherd ;
also as the Lamb of God ; by the Cross, by the Alpha and
Omega, by the fish, rarely by the lion, and by various monograms.
In Anglo-Norman sculpture three representations alone occur:
the Lamb, the Cross, and I.H.C. In the early days of
Christianity Christ is always represented as a youth, a beardless
youth, an Orpheus, or a Good Shepherd ; in mediaeval art He is
no longer a youth : He is the Man of Sorrows. One marvels
at the change. Unspeakable were the horrors of the mediaeval
life ; but were they worse than life in the Catacombs, with daily
prospect of torture and martyrdom ? Nor is it easy to com-
prehend why Orpheus was such a favourite of symbols of Christ
in the Catacombs. It is true that his return from the shades
with his lost Eurydice was taken in later days to typify Christ's
sojourn in Hades as amplified in the Gospel of Nicodemus ; but
in the Catacombs this scene never occurs. It is always the same,
Orpheus with his lyre among the listening beasts. After the
third century Orpheus disappears from Christian art Perhaps
the reason was that this representation had great vogue under
the last Antonines, especially Alexander Severus, and was
depicted with such frequency "in Pagan mosaics and pavements
all over the empire that it did not present to censorious eyes
any Christian significance. Even in remote Britain, Roman
pavements had the conventional representation of Orpheus ; e.g.,
at Barton, Wilts., Horkstow and Winterton, Lincolnshire. The
most ancient symbol of Christ is the Good Shepherd bearing on
His shoulder the sheep that was lost ; in the end this entirely
supplanted that of Orpheus. This symbol also was without
import to a Pagan, and might escape the outrage which would
have followed any attempt to portray Our Lord in person. The
symbol of the Good Shepherd died out before the eleventh
century, and does not reappear till the sixteenth century ; even
then it is rare. But in the Catholic Liturgy the imagery of the
Good Shepherd has never disappeared, for the " Ordo Commen-
1 In modern Jerusalem may be seen rudely painted (or colour-washed)
over the main doorway of many houses a large representation of a hand.
It is called the "hand of power," the idea being that it is the Hand of God
stretched forth in blessing. G. C. N.
THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY
253
dationis Animae " runs " Constituent te Christus Filius Dei vim
intra paradisi sui am&na virentia et inter oves suas verus ille
Pastor agnosc&t?
Another very ancient symbol is that of the Vine a symbol
which had been employed greatly in the Old as well as in the
Agnus Dei.
South Brent, Devon.
New Testament It was very common in the decorations of the
Roman houses, and could therefore be employed with a
Christian import without danger. The vine is exceedingly
common in the early Christian art of the West ; it is yet more
common in Byzantine art; so much so that when one ^sees the
vine in western Romanesque there is almost a prima facie reason
254 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
to believe that it is of Byzantine origin. So sacred was the
vine to the early Christians that its presence alone was sufficient
to symbolise the Christian faith ; eg., on the tomb of Constantia
at Rome.
Naturally Christ appears very frequently as the Lamb of
God, "Agnus Dei." In the Apocalypse this symbol occurs no
less than twenty-nine times. It is to be noted, however, that in
early Christian art the Lamb was not a symbol of Christ, but
of the soul of the Christian here on earth, or brought back
to the fold by the Shepherd, or listening to the instruction of
the Church at the feet of his gentle Master; more rarely it
represents the soul in Heaven. It is not till much later that
the Lamb became the symbol not of the Christian, but of Christ.
In the twelfth century the Lamb occurs with cross and nimbus.
In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Lamb occurs with
cross, nimbus, and chalice, e.g., Kirkburn font, Yorkshire ; or with
cross, nimbus, and banner of victory, e.g., Helpringham font. In
the thirteenth century occurs the Lamb of the Apocalypse with
seven horns and seven eyes opening the book with the seven
seals ; also, rarely a Lamb with horns. In the fifteenth century
a Lamb with nimbus occurs, resting on a closed book. It was
common to regard the sacrifice of Isaac as typifying that of
Christ. This was rendered more plausible by a little " accommo-
dation " of the two scenes. On the one hand Isaac may be seen
bound on a cross, with a ram whose horns are caught in the
thicket ; on the other the " Agnus Dei " may be a horned lamb
or even a goat
CHRIST IN GLORY
In the Romanesque of the Continent lintelled doorways are
far more common than in England. Where such exist, the
tympanum above the lintel and below the relieving arch affords
an excellent field for sculpture. From the thirteenth century
our doorways were less and less frequently constructed with
lintel andtyrnpanum, and consequentlysculptured ornamentabove
doorways ceases. Where the tympanum has figure sculpture,
the favourite representation is the glorified Christ, seated on a
throne, and holding a book in His left hand, while His right
hand is raised in the act of benediction ; e.g., Adel, Yorkshire ;
Prestbury, Cheshire; Essendine, Rutland all of the twelfth
century. " I am the door," said Our Lord ; it was natural,
therefore, that the usual sculpture above the doorway should be
that of Our Lord. Above the porch the Crucifixion is not
Z53 "
4-"
a
to
I
j-,
a
o
2 $6 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
infrequent ; but over doorways it is nearly always the Glorified
not the Crucified Saviour that is depicted.
VESICA PISCIS
As has been said, Our Lord in Glory is represented as
seated on a throne. Now the prophet Ezekiel (i. 26) writes
"And above the firmament there was the appearance of a
throne - and upon the likeness of the throne there was the
likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. . . And
I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness
round about As the appearance of the bow that is m the cloud
in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round
about This was the appearance of the likeness of the Glory of
the Lord/ 1 In the Apocalypse (iv. 2) the Great White Throne
is ao-ain described" And behold, a throne was set in heaven,
and One sat on the throne. ... And there was a rainbow round
about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. Now m
Norman and Gothic sculpture the figure of Our Lord is very
frequently enclosed in a border of pointed oval shape. It may
well be that this oval or mystic almond, as it is also called, may
be intended to symbolise the Glory of God. In later Gothic art,
instead of a geometrical border, it often becomes a glowing,
nebulous splendour, such as can well be represented in stained
glass. Another name for it is vesica piscis, given to it because of
its supposititious resemblance to the bladder of a fish the fish
being one of the emblems of Christ. The Vesica Pisris is used
both of the three Persons of the Godhead and of the souls of the
blessed 1 (255).
THE PELICAN IN PIETY
The symbol of the PELICAN is exceedingly common in
mediaeval art. It had been noticed that at the top of its long
bill the bird has a crimson spot. This was enough for the
mediaeval naturalist, 6 <vcrioAo'yo?. The pelican, he says, feeds its
young with blood from its own breast. And when mediaeval
naturalist and mediaeval theologian join hands, we get this
edifying comment from S. Augustine and others on Psalm cii. 6 :
" I am like a pelican in the wilderness" "The pelican,' 1 we are
told, "fervently loveth her young birds. Yet when they be
1 It may be noted here that it was usual to represent God the Father,
Our Lord, and the apostles with bare feet, but not the Blessed Virgin or
the saints.
THE PELICAN 257
haughty and begin to wax hot, they smite her in the face and
wound her, and she smiteth them and slayeth them. And
after three days she mourneth for them ; and then striking
herself in the side till the blood runs out, she sprinkleth it upon
their bodies, and by virtue thereof they quicken again. In like
manner Christ was beaten and buffeted by the children of men,
and yet shed His blood to give them eternal life." So, in
Pelican in Piety.
Aldington, Kent.
memory of the love and sacrifice of Christ, He is called by
Dante nostro pelicans Shakespeare, in Hamlet, re-echoes the
ancient fable:
" To his good friends thus wide Fll ope wy arms,
And like the kind, life-giving pelican,
Refresh item with my blood."
The Rites of Durham describes "/* goodly fine lectern of
brass, with a great pelican richly gilt, billing her blood out of her
breast to feed her young ones"
, 33 . ''. ..', : ' ' -'. . '.
2 5 8
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
SACRED MONOGRAMS
Various monograms arose from the selection of different
letters of the name of
Jesus Christ, whether
written IHCOUS
XPICTOS, or VoO?
X/wrbs. Of these the
most famous is that
which appeared to
the Emperor Con-
stantine, outshining
the sun in splendour,
while a voice was
heard, "In hoc signo
vinces" This the
emperor placed on
the standard or lab-
arum of the Roman
legions in place of
the ancient eagle.
It remained in use
under all the Byzan-
tine emperors. It
consists simply of the first two letters of the word XPICTOS;
X =s cA, and P = r. Instead of
this, from the beginning of the
twelfth century a monogram
taken from the first three
letters of IHCOUS, or L/o-ous,
becomes common ; Le., LH.C
or I.H.S; When the latter of
the two became common in
the Western Church, it was
taken to mean also " lesus
Hominum Salvator/' "Jesus
the Saviour of Mankind," and
became in consequence yet
more popular. Another
monogram, found in the Cata-
combs, is formed by combin- w M
ing the initial letters of I^crovs
X/HO-TGS. Numerous other East Harlin & Suffolk: Rood-screen.
combinations occur.
Labarum of Constantine.
SACRED MONOGRAMS
THE FISH
259
The fish is employed as a symbol of Our Lord with great
frequency in ^ Early Christian and Early Romanesque art. There
is nothing Biblical about its origin ; and it is as far removed as
j. H. P.
Monograms of the Sacred Name.
i, 2. From mediasval embroidery. 3. From painted glass, Thaxted Church,
Essex. 4, 5. The mystical fish, from the Catacombs at Rome.
possible from the poetical imagery of the Lamb, the Vine, the
Lion. It is of purely literary origin. It was found that the
letters of the Greek word for "fish," JX6YS, could be ampli-
fied into lyo-ovs X/HOTOS OeoTj Ytbs Sw-np ; ?>., " Jesus Christ, Son of
26O DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
God, Saviour." Augustine, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria,
all accept this interpretation, and speak of the fish as a symbol
of Our Lord. The Greek Church never adopted it.
THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY
The Holy Ghost appears chiefly in representations of the
Creation, moving on the face of the waters, and at the
Annunciation and the Baptism. The Holy Spirit is usually
represented by a dove ; l e.g., on the Norman font at Kirkburn,
Yorkshire. An instance occurs as early as A.D. 359. From
the tenth century the Holy Spirit sometimes appears in human
form, with a roll or book held in the hand. A dove of carved
wood was often placed on the summit of a font cover. But
since it was written, "Be ye harmless as doves? the dove is
also one of the symbols of the Christian believer. It was also
an emblem of peace and rest ; for it is written, " that I had wings
like a dove ; for then would I flee away and be at rest'.'
M. L,
Coronation of the Blessed Virgin.
Boss in York Minster.
1 Matthew iii. i6j Luke iii, 22,
THE BLESSED VIRGIN
26l
THE BLESSED VIRGIN
The emblem of the Blessed Virgin, especially in the scene of
S. Peter. S, Andrew. S. James ye more. S. Johan. S. Thomas. S. James ye less.
J.'.H. P.
S. Phylypoe. S. .Barthylmew. S. .Mathewe. S. Jude. S. Symoru S, Mathyas.
the Annunciation, is the lily, which signifies spotless purity.
But in the Song of Songs the mouth of the Beloved is com-
pared to a lily, the reference being plainly to red lips. The
262 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
flower referred to is probably neither the Lilium candidum
nor the Lily of the Valley, but the scarlet anemone, which
grows plentifully round Jerusalem and in Galilee. Often she is
crowned The Coronation of the Virgin is very frequently re-
presented, e.g., on bosses in York minster (260), Worcester
cloister, and Gloucester nave. 1
THE APOSTLES
In Early Christian art the apostles appear as sheep, six on
either side of the Good Shepherd or of the Lamb of God. But
in mediaeval art they are human figures distinguished by their
emblems, of which the following are the most common :
In the illustration, taken from an ancient print (261), the
apostles are depicted as follows : S. Peter holds keys ; S.Andrew,
the cross saltire on which he was crucified ; S. James the
Greater,, a pilgrim's staff, wallet, and scallop shell ; 5. John, the
poisoned chalice ; S, Thomas, the spear by which he was slain ;
S.James the Less, a fuller's club, the instrument of his martyrdom ;
S. Philip, the cross on which he was crucified (sometimes he
has a basket of loaves, as on p. 61) ; i\ Bartholomew, the large
knife with which he was flayed ; 5. Matthew, an axe, instrument
of his martyrdom; S.Jude, a tall cross-staff (often he holds a
boat, as on p. 82) ; 5. Simon, the saw with which he was re-
puted to have been sawn asunder longitudinally ; 6". Matthias,
the battle-axe by which he suffered death.
THE EVANGELISTS
Of the various representations of the four evangelists, by far
the most common in mediaeval sculpture is that of the four
beasts of the Apocalypse, which may be memorised as ALOE :
A being the angel or man, S. Matthew ; L the lion, S. Mark ;
O the ox or calf, S. Luke ; E the eagle, S. John. They are
exceedingly common in East Anglian fonts of the fifteenth
century, eg., at Saxmundham, Suffolk. At first they were not
applied with exact uniformity, S. Matthew or S. Mark each
being represented at times as man or lion. This symbolism is
drawn from Revelation iv. 6: " And in the midst of the throne
and round about the throne were four beasts, . . . And the first
beast was like a Hon, and the second beast like a calf, and the third
1 In the York vault angelic hands are placing the crown on the head of
Our Lady, while another hand swings a censer behind Our Lord, who holds
the orb of sovereignty in His left hand.
EVANGELISTIC SYMBOLS
263
beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying
eagle? The Apocalyptic imagery is plainly drawn from the
first chapter of the prophet Ezekiel, who, being among the
captives by the banks of a tributary of the Euphrates, saw visions
of God ; when out of a whirlwind and a fiery cloud there came
"the likeness of four living creatures. . . . And every one had
J. H. P.
Ancient Altar Cloth.
Steeple Aston, Oxon.
four faces and every one had four wings. . . . As for the like-
ness of their faces > tfiey four had the face of a man and the face of
a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the
left side; they four also had the face of an eagle? EzekieFs
imagery again is drawn from the winged bulls and the other
strange composite creatures which he saw around him, and
which we may v still see in the Assyrian rooms at the British
Museum.
264 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
The evangelistic symbols are set forth in an ancient hymn :
" Circa thronum Majestatis
Cum Spiritibus Beads
Quattuor diversitatis
Astant animalia.
"Formam primam Aquilinam,
Et secundam Leoninam,
Sed Humanam et Bovinam
Duo gerunt alia.
4 * Hi sunt Marcus et Matthaeus
Lucas, et quern Zebedasus
Pater tibi misit Deus,
T)um laxaret retia,"
In the concluding verse the meaning of the symbols is declared
as follows :
" Natus Homo declaratur,
Vitula sacrificatur,
Leo mortem depredatur,
Sed ascendit Aquila."
THE DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH
In the Eastern Church these are SS. Athanasius, Basil,
Gregory Nazianzen, and Chrysostom ; in the Western, S Augus-
tine, who is usually represented holding a heart ; S. Ambrose,
with a scourge or a beehive ; S. Gregory, with a cross and dove ;
S. Jerome, with a lion and inkhorn. The Doctors of the Church
are often provided with distinctive dress ; S. Gregory with that
of a Pope, S. Jerome with that of a Cardinal, S. Ambrose
with that of a Bishop, while S. Augustine has Doctor's
robes. In a window at All Souls, Oxford, S. Gregory
has the ox of S. Luke, S. Jerome the lion of S. Mark, S.
Ambrose the angel of S. Matthew, S. Augustine the eagle of
S. John, Statues of the Doctors occur or used to occur as
pinnacles on the towers of several East Anglian churches ; on the
tower of Wiggenhall S. Peter, Norfolk, the evangelistic symbols
formed the pinnacles. In the Eastern Church the term saint is
applied to holy men of the Old Testament also ; and we hear
of S, Abel, S. Noah, S. Moses, S. Samuel, and many others.
DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH
265
w. P. w. ;
SS. Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine.
Pulpit at Trull, Somerset.
34
266
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
w. s. w.
S. Jerome.
Westminster.
THE MAGI
267
E. K. P.
S. Ambrose. S. Augustine.
Ashton Rood-screen, Devon.
THE MAGI
Of the three Wise Men, Gaspar is usually aged, and has a
long grey beard ; Melchior is in the prime of life, and has a short
beard; Balthazar is young and beardless; sometimes he is a
negro, with thick lips and curly hair (95).; In the scene of the
Adoration they are generally crowned kings ; for it is written :
" The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents ; the
Kings of Sheba and Saba shall offer gifts ; yea^ all kings shall fall
down before Him'' In similar fashion, to show the fulfilment of
ancient prophecy, an ox and an ass appear in the scene of the
Nativity. 1 They are not mentioned in the New Testament
1 The illustration is from the thirteenth-century wall arcading in Wor-
cester cathedral : the figures comprise the Blessed Virgin, S. Joseph, and
the Child, an ox and an ass (268).
268
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
The Nativity.
Worcester Cathedral.
account; but Isaiah had written "The ox knoweth his owner
and the ass his master's crib!' And so, in the words of .an
old carol
"ftr and ass before Him bow,
And He is in the manger now;
Christ is born to-day?
THE SIBYLS
The Sibyls are frequently represented in mediaeval art,
especially in. company with the Prophets. They are ten, or
more often twelve, in number, and were supposed to have
prophesied the coming of Christ A detailed account of them,
with illustrations, is given in the first appendix to Husenbeth's
Emblems The Sibyls form part of the famous pavement of the
cathedral of Siena, where they are incased in white marble.
Complete sets of twelve remain on the painted rood-screens of
Bradninch and Ugborough, and nine on that of Heavitree,
Devon.
THE SHIP OF THE CHURCH
THE CHURCH
269
A ship riding safely amidst the storms of life was a favourite
early symbol of the Church ; sometimes S. Peter is at the helm,
so that the reference may be to Our Lord walking on the sea.
Sometimes instead 'of a ship a floating chest, or area, appears, in
which kneels a saint, the prototype being the ark of Noah. 1
Norman examples of the ark building and the ark afloat
occur on the west front of Lincoln minster. Also in Salisbury
chapter house, Noah is seen in the ark. 2 Sometimes the Church
j. H. P.
The Christian Church. The Synagogue.
From painted glass in Bourses Cathedral.
1 "With its ship-like character," said Durtal, "Chartres strikes me as
amazingly like a motionless vessel with spires for masts and the clouds for
sails, spread or furled by the wind as the weather changes. It remains the
eternal symbol of Peter's boat which Jesus guided through the storm."
' " And likewise of Noah's ark the ark outside which there is no safety,"
added the Abbe. J. K. Huysmans, LaCatktdrale.
For a more sober account of the symbolism of Chartres cathedral, see
paper by Mr G. H. Birch on " Christian Iconography in S. Pants Eccledo-
logical Society^ i. 9.
2 It may be mentioned here that Jews were generally represented with
the conical caps they were compelled to wear in the Ghetto,
270
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Synagogue.
Rochester : doorway of Chapter House.
THE SHIP. OF THE CHURCH 271
appears as a crowned female figure, holding a cross in one hand
and in the other a chalice or church. Opposite may be another
female figure, symbolising the Synagogue, sometimes blind-
folded ; with broken spear or banner, a crown falling from her
head, and the broken tables of -the Law from her hands ; eg., in
the doorway of Rochester chapter house, where the figure at a
recent restoration was supplied with a moustache.
This is how Mr W. J. Blew sings of "The Gallant Ship of
Christendom " : *
" Up to the wind, nor wild nor free
She steers ; her course right on is set ;
Though crags lie low upon her lee,
The headland shall be weathered yet."
"To windward all; look up and hail
The blowing of that goodly breeze ;
Fresh life it gives to hearts that fail,
And strength unto the feeble knees."
" So steady so like winged sea-fowl
She breasts the wind ; on each broad sail,
Through stay and shroud, the white squalls howl,
And rattles the sharp spray like hail."
" Yet stands she, as on Lebanon
The trees that be her fellows stand
Time-worn and stained as years roll on,
Yet staunch as from the builder's hand."
" Though weed and wave have dimmed the gold
Of Judah's lion on her prow,
Sound is the treasure in her hold,
Her sheathing shines like gold below."
"The Red Cross from her topmast flies,
And white as snow her silver field ;
Her Ancient blue as summer skies
Bears the Lamb crowned and pennonceled ;
While charged with richest blazonries
Hangs aft S. Michael's dragon-shield."
1 In appendix to his translation of Medea (Rivington, 1887). The verses
quoted are but a small part of a noble poem, which should be known to all
churchmen*
272
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
" Bear on, brave bark, with forward shoot
Cleave the curled wave, the billowy swell ;
The high mast trembles to her root,
She feels it I that her keel can .tell,
As it lifts to the leap of her merry forefoot
At the cry of the watch, * All's well.' "
" Her taut spars like a Cretan bow
Arch with the wind ; taut stands each stay ;
He slumbers not nor sleeps who now
Holds the brave, galley on her way."
THE DEVIL
is only represented in the
Catacombs as the Serpent
tempting Eve ; but from the
tenth century appears as the
conventional hideous monster,
or as a dragon in the scene
from the Apocalypse, in which
he is described as " that great
dragon" and is overcome by
. S. Michael. On the west
front of Lincoln minster and
elsewhere he may be seen on
his back with fetters round
his arms and legs, while Christ
tramples on him, and holds
him down by thrusting into
his mouth the butt end of
the Cross. This scene is
from the apocryphal Gospel
of Nicodemus, and was
termed the Harrowing, t.e.,
the Harrying or Spoiling of
Hell.
T. N. B,
Hell Mouth.
Horning Church, Norfolk.
273
Hell Mouth.
Bench end, Banning, Kent,
35
2/4 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
HEAVEN AND HELL
The Early Christian Church delighted in depicting Paradise ;
the Mediaeval Church in graphic realisation of the torments of Hell
In the Catacombs Hell is not
represented ; but they are full
of the joys of Paradise, green
pastures by still waters,
where the birds flutter in the
branches of olive and palm
and rose, or peck at the grape
or fig, or drink from limpid
fountains, and the saints are
gathered together at the table
of their Lord, waited on by
Irene and Agape, "Peace"
and " Love." In . mediaeval
art Hell appears as a seeth-
ing caldron or as the open
mouth of a monster from
which issue flames. 1
1 The scene on the bench end
at Banning, Kent, is the normal
one of the Spoiling of Hell, as
given in the Gospel of Nicodemus.
Our Lord in cruciferous nimbus
and holding a staff tipped with a
cross (not seen in the photograph)
is taking Adam by the right hand,
Eve being behind. The treatment
of the subject at Banning is deter-
mined by the peculiar shape of the
base and the curve behind, the
figure of Eve being magnified to
fill up the space behind Our Lord.
She "is not mentioned in the nar-
rative in the Gospel of Nicodemus,
which runs as follows : xvii. 13,
"Then the King- of Glory. tramp-
"* C ' B ' Hell Mouth. lin u P n death and took an
earthly father, Adam, to his glory."
North Cray, Kent. x i x . x . " Then Jesus stretched
forth His right hand and said,
*Come to me, all ye my saints. 3 " 3, "Then presently all the saints were
joined together under the hand of the most high God ; and the Lord Jesus
laid hold on Adam's hand and said to him" ... 12, "And taking hold
THE SOUL 2/S
It is to be noted that the representation of Hell Mouth as
the jaws of a monster is foreign to Byzantine art ; in Western
art the earliest examples appear to occur in English MSS, of
the tenth and eleventh centuries.
THE SOUL
In the Catacombs the soul is represented as an Orante, a
slender girl, tall and dignified, and heavily draped, with hands
uplifted to heaven. A medal in the Vatican, depicting the
martyrdom of S. Lawrence on the gridiron, shows an Orante by
his side rising to heaven. In medieval art the soul is generally
depicted as a tiny babe, usually naked, issuing from the mouth
F. H. C.
Boss in the Vault. S. Mary's, Beverley.
of a dying person, or standing in the lap of Our Lord, as in
Lady Percy's tomb in Beverley minister,- If there are several
babes, the bodies may be omitted. In an interesting example
illustrated in Mrs Barber's Drawings of Ancient Embroidery^
the souls are in the lap of Abraham^ commemorating the fact
that Lazarus was taken up into Abraham's bosom.
of Adam by his right hand, He ascended from Hell, and all the saints of
God followed Him." c. xx., "Then the Lord, holding Adam by the hand,
delivered him to Michael the archangel" The following plates in vol.
Ixvi. of the Archaeological Journal should be consulted, vii. 321 ; viii. 323;
ix. 325; x. 327 ; xiii. 333 (G, C, D.). The same scene is represented in
stone in a window at Dorchester, Oxon., illustrated in the writer's Intro*
duction to English Ckurch Architecture, vol. 1.^.261.
2 ;6 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
t+T
ffix
W. E.
INSTRUMENTS OF THE PASSION 2JJ
THE CROSS
Though the cross was held in the greatest reverence by the
Early Christians, the symbol of the cross is hardly ever found in
the Catacombs before 312 A.D., perhaps because it was dangerous
to exhibit a symbol known to be associated with a proscribed
religion. It appears in a mosaic at Ravenna about 440, and is
thenceforth common. The Tau cross was the symbol of eternity
with the Egyptians, and was borne by Thoth. It may have been
introduced as a Christian symbol by the Coptic Christians. The
Tau cross is an emblem of S. Anthony of Egypt, and is worn
by the Order of the Knights of S. Anthony, instituted in 1352.
In Norman sculpture the Maltese cross is usually employed ;
it has arms of equal length which expand at the end ; as a rule
it is enclosed in a circle, e.g., Wold Newton, Yorkshire. Other
types of cross are figured on p. 276. 1
THE CRUCIFIX
The crucifix does not occur till the fifth century ; and till the
eleventh century the body of the Crucified is always shown
clothed, sometimes in the robes of the High Priest. The object
of the early representations was rather to depict the triumph of
the Son of God over death than the sufferings of the Son
of Man.
THE CROWN OF THORNS
is associated not only with Our Lord, but with S. Francis of
Assisi, S. Catherine of Siena, and others.
INSTRUMENTS OF THE PASSION
These may include the ladder, the thirty pieces of silver, the
dice-board and the dice, the seamless robe, the cock, the spear,
1 It is a common error to suppose the cross of an archbishop to be the
equivalent of the crook or crosier of a bishop, and to have been carried by
him. As a matter of fact he carried a crosier like other bishops. The cross
he did not carry ; it was borne before him in processions. But in brasses
and memorials an archbishop is sometimes represented as holding in his
hand his cross as an emblem. In the upper line of p. 276 are shown
a Latin cross, a Maltese cross, and the cross of an archbishop ; in the
second line a papal cross, a cross fleuri, and a Tau cross ; in the third
line a fylfot, a cross saltire, and a pentalpha or pentangle.
278
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
the sword, the pillar and scourges, the hammer and nails, the
crown of thorns, the cross, the goblet of vinegar, the fist that
buffeted Him, the ewer used by Pilate, the cup of wine and
From Poppies in the Chancel of Cumnor Church, Berks.
Crown of Thorns and Nails,
in stained glass.
S. Peter's Sword,
from a MS. in the Bodleian Library.
J. H. P.
Scourges, from Abbot Ramrigg's Chantry, S. Albans Abbey.
myrrh, the lantern, the lance, the pincers, a rope or chain for the
deposition of the body, winding sheet and spices in a vase. A
very elaborate set is painted on the wooden vault of Winchester
choir; they are common on East Anglian fonts; fine examples
occur at the back of a bench at Fressingfield, Suffolk (283) ;
;IN!STRUM;ENTS OF THE PASSION
2/9
Passion Emblems.
Bench end at Sutcombe, N. Devon.
others at Swaffham, Norfolk, Horsham, Sussex, Mildenhall,
Suffolk, Llanrwst, Wales (280), and elsewhere, 1
1 At Fressingfield, Suffolk, is the best carving on bench ends in
England. On the back bench, locally known as the "Passion bench,"
the subjects are as follows: (i) Cock crowing; (2) the buffet and jug of
vinegar ; (3) I. H. C. ; (4) whipping pillar, cords and scourges ; (5) the
cross, crown of thorns, and nails ; (6) the spear and sponge; (7) hammer,
pincers, and ladder ; (S) seamless coat and dice-board (284). On the screen
at Llanrwst" the subjects are : (i) The cross and crown of thorns ; (2) Agnus
Dei ; (3) hammer, pincers, nails, lantern, ladder, cock, pillar and cords,
spear ; (4) I. H. C. (280). At Sutcombe, Devon, the five wounds are shown
(279) ; also the hand of Judas grasping a purse (290). Cf. p. 102.
280
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
1
THE NIMBUS
THE NIMBUS
281
In the religious art both of Buddhism and of Greece a golden
halo round the heads of gods and saints is quite familiar. At
first it was an emblem of power rather than of sanctity ; for
among those who possess it are the emperors Trajan, Justinian
and Charlemagne, King Herod and Satan himself. It may also
occur on allegorical personages such as Charity and Poverty.
The nimbus does not occur on Christian monuments till the
sixth century. All early nimbi were circular ; the triangular
form is not found before the eleventh century, and the square
nimbus, as characteristic of a living person, is not employed
before the eleventh century. The nimbus in the form of an
j. H. P.
The Assumption of the Virgin.
From sculpture in Sandford Church, Oxfordshire.
282 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
equilateral triangle does not occur before the fifteenth century,
and is usually reserved for the First Person of the Trinity, or for
the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit. The cruciferous nimbus,
a cross inscribed in a circle, is almost invariably restricted to
Our Lord 1 (255).
THE AUREOLE
This is not so common as the nimbus ; it came into existence
later, and disappeared earlier. The nimbus surrounds the head,
the aureole the whole person. The aureole is emblematic of
the encircling radiancy of the Divine Glory, and is based on the
account of the Transfiguration and various other passages. 2
The aureole is especially devoted to the Deity, though it is
associated with the Blessed Virgin. It is possible that the
vesica pisris (p. 256) is a variant of the aureole. The aureole is
seen in a representation of the Assumption of the Virgin at
Sandford, Oxon, (281), and at Tideswell (3).
PRAYER
In Pagan and in Early Christian art, the attitude of prayer
was with uplifted hands. In mediaeval art also this may occur ;
and is perhaps the explanation of the strange figure on a capital
of the doorway of S. Woolos, Newport, Wales. 3
Even in late days the primitive attitude of prayer survived ;
for /Elfric, writing at the end of the tenth century, says of King
Oswald, M., that
" Wherever he was, he worshipped God
With the palms of his hands uplifted heavenward.' 7
NUMBERS
In Christian symbolism by far the most significant number
is seven. It is written of Job, "In seven troubles there shall
no evil touch thec " ; and in Proverbs, " Wisdom hath hewn out
her seven pillars"
1 On the Nimbus, see Geldart's Manual of Church Decoration and
Symbolism and British Archaeological Association^ x, 332.
- "The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire" on Mount
Sinai (Exodus xxiv. 17). So also at the dedication of Solomon's temple,
u the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (i Kings viii. 11).
And in the Apocalypse John saw one "like unto the Son of Man ; and His
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Revelations i. 16).
3 Illustrated in Gothic Architecture in England, 421.1.
SYMBOLISM OF NUMBERS
28 3
C. F. N.
Passion Bench, Fressingfield.
There were seven days of creation. On the seventh day of the
seventh month a holy observance was ordained to the children
of Israel, who fasted seven days and lived seven days in tents.
The seventh day was to be observed as a Sabbath, and at
the end of seven times seven years came the great year
. of Jubilee. Pharaoh in his dream saw seven oxen and seven
ears of corn. The Israelites compassed the walls of Jericho
seven times. Samson was bound with seven bands. . Naaman
was told to bathe seven times in the Jordan. Jacob bowed
himself seven times before his brother. Balaam built seven
altars and prepared for sacrifice seven oxen and seven rams.
In the Apostolic Church seven men were appointed deacons.
The week has seven days, and the seventh day is the Sabbath.
The Catholic Church has seven sacraments:
firmation, Penance, Eucharist, Orders, Matrimony, Extreme
Unction ; these are represented on many fonts. The seven-
branched candlestick of the Jewish temple may still be seen at
Rome on the Arch of Titus. In a Christian church a seven-
branched candlestick or a group of seven lamps is illustrative of
the passage, " There were seven lamps of fire burning before the
throne^ which are the seven spirits of God" (Revelations iv. 5).
284 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
The prophet Isaiah (xi. 2) enumerates the gifts ^ of the Spirit as
" the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord:' To
these the Vulgate adds a seventh, Piety. Psalms vi., xxxil,
xxxviii., 1L, ciL, cxxx., cxliii. are penitential psalms, seven in
number. There are seven deadly sins : Avarice, Elide, Quarrel-
s^cacmess, Eavy, Drunkenness, Luxury, Anger, JLust There
are seven cardinal virtues: Generosity, Humility, Piety, Pity,
Modesty, Temperance, Patience, Chastity. The seven joys of
o. o. .
Fressingfield.
the Blessed Virgin were the Anminciajij&n, the Vjsitafcion, the
Nativity, the A4o^^oa-^-4h^JVIagi, the Presentation in the
Tsnaple, the finding*aLl^ the Temple,
tja#*Jlssumpion. The seven dolours are the Prophecy of
Simeon, the Flight into Egypt, losing Christ in the Temple,
the Betrayal of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Deposition from the
Cross, and the Ascension. At the consecration of a Catholic
church the altar is sprinkled seven times in remembrance of the
seven outpourings of the precious blood of Christ ; the first
whereof was at cijncurncision ;*the second in prayer in the garden ;
the third at the scourging j.the fourth from the crown of thorns;
SYMBOLISM OF NUMBERS
285
the fifth from the piecGe4- hands ; the sixth when His feet were
nailed to the cross ;7the seventh when His side was pierced with
the spear. Moreover, there are seven champions of Christendom :
S^^G^Oxge-ef-Eftgland, S. Andrew of Scotland, S. David of Wales,
S. Patrick of Ireland, S. Denis of France, S. James of Spain,
S. Anthony of Italy. No wonder that in the eyes] of the
c. o.
Fressingfield, Suffolk.
mediaeval churchman a special sanctity attached to the number
seven. But not to the Christian only was seven the mystic
number of perfection. There were seven wise men in Greece.
Shakespeare distinguishes seven ages of man. At Mecca the
pious Moslem passes round the sacred stone seven times. Jacob
served an apprenticeship seven years for the love of Rachel ; and
gave the precedent for the seven years of apprenticeship to a
trade which till recently were customary. The lease of a house
286 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
is wont to be for seven, fourteen, or twenty-one years ; seven
years of penal servitude used to be a customary sentence for
crime. We come of age when our years are three, times seven ;
when our years are three score and ten it is time to go.
On the other hand the number nine, in spite of its marvellous
mathematical properties, was of little account to the Christian.
Outside Christianity we hear of the nine tailors, the nine lives of
a cat, the nine points of the law, the-cat-o'-nine-tails, and the
cheer of three times three.
o. K.
Fressingfield.
With the number forty there were many associations. The
Deluge lasted forty days, and Noah was shut up forty days in
the ark. The Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness,
and forty years were they in bondage to the Philistines. Moses
was forty days on the Mount Elijah lay in concealment forty
days. Jonah preached " yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown." Our Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness.
Forty days of rain are due after a wet S. Swithin's. Sanctuary
privilege was good for forty days, and quarantine used to last
the same period.
C. O. R.
Fresslng-field.
FressingfielcL
288 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
COLOURS
The symbolism of colours is far too intricate to be worked out
here. An extraordinarily minute and fanciful account of the
symbolism of colours, jewels, and odours, and indeed of ecclesi-
astical symbolism in general, especially as found in the cathedral
of Chartres, will be found in La Cath/drale, by J. K. Huysmans,
translated by Clara Bell (Kegan Paul, 1898).
Fressingfield.
GEOMETRICAL FIGURES
Two may be of mystic import. Naturally the Equilateral
Triangle is sacral, as expressive of the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Pentalpha or Fuga D&monwn had a great repute among
exorcists; it is not uncommon as a centre-piece in window
tracery. It is formed by connecting two equilateral triangles;
which being done, the figure is found to contain the letter A
repeated five times. It occurs on a slab at S. Laurens, Jersey,
and the tomb of Coeur de Lion at Fontrevault (276).
THE MONTHS AND SEASONS
289
THE FYLFOT OR SWASTIKA
This mysterious emblem has a literature of its own ; it is
fully discussed in vol. xlviii. of the Arch&ologia. It occurs in
the mediaeval churches and the Catacombs ; it was found also
at Troy by Dr Schliemann, and is common in Indian and
Chinese art (276).
Fressingfield.
THE MONTHS AND SEASONS
These are favourite subjects, especially on Norman door-
ways, tiles, misericords, and stained glass. The Four Seasons
occur on a Norman font at Thorpe Salvin, Yorkshire. Perhaps
the most complete set of the months is that on the fourteenth-
century capitals in the choir of Carlisle cathedral. Many
examples, in fine preservation, may be seen on the west front of
Amiens and on the great west doorway of S. Mark's, Venice.
37 . '. ' : " ' ' .''. . : '.. '. ' ' '
290
DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
THE ZODIAC
The signs of the Zodiac are particularly common over
Norman doorways, e.g., Barfreston, near Dover. They are well
seen on a Norman
lead font at Brook-
land, Kent. 1 The
sign of the Zodiac,
Sagittarius, is often
represented by a
Centaur shooting
with a bow and
arrow ; very fre-
quently in company
with Leo or other
animals, e.g., West
Rounton font and
capitals at Adel,
Iffley, and Lulling-
ton, Somerset. The
Months and the
Zodiac have been
treated exhaustively
by Rev. S. Pegge in
Arch&ologia, x. 177 ;
Mr James Fowler,
ibid.) xliv. 137 ; and
Mr R. Brown, ibid.,
xlvii. 337. See also
Arch. Cantiana, iv.
89, and Journal of
British Archceological
Institute, vi. 159.
EMBLEMS OF
MORTALITY
It was not till the
later days of Gothic
art that repulsive
representations of
Time and Death,
skeletons and skulls,
The hand holding the bag of silver.
Bench end at Sutcombe, Devon.
1 Illustrated in Arch.
Cantiana, iv. 87.
EMBLEMS OF MORTALITY 29!
came into vogue. In the Greek Church Time had been repre-
sented as a beardless youth ; and in the Campo Santo of Pisa
Death is a stately angel. On the Elizabethan and Jacobean
monuments the emblems of mortality are exceedingly common.
In Broxbourne church, Hertfordshire, on a monument of 1609,
Sir Henry Cock, his two wives, his daughters, and four grand-
daughters, all hold skulls in their hands. To the Puritan, a little
later, death was a yet more repulsive idea. With the Renais-
sance came in also Pagan symbols : the broken column, and the
cinerary urn in which there were no ashes.
w. D.
Poppy Head.
Barningham Parva, Norfolk.
PART III
CHAPTER XX
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS
Early Christian Emblems Eucharistic Vestments Processional Vest-
mentsGeneric Emblems Specific Emblems.
IN this chapter a list is given of the chief emblems of the mediaeval
saints. The emblems of the Early Christian saints are omitted, simply
because they were for the most part unknown to mediaeval people.
Vast numbers are still to be seen in the Roman Catacombs, and they
have been described and illustrated with scrupulous care. 1 But in the
Middle Ages the Roman Catacombs, with a few insignificant exceptions,
were unknown, till on May 3ist, 1578, workmen engaged in excavation
fell through the roof of one of the underground chambers, and attention
was called to the existence of these long-forgotten incunabula of the
Christian Church. From" that time much study was devoted to their
contents, which, mainly through the work of Marchi and the brothers
I)e Rossi, are now familiar. But since the abandonment of the Cata-
combs commenced as early as the invasion of the Goths in A.D. 537,
and since the rediscovery of them did not take place till A.D. 1578, the
mediaeval symboliser had and could have no direct knowledge of their
contents. In this chapter, therefore, little reference is made to
Symbolism in Early Christian Art ; it forms a subject in itself.
The emblems of the saints may be divided into two classes, the
Generic and the Specific. The former are emblems of a class; the
latter of an individual martyr or of individual martyrs, l^usysjmliy^a
rrflwn r>r ja^jalm^ J^g^^J^J" e g^ that the saint who hastEem was a
njgEtyT. But a basket of apples is""a specific emblem ot $. Dorothy, and
a scythe of SS. Sidwell and Walstan. In many cases the emblem is
sometimes used generically, and sometimes specifically. The latter is
the case when a crown is worn by persons who are of royal blood ; <?.*.,
Edward the Confessor, S. Etheldreda of Ely, S. Catherine of Alexandria,
not because they have won the crown of martyrdom.
1 See Northcote and Brownlow^s Roma Sotteranea and the bibliography affixed to
the article on "Catacombs" in Smith and Cheetham's Dictionary of Christian
Antiquities.
ECCLESIASTICAL VESTMENTS 293
It is not to be supposed that the saints were invariably depicted
with their emblems. Sometimes the emblem would be unknown to the
artist; especially would this be the case where such inconspicuous
saints as Januarius, Prosdecimus, Gildard, and Desiderius are represented,
as in the north aisle windows of Wiggenhall S. Mary Magdalen, Norfolk ;
or where, as in this church, there was attached a label or scroll to the
representation of each saint ; e.g., in these windows SS. Aldhelm, Sixtus,
Sampson, German, Cuthbert, Botolph, Januarius, Giles, Swithun, and
others all wear mitres and the eucharistic vestments of bishop or abbot,
and hold a crosier in one or both hands, or a crosier and a book, or the
left hand holds a crosier and the right is raised as in the act of benedic-
tion. Evidently these are conventional representations intended merely
to signify that the saint was an abbot or bishop, and not specific
emblems. Moreover the emblems vary : e.g., S. Matthew.
As the eucharistic vestments are so commonly represented, especially
in stained glass, in which as a rule they are shown with great care and
accuracy, it may be worth while to give a short description of them.
Then, as now, Catholic priests were buried in their eucharistic vestments,
well-worn vestments being reserved for that purpose. Naturally, there-
fore, most brasses of priests show them thus habited. As a large
proportion of them are brasses of parish priests, they are usually of
moderate size. TJie Mass vestaj fints..ai&. .pujt Mt on^ija. l j3ie
pray Cf-being-. jsai d. jdlile^each, vestn^.^_nt_ij5_l3ging._put-i3n : r
Atoiee ; 2, the_lb ; 3, thejjirdle ; 4, the Stole ; 5, thej^aniple ; 6, the
1. THE AMICE. The amice was always of linen, and was a
mediaeval invention. Originally it must have been a hood ; for still
the priest first places it upon his head, with the prayer, "Impone,
Domine, capiti meo gakam salutis (the 'helmet of salvation') ad
expugnandum diabolicos incursus " -, moreover, in effigies at Towyn and
Beverley minster the amice is drawn over the head as a hood. In
shape it was rectangular, about 36 inches by 25 inches, and was fastened
by strings encircling the body. On the upper edge of it was sewn a
strip of embroidery called an apparel^ which, when the vesting was
complete, formed a stiff standing collar. A glimpse is sometimes
obtained of the linen portion of the amice in front of the neck between
the two ends of the apparel. See SS. Martin (69), Dunstan (68),
Lambert (125). Q^^&X*----
2. THE ALB.-^^-In ragan Rome under the early empire a common
form of tunic was the flowing robe with sleeves called the dalmatica.
In time this went out of fashion among laymen, but was retained in the
Church by the conservatism of the ecclesiastics. Sylvester, Bishop of
Rome, 253-257, ordained "ut diaconi dalmatica uterentur in ecclesia."
A loose flowing robe, however, must have been very inconvenient
during baptism by immersion, and by the ninth century it is found in
illuminations as a tight-fitting robe convenient for baptismal and
other offices as well The material was usually but not always linen,
nor was the colour invariably white. Sometimes the alb was plain, but
294 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
usually there were sewn or otherwise fastened to it rectangular strips of
embroidery or apparel^ e.g., S. Dunstan (68). In brasses apparels are
shown between the feet and upon the wrists. In the early albs the
apparel invariably encircles the whole wrist ; later it shrinks to a small
square patch sewn on the part of the sleeve which is toward the back
of the hand. It should be noted that the term " apparel " is applied
only to a strip of embroidery on the alb or amice ; when used elsewhere
it is called an orphrey.
3. THE GIRDLE. As the alb was always of great length, it was
necessary to pull up the lower part of it through the girdle and let it
hang over above it. The girdle is therefore not visible ; but its presence
implied by the disposition of the alb and stole when the latter can be
seen, as in a brass at Upwell, Norfolk.
4. THE STOLE. The stole is a descendant of the Q&&%%I, which
seems to have been a narrow strip of cloth, originally, perhaps, in the
early empire merely a napkin used to wipe the face, " ora," but granted
to the Roman people by the Emperor Aurelian as a favour or badge of
distinction. In the seventh century this is found in the form of the
present stole worn by deacons, priests, and bishops alike, and worn
precisely in the same fashion as at present. The stole is a narrow strip
of embroidery or orphrey work nine or ten feet long, and two or three
inches wide. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries it is widened
out at each end ; afterwards it was uniform in width. By a priest the
stole is crossed over the breast and secured in that position by the
girdle of the alb. Deacons secured it over the left shoulder and under
the right arm; thereby approximating the disposition of the stole to
that of the ancient Roman orarium. Bishops generally do not cross
the stole. Usually only the fringed ends appear, except where, as in
brasses at Upwell, Norfolk, and Sudborough, Northants, the priest is
not wearing the chasuble. 1 See SS. Thomas (130), Dunstan (68).
5. THE MANIPLE. The maniple, fanon, or sudarium, was also
originally a napkin. Its use was enjoined on deacons as early as 253
to 257 by Sylvester, Bishop of Rome. Its object is plainly stated by
S. Ivo of Chartres and Amalarius of Metz ; it was to wipe off perspira-
tion and moisture from the face and eyes. At first it was worn over the
fingers of the left hand ; later, probably because it was constantly liable
to slip off, it was placed over the left wrist, and buttoned or sewn to
the sleeve. In form it resembled the stole, but was only about three
feet long. JLfe^KaA r f r ing^iJ ^jnfi ffofjp^tfd with rrphrjgy wnrl^ See
S. Thomas (130).
_ ^ 6. THE CHASUBLE. -In Pagan Rome the outer dress of the Roman
citizen was originally the toga; but for outdoor wear it was ultimately
superseded by the penula, casula, and planeta. In the sixth century of
our era the last was worn by nobles and senators. It was a sort of
large poncho, passed over the head through a hole in the middle. As
early as the time of Sylvester, the alb, orarium, and planeta were worn
1 For Sudborough, see illustration in Haines' Brasses, Ixv. ; for Upwell, see
illustration in BuuteH's Series of Monumental Brasses,
ECCLESIASTICAL VESTMENTS 295
by priests. Except when worn folded at certain seasons, its use was con-
fined to the celebrant at Mass ; it is therefore the Eucharistic vestment
par excellence ; in fact the word vestimentum applies strictly, not to a
set of Mass vestments, but to the chasuble only. It was usually of the
most costly materials and richly decorated. The earlier chasubles are
circular in front, the later ones are usually, but by no means always,
pointed. Mr Macalister estimates the cost, according to the present
value of money, of a set of vestments purchased by Henry the Third as
follows : A cope, $6i. 25. 6d. ; tunic and dalmatic, ^269. 25. 6d. ; two
chasubles, ^265; an alb, ^"5.^73. 6d. ; a mitre, ,1,230. The
inventories of Lincoln minster in 1536 enumerate 265 copes, 52
chasubles, 2 dalmatics, 94 tunicles, and 131 albs (68, 69).
EPISCOPAL VESTMENTS. The above are vestments of a priest, worn
at the most solemn moments of his life and at death. Those of a
bishop are more elaborate still. On the principle that the clergy of the
higher orders do not cease to belong to the various orders through
which they have passed, they are entitled to wear the insignia of the
lower orders to those of the higher. A bishop's vestments, when
celebrating on greater and more solemn occasions, comprise (i) those of
the priest, viz., the amice, alb, girdle, stole, maniple, chasuble; (2) the
falmfljjf- flfjthft dffiiCQ**-; (3) the tunicle of the sub-deacon ; (4)
the episcopal insignia, viz., stockings, sandals, gloves, ring, mitre,
pastoral staff or crosier. In addition to all these an archbishop adds,
(i) the pall, (2) tVjg rrnsc; gtg.ffj which, though shown sometimes in his
hand, as a matter of fact was not carried by himself, but by his chaplain.
The order in which the vesting took place was i, amice ; 2, alb ;
3, girdle ; 4, stole ; 5, maniple ; 6, tunicle ; 7, dalmatic ; 8, chasuble ;
9, pall.
1. THE DALMATIC. The dalmatic is the Roman tunica dalmatica^
of which, as has been said, the alb is a tight-fitting variant. When worn
by the bishop, it was shortened so as to allow the tunicle to be seen.
For the dalmatic see S. Stephen (55).
2. THE TUNICLE. This was another variant of the Roman tunica
dalmatica. Both tunicle and dalmatic were richly embroidered and
fringed. For the tunicle and dalmatic see S. Dunstan (68).
3. THE STOCKINGS. These were originally appropriated to the
pope. They were richly ornamented.
4. THE SANDALS. The open sandal of the Roman citizen was
retained by the monastic orders. On a brass at Kilkenny Bishop De
Ledrede is represented (c. 1350), though in episcopal dress, with the
Franciscan sandal. The tradition of the sandal survived in the open-
work patterns in the upper portion of the shoe, through which the bare
flesh appeared, or, in later days, the colour of the episcopal stocking.
About the fourteenth century open-work shoes were abandoned in
favour of a closed shoe of modern character.
5. THE GLOVES. Originally, no doubt, their object was to keep the
hands warm in a damp and unheated church ; later they came to be of
white netted silk with a jewel or plate of gold on the back. They had
296 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
quite lost their utilitarian purpose c. 1130. See SS. Martin (69),
William (138), Dunstan (68).
6. THE RING. The episcopal ring proper was only one of a large
number of rings which might be worn by a bishop, the others being
probably purely ornamental and secular. It was worn on the third
ringer of the right hand, and above the second joint of that finger, not
being passed, as rings are now, down to the knuckle. It was usually
kept in place by a plain guard ring. It was always a circlet, with a
precious stone, never engraved, which was usually a sapphire, but
sometimes an emerald or ruby.
7. THE MITRE. The mitre is not represented before the beginning
of the eleventh century, when it is a simple cap, low and hemispherical,
without a cleft, e.g., S. William (138). Very soon, however, the cleft
appears, producing the double-pointed mitre. Till the fourteenth century
mitres were low. Afterwards, with the exception of those of the brasses
of Bishops Pursglove and Bell, they become tall, and were richly
ornamented with embroidery and jewels, e.g., SS. Martin (69),
Dunstan (68). Henry VIII. removed from Fountains abbey a
silver gilt mitre set with pearls and stones which weighed seventy
ounces.
8. THE PASTORAL STAFF. The pastoral staff is also termed crosier,
a word which has nothing to do with " cross." From the top of the
staff was suspended the infula, which was not a survival of Constantine's
banner, but was placed there to keep the moisture of the hand from
tarnishing the plated staff, The crook is turned to the right or left at
random ; and is not significant, as is often stated, of external or
domestic rule.
9. THE CROSS STAFF. The pastoral staff is significant of the
dignity of feishtfp or^febot, the r^^H-fr nf that- n flr^hhjgVp On
some foreign brasses an archbishop is represented carrying both in
accordance with the principle stated above.
10. THE PALL, The pall is of uncertain origin : it was already in
use c. 820. ^ In form it was a loop of white lambs 7 wool passing round
the neck, with two tails, one in front and one behind. It was fastened
to the chasuble by pins, e.g., S. Dunstan (68), but sometimes a plummet
of lead was attached to its extremities instead, to keep it in place. On
it were always crosses, four to eight in number, originally worked in
purple but now in black. It appears in the shape of a Y or T. An
archbishop was expected to go to Rome on election to receive the
pallium in person, and not to wear it outside his province ; when he
died, it was buried with him. The-^^lliuni is the only vestment which
may not be lent by one cleric to another.
Memorials of mitred abbots show them as a rule in the episcopal
vestments described, e.g., the brass of Abbot Delamere at S. Albans.
Quite distinct from the Eucharistic were the Ppocj^g^^L or CHOIR
^2SJ S ' &b ve . the underclothing was worn (i) the Cassock, which
ongmauy was lined with fur. Unlike modern cassocks, it was not worn
with a sash, nor had it a row of buttons from neck to hem like " a boiler
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS 297
with a close row of rivets." (2) Above the cassock was worn the
Surflice, which is practically an alb. Both the surplice and the alb
were slipped over the head till enormous wigs came in fashion in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when they were made open in
front, and secured at the neck with a button. (3) Then came the
Almuce, a fur-lined hood, which was worn turned back. (4) Then came
the great Cope, or cloak, fastened in front of the breast by a big morse
or brooch. See S. Mardn (95).
GENERIC EMBLEMS
ARROW. This usually means that the individual saint was shot with
arrows, e.g., SS. Sebastian, Edmund, Christina. But it is probable
that the presence of an ajrrpw, an^axe, a halkert, a dagger, a clufc,
aj3Dar, a J&nce, ajsasy, etc., often means merely that the martyr
was tortured before"finally being put to death ; i.e., it, is an emblerrLQf
ASPERGE. Used for sprinkling holy water; and as a symbol of holiness
of life.
BOOK. This may mean specifically that the saint was an Evangelist or
was a Doctor of the Church ; or merely that Tie was learned, like S.
Catherine, or a constant attendant at the services of the Church,
like S. Sitha.
CHALICE. This, with or without the Host and paten, may mean that
the saint was a priest, the cup from 1215 being forbidden to the
laity. But the chalice is a specific emblem in the case of SS.
John Evangelist, Benedict, Richard of Chichester, and Barbara.
CHURCH. A church may mean that the saint founded a church or a
monastery ; or may be merely a symbol of high rank in the Church.
CROSS. A cross at the top of a long wand often signifies a missionary
or preacher; e.g., John Baptist and S. Alban (13).
wfrr ng J^jgpW E. Royal rank on earth ; or a saint in heaven.
E. The presence of the Holy Spirit, inspiring writers and preachers ;
or purity of heart ; or a Christian.
FOUNTAIN SPRINGING UP. This may mean nothing more than that
good results followed the saint's preaching and example. But see
S. Peter, p. 327.
HEATUO.RRIED. This may mean merely that the saint suffered ^ death
by decapitation* the usual form of capital punishment in the
Roman Empire, e.g., S. Denis.
T.TT.v_g CT h l nf tKi* massed-Virgin : also of virginity; also of a pure
heart.
PALM. The palm of victory of a martyr.
SCOURGE OR DISCIPLINE. Self-rnortification ; e.g., SS. Boniface and
Guthlac. But specific in the case of S. Ambrose, p. 309.
SKULL. Contemplation of mortality and preparation for death; e.g.,
S. Jerome.
SWORD. Death by decapitation.
33
298 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
Sometimes a symbol is merely a rebus ; i.e., a play on the name of
the saint- e.g., SS. Cornelius, Agnes, Hoiofius, Sidwell, Hippolytus:
the last name signifies "torn by horses."
SPECIFIC EMBLEMS OF INDIVIDUAL SAINTS
ALMS. S. Elizabeth of Hungary.
ALTAR. Prayer at or before, S. Clement and S. Canute, K.M.
Murdered before, SS. Iho mg<; ^ Cmtffrbury and Winifred.
ANCHOR. SS. Clement, Felix, Nicholas.
AN<;EL. S. Matthew, etc.
ANVIL SS. Giles and Adrian ; his wife holding Adrian's hands on an
anvil to be chopped off.
APPLES. SS. Dorothy and Nicholas.
ARMS AND LEGS CUT OFF. S. Adrian.
ARMOURED. SS. George, Michael, Maurice, Panqras of Rome, Victor,
Armil, Eustace.
ARROW. SS. Sebastian, Edmund, Cosmas and Damian, Uisula, Giles,
Christina.
AsphRc.ic. SS. Benedict, Peter, Robert of Knaresborough, Martha, etc.
Axic. Laid to the root of an oak, S. Boniface.
BAG OR BAG-PURSE. SS. Matthew, Sitha; Judas Iscariot. "
BALL OF FIRE. S, Benedict
BALLS, Three or Six. S. Nicholas.
BARN. S. Bridget of Kildare.
BASKET. SS. Philip, Dorothy, Sitha, Elizabeth of Hungary.
BATTLE-AXE. SS. Olave, Alphege, Thomas of Canterbury.
BEARDED WOMAN. SS. Wilgefortis, V.M., Barbara, Galla.
BED OF IRON OR BRASS. S. Faith.
BEEHIVE. SS. Ambrose, Bernard, John Chrysostom.
BEGGAR. SS. Elizabeth of Hungary, Martin, Alexis, Giles, Medard.
BELL. SS. Anthony, Benedict.
BELLOWS. S. Genevieve.
BLIND RESTORED TO SIGHT. SS. Magnus, Birinus, Vedast, Wulstan.
BIRDS. SS. Macentius, Paul the Hermit, Remigius, Blaise, Erasmus.
BOAR, Wild. SS, Anthony, Blaise.
BOAT. SS. Jude, Mary Magdalene, Julian Hospitaller.
BOATHOQK. S. Jude.
"--BODKIN OR BORER. S. Leger, S. Simon of Trent.
BUTTLE AND SHEARS. SS. Cosmas and Damian.
Bow. S. Sebastian.
BOWELS. SS. Erasmus, Vincent.
Box, Money. S, Matthew.
Box OF OINTMENT. SS. Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea,
Cosmas and Damian.
BOYS IN TUB.
SS. Brandan, Bridget of Kildare, Kentigern.
BREAD. See LOAF.
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS 299
BREAST. Serves as altar, S. Lucian. Pierced or cut off, SS. Agatha,
'Sophia and her daughters.
BRIARS. S. Benedict.
BROOM. SS. Petronilla and Sitha.
BULL, Brazen. SS. Eustace and Polycarp.
CALVES.- S. Walstan.
CANDLE. SS. Genevieve, Beatrix, Blaise.
CANOE IN HAND. S. Vincent.
CARDINAL. SS. Jerome, Mark.
CARPENTER'S SQUARE. SS. Thomas, Jude, Matthew.
CART DRAWN BY HORSE. S. Bavo.
CASKET. SS. Cosmas and Damian, Mary Magdalene.
CAULDRON. SS. Lucy, Cecilia, Erasmus, Cyriacus, John Evangelist,
Felicitas, Boniface, Cyprian.
CAVE. SS. Benedict, Blaise, Leonard, Giles.
CHAIN. SS. Leonard, Ninian, German, Ignatius, Radegund, Leonard,
S. Peter ad mncula, S. Bridget of Sweden.
CHAFING DISH. S. Agatha.
CHALICE. SS. John Evangelist, Benedict, Barbara, Giles, Richard of
Chichester, Thomas Aquinas, Bruno.
CHASUBLE. Filled with stones, S. Alphege. R^d^ha^uble, S. JTbomas
CHEST. Standing before open chest, S. Etheldreda. Filled with gold,
S. Rumold.
CHILDREN, Three. S. Nicholas.
CHRISM. S. Remigius.
CHURCH. SS. Botolph, Helena, Osmund, Peter, Withburga, Martin,
etc.
CLOAK. Dividing, S. Martin. Spread out before him, S. Alban.
CLUB, Fuller's. SS. James the Less and Simon.
CLUB. -In his hand, SS. Jude, Boniface, and Fabian. Set with spikes,
SS. Nicomede and Vitalis. Beaten with, SS. Lambert, Magnus,
and Valentine.
COALS. Hot coals in lap or hand or vestment, S. Brice. Brought
by acolyte in his surplice, S. Lambert.
COCK. Crowing, S. Peter.
COFFIN. In a boat, S. Ouen.
COLT. Near, S. Medard.
COMBS.- Iron, S. Blaise.
COOK. Wearing an apron, S. Evortius.
CORONATION. Edward the Confessor.
CORPSE. In a coffin before him, S. Silvester.
Cow. Wild, S. Perpetua. Red, SS. Bridget and Morwenna.
Cows AND OXEN. S. Cornelius.
CRIPPLE. Clothed, \_Efelii^^ ^^* s. Martin.
CROCODILE. Under feet, S. Theodore.
CROW. See RAVEN.
CROSS, Triple. Any Pope. Cross in the air, S. Ouen.
300 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
CROWN OF THORNS. SS. Francis of Assisi, Cajhene .of Siena,
William of Norwich, and King Louis.
CRUCIFIX. SS. Bruno, Dunstan, Thomas Aquinas, Columba, Francis,
etc.
CRUCIFIED HEAD DOWNWARD. SS. Peter and Philip.
JC&IIE3& Two. S. Vincent.
CUP. Poisoned, with dragon or serpent issuing from it, SS. John
Evangelist and Benedict. With dagger, King Edward, M.
Covered cup, S. Mary Magdalene.
DAGGER. SS. Olave, Canute, King Edward, M., Agnes. It is often
the gej^rit. symbol. of/Leatb by g-g
'
.
DALMATIC. SS. Gervase and'jProtasius, Vincent, Leonard.
DART. SS. Lambert, Cosmas and Damian.
DEACON. SS. Lawrence, Vincent, Quintin, Leonard.
DISH. Silver dish broken and given to the poor, S. Oswald.
DISTAFF. S. Genevieve, etc.
DOES. S. Giles. Two does looking up to S. Withburga.
DOG. With loaf in his mouth or licking the wounds of S. Roch.
DOVE. SS. Bridget of Sweden, Catherine of Alexandria, Fabian, Lo,
Remigius, Evortius, Hilary, Gregory, etc.
DRAGOX. SS. George, Michael, Margaret, Armil, Guthlac, Silvester,
Martha, Julian, German, etc.
EAGLE. SS. John Evangelist, Gregory, Medard, Augustine of Hippo.
EARS. Three or five ears of corn, S. Walburge or S. Bridget of
Kildare.
ESPOUSAL, to the Saviour. S. Catherine, M., and J^-f^^ri n^ nf Sipnff
EWER. S. Vincent.
EVES. Carrying, S. Lucy. Plucked out, S. Leger. Executioner's eyes
fall out, S. Alban.
FALCON. SS. Bavon, King Edward, M,
FAWN. S. Blase.
FEATHER. Instead of palm, S. Barbara.
FERRYMAN. S. Julian Hospitaller.
FETTERS. Holding, SS. Leonard, Quentin, Egwin. SS. Ninian (chain),
German.
FIRE. Before him, S. Patrick. Near him, S. Barnabas. Extinguished
by prayer, S. Aidan. Passing through unhurt, S. Boniface. Above
the head, SS. Lo, Martin, Bridget of Kildare. See FLAME.
FiSH.SS. Raphael Archangel, Andrew, Simon, Jude, Boniface, John
of Bridlington, Eanswith, Egwin, Peter, Zeno.
FISHING ROD. S. Zeno.
FLAMES. -Walking on, S. Anthony. Stabbed in flames, S. Polycarp.
In his hand, S. Vincent. Near or over her, S. Bridget of Kildare.
See FIRE.
FLOWERS. SS. Dorothy, Cecilia and Zita.
FONT, near him. SS. Patrick, Remigius, Silvester.
FOOTSTEPS, Imprinted on Stone. S. Medard.
FORGING HORSE SHOES. S. Eligius or Eloy.
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS 3OI
FOUNTAIN, SS. Clement, Boniface, Julitta, Augustine of Canterbury,
Ives, Riquier, Leonard, Humbert, Paul, etc.
FRANCISCAN HABIT. SS. Anthony of Padua, Bonaventura, Francis.
FRUIT. SS. Dorothy and Anne.
FURNACE, Thrown into. S. Victor of Marseilles.
GEESE. Three, S. Martin. Wild, S. Milburga. In wolfs mouth, S,
Vedast.
GIANT. S. Christopher.
GIRDLE. SS. Thomas, Margaret, Thomas Aquinas.
GLOBE, at his feet. SS. Bruno, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius.
GOAT, Devil in shape of. S. Anthony.
GOOSE. In wolfs mouth, S. Vedast By side, S. Martin.
GOSPEL of St Matthew in hand. S. Barnabas ; of S. John, Edward
the Confessor.
GRAIL, Holy. Joseph of Arimathea.
GRAVE, Stepping into. S. John Evangelist.
GRIDIRON. SS. Lawrence, Vincent, Faith, Cyprian.
HAIR, Flowing. SS. Mary Magdalene, Agnes.
HALBERT. SS. Matthias, Matthew, Jude.
HAMMER. SS. Adrian, Eloy, William of Norwich.
HANDS CHOPPED OFF. S. Martha, etc.
HANDKERCHIEF. S. Veronica.
HARP. SS. Cecilia, Dunstan.
HATCHET. SS. Matthias, Matthew.
HAWK. S. Julian Hospitaller, S. Edward, K.M., etc.
HEAD. Carried in hand or in platter, or on the ground, SS. John
Baptist, Clair, Denis, Alban, Firmin, Winifred, Sidwell, Osyth,
Decuman, etc.
HEAD of S. Oswald carried by S. Cuthbert.
HEART. SS. Augustine of Hippo, Benedict, Clare, Francis, Quintin,
f Siena.
HEART WITH I.H.S. S. Ignatius.
HERMIT, SS. Christopher, Jerome, etc.
HILL, Preaching on. S. David.
HIND. S. Giles, S. Withburga, etc.
HOLY WATER VESSEL AND ASPERGE. S. Martha.
HOOK. SS. Vincent, Agatha, Leger, Hippolytus.
HORN. SS. Cornelius, Oswald, Hubert.
HORNS. Moses.
HORSE LEG, shoeing of. S. Eloy.
HORSES, torn by. S. Hippolytus.
HORSE AND CART. S. Bavo.
HUNTER. SS. Eustace, German, Hubert
IDOL, Broken or Falling. SS. Philip, George, Wilfrid,
INFANT. SS. Brice, Elizabeth.
INKHORN. SS. Jerome, Matthew.
INSTRUMENTS OF THE PASSION. SS. Bridget, Gregory, Bernard.
ISLAND OF SERPENTS, S. Hilary.
302 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
JUG. S. Vincent.
KEYS. S3. Peter, Hubert, Sitha or Zita, Egwin, Petronilla, Hippolytus,
Riquier, Genevieve, Blessed Virgin Mary, Dominic, Martha, James
the Great, etc.
KNIFE. SS. Bartholomew, Peter Martyr (in his head or shoulder).
LADDER. SS. Olave, Perpetua, Leonard, Alexis.
LADLE. SS. Martha.
LAMB. SS. Agnes, Genevieve, John Baptist, Catherine.
LAMP. SS. Lucy, Francis.
LANCE OR SPEAR. SS. Hippolytus, Matthias, German, Oswin, Thomas,
Lambert, Michael, Barbara, Philip.
LETTER BROUGHT BY DOVE. S. Oswald.
LIGHT, Pillar of. SS. Cuthbert, Bede.
^ SS. Joseph, Gabriel, Kenelm, Sebastian, Clare, Dominic, Our
Lady,
LIMBS CUT OFF. S. Adrian.
LION. SS. Mark, Jerome, Adrian, Dorothy, Ignatius, Prisca.
LOAF OR LOAVES. SS. Olave, Philip, Nicholas, Sitha or Zita, Cuthbert,
Roch, Gertrude, Paul the Hermit.
LUFE. S. Cecilia.
MALLETS. S. Denis.
MANACLES. S. Leonard.
MASS. SS. Martin, Gregory.
MEDAL ROUND NECK.- S. Genevieve.
MEDALLION. S. Jude.
MILK, Pan of. S. Bridget of Kildare. MILKING. Ditto.
MILLSTONE. SS. Vincent, Christina, Crispin and Crispinian, Victor
of Marseilles, etc.
MONEY. SS. Matthew, Philip, Martin.
MONEY Box OR BAG, OR TABLE. S. Matthew.
MONOGRAM, Sacred. Ignatius.
MONSTRANCE. S. Clare.
NAILS. SS. Giles, Eloy, Quintin, King Louis, William of Norwich, etc.
NAPKIN. SS. Stephen, Veronica.
NECK. Pierced, S. Agnes. Wounded behind, S. Cecilia.
OAK, Felling of, -S. Boniface.
OAR.- SS. Jude, Julian Hospitaller, Aubert.
OATS, Field of. S. Radegund.
OIL. SS. Walburge, Remigius, Vitus.
OINTMENT Box. SS. Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea, Cosmas
and Damian, Joanna.
ORGAN.-A. ^-agjjfc-
OTTERS. S. Cuthbert.
Ox. SS. Luke, Cornelius, Silvester, Leonard, Medard, Julitta, Frideswide,
Polycarp, Lucy.
PAINTING. S. Luke.
PALM. SS. John Evangelist, Catherine ; often a generic symbol of
martyrdom.
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS 303
PEACOCK'S FEATHER. S. Barbara.
PHYSICIANS. SS. Cosmas and Damian, Luke.
PICKAXE. S. Leger.
p IG . SS. Anthony, Blaise.
PILE OF WOOD. SS. Polycarp, Agnes, Agatha.
PILGRIM. SS. James the Greater, Roch, etc.
PINCERS. SS. Apollonia, Dunstan, Agatha, Lucy.
PITCHER. S. Bede.
PLAGUE-SPOT. S. Roch.
PLOUGH. SS. Richard, Kentigern.
POTSHERDS, Bed of. S. Lucian.
PURSES. SS. Nicholas, Edward the Confessor, etc.
PYRE. See PILE.
RACK. S. Vincent.
RAIN, Shower of. S. Swithun.
RAVEN OR CROW. SS. Benedict, Erasmus, Oswald, Vincent, Adrian,
Paul the Hermit, etc.
RING. SS. Edward, K.C., Barbara.
ROCK, Chained to. SS. Martin, Gregory.
RODS. SS. Benedict, Faith.
ROPE. S. Beatrice, etc.
ROSARY. SS. Sitha, Dominic, etc.
ROSES. SS. Dorothy, Barbara, Elizabeth of Hungary, etc.
SALMON AND RING. S. Kentigern.
, SARUM MISSAL. S. Osmund.
SAW. SS. Simon, James the Less, etc.
SCALES. S. Michael, etc.
SCALLOP SHELL ON HAT. S. James the Greater, S. Roch.
STEP-CM. Thft kings Olave, Oswald, Edmund, Edward, C, Edward, M.,
Louis ; Queen Margaret of Scotland and others.
SCOURGE.- SS. Ambrose, Boniface, Guthlac, Gervase and Protasius,
Simon Stylites.
SCYTHE. SS. Walstan and SidwelL
SERPENT. SS. John Evangelist, Benedict, Guthlac, Francis, Patrick,
Hilary, Magnus, Christina, etc.
SEVEN SONS OR HEADS. S. Felicitas.
SHACKLES.S. Leonard.
SHEARS. SS. Agatha, Cosmas and Damian.
SHEEP. SS. Margaret, Genevieve, etc.
SHELL, Scallop. S. James the Greater, S. Roch.
SHELLS, Lying on. S. Felix.
SHIP. SS. Jude, Ursula, etc.
SHOEMAKERS. SS. Crispin and Crispinian, Theobald.
SHOEING A HORSE'S LEG. S. Eloy.
SHRINES. SS. John of Beverley, Omer, Louis, etc.
SICK PATIENT. SS. Luke, Cosmas and Damian.
SIEVE. SS, Benedict, Hippolytus. m m . . .
SKIN FLAYED OFF. SS. Bartholomew, Crispin and Crispinian, etc.
304 DEDICATIONS OF ENGLISH CHURCHES
SKULL. SS. Jerome, Mary Magdalene, Thomas of ir Canterbury,
SNAKES. See SERPENTS.
SQUARE, Carpenter's. SS. Matthew, Matthias, Thomas, Jude, Joseph.
STABBED on horseback in the back or shoulder with a dagger.
S. Edward, K.M.
STAFF BUDDING. SS. Joseph of Arimathea, Etheldreda, Ninian,
Christopher, Aldhelm.
STAG, SS. Aidan, Julian Hospitaller, Kentigern.
STAG WITH CRUCIFIX. SS. Eustace, Hubert.
STAR on, or over head, breast, or in hand. SS. Dominic, Bruno,
Thomas Aquinas, Hugh of Grenoble, etc.
STIGMATA. SS. Emncis, j^i^nej^JS^a* .
STONE OR STONES. Emblem of torture or martyrdom, SS. Pancras,
Matthew, Timothy, Stephen, Alphege, Barnabas, Bavon. Employed
in beating the breast in contrition, SS. Jerome, Barnabas. Loaves
turned into stones, S. Olaf.
SUNBEAM. S. Bridget of Kildare and others.
SWAN. SS. Hugh of Grenoble, Cuthbert, Leger.
SWORD THROUGH NECK OR THROAT. SS. Agatha, Agnes, Lucy.
TAPER. SS. Genevieve, Blaise, Bridget, Felix.
TAU CROSS. SS. Anthony, Philip.
TEETH DRAWN. S. Apollonia.
TEMPLE IN THE SEA. S. Clement.
THORN. Extracted by Joseph of Arimathea from lion's foot, SS. Mark,
Jerome. Lying on thorns, SS. Benedict, Jerome, Dominic.
TIARA. Any Pope.
TONGS. S. Dunstan, etc.
TONGUE CUT OFF. S. Leger, etc.
TOOTH. S. Apollonia.
TORCH. SS. Blaise, Medard, Aidan, Barbara, Dorothy.
TOWER. SS. Barbara, Ambrose, etc.
TRAMPLING. SS. Catherine of Alexandria, Pancras of Rome, Barbara,
Theodore, Optatus, Cyprian.
VANE. S. Leonard.
VASE. SS. Mary Magdalene, Cosmas and Damian, etc.
VEIL. SS. Veronica, Remigius, Agnes, etc.
VERNICLE. S. Veronica.
VIAL. SS. Walburge, Cosmas and Damian, etc,
VIATICUM. S. Petronilla, etc.
^QU^-^S. .Cecilia.
WALLET. SS. James the Greater, Jerome, Roch.
WASHING FEET OF POOR OR LEPERS. SS. Louis, Editha, Th^rn^s of
WELL. S/Sebastian, Sidwell, Sitha, Cyr, etc.
WHEEL. SS* Catherine, Quintin, etc.
WILD BEASTS. SS. Blaise, Magnus, German, Radegund, Columba.
WILD BOAR. SS. Anthony, Cyr, Blaise.
WILD GEESE. S. Milburga and S. Martin.
EMBLEMS OF THE SAINTS
305
WINDLASS. S. Erasmus.
WINDMILL. SS. James the Less, Victor of Marseilles. Above
S. Christopher in Ludlow stained glass.
WINE, Flagon of. S. Elizabeth of Hungary.
WOLF. SS. Vedast, Blaise, Columba, Edmund, Kentigern, Radegund,
etc.
WOOL COMB. S. Blaise.
WOUNDS IN THE NECK. SS. Lucy, Cecilia.
WREATH IN HANDS OR ON HEAD. S. Cecilia.
WRITING. S. John Divine and other Evangelists.
Deviation of Axis of Quimper Cathedral.
39
306
'M. L.
S, Ursula and her Companions.
Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York.
307
CHAPTER XXI
SAINTS AND THEIR EMBLEMS
THE following is a list of the chief saints to whom English
churches are dedicated ; it also includes those who are retained
in the Prayer Book Calendar, and a few of those who appear
frequently in the paintings of rood-screens, wall paintings, and
the like. On the other hand, it excludes numerous saints who
are commemorated abroad, but very seldom, if ever, in England ;
it also excludes nearly the whole of the great crowd of Celtic
saints.
In the second column the following abbreviations are
employed :
A. = Abbot or Abbess. E. Evangelist.
Ap. = Apostle. H. = Hermit
A r. = Archbish op. M. = Martyr.
B. = Bishop. P. = Pope.
C = Confessor. Q. = Queen.
D. = Doctor of the Church or Deacon. V. = Virgin.
In the third column the feast days in many cases are not
taken from the Prayer Book Calendar, but from the Calendars
of Sarum, York, Hereford, and others.
The fourth column gives the date of the saint's death, in
some cases only approximately; the fifth column gives the
number of English churches in whose dedication the saint is
commemorated ; the sixth the page of the present volume in which
the saint is referred to, and the page on which an illustration
will be found.
S -So I
10
tO
w
- to O
*>
co
O
&
1
<} <j-<^ <!
4)
"
.
_
-
|
w
S
E :_
a |
12 "
en > V
ft*
s
8'tjs
1*5*
*5-S-a
d"**-* 3
c soS
*!!
SScS
,q rt ** O
S *ll
|<!
^ .-gj}
OJ
JD
8
O
1
Jg
00
S
O O O
n- n "
^- O
o to
VO T^
VO
o
to
ON . M
f-t<
"I" |
H
S H
.0
QU.
PEj '
O
t: -a
a?
5-2 fl
"S S *S &
P g .3 .fr
310
CU
I isilliii !'fc"iif|iiB{fi
SU B .g(2 3^5 ^ 1.1(2
88
S
10
VO
eg ON o^
M W ^
to to to
O to Tj-
to r- to
* .s
O IO
to ^
M ON f^js
a; M N w o
*l*t! *a-|
* *"^ /^ P ^ S
O K-jS *
1
fl
a 2 si
. >
a
PQ
J
I
S
o
ed
OT *3"
S ^
1
!
i
W
W
&
HH
w
H
Z
<
V)
m
?
CO *O
CO
' ON S> co ^
4
H
I
'C.
s-
-
pq
g
-HI
3"
00
in
O HI
<g o
N ^ "*
S? ^- o
VO '^
10
ca
CO
10
-S e *
S 8s
1 s
^^
CO
vo
M
I'
ON
0)
C
S
PQ
Si
CJ
O
a
S
6
a s
3x3
40
inued
"W
I
%
3
PQ
W
W
H
<
LO :-
g vases o
truments,
ulapius.
may hav
d robes a
d to a tre
ther. Th
necks.
dral, and
d car
o
d
Wit
" c
Atte
ts of
ending sick man. Holdi
f ointment, or surgical in
tus, or the rod of ^Es
d and executed; and so
or be crucified. With furr
rking as shoemakers. Tied
ir skins to be used as leath
with millstones tied to their
a statue in Durham cathed
he is in episcopal costume
ald. With ott or swans
po
ap
tor
sw
dge
In
Methley,
of S. Os
of light.
00
IH-
o *o
O N
'a'
cq
M O
00 .
10
W
O
CO
C NO
S H.
Constantine
Cornelius -
Cosmas and
Damian
Crispin and Cris-
pinian
Cuthbert -
Cuthburga
1
s
a '
"o '
&"&
314
s
2
S
$5
39
S?
00
VO H M
00.
v
ON ON
-
V?
to
oo
4
1
VD
a*
u u S 8
' w ffi
O
M
Dominic
t
1
Q
Duns
315
1
s
PS
S
W
w
E
II
1
i If
g
w
S ^
00
M VO
VO
I
vg vo ^ *>
M v? *S S
C ^ W H
j!?jtj'j?t}
** S co o
o cssCoo
1
" pa
^ 1
.
O'C a oi ->*,.
g8Ss|*&;jr
jfSfi^iij
* S -S o ^9 rt co ii
11 f!
g ta a .-3
*58*
19? 8l
<y * <y _e! O
P-S^
I^Jtf-a
.53 x'* S-2
_"' Is
S.as.S.r,,
'o -w "5 . ST
l!?i
Hill I
S 2 g)
' s .a|^S'S
l-gsll ffi |
o <* w c S
s
tf S
JTD
? ci
tt
.
"
T-S-l^s'S &-JIIII ll^ s^.s liu^'-fl'-s -
fs--!ifli:-i8ii^ S :iii^s s iss|
8"
04
M SO
in
x CO
o
00
CO ^i
a; "C
Y
T
V:
SP*
:
1. <
PQ
-J'
>*?
fl S gk
fi x ?
0g
O O
318
_
s
O
i |
310
$
a
i
s
I
w
i
&
H
'
J2i
S
fc
CO.
"
- *3 .
O C rj 03 03
a s s 1 -a
O a; > -^ S
C i j3 !> bO p,
s^ll
8 s 2 1 s S.-8
S^JwSGxK'S
O >> O O rl
! 3 ii *
,WJS
5*8
d rt
&
111
s i 1 a*
H
H
CO
2
m
M
jW
1/5 N O> O\ M W
ON
to
M
1
? ? 2 -8 5
M W ' g.
00
vo
ct
CO.
vO
to
&
^0^00 i-r. ? | "
bi,
i .
VO
T3
I
e
o "
8
M
N"
VO
04
I I
1
o*
S
1
a '
V O
1
322
s
1
s
3
Z
w
tf
%
E
H
g
10
1
"o
f
.
Vl-4
f
PP
*
8*-
-S
b
*'
T3
1
S
M .-
l
1
>*
.0
1
th curly .hair,
top of his he
k ; tiara and
g a fish. In gl
nd asperge.
minican dr
, or hatchet
ith turban
er convers
i#l
vo
oo
4J
.. W "t ir>
3 o bb
"* VO 4> 3
^ G<
_5 - . i.
** S to fl Q\ t?
M <s a M
&4! S s^-gffas.igfi
rr/iiiiTf
titi
O 10 M
8
*- -
CO
W 4J
*0 OT
- H
^
J
.0
v) O **
to vo w
00 -
I
s
'
c 'A
o I !
.
f g S
fr SE S
o o 4J
41
336
0< ea M g
lP"i
^~
ss
S
I
'o
Ill 1 1
.2 rt * g
*"O .. iT w ^
S .H l<j
,- M IJ
I
f -I
.2 I
H {J
"8 w
^ &
00
10
ON CO
oo
00
N
o o S
_ I^N > *r
VO
C
3 CO
ri
o
PQ
-1
^g ><,
C/3 CO CO
o
.l
o .
329
^
s
I
a
EMBLEM
Ed
g
Q
<!
W
t
t
4
*M &8
R* ^S
O O
0^4^
i
M 6 u
^* flj M <D
N -^
*s S ^ d t? M
o ^ S r^
*
^ ^
^ i8i
PQ M >
pq
t
1 a-21 ^:-| 1
J* j a s i -I
H C r rt >^ l5
0)
S
1
1
1
i
.
i
*J3
3
o
.3
}
1
C
tf
S
'i
2
g
Wi
.8|s*
sir*
n^ s
*
R S S3
-8H
S=3 a o
s~s
S s2
IS.S.8.S
*'"S.s*
0}
w
.
<L> c
P^ S
(J >H
cn o
o .*
1^"
SS'-S
&si
8 I^
!l rf
ws
a^
eg
I
.S
g
'O
od
1!
bO "*
|t
M5
'g
oi
bfl^
CCS C/3
^Co
o-g
W)S
c
"-S S
in. Crucified with ropes.
1
3
-0
c
03
M
,C
,0
-ills
i'S,^
V (4-1
.^73
S ^
<L) C!
^|.S
B i
.1 'g -S !
ti C3 <y
li?
S^S:
eo O
^J
s
c
G 5),S43
.S g g
<u
fy ja
\
S .-o
J-< .
OP S
ra g
3
- s
#o
3*8
W o
With windmill <
5
S,
d
HH
3*8 g fr
1^1
1=4
-ij
MS_, ti
b2*^ c
Crowned; erm
ed while he was
Abbot of Fonts
'O
1
. c-g
M l
Baptizing or pi
Mass vestmen
exham screen.
A bearded won
Child crucified
I wounds.
Archbishop's i
th eight lozenges
the north win
msten
S-^ S3 g
43 ^ GJ X!
'3
^3
y
c
>-H
a
. 5.SS
*ft
3
1
IN
HI
HI
M
M
IT
:
VO
H 2
OO
:
i
^
.
-*
*2 -
S '4 %
o,
**
fe
^-
> *o
M
s
CO
CO
?2
2 8
oo g oo
!>.
.
M
H
HI
ta'B
^J
> s ^
o
2S
S "g *S "S
'llJll
rSPD-S^S.
331
-2 a
S3 a
D
taOJS
j
05"
"
CD
3
S
3
H -c
J8
S
O G T3
*O O fci
C/5 Ctf
^ r-T *5
J,
S
i
S
w
D ^
^ -g^j S.jg C
^ o g w *
^ S O J3 cS
S
c/5
CU
jSj-
8.5
O
xo
CO
Jr
^
P
co-g
w
o o
fl
pq
o
d\
332
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
N.JS. Other references will be found in the alphabetical list of saints ^
pages 308 to 332
A BBOTSBURY, 66
J[\ Aberystwyth, 250
Abraham, 254, 275
/Elfric, 114, 128, 161, 282
Agatha, 20, III, 169
Agnes, 22, 180, 114, 116, 169, 187
Aidan, 27, 89, 104, 124
Alban, 13, 119, 134, 297
Aldhelm, 107
Aldington, 257
Alford, 195
Alkelda, 79, 80, 127, 129
Alkmund, 76, 127, 215
Alleluia Victory, 68
All Hallows, 60
All Saints, 60, 191, 204, 208
All Souls, 60
Alphege, 127, 129, 194, 209
Alphington, 197
Ambrose, 24, 85, 265, 267, 84, 134,
238, 264
Amphibalus, 190
Anderson, Sir Charles, 177
Andrew, 40, 261, 148, 154, 186, 206
Andrewes, 241
Angelo, S., 38
Angers, 66
Anglo-Saxon Church, 80, 222
&M&, frontispiece, 58, 59, 58, 170, 219
Antholin, 70
Anthony, 13, 85, 141, 153, HI, 157,
195, 277
Apollonia, 123, 123, 159
Apostles, 261, 262
Apulia, 38
Arilda, 80
Armel, 93, 146
Arnold, 186.
Ashby de la Launde, 208
Ashby S. Leger, 124
Ashton, 140, 141, 213. 267, 40, 66,
75, 84, 123, 143, 153, 154, 159, 212
Assumption, 32, 281, 31, 191
Athanasius, 138, 238
Attercliffe, 6
Augustine of Canterbury, 6, 27, 41,
101, 114, 192, 193, 209
Augustine of Hippo, 15, 265, 267, i,
10, 153, 256, 264
Atitun, 122
Auxerre, 94
Ave Maria, 219
Avranches, 39
BALTHAZAR, 267
Bamburgh, 104
Barbara, 7, 22, 47, 144, 149, 122, 148
Barlow, 241
Banning, 273
Barningham, 291
Barrow, 97
Bartholomew, 63, 134, 135, 261, 135,
136, 206
Barton, 253
Barton Turf, 195
Basilissa, 189
Basingstoke, 8
Bean, 176
Beaulieu, 189
Beauvale, in
Beckford, 66
Becon, 240
Bede, 10, 138, 185, 223, 224, 240
Bees, 189
Bega, 189
Bell, 296
Benedict of Cassino, 68, 174
Benedict Biscop, 47
Benedictines, 67, 107
333
334
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
Bernard, 31
Berno, 138
Bethersden, 192
Bethlehem, 73
Beverley minster, 163, 39, 164, 275,
293
Beverley S. Mary, 275
Bingham, I, 238
Birinus, 106, 138
Bishopstrow, 107
Bishop Wilton, 202
Blaise, 20, 119, 120, 176
Blythburgh, 63, 5, 136, 137
Bodmin, 213
Boniface, 127, 297
Botolph, 67, 90, 207, 209
Bourges, 269
Boxgrove, 120
Bradford, 120
Bradninch, 268
Brandon, 98
Branwallader, 191
Brent Tor, 36
Bridget of Kildare, 97, 169, i80
Bridget of Sweden, 98
Bridlington, 190
Briggittines, 98
Bristol, 35, I2S
Brompill, 201
Broxbourne, 291
Bruno, 138
Brychan, Sons of, 83
Bury S. Edmund, 129
Byzantine calendar, 224
QAEN, 54, 247
Cambridge King's college, 70 j
John's, 54; Trinity, 4; Peter-
house, 191
Candida, 114, 190
Canterbury, 6, 129, 201, 249; S.
Augustine's, 104; S. Pancras, 66,
114; Four Crowned Martyrs, 66;
King's School, 170
Cantire, 122
Canute, 129
Carlisle, 245, 289
Carloman, 100
Carthage, 10
Castissima, 187
Castle Howard, 164
Catherine of Alexandria, 22, 118, 163,
164, 165, 119, 169, 210, 218, 219,
297
Catherine of Siena, 206
Cawston, 62, 197, 59
Caxton, 162, 175
Cecilia, 109, 161, 169
Cedd, 239
Celtic saints and dedications, 10, 25,
27, Si, 83, 97, 104, 192, 193, 202,
206, 212, 214, 2l6, 217, 222, 225,
Ceolfrith, 67
Chad, 12, 86, 106, 215, 296
Challock, 176
Charitana, 184
Charles, K.M., 78, 153. 222
Chartres, 254, 269, 288
Chester cathedral, 6
Cheveley, 6
Chichele, 60
Chick, 126
Chosroes, 6
Christchurch, 6, 36
Christopher, 59, 166, 168, ii4 ^59,
161, 167, 187, 210
Chrysostom, 84, 138
Clare, 18
Clerkenwell S. John, 41
Clement, 15, 140, 109, 134, 140, 153,
154, 164
Cleopas, 137
Cluniacs, 60
Colchester, 75
Cole, King, 75
Coleman, 193
Cologne, 143
Colossae, 38
Columba, 33, 98, 99, 122
Columbus, 5
Combs, 161
Compostella, 43
Condicote, 66
Constantine, E.,6, 38, 72, 73, 75 238,
258
Constantine, K.M., 122
Constantinople, 38
Constantius, 75
Coombe-in-Teignhead, 49, 118, 164
Corentin, 15, 187
Corfe, 10, 78
Cornelius, 15, 187
Cornwall, 212, 239
Corpus Christi college, 6
Coronation of Virgin, 261, 262
Cosmas and Damian, 116, 117, nS,
176, 189
Cowfold, 113, 130, 170
Cranmer, 224
Crediton, 100
Croce, S., 18
Cross, Holy, 6
Crowland, 12, 90
Cruz, Santa, 8
Cruz, Vera, 8
Cumnor, 278
Cuthbert, 87, 89, 91, 105, 126, 179,
204
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
335
Cuthburga, 10, 79
Cynethryth, 77
Cyprian of Carthage, 10, 84, ill, 173,
184, 185
Cyriacus or Cyril, 122, 170, 143
r\ALDERBY, 198
L/ Dale abbey, 76
David of Wales, 10, 12, 83, 177, 216
Decollation of Baptist, 41
Delamere, 13, 296
De la Warre, 66
Delehaye, 185
Demo, 66, 70, in, 156, 187, 208
Denis, 13, 156, 187
Derby S. Alkmund, 215
Derwent, 104
Devonshire, 212
Diocletian, 66, 114, 142, 161, 184, 238
Dionis, 70
Dioscuri, 118
Doctors of Church, 264
Dogfael, 216
Dogs, City of, 154
Dominic, 138
Dorchester, 106, 249, 275
Dorothy, 18, 140, 180, 142
Dorringtcn, 100
Dover, 2
Dunstan, 26, 68, 71, 157, 171, 104,
156, 170, 190, 209, 247, 294, 295,
296
Durandus, 243, 248
Durham, 6, 105, 126, 205
EADBURGA, 80
Eanswith, 81, 80
East Harling, 259
Ebba, 179
Edith, 70, 80, 202, 208, 215
Edmund, K.M., 13, 76, 127, 158, 78,
127, 128, 129, 161
Edward III., 78, 152
Edward, K.C., 77, 78, "7> *73> 86,
174, 1 86
Edward, K.M., 9, 1 1, 10, 78
Edwardstow, 10
Edwin, 76, 104, 124
Egwin, 21
Elene, S., 75
Eligius, 87, 156
Elizabeth, 46, 137
Elizabeth of Hungary, 175
Elstow, 75 _
Ely cathedral, 4, 33* * 2 8, 176, 177
Emmerammus, 187
Enoch, 106
Enurchus, 222
Erasmus, 15, 158, 159, 160
Ercombert, 79
Esperit, S., 8
Ethelbert, 74, 76, 77> 101, 127
Ethelburga, 124
Etheldreda, 20, 79, 12, 169
Eton, 70
Eudocia, 36
Euphrosyne, 187
Eusebius, 184, 185, 220, 238
Eustace, no, 109, 177, 186
Evangelists, 262
Evortius, 222
Exaltatio cruris, 6
Exeter cathedral, 32, 57, 33, 47, 58,
67, 214
Exeter, Lady, 5
Exeter S. Mary Steps, 119
FABIAN, ill, 189
Faith, 18, 115, 117
Falmouth, 134
Fame, 90
Father, God the, 251
Felicitas, 183
Felix, 104, 1 06
Fenny Stratford, 70
Fiery Dart, 98
Finck, 193
Firmin, 135
Fontrevault, 288
Fountains, 276
Fowler, W., 164
Fox, Bishop, 8
Francis of Assisi, 180, 182, 179
Fressingfield, 283-289, 278, 279
Frideswide, 18, 79, 169, 201
Friesland, 100
Fulham, 70
Fuller, 40
Fulmer, 241
* ABRIEL, 28, 29, 30, 219
Galloway, 96
Gal way, 214
Gargano, 38, 40
Caspar, 267
Gateley, 197
Genevieve, 220, 220
George, 150, 151, 153, 114, *49> 219
German, 67, 94, 119
Germany, 100
Gervase and Protasius, 109, 134, 189
Giles, 24, 69, 176
Gilles, S., 177
Glasgow, 105, 106
336
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
Glastonbury, 66, 67, 188
Gloucester, 33
Godfrey de Bouillon, 151
Godwin, Earl, 214
Gofdbrook, 128
Grafton Regis, 13, 156
Grantham, 100
Great Gonerby, 135
Great Plumstead, 67, 94, 174, 177
Greenwich, 129
Gregory, 102, 103, 60, 101, 102, 114,
264
Gresford, 30, 95
Greystoke, 155
Gudnaphar, 57
Guild ford, 133
Guthlac, 26, 12, 90, 176, 207, 297
HADRIAN, Mole of, 38
liami&h, 43
Ilardulph, 78
Hartland, 214
Hatherley Down, 6
Hault Hucknall, 143
Haverfordwest, 39
Havering, 174
Heavitree, 268
Helena, 7, 71, 7, 75, 185, 204, 208, 209
Helpringham, 254
Henry VI., 195, 60, 70, 7$, W. J 95,
196
Henry VII. , 196
Henry VIIL, 4, 6, 31, 57, 190, 191
Heraclius, 7
Hereford cathedral, 76, 54, 77, 136
Hereford calendar, 222, 224
Hermes, 38, 109
Hexham, 41, 65, 107
Hibaldstow, 208
Hilda, 79, So, 204
Hippolytus, in, 187
Hitchin, 191
Holofius, 129
Holy Ghost, 8
Holy Innocents, 29
Holy Rood, 8
Holy well, 124
Honorius, 106
Hooker, I, 238
Hurkstow, 252
Hospitallers, 8, 41
Host, Holy, 6
Hoxne, 128
Hubljard, 193
Hubert, 15, 177, 178, 156, 177, 186
Hugh, 178, 177
Hybttld, 207
T GNATIUS, 84, 109
I India, 57
Innocent III., 31
Inventio crucis^ 6, 75
lona, 98
Irish round towers, 127
Isaac, 254
Ismael, 216
JACOB, 43, 45
James the Greater, 43, 44, 261
43, 186, 187, 210
James the Less, 60, 261
Jarrow, 47
Jerome, 265, 266, 220, 264, 297
Jerusalem, 8, 75, 238, 252
Jesus College, 6
Joachim, 58
loan of Arc, 194
job, 109
John Baptist, vi., 42, 41, 210, 297
John Evangelist, 16, 42, 44, 50, 51,
S3. 61, I35 261, 41, 49, '74, 193
ohn of Beverley, 49, 80, 86, 174, 204
ohn of Bridlington, 199, 49, 198
ordan, 104
oseph of Arimathea, 188
udas, 279, 290
Jude, 82, 261, 137, 189
Julian Hospitaller, 119, 174
ulitta, 122
IT'ENELM, II, 78, 127, 170
J\ Kenn, 156
Kentigern, 105, 106, 107, 179
Kentish royalties, 79
Keymer, 176
Kildare, 98
Kilkenny, 214, 295
Kirkburn, 254, 260
T ADY Day, 31
L, Lambert, 125, 127, 186, 293
Lammas Day, 36
Lancaster, Duke of, 198
Laneast, 127
Lastingham, 10, 239
Laud, 242
Laurens, S.,288
Lawrence, 20, 112, in, 156,- 187, 275
Lazarus, 49, 145, 186, 275
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
337
Ledelghem, 172
Leger, 123, 122, 124
Leicester, 246
Leonard, 15, 174
Le Puy, 36
Lewes, 113, 130
Lichfield, 12
Liege, 94
Lincoln calendar, 225
Lincoln minster, 51, 54, 131, 173,
269, 272, 295
Lincolnshire, 198, 207
Lindisfarne, 89, 90, 126
Little Bytham, 135
Little Maplestead, 8, 41
Little Plumstead, 134
Llanrwst, 280, 279
London
S. Bartholomew, 136
S. Bride, 98
Christ church, 182
Christ Hospital, 182
S. Helen, Bishopsgate, 75 1
S. Katherine Creed, 242, 243
S. Magnus, 129
S. Olave, 129
S. Paul, 47
S. Peter ad vine-Ma, 36
Loudon, 198
Lubentius, 187
Lucian, 114
Lucy, 22, 120, 122, 161, 169
Ludlow, 27, 71, 156, 166, 174
Lullingstone, 160
MAISTRE, Count de, 99
Magnus, 127, 129
Mallem, 108
Malmesbury, 107
Malvern, 77, 78
Manchester cathedral, 66
Manton, 208
Marchia, Bishop, 194, 200
Margaret of Antioch, 7, 121, 147, 122,
148, 159, 169, 193, 207
Maries, the two, 49, 143, 186
Mark, 65
Martha, 18, 46, 39, 133, 145
Martin, 69, 93, 95, 162, 91, 92, 96,
161, 174, 293, 296, 297
Martina, 187
Martinmas, 94
Marton, 8
Mary Cleopas, 52, 137
Mary, Blessed Virgin, 27, 35, 39, 81, 95,
6,29,217,219,261
Annunciation, 28, 29, 30
Assumption, 32, 281, 31
Nativity, 269, 31
43
Mary Magdalene, 46, 47, 48, 118, 148,
186, 193
Mary Overie, 6
Maternus, 187
Matthew, 82, 155, 26 1, 154, 1 86
Matthias, 62, 63, 261, 137
Maurice, m, 155
Maxentius, 164
Mayence, 100
Mazdai, 58
Medard, 135
Meinulf, 186
Melchior, 267
Mells, 212, 217
Melrose, 89
Mercury, 38
Metz, 249
Michael, 35, 37, 39, 213, 161, 205,
212, 217
Milan, 134
Milburga, 79, 215
Mildred, 209
Milton Abbas, 191
Minster, 12
Modwenna, 25
Monkwearmouth, 47
Montmartre, in
Motley, 76, 137, 143
Moses, 193, 301
Mungo, 1 06
Myra, 173
NECTAN, 214
Nelson, 152
Neot, 153, 179
Nettlestead, 13, 2O, 54, 1 1 1
Newtown, 134
Nicholas, 26, 172, 94, 170, 210, 215
Nicholas Cole, 190
Nicodemus, gospel of, 252, 272, 274
Nicomede, 325
Nile, 152
Ninian, 96, 96
North Crawley, 135
North Cray, 274
North Marston, 196
Northumberland, 205
Norwich museum, 161
Norwich cathedral, 39
Norwich S. Lawrence, 18, 117
Norwich S. Peter Mancroft, 7, 73,
148, 166
Nottinghamshire, 209
Nunburnholme, 190
Nutshalling, 100
OFFA, 77> 127, 129, 134
Olave, 13, 78, 127
Oliver Cromwell, 152
338
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
Orpheus, 252
Osmund, 108
Oswald, 26, 88, 76, 124, 126, 179, 204,
208, 209, 282
Oswin, 76
Oswy, 33, 134
Osyth, 80, 126, 169
Ottery S. Mary, 240
Oxford, 201
AH Souls, 60
Ashmolean, 161
Cathedral, 6
Christchurch, 20
Holy well, 122
Magdalen, 1 8
S. Mary's, 178
S. Peter in the East, 36
DANCRAS of Rome, 113, 66, 114,
1 134, 170
Pancras of Taormina, 326
Parker, 222
Parma, 58
Paschal, IOQ
Patrick, 205, 223
Paul, 45, 104, 189, 193
Paulmus, 45, 104, 124, 193
Pawl Hen, 45
Peakirk, 192
Peak Forest, 134
Pega, 79, 192
Pelagius, 94
Pembrokeshire, 216
Penda, 124, 215
Pepin, 100
Perpetua, 183
Perseus, 151
Peter, 33, 34, 81, 261, 188, 189, 206,
218
Peterborough, 34, 33, 124, 202, 225,
249
Petrock, 212
Petromlla, 64, 187
Philip, 61, 62, 63, 261
Phrygia, 38, 187
Plymouth, 134
Pol de Leon, 45
Polycarp, 84, 109
Pontefract, 198
Portugal, 58
Pountney, 193
Prato, 187
Procopius, 184
Provence, 49
Pulham S. Mary, 128
Pursglove, 296
/""XUIMPER, 306
RADBOD, 100
Raherus, 136
Ranworth rood-screen, 33, 37, 40, 45,
52, 55, 56, <5o, 61, 79. 82, 104, 112,
I47> *5 40, 47, 54, 5 8 > 59 Io6 >
137, 148, 151* 154
Raphael, 65
Ravenna, 246
Remachus, 186
Remigius, 97
Rheims, 97
Richard L, 152
Ripon, 12, 33, 106, 107, 195, 204
Robert of Knaresborough, 204
Roch, 175, 159, 176
Rochester, 270, 6, 41, 65, 104
Rome
S. Agnese, 9, 116
S. Andrew's monastery, 41, 114, 148
S. Clement, 9
Constantia, mausoleum of, 254
S. John Lateran, 247
Latin gate, 51
S, Lorenzo, 9
S. Paul, extra muros, 247
S. Peter, 249
S. Petronilla, 9
Quattuor Incoronati, 66
Romsey, 249
Rood, Holy, 6
Rotherfield, 70
Rumbald, 170
Q AINT ALBANS, 13, 278, 296
O Salisbury cathedral, 33, 269
Samson, 179, 191
Sandford, 281
Sandringham, 15, 24, 160, 174, 177
San Salvador, 6
Santiago, 43
Sapientia, 223
Sarum calendar, 222, 224
Sativola, 127
Saviour, S., 6
Scawby, 208
Schorn, Sir John, 197, 196
Scillitan martyrs, 185
Scrope, 198
Sebastian, 160, 114, 135, 161, 182
Second Person in Trinity, 6
Selby, 250
Sepulchre, S., 8
Serf, 107
Sexburga, 12,79
Shaftesbury, 10
Shapwick, 169
Sherehog, 193
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
339
Shrewsbury Holy Cross, 8
Shrewsbury S. Mary, 94, 125, 127
Shropshire, 214
Sibyls, 268
Sidwell, 126, 127, 187
Siena, 268
Silas, 237
Simon, 56, 261, 137, 189
Simon de Montfort, 198
Sinai, 119, 163, 166
Sitha, 213, 217, 126, 129, 297
Skelig Michel, 36
Solomon's temple, 238
Somerset, 211
Son, God the, 6, 252
South Brent, 253
South Leigh, 35, 38, 40
Southampton, 6, 119, 241
Southwark, 6
Southwell, 209
Spalding, 66
Spenser, 152
Sport, Sir Thomas, 4
Stanhope, 57
Stanmore Magna, 242
Steeple Ashton, 263
Stephen, 13, 53, 55, 148, 296
Stephen Harding, 138
Stephen, King, 54, 70
Stoke Pogis, 156
Stonyhurst, 147
S. Moritz, in
S. Woolos, 282
Stretford, 176
Sudborough, 294
Sulpicius Severus, 91
Sutcombe, 279, 290
Swithun, 1 08, 190
Sylvester, 238, 293
Symphorian, 109, 170
T ANTONY pigs, 157, 179
Tarascon, 145
Tatiana, 187
Teilo, TO, 12, 216
Templars, 8
Temple church, 8
Temple, Solomon's, 238, 239
Terrington S. Clement, 167
Thaxted, 259
Theodore, 238
Theophilus, 142
Thetford, 8
Thomas, Apostle, 56, 57, 261, 133,
148, 146, 186, 193, 218
Thomas, Duke of Lancaster, 198
Thomas of Canterbury, 130, 131, I3 2 *
I33 129
Thomas, S., Hospital, 57
Thoroton, 75
Thurlby, 135
Tideswell, 3, 282
Torbryan, 206
Tours, 92
Towyn, 293
Trinidad, 5
Trinity, Holy, 4, 210, 251
Troutbeck, 6
Trull, 265
Tunbridge Wells, 134
Tyre, 238
T I GBOROUGH, 156, 268
U Ulpha, 54
Uncumber, 144, 143
Union Jack, 41, 152
Upwell, 294
Uriel, 65
Ursula, 141, 142, 306, 143
VALENTINE, 330
Vedast, 330
Venus, 94
Verca, 70
Veronica, 24, 331
Victor of Marseilles, 206
Vigor, 331
Vikings, 127
Vincent, 117, 119, 187
Vitalian, 134
Volto, Santo, 187
WALTHAM Holy Cross, 8, 156
Wappenbury, 8
Wareham, 10
Warkworth, 28
Weedon, 179
Wells cathedral, II, 29, 48, 74, 88,
no, 10, 31, 49, 105, 109, 124, 131,
170, 194, 200
Welsh saints, 81
Wenlock, 215
Wensley, 31
Werburga, 79, 179
Westacre, 201
West Wickham, 22, 164
Westminster, 9, 39, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47,
52, S3, 58, 7i> 78, 85 87, 93 S
117, 121, 134, 144 *5* ^53 *55 *5*>
ifo, 162, 172, 173, 175, 266, 10, 33,
38,45,47,49,54,78,84, 114, 128,
136, 147, 148, 151. 154, 156, 160,
164, 173, 175, J 79
340
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES
Wilgefortis, 144, 143
Whipstead, 54
Whitby, 33, 80, 105
Whitchurch, 114
Whitehall, 133
Whitherne, 96
Whyte, 114
Wilfred, icx>
Wilfrid, 24, 106, 12, 67, 107, 204, 209
Wilgefortis, 144, 143
William, 49, 54
William of York, 138, 139, 199, 138,
204, 294, 296
Willis, Browne, 70
Wiltshire dedications, 210
Wimborne, 10, 192
Winchester cathedral, 4, 33, 20, 106,
in, 117, 172, 190,278
Winchester S. Cross, 8
Windsor S. George, 10, 78, 195, 196,
198
Winifred, 121, 124, 169
Winterton, 252
Withburga, 79
Wokingham, 135
Wolborough, no
Worcester cathedral, 6, 96, 179, 267
Wrondon, 154
Wroot, 135
Wulfram, 100
Wulstan, 124
Wyston, 78, 127
YORK All Saints, frontispiece^ 50,
54, 139, 167, 168
York S. Crux, 8
York Holy Trinity, 129
York minster, 33, 75, 90, 96, 124, 138,
140, 166, 195, 250, 260
York S. Martin, 94
York calendar, 222, 224
Yorkshire dedications, 203
fACHARY, 190, 193
s Zug, 126
GENERAL INDEX
ALB, 293
Almond, mystic, 256
Almuce, 297
Alphabets, mystic, 241
Alternative dedications, 14, 193
Amice, 293
Anchorites, 86
Angels, 40
Anglo-Saxon Church, 222
Anglo-Saxon consecration of churches,
240
Anglo-Saxon missioners, 105-107
Anglo-Saxon royalties, 76-78
Anglo-Saxon saints, 137
Animals, stories about, 176-182
Annunciation, 31
Apostles, emblems of, 262
Apparel, 293
Apparitions of S. Michael, 38
Archangels, 36
Ark as emblem of Church, 269
Ascetic life, 86
Asperge, 297
Assumption, 31
Aureole, 282
Austerities, 86
Axis, deviation of, 247
BARE feet, 256
Bearded lady, 143
Bells, dedications of, 167-169, 217-219
Bible, little known, 86
Biblical saints, 28-64, 19*
Birthday saints, 70
Building methods in Middle Ages, 249
CALENDARS, 220-225
Calendar of Church of Ireland,
223
Calendar of Church of Scotland, 223
Calendar of Eastern Church, 224
Canonisation, popular, 198
Canonisation, procedure of, 194
Canons of credibility, 183
Captives, 173
Cassock, 297
Celtic consecration of churches, 239
Celtic dedications, 10, 25, 33, 39, 80,
81, 83, 97-99, 192, 193, 204, 205,
212, 216, 221, 222, 225 ; and see
Bibliography
Celtic mission, 104
Chancels, deviation of axis, 247
Change of dedications, 190, 191
Charity, praise of, 174
Chasuble, 294
Child saints, 170
Christ in glory, 254
Cluster dedications, 70
Colours, symbolism of, 288
Compound dedications, 12, 189
Consecration of churches, procedure of,
238 242
Consolidation of dedications, 190
Contemplative reHgion, 86
Continental missioners, 100
Continental saints, 65
Conversion of England, 79, 101
Cope, 297
Coronation of Virgin, 261
Credibility of legends, 183
Crosier, 277, 297
Cross, discovery of true, 6, 75
Cross, forms of, 277
Cross of bishop, abbot, archbishop, and
pope, 276, 277, 296
Cross-staff, 297
Crown of thorns, 277
Crucifix, 277
Cruciform churches, symbolism of, 246
Crusades, 151
DALMATIC, 295
Day, dedication, 192
Dedication, meaning of, I
Dedications
Alternative, 193
Change of, 191
Compound, 189
34*
342
GENERAL INDEX
Dedications (continued]
Consolidation of, 190
Intercessory, 12
Lost, 191
Memorial, 9
Modern, 70
Personal, 9
Proprietary, 10
Re-dedications, 12, 196
Statistics of, 14-25
Spurious, 193
Dedications, method of study, 201-203
Deviation of axis of chancels, 247
Devil, 272
Discipline, 297
Diseased etymology, 64, in, I33 ^7
Divines, 84
Doctors of Church, 84, 264 -
Doorways, 254
Dove, 260, 297
Dragon, 38, 146, 151, 272
Dramatic stories, 146-157
EARLY Christian emblems, 292
Emblems keep saints in mind, 156
Episcopal vestments, 295
Eucharistic vestments, 293-295
Evangelisers of England, 101-108
Evangelisers of Scotland and North-
umbria, 96-97, 107
Evangelisers of Western Europe, 92-94
Evangelistic symbols, 262 .
Evangelists, dedications to, 84
FATHERS of Church, 84
Feasts and fairs, 192, 201
Feet, bare, 256
First Person of Trinity, emblems of, 251
Fish, 259
Forgeries, 187
Forgiveness, gospel of, 99
Forty, symbolism of, 286
Fountain, 297
Fylfot, 276, 277, 289
ABRIEL bell, 219
VJC Gallican Church, 222
Generic emblems, 293
Geographical selection of saints, 66
Geometrical figures, 288
Ghost, Holy, 260
Girdle* 294
Gloves of bishop, 295
God the Father, dedications to, 2
God the Son, dedications to, 2, 6, 8
Golden Legend,, 162, 167
Good Shepherd, 252
HADES, 274
Hand, divine, 251
Harrowing of hell, 274
Heaven, 274
Hell, 274
Hermits, 86
Historical romances, 187
Holy Ghost, 8
IMAGES in churches, 210
1 Intercessory dedications, 12
Intercessory power of the saints, 2
Ireland, evangelisers of, 97-99
Irish saints, 97-99
T EWISH Church symbolised, 270
sj
LABARUM, 258
Lady chapels, 31
Lady day, 31
Lamb of God, 254
Liber Regis, see Bibliography
Lily, 261, 262, 297
Literary treatment of legends, 148,.
154, 161
Lost dedications, 191
MAGI, 95, 267
Maniple, 294
Martyrs, legends of, 109-134
Mediation of saints, 2
Memorial dedications, 9
Michaelmas Day, 40
Militant, Church, 38
Miracles at Holy well, 124
Mission, Roman, 101
Missioners, 67, 89
Missioners, English, 101-108
Missioners on Continent, 100
Mitre of bishop, 296
Modern dedications, 70
Monastic selection of saints, 66, 67
Months and seasons, 289
Monograms, 258
Morse, 297
Mortality, emblems of, 290
NATIVITY, 31, 267
Nimbus, 281
Nine, symbolism of, 286
Numbers, symbolism of, 282-287
GENERAL INDEX
343
OLD and new style, 192
Orante, 275
Orientation of churches, 246
PAINTINGS, suitability of saints
for, 1 60
Pallium of archbishop, 296
Passion bench, 279
Passion, instruments of, 277
Pastoral staff, 296
Patron saints, 70
Pavements, Roman, 252
Pelagianism, 68, 94
Pelican, 257
Pentalpha, 277, 288
Personal dedications, 9
Pictorial representations, 187
Piety, 86
Pilgrims, 45
Plague at Rome, 38
Prayer, 283
Prayer-book calendar, 222, 223
Precocious piety, 170
Prisoners, 173
Processional vestments, 296
Proprietary dedications, 10, 72
p E-DEDICATIONS, 12, 190, 191
1\ Relics, importance of, 134
Ring of bishop, 296
Roman mission, 101-104
Royal saints, 72-83
QAINTLINESS, 86
O Saints without dedications, 137-
145
Salutation, 31
Sandals, ecclesiastical, 295
Scandinavian saints, 129
Scotland, evangelisers of, 96-97, 107
Scottish missioners, 107
Scourge, 297
Scriptures, little known, 86
Second Person of Trinity, emblems of,
252
Selection of saint, reasons for, 65
Seven, symbolism of, 282-286
Ship as emblem of Church, 269
Sibyls, 268
Sick, care of, 174-176
Skulls, 291, 297
Soul, 275
Spain, 43
Specific emblems, 293
Spirit, Holy, 260
Spurious dedications, 193
Staff, pastoral, 296
Statistics of dedications, 14-25
Stigmata of S. Francis, 182
Stockings of bishop, 295
Stole, 294
Superstitious dedications, 191
Surplice, 297
Swastika, 289
Sword, execution by, 164, 297
Symbolism, 243-291
Symbolism of church fabric, 244-246
TAU cross, 277
Taxafio of Pope Nicholas, see
Bibliography
Temptations of S, Anthony, 157
Theologians, 84
Third Person of Trinity, 260
Torture, 164
Trinity, emblems of 251
Trinity, Holy, 4
Trinity House, 4
Trinity Sunday, 4
Tunicle, 295
f T NCANONISED saints, 194-200
LJ Unknown saints, 192
J/'ALOR EcdesiasticuS) see Biblio-
graphy
Vesica piscis, 256
Vestments, 293, 297
Vestments, choir, 296
Vestments, cost of, 295
Vestments, processional, 296
Vine, 253
Virginity, praise of, 169
Visitation, 31
\V/EIGHING souls, 38
W Wells, patron of, 58
Wills, 201
Women in Anglo-Saxon Church, 79
' GDI AC, 290
Printed ai 'THE DARIKN PRESS, Edinburgh*
Church Art in England
A Series of Books edited by
FRANCIS BOND, M.A., F.G.S., Hon. A.R.I.B.A.
Now Ready PAGE
SCREENS AND GALLERIES IN ENGLISH CHURCHES. By FRANCIS
BOND - - - - - - - 2, 3
FONTS AND FONT COVERS. By FRANCIS BOND - - 4, 5
WOOD CARVINGS IN ENGLISH CHURCHES. By FRANCIS BOND
I. Misericords - - - - - - 6, 7
II. Stalls and Tabernacle Work, Bishops' Thrones, and
Chancel Chairs - - - - - - S, 9
WESTMINSTER ABBEY. By FRANCIS BOND - - 10
VISITORS' GUIDE TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY. By FRANCIS BOND n
CHURCH BELLS OF ENGLAND. By H. B. WALTERS - - 12
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH CHURCH ARCHITECTURE. By
: FRANCIS BOND - - - - - - 74,^5
Forthcoming
PULPITS AND LECTERNS IN ENGLISH CHURCHES. By Rev.
Dr Cox - - - ... . 16
ENGLISH CHURCH PLATE. By Rev. J. T. EVANS - - 16
CHURCH CHESTS, DOORS, ETC. By P. M. JOHNSTON - . - 16
THE ENGLISH CHANCEL, By FRANCIS BOND - - - 16
TOMBS AND MONUMENTS IN ENGLISH CHURCHES. By F. E.
HOWARD - - - - - - - l6
Now Ready, uniform with ike above
MILITARY ARCHITECTURE IN ENGLAND DURING THE MIDDLE
AGES. By A. HAMILTON THOMSON - - - .13
HUMPHREY MILFORp, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO, MELBOURNE, & BOMBAY
BY FRANCIS BOND
SCREENS AND GALLERIES IN
ENGLISH CHURCHES
Demy 8vo, containing 204 pages, with 152 Illustrations reproduced
from Photographs and Drawings. Strongly bound in cloth. Price
6s. net ($2.40).
SOME PRESS NOTICES
New York Nation. f *It is not easy to praise too highly the simple and effective
presentation of the subject and the interest of the book to all persons who care for
ecclesiology or for decorative art. "
Z>aily Graphic. "Mr Bond has produced a work on our ecclesiastical screens
and galleries which, 'like his larger work on the 'Gothic Architecture of England,' is
Screen in Holbeton Church
in the first degree masterly. His -knowledge of his subject, exact and coraprenensive,
is compressed into a minimum amount of spaee^ and illustrated by a series of photo-
graphs and measured drawings which render the work of permanent value;,"
Bulletin M<mumetital*-'' i Apres avoir analys^, aussi exaetemtent que possible,'
rinteressant e"tude de M. Bond, nous devons ie fe"lieiter de nous avoir donne* ce
complement si ptile a son grand ouvrage.'' .
. ... .. . . . ,.., ... . . ., .
BY FRANCIS BOND
FONTS & FONT COVERS
Demy 8vo, containing 364 pages, with 426 Illustrations reproduced
from Photographs and Measured Drawings. Strongly bound in
cloth. Price I2S. net ($4.80).
PRESS NOTICE
Chzirch Quarterly Review. "It is most delightful, not only to indulge in a
serious perusal of this volume, but to turn over its pages again and again, always sure
to find within half a minute some beautiful illustration or some illuminating remark."
BY FRANCIS BOND
Wood Carvings in English Churches
I. Misericords
Demy 8vo, coataimng 2 S 7 PW, with 241 Illustrations "produced
from Photographs and Measured Drawings. Strongly bound in
cloth. Price 7s. <5d. net (*3-)-
SOME PRESS NOTICES
J\ r ew York Herald. " One of the quaintest, most fascinating, and at the same
time most learned volumes that a reader would happen upon in a lifetime."
Antiqtiary. "An authoritative, and at the same time delightful and instructive
volume."
Chttrch Tt'mes.~"A.n indispensable guide to the subject. The illustrations are
worthy of all praise."
Yorkshire Post. "Another of the valuable series of monographs on Church Art
in England, and the most entertaining of all."
- : '^f : rj^^
Misericord at Worcester
Misericord at Beverley Minster
Liverpool Courier.' 1 '' Another of the admirably written and illustrated art hand-
books for which the author is famous."
Birmingham Post. "This well illustrated volume is not only a valuable technical
monograph, but also an important contribution to the history of social life and thought
in the Middle Ages. Mr Bond's treatment of the subject is exceptionally charming
and successful."
Outlook* " Many there must be to whom Mr- Bond's new book will be welcome.
Into all the details of" this varied and most puzzling subject he goes with thoroughness
and a pleasant humour. The bibliography and indices, as ,in all the volumes in-this
series, are admirable."
' - ' ' ' ' ' -
BY FRANCIS BOND
Wood Carvings in English Churches
II. Stalls and Tabernacle Work, Bishops'
Thrones, and Chancel Chairs
Demy 8vo, containing 154 pages, with 124 Illustrations reproduced
from Photographs and Measured Drawings. Strongly bound in
cloth. Price 6s. net ($2.40).
J
SOME PRESS NOTICES
La Ckronique des Arts et de la, Curfositt. " TJne illustration copieuse etablie avec
des soins tout docutnentaires ; des index ; une table par ordre chronologique, une
S . . ' . .''
SOME PRESS NOTICES (continued}
autre pa.r^ noms des lieux, viennent faciliter les recherches et permettre au lecteur de
tirer benefice des vastes resources d'une erudition inforraee et sure."
Stalls at Manchester
The Cabinet Maker. "Every lover of woodwork should possess this series,
which contains beautiful illustrations and most interesting descriptions of the noble
heritage of magnificent work handed down to us by the mediaeval Church."
FRANCIS BOND
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Demy 8vo, containing 348 pages, with 270 Illustrations reproduced
from Photographs and Measured Drawing's. Strongly bound in
cloth. Price IDS. net ($4.00).
Fan Vault of Henry Vll.'s Chapel in Westminster Abbey
VISITORS' 60IDE TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY
93 pages of text, abridged from the larger work on ""Westminster Abbey."
Fc'ap 8vo, -with 15 Plans and Drawings and 33 Photographic Illustrations.
Price is. net (40 c.).
Chapter House at Westminster
BY H. J5. WALTERS
Church Bells of England
Demy 8vo, containing 420 pages, with 170 Illustrations
reproduced from Photographs and Drawings. Strongly
bound in cloth. Price 73. 6d, net ($3.00).
Times. "It is by far the most complete work of its kind in existence and the
most accurate ... a treatise as readable as it is erudite."
Uniform with the preceding- Volumes of the English Church Art Series
Military Architecture in England
During the Middle Ages
By A. Hamilton Thomson, M.A., F.S.A.
Demy 8vo, containing 406 pages, with 200 Illustrations reproduced
from Photographs, Drawings, and Plans. Strongly bound in cloth.
Price 73. 6d. net ($3.00).
Bodiam ; North Front and Gatehouse
SOME PRESS NOTICES
Church Times. * Not only those who are specially interested in military archi-
tecture, but also everyone who desires, on visiting an ancient castle, to view it with
intelligent appreciation, must needs add this work to his library."
Guardian. " This volume at once steps into the position of a classic ; it will be
long before it is superseded."
English Historical Review. " This monograph, is compressed into about four
hundred pages, and copiously illustrated, yet it contains a wealth of detail that could
easily have been expanded into a much longer work. ... Its author is not writing a
guide to castles, but a history of military architecture ; yet the work might usefully be
taken as a guide to many of the castles described in it."
Country Life. "The book could scarcely be bettered as a concise survey of a
difficult and complex subject." '
Journal des Savants. '" Le livre de M. Thompson sera , . le bienvenu. II
le sera d'autant plus qu'il donnetin aper9u tres compiet des transformations de Tarchi-
tecture militaire outre-Manche depuis les temps les plus anciens. ... Ce n'est pas
seulement au point de vue anglais, c'est egalement a notre point de.vue fra^ais que
ce livre offre un reel inte*ret,"
13 ' ' .
Two Volumes, Demy Quarto j 1000 Pages? 1400 Illustrations
Price Two Guineas net ($16.75).
An Introduction to
English Church Architecture
From the Eleventh to the Sixteenth Century
By FRANCIS BOND
SOME PRESS NOTICES
Athenaum. * These volumes form a worthy sequel to the important work on
* Gothic Architecture in England,' by the same author, published in 1905. They
represent a vast amount of orderly labour, and show an. astonishingly wide grasp
of a great subject.' It is a big undertaking; 1000 quarto pages, with 1400 illus-
trations. ^ One of the pleasant features of the work is the sparing use of exceptional
or technical terms, the exact meaning of which is grasped as a rule only by a
professed architect. For the use of the unlearned, the first volume opens with a
tersely-written glossary of terms, and this is followed by a most useful explanatory
list of French words and phrases of an architectural character. But for the most
part there is a breezy freshness about Mr Bond's phrases which at once rivets the
attention."
Westminster Gaset/e.~"\\ r e know Mr Bond as a careful student, of sound
scholarship, but if we had no other evidence, this 'Introduction 3 of his would mark
only how a-' church was built, but" why it was built, who built it, who served in it,
who worshipped in it, and what manner of worship was theirs Ancient or Modern.'
Already we are beginning to regard' such an attitude as perfectly natural, forgetting
that the text-books of the last century took no more account of the human impulse
than a treatise on trigonometry takes of the private life of Euclid. '. . /The book
is magnificently illustrated."
Yorkshire CWje-WA-. "Mr Bond shows, step by step, how -the church varied
from age to age, structure following need, so that an ancient parish church as we
see it now is not^a mere bit of ingenious or clumsy designing, plain or beautiful by
caprice, but a living organism reflecting the lives, the faith, aid indeed the material
fortunes of the people who built and used it It is in the realisation of this soul of a.
building more than in anything else that the difference lies between the old guide-
book antiquananism and the new archaeology which Mr Bond represents. ... If
eaSy 1Udd t0 read ' nC might com P are * with twin's ' Origin,
icH"^? u l alled record of English ecclesiastical architecture. It
from end toJd.^ " ^ P ** f th W rk ' - Mr B nd has ex P lored hi * subject
SOME PRESS NOTICES (continued)
Western Mail. " Splendidly hound and well printed, with a glossary of terms
which will prove most useful to the lay reader, it is a work of the greatest value to
all who are in any way interested in the construction, details, and uses of bur ancient
and beautiful churches. "
Antiquary. "The student or the general reader who wishes to have an
intelligent grasp of principles and of their illustration and exemplification in the
Vault of Choir of Gloucester Cathedral
details of construction has here provided for him an ideal book. Mr Bond's pages
are likely, however, to fascinate the expert as well as the beginner. ... For this
valuable book the author will receive the grateful thanks of students, not only those
of the present time but those of many a day to come. ... Every chapter and every
section is lavishly illustrated, not at random, but by a carefully chosen set of examples
closely related to the text; the wealth of illustration is so great that a foil half of
the thousand pages of the two volumes is occupied by pictures."
'.. . ' ' . ' ' : - 15 ' -. ' . ' ' ' '-
IN PREPARATION
Uniform with the above Vohtmcs of the English Church Art Series
PULPITS AND LECTERNS IN
ENGLISH CHURCHES
By Rev. J. CHARLES COX, D.D.
Author ( : l " Churches' of Derbyshire," "How to Write the History of a Parish,^'
"English Church Furniture,' 5 "Churchwardens' Accounts," "Parish Registers,"
" Rmal Forests of England," " Sanctuaries," etc.
ENGLISH CHURCH PLATE
By Rev. J. T. EVANS, M.A.
Editor of "Church Bells of Gloucestershire, Cardiganshire, Pembroke," etc.
CHURCH CHESTS, DOOftS, COLLECTING AND
POOR BOXES, PRESSES, ETC.
By PHILIP MAINWARING JOHNSTON
F.S.A., F.R.LB.A.
Author*/ auMiivitf Wafers in the "Surrey and Sussex Archaeological Collections,"
and in ttu ' * Archaeological Journal. "
THE ENGLISH CHANCEL
The flltar, Reredos, Communion Table, Sltar
Rails, Piscina,. Sedilia,, Easter Sepulchre, etc.
By FRANCIS BOND
Author of "English Church Architecture,'' etc.
TOMBS AND MONUMENTS IN
ENGUSH CHURCHES
By F. E. HOWARD
Aut'&vr ty'/w/Vrr on " Fan Vaulting," *' English Chantry Chapels,"
" Devon Churches," etc.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
16
136740
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11