Stones of the Temple Part 22

s. d.

"1644, April 8th, paid to Master Dowson, that came with the troopers to our church, about the taking down of images and bra.s.ses off stones 6 0

"1644, paid, that day, to others, for taking up the bra.s.ses of grave-stones before the Officer Dowson came 1 0

--_Churchwarden's accounts_; _Walberswich, Suffolk._

"This William Dowing (Dowson), it appears, kept a journal of his ecclesiastical exploits. With reference to the Church of St. Edward's, Cambridge, he says,--

"'1643, Jan. 1, Edward's Parish, we digged up the steps, and broke down 40 pictures, and took off ten superst.i.tious inscriptions.'

"Mr. Cole, in his MSS., observes,--

"'From this last entry we may clearly see to whom we are obliged for the dismantling of almost all the grave-stones that had bra.s.ses on them, both in town and country; a sacrilegious, sanctified rascal, that was afraid, or too proud, to call it _St._ Edward's Church, but not ashamed to rob the dead of their honours, and the church of its ornaments.--W.

C.'"--_Burn's Parish Registers_.

43: The very interesting bra.s.ses in Chartham Church, Kent, were found a few years since as here described, by the present rector, and replaced by him on the chancel pavement.

44: "Manual of Monumental Bra.s.ses," vol. i. p. 34.

45: "If any one will lay the portrait of Lord Bristol (in Mr. Gage Rokewode's _Thingoe Hundred_) by the side of the sepulchral bra.s.s of the Abbess of Elstow (from whom he is collaterally descended) figured in Fisher's _Bedfordshire Antiquities_, he cannot but be struck by the strong likeness between the two faces. This is valuable evidence on the disputed point whether portraits were attempted in sepulchral bra.s.ses."--_Notes and Queries_.

46: See page 77.

47: See page 85. [The engravings of sepulchral bra.s.ses and of stained gla.s.s windows are kindly supplied by the Editor of the _Penny Post_.]

48: See page 67.

49: _Hamlet_, Act i. Sc. 3.

50: Monumental slabs of this description are most common on the pavement of churches in the midland counties.

51: This is the case in Ely Cathedral.

52: At Bawsey, Lynn; Droitwich; Great Malvern; and recently near Smithfield, London, when excavating for the subterranean railway.

53: Thus translated in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ for October, 1833:--

"Think, man, thy life | But that thou keepest May not ever endure, | Unto thy executor's care, That thou dost thyself | If ever it avail thee Of that thou art sure; | It is but chance."

54: "Anno 1210. Let the Abbot of Beaubec (in Normandy), who has for a long time allowed his monk to construct, for persons who do not belong to the order, pavements, which exhibit levity and curiosity, be in slight penance for three days, the last of them on bread and water; and let the monk be recalled before the feast of All Saints, and never again be lent, excepting to persons of our order, with whom let him not presume to construct pavements which do not extend the dignity of the order."--Martini's _Thesaurus Anecdotorum_.--Extracted from Oldham's "Irish Pavement Tiles."

55: Specially in Normandy, where they are occasionally found under trefoil canopies, resembling our sepulchral bra.s.ses.

56: Some excellent coloured engravings for cottage walls, of a large size, have been published by Messrs. Remington, under the direction of the Rev. J. W. Burgon, of Oriel College, Oxford. Others, both large and small, suitable for this purpose, are published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and also by several other publishers.

57: These wall paintings exist (or did till recently) on the outside of a church at High Wycombe. They are curious, and very grotesque; no doubt, however, in their day they have served a good and useful purpose.

58: These mural paintings still remain, as here described, on the north wall of the chancel of Chalgrove Church, Oxon. There are also on the east and south walls of the chancel of the same church, many other paintings possessing great interest.

59: A very interesting mural painting, of which the above is a copy, has been lately discovered in a recess in the north wall of the nave of Bedfont Church. The colour is exceedingly rich and well preserved. The painting measures 4 ft. 6 in. by 4 ft., and is supposed to be of the thirteenth century. It represents the Last Judgment. Our Lord is sitting on His Throne, showing the five wounds. On the right hand is an angel showing the Cross, on the left an angel with a spear. Four nails are represented near the head of our Lord. In the lower part of the painting are two angels holding trumpets, and below them three persons rising out of the tomb.

It is probable that the interior of almost every old church in the country has at some time been decorated with wall-paintings--very many of them have been brought to light in recent works of church restoration. The favourite subjects were representations of Heaven and h.e.l.l, and of the Day of Judgment. In many cathedrals and some parish churches the _Dance of Death_ was painted on the walls. This was one of the most popular religious plays about four centuries ago.

60: No doubt the earliest church walls were made of wood. Greenstead Church, in Ess.e.x, affords a most interesting example of these old wooden walls.

61: Roman bricks are generally easy to be distinguished from others by their colour and shape. They were not all made in moulds of the same size, as we now make bricks, and on this account we find them to vary much in size and form.

62: As at Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire, of which an engraving is given.

63: At G.o.dmersham, Kent.

64: It is certain that many of the splendid yew-trees in our old churchyards are far older than the churches themselves. And it is more than probable that in many instances they mark the places where heathen rites were once celebrated. It was natural for our Christian forefathers to select these spots as places of worship, since, being held sacred by the heathen people around them, they would be regarded by them with reverence and respect, and thus the cross which they reared, and the dead which they buried beneath the wide-spreading branches of these old trees would be preserved from desecration.

65: These styles are now frequently called _first_, _second_, and _third pointed_.

66: "The gla.s.s windows in a church are Holy Scriptures, which expel the wind and the rain, that is, all things hurtful, but transmit the light of the True Sun, that is, G.o.d, into the hearts of the faithful. These are wider within than without, because the mystical sense is the more ample, and precedeth the literal meaning. Also, by the windows the senses of the body are signified: which ought to be shut to the vanities of this world, and open to receive with all freedom spiritual gifts. By the lattice-work of the windows, we understand the Prophets or other obscure teachers of the Church Militant: in which windows there are often two shafts, signifying the two precepts of charity, or because the Apostles were sent out to preach two and two."--_Durandus on Symbolism_.

67: Stained gla.s.s is said to have been first used in churches in the twelfth century. Windows were at first filled with thin slices of talc or alabaster, or sometimes vellum. As the monks spent much time in illuminating their vellum MSS., it has been thought likely that they also painted on the vellum used in the windows of their monasteries, and that afterwards, on the introduction of gla.s.s, their vellum illuminations suggested their gla.s.s painting.

68: At Brabourne, Kent, is a Norman window filled with stained gla.s.s of the period, which is still quite perfect.

69: "One who calls himself John Dowsing, and, by virtue of a pretended commission, goes about ye country like a Bedlam, breaking gla.s.se windows, having battered and beaten downe all our painted gla.s.se, not only in our Chappels, but (contrary to order) in our Publique Schools, Colledge Halls, Libraries, and Chambers."--Berwick's _Querela Cantabrigiensis_.

70: The rubric in the Service for the Public Baptism of Infants directs the priest, _if the G.o.dfathers and G.o.dmothers shall certify that the child may well endure it_, to _dip it in the water_. In the first Prayer Book of Edward VI. the priest is directed to "_dyppe it in the water thryce_."

71: Acts xvi. 15, 33. 1 Cor. i. 16.

72: As at Dorchester and Warborough in Oxfordshire, and Brookland in Kent; each of these have very elaborate mouldings upon them.

73: At Llanvair Discoed, Monmouthshire.

74: The Font at West Rounton, of which we have given an engraving, is one of many examples of this. The _Centaur_, the arrow from whose bow is just about to pierce the monster, probably represents the Deity conquering Satan, or perhaps the continual conflict of the baptized Christian against sin and Satan. The other figure may represent the Divine and human natures united in our Lord. This exceedingly curious Font was discovered during the recent restoration of the little Norman Church of West Rounton, Yorkshire. It was found under the pulpit, of which it formed the base, having been turned over so that the bowl rested on the floor, and so carefully plastered that there was no external indication of its original form. It has now been restored to its former position near the south-west door of the church.

75: Ezek. iii. 7, 8; ix. 4. Rev. vii. 3; ix. 4; xiii. 16; xiv. 1, 9; xxii. 4.

76: apt??? [baptizo], to baptize, ??? [ana], again.

77: "G.o.d planted a garden eastward;" man went westward when he left it; he turns eastward to remind him of his return. Almost every church in England is built _east and west_, with the altar at the east.

78: Phil. ii. 10.

79: Canon XVIII. 1603.

80: "Many monuments are covered with seates, or pewes, made high and easie for parishioners to sit or sleepe in, a fashion of no long continuance, and worthy of reformation."--Weaver's _Funeral Monuments_.

Temp. James I.

81: It is likely that the idea of a gallery at the west end of the nave, was first suggested by the gallery of the Rood Screen at the eastern end.