At what period after the demolition of Leicester in the reign of Henry
the second, the church of St. Martin, antiently St. Crosse, was rebuilt,
cannot be accurately stated. The chancel, which is the property of the
king, rented by the vicar, and was erected after the main fabrick, is
ascertained to been have built in the reign of Henry the fifth, at the
expense of 34l. And as the addition of spires to sacred edifices was not
introduced into England from the east till the beginning of the reign of
Henry the third, the date must be fixed between the two intervening
centuries, and if the spire was built with the church not very early
after the introduction of that ornament of our churches, as the handsome,
solid form of St. Martin's bespeaks considerable practice and expertness
in the art.
The church originally consisted only of a nave and two aisles; the south
aisle, where the consistory court is held, which is formed by a range of
gothic arches whose clustered columns unite strength with lightness, was
added after the erection of the others. In contemplating the inside of
this church, it is curious to draw a brief parallel between its present
plain yet handsome appearance, and its catholic magnificence before the
zeal of the reformation, justly excited, but intemperate in its
direction, had, during its career against Romish absurdities destroyed
almost every trace of ornament in our churches. And whilst we survey its
present few decorations, its brass chandeliers depending from the elegant
cieling of the nave, the beautiful oak corinthian pillars of its altar
piece, which is ornamented with a picture of the ascension by Francesco
Vanni, (the gift of Sir W. Skeffington Bart.) and its excellent organ, we
can scarcely forbear lamenting the violence with which the magnificent
range of steps was torn from its high altar, then hung with draperies of
white damask and purple velvet.
Its two other altars, {135} its chapels of _our Lady_ and _St George_,
one at the east, the other at the west end of the south broad aisle, were
also destroyed; the sculptured figures that adorned the pulpit, the
tabernacles, and brazen eagles demolished, and, as the parochial records
testify, 20d. was paid for "cutting the images heads, and taking down the
angels wings." In the succeeding century after this sacred structure had
exhibited this scene of demolition, it became a theatre of war. Hither
fled part of the Parliamentary garrison, after being driven by the
royalists from their fortress in the Newark; making a citadel of a
church, which, on the arrival of the enemy to storm the hold was polluted
with the bleeding bodies of Englishmen slain by Englishmen, who pursued
their victory by chacing the defeated into the Market-Place, where the
stragglers were slaughtered.
From this anecdote of civil discord we are led to contemplate the more
rationally excited bravery of the present times, by the sight of the old
colours of the 17th or Leicestershire regiment of foot, which are
suspended over the royal arms at the east end of nave. They were
presented to the corporation by Lieut. Col. Stovin, of that regiment, and
how much their intrepid defenders suffered in guarding them, may be known
from their worn and tattered appearance.
As it is the most curious and useful branch of antiquarian research to
read the manners and sentiments of an age in its public solemnities and
pastimes, we will not leave the church without a wish for a better
investigation of an obscure and singular custom, that antient carnival of
Leicester, "_the riding the George_." The horse of this chivalrous
saint, which, when the reformation had overthrown the monkish mummeries
that so inconsistently blended religion with pastime, was sold for twelve
pence, stood at the west end of the south aisle, harnessed in all the
trappings of Romish splendor. Notice of the day appointed for this
festivity was annually given by the master of St. George's Guild; sports
of every variety animated the town, and that the jubilee, was, in the
strictest sense _general_, is proved from the summons issued in the 17th
of Edward the fourth, ordering _all_ the inhabitants to attend the mayor,
to _ride the George_. Mention of the celebration is recorded so late as
the 15th of Henry the eighth.
The stranger who is an admirer of sacred harmony will not pass without
particular notice, the Organ of St. Martin's. A spirited subscription in
1774, furnished the church with this noble ornament. It was built by the
celebrated Snetzler, and esteemed one of the best specimens of his art.
It has three sets of keys, from F in alt, to GG. The stops in the great
organ are, the stopped diapason, two open diapasons, flute, and
principal, trumpet and baffoon, all entire, the 12th, 15th,
sesqui-altera, cornet and clarion. In the ch. organ, are two diapasons
and principal. In the swell two diapasons, principal, hautboy and
trumpet.
A range of antient stone building bounding the west side of the church
yard is an hospital founded about the year 1516, by W. Wigston, Merchant
of the staple at Calais, and mayor of Leicester, for 12 men and 12 women,
their pay about 3s. weekly. It has a master and confrater. The Chapel
has a large gothic window of painted glass.
On the north side of the hospital is a building called _the Town
Library_, established 1632 by the corporation, at the motion of the then
bishop of Lincoln. It consists of about 948 vols. chiefly the Latin
classics and historians, to which no modern additions whatever have been
made.
The building adjoining the Library which is the hall formerly belonging
to the guild or fraternity of St. George, which, together with the Corpus
Chrisri guild, the principal establishment of that kind in the town, was
founded in St. Martin's church, was purchased, on the dissolution of
guilds and chantries by the corporation, and is the guild-hall of the
borough. It is adorned with several portraits among which is that of Sir
Thomas White, Kt. citizen and merchant Taylor of London, who among many
magnificent charities, bequeathed 10,000l. in the trust of the
corporation to be lent without interest in sums of 50l. and 40l. to every
freeman of Leicester for the term of nine years; a charity of peculiar
value as it affords a perpetual incitement to the exertions of rising
industry.
The magistracy of Leicester is an institution of great antiquity and
respectability, being a corporation by prescription, dating its
establishment from immemorial usage before its first charter in the reign
of king John. It consists of 72 members; 24 aldermen, 48 common council
men; the officers are a recorder, town-clerk, bailiff, and steward.
By forming cities and towns into corporations, and conferring on them the
privileges of municipal jurisdiction, the first check was given to the
overwhelming evils of the feudal system; and under their influence
freedom and independence began to peep forth from amid the rigours of
slavery and the miseries of oppression.
To be free of any corporation was not then, as at present merely to enjoy
some privileges in trade, or to exercise the right of voting on
particular occasions, but it was to be exempt from the hardships of
feudal service; to have the right of disposing both of person and
property, and to be governed by laws intended to promote the general
good, and not to gratify the ambition and avarice of individuals. These
laws, however rude and imperfect, tended to afford security to property
and, encourage men to habits of industry. Thus commerce, with every
ornamental and useful art, began first in corporate bodies, to animate
society. But in those dark ages, force was necessary to defend the
claims of industry; and such a force these municipal societies possessed;
for their towns were not only defended by walls and gates vigilantly
guarded by the citizens, but oft-times at the head of their fellow
freemen in arms, the mayor, aldermen, or other officers marched forth in
firm array to assert their rights, defend their property and teach the
proudest and most powerful baron that the humblest freeman was not to be
injured with impunity. It was thus the commons learned and proved they
were not objects of contempt; nay that they were beings of the same
species as the greatest lords.
It is pleasingly curious to observe in these times the shadow of the
semblance of this most useful military power preserved as at Leicester,
in the array of a few of the poor men of Trinity hospital, clad in pieces
of iron armour, attending the beadle while he proclaims a fair; nor is it
less so to recollect that the feasts annually given by the mayor were
once held in imitation of the rude hospitality of the Barons whose feasts
not a little contributed to give a consequence to the commons of England,
and to humanize the haughty chief by shewing him that respectability
might belong to those who did not wield the sword, and that men might
have dignity even tho' they had no pretensions to the glare of titles and
the illusions of birth. Thus will the intelligent observer find, that
corporate bodies were the true sources of law, liberty and civilization,
and by rendering the occupation of trade respectable they may be deemed
the first origin of that commerce which has rendered Great Britain the
most powerful and most happy nation of the earth.
These few reflections we will suppose to have occupied the time during
the short walk from St. Martin's church to the