are met with constantly, over one hundred instances being found in
_Lincolnshire_ alone. Usually, of course, they cut through more ancient
work, as at _Stow_, where a Saxon pier has been cut through (the Saxon
piers of the eastern tower arch are likewise cut and channelled to allow
of the insertion of the beams of a rood-loft); at _Normanton_, where a
Transitional arch has been cut into; at _Frieston_, where the third pier
from the west of the Norman north arcade of the nave has been replaced
by a square mass of stonework containing the rood-loft stairs, with a
Perpendicular rebate for the parish rood-screen; or as at _Whaplode_,
where the fine Norman chancel arch has been cut across for the rood-loft,
to which a Tudor staircase gave access.
It will have appeared from the quotations already given that at
Canterbury, Winchester, and Beverley there were rood-lofts (_pulpita_) as
early as the eleventh century. At Peterborough Cathedral, too, we learn
that there was a new rood-loft set up by Abbot Benedict before 1193. At
_Sibsey_ (St. Margaret’s) there is a Norman nave and aisle arcades, with
lofty circular pillars, square abaci and scalloped cushioned capitals.
The easternmost arch of the south arcade is narrower than the others, to
admit of a turret staircase formerly giving access to the rood-loft, and
its respond has some later detail than the others. The rood-loft doorway
at _Colsterworth_ is among the earliest known. It has an abacus on which
the nail-head ornament exists. This was probably the original rood-loft
entrance, which was subsequently altered when the Perpendicular chancel
arch was erected, as this must have partly blocked up the entrance. The
builders therefore destroyed the right side of the original doorway and
made a side entrance. At East Shefford Church (Berks), in the north wall,
are two Early English windows for lighting the rood-loft, the entrance
to the staircase for which still remains. At St. Nicholas, _Skirbeck_,
the nave is of Early English date, and in consequence of the rood-loft
staircase, the north arcade has narrower bays than the southern. At
_Bratoft_, the aisle arcade, of Decorated date, has the easternmost arch
much narrower than any of the others to allow of the rood-loft staircase.
The little staircase at _Cotes_ is in the thickness of the south wall.
The entrance doorway is moulded in wood, and near the top a tiny
two-light window, cut in alabaster, lights the stair. At _St. Lawrence_,
_Sedgebrook_, the rood-loft apparently was carried across the aisles,
as was the case at _Corby_ and _Carlton Scroop_ (and at _Grantham_);
and access to it was supplied by a newel staircase on the south side
of the church in a turret, in which a sancte-bell formerly hung. This
arrangement of a staircase turret leading on to the nave or aisle roof,
and ending in a sancte-bell cot, was obviously convenient, and is not
very infrequent. Probably this was the case at _Grantham_, where the
octagonal turrets finish in a spirelet, at _Leake_, at _Fishtoft_,
at _Swineshead_, at _Langtoft_, at _Helpringham_, _Quadring_, and at
_Tattershall_, though in the last-named the turret-stair begins from
the stone rood-loft. Leverington Church (Cambs) has a rood-loft turret
crowned with a spirelet at the south-east angle of the nave, which forms
a sancte-bell cot and still retains its bell. At _Sleaford_ there are
two rood-loft stairs in the north and south piers of the chancel arch,
and running up with the northern one is a separate staircase leading on
to the aisle roof. No rood-loft turrets, as far as I have been able to
ascertain, date back previous to the thirteenth century. Curiously, at
St. Antony in Kirrier, Cornwall, there is only an _external_ doorway to
the rood-loft staircase.
Another convenient position for the sancte-bell cot was at the apex of
the eastern gable of the nave, and the earliest example of this form
seems to be a Norman one at Bledington Church in Gloucestershire. In
_Tallington Church_ there still hangs a bell (probably original) in this
position; and Seamer Church, near Scarborough, still possesses both
bell and gable sancte-bell cot. At _Welbourn_ is a pretty hanging bell
cot corbelled out beneath an excellent gable cross. _Tydd St. Mary’s_
is another instance of both features, while _Gedney_, _Claypole_,
_Winthorpe_, _Boston_, _Aslackby_, _Sibsey_, and _Spalding_ have the
gable bell cot alone. _Butterwick_ has a gable bell cot as well as a
rood-loft turret (of good circular brickwork), as have also _Benington_
and _Wrangle_. _Holbeach_ has had two gable sancte-bell cots, the first
dating from 1453; this was replaced at a remarkably late date—that of the
Laudian revival, I suppose, in 1629. As well as the sancte-bells which
have been already mentioned, at _Aslackby_ is a small bell (unhung in
the tower), dated 1611, which is thought to be the sanctus-bell. _St.
Mary’s, Sutterton_, is a small bell of thirteenth-century date, inscribed
in Lombardic lettering, “Symon de Hotfelde me fecit.” _St. Peter and St.
Paul, Algarkirk_, has also probably a sancte-bell, as well as _Bicker_,
_Ingoldmells_, _East Halton_, _Sutterton_, _Hacconby_, _Great Hale_, and
_North Witham_.
To return to the rood-loft: on it (or above it) would stand the great
rood, often with the ends of the cross finished with heads or emblems of
the Four Evangelists. Occasionally the crucifix would be sustained partly
by chains from the roof, as can be seen abroad—_e.g._ at Louvain—to this
day. In the crown of the chancel arch of _Boston Parish Church_ are the
sockets for the two chains to support the rood, and at _Billinghay_ a
central mark for a hook. On either side of the rood would be an image of
St. Mary the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist.[106]
Not infrequently the whole of the chancel arch was boarded up, and the
rood, with attendant figures, stood in front of this, or were painted on
it. Just above and behind (_i.e._ eastwards of) the rood-loft at _Cotes_
the chancel roof is shut off by oak boarding. On each side figures can be
dimly discerned, that on the north having a nimbus, and scattered over
the boarding are flowers with leaves, most probably meant for lilies.
There is a large blank space in the middle, against which, no doubt, the
crucifix was fastened. And it is interesting to note that at “Thorpe
in parochie de Heythar” (_Culverthorpe_, near _Haydor_, probably), in
April 1555, the churchwardens state: “Itm̅ we had noe Roode nor other
Imageis but that were painted on the wall, and thei are defaced and
put oute,” &c.[107] Besides the rood and the images of St. Mary and
St. John, which are mentioned in almost every one of the 200 parishes
in Mr. Peacock’s book as having been destroyed in 1566, often as “the
Rode Marie and John with all other Imageis of papistrie,” there are
specific references in several cases to other images and tabernacles on
the rood-loft. Their fate seemed to be almost invariably to be burnt.
Thus at “_Asbye juxa Sleford_—Imprimis o̅r Images of the Rood Mary and
Jhon w̅th all other Images burned Ao̅ iijᵒ Elizabeth.” At _Belton_, in
_Axholme_ (after mentioning the rood Mary and John), “Itm̅ one Rood-loft
with a tabernacle whearin Imageis stood;” at _Folkingham_, “The Images
belonging to the same roode-loft as the Image called the roode Marie and
John w̅th an other other (_sic_) Image called St. Andrewe (vppon the w̅ch
the parish church of ffolkinghm̅ drewe his name).” At _Corbie_, besides
the customary three, there was “the Image of St. Johnne the Evang ...
of the churche.” At _Gretford_, again, “roode w̅t marie and Johne and
the Image of saincte martine the Patrone.” At _Kelby_, a “picture of St.
Peter” occurs in the same connection. At _North Witham_, after mentioning
the “roode Marie and Johnne,” there are also specified “iij Images of ye
rood-lofte.” It will be noted that some of these extra figures are of
the patron saints of the various churches. In the rood-loft staircase of
_Anwick Church_ was found a statue of the Virgin and Child, with traces
of colour on it.
All wooden screens (and probably all the stone ones also) were almost
certainly coloured and gilt. The receding parts, or cavettos, of the
mouldings are darkened with red or blue, the more prominent white, with
often a small diaper. Round mouldings have spiral or wavy lines to show
that the feature was circular. The most prominent parts were gilt, as
were carved capitals. Gold, too, was often used as star or diaper on a
blue or red ground. The mouldings are sometimes all blue and green, while
the hollows are red foliage gilt on red ground, with all recessed parts
red. A will leaving money to gilding the trelyse has already been given;
Sir Richard Bozon, who died 25th March 1524, bequeathed 20s. towards the
gilding of the rood-loft at _All Saints’, arrowby_. Thus, on _Lincoln
Minster_ screen can still be seen traces of colour, and a little scarlet
blue and gold on cavettos and on crockets on that at _Saltfleetby All
Saints’_. At _South Somercotes_ the round mouldings are in spirals and
black and gold, the spandrils of the panelling white or gold, alternate
cavettos green and red, crockets gilt. In the portions of the screen
at _Billinghay_ the Tudor roses in the spandrils are coloured red and
blue. At _Addlethorpe_ the cavettos are red, finials and crockets gilt
(in the north chantry chapel screen the cavettos are red and blue). At
_Croft_ the border of the panels is spirally in blue and gold, and the
square flowers along the top are gilt. At _Crowland_ the pillars of the
uprights are spirally black and white, the ogees ending in finials gilt,
and the cusping of the lower panels also gilt. In the beautiful screen at
_Alford_ the cavettos are red, and the leaves in the spandril gilt.
But, as well as the lavish decoration of the rood-screen and loft,
which has just been described, there was very frequently some special
colouring and embellishment of those parts of the church in more
immediate proximity to it. The roof of the nave often has the eastern
bay alone painted, as at Rainham (Kent), or that part more gorgeous
than the rest, as at Southwold, where all the roof seems to have been
coloured; but the eastern bay of the nave above the rood-loft has been
most highly decorated with angels, with scrolls, and the implements of
the Passion. In a very large number of churches was a representation of
“The Doom,” or “Day of Judgment,” the most frequent place for this being
over the chancel arch. “The final separation of the Church Triumphant
from everything that defileth was almost invariably represented by
the Great Doom painted in fresco over the rood-screen.” At Trinity
Church, Coventry, and many other places mentioned by Keyser, this
still exists.[108] Over the chancel arch in _Caythorpe Church_ is a
rude representation of the Last Judgment, with the Archangel Michael
weighing souls, and at _Swaton_ were paintings above and on each side
of the chancel arch of scenes from the life of our Lord. “The Doom”
also appears on a set of panels above the chancel arch at Mitcheldean,
Gloucestershire, and at St. Michael’s, St. Albans; the Day of Judgment,
with the crucified Saviour in the centre, is partly over the chancel
arch and partly on a panel filling in the head of the arch. A somewhat
similar condition has been noticed above at _Cotes_, and over the
rood-loft in Snetterton Church, Norfolk, is a defaced panel-painting of
the Day of Judgment. (Pugin gives a view of a similar arrangement at
Arnes, near Bergen, now destroyed, I believe.) The most notable of these
is the one at Wenhaston, Suffolk, discovered in 1892. This piece of
panelling blocked off the chancel (there being no chancel-arch) above the
rood-beam, and measured 17 feet 3 inches by 8 feet 6 inches. The position
of the crucifix is clearly seen, and the spaces left for the figures of
St. Mary and St. John on either side. In the triforium at Gloucester
Cathedral is preserved another “Doom” on panel.
Along the upper edge of the rood-screen or rood-loft would be placed
basins and spikes for candles, which would be lighted on special
occasions. Hence comes the name of “candlebeam,” as before mentioned,
and Gibbons[109] has given seven wills which illustrate this: _e.g._
Thomas Hadstoke leaves “To the Crucifix light in the Roode-lofte xx_d._
in Hycchyn church,” Thomas Buck to the “Rode lighte viij_d._ in Dorney
Church,” William Gybbons to “the rode light” in Hamilden Church, and
Thomas Fissher of Wooborn,“To thre lightes upon the rode beame vj_d._”
(probably one for the rood and one each for St. Mary and St. John). Also,
in the continuation of that history of _Crowland_ which passes by the
name of Ingulph’s, we read as follows (1413): “In the Chapel of the
blessed Mary, which had been previously prepared on the south side of
the church, he (Brother Simon Eresby) most devoutly erected at his own
expense two perks, which were becomingly prepared for the arrangement of
the wax tapers thereon, together with a screen of considerable height,
which terminated the said chapel below.” By the royal injunctions of
1538, no candles, tapers, or images of wax were thenceforth to be set
before any image or picture, “but onelie the light that commonly goeth
about the crosse of the church by the rood-loft,” &c.
[Illustration: ROOD-SCREEN, ST. PETER’S CHURCH, MIDDLE RASEN.]
Then, in connection with the parish church rood-screen and rood-loft,
there was an altar or altars. A favourite position for these, when the
width of the church allowed, was on either side of the central door of
the screen, against the western face of the screen. Those at Ranworth
have been mentioned already; at Patricio, in South Wales, are two stone
altars, one placed on each side (beneath the rood-loft) of the entrance
into the chancel, westward of and against the screen supporting the
loft. On either side of the entrance into the apse of Peterchurch,
Herefordshire, is a stone altar—probably the rood-screen altars; on the
western side of the stone screen of St. Mary Berkeley, on the north,
an altar to St. Mary the Virgin, the piscina of which remains; on the
south, one to St. Andrew. At _Limber Magna_ the steps to the rood-loft
are quite perfect, and exactly under where the rood-loft was placed there
is on both sides the trace of what looks like a piscina, but no marks
of any altar-slab have been discovered. At _St. James’, Castle Bytham_,
at the restoration in 1900, were found at the east end of the nave, on
either side of the chancel arch, remains of shallow, semi-circular-headed
recesses, bearing traces of coloured decoration, forming the reredoses of
the two small altars. At _Winthorpe_, close to the rood-screen, on the
south side, is an aumbry, most probably for use in connection with an
altar on the western front of the screen. Below the rood-loft staircase
at _Colsterworth_ is a little aumbry. In the base of a pier close by the
rood-loft staircase at _Barkston_ is a small hollow, possibly intended as
a piscina or stoup for the service of a rood-altar. Mention has been made
of an altar on the rood-loft of the perished screen at _Grantham_. At
_Frampton_ a beautiful little quatrefoil window, just under the roof at
the south end of the rood-loft, has been opened out, as well as a hole in
the wall beneath it, probably for an office book.
The fate of the roods and rood-lofts has been mentioned above; since
those days much damage has been done to the screens which were left, by
actual destruction, accident, ignorance, and neglect. Fortunately, in the
last thirty years opinion has got educated somewhat, and many of the old
screens have been restored, repaired, and (where necessary) replaced,
while new ones, designed by the first architects of the day, are
furnishing our churches. “Le bon temps viendra” for screens, and indeed
has already come in part.
* * * * *
In domestic chapels of any size it is not unusual to find a chancel
screen, as at The Mote, Ightham, figured by J. H. Parker. Also, in not
a few instances, the western part of the chapel thus shut off has been
divided into two storeys, the upper chamber being for the use of the
lord and his family, the lower one for the domestics. This arrangement,
according to J. H. Parker, continued to be usual in the fifteenth
century, and even later, as at East Hendred, Berks, at Studley Priory
and at Godstow Nunnery, in Oxfordshire. The chapel at Markenfield Hall,
Yorkshire, has also been an example of the same. At East Hendred, the
screen to both upper and lower chambers still exists; at Berkeley Castle
the screen in front of the upper chamber is original, though altered,
that of the lower one is modern. Here, as not infrequently, there is
a fireplace in the upper chamber. At Chibburn, Northumberland, and at
Trecarrel House, Cornwall, the same arrangement has prevailed. “In
Hawarden Castle, Flintshire (said the same authority), the chapel is very
small, and must have been merely a private oratory, or, as seems more
probable, the chancel or sacrarium only, separated by a screen from the
principal chamber in the keep, and with also a ‘squint’ or opening from
the passage in the thickness of the wall, to enable persons thus placed
to see the elevation of the Host.”
In the _Chancery at Lincoln_, at the north end of what was the Hall
(pulled down by Chancellor Maundeville in 1714), are three pointed
doorways of fourteenth-century date, the easternmost of which leads to
the buttery, the western one to the cellars, while the middle one leads
up a flight of steps with a timber-framed plaster partition on each
side, and at the top of these stairs a door on the right hand (easterly,
therefore) leads into a room which almost certainly was the chapel. On
the eastern side of the partition is a screen of three double bays, open
from the middle upwards, with contemporary ironwork. In the opposite side
of the partition are two double loops, all being probably, according to
the late E. J. Willson, of Henry VIII.’s date.
In hospitals also, a somewhat similar arrangement obtained, the chapel
being equal in height to two storeys, and separated from a room above
and below by a screen. These rooms were dormitories, so that the sick
could, as it were, attend service while they were in bed. In _Browne’s
Hospital at Stamford_, the chapel is open to the roof, and on the ground
floor it is separated at the west, from a common room once a dormitory,
by a handsome oak screen with doors groined over on both sides. There
are returned stalls on the east side thereof. In the ancient hospital at
Chichester, the chapel consists of a sacrarium only, and is separated
from the hall or principal chamber by an open screen with a curtain. In
the almshouses, Sherborne, Dorset, is or has been a similar arrangement.
* * * * *
NOTE.—Considerations of space, unfortunately, have prevented any allusion
to Chantry Chapel Screens.
LINCOLNSHIRE AND THE GREAT CIVIL WAR
BY REV. EDWARD H. R. TATHAM, M.A.
In three successive centuries Lincolnshire has been the scene of civil
disturbances, which were closely connected with the general history of
the country. The rebellion against Edward IV. headed by Sir Robert Welles
of Belleau, the “Lincolnshire Captain,” was closed by the defeat of his
force of 30,000 men on March 12, 1470, near Empingham in Rutland. The
rising at Louth and Horncastle, which followed on the dissolution of
the monasteries in 1536, was quelled within a fortnight; and the only
lives lost were those of officials who were killed by the mob, and of
the mob-leaders, who were promptly executed. But in the Great Civil War
of the seventeenth century, Lincolnshire played a great part, though in
ordinary English histories, and even in Clarendon, the struggle within
its borders is passed over lightly. It was the debatable ground between
the Royalism of the North and the stern Puritanism of the Eastern
Association. “From the summer of 1643 to the summer of 1644,” says Lord
Morley,[110] “the power of the northern army and the fate of London and
the Parliamentary cause turned upon Lincolnshire, the borderland between
Yorkshire and the stubborn counties to the south-east.” Here, in the
first two years of the war, Cromwell found a favourable training-ground
for his invincible Ironsides.
Before the war actually began, the temper of this county, as of some
others, was rather hesitating and uncertain. It is doubtful whether,
out of the twelve members for the shire and its boroughs, the proportion
of ten to two against the King truly represented the popular feeling.
Under the then existing system an altogether unfair preponderance was
given to the towns, which returned ten out of the twelve members; and in
London and the eastern towns Puritanism was for the moment all-powerful.
The Militia Ordinance of Parliament, which brought matters to a crisis,
and was doubtless an encroachment on the King’s prerogative, raised a
constitutional question that few could understand. In March 1642, when
the dispute on this point had reached an acute stage, a deputation
from the Lincolnshire gentry in sympathy with the Parliament presented
a petition to the King at Newark on his journey north, in which the
question of the moment is not even mentioned. This petition simply prayed
the King to reside near his Parliament and listen to their counsels; and
in view of their determination to wield the power of the sword, it is
not surprising that the King in his reply, delivered at York, asserted
that Lincolnshire had been misled, and that he was being driven from
his Parliament. The city of Lincoln, though it returned two reforming
members, was probably not so Puritan as the other boroughs. It has been
well pointed out[111] that a large number of the county gentry, many
of whom were Royalists, then possessed houses in Lincoln; and their
opinions would naturally be reflected among the tradesmen, who benefited
by their presence. At this time the two sides were evenly matched
among the members of the City Council; but the Mayor, John Beck, was
a Parliamentarian, though his father, Robert, who preceded him in the
office, belonged to the opposite camp.