_The Church_,
_The Church Schools_, built in 1862,
_The Roman Catholic Chapel_, erected in 1828, and
_The Volunteer Drill Hall_, erected in 1865–6.
Until quite recently the City Prison stood immediately outside the Gate
of St. Giles; but the site of this prison is now occupied by the Roman
Catholic Church, now in process of erection.
In earlier times a _Leper-house_ existed just beyond the gate.
Also until recently there existed just beyond the gate a series of
remarkable and ancient _chalk vaults_, or excavations. They are
described by Mr. Woodward (“Archæologia” vol. xxiij., p. 411), who showed
a plan of them made by John Bond in 1571. Woodward thinks they were
galleries made to obtain the chalk flints for building purposes, whilst
Mr. Rye says “they were probably worked by the masons of the Castle and
Cathedral for the sake of the chalk.” They are now filled up.
_The City Wall_, built between 1294 and 1319, surrounded the outer and
western margin of this parish; and St. Giles’s Gateway, the “Porte de
Newport,” or Gate of Newport, stood at the western end of St. Giles’s
Street. Over this gate, at one time, lived an hermit. It was pulled
down in 1792. In 1867 the greater portion of this part of the City Wall
was also taken down; only a small portion near the southern end of Chapel
Field, with one of the towers, being left standing. A photograph of this
remnant is given in my book on St. Giles’s parish; as well as views of
the Gateway as it existed in 1720 and 1792. The latter were sketched by
the Ninhams, and published by Mr. Fitch in his work on the Gates of
Norwich.
_Chapel Field_, whose history is so strongly interwoven with that of
Norwich, lies on the southern side of St. Giles’s. It takes its name
from a Chapel of St. Mary, which formerly stood where now is the building
used as a High School for Girls. More than half of it lies in this
parish (4·790 acres out of a total of 8·994 acres). It was formerly
known as Chapel Field Croft; and its ancient owners are stated by
Blomefield to have been the Prior of Buckenham, the Prioress of Carhowe,
and the Dean and College of the Chapel in the Fields. But it appears to
have been acquired by the City during the sixteenth century, after the
dissolution of the monasteries. Chapel Field was at one time a sort of
_Campus Martius_ of the city, and was used for the musters and training
of the local trained bands, as well as for military reviews. After its
acquirement by the Corporation, the Field was for a long time usually let
out on lease.
In 1707 it was first railed in. In 1746 its main avenues of trees were
planted by Sir Thomas Churchman. In 1792 a large portion of it was used
for the construction of the reservoir of the old Norwich Waterworks. In
later times it has been used for the drilling of Militia or Volunteers;
as well as for Volunteer reviews; also for the holding of fêtes, flower
shows, bicycle meetings, and horse shows. The well-remembered Fisheries
Exhibition was held in the Drill Hall in 1881.
In 1866 the Prince and Princess of Wales each planted a Wellingtonia tree
in the Field, but these did not flourish, and have been removed. In the
same year the Field was enclosed with its present handsome iron
palisading, and it has since then been transformed into the delightful
Chapel Field Gardens, as we now see them, with their special beauties,
and the handsome iron Pavilion in their midst.
_The Church_ of St. Giles, dedicated to the Saint of that name, stands on
the north side of Upper St. Giles’s Street; and is a striking object as
we pass up the street, as well as from many other points of view. It
occupies a commanding position, overlooking much of the surrounding
district, and was anciently called St. Giles’s on the Hill.
Blomefield says it was founded by Elwyn the priest, and given by him to
the Monks of Norwich, after he had procured an indulgence of twenty days’
pardon for all who should come and offer here on St. Giles’s Day, or
within seven days after, and it was rebuilt in the time of Richard II.
The chancel, which appears to have been a very long one, was demolished
in 1581, and was not rebuilt until the general restoration of the Church
in 1866, when it was restored mainly at the cost of the Rev. W. N. Ripley
(now Canon Ripley) who was then Incumbent.
The Church is a fine perpendicular flint-work structure. The tower is
large and well proportioned. It is battlemented and crowned with a small
bell-cot and weather-cock. It is rather more than 113 feet high, and the
hill upon which it stands is 85·8 feet above the level of the sea. From
its height and conspicuous position, it was selected in 1549 for placing
a cresset, for a fire beacon, upon its top. There was formerly a Cross
and Image of the Trinity in a niche on the west side of the steeple
(Blomefield). It has a clock on its eastern face, and contains eight
bells, one of which is rung as a Curfew every evening at eight o’clock,
as has been the case for more than four hundred years, in accordance with
a benefaction of one John Colton, in 1457.
_The Belfry Chamber_ contains five large steeple-boards, with many names
of ringers.
_The Porch_ has a fine groined vault, with fan tracery, and a rich
parapet and cornice.
Kirkpatrick (1712) says of it: “There is a neat porch of freestone on the
south side of the Church for entrance, with a chamber above it. On each
side of the window, which is in the front, is a niche (with) spired top.
On each side of the arch of the door, cut in stone, is a cherub with an
escocheon before him. That on the east side has two pastoral staffs. On
the (west) a Pall, and at the top of the porch a border of carved work
whereon you see the letter G of the antient form with a crown upon it and
an escocheon with vine branch of various small ones denoting St. Giles,
to whom dedicated.” (These three niches are now empty.) “On the north
side of Church there is no porch, but only a door opposite to that of the
south.” (This doorway no longer exists.)
The Church itself consists of new Chancel, Nave, and North and South
Aisles. The whole building is about 120 feet long, and the nave with its
aisles is 48 feet across. The roof is of good open woodwork, supported
by “Angels bearing shields, emblazoned with the Arms of England, France,
and Castile” (Bayne). And Taylor says the Arms of Norwich Priory are (or
were) seen in this roof. The columns supporting it are light and
elegant. They are four in number, with a pilaster at each end, and they
divide the nave from the aisles. The clerestory windows have been
modernised. They are five in number, and closely correspond to the
larger windows in the walls of the north and south aisles. Of these
there are five in the north side, and four (and the porch) on the south
side.
Blomefield says that “In the west end of the south aisle there was
formerly a chapel, altar, and image of St. Catharine, with a light
burning before it; and against one of the pillars there was a famous rood
called the Brown-rood. There was a Gild of St. Mary kept before the
altar of the Virgin of Pity. The west window in the north aisle was
adorned with the history of Our Lord’s passion; and there were lights
burning before the images of St. Mary, St. John Baptist, St. Christopher,
St. Unkumber, and St. Wilegesartis; besides those that continually burned
before the Holy-rood, or cross, the Holy Sepulchre, and the Sacrament.”
Mr. Hudson says that S. Uncumber and S. Wilegesartis, or Wylgefort, were
the same person, and in the _St. Peter Mountergate Parish Magazine_ for
February of this year (1891) he has thus briefly given her history: “She
was a beautiful maiden who was ordered to marry a man to whom she had a
great aversion. While she was at her wits’ end to know how to avoid her
fate, she was delighted to discover that in the course of a few hours she
had become adorned with a full-grown and very ugly black beard. This, of
course, disposed of the gentleman. Wylgefort lived to be a happy old
maid, and when she died was honoured as a Saint . . . She was thought to
have some special power to uncumber (_i.e._ disencumber, make free)
discontented wives from disagreeable husbands. Hence her popular name.”
The remains of a colossal fresco painting of St. Christopher and two
consecration crosses were discovered on the wall of the north aisle in
1723.
At the lower end of the Church stands an ancient stone _Font_; the upper
part, or basin, evidently of much older date than the base, which
consists of a pedestal and two steps. The outer part of the basin has
eight facets, carved with shields and flowers, and below these are eight
cherubs’ heads, with flowers between. The pedestal is carved out on its
sides into niches, having cusped tracery heads. There was formerly a
cover, which has been lost. Standing within the large basin is a small
leaden vessel and cover, a rough miniature copy of the font itself, made
about fifty years ago by Mr. Culyer, then parish clerk.
_The Communion Plate_ {97a} consists of six pieces, silver gilt, and
presented by Robert Snell in 1738, and of two brass bowls, presented by
Mr. John Gurney in 1869.
The reading desk and pulpit, the organ, the oak fittings, and the vestry
room were all added in 1866, when the whole Church was restored, and the
Chancel rebuilt. {97b} The building is thoroughly heated by hot water.
The Communion rail was added about five years ago.
The Church contains several monuments, besides mural tablets and
inscribed stones. The principal of the former are those of
Adrian Payne, 1686, the founder of Payne’s Charity.
Robert Snell, 1738, who gave the Communion Plate.
Alderman Churchman, 1742.
Dr. Offley, 1767.
Sir Thomas Churchman, 1781.
Dr. John Beevor, 1815.
The Stannard Family, 1838.
Slabs to the memory of Henry Crossgrove, printer, 1744, who published
the first Norwich newspaper in 1706; and to Elizabeth, wife of Colonel
Cobbe, of Sandringham Hall, 1698, may also be mentioned.
There are several brasses, the two principal represent Robert Baxter,
Mayor of Norwich in 1424 and 1429, with his wife; and Richard Purdaunce,
Mayor 1422 and 1433, with his wife. Both of these are figured in
Cotman’s “Brasses of Norfolk.”
Other and smaller brasses are inscribed with the names of John Smith,
Elizabeth Bedingfield, Margaret Landysdale, Thomas Hervey, and Rachel
Spendlove.
_The Room over the Porch_ contains some church standards of former St.
Giles’s Mayors; also a dilapidated ‘Parish Umbrella’; and the parish
‘Watchman’s Crake,’ or rattle.
_The Parish Registers_ date from 1538, and are very perfect. The Burial
Register shows distinct evidence of the presence of unusual mortality in
some of the well-known pestilence years. The first part contains a very
remarkable illustrated dedication.
_The Churchyard_ was altered and enclosed with a wall and iron railing in
1866–7. Taylor says that a Hermitage formerly existed in its south-west
corner.
There are several and important parish _Charities_; their proceeds being
partly for Church purposes, and partly for the benefit of poor
parishioners.
The incumbency has an endowment of about £70 a year. It was formerly a
Perpetual Curacy, and is now a Vicarage. It is in the gift of the Dean
and Chapter. A vicarage house for the minister has been purchased quite
recently.
[Picture: The Tower of St. Giles’s Church]
IX.
THE TOWER OF ST. GILES’S CHURCH,
_And some things in relation thereto_. {99}
By “relation thereto” I mean that my paper will first speak of myself—my
personality and my belongings—and then recall to your memory a few of
those changes and events of interest which have taken place in my
neighbourhood and surroundings.
Perhaps I ought to apologize for bringing before such a learned branch of
the Church of England Young Men’s Society, as is this its Literary Class,
so many familiar facts and events as are here alluded to. But
nevertheless, I have thought that there might be some considerable
interest in grouping and recalling to our minds a few such items
connected with one city centre, and especially as they might be supposed
to be noted by such an eyewitness as I have suggested myself to be. A
knowledge of our city, of its specialities, its changes, and
developments, is always good mental store. And although it might be
said—are not many of these things to be found recorded in the City
Archives, and in the volumes of City History? yet almost certainly many
of the members of this class will not have studied these. And therefore,
it may fairly be hoped that this little paper may stimulate the
historical bump of some of the brains here present, and arouse in them a
desire to further study such archæological facts and local histories.
And here let me quote some lines of the Suffolk poet, Bernard Barton, in
reference to the survey or study of past events or history. He says:—
“No useless, or ignoble toil,
To him who in ‘the past’ delights,
Seems it—from dark Oblivion’s spoil
To cull whate’er our taste invites,
Of by-gone legends, parted rites,
In earlier days believ’d as true;
And bid our old ‘Historic Sites’
Peopled afresh, to charm anew.
“That is no true Philosophy
Which does not love at times to trace,
With glowing heart and moisten’d eye,
Time honoured haunts, whose chiefest grace
Is to have been _their_ dwelling-place
Whose names in history’s page are shrined,
Whose memories time can ne’er erase
From many a fond admiring mind.”