[1] The history of the literary gloss in its proper sense has given
rise to the common English use of the word to mean an interpretation,
especially in a disingenuous, sinister or false way; the form
"gloze," more particularly associated with explaining away,
palliating or talking speciously, is simply an alternative spelling.
The word has thus to some extent influenced, or been influenced by,
the meaning of the etymologically different "gloss" = lustrous
surface (from the same root as "glass"; cf. "glow"), in its extended
sense of "outward fair seeming."
[2] See Matthaei, _Glossaria Graeca_ (Moscow, 1774/5).
[3] See Labbe, _Veteres glossae verborum juris quae passim in
Basilicis reperiuntur_ (1606); Otto, _Thesaurus juris Romani_, iii.
(1697); Stephens, _Thesaurus linguae Graecae_, viii. (1825).
[4] See Biener, _Geschichte der Novellen_, p. 229 sqq.
[5] Irnerius himself is with some probability believed to have been
the author of the Brachylogus (q.v.).
[6] Thus Fil. Villani (_De origine civitatis Florentiae_, ed. 1847,
p. 23), speaking of the Glossator Accursius, says of the Glossae that
"tantae auctoritatis gratiaeque fuere, ut omnium consensu publice
approbarentur, et reiectis aliis, quibuscumque penitus abolitis,
solae juxta textum legum adpositae sunt et ubique terrarum sine
controversia pro legibus celebrantur, ita ut nefas sit, non secus
quam textui, Glossis Accursii contraire." For similar testimonies see
Bayle's _Dictionnaire_, s.v. "Accursius," and Rudorff, _Rom.
Rechtsgeschichte_, i. 338 (1857).
[7] The so-called _Malberg_ glosses, found in various texts of the
Lex Salica, are not glosses in the ordinary sense of the word, but
precious remains of the parent of the present literary Dutch, namely,
the Low German dialect spoken by the Salian Franks who conquered Gaul
from the Romans at the end of the 5th century. It is supposed that
the conquerors brought their Frankish law with them, either written
down, or by oral tradition; that they translated it into Latin for
the sake of the Romans settled in the country, and that the
translators, not always knowing a proper Latin equivalent for certain
things or actions, retained in their translations the Frankish
technical names or phrases which they had attempted to translate into
Latin. E.g. in chapter ii., by the side of "_porcellus lactans_" (a
sucking-pig), we find the Frankish "_chramnechaltio_," lit. a
stye-porker. The person who stole such a pig (still kept in an
enclosed place, in a stye) was fined three times as much as one who
stole a "_porcellus de campo qui sine matre vivere possit_," as the
Latin text has it, for which the Malberg technical expression appears
to have been _ingymus_, that is, a one year (winter) old animal, i.e.
a yearling. Nearly all these glosses are preceded by "_mal_" or
"_malb_," which is thought to be a contraction for "_malberg_," the
Frankish for "forum." The antiquity and importance of these glosses
for philology may be realized from the fact that the Latin
translation of the Lex Salica probably dates from the latter end of
the 5th century. For further information cf. Jac. Grimm's preface to
Joh. Merkel's ed. (1850), and H. Kern's notes to J. H. Hessels's ed.
(London, 1880) of the Lex Salica.
[8] Anglo-Saxon scholars ascribe an earlier date to the text of the
MS. on account of certain archaisms in its Anglo-Saxon words.
GLOSSOP, a market town and municipal borough, in the High Peak
parliamentary division of Derbyshire, England, on the extreme northern
border of the county; 13 m. E. by S. of Manchester by the Great Central
railway. Pop. (1901) 21,526. It is the chief seat of the cotton
manufacture in Derbyshire, and it has also woollen and paper mills, dye
and print works, and bleaching greens. The town consists of three main
divisions, the Old Town (or Glossop proper), Howard Town (or Glossop
Dale) and Mill Town. An older parish church was replaced by that of All
Saints in 1830; there is also a very fine Roman Catholic church. In the
immediate neighbourhood is Glossop Hall, the seat of Lord Howard, lord
of the manor, a picturesque old building with extensive terraced
gardens. On a hill near the town is Melandra Castle, the site of a Roman
fort guarding Longdendale and the way into the hills of the Peak
District. In the neighbourhood also a great railway viaduct spans the
Dinting valley with sixteen arches. To the north, in Longdendale, there
are five lakes belonging to the water-supply system of Manchester,
formed by damming the Etherow, a stream which descends from the high
moors north-east of Glossop. The town is governed by a mayor, 6 aldermen
and 18 councillors. Area, 3052 acres.
Glossop was granted by Henry I. to William Peverel, on the attainder of
whose son it reverted to the crown. In 1157 it was gifted by Henry II.
to the abbey of Basingwerk. Henry VIII. bestowed it on the earl of
Shrewsbury. It was made a municipal borough in 1866.
GLOUCESTER, EARLS AND DUKES OF. The English earldom of Gloucester was
held by several members of the royal family, including Robert, a natural
son of Henry I., and John, afterwards king, and others, until 1218, when
Gilbert de Clare was recognized as earl of Gloucester. It remained in
the family of Clare (q.v.) until 1314, when another Earl Gilbert was
killed at Bannockburn; and after this date it was claimed by various
relatives of the Clares, among them by the younger Hugh le Despenser (d.
1326) and by Hugh Audley (d. 1347), both of whom had married sisters of
Earl Gilbert. In 1397 Thomas le Despenser (1373-1400), a descendant of
the Clares, was created earl of Gloucester; but in 1399 he was degraded
from his earldom and in January 1400 was beheaded.
The dukedom dates from 1385, when Thomas of Woodstock, a younger son of
Edward III., was created duke of Gloucester, but his honours were
forfeited when he was found guilty of treason in 1397. The next holder
of the title was Humphrey, a son of Henry IV., who was created duke of
Gloucester in 1414. He died without sons in 1447, and in 1461 the title
was revived in favour of Richard, brother of Edward IV., who became king
as Richard III. in 1483.
In 1659 Henry (1639-1660), a brother of Charles II., was formally
created duke of Gloucester, a title which he had borne since infancy.
This prince, sharing the exile of the Stuarts, had incensed his mother,
Queen Henrietta Maria, by his firm adherence to the Protestant religion,
and had fought among the Spaniards at Dunkirk in 1658. Having returned
to England with Charles II., he died unmarried in London on the 13th of
September 1660. The next duke was William (1689-1700), son of the
princess Anne, who was, after his mother, the heir to the English
throne, and who was declared duke of Gloucester by his uncle, William
III., in 1689, but no patent for this creation was ever passed. William
died on the 30th of July 1700, and again the title became extinct.
Frederick Louis, the eldest son of George II., was known for some time
as duke of Gloucester, but when he was raised to the peerage in 1726 it
was as duke of Edinburgh only. In 1764 Frederick's third son, William
Henry (1743-1805), was created duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh by his
brother, George III. This duke's secret marriage with Maria (d. 1807),
an illegitimate daughter of Sir Edward Walpole and widow of James, 2nd
Earl Waldegrave, in 1766, greatly incensed his royal relatives and led
to his banishment from court. Gloucester died on the 25th of August
1805, leaving an only son, William Frederick (1776-1834), who now became
duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. The duke, who served with the British
army in Flanders, married his cousin Mary (1776-1857), a daughter of
George III. He died on the 30th of November 1834, leaving no children,
and his widow, the last survivor of the family of George III., died on
the 30th of April 1857.
GLOUCESTER, GILBERT DE CLARE, EARL OF (1243-1295), was a son of Richard
de Clare, 7th earl of Gloucester and 8th earl of Clare, and was born at
Christchurch, Hampshire, on the 2nd of September 1243. Having married
Alice of Angouleme, half-sister of king Henry III., he became earl of
Gloucester and Clare on his father's death in July 1262, and almost at
once joined the baronial party led by Simon de Montfort, earl of
Leicester. With Simon Gloucester was at the battle of Lewes in May 1264,
when the king himself surrendered to him, and after this victory he was
one of the three persons selected to nominate a council. Soon, however,
he quarrelled with Leicester. Leaving London for his lands on the Welsh
border he met Prince Edward, afterwards king Edward I., at Ludlow, just
after his escape from captivity, and by his skill contributed largely to
the prince's victory at Evesham in August 1265. But this alliance was as
transitory as the one with Leicester. Gloucester took up the cudgels on
behalf of the barons who had surrendered at Kenilworth in November and
December 1266, and after putting his demands before the king, secured
possession of London. This happened in April 1267, but the earl quickly
made his peace with Henry III. and with Prince Edward, and, having
evaded an obligation to go on the Crusade, he helped to secure the
peaceful accession of Edward I. to the throne in 1272. Gloucester then
passed several years in fighting in Wales, or on the Welsh border; in
1289 when the barons were asked for a subsidy he replied on their behalf
that they would grant nothing until they saw the king in person (_nisi
prius personaliter viderent in Anglia faciem regis_), and in 1291 he was
fined and imprisoned on account of his violent quarrel with Humphrey de
Bohun, earl of Hereford. Having divorced his wife Alice, he married in
1290 Edward's daughter Joan, or Johanna (d. 1307). Earl Gilbert, who is
sometimes called the "Red," died at Monmouth on the 7th of December
1295, leaving in addition to three daughters a son, Gilbert, earl of
Gloucester and Clare, who was killed at Bannockburn.
See C. Bemont, _Simon de Montfort, comte de Leicester_ (1884), and G.
W. Prothero, _Simon de Montfort_ (1877).
GLOUCESTER, HUMPHREY, DUKE OF (1391-1447), fourth son of Henry IV. by
Mary de Bohun, was born in 1391. He was knighted at his father's
coronation on the 11th of October 1399, and created duke of Gloucester
by Henry V. at Leicester on the 16th of May 1414. He served in the war
next year, and was wounded at Agincourt, where he owed his life to his
brother's valour. In April 1416 Humphrey received the emperor Sigismund
at Dover and, according to a 16th-century story, did not let him land
till he had disclaimed all title to imperial authority in England. In
the second invasion of France Humphrey commanded the force which during
1418 reduced the Cotentin and captured Cherbourg. Afterwards he joined
the main army before Rouen, and took part in subsequent campaigns till
January 1420. He then went home to replace Bedford as regent in England,
and held office till Henry's own return in February 1421. He was again
regent for his brother from May to September 1422.
Henry V. measured Humphrey's capacity, and by his will named him merely
deputy for Bedford in England. Humphrey at once claimed the full
position of regent, but the parliament and council allowed him only the
title of protector during Bedford's absence, with limited powers. His
lack of discretion soon justified this caution. In the autumn of 1422 he
married Jacqueline of Bavaria, heiress of Holland, to whose lands Philip
of Burgundy had claims. Bedford, in the interest of so important an
ally, endeavoured vainly to restrain his brother. Finally in October
1424 Humphrey took up arms in his wife's behalf, but after a short
campaign in Hainault went home, and left Jacqueline to be overwhelmed by
Burgundy. Returning to England in April 1425 he soon entangled himself
in a quarrel with the council and his uncle Henry Beaufort, and stirred
up a tumult in London. Open war was averted only by Beaufort's prudence,
and Bedford's hurried return. Humphrey had charged his uncle with
disloyalty to the late and present kings. With some difficulty Bedford
effected a formal reconciliation at Leicester in March 1426, and forced
Humphrey to accept Beaufort's disavowal. When Bedford left England next
year Humphrey renewed his intrigues. But one complication was removed by
the annulling in 1428 of his marriage with Jacqueline. His open adultery
with his mistress, Eleanor Cobham, also made him unpopular. To check his
indiscretion the council, in November 1429, had the king crowned, and so
put an end to Humphrey's protectorate. However, when Henry VI. was soon
afterwards taken to be crowned in France, Humphrey was made lieutenant
and warden of the kingdom, and thus ruled England for nearly two years.
His jealousy of Bedford and Beaufort still continued, and when the
former died in 1435 there was no one to whom he would defer. The
defection of Burgundy roused English feeling, and Humphrey won
popularity as leader of the war party. In 1436 he commanded in a short
invasion of Flanders. But he had no real power, and his political
importance lay in his persistent opposition to Beaufort and the
councillors of his party. In 1439 he renewed his charges against his
uncle without effect. His position was further damaged by his connexion
with Eleanor Cobham, whom he had now married. In 1441 Eleanor was
charged with practising sorcery against the king, and Humphrey had to
submit to see her condemned, and her accomplices executed. Nevertheless,
he continued his political opposition, and endeavoured to thwart
Suffolk, who was now taking Beaufort's place in the council, by opposing
the king's marriage to Margaret of Anjou. Under Suffolk's influence
Henry VI. grew to distrust his uncle altogether. The crisis came in the
parliament of Bury St Edmunds in February 1447. Immediately on his
arrival there Humphrey was arrested, and four days later, on the 23rd of
February, he died. Rumour attributed his death to foul play. But his
health had been long undermined by excesses, and his end was probably
only hastened by the shock of his arrest.
Humphrey was buried at St Albans Abbey, in a fine tomb, which still
exists. He was ambitious and self-seeking, but unstable and
unprincipled, and, lacking the fine qualities of his brothers, excelled
neither in war nor in peace. Still he was a cultured and courtly prince,
who could win popularity. He was long remembered as the good Duke
Humphrey, and in his lifetime was a liberal patron of letters. He had
been a great collector of books, many of which he presented to the
university of Oxford. He contributed also to the building of the
Divinity School, and of the room still called Duke Humphrey's library.
His books were dispersed at the Reformation and only three volumes of
his donation now remain in the Bodleian library. Titus Livius, an
Italian in Humphrey's service, wrote a life of Henry V. at his patron's
bidding. Other Italian scholars, as Leonardo Aretino, benefited by his
patronage. Amongst English men of letters he befriended Reginald Pecock,
Whethamstead of St Albans, Capgrave the historian, Lydgate, and Gilbert
Kymer, who was his physician and chancellor of Oxford university. A
popular error found Humphrey a fictitious tomb in St Paul's Cathedral.
The adjoining aisle, called Duke Humphrey's Walk, was frequented by
beggars and needy adventurers. Hence the 16th-century proverb "to dine
with Duke Humphrey," used of those who loitered there dinnerless.
The most important contemporary sources are Stevenson's _Wars of the
English in France_, Whethamstead's _Register_, and Beckington's
_Letters_ (all in Rolls Ser.), with the various _London Chronicles_,
and the works of Waurin and Monstrelet. For his relations with
Jacqueline see F. von Loher's _Jacobaa von Bayern und ihre Zeit_ (2
vols., Nordlingen, 1869). For other modern authorities consult W.
Stubbs's _Constitutional History_; J. H. Ramsay's _Lancaster and
York_; _Political History of England_, vol. iv.; R. Pauli, _Pictures
of Old England_, pp. 373-401 (1861); and K. H. Viekers, _Humphrey,
Duke of Gloucester_ (1907). For Humphrey's correspondence with Piero
Candido Decembrio see the _English Historical Review_, vols. x., xix.,
xx. (C. L. K.)
GLOUCESTER, RICHARD DE CLARE, EARL OF (1222-1262), was a son of Gilbert
de Clare, 6th earl of Gloucester and 7th earl of Clare, and was born on
the 4th of August 1222, succeeding to his father's earldoms on the
death of the latter in October 1230. His first wife was Margaret,
daughter of Hubert de Burgh, and after her death in 1237 he married
Maud, daughter of John de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, and passed his early
years in tournaments and pilgrimages, taking for a time a secondary and
undecided part in politics. He refused to help Henry III. on the French
expedition of 1250, but was afterwards with the king at Paris; then he
went on a diplomatic errand to Scotland, and was sent to Germany to work
among the princes for the election of his stepfather, Richard, earl of
Cornwall, as king of the Romans. About 1258 Gloucester took up his
position as a leader of the barons in their resistance to the king, and
he was prominent during the proceedings which followed the Mad
Parliament at Oxford in 1258. In 1259, however, he quarrelled with Simon
de Montfort, earl of Leicester; the dispute, begun in England, was
renewed in France and he was again in the confidence and company of the
king. This attitude, too, was only temporary, and in 1261 Gloucester and
Leicester were again working in concord. The earl died at his residence
near Canterbury on the 15th of July 1262. A large landholder like his
son and successor, Gilbert, Gloucester was the most powerful English
baron of his time; he was avaricious and extravagant, but educated and
able. He left several children in addition to Earl Gilbert.
GLOUCESTER, ROBERT, EARL OF (d. 1147), was a natural son of Henry I. of
England. He was born, before his father's accession, at Caen in
Normandy; but the exact date of his birth, and his mother's name are
unknown. He received from his father the hand of a wealthy heiress,
Mabel of Gloucester, daughter of Robert Fitz Hamon, and with her the
lordships of Gloucester and Glamorgan. About 1121 the earldom of
Gloucester was created for his benefit. His rank and territorial
influence made him the natural leader of the western baronage. Hence, at
his father's death, he was sedulously courted by the rival parties of
his half-sister the empress Matilda and of Stephen. After some
hesitation he declared for the latter, but tendered his homage upon
strict conditions, the breach of which should be held to invalidate the
contract. Robert afterwards alleged that he had merely feigned
submission to Stephen with the object of secretly furthering his
half-sister's cause among the English barons. The truth appears to be
that he was mortified at finding himself excluded from the inner
councils of the king, and so resolved to sell his services elsewhere.
Robert left England for Normandy in 1137, renewed his relations with the
Angevin party, and in 1138 sent a formal defiance to the king. Returning
to England in the following year, he raised the standard of rebellion in
his own earldom with such success that the greater part of western
England and the south Welsh marches were soon in the possession of the
empress. By the battle of Lincoln (Feb. 2, 1141), in which Stephen was
taken prisoner, the earl made good Matilda's claim to the whole kingdom.
He accompanied her triumphal progress to Winchester and London; but was
unable to moderate the arrogance of her behaviour. Consequently she was
soon expelled from London and deserted by the bishop Henry of Winchester
who, as legate, controlled the policy of the English church. With
Matilda the earl besieged the legate at Winchester, but was forced by
the royalists to beat a hasty retreat, and in covering Matilda's flight
fell into the hands of the pursuers. So great was his importance that
his party purchased his freedom by the release of Stephen. The earl
renewed the struggle for the crown and continued it until his death
(Oct. 31, 1147); but the personal unpopularity of Matilda, and the
estrangement of the Church from her cause, made his efforts unavailing.
His loyalty to a lost cause must be allowed to weigh in the scale
against his earlier double-dealing. But he hardly deserves the
extravagant praise which is lavished upon him by William of Malmesbury.
The sympathies of the chronicler are too obviously influenced by the
earl's munificence towards literary men.
See the _Historia novella_ by William of Malmesbury (Rolls edition);
the _Historia Anglorum_ by Henry of Huntingdon (Rolls edition); J. H.
Round's _Geoffrey de Mandeville_ (1892); and O. Rossler's _Kaiserin
Mathilde_ (Berlin, 1897). (H. W. C. D.)
GLOUCESTER, THOMAS OF WOODSTOCK, DUKE OF (1355-1397), seventh and
youngest son of the English king Edward III., was born at Woodstock on
the 7th of January 1355. Having married Eleanor (d. 1399), daughter and
co-heiress of Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford, Essex and Northampton
(d. 1373), Thomas obtained the office of constable of England, a
position previously held by the Bohuns, and was made earl of Buckingham
by his nephew, Richard II., at the coronation in July 1377. He took part
in defending the English coasts against the attacks of the French and
Castilians, after which he led an army through northern and central
France, and besieged Nantes, which town, however, he failed to take.
Returning to England early in 1381, Buckingham found that his brother,
John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, had married his wife's sister, Mary
Bohun, to his own son, Henry, afterwards King Henry IV. The relations
between the brothers, hitherto somewhat strained, were not improved by
this proceeding, as Thomas, doubtless, was hoping to retain possession
of Mary's estates. Having taken some part in crushing the rising of the
peasants in 1381, Buckingham became more friendly with Lancaster; and
while marching with the king into Scotland in 1385 was created duke of
Gloucester, a mark of favour, however, which did not prevent him from
taking up an attitude of hostility to Richard. Lancaster having left the
country, Gloucester placed himself at the head of the party which
disliked the royal advisers, Michael de la Pole, earl of Suffolk and
Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford, whose recent elevation to the dignity of
duke of Ireland had aroused profound discontent. The moment was
propitious for interference, and supported by those who were indignant
at the extravagance and incompetence, real or alleged, of the king,
Gloucester was soon in a position of authority. He forced on the
dismissal and impeachment of Suffolk; was a member of the commission
appointed in 1386 to reform the kingdom and the royal household; and
took up arms when Richard began proceedings against the commissioners.
Having defeated Vere at Radcot in December 1387 the duke and his
associates entered London to find the king powerless in their hands.
Gloucester, who had previously threatened his uncle with deposition, was
only restrained from taking this extreme step by the influence of his
colleagues; but, as the leader of the "lords appellant" in the
"Merciless Parliament," which met in February 1388 and was packed with
his supporters, he took a savage revenge upon his enemies, while not
neglecting to add to his own possessions.
He was not seriously punished when Richard regained his power in May
1389, but he remained in the background, although employed occasionally
on public business, and accompanying the king to Ireland in 1394. In
1396, however, uncle and nephew were again at variance. Gloucester
disliked the peace with France and Richard's second marriage with
Isabella, daughter of King Charles VI.; other causes of difference were
not wanting, and it has been asserted that the duke was plotting to
seize the king. At all events Richard decided to arrest him. By refusing
an invitation to dinner the duke frustrated the first attempt, but on
the 11th of July 1397 he was arrested by the king himself at his
residence, Pleshey castle in Essex. He was taken at once to Calais, and
it is probable that he was murdered by order of the king on the 9th of
September following. The facts seem to be as follows. At the beginning
of September it was reported that he was dead. The rumour, probably a
deliberate one, was false, and about the same time a justice, Sir
William Rickhill (d. 1407), was sent to Calais with instructions dated
the 17th of August to obtain a confession from Gloucester. On the 8th of
September the duke confessed that he had been guilty of treason, and his
death immediately followed this avowal. Unwilling to meet his parliament
so soon after his uncle's death, Richard's purpose was doubtless to
antedate this occurrence, and to foster the impression that the duke had
died from natural causes in August. When parliament met in September he
was declared guilty of treason and his estates forfeited. Gloucester had
one son, Humphrey (c. 1381-1399), who died unmarried, and four
daughters, the most notable of whom was Anne (c. 1380-1438), who was
successively the wife of Thomas, 3rd earl of Stafford, Edmund, 5th earl
of Stafford, and William Bourchier, count of Eu. Gloucester is supposed
to have written _L'Ordonnance d'Angleterre pour le camp a l'outrance, ou
gaige de bataille_.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.--See T. Walsingham, _Historia Anglicana_, edited by H.
T. Riley (London, 1863-1864); The Monk of Evesham, _Historia vitae et
regni Ricardi II._, edited by T. Hearne (Oxford, 1729); _Chronique de
la traison et mort de Richard II_, edited by B. Williams (London,
1846); J. Froissart, _Chroniques_, edited by S. Luce and G. Raynaud
(Paris, 1869-1897); W. Stubbs, _Constitutional History_, vol. ii.
(Oxford, 1896); J. Tait in _Owens College Historical Essays_ and S.
Armitage-Smith, _John of Gaunt_ (London, 1904).
GLOUCESTER (abbreviated as pronounced _Glo'ster_), a city, county of a
city, municipal and parliamentary borough and port, and the county town
of Gloucestershire, England, on the left (east) bank of the river
Severn, 114 m. W.N.W. of London. Pop. (1901) 47,955. It is served by the
Great Western railway and the west-and-north branch of the Midland
railway; while the Berkeley Ship Canal runs S.W. to Sharpness Docks in
the Severn estuary (16-1/2 m.). Gloucester is situated on a gentle
eminence overlooking the Severn and sheltered by the Cotteswolds on the
east, while the Malverns and the hills of the Forest of Dean rise
prominently to the west and north-west.
The cathedral, in the north of the city near the river, originates in
the foundation of an abbey of St Peter in 681, the foundations of the
present church having been laid by Abbot Serlo (1072-1104); and Walter
Froucester (d. 1412) its historian, became its first mitred abbot in
1381. Until 1541, Gloucester lay in the see of Worcester, but the
separate see was then constituted, with John Wakeman, last abbot of
Tewkesbury, for its first bishop. The diocese covers the greater part of
Gloucestershire, with small parts of Herefordshire and Wiltshire. The
cathedral may be succinctly described as consisting of a Norman nucleus,
with additions in every style of Gothic architecture. It is 420 ft.
long, and 144 ft. broad, with a beautiful central tower of the 15th
century rising to the height of 225 ft. and topped by four graceful
pinnacles. The nave is massive Norman with Early English roof; the crypt
also, under the choir, aisles and chapels, is Norman, as is the
chapter-house. The crypt is one of the four apsidal cathedral crypts in
England, the others being at Worcester, Winchester and Canterbury. The
south porch is Perpendicular, with fan-tracery roof, as also is the
north transept, the south being transitional Decorated. The choir has
Perpendicular tracery over Norman work, with an apsidal chapel on each
side. The choir-vaulting is particularly rich, and the modern scheme of
colouring is judicious. The splendid late Decorated east window is
partly filled with ancient glass. Between the apsidal chapels is a cross
Lady chapel, and north of the nave are the cloisters, with very early
example of fan-tracery, the carols or stalls for the monks' study and
writing lying to the south. The finest monument is the canopied shrine
of Edward II. who was brought hither from Berkeley. By the visits of
pilgrims to this the building and sanctuary were enriched. In a
side-chapel, too, is a monument in coloured bog oak of Robert Curthose,
a great benefactor to the abbey, the eldest son of the Conqueror, who
was interred there; and those of Bishop Warburton and Dr Edward Jenner
are also worthy of special mention. A musical festival (the Festival of
the Three Choirs) is held annually in this cathedral and those of
Worcester and Hereford in turn. Between 1873 and 1890 and in 1897 the
cathedral was extensively restored, principally by Sir Gilbert Scott.
Attached to the deanery is the Norman prior's chapel. In St Mary's
Square outside the Abbey gate, Bishop Hooper suffered martyrdom under
Queen Mary in 1555.
Quaint gabled and timbered houses preserve the ancient aspect of the
city. At the point of intersection of the four principal streets stood
the Tolsey or town hall, replaced by a modern building in 1894. None of
the old public buildings, in fact, is left, but the New Inn in Northgate
Street is a beautiful timbered house, strong and massive, with external
galleries and courtyards, built in 1450 for the pilgrims to Edward II.'s
shrine, by Abbot Sebroke, a traditional subterranean passage leading
thence to the cathedral. The timber is principally chestnut. There are a
large number of churches and dissenting chapels, and it may have been
the old proverb, "as sure as God's in Gloucester," which provoked Oliver
Cromwell to declare that the city had "more churches than godliness." Of
the churches four are of special interest: St Mary de Lode, with a
Norman tower and chancel, and a monument of Bishop Hooper, on the site
of a Roman temple which became the first Christian church in Britain; St
Mary de Crypt, a cruciform structure of the 12th century, with later
additions and a beautiful and lofty tower; the church of St Michael,
said to have been connected with the ancient abbey of St Peter; and St
Nicholas church, originally of Norman erection, and possessing a tower
and other portions of later date. In the neighbourhood of St Mary de
Crypt are slight remains of Greyfriars and Blackfriars monasteries, and
also of the city wall. Early vaulted cellars remain under the Fleece and
Saracen's Head inns.
There are three endowed schools: the College school, refounded by Henry
VIII. as part of the cathedral establishment; the school of St Mary de
Crypt, founded by Dame Joan Cooke in the same reign; and Sir Thomas
Rich's Blue Coat hospital for 34 boys (1666). At the Crypt school the
famous preacher George Whitefield (1714-1770) was educated, and he
preached his first sermon in the church. The first Sunday school was
held in Gloucester, being originated by Robert Raikes, in 1780.
The noteworthy modern buildings include the museum and school of art and
science, the county gaol (on the site of a Saxon and Norman castle), the
Shire Hall and the Whitefield memorial church. A park in the south of
the city contains a spa, a chalybeate spring having been discovered in
1814. West of this, across the canal, are the remains (a gateway and
some walls) of Llanthony Priory, a cell of the mother abbey in the vale
of Ewyas, Monmouthshire, which in the reign of Edward IV. became the
secondary establishment.
Gloucester possesses match works, foundries, marble and slate works,
saw-mills, chemical works, rope works, flour-mills, manufactories of
railway wagons, engines and agricultural implements, and boat and
ship-building yards. Gloucester was declared a port in 1882. The
Berkeley canal was opened in 1827. The Gloucester canal-harbour and that
at Sharpness on the Severn are managed by a board. Principal imports are
timber and grain; and exports, coal, salt, iron and bricks. The salmon
and lamprey fisheries in the Severn are valuable. The tidal bore in the
river attains its extreme height just below the city, and sometimes
surmounts the weir in the western branch of the river, affecting the
stream up to Tewkesbury lock. The parliamentary borough returns one
member. The city is governed by a mayor, 10 aldermen and 30 councillors.
Area, 2315 acres.
_History._--The traditional existence of a British settlement at
Gloucester (Caer Glow, Gleawecastre, Gleucestre) is not confirmed by any
direct evidence, but Gloucester was the Roman municipality or _colonia_
of _Glevum_, founded by Nerva (A.D. 96-98). Parts of the walls can be
traced, and many remains and coins have been found, though inscriptions
(as is frequently the case in Britain) are somewhat scarce. Its
situation on a navigable river, and the foundation in 681 of the abbey
of St Peter by Aethelred favoured the growth of the town; and before the
Conquest Gloucester was a borough governed by a portreeve, with a castle
which was frequently a royal residence, and a mint. The first overlord,
Earl Godwine, was succeeded nearly a century later by Robert, earl of
Gloucester. Henry II. granted the first charter in 1155 which gave the
burgesses the same liberties as the citizens of London and Winchester,
and a second charter of Henry II. gave them freedom of passage on the
Severn. The first charter was confirmed in 1194 by Richard I. The
privileges of the borough were greatly extended by the charter of John
(1200) which gave freedom from toll throughout the kingdom and from
pleading outside the borough. Subsequent charters were numerous.
Gloucester was incorporated by Richard III. in 1483, the town being made
a county in itself. This charter was confirmed in 1489 and 1510, and
other charters of incorporation were received by Gloucester from
Elizabeth in 1560, James I. in 1604, Charles I. in 1626 and Charles II.
in 1672. The chartered port of Gloucester dates from 1580. Gloucester
returned two members to parliament from 1275 to 1885, since when it has
been represented by one member. A seven days' fair from the 24th of June
was granted by Edward I. in 1302, and James I. licensed fairs on the
25th of March and the 17th of November, and fairs under these grants are
still held on the first Saturday in April and July and the last Saturday
in November. The fair now held on the 28th of September was granted to
the abbey of St Peter in 1227. A market on Wednesday existed in the
reign of John, was confirmed by charter in 1227 and is still held. The
iron trade of Gloucester dates from before the Conquest, tanning was
carried on before the reign of Richard III., pin-making and
bell-founding were introduced in the 16th, and the long-existing coal
trade became important in the 18th century. The cloth trade flourished
from the 12th to the 16th century. The sea-borne trade in corn and wine
existed before the reign of Richard I.
See W. H. Stevenson, _Records of the Corporation of Gloucester_
(Gloucester, 1893); _Victoria County History, Gloucestershire_.
GLOUCESTER, a city and port of entry of Essex county, Massachusetts,
U.S.A., beautifully situated on Cape Ann. Pop. (1890) 24,651; (1900)
26,121, of whom 8768 were foreign-born, including 4388 English
Canadians, 800 French Canadians, 665 Irish, 653 Finns and 594
Portuguese; (1910 census) 24,398. Area, 53.6 sq. m. It is served by the
Boston & Maine railway and by a steamboat line to Boston. The surface is
sterile, naked and rugged, with bold, rocky ledges, and a most
picturesque shore, the beauties of which have made it a favourite summer
resort, much frequented by artists. Included within the city borders are
several villages, of which the principal one, also known as Gloucester,
has a deep and commodious harbour. Among the other villages, all summer
resorts, are Annisquam, Bay View and Magnolia (so called from the
_Magnolia glauca_, which grows wild there, this being probably its most
northerly habitat); near Magnolia are Rafe's Chasm (60 ft. deep and 6-10
ft. wide) and Norman's Woe, the scene of the wreck of the "Hesperus"
(which has only tradition as a basis), celebrated in Longfellow's poem.
There is some slight general commerce--in 1909 the imports were valued
at $130,098; the exports at $7853--but the principal business is
fishing, and has been since early colonial days. The pursuit of cod,
mackerel, herring and halibut fills up, with a winter coasting trade,
the round of the year. In this industry Gloucester is the most important
place in the United States; and is, indeed, one of the greatest fishing
ports of the world. Most of the adult males are engaged in it. The
"catch" was valued in 1895 at $3,212,985 and in 1905 at $3,377,330. The
organization of the industry has undergone many transformations, but a
notable feature is the general practice--especially since modern methods
have necessitated larger vessels and more costly gear, and
correspondingly greater capital--of profit-sharing; all the crew
entering on that basis and not independently. There are some
manufactures, chiefly connected with the fisheries. The total factory
product in 1905 was valued at $6,920,984, of which the canning and
preserving of fish represented $4,068,571, and glue represented
$752,003. An industry of considerable importance is the quarrying of the
beautiful, dark Cape Ann granite that underlies the city and all the
environs.
Gloucester harbour was probably noted by Champlain (as La Beauport), and
a temporary settlement was made by English fishermen sent out by the
Dorchester Company of "merchant adventurers" in 1623-1625; some of these
settlers returned to England in 1625, and others, with Roger Conant, the
governor, removed to what is now Salem.[1] Permanent settlement
ante-dated 1639 at least, and in 1642 the township was incorporated. From
Gosnold's voyages onward the extraordinary abundance of cod about Cape
Ann was well known, and though the first settlers characteristically
enough tried to live by farming, they speedily became perforce a
sea-faring folk. The active pursuit of fishing as an industry may be
dated as beginning about 1700, for then began voyages beyond Cape Sable.
Voyages to the Grand Banks began about 1741. Mackerel was a relatively
unimportant catch until about 1821, and since then has been an important
but unstable return; halibut fishing has been vigorously pursued since
about 1836 and herring since about 1856. At the opening of the War of
Independence Gloucester, whose fisheries then employed about 600 men, was
second to Marblehead as a fishing-port. The war destroyed the fisheries,
which steadily declined, reaching their lowest ebb from 1820 to 1840.
Meanwhile foreign commerce had greatly expanded. The cod take had
supported in the 18th century an extensive trade with Bilbao, Lisbon and
the West Indies, and though changed in nature with the decline of the
Bank fisheries after the War of Independence, it continued large through
the first quarter of the 19th century. Throughout more than half of the
same century also Gloucester carried on a varied and valuable trade with
Surinam, hake being the chief article of export and molasses and sugar
the principal imports. "India Square" remains, a memento of a bygone day.
About 1850 the fisheries revived, especially after 1860, under the
influence of better prices, improved methods and the discovery of new
grounds, becoming again the chief economic interest; and since that time
the village of Gloucester has changed from a picturesque hamlet to a
fairly modern, though still quaint and somewhat foreign, settlement.
Gasoline boats were introduced in 1900. Ship-building is another industry
of the past. The first "schooner" was launched at Gloucester in 1713.
From 1830 to 1907, 776 vessels and 5242 lives were lost in the fisheries;
but the loss of life has been greatly reduced by the use of better
vessels and by improved methods of fishing. Gloucester became a city in
1874.
Gloucester life has been celebrated in many books; among others in
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps-Ward's _Singular Life_ and _Old Maid's
Paradise_, in Rudyard Kipling's _Captains Courageous_, and in James B.
Connolly's _Out of Gloucester_ (1902), _The Deep Sea's Toll_ (1905),
and _The Crested Seas_ (1907).
See J. J. Babson, _History of the Town of Gloucester_ (Gloucester,
1860; with _Notes and Additions_, on genealogy, 1876, 1891); and J. R.
Pringle, _History of the Town and City of Gloucester_ (Gloucester,
1892).