[Illustration: THE INTERIOR FROM THE ORGAN GALLERY. _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

 THE PRIORY CHURCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT, SMITHFIELD

 A SHORT HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE FABRIC AND ALSO OF THE CHURCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS

 BY GEORGE WORLEY

 AUTHOR OF "SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL, " "THE TEMPLE CHURCH, " ETC. 

 WITH XLII [Illustration] ILLUSTRATIONS

 LONDON GEORGE BELL AND SONS 1908

 CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 

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PREFACE

In gathering material for this handbook I have received valuable helpfrom several friends, whose kindness calls for grateful recognition. Mythanks are due, in the first place, to the Rev. W. F. G. Sandwith, Rector of St. Bartholomew-the-Great, and the lay custodians of thechurch, for the facilities which have allowed me to examine the buildingin all its parts, and for the readiness with which they have giveninformation, not accessible elsewhere, on various points of its historyand architecture. In this matter, besides more personal obligations, Ifeel that I owe much, in common with many others, to Mr. E. A. Webb, theactive member of the Restoration Committee, for the suggestive data ofhis open lectures, and for the interesting expositions of the fabric bywhich he has always supplemented them. Others to whom I am indebted areDom Henry Norbert Birt, O. S. B. , of Downside Abbey, and Mr. Charles W. F. Goss, Librarian to the Bishopsgate Institute, for their skilful guidancein the literature of the subject; Mr. F. C. Eeles, Secretary to theAlcuin Club, for the Elizabethan Inventory and account of the MediaevalBells; and Messrs. Wm. Hill and Son, the famous builders, forparticulars of the organ. 

For the illustration of the book, Mr. A. Russell Baker has kindlycontributed a selection from his rare set of old engravings, beforepresenting the whole to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. 

The photographic views of the church and monuments, as seen at thepresent day, were taken by Mr. Edgar Scamell, of 120, Crouch Hill; andthe seal-impressions by Mr. A. P. Ready, the British Museum artist. Finally, Sir Aston Webb, R. A. , has to be thanked for the ground-plans ofthe church and monastic buildings; and Mr. G. H. Smith for the plan anddimensions of St. Bartholomew-the-Less. 

A list of books and papers is appended for the benefit of studentsanxious for more detailed information than could be included here. 

 G. W. _June, 1908_

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A SELECTION OF WORKS ON ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT

 "The Book of the Foundation of St. Bartholomew's Church in London, sometime belonging to the Priory of the same in West Smithfield. " Edited from the original manuscript, with an Introduction and Notes by Norman Moore, M. D. 1885. 

 "The Charter of King Henry I to St. Bartholomew's Priory, addressed to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to Gilbert the Universal, Bishop of London, in the year 1133. " Edited with Notes, from the copy in the Record Office, by Norman Moore, M. D. 1891. 

 "Rahere's Charter of 1137. " Translated, with Explanatory Notes, by Norman Moore, M. D. 1904. 

 "The Ordinance of Richard de Ely, Bishop of London, as to St. Bartholomew's Priory in West Smithfield, witnessed by Henry Fitzailwin, First Mayor of London, in the year 1198. " Edited from the original document by Norman Moore, M. D. 1886. 

 Dugdale's "Monasticon Anglicanum" (edit. Bandinel, Caley, and Sir Henry Ellis) is indispensable to the student. The sixth volume (p. 291 _sqq_. ) contains an account of the Smithfield Foundation, and (p. 37 _sqq_. ) the Rule for Austin Canons. For the latter the reader will do well to consult also R. Duellius' "Antiqua Statuta Canonicorum S. Augustini metrice cum glossulis optimis, " and "Regula Canonicorum Regularium per Hugonem de S. Victore Commentario declarata. "

 For illustrative matter during the Tudor period reference may be made to "The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, " by Dom Henry Norbert Birt, O. S. B. , 1907; the Rev. C. F. Raymund Palmer's "Articles, chiefly on the Friars Preachers of England, reprinted from archaeological journals, 1878-85"; and "Obituary Notices of the Friars Preachers or Dominicans of the English Province. " 1884. 

 The literary work of Fr. Perrin (the Marian Prior) is described in Charles Dodd's "Church History of England" (1727 edition), and Pit's "De Illust. Scriptoribus Angliae. "

 Besides the invaluable "Historia Anglorum" of Matthew Paris (ed. Sir F. Madden), and Stow's "Survey of London" (ed. John Strype), the following books may be found useful:

 "Repertorium, or History of the Diocese of London. " Richard Newcourt. 1708. 

 "New View of London. " Edward Hatton. 1708. 

 "New Remarks of London: by the Company of Parish Clerks. " 1732. 

 "London and its Environs described. " R. And J. Dodsley. 1761. 

 "History of London. " Win. Maitland. (Ed. Entick, 1772. )

 "Londinium Redivivum. " J. P. Malcolm. 1803. 

 "Londina Illustrata. " Robert Wilkinson. 1819. 

 "The Churches of London. " G. Godwin and J. Britton. 1839. 

 "Memories of Bartholomew Fair. " H. Morley. 1859. 

The progress of the modern work at the church has been announced fromtime to time in the circulars issued by the Restoration Committee, thesubstance of which is incorporated in the text, where also the otherauthorities consulted by the present writer are referred to. 

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CONTENTS

 PAGEPreface v

List Of Works Of Reference vii

List Of Illustrations xi

Chapter I. History Of The Foundation 3 II. Exterior Of The Church 25 III. Interior Of The Church 33 IV. St. Bartholomew-the-less And The Hospital 63

Appendix I. The Priory Seals 73 II. The Priors And Rectors 77 III. Inventory Of Vestments, Etc. 79 IV. The Organ 80

Index 83

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

 PAGEInterior Of The Church From The Organ Gallery _Frontispiece_The Priory Arms _Title-Page_Interior Of The Church From The East (1805) 2North Side Of The Choir From The Triforium 9Interior Of The Choir (1822) 11Plan Of The Monastic Buildings At The Dissolution 15The Choir Before Restoration 19The Priory Church From The West 24The Priory Church From The West (1810) 25The North Porch 29View Of The Crossing From The Triforium 32South Aisle From The West--showing Early English Shafts 34North Transept And Screen 36North Transept From The South 37The Font And Freshwater Monument 41Interior From The East--showing Prior Bolton's Gallery 42The Founder's Tomb 45The Founder's Tomb, Showing The Original Extent Of Arcaded Work 46The Chamberlayne Monument 48The Smalpace Monument 49The Ambulatory And Entrance To The Lady Chapel 51The Mildmay Monument 53The Lady Chapel 56The Crypt 57The Remaining Bays Of The Cloister 59St. Bartholomew-the-less And The Hospital Gate 62Interior Of St. Bartholomew-the-less 65Brass Of William And Alice Markeby 67Ancient Sculptured Tablets 68Seals Of The Convent And Hospital (Eleven Examples) 73-76Plan Of St. Bartholomew-the-less 71Plan Of St. Bartholomew-the-great (Existing Church) _At End_

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[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH, FROM THE EAST _From a print of 1805. _ _E. Nash del. J. Greig sc. _]

ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT

CHAPTER I

HISTORY

The spring and fountain-head of our information about the Priory of St. Bartholomew-the-Great is an account of the foundation, interwoven withthe life and miracles of Rahere, the founder, which was written in Latinby one of the Canons soon after Rahere's death in the reign of Henry II. An illuminated copy of this work, made at the end of the fourteenthcentury, is preserved in the British Museum, with an Englishtranslation, which forms the groundwork of all subsequent histories. [1]

Allowing for a few contradictory dates and statements in this preciousdocument, and for the occasional flights of a pious imagination in thebiographer or his subject, we arrive at the following historical basis:Rahere was a man of humble origin, who had found his way to the Court ofHenry I, where he won favour by his agreeable manners and wittyconversation, rendered piquant, as it appears, by a certain flavouringof licentiousness, and took a prominent part in arranging the music, plays, and other entertainments in which the King and his courtiersdelighted during the first part of the reign. [2]

In the year 1120 a total change was wrought in Henry's character by theloss of his only legitimate son in the wreck of the "White Ship, " on itsvoyage from Normandy to England, after which the King is said never tohave smiled again. The event naturally cast a gloom over the Court;frivolities were abandoned, and religious devotion, either genuine orassumed in polite acquiescence with the royal humour, took the place ofthe amusements which had hitherto held sway. In one case, at least, thespirit of reformation was at work in good earnest. Rahere, repenting ofhis wasted life, thereupon started on a pilgrimage to Rome, to dopenance for his sins on the ground hallowed by the martyrdom of St. Paul, some three miles from the city. The spot known as the ThreeFountains, now rendered more or less sanitary by the free planting ofeucalyptus, was then and long afterwards particularly unhealthy, andwhile there Rahere was attacked by malarial fever. In his distress hemade a vow that, if he were spared, he would establish a hospital forthe poor, as a thank-offering, on his return to England. 

His prayer was granted, but his recovery was slow. During hisconvalescence he had a vision, or dream, in which he thought a wingedmonster had seized him in its claws, and was about to drop him into abottomless pit, when a majestic form came to his rescue, and thusaddressed him: "I am Bartholomew, the Apostle of Jesus Christ, that cometo succour thee in thine anguish, and to open to thee the secretmysteries of heaven. Know me truly, by the will and commandment of theHoly Trinity, and the common favour of the celestial court and council, to have chosen a place in the suburbs of London, at Smithfield, where inmy name thou shall found a church. This spiritual house Almighty Godshall inhabit, and hallow it, and glorify it. Wherefore doubt thounought; only give thy diligence, and my part shall be to providenecessaries, direct, build, and end this work. "[3] Rahere at oncepromised compliance, and, as soon as he got back to London, firstobtained the King's consent, and then, "nothing omitting of care anddiligence, two works of piety began, one for the vow that he had made, the other as to him by precept was enjoined. "[4]

The suburb of Smithfield (Smoothfield) is said to have already occurredto Edward the Confessor as a suitable place for a church on theoutskirts of London, possibly as affording a similar area, in its leveland marshy surface, to that chosen for his Abbey at Westminster. Thegreater part of it was, indeed, covered by water, the one dry spot(known as "The Elms") being reserved for public executions, whichcontinued to take place there till some centuries later. The easternportion of this waste land was granted by Henry I, through the agency ofRichard de Belmeis, Bishop of London; and it was here that, in the year1123, Rahere began building. [5]

In a marvellously short time the funds were forthcoming, and his doubleobject was achieved in the erection of the Hospital, with the Church ata little distance, the whole being dedicated by the same friendly bishopto St. Bartholomew the Apostle, in fulfilment of Rahere's vow and theSaint's instructions. 

Rahere is said to have been assisted in his architectural work byAlfune, who had founded St. Giles's Church, Cripplegate, in the year1090; and there is a story to the effect that three noble travellers, ormerchants, from Byzantium were present at the foundation, when theyforetold its future greatness, and were consulted by Rahere as to thedesign and character of the building while his plans were underconsideration. 

On the southern side of the church the group of buildings graduallyarose which constituted the Priory, of which the founder, having devotedhimself to the monastic life, of course became the first Prior; and herehe spent the rest of his days with thirteen companions--the sub-priorand twelve subordinates--all living under the Rule of the Canons Regularof St. Augustine. The number was afterwards brought up to thirty-five byThomas of St. Osyth, the second Prior (1144-1174), who made acorresponding addition to the premises. [6]

In 1133, when the buildings were fairly advanced, and the value ofRahere's work had got to be recognized, a charter of privileges wasgranted by Henry I to the Prior and Canons. Commencing with aninvocation of the Holy Trinity, it was addressed to the Archbishop ofCanterbury and the Bishop of London, with a greeting to all the King'sfaithful subjects, especially the citizens of London. Its comprehensiveimmunities may be inferred from the opening paragraph:

 Know ye that I have granted, and have by this my charter confirmed, to the Church of St. Bartholomew of London, and to Rahere the Prior, and to the Canons Regular, in the same church serving God, and to the poor of the Hospital of the same church, that they be free from all earthly servitude, and all earthly power and subjection, except episcopal customs, to wit, only consecration of the church, baptism, and ordination of clergy; and that as any church in all England is free, so this church be free, and all lands to it appertaining, which it now has, or which Rahere the Prior, or the Canons, may be able reasonably to acquire, whether by purchase or by gift. And it shall have socc and sac, and thol and theme, and infogheneteof; and all liberties and free customs and acquittances in all things which belong to the same church in wood and in plain, in meadows and pastures, in waters and mills, in ways and paths, in pools and vineyards, and marshes and fisheries, and in all places now and for ever. [7]

Another paragraph may be worth quoting, as it expressly includesBartholomew Fair among the privileges conveyed, though it is clear fromthe terms of the instrument that a fair had previously been held in theopen space at Smithfield on the Saint's anniversary. Even before theaccession of Henry I there had been a market on the spot, known as "theKing's Market" when the ground was allotted to Rahere. (_Vide_ "VetustaMonumenta, " vol. Ii. )

 I grant also my firm peace to all persons coming to and returning from the fair which is wont to be celebrated in that place at the Feast of St. Bartholomew; and I forbid any one of the royal officials to send to implead any one, or without the consent of the Canons on those three days--to wit, the eve of the feast, the feast itself, and the day following--to demand customary dues from them. 

The observance was afterwards extended to a double octave of fourteendays, and included all kinds of shows and entertainments, theatrical, conjuring, and acrobatic performances, in addition to the traffic incloth-stuffs, horses and cattle, which gave the fair its commercialimportance. The stalls, or booths, in which the portable goods wereexposed for sale, were held within the monastery walls, the gates ofwhich were locked at night, and a watch kept over the enclosure. [8]

Rahere died on 20th September, 1144, and was buried in the church, wherehis tomb occupies the usual place for Founders on the north side of thesanctuary, surrounded by his magnificent Norman work in the choir, withthe ambulatory beyond it, and extending upwards to the arcading of thetriforium. The eastern part of the clerestory is a modern reproductionof that which superseded Rahere's; but, with this exception, theinterior of the choir was probably much the same originally as it is(restored) to-day. 

There was, however, a central tower, and, if the design on thetwelfth-century Priory seal is to be trusted, a high circular turret ateach end of the exterior. [9]

Thomas of St. Osyth, the second Prior (d. 1174), erected the transeptsand the easternmost bays of the nave, all of which bear signs of thearchitectural transition. The nave was probably completed during thenext half-century, in the Early-English (then superseding the heavierNorman) style, as may be inferred from the surviving western gateway, and the mutilated columns which remain within the building at thewestern end. 

[Illustration: THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CHOIR FROM THE TRIFORIUM _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

Perpendicular work was introduced early in the fifteenth century, whenRoger de Walden, Bishop of London (1405-1406), built a chantry-chapel tothe north-east of the choir, and inserted a new clerestory, in the thenfashionable style, in place of the original. He also made a considerablealteration in the chancel by substituting a square east-end for thecircular apse, part of which was taken down and used as buildingmaterial for the innovation. But de Walden's work was cut short by hisdeath, when he had scarcely held the See of London for two years, andwas buried in his Chapel at St. Bartholomew's, instead of in theCathedral Church like most of his predecessors. 

The Lady Chapel, with the crypt beneath it, dates from about 1410, whenalso the central tower was probably rebuilt, and decorative additionswere made to the Founder's tomb, in the shape of a canopy and panelling. In the first part of the next century Prior Bolton (1505-32) insertedthe Oriel window on the southern side of the choir-triforium and thedoorway in the south ambulatory, both of which bear his sculpturedrebus--a _bolt_, or arrow, driven through a _tun_. In 1539 hissuccessor, Robert Fuller, the last of the Augustinian Priors, surrendered the entire property to Henry VIII, in compliance with theAct of Dissolution, its value having been already ascertained in thetwenty-sixth year of the King's reign. The exact figures are given byDugdale as follows:

 Summa totalis hujus monasterii. £773 0_s. _ 1¾_d. _ " " reprisarum £79 10_s. _ 3½_d. _ --------------------------- Et remanet clare £693 9_s. _ 10¼_d. _ ---------------------------

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHOIR _From a print of 1822_ _T. H. Shepherd del. Howlett sc. _]

For many years before the dissolution of the monasteries the system onwhich they rested had been gradually undermined by the spread of theReformation, accompanied by a growing conviction that the religiouscommunities had not only outlived their usefulness, and to a greatextent departed from the high standard of their founders, but that theirenormous wealth had given them an influence far beyond that of any otherinstitution, or combination of institutions, in the kingdom, and broughtthem into formidable rivalry with the State itself--the more dangerousin proportion to their devoted adherence to the Papacy, with which theState was in collision. By whatever unworthy motives Henry VIII may havebeen governed in aiming at the monastic property, he was therefore ableto bring forward many political considerations, which coincided withthose arising out of religious doctrines, to make his measuresintelligible to his people, and consequently easy to himself. Among thevarious plausible reasons which were urged against the continuedexistence of the conventual houses, one of the most likely to appeal tothe practical sense of the multitude was the misuse of the resourceswith which they had been endowed. While it was admitted that in theirearlier days they had been extremely useful in mitigating distress amongthe poor, it was now argued that their indiscriminate charities weredoing more harm than good, and that the changed economic conditions ofthe sixteenth century called for a corresponding change in thedistribution of relief, to save the country from being overrun byundeserving mendicants, amongst whom some of the religious Orders werethemselves to be reckoned. It does not appear that any part of thisargument held good against the Augustinian Canons, or that the moreserious moral charges brought against the smaller communities were atall applicable to their case, which was rather one of involvement in acommon ruin than the result of any specific accusation. It is true thereare instances of laxity at individual houses, showing a too easydiscipline where they occurred, but there is nothing sufficientlyextensive or important to compromise the Order as a whole, or materiallydamage its character in the eyes of the impartial modern student. [10]

It might have been expected that some immunity from the wholesalespoliation which followed the Act would have been granted to Rahere'sfoundation, in view of his special provision for the poor in thehospital which was an integral part of it. The hospital has indeed beenallowed to survive as a separate institution; but the whole of thestrictly monastic buildings were doomed, the nave of the church being atonce pulled down, and the choir only preserved for the use of theparish. With this reservation, the site of the Priory and the buildingsupon it, including the Lady Chapel, were sold in 1546 to Sir RichardRich, Knight (Attorney General), for the consideration of £1, 064 11_s. _3_d. _, and the property has remained in the hands of his descendantstill quite recent years. The possession was, however, interrupted byQueen Mary, who introduced the Dominican Order of Black Friars into theConvent. They had started rebuilding the nave when the accession ofElizabeth meant a return to the policy of her father, the expulsion ofthe friars, and the restitution of the Priory estate to Richard (thenLord) Rich and his heirs "in free socage, " by a renewal of the previousgrant. [11]

Some idea of the strong ecclesiastical influence broken up at theDissolution may be gathered from a glance at any old map of London, showing the numerous religious foundations by which the Priory was thensurrounded, now for the most part swept away, or only surviving here andthere in institutions which retain the ancient names under modernconditions. Immediately to the north lay the Carthusian monastery, familiarly known as the Charterhouse. On the north-west was the Prioryof St. John-of-Jerusalem, founded by the Knights Hospitallers. TheFranciscan Convent of the Grey Friars extended along the southernboundary of St. Bartholomew's, between the Priory walls and St. Paul'sCathedral. To the south-west, near the Thames, there was the monasteryof the Carmelites, or White Friars, with the church and houses of theKnights Templars beyond it. Within the City, to the east, were the greatestablishments of the Austin Friars and St. Helen's nunnery, while eastand west the churches spread--many of monastic origin--culminating intwo of the most important buildings in Europe, the Tower of London andthe palace of Westminster, each with its ecclesiastical dependencies, the whole dominated by the mediaeval spirit about to be dispelled, forgood or evil, by the great movements of the Renaissance and Reformation. 

A conjectural restoration of the Priory buildings, as they stood inPrior Bolton's time, based on the records available in 1893, and thearchitectural fragments which then remained, shows them to have beenbounded on the northern side by the Church, which extended from the LadyChapel at its eastern extremity to somewhere near the line indicated bythe small archway now leading from the public square into the churchyardon the west. This churchyard covers the ground formerly occupied by thenave, a mutilated portion of which remains within the building, attachedto the lower stage of the central tower. It seems clear that the choironce extended over the tower-space, and was separated from the nave by ascreen, with a parish-altar on its western side for public worship, while the chancel was reserved for the monastic services, with a raisedpresbytery for the high altar at its eastern end--a threefold divisionproviding for the ancient ritual arrangement. 

In the ambulatory on the northern side of the choir there wereapparently three chapels, besides Bishop Walden's chantry, which was theeasternmost of the series, and is supposed to have had a semicircularapse. There was a similar, but rather smaller, chapel opposite to it onthe south side, and between it and the south transept a sacristy, erected about 1350. 

Outside the Lady Chapel lay the cemetery of the Canons, on the favourite(south) side for burials. The cloister formed a large quadrangleattached to the south aisle. The Prior's residence was probably on thewestern side of the quadrangle, and on the south there was a range ofbuildings comprising the refectory, buttery, and kitchen, with the Closebeyond them. 

Opening into the cloister on the east was the Chapter House, an oblongstructure, adjoining which, on the south, was the dormitory, overlookingthe Mulberry Gardens on the east, and the Close on its western side. [12]

[Illustration: PLAN, PARTLY CONJECTURAL, OF THE MONASTIC BUILDINGS AT THE DISSOLUTION

 A Lady Chapel. B Founder's tomb. C Bishop Walden's chantry. D Pulpit (destroyed 1828). EE Chapels (conjectural). F Sacristy (c. 1350). G North transept. H Central tower and ritual choir. I South transept. K Parish altar. L Nave (c. 1250) destroyed at the Dissolution. M Chapter House (destroyed by fire 1830). N Dormitory (undercroft destroyed about 1870). O Parlour. P Kitchen. Q Buttery. R Refectory. ]

The work of demolition commenced immediately after the transfer of theproperty to Henry VIII, when the nave was destroyed; and as soon as SirRichard Rich came into possession, he started pulling down the buildingsfor the sake of the materials, which were used in the erection of newhouses where the old had formerly stood, as well as on the gardens andorchards around them. By the time of Queen Elizabeth the district hadbecome a favourite residential quarter for great people, who graduallydisappeared with the growth of London, and the migration of gentrywestwards, when the houses vacated in Smithfield were let off intenements to the same sort of poor people who now share theneighbourhood with merchants and shopkeepers. 

During Elizabeth's reign the church had been allowed to get into a verydilapidated state, and that it was in some danger of total destructionappears from a letter written by Edmund Grindal in 1563, while he wasBishop of London, to Sir William Cecil, proposing to take the lead fromthe roof, and transfer it to St. Paul's Cathedral:

 St. Bartholomew's Churche, adjoining to my L. Rich's house, is in decaye, and so increaseth dailye. It hath an heavie coate of lead, wch wolde doe a verie goode service for the Mother Churche of Powles. I have obtayned my L. Rich's goode wishes, and if I coulde obteyne my L. Chiefe Justice of the K. Benche and Sir Walter Mildmaye's assente, I wolde not doubte to have the assente also of the whole parishe, that ye leade might goe to the coveringe of Powles.... Now remayneth only this scruple--How shall the parisshe be providett of a churche? That is thus answered: There is an house adjoininge, wch was the _Fratrie_, as they termed it, a very fayre and a large house, and indeed al-readye: if it were purged, it lacketh nothinge but the name of a churche; is well buylded of free stone, garnished inwarde aboute with marble pyllers, large windowes, etc. I assure you, without partialitie, if it were roofed up, it were farre more beautiful and conveniente than the other. Yt is provided with goode sclate. If we mighte have the leade, we wolde compownde with my L. Rich for convertinge the said _Fratrie_ to a _Churche_, and wee wylle also supplye all imperfections of the same, and not desire the p'isshe to remove tylle the other be meete and conveniente to goe to. [13]

Lord Rich thought favourably of the proposal; but that fears wereentertained elsewhere would seem probable from a second letter, in whichGrindal writes as follows:

 For S. Bartholomewes--I meane not to pulle it downe, but to change it for a Churche more conveniente ... Unlesse some strange opinion shulde arise that prayer were more acceptable under leade than under sclate. 

The long period of neglect and desecration which follows is rather tobe inferred from the condition of the buildings in the early part of thenineteenth century than from any actual records respecting them. Whatthat condition was in 1809 is described in two letters which appeared in"The Gentleman's Magazine" for March and April in that year. They werewritten in a spirit of indignation at the behaviour of "a powerfuljunto" which had been formed in the parish to sweep the whole structureaway, church included, on the pretext that part of the choir was indanger of tumbling down. It had, however, been saved by the exertionsand judicious repairs of Mr. Hardwick, to whom the writer pays a justcompliment for his timely action against the particular committee. Hethen goes on with a lamentable picture of what met his eyes on a "recentsurvey" of the Priory, which he had previously examined in 1791, when itwas pretty much in the same state. [14] The Lady Chapel was still inexistence, but wholly filled up with modern tenements; the northtransept was more or less destroyed, and the arch bricked up to reducethat side of the church to a level, while the south transept--a ruinwithout a roof--was walled off from the church, and used as aburial-ground. The eastern side of the cloister was all that remained ofthe quadrangle, and was turned to account as a "comfortable eight-stallstable" for horses. The site of the north cloister was occupied by ablacksmith's forge, a public house, and certain private offices; thesouth and west being covered with store-rooms and coach-houses. Of theChapter House the remaining walls were "no higher than a dado, " andunder them the timber was stored after treatment in the sawpit of theenclosure. The dormitory to the south of the Chapter House had beendemolished, and the crypt beneath it bricked off into divisions forstores, with a common thoroughfare open between them. It may here bementioned that a close examination of the ground has shown that therewas formerly the usual "slype, " or open pathway, running from thecloister-garth, between the south transept and the Chapter House, to thecanons' cemetery on the southern side of the Lady Chapel. 

The building against the south wall of the choir (probably the sacristy, though called a chapel) is described as a magnificent structure, ofabout the time of Edward III, with windows on the eastern and southernsides, and a grand arch (then latticed up) which formerly connected itwith the south transept. It was being used as a store-room for hops. Thechapel to the east of this was destroyed in its upper part, and thewindows had lost their arched heads, though the columns and architravesto the jambs remained, showing some very delicate and beautiful work, which was also remarkably fine in the dado mouldings. The ceiling of thechurch--the wreck of the Tudor open-worked timber roof--had been "pareddown to a common pediment covering, " supported on the heads of cherubimas corbels. The Doric altar-piece is contemptuously referred to as "apainted theatrical scene of architecture. "[15]

While the subordinate buildings were dropping into ruin, the church, besides having suffered from fire and neglect, had been disfigured by along series of repairs and embellishments, the character of which may beinferred from the glaring instances pointed out in the letters justquoted. The other alterations made in the interior may be brieflysummarized as follows: The level of the floor was raised by a thickdeposit of earth; the walls were enveloped in whitewash, to theconcealment of the ancient mural paintings and certain delicatesculptured ornament; and high pews were erected, which reached almost tothe capitals of the piers. The openings of the triforium were brickedup--in some cases entirely obliterated--and at the east end, above thealtar-piece just mentioned, there rose a brick wall, pierced with twougly round-headed windows, filled with square panes of glass, anddestitute of mullions and tracery. The space between the terminationthus formed and the original apse went by the name of "Purgatory, " as areceptacle for human bones, some thousands of which were found to haveaccumulated when it was cleared out in 1836. [16]

[Illustration: THE CHOIR BEFORE RESTORATION, SHOWING THE FACTORY FLOOR EXTENDING OVER THE APSE AND SUPPORTED BY TWO IRON COLUMNS]

The secularization of this extreme eastern part of the church is tracedto the first purchaser from the Government, who held that the sanctuarywas bounded by the straight wall which there ran across it. A moremodern consequence than that just mentioned was the intrusion into thetriforium of a Nonconformist school, which was held there during theeighteenth century, in connection with a chapel belonging to theparticular denomination immediately outside, having a convenient accessto the triforium from its own galleries. Another encroachment was afringe manufactory, which extended westwards along the triforium so asto include Prior Bolton's window, and held its ground for some timeafter the main arcading of the apse had been restored. Visitors to thechurch before the restoration was complete will remember a substantialiron bar which was carried across the curve, above the altar, tostrengthen the walls--an eyesore which could not be removed till theintruding factory was bought out (_vide infra_). 

The real work of restoration was begun in 1863 by the late Rev. JohnAbbiss, then Rector of the parish, who raised something like £5, 000, andspent it in reducing the floor to its original level, removing the pews(which had previously been lowered), repairing the walls and piers, andrebuilding the central part of the apse, which had been pulled downearly in the fifteenth century, as already explained. 

Outside the church a dry area was formed for the better protection ofthe fabric against the subsidence known to follow on the ignorance, orindifference, of early builders as to underlying strata. All this wasaccomplished in three years, when the money was exhausted, and a freshfund had to be created for the continuation of the restorative work. Inraising subscriptions the then patron of the living, the Rev. F. P. Phillips, was well supported by the parishioners, the City Companies, the Charity Commissioners (out of the City Ecclesiastical Funds), andthe general public, with the result that a sum of over £28, 000 was gottogether. The chief individual contributor was the patron himself, whopurchased the projecting fringe factory for £6, 500, [17] and completedthe restoration of the apse at his own expense. At the same time thechurch was provided with a new roof, and the blacksmith's forge, whichoccupied the site of the north transept, was bought out. On the 30thNovember, 1886, the restored portions were formally opened, the actualwork having started about two years before, under the active interest ofthe Rev. William Panckridge, who succeeded Mr. Abbiss in the Rectory. 

The long list of works undertaken and completed from 1887 to 1893, underthe succeeding Rector, the Rev. Sir J. Borradaile Savory, Bart. , includes the restoration of both transepts, the opening out of bothsides of the choir triforium, [18] the erection of the north and westporches, the refacing of the west front, the reparation of the bricktower, and the re-hanging of the bells, besides numerous external andinternal details. 

The crowning work was the reconstruction of the Lady Chapel, which wasnot completed till 1896, after the tedious business of releasing it fromits secular holders, and the recovery of the original design amidst themutilation in which they left it. The whole has been admirably carriedthrough by Sir Aston Webb, R. A. , who has restored the precious fabric asnearly as possible to its original state, by replacing what wasdestroyed, and revealing what was concealed when the difficult task wascommitted to him. 

The restoration has since been extended to three bays on the easternside of the cloister, all that remained of the original quadrangle, andthese in a sadly ruinous state. Whether the cloisters were completed byRahere is a matter of conjecture; but it may be fairly assumed that theywere begun by him as a necessary part of the monastery. The survivingNorman fragments point to the twelfth century as the date of their firsterection. It is certain that they were rebuilt in the fifteenth, forbesides the architectural remains of that period, there is historicalevidence that the work was done under Prior John Watford soon after hisappointment in 1404. For in September, 1409, Pope Alexander V, whenmaking a grant of Indulgences to those who visited and gave alms at thechurch on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Feast ofthe Assumption, expressly mentions the reconstruction of the Cloistersand Chapter House by the Prior among the reasons which had induced himto confer the privilege. 

When the monastery was suppressed, the archway leading into the eastcloister from the church was built up, and the doors were taken fromit--in all probability to be transferred (in 1544) to the principalentrance at the western end of the truncated building. 

In the reconstruction attempted by the Dominican Friars, it seems that, instead of re-opening the cloister-arch to its full extent, theycontented themselves with inserting a smaller doorway within it, thejambs and lintel of which were discovered in the rubble masonry when thearch was opened out in 1905. On the suppression of the Dominicans byQueen Elizabeth, the cloisters passed again into secular hands, anddisappear from history until the year 1742, when there is a record ofthe stabling that occupied the ruins till our own day, with thetemporary interruption of a fire in 1830, which brought most of theeastern side to the ground. The stables were afterwards rebuilt, andleft undisturbed till 1900, when negotiations were opened for thepurchase of the freehold from the owners. 

It was not till Michaelmas, 1904, that possession, even of a part, could be obtained, as there were various leasehold interests to bereckoned with, and many beneficiaries to be satisfied, whose rights willnot be finally extinguished until June, 1926. But excavation was at oncecommenced, and the actual rebuilding in 1905. It need hardly be saidthat all that has been discovered of the ancient work, here andelsewhere, whether above or below ground, has been carefully preserved, and incorporated (as far as possible _in situ_) into the restoration. 

FOOTNOTES:

 [1] I. "Liber fundationis ecclesiae et prioratus S. Bartholomaei in West-Smithfield, London; per Raherum qui illic religiosos viros secundum regulam S. Patris Augustini aggregavit, iisdemque per XXII annos prioris dignitate et officio functus praetuit, et de miraculis ipsius. "

 II. "Idem liber Anglice. "

 Both are on parchment, in pages of the same (quarto) size, and bound together in a single volume of eighty-three leaves, divided almost equally between the Latin and English versions. --Cottonian MSS. Vespasian, B. Ix. 

 [2] "When he attained the flower of youth, he began to haunt the households of noblemen and the palaces of princes, where, under every elbow of them, he spread their cushions, with apings and flatterings delectably anointing their eyes, to draw to him their friendships. And yet he was not content with this, but haunted the King's palace, and among the noisefull press of that tumultuous Court enforced himself with jollity and carnal suavity, by the which he might draw to him the hearts of many a one. "--Cottonian MS. , _ut supra_. 

 [3] Cottonian MS. 

 [4] _Ibid. _

 [5] This Richard de Belmeis (Beauvais) was the first of two bishops of the same name, and held the See of London for twenty years (1108-1128). 

 The name of Rahere, which appears in various forms, suggests a French origin; and from the fact that it occurs in the signature, or attestation, of certain documents discovered in Brittany, as well as from the close relations between the bishop and the founder of St. Bartholomew's, it is conjectured that they both came from the same neighbourhood. Otherwise their joint interest in the foundation at Smithfield is sufficiently accounted for by the benevolent object and the situation within the London diocese. 

 Leland gives the credit of the foundation to Henry I, as having granted the land out of the royal domain. 

 [6] The Canons Regular of St. Augustine (of Hippo) are said to have been founded at Avignon in or about 1061. Their first establishment in England was at Colchester (_circa_ 1105), where the picturesque ruins of the Priory Church, dedicated to St. Botolph, are all that remain of the monastic buildings. The habit consisted of a black cassock with a white rochet, over which a black cloak and hood were worn, thus leading to their familiar name of the Black Canons--not to be confused with the Black _Friars_, a Dominican Order of mendicants, introduced at St. Bartholomew's Priory under Queen Mary. From an anecdote related by Matthew Paris (under the year 1250), and quoted in most accounts of the Priory, it seems that the inmates, while recognizing the authority of the Bishop of London, were extremely jealous of outside interference. The Archbishop of Canterbury (Boniface of Savoy) had ventured to include St. Bartholomew's in one of his visitations. He was received with becoming dignity by the sub-prior, but politely warned against going beyond his jurisdiction. This so enraged his Grace that he struck the sub-prior in the face, and, "with many oaths, " rent in pieces the rich cope he was wearing, treading it under his feet, and thrusting the sub-prior against a pillar of the chancel with such violence as almost to kill him. A general conflict followed between the Canons and the Archbishop's attendants, which was taken up outside and set the whole city in an uproar. 

 [7] _Vide_ Dr. Norman Moore's edition from the copy in the Record Office. 

 [8] There had been a decline in public interest for some years before 1691, when the abuses which had grown round the celebration led to its reduction from fourteen to four days: but the fair lingered on in a degenerate state till it was last proclaimed by the Lord Mayor in 1850, and finally ceased in 1855. The live cattle market, so vividly described, with its attendant nuisances, in the twenty-first chapter of "Oliver Twist, " was closed at the same time, and the business transferred to the new Caledonian Market. The open pens at Smithfield have been superseded by covered buildings, to which the old Newgate Market has been removed, and considerably developed, for the sale of meat, the slaughtering for the most part being done locally in the various places whence the supplies are derived. 

 The memory of old associations is preserved in the street which runs along the north side of the church, and still bears the name of "Cloth Fair": and the site of "Pye Corner, " where the great fire of 1666 reached its limit, is marked by a tablet in the wall, at the entrance to Cock Lane in Giltspur Street, a short distance to the south-west. The place took its name from the "Court of Pie-Powder, " which was held during the fair here, as at similar gatherings throughout the country, to deal expeditiously with disturbers of the peace. The etymology is traced to the old French _pied pouldré_, with supposed reference to the dusty feet of pedlars and others who came before the court--now extinguished in the more modern Petty Sessions. 

 A lively description of the fair, in its palmy days, is given in a tract, printed in 1641 for Richard Harper at the "Bible and Harp" in Smithfield, entitled, "Bartholomew Fair, or varieties of fancies, where you may find a faire of wares, and all to please your mind, with the several enormityes and misdemeanours which are there seen and heard. "

 Among the more gloomy associations of Smithfield are the martyrdoms which took place there during the Marian persecution of 1555-57. Of the victims, John Rogers, John Bradford, and John Philpot are commemorated in a modern tablet let into the wall of the hospital facing the square where they suffered. The church to their memory, referred to in the inscription, is in St. John Street Road, where it was built as a Chapel-of-Ease to the parish church of St. John-of-Jerusalem, founded by the Knights Hospitallers in 1185. 

 [9] The late Mr. J. H. Parker was inclined to think there was a tower in each corner (though two only could be represented in the seal), as was not unusual in France and elsewhere, but rarely the case in England. (See his lecture delivered in the church on 13th July, 1863. )

[10] _Vide_ "Henry VIII and the English Monasteries, " by the Rt. Rev. Abbot Gasquet, D. D. , O. S. B. , for an able statement of the case for the communities: and an article by G. G. Perry ("Eng. Hist. Review, " April, 1889), on "Episcopal Visitations of the Austin Canons, " for some cases of laxity. 

[11] The Dominicans were introduced at St. Bartholomew's in 1556, when their old monastery (dating from 1276), near the north end of Blackfriars Bridge, was no longer available. Possibly their work and reputation in making converts may have had some influence on the choice of the Order, which, moreover, was governed by the Augustinian rule, adopted (with additions) by their founder in 1215, and so far brought the community under the traditions of their predecessors. The members at Smithfield consisted of English, Spanish, and Belgian friars, and Fr. William Perrin, O. P. , was appointed as their chief. When he died in 1558, Fr. Richard Hargrave was elected in his place, but was not allowed to take office, apparently in view of the suppression which was impending when the Letters Patent from the General, confirming his election, reached England in the following year. By the time of the actual expulsion (13th July, 1559) the community had been reduced by deaths and migrations to "three priests and one young man, " who would seem to have conformed, in preference to leaving the country. (_Vide_ "The Elizabethan Religious Settlement, " ch. Iv, by Dom H. N. Birt, O. S. B. )

 For the general history of the Black Friars the reader is referred to Archbishop Alemany's "Life of St. Dominic, with a Sketch of the Dominican Order, " the "Etudes sur l'Ordre de St. Dominique" by D'Anzas, and "The Coming of the Friars" by Dr. Aug. Jessopp. The "Chronica Majora" of Matthew Paris afford some lively reading on the subject. 

[12] It is possible that investigations now pending may involve a slight rearrangement of this conjectural plan, as those previously drawn have similarly been modified from time to time by fresh discoveries. 

[13] This suggestion of Bishop Grindal's recalls the case of Beaulieu Abbey where the beautiful refectory is still preserved as the parish church. 

[14] The church had been "restored" in 1789 by Mr. George Dance, architect to the hospital, in a spirit which may be inferred from the description of the interior given above. A more sympathetic restoration was inaugurated by Mr. Philip Hardwick in 1823. 

[15] When the church was repaired by Mr. John Blyth in 1836, this painting was removed, and a range of columns, bearing small semicircular arches, substituted for it as a reredos. During these alterations it was discovered that the stone wall (erected by de Walden) between the wooden altar-piece and the original apse, was painted in bright red tempera, sprinkled with black stars. $$ The above-mentioned letters are attributed to Mr. John Carter, but are merely signed by "An Architect. "

[16] It would probably be unfair to infer any unusual neglect in spiritual matters from the architectural conditions. In Paterson's "Pietas Londinensis" there is a list of public services at many London churches, as held in the early part of the eighteenth century. The services at St. Bartholomew-the-Great are there quoted as "Daily in the last week in the month at 11 a. M. And 5 p. M. , " and at St. Bartholomew-the-Less as "Daily at 11 a. M. "

[17] It should be stated that the fringe factory had covered the remains of the crypt and Lady Chapel, besides projecting some twenty feet into the east end of the church. The architects for these earlier restorations were Professor Hayter Lewis and Mr. Slater, who deserve credit for their careful preservation of the old work. 

[18] The obstruction on the south side of the triforium has been already mentioned. The northern side was used for the parochial boys' school for many years down to 1892, when the scholars were transferred to the new schools built for them adjoining the church. 

 * * * * *

[Illustration: THE PRIORY CHURCH FROM THE WEST _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE WEST _From a print of 1810_ _W. Pearson del. W. Preston sc. _]

CHAPTER II

THE EXTERIOR

The church lies in a general east and west direction, and, at thepresent day, consists of the Choir and encircling Ambulatory, LadyChapel, north and south Transepts, with the lower stage of the centralTower, one bay of the ancient Nave, three bays of the Cloister, and aseventeenth-century brick Tower--the whole hidden behind the houses, inan obscure corner of West Smithfield, by no means easy for a stranger todiscover. It will be well for him, therefore, in the first place, tomake his way to the better known buildings of St. Bartholomew'sHospital, and then walk across the open square, between them andSmithfield Market, to its eastern side, where he will find the entranceclose to the narrow street called Cloth Fair. 

#The Gateway# is interesting, as a surviving fragment of the Early-Englishperiod, supposed by some authorities to mark the site of the originalwest front, of which they regard it as having formed part--the entranceto the south aisle--which was allowed to stand, after the grand centralporch, and a corresponding doorway on the northern side, were destroyedwith the nave. More probable is the conjecture that it was merely theentrance to the monastic enclosure, turned to account as a ready-madestructure when the work at the church was the reverse of constructive, as it seems too large and too high for a mere doorway at the end of anaisle, besides being rather too far from the church to agree with itssupposed dimensions. The modern iron gate is surmounted by a gildedcross and the name of the church on a framework in the tympanum. Thearch is acutely pointed, and moulded in four orders, with a toothornament in the hollows, and is in tolerably good condition; but thesupporting shafts have been superseded by a wall on each side, with thecircular moulded capitals (much decayed) above it, the bases eitherbeing destroyed or buried in the earth beneath. The gateway is in a linewith the houses facing the public square, which touch it on both sides, and are carried on without interruption above the opening. 

When the floor of the church was lowered to its original level in1863-6, the present approach to it was made by an excavation through thechurchyard, which covered the site of the nave, and is now walled off onthe northern side of the passage. 

The gravestones are of comparatively modern date, and of no specialinterest. A few of them have been left against the wall on the right, where there is something of more antiquarian value in a collection of_débris_ from the old building, containing the bases of some of theEarly-English columns in their original place, but hopelessly mutilated. 

The existing #West Front# dates from the time when the nave wasdestroyed. In 1893 a great improvement was made in its appearance byrefacing the wall with flint and stone, and otherwise ornamenting thesurface, to bring it into uniformity with the porch which was then builtat that end of the church. There are now three round-headed recesses inthe central portion of the wall, those at the extremities containingnarrow windows; a band of chequered stonework is carried across thespace beneath them, and a small circular window inserted above. It maybe mentioned here that the pointed arch has generally been adopted inthe new work, to distinguish it from the old, but the characteristicmassiveness and predominant scale of the original has been preservedthroughout the restoration. A practical illustration of these principleswill be seen in #The Porch#, as an ingenious compromise between the olderand newer types of architecture which are brought together in the mainfabric. It is built of a combination of flint and Portland stone, likethe wall-front just described, with which it is connected by a smallcircular tower and an oblong extension on the northern side. The twostoreys of which it consists are divided externally by a band ofchequered diaper. The shallow arch of the doorway is simply moulded andvery slightly pointed, suggesting a transition from the Romanesque tothe Early-English style, while the Perpendicular is represented in thebattlements on the roof and the octagonal turret on the southern side. In a niche above the apex of the arch, and on a bracket displaying thePriory arms, upheld by two angels, stands a figure of Rahere, thefounder, with his left hand raised in benediction, and in his right amodel of the church. The design of this little edifice is taken from oneof the ancient seals (see Illustration in the Appendix), and shows thecentral tower, with a round turret at each end, and a small building(probably the original Lady Chapel) projecting from the east. Rahere'sfeatures are copied from the effigy on his tomb, which is believed to bean authentic portrait. The figure occupies the central position in thehigher storey, with three arched recesses on either side (the middle onein each case containing a window), diminishing in height outwards, inharmony with the lines of the roof. The ceiling within the porch isgroined in four divisions; and the "priest's chamber" above it makes aconvenient private room for the rector of the parish. This new porchbears its own date (1893), and the date of the foundation, seven hundredand seventy years earlier. [1]

#The Brick Tower#, built in 1628, is said to have been altered to someextent in subsequent repairs, which have not improved its appearance. Soat least say the admirers of King Charles I, who argue that nothingquite so hideous could have been erected in his reign. It is a plainsquare structure, seventy-five feet in height, in four stages, graduallydiminishing in area upwards, the lower part supported by buttresses, andthe summit crowned by battlements, with a small bell-turret and vane. More interesting than the tower itself--which is, in fact, anincongruous addition to the church--are the #Bells# which it contains, aprecious inheritance from the Augustinian Canons, and in some respectsthe most remarkable in London. The foundry stamp shows them to have beencast by Thomas Bullisdon, who died about 1510. They are the smaller fiveof a ring of twelve, six of which were sold at the Dissolution to theChurch of St. Sepulchre, Holborn, where they have since been re-cast, and one has disappeared from history. 

The measurements and inscriptions are as follows:

 1. #SANCTE BARTHOLEMEO: ORA PRO NOBIS. # Diameter 22 in. 2. #SANCTA KATERINA: ORA PRO NOBIS. # Diameter 24 in. 3. #SANCTA ANNA: ORA PRO NOBIS. # Diameter 26¾ in. 4. #SANCTE JOHANNES BAPTISTE: ORA PRO NOBIS. # Diameter 29¼ in. 5. #SANCTE PETRE: ORA PRO NOBIS. # Diameter 31 in. 

The clock-bell, in the cage on the top, is inscribed, "<sc>T. Mears ofLondon Fecit</sc> 1814. " Diameter about 25 inches. 

The churchyard is overlooked on its northern side by the back windowsof some rickety old wooden houses, suggestive of an easy conflagration, and dangerously near the church. They date from the time of QueenElizabeth, and stand on a piece of the ground formerly devoted toBartholomew Fair, the memory of which is perpetuated in the adjoiningstreet (Cloth Fair), where the humble shops in front of the same housesare said to be a survival of the ancient booths. They run close up tothe #North Porch#, which projects into the street from the transept. Itwas erected in 1893, at the same time that the transept was restored. The porch is similar in material and character to that on the west, withsome differences in detail, the chief of which are that the figure overthe door represents St. Bartholomew, with only one window on each sideof it--in this case square-headed, with a label-moulding--and thechequered diaper covers the whole wall-surface of the upper storey. TheSaint is raising his right hand in the act of blessing, and holds in theleft a knife, which has become his emblem, as the instrument of hispassion. A scroll entwined about the effigy bears the appropriate words(in English) from Rahere's vision: _Almighty God this spiritual houseshall inhabit and hallow it. _ The upper chamber here is reserved for themission-lady working in the district. 

[Illustration: THE NORTH PORCH _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

The face of the transept visible above displays three lancet-headedwindows of the clerestory; the spaces are laid out in ornamental panels;and there is an octagonal turret on the right, with battlements and apointed roof. 

The rest of the church is hemmed in, and for the most part concealed, bytumble-down houses, forming a labyrinth of narrow winding passages aboutthe walls, and even encroaching upon them--a bit of old London which hasescaped the modern spirit of improvement, and would appear to be full ofsuggestive material for the writer of romance. As we thread our waythrough this network round the east end and south side, to reach theentrance once more, we get an occasional glimpse of the choir and LadyChapel through a gap in the surrounding buildings; but are far moreimpressed with the sense of poverty and ruin than by anything in the wayof architecture, which can be much better seen and described fromwithin. The new schools in the south-east corner (built to supersede theold structure which still remains attached to the north triforium) areworth a visit _en route_: and so, perhaps, is the abandonedburial-ground outside the south transept, if only as a melancholysouvenir of the past. 

The church is open every day, and the services are as follows:

 SUNDAYS 8. 15 a. M. Holy Communion. 11 a. M. Mattins. 11. 45 a. M. Holy Communion (choral) and Sermon. 4 p. M. Children's Service and Catechizing. 7 p. M. Evensong and Sermon. 

 SAINTS' DAYS 8. 15 a. M. Holy Communion. 11 a. M. Mattins. 8. 30 p. M. Evensong and Sermon. 

 ORDINARY DAYS 11 a. M. Mattins. 4 p. M. Evensong, except on Wednesdays, when the arrangement is the same as for Saints' Days. 

FOOTNOTES:

 [1] Within the porch a tablet on the south wall gives a list of the Priors and Rectors. On the opposite wall another tablet, recording some of the restorative work, forms part of the memorial to Sir Borradaile Savory. For the rest of the memorial see notes on pp. 48 and 57. 

 * * * * *

[Illustration: VIEW OF THE CROSSING FROM THE TRIFORIUM _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

CHAPTER III

THE INTERIOR

As soon as the visitor enters the church, he will be able to contrastthe Norman work of the twelfth century with that which succeeded it inthe thirteenth, as both are brought into juxtaposition immediatelywithin the western doorway. The surviving #Bay of the Nave#, whichprobably marks the boundary of the monastic choir, now answers thepurpose of a vestibule to the church, from the body of which it isseparated by the organ-screen, the instrument being carried on a gallerybuilt against the western wall. The nave arches, at each end of thepassage thus formed, are semicircular in shape, with a zigzag mouldingon the inner sides, and rest on massive rounded piers, with square basesand abaci and simple cushioned capitals--the whole obviously of earlytwelfth century date. The northern arch has been built up, and a smallTudor doorway, inserted in the wall, gives access to the transept. 

At right angles with the southern arch, and on each side of the entranceto the choir aisle, or ambulatory, there is a cluster of #Early EnglishColumns#, still bearing a portion of the vaulting-shafts, from which itcan be seen that the pitch of the roof to the nave aisle was much higherthan that of the ambulatory to which it was attached, probably implyinga corresponding difference in the height of the nave. The slendercolumns on both sides are alike in their moulded bases, which resemblethose left (_in situ_) among the ruins outside, as far as the latter canbe discerned; but there is an interesting variety in other details, thecapitals of the northern group being cut into foliage, while they aremoulded on the south, where also the shafts are banded. 

#The Organ-screen# (modern) is an elegant piece of work in oak, panelledand canopied in the Perpendicular style. With the organ-front above, itforms an admirable background to the choir-stalls, which are arranged inthe space within the old central tower, the seats for the congregationbeing carried along towards the east, facing each other chapel-wise, incontinuation of the stalls on either side. A description of the organwill be found in the Appendix. 

[Illustration: THE SOUTH AISLE FROM THE WEST, SHOWING THE EARLY ENGLISH SHAFTS _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

#The Tower Arches# are worth particular notice. Those on the north andsouth are pointed, and much narrower than the others, which have a boldsemicircular sweep. An intelligible reason sometimes assigned for thedifference is that the area enclosed is not exactly square, and that itbecame necessary for the builders to carry the transept-arches to apoint, to accommodate them to the oblong plan, and bring the uppermouldings into line with those of the rounded arches between the choirand nave. On this supposition the result has been called "an incidentaluse of the pointed arch, " examples of which occur elsewhere (_e. G. _, atChrist Church, Oxford, and other churches of the transitional period)before it became a distinguishing feature of the later style. It istolerably certain, however, that the tower was rebuilt in the fifteenthcentury, and that the north and south arches were then altered fromtheir first design. And their appearance is strongly in favour of areconstruction; for it will be noticed that, instead of the usualelegant inclination in a continuous curve from the spring to the apex, they rise perpendicularly for some distance above the piers on eitherside, and then take rather an abrupt turn inwards, suggesting theimposition of a pointed heading on an original stilted form. Furthersigns of alteration appear on the northern side, where the capitals havebeen recut in the Perpendicular fashion; but the Norman pilasters andmouldings on the south remain untouched. On both sides the doubleserrated line of moulding claims attention, as an example of the"saw-tooth" ornament found in early work. A difference will be observedin the corbels supporting the mouldings of the eastern and westernarches. The former are much more boldly cut, with all the appearance oforiginal work, while those on the west would seem to have been modifiedby some architect of the Perpendicular age. In the decoration of theinner tower walls there is a lozenge-shaped panel in each of thespandrels, sculptured into a floral ornament something like the Greekhoneysuckle, a shallow arcading in the angles, and a cornice of zigzagmoulding extending round the walls, immediately below the modern ceiling(1886) of panelled oak. 

The piers at the angles of the tower are not very much more massivethan the adjacent walls, and do not strike one as capable of sustaininga superstructure of any great weight. It may therefore be inferred thatthe tower was a low one, as is in fact borne out by the representationon the Priory seal, where the circular turrets at each end of the churchare shown to exceed it in height. #The North Transept#, which had beenoccupied for many years as a blacksmith's forge, was re-opened on 5thJune, 1893, after restoration to something like its original state. Itis now used as a morning chapel, with an altar in a recess on the northside, slightly to the east of the porch already described, by which thechurch is entered from Cloth Fair. [1]

[Illustration: THE NORTH TRANSEPT AND SCREEN _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

[Illustration: THE NORTH TRANSEPT FROM THE SOUTH _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

Both transepts had been injured by fire, and were originally muchdeeper than they are at present, but to have rebuilt them exactly on theold lines would have involved the suppression of a right of way and thepurchase of neighbouring properties, besides adding to the cost ofheating and maintenance, expenses which the funds would not allow. Here, as elsewhere, the old work, as far as it remained, has been leftundisturbed, and simply incorporated into the new, the architectcontenting himself with removing the modern walls which had been set upat the extremities to keep out the weather, providing abutments tostrengthen the central arches, and supplying what was wanted to completethe first design within the more limited area. During the reconstructionof this transept the fine arcaded #Stone Screen# was revealed whichseparates it from the space within the tower. The screen was buried somefour feet in earth, and the upper part entirely concealed by the smithy. The style shows it to be of the fifteenth century, when there wasprobably a similar screen on the opposite side of the choir, the twobacking the stalls, which are known to have been carried under thetower. The existing screen is divided into two wide arches, slightlydepressed, with a moulding in four orders. It has been refaced on thechoir side, and a partition of ironwork, ornamented with coloured coatsof arms, inserted in the open spaces, to serve as a barrier withoutobstructing the view in either direction. 

Under one of the arches there is a stone coffin, with a much decayedcover of Purbeck marble, which is supposed to have contained the body ofa Prior. It was opened for examination during the rebuilding, when askeleton was found within it, with sandals still on the feet, but as theskull was gone it was evident that the coffin had previously beenopened. In the arch by its side there was another coffin of the samecharacter, which has unfortunately been shifted to the north ambulatory. It is without a cover, and the skeleton is no longer there; but theleaden envelope remains, more or less in the state in which it wasfolded round the corpse. The arched recess on the east, by the side ofthe opening to the ambulatory, is supposed to have been the entrance tothe Walden Chantry; but it has been built up with a return-wall. 

The triforium is continuous through all three walls of the transept, each bay consisting of a double pointed arch, except that above theambulatory, where the surviving Norman fragment shows three round-headedopenings, included in a semicircular arch with billet moulding. Theclerestory in the north wall, where the work is entirely new, isornamented with a traceried arcading on an interior plane, which has avery beautiful effect. 

#The South Transept#, opened after restoration on 14th March, 1891, hadbeen turned to account as a burial-ground, supplementary to that at thewest end. The side walls were allowed to stand for the enclosure, butthe south wall was pulled down, and another erected within the space, toseparate the "Green Churchyard, " as it was called, from the church. Inthis case, therefore, the restoration meant little more than the removalof the intercepting wall to open out the transept, and building a newone at the extremity, with a partial reconstruction of those which weredecayed to connect them with it. In the renovation of both transeptsblue Bath stone has been used internally, and Portland stone with flintsfor the exterior. The conservative nature of the work is here seen inthe side walls, each of which retains a bay of the old Norman triforium, with its round-headed divisions, to which a new bay has been added, witha slightly pointed arcade, as a connection, without any violentcontrast, between the older parts of the transept and the new southwall. This presents an agreeable variety to that facing it in theopposite transept. In the upper stage, instead of a triforium andclerestory, there are three tall windows of two lights each, the centralbeing carried above the others, and distinguished by a more ornatetracery, here taking a cruciform pattern above the trefoil-headeddivisions, instead of a foliated circle as in the side windows. Thearcading in which they are all placed is severely simple in character, the slightly pointed headings resting on plain shafts, with mouldedbases and capitals--the whole composition a pleasing relief to theheavier architecture on each side without being discordant. The same maybe said of the lower stage, also arcaded in three divisions, corresponding with those above, but rather more massive in character. The central arch forms a porch, giving access to the church on thatside, with a recess to the east and west of it, each lighted by adwarfed window. The eastern of these recesses answers the purpose of abaptistery. #The Font# dates from the early fifteenth century, and isoctagonal in shape, with a tall cover, crocketed at the angles, suspended on a swivel above it. The facets of the octagon are perfectlyplain, but there is an oblong incision in one of them which looks verymuch like the matrix of a brass, or the seat of a sculptured panel, which has been removed. There is a traditional interest attaching to thefont as that in which William Hogarth, the famous painter and satirist, was baptized. He was born in Bartholomew Close on 10th November, 1697, and his baptism is entered in the parish register on the 28th of thesame month. [2] It is recorded that the font had a narrow escape in theeighteenth century, when the Vestry ordered it to be removed for a newone, but fortunately the order was never carried out. 

In a recess on the eastern side of the transept there is a monument to#Elizabeth Freshwater#, whose effigy, in the costume and ruff collar ofher time, is shown kneeling at a small _priedieu_, with English andLatin inscriptions beneath:

 Here lyeth interred the body of Elizabeth Freshwater, late wife of Thomas Freshwater, of Henbridge, in the County of Essex, Esquire; eldest daughter of John Orme of this parish, Gentleman, and Mary his wife. She died the 16th day of May Anno Domini 1617, being of the age of 26 years. 

 Mors properius, quali tinxisti tela veneno Ut sic trina uno vulnere praeda cadat? Unam saeva feris; sed et uno hoc occidit ictu Uxor dulcis, amans filia, chara soror. 

 (=O hasty death, how hast them so contrived Thy darts with venomous poison to direct That, by one cruel stroke, not one but three are killed, Sweet wife, a loving daughter, sister dear!)

The doorway beneath the monument opens on the staircase to the southtriforium. 

#The Choir#, now restored as nearly as possible to its original state, consists of five bays on each side, with an apsidal termination of fivearches, distinguished from the others (mainly semicircular) by their"stilted" form and much narrower span, which, in fact, measures no morethan the diameter of the intervening columns, and gives an appearance ofextra massiveness to the east end of the church. All the arches displaysome approximation to the "horseshoe, " in a slight inward inclination oneither side towards the capitals on which they rest; but the shape isvery definitely assumed in each of those immediately contiguous to thetransverse curve. These are of the genuine "horseshoe" patterncharacteristic of Arabian or Moorish buildings; and their exactsimilarity in detail, with their position facing one another at eachextremity of the apse, would seem to indicate a structural necessity, ordeliberate intention in the design, which, neither here nor elsewhere inthe arcading, is to be attributed to any subsidence, or imperfectworkmanship, sometimes held to account for the deflection as a mereaccident. 

[Illustration: THE FONT AND THE FRESHWATER MONUMENT _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

[Illustration: INTERIOR FROM THE EAST, SHOWING PRIOR BOLTON'S GALLERY _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

The character of these arches, with the slightly domical vaultsnoticeable in the adjacent aisles, has led some persons to detect anOriental influence in the building--possibly traceable to the visitorsfrom Byzantium whom the founder is said to have consulted while it wasin course of erection--though it is argued to the contrary that thesefeatures are sufficiently accounted for by the general tendency ofAnglo-Norman architecture at the time, as illustrated elsewhere. 

The arcading throughout rests on massive piers and circular columns, with square bases and abaci (incised at the angles) and low cushionedcapitals, ornamented with a simple scallop. Above the arches, on thechoir side, there is a billet moulding, which is considered unique inthat, instead of forming a separate decoration to each arch, it iscarried along horizontally above the abaci on either side in acontinuous line of ornament. 

#The Triforium# consists of a series of rounded arches, the piers fromwhich they spring being placed directly above those of the main arcade. Each of the side bays is divided into four compartments by smallcolumns, above which the tympanum of the enclosing arch is occupied by ablank wall. The sequence is, of course, interrupted by the oriel windowin the central bay on the south; and the narrower openings in the apseonly admit of a twofold division. There are said to have been originallywindows at the back of the triforium-gallery, as at Durham, Peterborough, and other Norman churches of the same period; but themutilation and rebuilding in the external walls have greatly destroyedthe original work. 

#Prior Bolton's Window# was probably inserted about 1530, when the deviceof a "bolt in tun" was officially authorized for Bolton's arms, on hisown choice, as presenting his name in the emblematical form then invogue. The window is an "oriel" in the Perpendicular style, separatedvertically by mullions into three lights in front, with one at each endof the projection, and horizontally by transoms into an upper and lowertier, the former having a trefoil heading to each division. There is asloping hipped roof to the window, and a broad moulded corbel below it. The well-known rebus is boldly displayed upon the central of the fivesquare panels (all sculptured) which adorn the face of this picturesquechamber (_oriolum_), probably built as a convenient private pew for thePrior, from which he could survey the whole of the choir and theFounder's tomb. The Tudor doorway, which now opens into the choir vestryat the eastern end of the south wall, has the Bolton rebus in thespandrels of the arch. [3]

#The Clerestory. #--In his reconstruction here Sir Aston Webb has followedthe precedent of the Perpendicular work introduced in the fifteenthcentury, which, fortunately, had not been seriously injured in the upperpart of the side walls. He has accordingly adopted that style in theapse, where the clerestory arcade is entirely new. It displays a seriesof five windows of two lights each, with traceried headings, and slendercolumns on the inner and outer plane, sufficient to uphold the arcadingwithout intercepting the light--none too abundant in any part of thechurch, though it is entirely destitute of stained glass at the presentday. 

The walls of the triforium and clerestory are perforated longitudinallyto form a continuous passage on each side of the choir--interrupted, however, by the interposition of masonry at the junction of the lateralwalls with the apse. 

The passage along the clerestory is formed by a succession of"shouldered arches, " as they are commonly called, though each merelyconsists of a flat lintel resting on corbels, which is not strictly anarch at all. As there are no signs of vaulting-shafts, it may be fairlyassumed that the original roof was a wooden one, probably painted, likethose still in existence at other Norman churches. 

The present ceiling, about forty-seven feet above the level of thefloor, is of panelled oak (uncoloured), and supersedes an unsatisfactorytimber structure which had taken the place of the earlier Tudor work. Itwas divided into compartments by a tie-beam and king-post at intervals, supported on corbels representing the heads of cherubim--an innovationmore modern, and even more out of character with the building, than theceiling itself. The cross beams from the latter have been retained inthe modern work. 

[Illustration: THE FOUNDER'S TOMB _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

#The Founder's Tomb# occupies a bay on the northern side of thesanctuary. Resting on a simple base of rectangular stones, it consistsof an altar-tomb in the Perpendicular style, ornamented by fourquatrefoil panels in front, each displaying a shield of arms, abovewhich runs the inscription: _Hic jacet Raherus Primus Canonicus etPrimus Prior hujus Ecclesiae. _

[Illustration: THE TOMB OF RAHERE _From an old engraving, showing the original extent of the arcaded work, and the doorway now removed_ _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

The painted effigy of Rahere lies upon its back, vested in the blackHabit of the Augustinian Canons, the hands joined in prayer, and thetonsured head reposing upon a tasselled cushion. At the feet an angel, with flowing black hair, and crowned, is represented rising from clouds, holding towards the recumbent figure a shield, on which the Priory Armsare embossed and illuminated: _Gules_, two lions _passant guardant: or_, two ducal coronets in chief. 

On each side of the effigy a kneeling monk of the same Order is readingfrom a book, opened at Isaiah, li, 3, as may be inferred from the wordsdistinguishable on the page nearest the spectator, the text obviouslyhaving been chosen with reference to the ground on which the Priorystands: "Consolabitur ergo Dominus Sion, et consolabitur omnes ruinasejus: et ponat desertum ejus quasi delicias, et solitudinem ejus quasihortum Domini. "

The group is enclosed in a canopied frame of tabernacle work in threedivisions, elaborately carved, with a vaulted ceiling; and each of thepanels in the back wall is perforated with a small decorated window, unglazed, probably inserted not only for ornament but for the benefit ofpilgrims on the ambulatory side of the shrine. The design is continuedin a fourth panel towards the east, with a blank wall behind it, andanother separating it from the actual tomb. Originally there were twoother panels beyond this, similarly arcaded, and carried over the faceof the adjacent Norman arch, which had a doorway beneath it leading intothe ambulatory (_see_ illustration, p. 46). The canopy and panellingwere added to the tomb in the fifteenth century. It was repaired in thereign of Henry VIII, and the painting has been more than once renewed, apparently with some rearrangement of the arms in front, as they do notappear in the present order in old engravings. Taking them from left toright they are now those of the City of London, the Priory, England andFrance, and Sir Stephen Slaney, Lord Mayor of London in 1595. 

The sanctuary is paved with coloured tesserae and marbles, in a seriesof five steps, the uppermost of which forms the predella, or footpace, to the altar. The latter is of oak, and was presented by Miss Overbury, sister-in-law to the Rev. W. Panckridge, Rector of the Parish from 1884to 1887. 

The somewhat classical design of the pavement is uniform throughout, butthe higher and lower portions are distinguished by separateinscriptions, one across the chord of the apse, the other along the stepimmediately within the railing. These inscriptions are respectively asfollows:

 To the Glory of God, and in memory of John Abbiss, 64 years Rector of this Church, this Apse was rebuilt by his nephew, Frederick P. Phillips, A. D. 1886. Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness. 

 Where I am, there shall also my servant be. 

 * * * * *

 In memory of the Rev. Canon F. Parr Phillips, Rector of Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, and Patron of this Church. Died 17 March, 1903, aged 84. 

 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name. Bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. [4]

[Illustration: THE CHAMBERLAYNE MONUMENT _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

#The Pulpit# is built against a pier on the north side, midway between theordinary seats and the choir-stalls. It is a low oblong structure, witha short flight of steps at each end, and is ornamented in the upper partwith a series of panels, arcaded and perforated to resemble smallwindows. 

The Hopton Wood stone, or marble, as it is sometimes called, has adelicate gray vein, which is brought out by polish on the cornice andbalustrade, as a relief to the unpolished surface elsewhere displayed. There is no inscription; but visitors are usually told about Mrs. Charlotte Hart, the apparently impecunious pew-opener at the church, whosurprised her friends by dying worth close upon £3, 000, and by leaving£600 to the restoration fund. A new pulpit happened to be wanted at thetime, and the bequest was applied in its erection. 

[Illustration: THE SMALPACE MONUMENT _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

On the wall above is the #Monument of Sir Robert Chamberlayne#, anelegant piece of Jacobean work, deserving a closer examination than canbe bestowed upon it without mounting the pulpit, and even there theinscription is scarcely legible. The sculpture, which is extremely wellexecuted, represents Sir Robert kneeling in prayer within a circularpavilion, the curtains of which are held up by an angel on either side. The figure wears a partial suit of plate armour over the costume of theperiod, and the (bearded) face is turned obliquely towards the east yetaway from the spectator, in the attitude of secret devotion. The tent issurmounted by a rich cornice, above which the monument terminates in anornamental pediment displaying the crest of the deceased. The Latininscription beneath relates his descent, through the holders of SherburnCastle, Oxon, from the most ancient Tankerville family of Normandy; andadds that he was knighted by James I, and died between Tripoli andCyprus, on a journey to the Holy Sepulchre, at the age of thirty-five, in the year 1615. The monument was erected by an unknown friend (_amicoamicus_), who concludes with the pious ejaculation _Coelo tegitur quinon habet urnam_--Heaven covers him who has no sepulchre!

On the south wall, facing this monument, there is another of someinterest and artistic merit. It is to the memory of #Percival Smalpace#and Agnes his wife, whose boldly sculptured heads are projecting fromseparate panels above the tablet containing the inscription. This ischiefly in Latin, and informs us that the deaths occurred respectivelyon 2nd February, 1568, and 3rd September, 1588, in the reign of QueenElizabeth, and that Michael and Thomas erected the memorial jointly tothe best of parents. 

The moral of the English lines

 Behold yourselves by us; Such once were we as you: And you in time shall be Even dust as we are now. 

is enforced by a drawing, in outline, representing the nude figures ofthe departed lying side by side upon a couch in the sleep of death--nodoubt intended as a _memento mori_ of a less repulsive kind than theusual desiccated corpse. The monument has been invested with a coatingof black, which at once conceals the whole of the marble (said to bebrown), and shows up the inscription and the figures, both clearlyincised and gilded. 

#The Ambulatory#, which encompasses the choir, and is open to it on theinner side throughout its course, is an interesting part of the originalfabric, and displays to full advantage the characteristic features ofearly Norman work--here made more conspicuous by the low pitch of theroof, which gives the columns and arches an appearance of even greatersolidity than really belongs to them. The semicircular arches whichsupport the roof spring from the capitals of the main arcade, and aremerely wide bands of stone, without moulding or adornment of any kind. The intermediate spaces are equally plain, each compartment simplytaking the quadripartite form (without vaulting-ribs) to accommodate itto the arcading on which it rests. The ceiling has been repaired withstone, and overlaid with plaster in the panels, but the design has beenleft undisturbed, as a specimen of early vaulting, rare enough to beworth preserving. [5]

[Illustration: THE AMBULATORY AND ENTRANCE TO THE LADY CHAPEL _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

Perpendicular work occurs here and there throughout the ambulatory, conspicuously in the three recesses in the exterior wall on the north, each of which contains a three-light window in that style. The first andsecond of these recesses, or small chapels, are open to the groundlevel; but the third (nearest the east) has been walled up beneath thewindow sill. Beyond it is the door of the clergy vestry, which occupiesthe site of another chapel: and in the curve of the wall towards theLady Chapel there is a tablet which usually attracts attention for thecurious device upon it--three pillars crowned by a garland of roses--andthe poetical conceit of the epitaph, which explains the emblem, andotherwise speaks for itself:

 Sacred To the memory of that worthy and lerned Francis Anthony, Doctor in Physick. There needs no verse to beautify thy praise, Or keepe in memory thy spotless name. Religion, virtue, and thy skil did raise A threefold pillar to thy lasting Fame; Though poisenous envye ever sought to blame Or hyde the fruits of thy intention, Yet shall they all commend that high desygne Of purest gold to make a medicine That feel thy helpe by that thy rare invention. He dyed the 26th of May 1623, of his age 74. His loving sonne John Anthony, doctor in physick, Left this remembrance of his sorrow. He dyed ye 28th April 1655, being aged 70 years, and was buried nere this place, and left behind him 1 sone and 3 daughters. [6]

[Illustration: THE MILDMAY MONUMENT _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

Before leaving this northern side of the ambulatory it may be noticedthat the pavement is made up of an intermixture of gravestones withencaustic tiles. The latter are not so old as they look, for they onlydate from 1863, when the floor was reduced to its original level, exactly twenty-seven inches below that which was removed, as shown bythe marks on the wall backing Rahere's tomb, at the line where thepavement was taken away. The advantage as regards the proportions of thechurch is obvious enough; but a question has been opened as to whetherthe intermediate pavement was really so modern as had been taken forgranted. It is suggested to the contrary that it may have been firstintroduced during the Middle Ages, when the increasing veneration forthe East required a greater elevation for that part of the church, todistinguish it from the less sacred nave, and give proper dignity to theHigh Altar and its surroundings. In some accounts it is positivelystated that the floor was raised two feet six inches by Prior Boltonearly in the sixteenth century. 

Continuing our perambulation past the Lady Chapel and Prior Bolton'sdoor (now leading into the choir vestry) at the eastern end of the southwall, we come to the magnificent #Tomb of Sir Walter Mildmay#. It formerlystood facing that of the Founder in the sanctuary, but was shifted toits present place in 1865, and renovated by Henry Bingham Mildmay in1870, as stated in an inscription upon it, which, however, shows moresigns of decay than any other part of the monument, and is scarcelylegible. This very fine altar tomb is composed of various colouredmarbles, panelled and gilded in a design combining the Elizabethan formwith the classical ornament of the Renaissance, and is remarkable forthe absence of figures usually conspicuous in monuments of the same age. This peculiarity is perhaps accounted for by the strong Puritan leaningsof Sir Walter, who took no pains to conceal them in his lifetime. Hefounded Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1583, where his architecturalwork is pointed out, in illustration of his principles, as runningcounter to all the traditions of the Dominican Friars, whose buildingscame into his hands after the Dissolution, and formed the nucleus of hisfoundation. Instead of saints and angels, or kneeling effigies, we havehere eight shields of arms, showing the family alliances, arranged inpanelling round the central inscription:

 Hic jacent Gualterus Mildmay, miles, et Maria uxor ejus. Ipse obiit ultimo die Maii 1589. Ipsa 16 die Martii 1576. Reliquierunt duos filios et tres filias. Fundavit Collegium Emanuelis Cantabrigiae. Moritur Cancellarius et Sub-Thesaurarius Scaccarii et Regiae Majestati a Consiliis. 

(= Here lie Walter Mildmay, Knight, and Mary his wife. He died the lastday of May, 1589. She the 16th day of March, 1576. They left two sonsand three daughters. He founded Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He diedChancellor and Sub-Treasurer of the Exchequer, and a Member of HerMajesty's Council. )

There is a commendable absence of eulogy in the epitaph, and, instead ofany direct quotation from scripture, the motto, _Mors nobis lucrum_ isgiven, as an adaptation of Phil. I, 21. The tomb is surmounted by threeclassical urns and the escutcheon of the deceased, with the legend, _Virtute non vi_. Sir Walter was one of the Royal Commissionersappointed in 1586 for the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, at FotheringhayCastle. 

There are numerous other monuments in the church, and there wereformerly many more than now remain, but those selected for descriptionare the most important and the most interesting for their artisticmerit. 

The first rector of the parish, Sir John Deane, is commemorated in amodern brass (1893) let into the pavement of the ambulatory on thesouthern side of the chancel. It was inserted by the pupils of theWitton Grammar School, Northwich, founded by Sir John in the year 1557. 

#The Lady Chapel# is a restoration of that built about the year 1410. Atthe Dissolution it passed into the hands of Sir Richard Rich, whoconverted it into a dwelling-house, and in more modern times it wasoccupied by a fringe manufacturer, as related in our historical sketch. The building was recovered by purchase in 1885, and the reconstructionbegun, which was completed eleven years later. There are signs of anearlier chapel on the site, which was considerably altered, or entirelyrebuilt, in the fourteenth century, as appeared from the architecturalremains of that period discovered within the fifteenth-centuryfabric--itself in a frightful state of dilapidation--when therestoration was taken in hand. 

[Illustration: THE LADY CHAPEL _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

Though every care has been taken to preserve the old work, with astrict adherence to the general design, the greater part of the chapelis necessarily new. It is separated from the ambulatory by an elegantscreen of ironwork, surmounted by a crucifix of white metal, which hasbeen blackened into uniformity with the rest of the screen so that itcan hardly be distinguished in the dim light. This characteristic of thechurch is preserved in the chapel by the omission of an east window. Inplace of it the wall-space above the altar is laid out in an arcading offive niches, with canopies and pedestals arranged in parallel lines, providing for a double row of statues, not yet inserted. The lower partof the wall is curtained, with a small canopy over the altar, containingan oil painting of the Virgin and Child as an appropriate form ofreredos. There are three rather large windows on each side, of whichthose on the south are entirely new, but the sills and jambs on thenorth show a retention of fifteenth-century work. This appears again inthe walls on either side of the sanctuary, each of which contains anarcaded recess of three divisions (the central glazed), those on thesouth forming the sedilia. The sanctuary is paved with Roman tesseraeand coloured marbles, in agreement with the pavement beneath the HighAltar, but of a less elaborate pattern. [7]

[Illustration: THE CRYPT _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

#The Crypt# beneath the Lady Chapel has no internal connection with it, but is entered by an outside door in the south wall. Like the rest ofthe Priory buildings it has gone through many vicissitudes. Obviouslybuilt at the same time as the chapel, it is supposed to have been usedoriginally as a receptacle for the bones exhumed from time to time inthe neighbouring canons' cemetery. Passing into secular hands at theDissolution, it was partly filled up with earth, and then used as a coaland wine cellar to the dwelling-house above, and eventually formed partof the manufactory before mentioned, the marks of which have been lefthere and there upon the walls. The little building is now equipped as amortuary chapel, with an altar against the east wall, and an oblongspace marked off on the floor before it, with the usual lateralcandlesticks, for the reception of a corpse. As a general rule, however, the funeral services are held in the choir, where there are greaterfacilities. Though extremely simple, the architectural features are veryinteresting, the old work having been retained in the walls, piers, andwindows, the vaulting alone being new. This merely consists of depressedarches, carried across from the north to the south wall, theintermediate spaces being overlaid with plaster. 

At the eastern end, above the altar, one of the window recesses has thesocket of an old iron hinge within it, and otherwise shows signs ofhaving been formerly occupied by a door, which may possibly have beenthe original entrance. It is supposed that all the windows were leftunglazed for the sake of ventilation, but plain glass is now inserted. The recesses are very deeply splayed in the thickness of the walls, andit will be noticed that the exterior openings are above the level of theroof, so as to admit the daylight obliquely, an ingenious contrivance tointensify the solemnities within, where an artificial light is almost anecessity. The plain bands of stone which constitute the vaulting aresupported by shallow piers, or pilasters, built against the lateralwalls, and all alike in their general structure and moulded bases; butthere is a curious difference between those on the north and south, which has given rise to some antiquarian speculation. In one case (thenorth) the pilasters are carried down to the floor: in the other theyrest upon a stone plinth or skirting a few inches above it. 

#The Cloister#, as next in importance to the church itself, and socharacteristic of a monastic foundation as to give a name to the whole, was in all probability begun by Rahere, or at least some time in thetwelfth century. This may be inferred from the Norman work found andpreserved at the restoration--at present confined to three bays of theeastern side, at right angles to the south wall of the church. Thecloister was originally continued parallel with this wall to theextremity of the nave, whence it extended in the usual quadrangularform, each side consisting of eight bays, enclosing the area known asthe cloister-garth. That there was a reconstruction under Prior JohnWatford, early in the fifteenth century, is clear from the evidencealready given, which is confirmed by the architectural remains withinthe restored fragment--all that was in existence, as a ruin, when therenovation was attempted. 

[Illustration: THE REMAINING BAYS OF THE CLOISTER _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

The entrance is through a round-headed doorway in the south aisle--aninteresting piece of Norman work--but the doors are probably thoseinserted during the fifteenth century reconstruction. It seems that theywere taken out when the nave was destroyed, and fitted to the mainentrance in the wall then built at the west end. Subsequently storedwithin the church among the lumber which might possibly come in useful, they were found exactly to fit the opening into the cloister, where theywere re-hung in what seems to be their proper place. The first bay onthe right, which formerly opened into the northern side of thequadrangle, is now occupied by a blank wall, with some fifteenth centurywork on each side, and the Tudor door-jambs within it, supposed to havebeen inserted by the Dominican Friars in their restoration of thefollowing century. The second and third bays contain windows, with veryfine modern tracery in the headings, and some old Perpendicular workretained at the sides. The wall on the left (eastern) side shows asimilar intermixture of styles in its three unlighted bays. Theelaborately vaulted roof is for the most part new, but a few of the oldbosses, and some portions of the original vaulting-shafts recoveredduring the excavations, have been incorporated into it, withoutrenovation of their surfaces, so that the ancient and modern can beeasily distinguished. The new bosses are sculptured with shields bearingrespectively the royal arms, the arms of the Diocese, the Priory, thelate Rector (Sir Borradaile Savory), and the City of London. The Prioryarms form the central point in the vaulting, surrounded by smallerbosses containing the emblems of the four Evangelists. 

On a table at the end of the cloister there is a small collection ofstones and encaustic tiles from the old building, and some more preciousrelics in a case. These include a few broken pieces of stained glass, the metal seal struck by Father Perrin for the Dominicans, a book of"Spiritual Exercises" by the same Prior, and a charred fragment ofRahere's coffin and sandal, which had been surreptitiously taken fromhis tomb. 

Before leaving the church, the visitor is recommended to look throughthe scrap-book of old engravings in charge of the verger, showing thebuildings in various phases of their history since the Dissolution. These interesting pictures were presented anonymously, but a note on thefly-leaf by Dr. Norman Moore, dated 23rd May, 1885, informs us that thedonor was William Morrant Baker, F. R. C. S. , Surgeon to St. Bartholomew'sHospital, Lecturer on Physiology, and Warden of its College. There is atablet to his memory in the Church of St. Bartholomew-the-Less. 

A special permit is required for an inspection of the church registers. They date from 1616, and show an average death-rate of ten in each monthtill the year 1665, when the Plague of London brought up the entries toabout eighteen on each day. 

The interior of the church presents an interesting perspective fromalmost any point. A good general view may be obtained from thenorth-east or south-west corner, and another from the organ-gallery, which is recommended as commanding features not well seen from below inthe scanty light. 

FOOTNOTES:

 [1] This altar is an interesting piece of (Jacobean?) woodwork which has recently been uncovered. The low recess in which it stands seems better suited for a tomb, or recumbent effigy, while the more lofty recess against the eastern wall, originally supposed to have been open to the Walden Chantry, would hold the altar admirably, and give it the proper orientation. 

 [2] There are two large canvases of his on the staircase of the Hospital representing "The Pool of Bethesda" and "The Good Samaritan, " besides four smaller paintings, one of which gives "Rahere's Dream, " and another "The Building of the Priory. "

 [3] The manor of Canonbury, formerly included in the Priory estates, is said to have been presented to the community by Sir Ralph de Berners in the reign of Edward III. The Prior and canons built themselves a mansion there as a country residence, and there is no doubt that the place takes its name from their connection with it. According to Stow (_Ed. Strype_, vol. 1), the manor-house was rebuilt by Prior Bolton, whose rebus on the walls of the tower seemed to prove that it was either his work, or erected shortly after his time to his memory. The house is a plain brick structure with gable ends, and the tower (of the same material) covers a rather large square. The spacious rooms within it have some literary interest, as at one time occupied by Ephraim Chambers, the encyclopaedist (1680-1750), and by the more famous Oliver Goldsmith. The whole building, renovated within and without, is now held by a social club. For many years a fable was believed that a subterranean passage connected it with the Smithfield Priory. 

 [4] The new bronze railing to the sanctuary forms part of the memorial to the late Rector, the Rev. Sir Borradaile Savory, Bart. It is in the Renaissance style, and the words from the _Gloria in Excelsis_ ("We praise Thee, " etc. ), in each of its four divisions, were selected by his successor, the present Rector, as suitable to the place, and expressing the governing principle of Sir Borradaile's life, as well as that of Rahere the Founder. 

 [5] The substructure in the chamber of the Pix, at Westminster, will be remembered among the surviving examples of this early kind of vaulting in England. 

 [6] Francis Anthony (1550-1623) lived in Bartholomew Close. He had obtained the M. A. Degree at Cambridge, but none in medicine, and having practised for six months in London without a licence, he was summoned before the President and Censors of the College of Physicians to give an account of himself. Failing to satisfy his examiners, he was interdicted from practice, but ignored the prohibition, and suffered more than one imprisonment in consequence. The medicine "of purest gold" was a panacea, known as _Aurum potabile_, which was supposed to be made from the precious metal, and certainly put a great deal of it into the inventor's pocket, as a fashionable remedy for all kinds of diseases. 

 (See article in the "Dictionary of National Biography" for a sketch of his life. )

 [7] A tablet, in the Renaissance style, has recently been affixed to the north wall in memory of Sir Borradaile Savory, Bart. , the late Rector. It was unveiled and formally dedicated by the Bishop of Stepney, on Sunday, 10th May, 1908. 

 * * * * *

[Illustration: ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS AND THE HOSPITAL GATE _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

CHAPTER IV

ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS AND THE HOSPITAL

Visitors to Rome will remember the Isola Tiberina, which lies in acurve of the river between the city and Trastevere, and is reached fromthe respective sides by the Ponte Quattro Capi and the Ponte SanBartolomeo. It was to the hospital on this island that Rahere was sentfor medical treatment in his illness; and it is possible that thedisposing cause of his vision, with its practical outcome, may be foundin the circumstances of the place. The island had been dedicated toAesculapius on the strength of an ancient Roman legend; and about theyear 1000 the Emperor Otho III, erected a Christian churchthere--probably on the site of a temple to the god--which was namedafter St. Bartholomew, on the supposition that it contained the saint'srelics. [1] Below the church there are the remains of the old travertineramparts which gave the island the appearance of a ship on which theedifice was resting--a fanciful picture of the "Navis Ecclesiae" asreproduced in the twelfth century Priory seal. (_Vide_ Fig. C, page 73)The combination of a hospital with a church, suggested by the island andthe vision, was realized in Rahere's double foundation on his return toEngland. Until the time of the Dissolution the corporate body of thehospital, and the staff for attendance upon the patients, wereidentical, and consisted of a master, eight brethren, and four sisters, all living in obedience to the Augustinian rule. Unfortunately no recordis preserved of the grant of the site, or of the deed of endowment; buta Charter granted by Henry I in 1133 is extant, conferring certainprivileges on the church, prior, canons, and poor of the hospital. (_Vide ante_ chap. I. ) The annexation of the hospital to the priory wassubsequently confirmed by a Charter of King John in the fifth year ofhis reign, which remained in force without material change till theseparation effected under Henry VIII. The connection involved thepresentation of each newly elected Master to the Prior of St. Bartholomew's, or, if he refused institution, to the Bishop of London;the assent of the prior and canons being, however, required before anyone could become a member of the Hospital Society. The Act of 1539superseded all previous legislation affecting the monastic foundations;the Priory and Hospital were separated; and the revenues of bothtransferred to the royal exchequer. But on the petition of Sir RichardGresham, Lord Mayor of London, and father of Sir Thomas Gresham, theHospital was refounded by royal charter--27th December, 1546, 38 HenryVIII--which restored the greater part of its former revenues, inconsideration of

 the miserable estate of the poore, aged, sick, low, and impotent people, as well men as women, lying and going about begging in the common streets of the said City of London and the suburbs of the same, to the great paine and sorrowe of the same poore, aged, sick, and impotent people, and to the great infection, hurt, and annoyance of His Grace's loving subjects, which of necessity must daily goe and pass by the same poore, sick, low, and impotent people, being infected with divers great and horrible sicknesses and diseases. 

The Indenture goes on to convey to the mayor, commonalty, and citizensof London the buildings formerly belonging to the Grey Friars as well as

 the late Hospital of St. Bartholomew, in West Smithfield, otherwise called the Hospital of Little St. Bartholomew, and the Church of the same, and all the manors, parsonages, messuages, lands, tithes, advowsons, and hereditaments, late part of the possession of the said Hospital

with certain specified exceptions which the charity had to lose, andno longer form part of its history. The immediate result was that theChurch of the Grey Friars became the parish church of Christ Church, Newgate, and the chapel pertaining to the hospital (the survivor offour, three of which were alienated) the parish church of Little St. Bartholomew, now more familiarly known as St. Bartholomew-the-Less. Twopriests were then attached to it, one called the vicar, who was granteda mansion and a stipend of _£13 6s. 8d. _ per annum; the other, thehospitaller or visitor, whose stipend was fixed at _£10_. Theaccommodation of the hospital at that time was for one hundred poor menand women, lodging within it, under the superintendence of a singlematron, with twelve women assistants. It is interesting to compare thesefigures with those of the present day, when the hospital contains asmany as six hundred and seventy beds, with three hundred and fiftynurses on the staff, and every year relieves over one hundred and fiftythousand poor sick people, besides maintaining a convalescent home, withseventy beds, at Kettlewell, Swanley, Kent. [2]

[Illustration: ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS _E. Scamell. Photo. _]

The hospital chapel, converted into a parish church after theDissolution, had fallen into a very dilapidated state towards the end ofthe eighteenth century. In the year 1789 the restoration of the buildingwas committed to Mr. George Dance, then architect and surveyor to thehospital. He made a considerable alteration in the interior byruthlessly destroying the old work, for which he substituted anoctagonal structure, within the rectangular plan, allowing the externalwalls to remain in their original form, with the square tower whichstill stands at the western end--the whole enveloped in a coating ofcement. The internal erection was entirely in wood, ingeniously carvedand coloured to resemble stone; but the false economy of it was soonmanifested in dry-rot, which spread to such an alarming extent that areconstruction became necessary. The rebuilding was taken in hand in1823 by Mr. Thomas Hardwick, who had a much better knowledge of pointedarchitecture than his predecessor. He removed the whole of the timber, substituting stone and iron for it, and while adhering to Mr. Dance'sgeneral design, improved upon it by introducing fresh details of hisown, more in harmony with the fabric in which it was enclosed. Thechurch has since been restored, but the incongruity is still obviousenough, especially from the outside, where the octagon projects abovethe ancient walls, and the small pentagonal chancel beyond them at theeastern end. 

[Illustration: BRASS OF WILLIAM AND ALICE MARKEBY]

The entrance is by a low Tudor doorway in the tower, which still bearstraces of the original work. On the pavement of the vestibule there isan interesting brass, with the figures of William Markeby and his wife, and an inscription which now reads: "Hic jacent Will'mo Markeby deLondiniis gentlemo' qui obiit XI die Julii A. D'ni MCCCCXXXIX et Aliciauxor ei, " the concluding words "quorum animabus propitietur Deus. Amen"having been erased. [3] There are two other ancient memorials in thispart of the church which call for special notice, viz. : on the northwall, within the present vestry, a niche contains the figure of an angelbearing a shield of arms, beneath which another shield, surmounted by acrown, and upheld by two angels, displays the arms of Edward theConfessor impaled with those of England. And against the western wallthere is a good example of a canopied altar-tomb, in the Tudor style, with a memorial tablet (1741) inserted in it, which is obviously muchlater than the tomb itself. This is said to have originally stood at theeastern end of the south wall, where it was discovered during theeighteenth century reconstruction, and then deprived of its ornamentalprojections, where the marks of the chisel are seen upon the surface. 

[Illustration: ANCIENT SCULPTURED TABLETS IN ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS WEST END OF NORTH WALL]

At the eastern end of the north wall there is a tablet to the memory ofthe wife of Sir Thomas Bodley, whose name has been given to the famouslibrary at Oxford. The curious old stone beneath it, which wasdiscovered during the alterations, and then affixed to the wall, has thedouble interest of great antiquity and a puzzling inscription beginning, "_Ecce sub hoc tumulo Guliemus conditur_. "

The exterior of the church, though spoilt by the composition laid overthe walls, has still a certain interest as part of the original fabric, and still contains the arches of most of the old windows, viz. , three oneach side, one at the west end, another immediately over the doorway, and four in the uppermost storey of the tower. There were originallyfour windows on each side, but those in the easternmost bays have beenremoved, and the spaces filled up. Besides containing the memorialsabove mentioned, the vestibule has more architectural interest than anyother part of the building in the surviving arches on the northern andeastern sides of the space beneath the tower. Here there is anaggregation of columns, with moulded bases and capitals, and banded inthe centre, varied by the introduction of half-length shafts resting onsculptured corbels. The central area is nearly square, but has beenformed into an octagon by an arcading, on a series of clustered columns, from each of which spring the moulded ribs of the ceiling. These ribsare of Bath stone, and after an elaborate intertwining, are broughttogether above in a central boss, from which hangs a large brass coronato light the church. The roof is of iron, the panels within the groiningbeing overlaid with plaster. Above the main arcade there is a clerestoryof dwarfed windows, filled with tinted glass in an ornamental framework, as are also the side windows, excepting those nearest the east. Thesedisplay a selection of Scripture miracles. There are three paintedwindows over the altar, the central containing scenes from the life ofChrist, those to the north and south representing the Old and NewTestaments respectively. To the north of the recess forming thesanctuary there is an alabaster pulpit, [4] and on the south stands asmall organ. 

Services are held at eleven and five o'clock on Sundays, and the churchis open every day for private devotion. It is provided with seats toaccommodate about 200 people. The present vicar and hospitaller is theRev. Herbert Skillicorn Close, M. A. 

FOOTNOTES:

 [1] St. Bartholomew was first interred at Albanopolis, in Greater Armenia, the scene of his passion, and his remains were afterwards translated successively to Daras, a city on the confines of Persia; to the island of Lipari; and to Beneventum. There is a tradition that his relics were eventually conveyed to Rome, but exactly where they were laid is uncertain. 

 [2] A full account of the hospital, brought down to 1837, is given in the Report of the Charity Commissioners on "Charities in England, " issued in that year (_vide_ No. 32, part vi), and since reprinted by Messrs. Wyman and Sons. Dr. Norman Moore is now engaged in writing a new history to the present time. The name of the first patient is recorded in the "Liber Fundationis" as "Adwyne of Dunwych. "

 [3] At the time of Stow's survey the church contained many brasses and monuments which have disappeared; but a tolerably complete account of them may be obtained by adding the descriptions supplied by Weever ("Funeral Monuments") and Gough ("Sepulchral Monuments, " vol. Ii) to those given by the old chronicler. 

 [4] There was formerly a chapel in the north-east corner. 

 * * * * *

[Illustration: PLAN OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-LESS Dimensions: length, including vestibule, 65 ft. ; without vestibule, 50 ft. ; width, 41 ft. 9 in. (The measurements do not include the small chancel. )]

 * * * * *

APPENDIX I

THE PRIORY SEALS

_Fig. A. _ Twelfth century. Sulphur cast from fine impression, the edgechipped. About 3-1/8 × 2 in. When perfect. 

Pointed oval: St. Bartholomew standing, with nimbus, lifting up theright hand in benediction, in the left hand a long cross. 

 ... HOSPITALIS SANCTI ... HOLOME ... (3487. Lxviii. 45. )

[Illustration: A B C]

_Fig. B. _ Twelfth century. Sulphur cast from imperfect impression. About2½ × 2¼ in. When perfect. 

Oval: St. Bartholomew, with nimbus, lifting up the right hand inbenediction, in the left hand a long cross. The saint is half length onthe section of a church, with round-headed arches, and two circularside-towers. 

 [Symbol: Maltese Cross] SIGILL' CONVENTUS ECC ... HOLO ... I. DE. L[=V]DON. (3488. Lxviii. 22. )

_Fig. C. _ _A Counterseal. _ Twelfth century. Sulphur cast, 1¾ in. Achurch, with central tower, a cross at each gable end, and two tallround-headed arches in the wall, standing on a ship of antique shape, with curved prow and stern, each terminating in a bird's head, on thesea. In a field over the tower, the inscription: NAVIS ECCL'IE. On theleft a wavy estoile of six points, on the right a crescent. 

 SIGILL' : PRIORIS : ECCLESIE : S[=C]I:BARTOLOMEI. (3489. Lxviii. 23. )

_Fig. D. _ _Later Seal. _ Thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Sulphur castfrom imperfect impression. About 3 × 1-7/8 in. 

[Illustration: D E F]

Pointed oval: St. Bartholomew standing on a lion _couchant guardant_, inthe right hand a knife, his emblem, in the left hand a book. Overhead, atrefoil canopy pinacled and crocketed. On each side in the field a treeon which is slung by the strap a shield of arms: England. 

 S'C ... E. HOSPITAL ... SANCTI : BARTH'I. LONDON'. (3490. Lxviii. 46. )

_Fig. E. _ _A Counterseal. _ Thirteenth century. Sulphur cast from chippedimpression. 1-1/4 × 7/8 in. 

Pointed oval: the impression of an antique oval intaglio gem. An eagledisplayed. 

 [Symbol: Maltese Cross] SI ... HOSPITAL'. S. BARTHOL'. (3491. Lxviii. 47. )

_Fig. F. _ _Common Seal of the Prior and Convent. _ A. D. 1533. Bronze-green:fine, showing marks of the pins or studs employed to keep the two sidesof the matrix in proper position, 2-1/8 in. 

_Obverse. _ St. Bartholomew, seated on a carved throne (somewhatresembling the throne on the _obv. _ of the great seal of Edward I), inthe right hand a book, in the left hand a knife. In the field, on theleft a crescent, on the right an estoile, each between two groups ofthree small spots (the whole representing the heavens). Thirteenthcentury style of work. 

[Symbol: Six-petals] SIGILLVM : COMMVNE : PRIOR' : ET : C[=O]V[=E]TV[S : S[=C]I : BA]RTHOLOMEI : LONDON'. (3492 and _Harl. Ch. _ 83 A. 43. )

[Illustration: G H I]

_Fig. G. _ _Reverse of the same seal. _ A church, with central spire, across at each gable end, masoned walls imitating ashlar-work, andtraceried windows, standing on a ship with a castle at each end, that onthe left pointed, that on the right square, on the sea. 

In the field at the sides, the inscription:

 NAVIS ECCL'E. CREDIMVS : ANTE : DEVM : PROVEHI : PER : BARTHOLOMEVM. 

Beaded borders. ("Vetusta Monumenta, " vol. Ii, pl. Xxxvi. )

_Fig. H. Seal ad Causas. _ Fourteenth century. Sulphur cast fromimperfect impression. 2-3/8 × 1-1/2 in. 

Pointed oval: St. Bartholomew standing on a corbel, in the right hand aknife, in the left hand a long cross. 

 ... ET CONV ... THOL'I LOND' AD CAVS ... (3495. Lxviii. 26. )

_Fig. I. _ _Seal of the New Foundation for Preaching Friars, by QueenMary. _ A. D. 1556-1558. 2-1/2 x 1-5/8 in. 

Pointed oval: St. Bartholomew, standing, with nimbus, in the right handa knife, in the left hand a book, under a dome-shaped baldachin orcanopy in the style of the Renaissance, supported on two pilasters. Inthe exergue a floral ornament. 

[Illustration: K L]

 SIGILL[=V]. C[=O]V[=E]T' SCTI : BARTHOLOMEI : ORDINIS FRATR[=V] PREDICATOR[=V] : L[=O]D[=O]. 

Inner border beaded. 

(From an impression taken direct from the matrix in the Church. There isan example on red sealing-wax in the British Museum. --3496. XXV. 88; seealso "Archaeologia, " vol. XV, p. 400. )

 _Later Seal of the Hospital. _ A. D. 1695. Red, covered with paper before impression. 3 in. (3498, and Add. Ch. 1685. )

_Fig. K. _ _Obverse. _ St. Bartholomew, full-length, surrounded withradiance, lifting up the right hand in benediction, in the left hand along cross. 

 [Symbol: Maltese Cross] COMM ... SIGILL[=V] HOSPITAL' APOSTOLI. 

_Fig. L. _ _Reverse. _ A shield of arms: City of London. 

In the field, the inscriptions: 1[66]1 (?). INSIGNIA LONDO. 

Background diapered with wavy branches of foliage. 

 ... EST SMITHFIELD [Symbol: Fleur] ET [Symbol: Fleur] HOSPITALI ... 

With the exception of the Marian seal (Fig. _I_), the illustrations comefrom the impressions in the British Museum, whose catalogue numbers aregiven in every case for convenient reference. 

APPENDIX II

THE AUGUSTINIAN PRIORS

 Rahere 1123-1144 Thomas 1144-1174 Roger about 1174 Richard 1202-1206 G. Of Osney 1213 John 1226-1232 Gerard 1232-1241 Peter le Duc 1242-1255 Robert 1255-1261 Gilbert de Weledon 1261-1263 John Bacun 1265 Henry Hugh 1273-1295 John de Kensington 1295-1316 John de Pekenden 1316-1350 Edmund de Broughyng 1350-1355 John de Carleton 1355-1361 Thomas de Watford 1361-1382 William Gedeney 1382-1391 John Eyton, D. D. , _alias_ Repyngdon 1391-1404 John Watford 1404-1414 William Coventre 1414-1436 Reginald Colier 1436-1471 Richard Pulter 1471-1480 Robert Tollerton 1480-1484 William Guy 1484-1505 William Bolton 1505-1532 Robert Fuller, Abbot of Waltham 1532-1539

 Priory suppressed, 31 Henry VIII 25th October, 1539 Priory revived, 2 and 3 Philip and Mary Easter, 1556

DOMINICAN PRIOR

 William Perrin, D. D. 1556-1558

 Priory suppressed, I Elizabeth 13th July, 1559

RECTORS

 John Deane {Parish Priest 1539-1544 {Rector 1544-1563 Ralph Watson 1565-1569 Robert Binks 1570-1579 James Stancliffe, M. A. 1581 John Pratt 1582-1587 David Dee, M. A. 1587-1605 Thomas Westfield, D. D. , Bishop of Bristol 1605-1644 John Garrett, M. A. 1644-1655 Randolph Harrison, D. D. 1655-1663 Anthony Burgess, M. A. 1663-1709 John Poultney, M. A. 1709-1719 Thomas Spateman, M. A. 1719-1738 Richard Thomas Bateman 1738-1761 John Moore, M. A. 1761-1768 Owen Perrott Edwardes, M. A. 1768-1814 John Richard Roberts, B. D. 1814-1819 John Abbiss, M. A. 1819-1883 William Panckridge, M. A. 1884-1887 Sir Borradaile Savory, Bart. , M. A. 1887-1906 William Fitzgerald Gambier Sandwith, M. A. 1907

PATRON OF THE LIVING

 Capt. F. A. Phillips. 

APPENDIX III

INVENTORY OF VESTMENTS, ETC. , AT THE CHURCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT, TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1574

"Certayne things appertaining to the Churche as followethe:--

 Imprimis a comunion cloth of redd silke and goulde. Itm a comunion coppe (cup) of silver withe a cover. Itm a beriall cloth of red velvet and a pulpitte clothe of the same. Itm two grene velvet quishins (cushions). Itm a blewe velvet cope. Itm a blewe silke cope. Itm a white lynnen abe (albe) and a hedd clothe (amice) to the same. Itm a vestment of tawney velvet. Itm a vestment of redd rought velvet. Itm a vestment of grene silke with a crosse garde of red velvet. Itm a crosse banner of redd tafata gilted. Itm two stoles of redd velvet. Itm two white surplices. Itm two comunion table clothers. Itm two comunion towels. Itm one olde bible. Itm one great booke. Itm one olde sarvice booke for the minister. "

APPENDIX IV

THE ORGAN

The organ now at St. Bartholomew's, where it supersedes one purchased bysubscription in 1731, was originally built by George England in 1760 forthe Church of St. Stephen, Walbrook. Considerable work was there doneupon it by Messrs. William Hill and Son in 1872, viz:

 I. The pipes of Great and Choir stops were replanted, CC pipes over the GG grooves, and the compass altered to CC to G throughout. 

 II. The following alterations were made in the Great organ: Open Diapason (ii) extended from gamut G to CC. Mixture replaced by new pipes where required. New Trumpet inserted, and the old one transferred to Swell. 

 _Choir. _ Dulciana (new) C (grooved). Keraulophon (new) C (grooved). Clarinet CC. 

 _Swell. _ New soundboard (CC to G), swell-box and new action. New Bourdon, 16 feet. Cornet made into 12 and 15 feet. New mixture--four ranks. German Flute revoiced. Old Great organ Trumpet arranged to form Double Trumpet from tenor C. All stops, except German Flute and Double Trumpet, carried down to CC. 

 _Pedal. _ Bourdon, new, 16 feet. Open Diapason, 16 feet (compass arranged CCC to F thirty notes). Trombone, new, 16 feet. 

 _Couplers. _ New, Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Choir to Pedal, Swell to Choir. New keyboards. New Pedal keyboard. New Drawstop knobs. New additional bellows. Five new Composition Pedals (three to Great organ, and two to Swell organ). 

Specification of the instrument after the above-mentioned work was done. 

 GREAT ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Open Diapason (i) 8 feet Open Diapason (ii) 8 " Stopped Diapason 8 " Principal 4 " Twelfth 2-2/3 " Fifteenth 2 " Nason Flute 4 " Furniture. Sesquialtra. Trumpet 8 " Clarion 8 "

 SWELL ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Bourdon 16 feet Open Diapason 8 " German Flute 8 " Stopped Diapason 8 " Principal 4 " Twelfth 2-2/3 " Fifteenth 2 " Double Trumpet (C) 16 " Trumpet 8 " Oboe 8 " Clarion 4 "

 CHOIR ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Dulciana 8 feet Keraulophon (C grooved) 8 " Stopped Diapason 8 " Principal 4 " Flute 4 " Fifteenth 2 " French Horn tenor F# 8 " Vox Humana 8 " Clarinet 8 "

 PEDAL ORGAN, CCC TO F. 

 Open Diapason 16 feet Bourdon 16 " Trombone 16 "

 COUPLERS. 

 Swell to Great. Swell to Choir. Swell to Pedal. Great to Pedal. Choir to Pedal. 

 Three Composition Pedals to Great. Two Composition Pedals to Swell. 

In 1886 the organ was purchased from St. Stephen's, Walbrook, for St. Bartholomew-the-Great, where a new case was made for it, the originalbeing retained at St. Stephen's, for the sake of the carving, attributedto the famous Grinling Gibbons. Several alterations were then made inthe instrument to adapt it to its new position, and at the present timethe specification is as follows:

 GREAT ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Open Diapason (i) 8 feet Open Diapason (ii) 8 " Stopped Diapason 8 " Principal 4 " Wald-Flute 4 " Twelfth 2-2/3 " Fifteenth 2 " Mixture (4 ranks). Furniture (3 ranks). Trumpet 8 " Clarion 4 "

 CHOIR ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Dulciana 8 feet Keraulophon 8 " Hohl Flute 8 " Gamba 8 " Suabe Flute 4 " Fifteenth 2 " French Horn 8 " Clarinet 8 " Vox Humana 8 "

 SWELL ORGAN, CC TO G. 

 Bourdon 16 feet Open Diapason 8 " German Flute 8 " Stopped Diapason 8 " Vox Angelica 8 " Principal 4 " Fifteenth 2 " Mixture (4 ranks). Double Trumpet 16 " Trumpet 8 " Oboe 8 " Clarion 4 "

 PEDAL ORGAN, CCC TO F. 

 Open Diapason 16 feet Bourdon 16 " Trombone 16 "

 COUPLERS. 

 Swell to Great. Swell to Choir. Great to Pedal. Choir to Pedal. Swell to Pedal. 

 Five Combination Pedals. 

 * * * * *

INDEX

 Ambulatory, 50. Anthony, Francis, 52, and note. 

 Bartholomew Fair, 7, and note. Bells, 28. Belmeis, Bishop Richard de. 5. Black Friars, Dominican Order of, 13, and note. 

 Canonbury House, 43 (note). Canons Regular of St. Augustine, 6, and note. Choir, 40. Clerestory, 44. Cloister, 58. Crypt, 57. 

 Dimensions of St. Bartholomew-the-Great, 84. ---- of St. Bartholomew-the-Less, 71. 

 Early English columns, 33. ---- gateway, 26. Exterior of the Church, 25, _et seq. _

 Font, 39. 

 Grindal, Bishop Edmund, 16. 

 History of the Foundation, 3, _et seq. _ Hogarth, William, 39. "Horseshoe" arches, 40. Hospital, 63, _et seq. _

 Lady Chapel, 10, 55. 

 Monasteries in London at the Dissolution, 13. Monuments: Anthony, 52. Chamberlayne, 48. Freshwater, 40. Mildmay, 54. Savory, 57 (note). Smalpace, 49. 

 Nave, surviving bay of, 33. 

 Oriel Window (Prior Bolton's), 10, 43. Organ, Specifications of, 80-82. ---- Screen, 33. 

 Porches: West, 26. North, 28. South, 39. Priors, list of, 77-78. Priory Buildings, conjectural plan of, 14. ---- Desecration of, 17-20. Pulpit, 48. 

 Rahere: Early life, 3. Conversion, 4. Vision and vow, 4. Realized in the Smithfield Foundation, 5. Charter of privileges granted, 6. Death, 8. Tomb, 45. 

 Rectors, list of, 78. Restoration of the Church, 20-22. Rich, Sir Richard, 12, 16. 

 St. Bartholomew-the-Less and the Hospital, 64, _et seq. _ Savory, Sir Borradaile, Memorials to, 27, 48, 57 (notes). Seals of the Convent and Hospital, 73-77. Services at the Church, 30. Smithfield, 5. Stone Screen (ancient), 38. Surrender of the Priory to Henry VIII, 10. 

 Tower (ancient central) and arches, 35. ---- (17th century western), 27. Transepts: North, 35. South, 38. Triforium, 43. 

 Vestments, Inventory of, 79. 

 West Front, 26. 

 * * * * *

DIMENSIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT

 (_Internal_)

 CHOIR: Length 105 feet 2 inches Breadth 27 " 8 "

 AMBULATORY: Breadth 12 " 10 "

 NAVE (surviving bay): From east to west 8 " 3 "

 NORTH TRANSEPT: From east to west 27 " 8 " From north to south 19 " 3 "

 SOUTH TRANSEPT: From east to west 27 " 4 " From north to south 21 " 6 "

 LADY CHAPEL: Length 60 " 6 " Breadth 23 " 7 "

 CLOISTER (three bays restored): Length 38 " 8 " Breadth 13 " 2 "

[Illustration: PLAN OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT (EXISTING CHURCH)

REFERENCES. 

 A Choir. B Lady Chapel. C South Transept. D North Transept. E Portion of Cloister. F West Porch. G North Porch. H South Porch. I Clergy Vestry. K Pulpit. L Baptistery. M Founder's Tomb. N Mildmay Monument. ]

[Illustration]

 CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 

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 BELL'S CATHEDRAL SERIES

_Profusely Illustrated. Cloth, crown 8vo_, #1s. 6d. # _net each_. 

 NOW READY. 

 ENGLISH CATHEDRALS. An Itinerary and Description. Compiled by J. G. GILCHRIST, A. M. , M. D. Revised and edited with an Introduction on Cathedral Architecture by Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. , F. R. A. S. BANGOR. By P. B. IRONSIDE-BAX. BRISTOL. By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M. A. CANTERBURY. By HARTLEY WITHERS. 4th Edition. CARLISLE. By C. K. ELEY. CHESTER. By CHARLES HIATT. 2nd Edition, revised. CHICHESTER. By H. C. CORLETTE, A. R. I. B. A. 2nd Edition. DURHAM. By J. E. BYGATE, A. R. C. A. 2nd Edition. ELY. By Rev. W. D. SWEETING, M. A. 2nd Edition. EXETER. By PERCY ADDLESHAW, B. A. 2nd Edition. GLOUCESTER. By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M. A. 2nd Edition. HEREFORD. By A. HUGH FISHER, A. R. E. 2nd Edition, revised. LICHFIELD. By A. B. CLIFTON. 2nd Edition, revised. LINCOLN. By A. F. KENDRICK, B. A. 3rd Edition, revised. LLANDAFF. By E. C. MORGAN-WILLMOTT. MANCHESTER. By the Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. , F. R. A. S. NORWICH. By C. H. B. QUENNELL. 2nd Edition. OXFORD. By Rev. PERCY DEARMER, M. A. 2nd Edition, revised. PETERBOROUGH. By Rev. W. D. SWEETING, M. A. 2nd Edition. RIPON. By CECIL HALLET, B. A. ROCHESTER. By G. H. PALMER, B. A. 2nd Edition. ST. ALBANS. By Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. ST. ASAPH. By P. B. IRONSIDE-BAX. ST. DAVID'S. By PHILIP ROBSON, A. R. I. B. A. ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN. By the Very Rev. Dean BERNARD. 2nd Edition. ST. PAUL'S. By Rev. ARTHUR DIMOCK, M. A. 2nd Edition. SALISBURY. By GLEESON WHITE. 2nd Edition, revised. SOUTHWARK, ST. SAVIOUR'S. By GEORGE WORLEY. SOUTHWELL. By Rev. ARTHUR DIMOCK, M. A. 2nd Edition. WELLS. By Rev. PERCY DEARMER, M. A. 2nd Edition, revised. WINCHESTER. By P. W. SERGEANT. 3rd Edition, revised. WORCESTER. By EDWARD F. STRANGE. YORK. By A. GLUTTON BROCK. 3rd Edition. 

 _Others to follow. _

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 _Uniform with above Series_, 1s. 6d. _net each_. 

 BATH ABBEY, MALMESBURY ABBEY, AND BRADFORD-ON-AVON CHURCH. By Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. BEVERLEY MINSTER. By CHARLES HIATT. 47 Illustrations. ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH, CANTERBURY. By Rev. CANON ROUTLEDGE, M. A. F. S. A. 24 Illustrations. ROMSEY ABBEY. By Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. STRATFORD-ON-AVON. By HAROLD BAKER. THE TEMPLE CHURCH. By GEORGE WORLEY. ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S, SMITHFIELD. By GEORGE WORLEY. TEWKESBURY ABBEY AND DEERHURST PRIORY. By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M. A. 44 Illustrations. WESTMINSTER ABBEY. By CHARLES HIATT. WIMBORNE MINSTER AND CHRISTCHURCH PRIORY. By Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. , F. R. A. S. 65 Illustrations. 

 #Bell's Handbooks to Continental Churches. #

_Profusely Illustrated. Crown 8vo, cloth_, #2s. 6d. # _net each_. 

 CHARTRES: The Cathedral and Other Churches. By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M. A. ROUEN: The Cathedral and Other Churches. By the Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. AMIENS. By the Rev. T. PERKINS, M. A. , F. R. A. S. PARIS (NOTRE-DAME). By CHARLES HIATT. MONT ST. MICHEL. By H. J. L. J. MASSÉ, M. A. BAYEUX. By the Rev. R. S. MYLNE, M. A. 

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LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS. 

 OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

"For the purpose at which they aim they are admirably done, and thereare few visitants to any of our noble shrines who will not enjoy theirvisit the better for being furnished with one of these delightful books, which can be slipped into the pocket and carried with ease, and is yetdistinct and legible.... A volume such as that on Canterbury is exactlywhat we want, and on our next visit we hope to have it with us. It isthoroughly helpful, and the views of the fair city and its noblecathedral are beautiful. Both volumes, moreover, will serve more than atemporary purpose, and are trustworthy as well as delightful. "--_Notesand Queries. _

"We have so frequently in these columns urged the want of cheap, well-illustrated, and well-written handbooks to our cathedrals, to takethe place of the out-of-date publications of local booksellers, that weare glad to hear that they have been taken in hand by Messrs. GeorgeBell & Sons. "--_St. James's Gazette. _

"The volumes are handy in size, moderate in price, well illustrated, andwritten in a scholarly spirit. The history of cathedral and city isintelligently set forth and accompanied by a descriptive survey of thebuilding in all its detail. The illustrations are copious and wellselected, and the series bids fair to become an indispensable companionto the cathedral tourist in England. "--_Times. _

"They are nicely produced in good type, on good paper, and containnumerous illustrations, are well written, and very cheap. We shouldimagine architects and students of architecture will be sure to buy theseries as they appear, for they contain in brief much valuableinformation. "--_British Architect. _

"Bell's 'Cathedral Series, ' so admirably edited, is more than adescription of the various English cathedrals. It will be a valuablehistorical record, and a work of much service also to the architect. Theillustrations are well selected, and in many cases not mere baldarchitectural drawings but reproductions of exquisite stone fancies, touched in their treatment by fancy and guided by art. "--_Star. _

"Each of them contains exactly that amount of information which theintelligent visitor, who is not a specialist, will wish to have. Thedisposition of the various parts is judiciously proportioned, and thestyle is very readable. The illustrations supply a further importantfeature; they are both numerous and good. A series which cannot fail tobe welcomed by all who are interested in the ecclesiastical buildings ofEngland. "--_Glasgow Herald. _

"Those who, either for purposes of professional study or for a culturedrecreation, find it expedient to 'do' the English cathedrals willwelcome the beginning of Bell's 'Cathedral Series. ' This set of books isan attempt to consult, more closely, and in greater detail than theusual guide-books do, the needs of visitors to the cathedral towns. Theseries cannot but prove markedly successful. In each book abusiness-like description is given of the fabric of the church to whichthe volume relates, and an interesting history of the relative diocese. The books are plentifully illustrated, and are thus made attractive aswell as instructive. They cannot but prove welcome to all classes ofreaders interested either in English Church history or in ecclesiasticalarchitecture. "--_Scotsman. _

"They have nothing in common with the almost invariably wretched localguides save portability, and their only competitors in the quality andquantity of their contents are very expensive and mostly rare works, each of a size that suggests a packing-case rather than a coat-pocket. The 'Cathedral Series' are important compilations concerning history, architecture, and biography, and quite popular enough for such as takeany sincere interest in their subjects. "--_Sketch. _

 LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS

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Transcriber's Notes:

1. Words and phrases which were italicized in the original have been surrounded by underscores ('_') in this version. Words or phrases which were bolded have been surrounded by pound signs ('#'). 

2. Obvious printer's errors have been corrected without note. 

3. Inconsistencies in hyphenation or the spelling of proper names, and dialect or obsolete word spelling, has been maintained as in the original. 

4. Special characters and symbols have been represented as follows:

 Single characters with line above: [=x], where x is the character. Solid Maltese cross: [Symbol : Maltese Cross] Line drawing of a six-petaled flower: [Symbol : 6-Petal] Line drawing of a fleur-de-lis: [Symbol: Fleur]