Glass Book. .TS <*Cq *f r^/a- a lillSii flii mm H CURSORY OBSERVATIONS i CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. BY AN OCCASIONAL YISITOE. THE SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND CONSIDERABLY AUGMENTED. BRISTOL : MIRROR OFFICE. 1843. 545A- 'OS PREFACE. A series of papers, upon the subjects occu- pying this small volume, originally appeared in " The Bristol Mirror ;" and excited an interest amongst the numerous readers of that widely- circulated Journal, more from their novelty, and the local information they contained, than from any intrinsic merit they possessed. The reprint of the articles in a collected form having been generally desired, the writer has complied with that wish, each paper having pre- viously undergone a careful revision, and, in many instances, an extensive enlargement. VI. PREFACE. The Historian, the Antiquary, and the Archi- tect, will, it is hoped, kindly receive the volume in its present unpretending form. It has been left for them to enlarge upon a theme to which the writer has not in vain endeavoured to attract attention, by pointing out and collecting remark- able features and incidents connected with the various sacred edifices that have come under his notice. Numerous particulars, scattered over the pages of scarce and expensive works, are now collected in a single volume, and published at a price well suited to meet the eager desire for information on such subjects manifest in the present day. Many authenticated details have been ex- tracted from " Seyer s Historical Memoirs," " Barrett's History of Bristol," « Brittan's Cathe- dral," and " Redcliff Church," and one or two architectural hints from an able " Survey of PREFACE. Vll. Saint James' \ Church," by Mr. Sealy, which appeared in the first number of the "Bristol and West of England Archaeological Magazine." Valuable information has also been afforded by Thomas Garrard, Esq. Some curious inci- dents connected with the Churches of Saint Philip, and Saint James, were communicated by Benson Earle Hill, Esq., Author of " Recollec- tions of an Artillery Officer," and many other popular works. The writer's obligation to Mr. Tyson, for information connected with the Cathedral, All Saints/ &c, although acknow- ledged in the body of the work, is such that it would seem discourteous to omit the introduc- tion of his name amongst those to whom the author's most cordial thanks are tendered. For that portion of the volume which the writer is exclusively accountable, he relies upon the indulgence of his readers, — conscious that Vlll. PREFACE. his motive was solely to open a rich mine, which, he trusts, at no distant day, to see worked by abler hands, well satisfied should his humble efforts induce others, more capable, to enlarge upon subjects on which he has but briefly touched. Clifton, August 29th, 1843. CURSORY OBSERVATIONS THE CHURCHES OF BRISTOL. Bristol &atfjttrrat If we allow the imagination to take a retrospective glance to the period of the introduction of Christianity into this country, and if we can place reliance upon historic data, we shall find that the ground on which this Cathedral stands is consecrated in a peculiar degree in the records of Christianity, and invested with a high and exciting interest, from having been hallowed by the presence of one, whose exalted mission on earth was to propagate B V, BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. the faith of Christ, and to inculcate the truths of revealed religion on the minds of the pagan and idolatrous Saxons. Like the light of day dawning over the surface of the darkened earth, its benign influence dispelled the noxious vapours of ignorance and superstition, and now shining forth in its meridian splendour, has imparted a faith and a hope to mankind that has relieved the burden of human wretchedness, and elevated us to that high state of intellectual and social happiness, that in common with every land where the standard of the Cross is raised, we all more or less enjoy. The labours of antiquaries have made it evident that the place where Austin or Augustine preached, when he held his celebrated conference with the British Bishops, in 603, was a spot called, from that event, Augustine's Oak, (whose locality is known in our day as College- green,) and that the monastery afterwards erected here received its name as a memorial of the transaction. Jordan, one of the companions of Augustine, also preached here. College- green is described by an old writer as a large green place, shaded by a double row of trees, with a pulpit of stone, and a chapel wherein BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 3 Jordan was buried. The exact site of this chapel cannot now be ascertained, but it appears to have been standing as late as the year 1492. In 1486, when King Henry VII., on his visit to Bristol, went in procession about the " great Greene," it was then called the sanctuary : the annals add that the Bishop of Worcester preached in the pulpit in the middle of the Green, to a great audience of the Mayor and Burgesses and their wives, and many people of the country. For a series of years it was the common burying-ground, or cemetery to the Monastery, and the House of the Gaunts, and, like other consecrated ground in Popish coun- tries, invested with the privilege of sanctuary, until abolished by royal order, in the year 1495, previously to which the handicraftsmen, who took refuge in the precincts of the Monastery, occupied it as a ropewalk. The Cathedral itself does not assume that imposing effect which so strikingly characterises most of our English Cathedrals. Small and low, and diminished of half its greatness, with the exception of the tower, it presents no con- spicuous object at a distance ; it does not identify Bristol, as is the case with other 4 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. Cathedral cities, by a stately pile of masonry, that seems majestically protecting the Churches and houses beneath it ; it is but as one amongst many : and it is to the many interesting and splendid ecclesiastical edifices that Bristol is indebted for its marked and peculiar character. Upon its West front is written the tale of its mutilation : the two arches that remain sup- ported on clustered columns record the event of its destruction ; and that it was once completed, that a nave and side aisles did once exist, is now generally admitted; all else has passed away, and the tongue of history is silent. Tenements have since been erected on the spot, and even these, the playthings of time, though still living in the memories of men, have alike disappeared. The Cathedral Church of Saint Augustine's may be regarded as the remains of an Abbey of considerable extent and splendour. It was built and endowed in 1140, by Robert Fitzharding, the founder of the illustrious family of Berkeley, and finished in 1148. The only portion of the building now remaining that may with propriety be said to belong to that period, is the Norman gateway, so admired for its elaborate workmanship, and the Chapter- BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 5 room, a beautiful specimen of intersecting arches; to this latter accidental ornament of the Norman style, we are indebted for the invention of pointed arches, and pointed architecture. Like other ancient edifices, the antique and almost unique beauty of this apartment was, in 1713, sacrificed to modern comfort and convenience ; the stone seats that extended round the room, and united with the walls, having been entirely covered with a raised boarded floor, two feet six inches above the original ; at the same time openings were made in the East and South-East walls, in which four common sash windows were inserted, in the place of the circular ones that formed a portion of the original design; this, together with the brush of the whitewasher, materially contributed to diminish the beauty of its architectural character. In this state it was allowed to remain until the year 1833, when, in repairing the injury it had sustained during the riots, a better feeling was displayed, the floor being lowered, and the common sash lights replaced by circular-headed windows of Norman character, enriched with stained glass, that, admitting a glowing but subdued effulgence, illumes the quaintness of its carved walls, and, b BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. like a spell, unconsciously fascinates the mind with visions of mitred Bishops, and priestly forms, that sate in council or in conclave here in days of yore. Although no account remains of the time of the erection of the Elder Lady Chapel, yet from its early English character, it may with certainty be referred to the period ascribed to it during the Abbacy of David, who died in 1234?; the triple windows on the North side, with the middle one in each set, rising as usual above the lateral ones, with their detached columns, and richly sculptured and foliated capitals, and the simple vaulting of the roof, are all characteristic of that age. The fancy sculptures between the archivolt mouldings have been frequently noticed for their grotesque singularity ; similar humorous exhibitions are not rare in Monkish establishments, but they ill accord with the sanctity of the surrounding pile. The Chapel, which is ascended by three steps at the Western extremity, is separated from the North transept by a pointed arch, of several deep and bold mouldings, and has two communications with the aisle, by open arches cut through a thick wall, in one of which is an altar-tomb to the VIEW FROM THE ELDER LADY's CHAPEL, BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 7 Berkeley family. This portion of the Cathedral was used as a place of sanctuary until that privilege was abolished, and the choral service was performed here as late as 1491. The Italian portico that at one time disfigured the entrance at the North front of the transept has been removed, it is true ; but why is the work left unfinished? why does the rough masonry and the broken cornice remain untouched ? why does a neglect that would not be tolerated for a week over the doorway of a private dwelling, be allowed to exist for years over the principal entrance to the House of God ? The ground has accumulated on this side of the building more than four feet in height, and in consequence the entrance is down a flight of steps, surrounded by a shapeless offensive screen, that conceals the view of the interior. The four massive piers that support the tower, which first present themselves to the eye of the visitor, have an air of majestic grandeur ; but the effect of the whole is destroyed by the straight line of wall dotted with tablets, at the end of the South transept. A situation so conspicuous might have been appropriated to the erection of one distinctive monument, that would have been an 8 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. ornament, instead of being checquered with the many black and white slabs that interrupt the repose and solemn appearance of the building. Behind this wall are some stone steps, leading to an apartment over the vestibule to the chapter- house, used as a Consistory Court, in which are also deposited wills, whose probates have been granted in the Diocese of Bristol. An important improvement could be accomplished by forming an entrance at the West end, where the singular beauty of the body of the Cathedral would at once impress the mind with those mingled sensations of veneration and awe that impercep- tibly influences the soul to join in the solemn worship of that God, to whose praise and glory these " long drawn aisles and fretted vaults" were erected. The interior of the Cathedral presents, I believe, the only instance of an uniform vaulting throughout ; this, and the remaining parts of the edifice yet to be described, are attributed to Abbot Knowles, who was preferred to the Abbacy in 1306. Erected at a period when Gothic architecture had attained a perfection, from which, in each succeeding year, it has declined, and at a time when the imagination appeared to BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 9 have been exercised in discovering some new- feature, it is somewhat surprising that this beauty, and the peculiarity of vaulting the side aisles, should not have been imitated in other buildings. This striking example has been censured by many as a defect, but had the vaulting in the transept, choir, and aisles, been raised upon arches considerably higher, perhaps nothing could have surpassed the effect which would have been produced. The Vestry, a singular and curious apartment, was formerly a Chapel of the Berkeley family. It is probable, from the arms over the door, that it was built by Thomas, Lord Berkeley, about 1281, who added the ten crosses to the chevron on their shield. Of the Cloisters, only the North and Western sides remain ; they are of good perpendicular character, and were probably finished not long before the dissolution of the Abbey. The Western side was closed in, in 1833, by order of the Dean, but by what motive he was so influenced it is difficult to imagine, since it is not appropriated to any purpose. They are now covered with a sloped roof of stone, the original, which was of lead, having been destroyed in 1665. 10 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. In 1542, the Monastery was converted into a Cathedral, and re-dedicated to the Holy Trinity, when the dilapidations it had sustained during the three preceding years were repaired, with the exception of the part Westward of the tower, which, it is probable, was destroyed during that interval. Two arches of the nave are still to be seen incorporated in the large buttress to the West of the tower ; and at some distance from the Western wall of the North transept was the base of a buttress, which indicated the termina- tion of the Church, but not of the Norman edifice. Previously to the dissolution, the choir com- menced at the entrance to the nave ; between the first pair of shafts supporting the tower, and the present organ screen, was the rood loft. In the year 1538, divers roods were taken down by command of the King, and all the notable images, objects of special pilgrimage, were also thrown down and burnt. An order was likewise received by the Dean and Chapter, in December, 1561, for the general demolition of rood images and other ornaments of Popish worship. At the conversion of the Monastery into a Cathedral, the very curious tracery carvings in wood, BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 11 erected by Abbot Elliot about 1515, that adorn the stalls of the present choir, were removed from their original situation, near the tower ; and at this time the organ-screen is considered to have been constructed. I am indebted to Mr. Tyson for the following curious extracts from Addams's Calendar; the quaintness of the description, and their connexion with the- Corporation of this City, induce me to give them verbatim : — " 1606. John Barker, Mayor. Mr. Barker and others of the Council this year erected and built a fair and costly gallery in the College of Saint Augustine, of Bristol, over against the pulpit, which stood on the South side of the Church, and the gallery on the North, near unto the place where the pulpit now standeth, or rather every side of it, and took a lease thereof from the Dean and Chapter, which building cost the Mayor and Council £115. It was not only a fair and comely ornament to the Church, but also a fit and convenient place for the Council to sit and hear the Word preached, leaving the room below for gentlemen and others. They placed over head our King's arms, gilded over, and under it reserved a fair seat for the King's Majesty, or any other nobleman that should 12 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. come to this City ; and on the ground under the said gallery they also made fair seats for the Council's and Clergy's wives ; and other con- venient places also for the Bishop, Dean, and others of the Clergy." " 1608. John Butcher, Mayor. The gallery and fair building that was set up in the College before spoken of, was this year maliciously taken down by Dr. Thornborough, our Bishop, because his consent was not first demanded therein at setting up; alleging that the College was his, and no others had authority therein without his leave. The Mayor and Aldermen demanded aid of the Dean and Prebends in vain, for they equivocated, and joined with our Bishop, at which our Mayor and Council disdaining, refused to come to the College at Easter, and other times, as they were used to do,* and furnished our City with learned Divines, despising the Bishop and Clergy for that abuse ; and so the lectures at the College for a time were little frequented, for every Sabbath-day we had at least six sermons preached in our City." " Note here, by the way, that the Bishop, * It was six years before they went to the College again. BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 13 Dean, and Prebends, supposed that the Mayor and Council ought, of duty and custom, to come to the College at Easter ; but they were deceived, and our Council knew well what they had to do." The King afterwards ordered the Bishop to set the gallery in its former place, at his own cost, but he rebuilt it only two or three feet above the ground, and placed the pulpit on the lower pillar, next the clock-house. When the Bishop went to London, the King checked him for this ungracious perversion of his Majesty's commands ; so that he abode at Dorchester, and "would not come to Bristol for shame and disgrace/' The stone pulpit in the ante-choir was erected by Bishop Wright in 1625. It was originally decorated with the Royal arms; those of the See ; the City ; the Berkeley family ; and the Donors. On what pretence they were removed I have been unable to learn. In 1629 a new West window was made, and a new organ built.* The great East window is a beautiful specimen * From a copy of the roll of Subscriptions it appears that the old organ was sold to Saint Stephen's, for thirty- pounds. 14 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. of the Florid style, divided by elegant tracery of good design, and richly bedight with storied glazing. The painted windows in the side aisles are said to have been presented by Nell Gwynne, but I know not on what authority. The Bishop's Throne, situated to the South, opposite the pulpit, was erected by Paul Bush, the first Bishop. The pannelled niches of the screen before the choir are paintings of the twelve minor prophets ; it has also an elaborately carved gate- way, with the arms of Henry VIII. and Prince Edward over it. The altar-screen was restored to its original state in the year 1839 ; the central compartment had been previously covered with a circular picture, emblematic of the Trinity, surrounded by cherub heads, painted by Vansomers. It is of good and appropriate character, with large carved shields between the archivolt mouldings, and a bold cornice, on which are four fine busts. In 1820, Mr. Phillips, the subsacrist, endeavoured to effect the restoration of this altar, by the removal of the masonry and rubbish with which it had been concealed by the Puritans, but was prevented by order of the Dean. The gentle- man who at present holds that dignity, not only BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 15 sanctions but encourages every alteration tending to the improvement and development of the architectural beauties of the Cathedral ; and it is, I believe, to his suggestion that we are indebted for the removal of the old seats from the ante-choir, that obstructed, without being useful, the view of the interior. The choir itself is highly picturesque, and seen under the influence of the holy glow, shed from painted windows upon the Bishop's throne, the carved stalls, on the marble pavement, on arch, on pillar, and on sculptured tombs, must raise the imagination, and exalt the fervour of religious feeling. Before His altar, in whose sight all are equal, it is not well to place obstruc- tions in the path of any who would enter there. It is not well that worldly distinctions should be here observed, and that the pride of wealth should kneel apart in prayer and supplication, forgetful of that equality which has been propounded from the very Throne of Heaven ; it renders religion a trade — detracts from the freedom of worship — makes the tabernacle of God a place for the lounger, who saunters through the aisles, without one thought of Him for whose glory it was erected, and to whom the " pealing organ 16 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. swells the note of praise ;" of the impressive service of the day he heareth nothing ; he has gone through the form only of attending Divine Worship; but if more accommodation were within the choir, where some attention must be aroused to words from the lips of men whose lives and actions sanctify the sacred office they fill, and whose language emanates from a source divine, a passing word — a thought — might pene- trate the heart, and reform the tenor of a life heretofore devoted to folly and to sin. It is stated, in a descriptive account of this Cathedral, that its history is singularly devoid of interest, but from the few following passages I have connected together concerning it, I trust I shall be enabled to prove that such an assertion could only arise from ignorance of the subject, or from an incapability of duly appreciating the influence such incidents have upon the mind of a spectator, when associated with the time-worn walls of an ancient fabric. The earliest notice of interest is in the year 1215, when, shortly after the election of David to the Abbatical chair, Swalo, the papal legate, held a Council within the walls of the Abbey, wherein he received, on behalf of Henry III., the BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 17 fealty of such prelates and nobles as were present. Edward I. was entertained here in 1281, when he spent the Christmas in Bristol ; and again at Christmas, 1284, after his expedition into Wales, when he enriched the Abbey by many gifts. In 1474, during the Abbacy of William Hunt, Edward IV., when visiting Bristol, abided here, as did also Henry VII., in 1486, who was received by the Abbot and his convent in procession, as accustomed ; and in 1553, Archbishop Cranmer preached at the Abbey. I have again to acknowledge my obligations to Mr. Tyson for the following- interesting extract from Adams's Calendar : — " In the days of King Henry VIII., here was a fifteenth or King's silver to be levied, unto which the Clergy being tributary, two of the singing men, dwelling within that Diocese, being taxed, one at fourpence and the other at five- pence (or thereabout), denying to pay, said they were privileged and exempted ; whereupon the collectors for the King came into their houses to distrain for the same : from one they took a pottinger, and from the other a brass pan or kettle, whereupon John, the last Abbot of that place, taking part with the Clergy, arrested our D 18 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. townsmen that came within his diocese, and kept them in hold. The city likewise arrested and imprisoned their men, as they came within our liberties. Abbot John got a riotous company, intending, by force of arms, to break open Newgate, to have out his men. The citizens beat them out again, whereupon they went to law, and after the expense of a thousand pounds and better between them, the King would have them to be friends, and the matter was referred unto two men : for the Clergy was appointed Cardinal Wolsey, and I think the Lord Cromwell was for the city. But, howsoever, between them it was agreed that the singing men should pay their duties, and redeem their pledges ; each party to deliver up their prisoners ; the Mayor and Council only by request intreated to resort to the College on Sabbath and festival days, as they were used to do, and the weather fair ; and the Abbot, Bishop, Dean, and whole Clergy, in token of submission for their contempt, were commanded and enjoined for ever and whatsoever weather should fall out upon Easter-day in the afternoon, and Easter-Monday in the forenoon, they should all come and meet or stay for the Mayor and Council at the Grammar-school door, BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 19 at Froom-gate, and so accompany them to the College; which order I have noted them to observe above forty years since, when I knew not the reason of it." On the 7th of May, 1557, Richard Sharp, a weaver, aged threescore, and Thomas Hales, a shoemaker, were burnt on St. Michael's-hill ; the latter was caused to arise out of his bed, and committed to Newgate, by order of David Harris, Alderman, and John Stone, one of the Common Council. Also on August 13th, Thomas Benion, a shearman, suffered " for denying the Sacrament of the Altar to be the very body and blood of Jesus Christ, really and substantially." The executions were superin- tended by W. Dalby, Chancellor of the Diocese, who appears to have been a forward man in persecuting the martyrs. Respecting Richard Sharp, Mr. Tyson has favoured me with the substance of the following account, extracted by him from a scarce poetical volume in the British Museum : — " Sharp being apprehended, made an open confession of his faith before Dr. Dalby, by whom he was persuaded, and wrought upon by arguments, to make a promise that he would come forward and publicly recant his opinions. 20 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. But after this apostacy, his conscience became stricken with the enormity of his sin, the horrors of hell were before his eyes, and he could no longer pursue his daily avocation. The fierce struggle he underwent preyed upon his health, his colour faded, and his body became emaciated, until the mental torments he endured could no longer be sustained. The following Sunday, after his recantation, he attended at the College, and standing at the entrance of the choir, inter- rupted the solemn service of the day by saying in a loud voice, that was heard with startling distinctness by the assembled congregation : — ' Neighbours, I pray you bear me record, that the Altar before you is the great idol, and an abomination in the sight of the Lord. I, who denied my God, here publicly express my sorrow and contrition for what 1 have done, in thus hazarding my eternal welfare and my glory.' It needed no more, he had passed sentence on him- self, and was added to the list of martyrs that were sacrificed to the savage and intolerant spirit of persecution. He shook hands with Thomas Hale at the stake, and with him * Climbed up to heaven from this tearful vale.' " The visit of Queen Elizabeth to Bristol, in BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 21 August, 1574, and the ceremonies and pageantry prepared for her amusement have been fully- detailed in an account published shortly after; from this we learn that on the Sunday she went to the College " to hear a sarmond, wheare thear was a speetch to be sayd, and an iinme to be songe, the speetch was left out, by an occasion unlooked for, but the imme was song by a very fine boye." During the visit of the Queen (Anne of Denmark) in 1613, she was attended, June 6th, by the Mayor and Council, with their officers, to the College. She was accompanied in her coach by the Earl of Worcester and the Bishop of Wells ; the Mayor, bare-headed, went on foot, next the coach, with the Council before him ; the ladies of the Court followed the carriage on horseback, and the trained bands formed a guard. Lord Worcester and the Bishop of Wells escorted her Majesty into the Chancel, where Dr. Hobson, the Dean, preached a sermon. In August, 1643, after the taking of the City by the Royalists, the Cathedral was visited by Charles I., and who, accompanied by his sons, Prince Charles and the Duke of York, attended Divine Service here on Sunday. Two years afterwards, when the Parliamentary forces again 22 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. gained possession of the city, the Cathedral suffered various mutilations ; the ignorant and misguided zealots, with wanton violence, defaced the surfaces of the tombs, and, converting the venerated structure into a stable, not only- despoiled it of its ornaments, but polluted its walls by devoting them to purposes the most mean and the most vile. To this period is assigned the partial destruction and plaistering up of the two altars, at the East end of the North and South aisles, as well as of the prophets and apostles on the West side of the organ screen ; the latter were restored to view in the year 1804. The battered remains of the altar-screen in the North aisle may still be perceived, although its beauty is tastelessly and unnecessarily obscured by an insipid monument. In 1683, a brass eagle was presented to the Cathedral, by George Williamson, Sub-Dean, which was sold, in 1812, for the purpose of making an addition to the sacramental plate, and is now at the entrance of the chancel in Saint Mary-le-Port Church. In 1712, John Rumsey, Esq., from the plunder gained by two privateers sent out by the mer- chants of Bristol to cruise against the Spaniards, BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 23 in 1708, presented to the Cathedral two candle- sticks, which cost him £114. The names of Connybeare and Newton, who presided over this See until their deaths, are too justly celebrated for their profound knowledge, fervent piety, and exalted minds, to need more than an allusion in these pages. Of distinguished divines and scholars who have held this See, and who have been translated to others, there are several of no ordinary stamp ; amongst whom is pre-eminent, through the greatness of his intel- lectual character, so amply displayed in his incomparable -writings, the honoured name of Bishop Butler, whose path through life was accompanied by piety the most sincere, and benevolence the most warm, generous, and diffusive. Of the tombs and monuments that have survived the revolutions of centuries, the silent progress of decay, and the destroying hand of ruthless fanaticism, may be noticed the altar- tomb of freestone, placed under an open arch, between the Elder Lady Chapel and the North aisle, bearing recumbent effigies of a male and female, and ornamented at the sides with canopied niches and buttresses. This was formerly 24 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. ascribed to Robert Fitzharding, the founder, and Eva his wife, but it is now with more certainty referred to the third Maurice, Lord Berkeley, who died in 1368, and the Lady Elizabeth, his wife. The head of the male figure is covered with a conical helmet resting on a mitre, sur- charged with a cross ; his body is habited in a mixed style of armour, consisting of chain mail, covered with plate. The female figure is attired in very rich flowing drapery, her head reclining on a cushion, supported by angels, with a grey- hound reposing at her feet ; at those of the male figure is a lion. This monument is protected from injury, being surrounded by iron rails ; near it is a plain marble tablet, attributing it to Robert Fitzharding, the founder, who died in 1170, but its architectural decorations are of much later date, although it may be observed that sepulchral monuments were frequently built long after the death of the person whose memory they were intended to perpetuate. In the chancel are three mitred effigies, arrayed in sacerdotal garb, silent evidences left on the shore of time, to confirm the truth of history, and add value to her page. The figure within the recess in the North wall is ascribed to Abbot Knowle, the BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 25 re-founder of the Abbey, who died in 1332. It was this Abbot who refused to receive for inter- ment the corpse of his murdered Sovereign Edward II. Tombs placed beneath arches, formed within the substance of the Church wall, are generally appropriated to the founders of the building. The other effigy against the wall on this side is supposed to represent Abbot Morgan, who was the last Abbot of the Monastery ; he died in 1552. The effigy in the recess on the South side, from the rebus and initials on a shield, supported by angels, at the feet of the figure, is attributed to Abbot New land, (or Nailhart.) From his strict attendance to religious duties, and from his charitable deeds, he was, after his death, which occurred in 1515, styled "The Good Abbot." The remaining monument, with a canopy supported by columns, is in the place of the confessionary, and belongs to the period when the Italian style of architecture had come into general use. Upon the tomb reclines, in the costume of the day, the effigy of Dame Joan, wife of Sir John Young, who died in 1603, aged 70. Below are two kneeling figures of men in armour, and before a desk, eight children in the attitude of prayer. It was at the residence of E 26 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. Sir John Young, on Saint Augustine's-place (now Colston's school), that Queen Elizabeth kept her Court, when she visited this City ; he being knighted on that occasion. In the North aisle, under a flat testoon, is a low altar-tomb, to the memory of Paul Bush. It supports the figure of a skeleton resting its head upon a mitre, with a crosier by its side. On a grave-stone, below the altar steps, is inscribed, " Of your charity pray for the soul of Edithe Busshe, other wyse called Ashly, who deceased the 8th day of October, A.D. 1553." His marriage with this lady caused him to be deprived of his bishoprick, when he retired to Winterbourne, where he died in 1588. Adjoin- ing this is a monument painted after the fashion that prevailed during the reign of Elizabeth, upon the altar-tomb reclines the figure of Sir Charles Vaughan, Knight ; his left hand rests upon a cushion, and in his right he holds a truncheon. He died in February, 1630. On the opposite side, in one of those recesses, called Monk's Cowles, of which there are eight in the Cathedral, was formerly the effigy of a Knight. When this arch was opened, some years ago, on lifting the lid of the coffin, the body was found BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 27 wrapped in a bag of horse-hair, inclosed in leather, and the interstices in the coffin filled with earth. The mutilated effigy, at the West end of the South aisle, of the cross-legged Knight, deposited in an ornamented recess, near the Newton's chapel, is one of those relics that lead the imagination captive, and charm the fancy with dreamy visions of chivalry and romance. In armour, as he lived, with helmet, sword, and shield, charged with his arms, we behold the prostrate form of the first Thomas, Lord Berkeley, who died in 1243. He is said to have entered the order of the Knights Templars, by command of King Henry III., whose displeasure he had incurred. The statue in the centre recess of this aisle, inside the screen, is attributed to the second Maurice, Lord Berkeley, whose death occurred in 1281. Against the East wall of the Newton chapel is a pannelled altar-tomb of grey marble, that formerly supported the kneeling effigies of a male and female ; it is covered with a flat deco- rated canopy, underneath which is an inscription to the memory of Sir Richard Newton Cradock, who died in 144)4 ; it also commemorates the 28 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. ruthless devastation committed during the civil wars, when even the sacred tombs of the dead were violated, and every insult and degradation that could profane buildings consecrated to religion was committed by the barbarism of the age. Let us hope that outrage like this can never again occur ; that even the least refined of our day have some little reverence for what time and man have spared : and that the violence of faction, the turmoil of civil commotion, will ever respect the walls not belonging unto man, for ages have sanctified them unto God. This tomb is similar to Chaucer's, in Westminster Abbey, and is distinguished by the name of a Chauntry tomb, having an opening at the end, wherein the priest chaunted the masses, or daily prayers for the repose of the dead. Upon the massive altar- tomb adjoining are the effigies of Sir Henry Newton, Knight, and of Catharine his wife ; the former died in 1599. Six children are repre- sented on the surface of the tomb. On another ponderous tomb, over which is a lofty canopy, reclines the armoured effigy of Sir John Newton, Bart., who died without issue in 1666. Some of the modern monuments are exqui- sitely chaste and delicate, more especially the IN THE NEWTON CHAPEL. BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 29 figure of Resignation, by Chantrey ; and a monu- ment that obtained the admiration of that great sculptor, executed by Tyley, of this city ; it is to the memory of Anthony Augustus Henderson, and represents in the upper portion a parent kneeling at the tomb of his son, the pious resignation, expressed in the countenance and attitude of this figure, exhibits a development of native talent that we may hope is duly appreciated. The tablets are numerous, many of the commemorative lines they contain are justly celebrated for the beautiful feeling they display. When we contemplate these memorials of the great and good, and reflect that each sculptured marble, each mural tablet, and each simple slab, while they register the dead, record also the sorrows of the living, the agony of the prostrate spirit, the house of desolation and of woe, the void in the aching heart no tie in life can ever again refill, we feel more truly the one stern immutable truth, and know that each record points with the finger of death to the passing hour that with silent but inexorable course is conducting us unto our grave. From decay and corruption, from the noise- less mansions of the dead, there breathes forth a lesson and a moral, and to the gay and thought- 30 BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. less, the poor, and the broken in spirit, to the rich, the proud, to all who will incline their ear unto its warning, the voice of immortality speaks from the darkness of the tomb. And not alone in the frail sculptured memorials, that take up the tale from year to year of the ambition, honour, and glory incorporated with the dust that lies below, are seen the ephemeral greatness and mutability of all earthly things, they are written on each grey stone of this dismantled pile, and pictured on the crumbling surface of the decaying walls, whose history is the history of departed generations, of grandeur and great- ness, and of power that have perished and have passed away. Afar back in the vague dim obscurity of buried years, are shadowed forth before the imaginative mind its cloistered monks, its gorgeous processions, and its solemn con- claves — the pomp, the ceremonies, the mysteries of religion, the power, and might, and dignity of the Abbatical chair, from tuneful voices is heard the solemn mass rising and swelling and filling the whole vaulted pile with harmony, until the clus- tered columns and the dreamy aisles vibrate and respond with the exulting song of praise. And then the voice of music is hushed, the daily BRISTOL CATHEDRAL. 31 chaunt is no longer heard at the altar of the Lord, but the iron clank of armed men rings through the sacred aisles, while with violence and scorn, indignity and insult, they pollute and desecrate the venerated symbols of religion, and the hand of destruction becomes visible on the dilapidated walls of the hallowed edifice, — over which silence, desolation, and decay triumphant reign and hasten it on to ruin. But unextinguished was the mild and pure spirit of religion, by the black tempest of hypocrisy and fanaticism, that raged with demoniac fury over the land. Though the altars of God were overthrown, and the form and worship of our fathers no longer openly avowed, it still remained unchangeable in the heart, and again purer, sublimer, holier than before, arose the voice of prayer and the song of praise. Taught by that faith in which our fathers sleep, by that hope and belief in which they dwelt, we have learnt to venerate, watch, and preserve the sacred relics of our ancient worship ; and in this we have been roused and stimulated by no earthly tie, but by that heavenly aspiring hope that binds us to our altars and our God. «£i)tutf) of St. Jftarg aftrtrrtiff- Marked by the flight of ages — consecrated by the touch of time — clad in the dark sepulchral mantle of decay — must thy imposing tower and temple bow the head, fading in thy magnificent and melancholy grandeur, beneath the breath of that inherent power which effaces all that is beautiful and fair ? Must the worship of God grow hushed amidst thy ruined splendour and desolation, and the song of thy hapless bard alone give lustre to the rainbow of thy future years? Has that self-sacrificial zeal departed from us, which so distinguished that most brilliant and shining era in society when the nobles and wealthy of the land munificently erected costly tabernacles to Heaven's glory, and in the pious exaltation of their purport were unmindful of their own? Has increase of knowledge, refinement, and luxury, rendered us so forgetful of the Creator, that we seek not to restore the shattered splendours of His house, sanctified, as it were, with the atmosphere of ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 33 His holy presence ? The silent pleadings of its dismantled walls appeal more powerfully than language to our hearts — they appeal to us in the name of the Most High — they command us by our faith in the promise of His most holy word, to preserve His altar, and His house ; that faith and that word, which has been sealed by the blood of martyrs, calls us to the task ; and we may yet hope that, animated with the fervent spirit which caused these matchless beauties to arise, the endeavours of the present day, in furtherance of the restitution and preservation of this venerated -Church, will not be made in vain. The first ecclesiastical structure erected on or near the site of the present Church, was a Chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, built in the reign of Henry III. This being found too small for the increase of the inhabitants in that quarter, a second Church is attributed as having been commenced in 1292, by Simon de Burton, who was five times Mayor of Bristol, and who founded the almshouses in Long Row, under which he is buried. The body of the Church, from the cross aisle downwards, is said by some authors to have been completed in 1367, by William Canynges, who was five times Mayor of Bristol. How far 34? ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. we may give credence to the account given in our annals of the violent tempest that is said to have so materially damaged the building in 1466, must remain a matter of opinion. It is stated that the nave and south aisles were entirely destroyed by the spire being precipitated upon them ; it appears, however, to be doubtful whether the spire, if intended, was ever completed, as it would certainly have lessened the massive and imposing majesty of the tower ; the accounts respecting its restoration are also involved in great obscurity, all that can be satisfactorily ascertained from documentary evidence merely proving it to have been the work of the renowned William Ca- nynges, grandson of the Canynges who completed it, and who, by rebuilding it in its present form, has left posterity indebted to him for the stupendous fabric that rivets the attention of every beholder. The oldest portion of the building is the middle North porch, remarkable for its singu- larity of construction ; the style prevailed in Normandy about the period of its erection, but in England it has scarcely a parallel. The tower and grand North porch are of a more rich and elaborate character, and may be referred to William Canynges, Senior, in the reign of ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 35 Edward III. The remainder of the edifice, consisting of the nave, choir, and transepts, is acknowledged as the work of William Canynges, whose name is associated with the extraordinary compositions of the hapless Chatterton. Situated on the brow of a natural terrace, denominated, from its elevation above the Avon, and from the colour of its soil, the Red-Cliff, this Church assumes a lofty and imposing aspect; and, in its symmetry of design, in its harmony and unity of character, in the picturesque com- bination of its various parts, is surpassed by none of the ecclesiastical buildings in England. It is therefore to be lamented that a conspicuous freestone monument to the memory of the unfortunate Chatterton should have been placed immediately beside the tower, in a situation so injudicious as entirely to destroy the grand effect of the whole edifice, which on the North side is so particularly striking. The ill-fated boy required neither graven image, nor brazen record to blazon forth his name — the hallowed structure was his monument — he was indissolubly united with every portion of the mighty pile, by a magic tie that neither man nor time can rend asunder — it belongs unto the realm of thought as iden- 36 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. tified with his existence, with the antique garb of his wondrous minstrelsy — with the tale of his sufferings and crime ; and the pilgrim and the stranger, when they behold from afar its magni- ficent tower rising to the skies, will ever regard it as his gorgeous cenotaph. In making the following observations, and advancing some of the most striking features in the history of a building to which public attention has been so long directed, and which has already been so ably described, the writer has avoided anything approaching an architectural survey ; he has rather endeavoured to view it only in connection with its departed years, as furnishing ample materials for the reflective mind to meditate upon ; and will, there- fore, but briefly allude to the rich and varied beauties which here so strikingly abound, and still remain the constant theme of admiration and surprise. The magical effect of the interior, produced by its beautiful uniformity, by the harmonious combination of its various parts, is here unim- paired by any of those glaring absurdities that sometimes startle the eye, and check the still and solemn feeling of mysterious awe that creeps ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 37 over the soul of the spectator. The clustered pillars, the mullioned windows, the pannelled walls, and, crowning and adorning the whole, the groined vaulted ceiling, profusely enriched with intertwining moulded ribs, foliated tracery, and finely sculptured bosses, at once attest the skill of the architect, and the extraordinary capabilities of Gothic architecture, when unos- tentatious piety, with unsparing hand, devotes its worldly treasures to the full development of its powers. The Eastern window, as well as the original altar-piece, is covered with one of Hogarth's pictures, by which, with a large curtain and a modern wooden screen, it is totally obscured. There is now every probability that these will be removed, and the old altar-piece, which is supposed to be scarcely injured, again become an appropriate ornament to the Church. The three paintings, by Hogarth, one of Christ and the Woman of Samaria, the Scaling of the Tomb, and the Resurrection, were put up in the year 1766 ; for these he was paid five hundred guineas, the whole having cost, with the altera- tions, &c, £761. Os. Id. In the work he was assisted by Simmons, who painted the altar-piece of the Annunciation in All Saints' Church ; the 38 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. Bristol Memorialist contains an interesting account of this painter, by Mr. Tyson. In 1792, Tresham's painting of Christ raising the daughter of Jarius, was presented to the Church by Sir Clifton Wiltringham, Bart. The disposition now evinced to remove the paintings, and restore this portion of the Church to its original beauty, marks a return to that purity of taste which so distinguished ecclesiastical architecture at the era when this building was completed. The erection of the paintings, not a century since, at so great an expense, was no doubt considered at the period as a vast improvement to the building. Years have tended to alter our views considerably on this subject, and the present generation are beginning more fully to estimate and appreciate the exalted beauties of the Gothic style, and the high and sublime purposes to which it is capable of being applied. The view of the West end, formerly so materially injured by the cumbrous stone gallery that supported the organ loft, has been greatly improved by being faced with a Gothic screen, in character with the prevailing style of the building. In all probability another generation will remove the arms that adorn the shields in ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 39 the compartments of the screen for others more appropriate ; as it is, much praise is due to the taste and judgment of the individuals by whose exertions the change was effected. At the entrance to the chancel is a brazen eagle or lettern, from which the Epistle and Gospel were formerly read ; these were super- seded, about 1603, by the modern reading desk. It was given to the church by Mr. James Wathen, of this parish, pin-maker. Why should the Churchwardens, year after year, allow the rich and elaborate carving, that contributes so- much to the beauty of the interior, to be daubed over with whitewash, until its sharpness be entirely lost, and, in a few years, if the present system be continued, it will be difficult to trace any portion of its original character ? It is not necessary, nor does it add to the solemnity of the building ; it rather fatigues and distresses the eye by its glaring whiteness, instead of imparting that calmness sacred to the spot, where the eye and heart should both for a time repose. Some few years ago the effect of this building, during the evening service, was peculiarly solemn and impressive ; the misty light of the lamps that, struggling with the dark- 40 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. ness, cast its rays through the gloom from pillar to pillar, and was lost in the profound obscurity beyond, harmonised with the solemnity of the long-drawn aisles, with the music of the deep-toned organ, with the voice of prayer, and with the song of praise ; these lamps are now removed, and glaring gas-lights, that brilliantly illume every nook and corner of the vast pile, substituted in their stead. These may do at a theatre, the effulgence there is necessary ; but in the House of God a subdued light would do more to humble the spirit to devotion, and to check all intruding thoughts unconnected with the time and place. In the South transept was formerly the chauntry of Saint Catharine, founded by William Canynges, in the year 1465, as appears from a deed in Latin dated 6th Edward IV. George Wear Braikenridge, Esq., has in his possession a very curious document, being the rental of Ca- nynges* two chauntries in this church, dated the next ensuing year after the death of the founder, 1473. I have been favoured with the perusal of a copy, transcribed by Mr. Tyson, but the limits of this volume forbid my doing more than thus referring to its existence. The original is on ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 41 two pieces of parchment stitched together. Beside these chantries were altars dedicated to Saint Blaize, Saint Nicholas, and Saint George, with their attendant priests, whose office was to offer orisons for the dead and living by name. William Canynges was buried at the altar of Saint Catharine, beneath the centre window of the transept ; the effigies of himself, in his magisterial robes, and his wife, dressed after the costume of the times, recline upon an altar-tomb of stone raised upon the spot, surmounted by a large flat canopy. This was placed here by Canynges, in 1466, when his wife died, as a memorial of her and himself. Under the canopy is an inscription setting forth his riches, and enumerating the names with the burdens of his ships, and an epitaph recording his virtues. This was probably placed here, upon traditional authority, after the dilapidations committed upon the edifice during the civil wars. The verses are much in the style of Thomas Churchyard, a very popular poet in the reign of Elizabeth, who was a known composer of epitaphs. The adjoining altar-tomb, on which lies the effigy of a man in priest's robes, is commonly ascribed to William Canynges, as Dean of Westbury. There is, 42 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. however, no resemblance between this head and that on the other tomb, while the extraordinary- character of the countenance unquestionably indicates it to have been a portrait : at the feet is a remarkable figure of an old man, apparently in great bodily agony ; this monument Canynges is said to have procured, according to a practice then not unusual, to be placed in the chapel of the College at Westbury, as a daily incitement to piety. Dallaway says that when the College was burned down by Prince Rupert, in 1643, this monument was saved, and removed here. But this is incorrect ; that it was here previously to 1610 is evident from Holland's Translation of Camden's Britannia, printed in that year, which states that in Redcliff Church Canynges had " two fair monuments, upon the one lieth his image portraied in an Alderman's robe ; upon the other his image likewise, in sacerdotal habit, for that in his old age he took the orders of priesthood." After the lapse of four centuries, the private worth and public services of this estimable man still command a place in our grateful memories, while the researches of antiquaries have penetrated through the dark shadow of the wings of time and ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 43 gleaned from documentary evidence much that is locally interesting connected with his private history. The facts that have been collected respecting him, although limited, can only be generally alluded to in the compass of this work. At the zenith of his prosperity he possessed the highest rank in point of wealth and civic importance. His wife, whom he dearly loved, dying during his Mayoralty, in 1466, and being moved by the King to take another whom his Majesty ordained, in order to prevent it, as soon as he had discharged his office, he took the order of priesthood,- and sung his first mass on Whit- Sunday, in the Lady Chapel, at Redcliff. It is also stated that the premature death of his two sons induced him to abandon the cares of a busy and mercantile life, and seek consolation in retirement and devotion, by dedicating the remainder of his days to the service of God. He passed the last six years of his life as Dean of the College of Westbury ; dying early in the year 1475, aged 74*. A large concourse of ecclesiastics, particularly of the mendicant orders, to whom he had bequeathed legacies of an amount very unusual in those days, accompanied 44 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. his funeral to the place of sepulture in RedelifF Church. On a flat stone in this transept are engraved representations of a large knife and skimmer, articles belonging to the calling of the party- commemorated, whom the inscription informs us was William Coke, a servant of Canynges. Affixed to the adjoining column is a flat slab, with an inscription detailing the character and public services of Sir William Penn, father of the great Penn, one of the Society of Friends, proprietor of Pennsylvania, and founder of Philadelphia. Three long pennons, and a suit of armour, were formerly suspended over this monument, but a portion of the armour and the tattered shreds of two faded pennons now only remain. These passing away, and daily com- mingling with the dust, will soon cease to mark the worldly honours and greatness of the illus- trious dead. The monument to the memory of Sir Thomas Mede, at the Eastern end of the North aisle, is a good specimen of the style that prevailed partly in the fourteenth but more frequently in the fifteenth century. It consists of an altar- ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 45 tomb, with the plinth, back, and sides decorated with pannelled and trefoiled compartments ; immediately over it are five crocketed canopies, with pediments, and surmounting the whole is a richly sculptured frieze and parapet. Upon the tomb recline the effigies of Sir Thomas Mede and his wife. He was Sheriff of Bristol in 1452, and had a country seat at Fay land, in the parish of Wraxall, then called Mede's-place. From the remaining portion of an inscription on a brass plate fixed to the tomb we learn that he died on the 20th of December, 1475. Adjoining this monument is another of the same style and character, to the memory of Philip Mede, brother of the above ; there is no effigy, but on a brass fixed to the back of the tomb are figures of a man and two women, with the following inscription on labels : — " Sancta Trinatas unus Deus miserere nobis, " Pater de coelis Deus miserere nobis." Philip Mede was several times Mayor of Bristol, and in 1459 was Member in two Par- liaments, at Coventry and Westminster. His will, which bears date 11th of January, 1471, directs his body to be buried at the altar of 46 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. Saint Stephen, in the church of Redcliff, to which he was a benefactor. Lamyngton's Lady Chapel (afterwards called Saint Sprite's Chapel), in Redcliff churchyard, was granted to the Society of the Holy Ghost, by the principal of the hospital of Saint John, in Redcliff-pit ; John Larayngton was chaplain in 1398 ; when the Chapel was taken down in 1766, in the wall under the West window of the Church was found a stone coffin, inclosing a body, which when first exposed to view retained its natural form, but upon being touched instantly crumbled into dust. Upon the lid is a carved figure, with two words beneath it, in old characters, which have been transcribed gfaamteg Samgngtotu The coffin is now placed at the South- West angle of the Church. From the time that has elapsed, since this became a consecrated spot, there has accumulated here the dust of many of Bristowe's honoured worthies ; and many of their tombs still bear upon their surface the names of those who obtained the world's regard long ages back. Others have given up their charge, and the words that were writ have disappeared ; the graven letters and the sculptured form have alike mouldered to ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 47 decay ; the tenant of the tomb has been for- gotten, and conjecture furnishes some other name to the oblivion that lies below. Amongst the memorials are numerous flat gravestones, whose inscriptions are defaced, but many of them bear the impress of an ancient date. The brasses are worthy of note, not so much in point of antiquity, for they did not become general till towards the close of the fourteenth century, but on account of the accu- racy with which the costumes of the period are delineated, as well as the descriptions that accompany them. Near the altar is one on which are engraved representations of a man and woman, with a shield, and blank places for three others, and a long inscription in Latin ; it is to the memory of John Brook, one of the Judges of Assize in the reign of Henry VIII. Adjoining is a flat stone, inlaid with several brasses ; on one are engraved figures of a male and female, on another fourteen figures of children; and on the remainder of the stone brass shields, with monograms and arms; from an inscription in Latin, we learn that it is to the memory of John Jay and his wife ; he was Sheriff of Bristol in 1472, and a merchant of 48 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. eminence ; he married the sister of William Wyrcestre, and died May 15th, 1480. Of the peopled past that here sleep in the damp vaults' dayless gloom — of the generations that have vanished from the face of the earth, and in their most desolate privilege of state sought even in death distinction from their fellow-men — what have we left ? Their tombs are nameless sepul- chres — remorseless years have obliterated their inscriptions — and their dilapidated surface defies the scrutiny of man that would seek to pierce through the silent mysteries of buried years. Who can wander through these solemn aisles, sanctified for ages past by the worship of an Almighty power — who can gaze, though burning with high hope, in the summer bloom of life, upon the worn pavement, where death's traces are still visible, and trifle with the drops of moments that make up the sum of his existence ? The records of mortality, the sad stern unvarying register of life and death is a volume that can be read by all — it is ever before our path — ever startling us in the hour of feverish ambition and restless toil — ever reminding us that not alone for this world's honours, nor its treasures, should ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 49 we labour, but for that world whose joys will not pass away — for that happiness that will not fade — for the glorious rewards of that heaven which is promised to the just and good through all eternity. Under the North end of the great cross aisle, is a large room, at the East end of which was a fire-place. The number of rooms in this building that bear indications of having been inhabited were probably assigned to chantry priests, poor scholars, and other members of the Church. The will of Belinus Nansmoen, dated March 20th, 1416, provides for many poor scholars, and choristers, and for several- chaplains, attached to the Church, which renders the supposition not improbable that the apartment above alluded to was a common dining-room, as there was formerly a communication to it out of the North aisle of the Church, where a door and stone staircase are stopped up, by which there was a descent into the room. It has long since been converted into a place of burial, and is now known as the Crypt. At the East end of the Church is the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, in which is a statue of Queen Elizabeth, carved in wood. When Saint John's Chapel was taken down, in 1766, the Grammar H 50 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. School granted by this Queen, and held in that building, was removed here. In the North porch was an image of our Lady, which is described as " decorated with a fy ne cloth, with fry nge to cover her " To this image Maud Easterfield gave a ring in the year 1491. Upon digging a grave here, on the 30th of January, 1750, two freestone sepulchres were discovered, containing the complete skeletons of two persons, with their bones lying in their natural order. Over the North porch is the apartment for- merly known as the muniment room, in which were kept the archives belonging to the Church. It was about the year 1729 that the notion prevailed that title-deeds and other ancient documents were inclosed in Canynges' coffer, with other chests deposited here, when an examination took place, and those that appeared of value were removed to the vestry-room. The eventful history of the muni- ment-room, as associated with the writings of the unfortunate Chatterton, is too well known to require insertion in these pages. The room forms an irregular octagon, admitting light through narrow unglazed apertures upon the broken and scattered fragments of the famous Rowleian chests that, with the rubble and dust ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 51 of centuries, cover the floor. In melancholy- cadence the cannying wind creeps through the unprotected openings, and spreads its plaintive murmuring wail over the wreck of years. It is here creative fancy pictures forth the sad image of the spirit of the spot, the ardent boy, flushed and fed by hope, musing on the brilliant decep- tion he had conceived, whose daring attempt has left his name unto the intellectual world as a marvel and a mystery. Here in the full but fragile enjoyment of his brief and illusory existence, he stored the treasure-house of his memory with- the thoughts that, teeming over his pages, have enrolled his name amongst the great in the land of poetry and song. Happy then, ere his first and joyous aspirations were repressed — ere the warm and genial emotions of his heart were checked — before time had dissi- pated his idle dreams, and neglect, contempt, and distress had fastened on his mind, and hurried him onward to his untoward destiny. Then as the daily chimes poured from the lofty tower their soul-subduing melody, and recalled his thoughts that roamed far, far away to a distant age, with long-hidden tales of romance and chivalry, and antique minstrelsy, to the ties of affection that formed a portion of his better 52 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. nature — to the domestic hearth where his heart's social, kindliest feelings were enshrined — little did he then deem that the hour would come, when, in the utter desolation of his soul, apart from all human sympathy, alone in his deep intermi- nable pride, his disappointed ambition would render him reckless of all worldly hopes, and unmindful of all heavenly commands. Little did he deem that the native energy of his genius would combat in vain the tide of difficulties that flowed against him ; that penury and want, the misery of human days, that made his mortal life a wearying disease, would poison the springs of his existence; that in the dearth of his crushed feelings, friendless, hopeless, fearless, he would dare break the frail bonds of fleeting life, and rush unsummoned before the throne of an Almighty power. Peace be to his ashes! The fame for which he longed, the glory that he thirsted for, he has attained; and though no marble decks the mound where lies his undis- tinguished dust ; though for him no prayers from man, read over his grave, appealed in charity and mercy to an offended heaven; we may surely hope that in the abundance of that heaven's mercy there dwells pity and compassion for his suffer- ings, forgiveness for his errors and his sins ; that, ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 53 purified from all earthly taint, exalted amidst the righteous and the just, his torn and restless spirit reposes in the mansions of the blest. There appear to have been grants, commencing as early as 1229, for repairs to a Church here, that was falling to decay and ruin ; there were also indulgences granted by several Bishops for a similar purpose, from the years 1272 to 1278, with relaxation of penance, on condition that " they would devoutly visit the Church of the Blessed Mary, of Redcliff, in Bristol, and there charitably contribute towards the repairs of the same, and pray for the souls of those there interred." These indulgences were amongst the papers found in Canynges' coffer. About the year 1380, money was given by several wills for the fabric then just completed, and towards repairing it, amongst them that of John Muleward mentions a gift in money " ad opus Beatse Marise de Radcleve." Although the Church had been liberally endowed at different times with large estates for the support of the fabric and the Divine offices celebrated therein, yet so dishonestly were its affairs administered during the Commonwealth, and its revenues wasted, that it was found impossible, at the Restoration, wholly to repair 54} ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. the mischief that had been committed. Neither did the structure itself escape the ravages of the over-righteous and senseless fanatics of those days ; many of its ornaments, and all the lofty pinnacles that added so much to its external beauty were torn down, and have not since been rebuilt. Within, brass plates were stolen from the monuments, and their ornaments mutilated and destroyed : the organ was broken down, and the Bibles, Prayer Books, Books of Homilies, cushions, cassocks, and all the moveable furniture of the Church, were accumulated together, and a bonfire made of the heap, amidst the rejoicings and acclamations of the populace ; after which they paraded the streets with streamers torn from the surplices, using the organ pipes for trumpets as they marched triumphantly along. In the year 1709, the Church underwent repair by means of a brief for £5000 ; the Chamber contributing £200 ; and in 1762 the bells were recast. As lately as 1821, April 2nd, during a tremendous storm at midnight, the electric fluid struck the North end of the tower, and entering the upper bell-loft window, forced out the stones in different directions, and making a large aper- ture, it so shattered the beam that supported one of the bells as to render it useless ; it then passed ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. 55 down the bell-wire, and escaped on the South side of the tower, rolling up the lead from the roof, and dislodging nearly three hundred weight of stone ; the pieces of wire which were found had all the appearance of having been subject to an intense heat. In the centre of the churchyard was an elegant cross, noticed by William Wyrcestre, and at which sermons were formerly preached. Mr. Edgeworth, Prebendary of Bristol Cathedral, and a zealous opponent of Latimer in this city, in his preface to a volume of Sermons, published in his old age, alludes to his having preached " sundry sermons at RedclifT Cross, in the good and worshipful city of Bristol." The cross was removed in 1763. In 1704, a remarkable tree was growing in the Western part of the churchyard, the arms of which were supported by six or seven props. At this time the fence of the churchyard was a thickset hedge, and the gate facing towards Bedminster, a common field gate. It was not until 1753 that the steps and terrace West of the Church were laid in their present form. This stately and beautiful Gothic structure, that, from its elevated situation, its Cathedral style of building, rises to a noble height above the surrounding houses, after having its Northern 56 ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH. side obscured for upwards of a century, is now thrown open to the spectator, by the removal of the houses that the indifference of a past genera- tion had permitted to be erected before it, and presents a pile of building so magnificent, so pic- turesque, in every point of view, that it irresis- tibly arrests and commands the attention of the passenger, who contemplates, with awe and admi- ration, its venerable and hoary grandeur. But the centuries that have passed it by have marked their course upon its blackened walls, and although we now see new beauties to admire, we have much also to deplore and to regret : the mutilated buttresses, the gaping fissures, and the crumbling stones, tell too sadly that decay has followed the footsteps of time, and, unless arrested, must hasten the venerable fabric into ruin. Let us hope that all who feel a pride and a glory in this ancient edifice, will press forward to avert the stigma and disgrace of allowing so mag- nificent a monument of the piety and liberality of our fathers to crumble unheeded to the dust : let us not have to blush, in our advanced state of refinement, that we are unable to preserve from destruction the noble legacy that has been bequeathed unto this city, not for us alone, but for after generations and after years. Among the many interesting relics of the past that still remain for Bristol to cherish and protect, there are none more worthy attention than the Chapel of the Hospital of St Mark, now called the Mayor's Chapel, The uniformity, admirable finish, and completeness, pervading every portion of the interior, reflect the highest credit upon the taste and judgment of Thomas Garrard, Esq., the gentleman at whose suggestion and under whose superintendence it was restored to its original beauty, and rendered it a model of the style in which it was erected, — an exquisite gem worthy of Bristol in the zenith of its ecclesias- tical greatness, and unrivalled by few belonging to that most brilliant era of architectural splen- dour, the reign of Henry VII. From the entrance in College-green a descent of a few steps conducts to an ante-chapel, the roof of which supports the floor of the organ- gallery, whose East and West fronts are adorned with pannelling, tracery, and decorated mouldings, 58 the mayor's chapel. flanked at the angles with octagonal turrets, and surmounted with crocketed canopies and pinna- cles. Under highly-finished clustered columns, that support the groined and fan-pannelled roof, the eye travels through a beautiful vista of the most charming architectural effects, termi- nating with the high altar, in the centre of which is a painting of the dead Christ ; the pro- jection of the carved canopies, with their embossed cornices and elaborate tracery of vine foliage and tabernacle work, the Gothic galleries, the decorated niches, the gorgeous sculptured tomb of Knight and Lady, and of mitred Bishop, the old oak ceiling, with its gilded spandrils, bosses, and corbels, — the warm amber light streaming through windows richly emblazoned with armorial bearings, — all combine to form a picture of religious splendour and magnificence, unmixed with those incongruities and absurdities which so frequently disfigure the walls of many buildings they are intended to adorn. If objection might with propriety be made to anything, it would be to the bright garish colour of the stalls and seats ; they would have been more in character, and contributed mate- rially to the richness of the effect, had they THE MAYORS CHAPEL. 59 partaken somewhat of the tone of the ceiling : the metal pipes of the organ, also, remaining visible is a defect; they have a mechanical look, and their cold grey leaden colour does not at all harmonise with any portion of the sur- rounding decorations; in other respects the organ case is to be admired for its simplicity and elegance, so different from the huge, cumbrous, barbarous masses of composite ornament, with which many of those of our splendid Churches are absolutely disfigured. In the vestry-room, formerly a confessional or chapel of the Foyntz family, remain two arches in the wall, at that time used for the priest and penitent: around the room are eight empty niches, with elaborately carved canopies, and over the altar, which is approached by a raised step, is a window, enriched with some beautifully painted glass, of ancient date. The roof is vaulted, and ornamented with fan tracery, and in the centre are two shields, containing heraldic bearings ; covering a portion of the floor are some splendid painted tiles, enamelled with patterns of various colours; these are frequently called Encaustic tiles ; few are said to have been found earlier than the middle of the thirteenth century, 60 the mayor's chapel. but they appear to have continued in use for paving the floors of Churches to the Reforma- tion : these are of the latter part of the fifteenth century. Under the floor is a large vault, the entrance of which, in 1730, fell in ; and upon examining the bodies there deposited, supposed to be those of the founders of the Church, there was discovered a gold bodkin entangled in some hair. One of the bodies, lying under the present fire-place, was that of a female, clothed in white satin, with her robes fastened on the breast by a handsome gold clasp. These are supposed to have been those of Dame Margaret, the wife of Sir Robert Poyntz, for whose obse- quies, with his own and those of his family, he richly endowed the " Chapel of Jesus," and the " Church of the Gaunts," by his will dated Octo- ber 19, 1520. When King Henry VII. visited Bristol, on Whit-Tuesday, 1486, he dined at the residence of Sir Robert Poyntz, at Iron Acton. The house, which is of considerable extent, still remains, but is fast crumbling to decay and ruin. Tradition and ancient records have conveyed to us the name of Maurice de Gaunt, son of Robert, second son of Robert Fitzhardinge, as the probable founder of the Hospital sometimes THE MAYOR'S CHAPEL. 61 called the Gaunts, and of the Church, which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Mark. The exact year when they were built is uncer- tain; one manuscript gives 1243 as the date, whereas Maurice died in 1230, and our annals state was buried in this Chapel. From a slate let into stone, now in the possession of Mr. Garrard, it would appear that the masonry of the tower was not finished until the year 1487. The altar-screen, with the presbytery and Poyntz' Chapel, were built between the years 1510 and 1520. On September 11, 1534, the Hospital was resigned to the King, when amongst the houses and buildings directed to remain undefaced, was the Church then appointed for the use of the Parish, as "heretofore hath been used." Of the six bells remaining in the steeple, three were assigned to the parish, and three " to the use of the King's Majestic" In 1721, the Chapel, that since the sequestration had been appropriated as a place of Worship by the French Protestant refugees, was fitted up for the sole use of the Corporation, at which time it was provided with a new peal of bells. In the year 1818, the taste of the Mayor, John Haythorne, Esq., restored the monuments in the Chapel from the obscurity 62 the mayor's chapel. of white and yellow washing with which they had been yearly covered. At the same time, while in search of a fitting space to erect a monument to the memory of Alderman Bengough, Mr. Garrard discovered that the heavy oak altar- screen, erected as an improvement, in 1721, con- cealed some finely-executed carving, in Dundry stone, which had been rudely mutilated for its admission ; and upon the removal of this screen, fragments of crocketed canopies were found at the foot of the original altar, from which he was enabled to effect its restoration to its primitive and simple beauty, with the excep- tion of the statues that once occupied the niches, which here, as elsewhere, were during the domina- tion of fanaticism almost wholly destroyed. The stained glass, which fills the great window over this altar, was purchased by Mr. Garrard, at the sale of Sir Paul Bagot, of Gloucestershire, in the year 1820. The alterations and restorations that since that period have taken place, and which were completed in 1830, have brought this building to a state of perfection, highly honour- able to the taste and judgment of the Corpora- tion, and to the inhabitants at large. A private oratory was discovered in February, 1824, in a the mayor's chapel. 63 dressing-room on the first floor of the house attached to the Western wall of the chapel, from which the upper part is separated only by a thin partition of stone; in the wall, on the left hand, is a piscina or niche, and in the corner is a double- sighted aperture, through which a part of the altar in the chapel may be seen, and the service heard ; paintings of scriptural subjects, supposed to have been executed at the period the chapel was founded, adorn the walls. At the entrance, near the great door in College-green, without any memorial or inscrip- tion to mark the spot, was buried, on August the 20th, 1680, Captain William Bedlow; he was deeply concerned in the Rye-house plot, in the reign of Charles II., and, with Titus Oates, pretended to discover the authors of the death of Sir Edmonsbury Godfrey, in 1678. On the oaths of these two men, many were executed, who all denied the charge with their latest breath. His funeral expenses were discharged by the Chamber of the city, his goods having been seized and carried out of his house for the large debts he had contracted. Containing monuments of all ages, there is no place in Bristol so favourable for the quiet haunt 64 the mayor's chapel. of meditation as the Chapel of Saint Mark, At the left of the entrance is an effigy, in white marble, of Lord Richard Berkeley, who died in 1604-, His epitaph is rather singular, and worthy perusal : — u Whom youth could not corrupt, nor change of dayes Add anything but years— the fill of them ; As they of knowledge, what need this stone prayse, Whose epitaph is written in the heartes of men — That did this world and her child fame despise : His soule with God — loe ! here his coffin lyes.'* The two monuments on the left of the chancel, with richly decorated canopies, deserve atten- tion : the first, near the steps, was erected in 1361, and the statues represent Sir Thomas de Berkeley, and Catherine his wife, daughter of John Lord Bottetourt ; the sculpture of the figures is rude, but they are in excellent preser- vation. Upon the adjoining tomb is an effigy arrayed in the pontifical habit, with a crosier by its side, to the memory of Miles Salley, Abbot of Einsham, and afterwards Bishop of Llandaff, who died in 1516. In the outer South aisle this Bishop is represented in a finely-stained window, the effect of which is particularly beautiful ; it is a copy of a painting the mayor's chapel. 65 by West, and was purchased by Mr. Garrard from Fonthill Abbey. Not without veneration and regard can we contemplate the mutilated effigy of Sir Henry de Gaunt ; it is recumbent upon a monument in the East aisle, with the following inscription carved in old characters around the slab : — " Ptamceg tie Saunt, i$tagfeter primus Ijujus liomus j&anctt J&am tie 3&tlfegfofcfce, oWU 1268." Leland says, " Sir Henry Gaunte was a Knight some time dwelling not far from Brandon-hill, by Bristow." Through centuries, through the revolutions of ages, this effigy still remains, a link of the chain that connects the generations that are passed with the beings of to-day. The dead thus imaged forth upon the cold tomb, has a powerful influence upon the imagination, and presents to the mind's eye the occurrences of the centuries over which the cunning of the sculptor's hand has triumphed. We people the place with beings of other manners and other customs — we walk with their monastic orders in their cloisters — we kneel at their shrines — we reverence their images — we join in their forms and ceremonies—- and we worship at the altars of their God. 66 the mayor's chapel. I stood in the Gaunt's Chapel, where the dusky light struggles through windows encrusted with the dust of ages into the dreary vault upon mouldering monuments, heavy with the gloom of departed years. In the centre on a tomb, are two fine figures, Crusaders, at full length, one resting his right hand upon the hilt of his sword, the other in the attitude of devotion ; they are, except the face, armed in complete mail, w r ith their shields on their left arms. There is no cer- tainty as to whom they were intended to repre- sent, but they must have been executed prior to the reign of Edward III, as there are no cross- legged effigies of later date. Dallaway con- jectures they are the effigies of Maurice de Gaunt and Robert de Gournay, the original founders of the Hospital, and alludes to their having been placed in his time in their original stations before the high altar. Few subjects are so eminently calculated to inspire the soul with mournful meditation as these relics Of a past age, from which the cankering hand of time has insidiously stolen all characters from which we might trace the names borne by the ardent spirits they were designed to perpetuate. They belonged to a period when religious enthusiasm gave the mayor's chapel. 67 strength to their arms, and animated them with an energy of purpose that led them on to deeds of wild and extravagant daring ; their fiery zeal seemed kindled of more than mortal inspiration ; life and the world's treasures were as nought in comparison with the object of their enterprise, and with the glory that blazoned their prowess with a splendid but melancholy lustre. The shade of fallen chivalry seems to hover sadly over their tombs, and guards their shroudless dust ; but unto man their names, their honours,, and renown are alike unknown ; the silent waste of years have rolled over them, and the portals of time have closed upon their history. There is great spirit and beauty in the attitude of the animals on which their feet are supported ; the excellence of the sculpture well deserves the repairs they appear at one time to have under- gone ; and it was with regret I observed that a portion of these repairs had been broken by some one or other of the ignorant, senseless souls, whose pleasure it is to deface and destroy. What can persons mean by carving their initials, some- times their unknown names, upon the faces and forms of the sculptured statue, and thus publish their levity to the world ? What can we feel 68 the mayor's chapel. but contempt, for the utter want of good feeling and respect such natures betray, whose thought- less minds lead them thus to trifle with sacred and hallowed things ? At the end of the Chapel is a large, heavy, cumbrous monument, only to be noticed for its singular conceit ; it is to the memory of Mrs. Baynton, of Bromham, Wilts, and previously to the Chapel being restored was most conspicuously placed where the pulpit is now erected. A lady is kneeling in an affected manner under a canopy, from which a curtain has been removed by her son and husband, who are also kneeling on each side the canopy, attired in the full dress costume of that period, 1667. As a sacred memorial of the dead, it is as extravagant and intolerable as can possibly be imagined. The one adjoining, on the left of the aisle, arrests you at once, by the simplicity of the attitude of father and son, both kneeling, both in the act of prayer, and claims more attention, and commands more sympathy, than all the extrava- gant conceits of that period. It preserves the names of Thomas Aid worth, and his son John, both eminent merchants of their time, whose family were particularly distinguished by their THE MAYORS CHAPEL. 69 spirit of enterprise in the colonization of New- foundland ; the father died in 1615, and the son in 1628. Near this is a stately monument dedicated " to the never-dying memory of the Lady Margaret Throkmorton, the late wife of Sir Baynham Throkmorton, of Clowrewail, in the county of Gloucester, who lifted up her sovle to God vpon the 18th day of August, in the year of her Lord 1635, and of her age above 25." The epitaph that follows is very singular. Upon the tomb are the figures of Sir Baynham, his wife, and child ; the ' face of Sir Baynham is turned towards his wife, who is supporting herself on her elbow, and affectionately embracing the child. There is a minuteness of detail in the carving of the embroidered collar and armour of Sir Baynham, and the costume of the lady and child, that is truly surprising. Sir Baynham Throk- morton espoused the cause of Royalty during the civil wars, and delivered an order from the King to the Mayor of Bristol, February, 1641-2, to receive no forces on his side, nor the Par- liament's, but to keep and defend the city for his Majesty's use. How is it that these monuments of old, 70 the mayor's chapel. generally speaking, deficient as they sometimes are in grace, in artistical grouping, in expression — how is it that they are more impressive, that they attract more devout attention, than any memorial of the present day ? Is it that age has given them the spell that compels the beholder to gaze upon them with a mysterious awe ? Is it that centuries have written their course upon them, and that we venerate the marks left by the footsteps of time? If so, will the monu- ments that are now erected, with their classic elegance, and every mark of refinement with which they are adorned, will they, in after years, when they will belong to the olden time, will they absorb the faculties, and meet the mind in con- templation ? They cannot, they want the calm repose — the feeling of devotion expressed by the bended knee — by the hands up-lifted as in prayer — by the resignation of the prostrate form — the semblance of death, but in that death remembrance of a Heaven above. While gazing upon the fine armoured effigy of George Upton, Esq., who died in 1608, the sound of the clock from the neighbouring Cathedral fell upon my ear, and warned me of the hour : night was casting her dark mantle over the earth ; THE MAYOR'S CHAPEL. 71 I was alone in the silent vault — in that receptacle for the dead I was the only living breathing thing ; beneath me was the congregated dust of many generations, around me their shadowy effigies, looming in the twilight, assumed strange shapes and uncouth forms ; without, the stream of human life rolled on its feverish course, and the hoarse murmur of the passing throng startled the ear, and awoke the mind from thoughts made solemn by the atmosphere of these gloomy pre- cincts ; while the cold breath of corruption and decay crept with icy dullness through the dreary vault, and the thick shadows of the coming night blended with the noiseless effigies of the dead. At such a time creations of fearful moment crowd on the overwrought brain, and distempered fancies play about the mind, which lend to each darkened object the vagueless form of something immaterial and unreal. But it is not for man to contend and waste his energies in conflict with the ghastly horrors and flitting phantoms of his imagination ; his energy of purpose and of action is with life ; and I emerged from the gloomy vault to blend once more with the toiling world, and become partaker of its pleasures, its sorrows, and its cares. 2fl&e dfyuxtl) of m\ Saints, FORMERLY ail ^alfofos. Although of remote antiquity, no notice occurs of this Church in our Annals, until it became identified with the existence of the Kalendaries. This was a Society of religious and laity, to whom were committed the care of the archives of the town, and who kept a monthly register of all public acts ; their origin is beyond all record, but it appears that their place of meeting, in the time of Aylward Sneau, and Britric his son, Lords of the town before the Conquest, was in the parish of Christ Church. William Wyrcestre alludes to the house of the Kalendaries, as having been built there in the year 700. The Society was connected with the Church of All Saints, in the year 1216, by Robert Fitzhardinge, with the consent of King Henry and Earl Robert; and in a general Council held in Bristol, the King, and Gualo, ALL saints' church. 73 Cardinal of the Apostolic See, and General Legate, approved and confirmed the said gild and fraternity on account of its antiquity, and goodness found therein ; which Legate com- manded and enjoined William de Bleys, Bishop of Worcester, and his successors, to protect the said gild, to the praise of God and all Saints, and amendment of devotion and unity of the Clergy and Laity of Bristol. We also learn, from a deed in the possession of the Chamber of Bristol, that by a mandate at Chiselbury, from the Bishop of Worcester, dated June 8, 1318, an inquisition was held in this Church, into the rights, charters, and liberties of the fraternity of the Kalendaries. The house they inhabited after their removal from Christ Church, was at the Western end of All Saints, on the site of which was built the London Coffee-House. Their library was in the chamber over the North aisle of the Church ; it may be distinguished in the plate preserved in Barrett's History of Bristol, where also is represented a turret, which was the staircase by which the Kalendaries had com- munication to it from their house ; this turret and the house were removed during the alteration, for the purpose of widening the street, in 1780. L 74 ALL SAINTS' CHURCH. It is said that the records of the city, as well as those of the fraternity, were destroyed by fire ; but no such event is noticed in the annals of the Church, except it be referred to the destruc- tion by fire of two houses next the steeple, in 1466, by the carelessness of a drunken point- maker. In the year 1466, John Chanceller, of Keyn- sham, gave one hundred marks for the rebuilding the house of the Kalendaries, for which, at the instance of the Bishop, and of William Canynges, Mayor and patron, the prior was to make four set sermons, one to be at the conventual Church of St. Austin, or at the cross near it. The exterior of this Church can scarcely be said to be discernible from the houses by which it is hemmed in, and that are built against it, more particularly on the Northern side. The tower, however, which is situated on this side, is a conspicuous object, having on the top an octa- gonal lanthorn supported by eight arches, with coupled Corinthian columns, and crowned with a gilded ball and cross. There was a low free- stone tower here, which was taken down in 1713; a notice in the church -books refers to repairs done to the steeple of this tower in 1443 : the present ALL saints' church. 75 tower, which occupied five years in building, was commenced in 1716 ; it cost £589. 10s. 3d., raised by voluntary contributions of the citizens, towards which, Edward Colston, Esq., gave £250. In Kip's View of Bristol, in 1717, All Saints' tower is without the cupola ; but we see it in Buck's North-west Prospect of the City, in 1734. Eight new bells were cast for the Church in 1728. No account appears to be transmitted to us of the period at which the middle aisle of the pre- sent Church was rebuilt ; but we may infer from its general character and collateral evidence that it probably occurred early in the 15th century. At the Western extremity of this aisle are four massy circular piers with Norman capitals, evi- dently coeval with the Church existing here in 1216. They support the houses that project over this portion of the aisle. The one on the South is the vicarage-house, and was originally built by Thomas Marshall, Vicar, and one of the Kalendaries, about the year 1422. The house on the North side has been already noticed as having belonged to that body. The South aisle was rebuilt by them about 1420, and served for their chapel ; the Eastern window, of good per- pendicular character, still remains in its original 76 ALL saints' church. state, but its lower portion is concealed by Cols- ton's monument. The North, called Jesus's aisle, " growing to decay and found dangerous," was taken down and rebuilt in 1782, at which time was destroyed the curious wainscot ceiling erected in 1451, by Sir John Gyllard, Prior of the Kalen- daries, on which "was carved, gilt, and painted, many singular emblems of the sufferings of Christ." How little feeling of love and veneration for relics of antiquity, even though rendered doubly interesting and still more worthy of regard from their sacred character, must the inhabitants of this city have had some sixty years since, that out of the mass of its intelligence and wealth, there should not have been found one individual who sufficiently appreciated the beauties of this ancient workmanship, as to seek the preservation of some vestige, or even by obtaining a slightly pencilled outline, have been the means of con- veying to us some idea of its ornaments and general form. Lofty and elegant piers, with good propor- tioned arches, divide the interior into three aisles of equal width, with the centre considerably longer than the sides ; and before mutilated by misnamed improvements, the arrangement of the ALL saints' church. 77 windows must have produced that desirable and impressive effect, resulting from a proper disposi- tion of light and shade, which the examples we have of Gothic architecture, previously to its decline, so pre-eminently display, and which, beyond all others, is so calculated to awaken and influence devotional feelings ; this has not been understood or regarded in the alterations and repairs of subsequent periods, and its solemnity, its breadth of effect, is now altogether invaded by the introduction of octagonal sky-lights in the chancel and centre aisle ; and this has been done under the mistaken impression that a " light and cheerful appearance" contributes to the repose and beauty of the interior of a sacred edifice. Surely the aim and intent of the minds that conceived and designed buildings, which in our day we are incapable of rivalling, should be carefully considered, before injudicious altera- tions and additions destroy that adherence to principle, which, when infringed upon, must necessarily interfere with that harmony and unity of its separate parts, which impart to the whole structure its all-pervading charm. After the completion of the tower, no other notice occurs of repairs done to this Church until 78 ALL saints' church. the year 1757, when it was new pewed, in what was considered at that period a neat and elegant manner, and a greater elevation given to the floor, which until then had been very low ; but the improved taste, or it may be capricousness of the vestry, in the year 1770, did not rest satisfied with these embellishments, but had the seats taken up and fixed anew, and the whole painted and ornamented at a great expense. The organ, situated between the projecting houses at the West end of the centre aisle, was erected in 1740, at the cost of £249. The compartments of the pulpit are richly carved with angels' heads, trumpets, crowns, and serpents ; it is on the South side, near the chancel, and was probably erected about the year 1603, when pulpits were ordered by the Canons to be placed in every Church not previously provided with one : the gene- rality are subsequent to the Reformation, though many good and rich pulpits of the time of James I. and Charles I. are frequently met with, with the dates upon them. There are five steps leading to the altar piece, which is of the Corinthian order ; and here it may be as well to observe, that in every ancient ALL saints' church. 79 Church I have visited in this city, with the exception of the Cathedral and Mayor's Chapel, the altar piece is utterly at variance with the architecture of the building. This is easily accounted for, from the circumstance that in 1551, the old altars were taken down and tables made to receive the communion ; these also in 1643, by an order from the House of Commons, were removed from the East and placed in some other part of the body of the Church, and the rails and everything connected with them taken away. When, after the accession of Charles II., they were "restored to their original situa- tion, every feature of our ancient ecclesiastical architecture was lost sight of, and they were accordingly, without any reference to uniformity, decorated in the Italian style, the then prevailing mode of building generally adopted. It is only occasionally that the growing of a better taste has been manifested, and the irregular, ill-executed, and absurd devices of intermixed urns, globes, pyramids, obelisks, and triangles, superseded by the introduction of work in the established style of ecclesiastical architecture, and in unison with the primary character of the building. On each side of the chancel are several mural 80 ALL saints' church. monuments in marble, that cannot fail to command attention, from their exquisite finish and superior style of execution, but this is all ; we admire them as works of art, but they excite no reverential feeling; they do not appeal to the heart, or impress the mind with the solemn awe with which we contemplate ancient mementoes of departed worth. Several stones in the chancel mark the last abiding place of many of our substantial citizens, worthy and simple merchants of the olden time. Barrett, who published his History of Bristol, in 1789, describes as then being "in the chancel a monument, with the statue half-length, of Mr, John Doughty, Mayor and Alderman, and Burgess in Parliament, with English verses underneath. He died in 1629, aged 67." Mr. John Doughty was Captain of the train-bands in this city, and was buried with military honours. His monument no longer occupies a place in the Church. We express ourselves strongly, and indignantly condemn the fanatical spirit that prompted and urged on the gloomy zealots of republicanism to outrages and wanton violations of the tombs ; but our indignation cannot over- step itself in denouncing the conduct of those to ALL SAINTS' CHURCH. 81 whose care the Church and all its time-stored treasures are entrusted as a sacred deposit, and w ho — wanting the palliative to their desecrations of committing them during the excitement of party spirit — regardless of the duties of their office and their trust — indifferent to all that their religion and their sympathies teach them to hold as sacred — nevertheless trample upon the holy privileges of the dead, and calmly, deli- berately, and heedlessly destroy the ancient memorials of departed worth, when no longer kith or kin remains to raise a protecting hand to save the last record of their race from being swept away with the forgotten things of earth. It was not unto this end affection dictated and the sculptor wrought the image of the dead — not unto this end were his dignities, his honours, and his name engraven in materials of lasting form. The holy spot in which it was placed should have been its shield and its protection ; and as we would preserve those walls that enclosed it from injury and spoliation^ so it is the bounden duty of all appointed to this work to watch with scru- pulous attention the monuments, whether of the past or the present, whether belonging to the loftiest or the lowliest, that are entrusted to their M 84 ALL saints' church. fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the intercourse between Bristowe and Spain was very consider- able ; and as the journey to Gallicia was believed to be one which all must take dead or alive, the pilgrims to St. James's, at Compostella, resorted hither in great numbers as the port of embarka- tion. A volume of State Papers in the Harleian Collection, contains " A Licence for the Ship George of Bristow to goo to Sainct James with Pilgrymes." This was in 1483. That they were attracted by the treasures exhibited at Allhallow's is shown by the following entry in the Procu- rator's account of receipts for the year 1434 : — " Itm of Pylgrymys goyng to Seynt Jamys.. .. ... xviij d ." Among the Missals possessed by this Church was a " Prymar with vij psalmys, letany, dirige, & comendacyons, psalmys of y e passyon w l many oy r deuocyons." This volume, which appears to have been one of considerable importance, "stode yn y e Grate vndyr Seynt Xpofer ys ffote." But neither the protection of the Saint nor the strength of iron grates was sufficient to insure its safety, for the record adds — " And y e seyd boke was ^tole & fownd at Seynt Jamys yn Galeys & broght home & newe y grated and sethe y stole a zen" I ALL SAINTS CHURCH. 85 It will hardly be deemed uncharitable to add, that some of these devotees were errant thieves ; the kindred vice of lying has been attributed to them from an early date : — (f Pilgrimes and palmers plj'ght hem togyther For to seke S, James, and sayntes at Rome : They went forth theyr way wyth many wyse tales, And had leve to lye all hyr lyfe after, &c." Pierce Plowman's Visions. The humorous story of Sir John Duddlestone, Bart., and his lady, is too well-known to require repetition, but the stone that marks the spot where the worthy couple repose can no longer be seen, being covered by the first pew on the East side of the North door; if their memories be engraven on its surface the labours of the chisel have been in vain, and the simple tale, whether true or not, arising from their unpretending hos- pitality, alone marks the period of their existence, and connects their name with the annals of the city. There are several monuments here possessing interest from bearing the name of that truly great philanthropist, Colston, especially one dedi- cated by himself to the memory of his parents ; 84 ALL saints' church. fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the intercourse between Bristowe and Spain was very consider- able ; and as the journey to Gallicia was believed to be one which all must take dead or alive, the pilgrims to St. James's, at Compostella, resorted hither in great numbers as the port of embarka- tion. A volume of State Papers in the Harleian Collection, contains " A Licence for the Ship George of Bristow to goo to Sainct James with Pilgrymes." This was in 1483. That they were attracted by the treasures exhibited at Allhallow's is shown by the following entry in the Procu- rator's account of receipts for the year 1434 :— '- " Itm of Pylgrymys goyng to Seynt Jamys.. .. ... xviij d ." Among the Missals possessed by this Church was a " Prymar with vij psalmys, letany, dirige, & comendacyons, psalmys of y e passyon w l many oy r deuocyons." This volume, which appears to have been one of considerable importance, "stode yn y e Grate vndyr Seynt Xpofer ys ffote." But neither the protection of the Saint nor the strength of iron grates was sufficient to insure its safety, for the record adds — " And y e seyd boke was stole & fownd at Seynt Jamys yn Galeys & broght home & newe y grated and sethe y stole a zen" ! all saints' church. 85 It will hardly be deemed uncharitable to add, that some of these devotees were errant thieves ; the kindred vice of lying has been attributed to them from an early date : — " Pilgrimes and palmers plyght hem togyther For to seke S. James, and sayntes at Rome : They went forth theyr way wyth many wyse tales, And had leve to lye all hyr lyfe after, &c." Pierce Plowman's Visions. The humorous story of Sir John Duddlestone, Bart., and his lady, is too well-known to require repetition, but the stone that marks the spot where the worthy couple repose can no longer be seen, being covered by the first pew on the East side of the North door; if their memories be engraven on its surface the labours of the chisel have been in vain, and the simple tale, whether true or not, arising from their unpretending hos- pitality, alone marks the period of their existence, and connects their name with the annals of the city. There are several monuments here possessing interest from bearing the name of that truly great philanthropist, Colston, especially one dedi- cated by himself to the memory of his parents ; 86 all saints' church. but it was to the hallowed spot where his ashes are religiously guarded that I directed my atten- tion, and viewed with silent respect and reverence his unostentatious tomb ; upon it reclines his statue, modelled and executed by Rysbrack, from an original picture by Richardson. The cha- racter of the head is fine, and the position of the figure and drapery judiciously and gracefully managed. An ancient dame, who was preparing the Church for the Sunday's worship, had placed a nosegay in its bosom, which she informed me was an attention weekly paid, money having been left for that purpose. On the base of the tomb is the following inscription : — " Edward, the son of William Colston, Esq., and Sarah, his wife, was born in Bristol, Nov. 2nd, 1636 ; died at Mort- lake, in Surrey, Oct. 21st, 1721, and lies interred in All Saints' Church, Bristol." Above are enumerated all his public charities ; there is no pompous panegyric, nor laudatory epitaph — he required none. His name needed nor brass, nor marble, nor sculptured effigy, to preserve it from oblivion. His is a virtue that survives all time — his, a memory that will never fade — his, a gtory that can never pass away ; it is greater than the honours of the world — it is mightier than ALL saints' church. 87 the darkness of the grave — it lives pure and imperishable in the inmost temple of men's hearts; and, with the last prayer of the poor and afflicted, has been borne by angels of charity and love to the throne of that Almighty Power, whose commands he laboured to fulfil, and whose mercy he endeavoured to deserve. Is there one who can stand unmoved before his tomb, and not breathe a blessing upon his name ? Is there one who can contemplate his life and not feel influenced by the gentle spirit of his charity ? He has cheered the heart of the sorrowful, he has dried the tears of the afflicted, and to the houseless, thrown desolate upon the wide bleak world, when all earthly hope seemed lost, even in his ashes has he been a comforter and friend. There are no honours too resplendent, no reve- rence too sacred, no devotion too pure can be paid unto his shrine, where reposes all that remain of the heart once warm with benevolence, charity, and love. The mightiness of intellect — the power of genius — the exaltation of rank, must humble before it ; — he has surpassed all, and left, by his extensive charities, a name for thousands yet unborn to rejoice at and to bless. Long may his memory be fostered here, long may the day of 88 all saints' church. his birth be held in observance as it now is by our grateful citizens, for when that observance shall cease, when it shall pass away without a sign, then will Benevolence droop her head, then will Gratitude have become extinct, the memory of the good forgotten, and Poverty wander unpitied through the world. The tomb of Shak- sperehas itspilgrims ; thither the wise and learned flock, and pay homage to his dust : to the tomb of Colston let the wealthy resort, here let them learn to feel compassion for others' woes, and distribute with helping hand the bounty that Heaven has lent them ; here let the afflicted come and gather comfort at his shrine, for there yet lives many who walk in his footsteps and strive to emulate his goodness ; but especially let all those who, through the instrumentality of his benevolence, now flourish in wealth and honours, pay a pilgrimage here, and with grateful homage tender to him his due, by the distribution of their largely acquired wealth in acts of charity, kind- ness, and compassion to mankind. At a very early period of Bristol History, a Church or Chapel occupied the site of this building ; the exact date has not been' preserved, but it is mentioned in a deed relative to the Gaunt's house, as early as the year 124-0. It was founded by the Abbots of St. Augustine's Monas- tery for the accommodation of the inhabitants who had erected houses within its precincts, and whose communication with the town was about to be interrupted by the new trench. According to William Wyrcestre, who died in 1484, the present Church was built in 1480. This was at a period when the pointed style was arrived at the last stage of its declension, imme- diately preceding those great and sweeping mea- sures that led to the suppression, and finally to the devastation of religious Houses and Monas- teries, — out of whose immense revenues the means of raising and enriching many of the 90 st. Augustine's church. ecclesiastical buildings that adorn our country- were derived. It may, therefore, be considered as a late example of the florid or perpendicular style, previously to the introduction of what is called the debased, when every real principle of the art was lost sight of, and every beauty omitted ; and will, in consequence, be found wanting in that costly, elegant, and correct style, of which so many remains, built at an earlier period, exist, to attest the magnificence, piety, and exquisite taste of our ancestors. No expense has been spared in fitting up the interior in accordance with the taste of modern times, and it cannot be denied that there is a degree of cleanliness, neatness, and even elegance pervading, which produces a calm and holy effect, and what is more, imparts to it an appear- ance, which every House of God should possess, of being duly and religiously cared for; and that, to the preservation of the hallowed fane, the thoughts of those who have it in their charge seem piously and zealously directed. A portion of that spirit of devotion which animated the worthies of old, and incited them to erect mag- nificent Temples to God's glory, at their sole expense, appears, from evidences around, to have st. augustine's church. 91 revived and been partially instilled into the minds of later generations, — for we find on a stone in the North aisle the following inscrip- tion : — " William Pinnay, of this parish, Gent., and Churchwarden, did, at his own private cost and charge, pave all this West-end of the body of this Church, A.D. 1674." The organ was also presented to the Church by Henry Cruger, Esq., who was elected Member for Bristol in 1774, and again in 1784. To descend imme- diately to our own time, an elegant modern Gothic pulpit, which contributes, from its situa-* tion, and the taste that has been displayed in the style of its erection, most materially to the har- mony of the building, has just been presented by two of the parishioners. Offerings for the services of religion endure, and record the names of the benefactors, when the monumental slab shall have perished from the wall, and its story passed away. The ceiling of the chancel is richly orna- mented, representing six of the Apostles, in oval frames, composed of sculptured leaves and flowers, enhancing greatly the beauty of this portion of the building. The chancel is spacious, and would be beautiful, were not its unity of 92 st. Augustine's church. effect fretted away by the introduction of so many mural tablets, that immediately approach and infringe upon the spot that should be sacredly kept apart for its most holy intent and purposes ; —every object unconnected with the sacred rites herein performed must lessen their high and exalted bearing — must cause the eye and mind to wander from the pure and humble worship of God, to the aspiring mementoes that man's ambition erects over the mortality and littleness of his fallen nature. Every object thus intro- duced paves the way to more daring innovations ; and it should be the earnest wish and endeavour of all those who would desire to see our religion restored in its ancient purity of worship, zealously to prevent and counteract all infringements that might interfere with the solemnity of her established forms and ceremonies. The upper part of the windows on each side the altar contain fragments of ancient stained glass ; among the mutilated portions may be traced pieces of the arms of the Abbots Newland and Elliott ; it was during the abbacy of Newland that this Church was erected. As far as T could judge from my examination, the great East window, of which this glass formed a portion, has st. Augustine's church. 93 been entirely destroyed; but where so much has been done of late years towards perfecting the internal arrangement of the Church, we may yet hope to find this, once the most costly and decorative part, restored to somewhat of its ori- ginal splendour, the present altar-piece removed, and one of simple Gothic form substituted in its stead. Over the chancel arch are the Royal Arms ; — surely it is not reverent thus to exalt the symbols of earthly power in the House conse- crated solely to the majesty and glory of the One Omnipotent Being, where was wont to be displayed far higher and holier emblems — emblems of our redemption. In the chancel are three black marble slabs : the centre one bears date 1689 ; that on the South side the name of Sir Hugh Owen, 1698 : a gracefully-executed monument in the South aisle has reference to this slab, whereby we learn that the rails round the communion table have been, since its erection, removed from their original situation. On the tomb on the North side is inscribed the name of Robert Baskerville, but the remainder is illegible ; adjoining this is a stone, greatly defaced, to the memory of Nathaniel Pounall, who died 1611 ; he was 94? ST. AUGUSTINE S CHURCH. Registrar of Bristol and Dorset, and also Rector of Wraxall, in the county of Somerset, where he built the parsonage-house. Of the fame of the others, whose stations when in life perhaps made them honoured and respected, the page of history presents a blank, and tradition is as silent as their graves ; the years that have swept over them have scattered the memory of their deeds unto the winds, and the stranger glances coldly over their names and passes on. The aisles are adorned with hatchments, some belonging unto days long past ; the walls are rich with monumental tablets that have many claims upon the attention and sympathy of the visitor, but which to detail would occupy more space than the limits assigned to this volume would admit. Amongst them, however, should not be unnoticed the tablet at the East end of the South aisle, sacred to the memory of Edward Shiercliff, the author of the first Bristol Guide, published in 1789, prior to the appearance of Barrett's History ; also at the opposite end is another tablet, to the memory of Captain William Feilds, who died 1796, to which I merely refer as an illustration of the familiar style of epitaphs then prevailing. st. Augustine's church. 95 The uniformity of the West end of this Church has, unfortunately, been destroyed by the erec- tion of galleries : it is to be hoped that now mankind are beginning to feel sensible of the serious and baneful influence the introduction of pews have, through a long series of year's, exer- cised upon the public mind ; now, when more accommodation shall be wanted, it will not be the means of destroying the beauty of a Church, but rather of increasing it, by the removal of pews, which will give additional room, and render the erection of galleries unnecessary, and at the same time lead to the overthrow of those irreligious distinctions, that no law can sanction, or authority from Holy Writ defend. The exterior of the Church is pleasing and picturesque, and the judicious removal of the rough-cast from the tower has added materially to the general order of its appearance. There is a greenness and a freshness about the church- yard that we seldom find pervading the final abodes of mortality, when situated in the midst of a populous and commercial district. The remains of the father and mother of Sir William Draper are interred here ; he was the son of a custom-house officer of this port : choosing the 96 st. Augustine's church. army for his profession, the military talents he displayed during his command in India, in 1762 and 1763, led to his receiving the order of knighthood ; he is also celebrated as the antago- nist of the mysterious Junius, with whom he engaged in a controversy in defence of the Marquis of Granby. Sir William built Manilla Hall, Clifton, where he resided for some years, and died at Bath on January 8th, 1787 ; he was buried in the Abbey Church, in the South aisle of which is a tablet, with a Latin inscription, dedicated to his memory. While inspecting monumental stones or tablets, how few we find that have survived their erection but a brief space : it is only where some costly sepulchre, that has escaped the iconoclastic fury of fanatic frenzy, and is now preserved for its architectural elegance of design ; or some vene- rated effigy, representing one, the glory of whose good name surrounds it as a halo, and which time and man for centuries have spared; or some quaint brass of rare device, undestroyed because in rebellious times unseen, — that the production of man's hand vanquishes the inherent spirit of decay, and gains for himself a trifling immortality on earth. €l)ti8t @fyuxc% FORMERLY Urtrteateir to tf\t iBfolg ©riuttg- Time, that beautifies ere it destroys, has not yet removed from this Church that appearance of freshness, which indicates the lateness of its erection, nor shed upon it that mellow tran- quillity which marks the repose of years ; even were it so, and it could be viewed, with the still- ness of age upon it, through the dim twilight of distant memories, the peculiar character of its architecture would still fail in commanding that respect and hallowed reverence, with which we are accustomed to gaze upon temples belong- ing unto antiquity and unto God. There is a devotional effect in the solemn arches of a Gothic building, an awakening of sublime emotions, that bows the heart to religious feelings, that no other style is so capable of imparting. The present 98 CHRIST CHURCH. Christ Church, built in what is termed the light and graceful character of the Grecian style, though simple and chaste, is at the same time little and unimposing, and in itself would not be an object of sufficient interest to claim a notice, were it not that its history naturally leads us into that deep train of retrospective thought, connecting it with ancient structures that we behold no more, bidding imagination awake the slumbering years, and bringing before us a thousand images of the eventful past. We learn from the history of the Kalendaries that a Church, with which they were connected, was founded on this spot prior to the Conquest, but no authority remains from which we might ascertain the exact period of its erection. It was one of the Churches given in the year 1174? by William, Earl of Gloucester, to the Priory of Saint James and Monastery of Tewkesbury. The Church, destroyed in 1786, as far as can be surmised from the engravings that remain, appears to have been constructed about the close of the fourteenth century ; its tower was near the centre of the building, and was crowned with a spire seventy feet in height, with a gilt vane on the top CHRIST CHURCH. 99 resembling a dragon, of which a similar form has been preserved in the vane of the present Church. In the tower was a peal of ten bells, which chimed at the hours of six, eight, and eleven. The West end of this Church was in Broad-street, and had three windows, the centre one being large, high, and of the perpendicular style ; beneath it was an entrance formed by a pointed arch, supported on twisted or vemicular columns ; over this projected a shed from below the windows, covering a shop on the North side of the entrance, but on this side was open, and used as a lounge by porters waiting for hire, who hung their pads against the wall ; the shoe- black, also, with his stool and basket, pursued his occupation here. In 1786 the whole struc- ture was taken down, in order to widen Wine- street, when the statue of a Saxon Earl, seated in a niche, was found walled in at the front ; this, no doubt, belonged to a former Church, and we may conjecture was intended to represent the founder. The dates also of 1003 and 1004, that were discovered of lead let into stone, near the top of the spire, on taking it down and repairing it, in 1765, if genuine, probably referred to the erection of that Church ; that L.ofC. 100 CHRIST CHURCH. they could not have indicated the year in which the spire was built, may be presumed from the circumstance that spires were but seldom intro- duced until the close of the thirteenth century, when the idea is said to have been suggested by the Norman pinnacle. The following curious notice of the old Church forms the commencement of an Allite- rative Poem on the Deposition of Richard II., published by the Camden Society, and which appears to have been written after the time when the King fell into the hands of his enemies, and before the intention of deposing him was publicly made known : — " And as I passid in my preiere ther prestis were at messe, In a blessid borugh that Bristow is named, In a temple of the trinite, the toune even amyddis, That Cristis Chirche is cleped among the comune peple, Sodeynly ther sourdid selcouthe thingis," &c., &c. There were two chantries in this Church, one was dedicated to Saint Michael, and founded in 1491, by Richard Erie, Esq., who gave by will nineteen tenements and a garden, to find a chap- lain daily, to officiate for ever at mass for the soul of himself and Thomasin his wife. CHRIST CHURCH. 101 In the account of the disbursements of the Procurator of Christ Church, for the year 1534, is this entry : — " It. for Ryngyen a genst the comen of the byschep of cantorbyrre to chorche ... ... ... iiijd" This was Archbishop Cranmer, the Martyr. On July 2nd, 1543, the day of the Visitation of our Lady, the Litany was first sung in English, in a general procession from this Church to the Church of Saint Mary Redcliff. This Church was repaired and embellished in 1651, when the' old tower stairs were converted into solid wall, and filled up, to strengthen and support the tower, which was much cracked, and a new staircase was made in the churchyard. A strong arch was also built under the old one, at the East end of the South aisle, and another turned under the old one by the pulpit, with an inverted arch underground ; the expense of the whole was £1,500, and the Church was closed two years and ten months, while the work was in progress. There may be some few yet living, who, in the days of their childhood, have stopped to watch the motions of the " Quarter-boys" that occupied 102 CHRIST CHURCH. the South- West corner of the Church, and to whom their mechanism appeared a marvel and a wonder. Perhaps in those days the simple citizens might have regarded them as one of the lions of the place, and exhibited them with a degree of pride to admiring strangers. They were similar to those which might have been seen, until lately, at Saint Dunstan's Church, Fleet- street, London, and were placed under a circular canopy on each side of the face of the clock ; they were partly habited in armour, with brass helmets, and each grasped a battle-axe, with which they struck the bells suspended over them. It would appear that they were coloured and gilded at different periods with great care, according to the taste of the age. Of the first appearance of the " Quarter-boys," I can obtain no certain information ; it must have been long before 1649, as in this year these were newly set up, when it is fair to presume they were preceded by others, that might have become decayed by age, and thus have occasioned their removal. It may interest a few to know that at the demoli- tion of the Church the " Quarter-boys" were preserved, and are now in the possession of a gentleman at Brislington. CHRIST CHURCH. 103 The present edifice was opened in 1790; it is built of freestone, but being surrounded by houses, the tower only is visible. Its interior is divided into three aisles of equal length, tastefully decorated in accordance with the modern style in which it is designed. There is no mixture of styles to offend the eye, but every portion is finished with a due regard to the harmonious effect of the whole. It may here be remarked that the list of benefactions, which no one would wish to have removed from public observation, but which in some Churches are so conspicuously placed as to disfigure the walls, are here with great judgment placed underneath the organ gallery, where they may be still seen, without detracting from that breadth of effect which these blackened boards so effectually destroy. As an object of some antiquity, a large and heavy oaken chest may be seen behind the organ ; it was originally secured by three locks, and used to contain money and other valuables. The register-books belonging to this Church are very ancient, commencing from the date of the injunction by Cromwell, Earl of Essex. There is also one from Saint E wen's, commencing 104 CHRIST CHURCH. in the year 1538 ; it is fastened by a buckle and strap, and its binding is of very primitive character. But few monuments belonged to the old Church, and scarcely any of these have survived the demolition of its venerable walls. Amongst its memorials, Barrett notices two brasses : one with the date 1400, with a device of two hands holding up a heart, out of which proceeded three scrolls, with words inscribed thereon ; the other was the figure of a man in brass, with three scrolls also coming from his heart, having similar words; this latter was dated 1455. The monu- ments in the present Church have no particular features of attraction ; some mark the spot where repose the ashes of several members of the Tyndal family ; and one or two others may be regarded with interest, from having been removed from Saint Ewen's ; but more especially worthy of note are two brasses placed on each side the ves- try door : one to the memory of the Rev. Richard Standfast, Chaplain in Ordinary to King Charles I.; for his loyalty to his Sovereign he suffered sequestration for fourteen years, and returned to Bristol at the restoration of Charles II. He was Prebendary of the Cathedral, and for fifty-one CHRIST CHURCH. 105 years Rector of this Church, dying in 1684, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. Notwithstanding his blindness for twenty years and better he per- formed the services of the Church exactly, and discharged the office of an able orthodox and diligent preacher. Upon this brass are some singular lines composed by himself, to be put upon his monument, and taken from his own mouth a few hours before his death. This divine appears to have suffered greatly during the civil wars ; at one time he evaded the pursuit of his enemies by putting on the habit of a thatcher, and was upon a house near Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, pretending to be engaged at his work when they came to look for him. After being deprived of his living, which was given to one Evans, a tailor, he was, in March, 1605-6, confined in Bristol Castle, " for his disaffection to the Parliament of England and their pro- ceedings, which in his printing, praying, and preaching, he had expressed." He published a little tract called " A Little Handful of Cordial Comfits," and another entitled "A Caveat against Seducers ;" the former was reprinted in the year 1767, by his great grandson, Mr. Standfast Smith, apothecary. 106 CHRIST CHURCH. The brass on the opposite side is to the memory of Thomas Farmer, Mayor and Alderman, and also to that of his wife, who both died in November, 1624. He possessed qualities that render him deserving of remembrance, it being recorded that during his Mayoralty, in 1616, he went through the city trying the weights and measures, and butter being in that year very dear he purchased it from ships outward bound, which he sold in the market at a reasonable price. It would be unjust to omit observing that the remains of the philanthropist John Elbridge, Esq., Deputy Comptroller of the Customs of this port, who died in 1739, are interred here. He was the original founder of the Infirmary, and also bequeathed three thousand pounds to endow his charity school for twenty-four girls, in Fort-lane, Saint Michael's-hill. It was a cold and dreary afternoon in Novem- ber when I entered the churchyard, a narrow slip of ground, lying between the North side of the Church and the back of the White Hart Inn. The hue and aspect of mortality around me were in unison with the melancholy progress of decay, the harbinger of the falling year ; nor shrubs nor flowers bloomed upon the graves, but the tall, CHRIST CHURCH- 107 sickly, meagre grass, heavy with damp, bent over the mouldering stones. Chill, comfortless, and depressing are the thoughts of death, in a spot so desolate, so penned in by houses that the sunlight of Heaven rarely shines upon the narrow beds where sleep the countless dead, while the many voices of human life resounding in the air sicken the ear with their jarring contrast to the deep silence of the congregated dust below. The ancient Church of Saint Ewen's was consolidated with Christ Church in 1787. In Prout's Antiquities of Bristol is a drawing of the tower as it stood in 1820; shortly afterwards it was removed, and the present Council-house built upon its site. It stood opposite to Christ Church and All Saints. William Wyrcestre states that the great East window of the altar was situated in Broad-street : it was from this window that, in 14-61, King Edward IV. witnessed the procession which conducted Sir Baldwin Fulford to execution. This fact is ascertained by an entry in the Churchwarden's book of accounts for that year. Upon this event is founded the subject of one of the most pathetic of Chatterton's compositions, known by the titlr of the " Bristowc Tragedie." Saint gmnt&8 <£fjurtfj. When Robert, Earl of Gloucester, rebuilt Bristol Castle, about the year 1130, he is recorded to have devoted every tenth stone to the erec- tion of a priory here, which he endowed with lands, and enriched with ornaments, dedicating it to the honour of God, the Blessed Mary, and Saint James the Apostle. It appears to have received grants from several Monarchs and others, and continued to be the retreat of pious and unworldly men until surrendered at the dissolution, January 9th, 1 540 ; from which period it gradually merged to decay and ruin. Leland, who visited this city about the year 1533, thus alludes to it : — " It stondith by Broadmeade by North from the Castle, on a hilly grounde, and the ruines of it stondithe harde butty nge to the East end of the Parish Churche of that name." In the year 1672, its buildings and lands were purchased by the Corporation, and afterwards sold and parted between different persons, when the old erection was converted to various pur- ST. JAMES S CHURCH. 109 poses, and every indication of the remains of a monastic establishment fast disappeared ; the last notice of its ruins is in the year 1753, when what was probably a refectory for the Monks, being a square room at the end of the Church, with niches round it, was then to be seen. In 1788, this room and all else connected with this superb building had passed away ; the form, the aspect, the shadow of its resemblance is unknown — nor time nor man has left one stone upon another to tell the story of its having been ; and little, if unacquainted with its history, could we deem, as we wander around the confines of the present Church, that here, extending over a large space of ground, a vast pile of masonry for centuries flourished in its greatness, and seemed immutably to bid defiance to the vicissitudes of time. The Church of Saint James was originally the Chapel belonging to the Priory, and was made a Parish Church in the year 1374, when the inhabitants, in consequence of the increase of the city in this direction, petitioned the Abbot of Tewkesbury and the Prior of Saint James for permission to hear mass and to celebrate all other divine offices for the living and dead in their Chapel, as in other Diocesan Churches ; their 110 st. james's church. petition was grantee!, on condition that the Prior should have a moiety of the profits of fixing the pales, &c, in the churchyard at the fair; and that the parishioners build one square belfry of stone, in form of a tower, at their own expense, the Prior to find the stone and earth for the mortar; and that bells should be placed therein, at the joint expense of both parties, for their common use. The Church was therefore partly parochial and partly conventual — the Monks belonging to the Priory in turn performing the devout offices therein until the dissolution. When the conventual buildings were destroyed, the tower was left standing at the East end, between the Church and chancel. It is in the perpendicular style, but has undergone so many repairs that but few of its original features remain ; the top is surrounded with a modern balustrade, with shapeless urns at three of the corners ; at the other, the South- West, is a pyramidal pinnacle, crowning an octagonal turret. The urns, I suppose, were placed here during the repairs in 1678, a period when these silly emblems, for certainly they have no meaning in their present situation, and no connexion with a Christian Church, were so generally approved and adopted. ST. JAMES S CHURCH. Ill The West front of this Church presents a beautiful specimen of Norman architecture, a portion of the original building. On its surface is an arcade of semicircular intersecting arches, enriched with the zigzag moulding, rising from shafts with simple cushioned capitals, forming, at some of their intersections, pointed arches ; over this arcade is a small round window, of rare occurrence in this country, called a rose, otherwise a wheel window ; below was the primi- tive entrance beneath a circular arch, with an indented moulding. It is much to be regretted that this, the most ancient architectural remains we have in this city, should be obscured from public view by the houses that have been obtruded before it ; and it may surely be augured that now we are beginning to appreciate the few vestiges left to us of the works of holy men, who laboured for Heaven's glory far ages back, that efforts will be made to restore these muti- lated decorations, and remove the obstructions by which they are concealed. So surrounded by houses is this building that the South exterior only is visible ; it has a range of square-headed perpendicular windows, with a porch at either end of the aisle, which does not 112 ST. JAMES'S CHURCH. impress us with a favourable idea of the architec- tural taste prevailing at the period of their erec- tion, about the end of the seventeenth century. When the view of this Church was taken, as it appears in Barrett's History, it had but one porch, which was at the Eastern end, and from its style would have been equally appropriate if applied to domestic architecture. In the interior some portions of the original building have been preserved : they consist of the round massy piers, with capitals approximating to the cushion shape, with a square abacus above, supporting semicircular arches ; these are spe- cimens of Norman architecture. Some of the clerestory windows are small and narrow, with semicircular arches, simply chamfered, without ornament of any kind ; others have been intro- duced, various in shape and at different periods, until all appearance of uniformity is entirely lost. There are also some clerestory windows, of the Norman character ; these are small and narrow. On the exterior is an arcade, not visible from below, consisting of a series of shafts, with the Norman capital supporting irregularly pointed arches. The remaining portion of the edifice, not in the style of the original building, partakes st. james's church. 113 of the debased perpendicular, the results of the repairs in 1698, and subsequent periods. In 1804 this Church was repaired, with the addition of a South gallery ; and on May 2nd, 1824, a new organ was erected here, in the old case, by Smith, and a choir organ added, raised upon a new gallery, for the use of the children of the Sunday schools. What time and the Reformation had spared of the beauty of this fabric, successive generations of Churchwardens have succeeded in destroying, or barbarously mutilating. All the capitals of the piers are concealed by the galleries that have been added at different periods for the purpose of affording increased accommodation for the wants of an increasing parish. Would not the removal of the pews have added to the appropriate solemnity of the building, which is now entirely lost sight of, not only afforded equal, but abso- lutely more room, and at the same time broken those artificial distinctions of society that man would now seek to uphold even in the presence of his Creator ; alike subject to His almighty power — under the same roof — uttering the same prayer —adoring the same God — the rich and the poor assemble — but, alas I where is the feeling of Q 114 st. james's church. harmony that should be engendered in thus meet- ing for one specific and holy purpose, when the pride of wealth, apart in spacious pews, has sought a privilege for itself on earth, for which no sanction, no authority, can be found in that sacred volume from which His doctrine emanates. It is the very small portion appropriated for the poor that has been one great cause of rendering them seceders from our national Church. It is the exhibition of pride, the keeping up that marked distinction of classes, that makes them feel that they are poor, and repulses them even from the very entrance ; it is this that has bred and fostered so much dissent, dissevered large bodies, and crowded chapels and meeting-houses with sects of every denomination : let the pews be removed, let free accommodation be offered to all, and we shall find the benign influence of our established religion will more extensively prevail, and peace, good will, and harmony, unite all classes in one common worship, and one common prayer. St. James's has no chancel, it having been destroyed probably soon after the Reformation ; its site is now occupied by a house erected against the present East wall of the Church. The picture of " The Transfiguration," over the Corinthian ST. JAMES'S CHURCH. 115 altar screen, at the East end of the nave, was put up in the year 1768. To the appearance of the altar, with its accessories, it is useless to allude ; this incongruous mixture of styles occurs so frequently in Churches that have been beautified within the last century or two, that it is more matter of surprise to find any unmarked by this tasteless and ignorant inconsistency. It is much to be deprecated that monuments should have been erected immediately adjoining, and almost overtopping the very altar ; mementoes of man should not intrude themselves upon the eye, in a place exclusively devoted to the most sacred, solemn, and important rites of the Christian service. With every desire to do justice to the memory of the good and exalted qualities of the late Rector, I could have wished that some spot more appropriate, more in accordance, I should ima- gine, with his own feelings, could have been selected for the erection of his bust. There are few monuments of any particular attraction in this Church ; the most so, on account of its antiquity and the mystery that surrounds it, is the effigy beneath an arched recess, in the South wall, near the East end of the aisle, said, in an inscription on brass, dated 116 st. james's church. 3 1819, to represent Robert, Earl of Gloucester? the founder of the Church, but on account of its feminine appearance, considerable doubt exists as to the warrior's claim to this tomb. Barrett alludes to it as being near the belfry- door in 1710, but when he wrote his History, as it was not then to be seen, he supposed it to have been destroyed, or concealed by the high wainscot seats there ; the latter supposition was fortunately correct, for on removing the pews in January, 1818, it was discovered, and restored with its effigy as it now appears, when the inscription before alluded to was put upon a brass plate above it. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, after many military exploits, died of a fever, at Gloucester, in the beginning of November, 1147* and was buried, by his own directions, in the chapel, in the middle of the choir of the Priory of Saint James, in a sepulchre of green jasper, supported by six low pillars. Many years after, a writing on parchment, concerning him and the time of his death, was found in his tomb. The uncertainty with which time shrouds the memory of the mighty as well as the humble is here exemplified. The founder's monument remains obscured for years within the walls of the fabric ST. JAMES'S CHURCH. 117 he had raised, and, when discovered, its identity- is a matter of conjecture, and his dormant claim to the nameless sepulchre but half accorded. Eleanor, sister of Prince Arthur, after being a prisoner in Bristol Castle for forty years, died in 1241, and was also buried in the Chapel of the Priory of Saint James, but was afterwards removed to the nunnery of Congresbury, by a charter of license from Henry III. Perhaps the effigy before alluded to might have been intended to perpetuate her memory, and allowed to remain here when the body was removed, As regards its general character, it certainly has more claims to be considered as the repre- sentation of a female form, than the semblance of one whose arm was strong in the battle field, and whose valour and renown vied with the greatest of his time. On the South side of the altar is a monument to the memory of Sir Charles Somerset and his lady Emma. The figures of the Knight, his wife, and an only daughter, are kneeling beneath a Corinthian canopy, but although carefully executed, and the details of their costume finished with remarkable accuracy, yet the diminutive size of the figures, which are less than life, 118 ST. JAMES S CHURCH. detracts much from the dignity and stateliness of the whole, which a display of unmeaning and tasteless attempts at decorating the architectural portion does not contribute to improve. Sir Charles, as we are informed by the inscription on the monument, died March 7th, 1598, aged sixty-four : he was the fifth son of Henry, Earl of Worcester, and standard-bearer to her Majesty's band of gentlemen pensioners. Against the East wall is a brass to the memory of Henry Gibbes, Mayor and Alderman of this city, who died in 1636, aged seventy-three; and also to Anne Gibbes his wife, who deceased in 1631, aged seventy. The devotion of our ances- tors is here represented in the simple and usual form of father and sons, mother and daughters, kneeling on either side of an altar. Although, as portraits, they are, of course, wholly imaginary, it is curious to observe their strict adherence to the costume, according to the rank they held in life. On a raised tomb, covering a vault against the wall of the old priory, were inscriptions to the memory of the Chester family, who flourished in Bristol in the sixteenth and seventeenth centu- ries, and were buried in this Church, One of st. james's church. 119 this family, William Chester, Mayor of Bristol in 1537? a point-maker, is noticed in the city annals as having founded the alms-house on Saint James's-back, called the Gift-house ; also for his prudence in having appeased the mal- contents at a great insurrection in Bristol, in 1549, and by his exertions procuring for them a general pardon ; he died the 1st of January, 1572-3 ; it is probable, therefore, that he is the same Chester alluded to in Adams's Calendar, as having, in the year 1561, with the assistance of his company, been the means of pacifying the citizens, who were in an uproar, and went all armed into the Marsh about the christening of a child. Thomas Chester, mer- chant, son of the above William Chester, was also Mayor of Bristol : he purchased the manor of Almondsbury, and was High Sheriff of the county of Gloucester in 1557? and died Sep- tember 24th, 1583. Thomas Chester is noticed in the City Annals as being one of the three Aldermen who died and were buried in the same week ; the names of the others were Thomas Kelke and William Tucker. There were three chantries in this Church: one established by John Stone, by license from 120 st. james's church. Henry IV., for one monk to celebrate mass daily for his soul at the altar of Saint Thomas ; another, founded by the will of John Spicer, in 1440, for one priest and seven monks to sing mass for ever for the repose of his soul, and his wife A vis's, and for all the faithful ; the annual rent amounted to ten pounds one shilling, dis- tributed to the prior, monks, and singing priests, to the Mayor and Sheriffs for attending, to the beadsman, and for wax tapers, and for bread for the dole of the poor. Also by will, in 1454, William Ponam gave several tenements for the chantry at the altar of the Virgin Mary, to be celebrated for his and his wife Edith's souls, and for his obiit the 9th of February. The two last chantries were sequestered to the King's use the first year of the reign of Edward VI. William Prynne, in his " Antipathie of the English Lordly Prelacie, both to Regall Mo- narchy and Civill Unity," &c, &c, published in 1641, says that Robert Skinner, eleventh Bishop of Bristol, "threatened to interdict a faire kept in the parish of Saint James, in Bristoll, if they would not set up a pair of decayed organs in that Church." st. james's church. 121 It does not impress us with a favourable notion of the liberties of the subject after the Restora- tion, or of the toleration of the members of the Established Church on religious matters, to find it recorded that in 1679, "at a vestry of Saint James's Church, four persons were held guilty, being convicted of a most heinous crime, and cited into the Spiritual Court for purloining the Lord's Day, in travelling to Bath on foot, for which they confessed their sins, and paid twenty shillings for the use of the parish." The Rev. Benjamin Baily, M.A., was pre- sented to the living of Saint James by the Cor- poration on the 8th of July, 1697. He died April 25, 1720, and was buried in this Church, where on a brass plate is a Latin inscription to his memory, which has been transcribed by Barrett. There is an engraved portrait of this gentleman prefixed to a volume of his sermons. In the year 1804, while examining a dilapidated portion of the Church, then undergoing repair, a stone trough or coffin of a square form was dis- covered, the stone at the top apparently without any cement or soldering to keep it over the receptacle of which it constituted the lid ; the removal of this flat covering exposed to the sight R 122 st. james's church. a skeleton in fine preservation, with some few vestiges of the former rank and station of the deceased, consisting of a crosier, and a silver thumb ring, of a pointed oval form, like the vesica piscis ; not a vestige of cerecloth or of the Abbot's sacerdotal habiliments were left by the destroying hand of time, but the skull was covered by a black velvet cap, tightly fitting the head, from beneath which a profuse " fell of hair," of a brown hue, excited the admiration and surprise of the beholders : truth compels me to add, that a Rev. Gentleman present, allowing his antiquarian feeling to get the better of his judgment, actually conveyed the Abbot's head, cap, hair, and all, under his arm to his own abode, where he unblushingly exhibited it to the won- derment of his friends. Buried, no doubt, in state and pomp, with all the gorgeous pageantry of ecclesiastical magnificence, thus after centuries of repose, his name and time of existence alike unknown, did the light of day illumine the dark- ness of the tomb, and disclose to another people and another age the form and distinctions of one of the Abbots of St. James's Priory. Qfyuxct) ot St $Q$n Xty Baptist. Associated with the history of Bristol — with its assaults, its sieges, and all the horrors of its civil warfare — the archway under the tower of this church excites particular interest, from its having been the north gateway or entrance to the old city, and forming part of the regular fortifi- cations. The channel in which the portcullis used to traverse still remains for imagination to build its history upon, and conjure up the startling incidents connected with the stirring times when it had its occupation and its usage. The archway, which is pointed with clear well- defined mouldings, has a groined ceiling, the ribs of which terminate in a circular opening. Two mutilated statues, supposed to represent Brennus and Belinus, the reputed founders of Bristol, are placed in ogee crocketed niches in the inner side of the gateway ; the stiffness of their attitudes, and rude style of sculpture, indicate their execu- tion at a very primitive age, and, in the absence of all satisfactory information respecting them, 124? st. john's church. favours the supposition that they belonged to a more ancient gateway attached to the original Church existing on this spot. That one was founded here at a very early period, is ascertained from the fact of its being among the Churches that were the fee of William, Earl of Gloucester, and were given by him to the Priory of Saint James, and the Monastery of Tewkesbury, as we learn from Henry the Second's deed of confir- mation dated in 1181. The present fabric was erected by Walter Le Frampton, Mayor of this city in 1357? who filled the same office in 1365 and 1374, and whom William Wyrcestre styles " Mercator Nobilis;" he also describes the building as " A Church with a faire gate under a tower, with a high spire of freestone, and six bays or arches, with six windows on the North side, and two only on the South ;" but this latter does not correspond with the number and disposition of the windows in the Church, but rather to those of the crypt, to which he probably referred. The interior of the Church, which consists of but one aisle, presents a very early specimen of the perpendicular style ; whose beauty is in a great measure lost by its being crowded with seats and st. John's church. 125 pews, and by the position of the pulpit and reading desk, which, being immediately under the chancel arch, obstruct the view of the altar, and give to the whole building a confused appearance, that detracts considerably from the effect it would otherwise assume. Forming a border round the windows, is inserted a small narrow band of stained glass, composed ofportions of figures, drapery, old English inscriptions, heral- dic bearings, feathers, leaves, and other ornaments, the collected remnants of, perhaps, the great East window, destroyed by the unholy zeal of puritans and fanatic men. The chancel is separated from the choir by .a high narrow lancet arch, not usually found in buildings of this date. The room at the East end, now separated from the chancel, was formerly the High Altar, and received the name of vestry-room, when applied to the use of that body in the year 1572. It is erected on city land, and pays one shilling per annum to the Corporation. Affixed to the wall, near the South window, is an iron branch, upon which stands an ancient ornamented hour-glass, that turns upon a pivot: these were introduced into Churches prior to the reign of Elizabeth, to regulate the time occupied in preaching — they 126 ST. JOHN S CHURCH. were usually attached to the pulpit, or to the wall adjoining. Near this is an extremely quaint disproportionate figure, having a crown upon its head ; with one arm destroyed, and the other supporting a portion of the drapery in which it is enveloped. At the North-West corner of the Church, now obscured by the gallery, is an iron instrument of singular construction, said to be a manacle, having had a stage underneath it, upon which persons under sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court stood exposed during Divine service. In a pew below is the font, supported on a pedestal with four claws ; it is large, of curious form, ornamented with angels' heads, and a pecu- liar flower belonging to the decorated style. Before the entrance to the chancel, under- neath the boards that cover the stone floor, are the effigies in brass of Thomas Rowley and his wife ; the latter died in 1470, the former in 1478. He founded a chantry in this Church, and is noticed in the Bristol Annals as having been one of the Bailiffs in the year 1466 and Sheriff in 1475. Chatterton gives us the name of Rowley as chan- try priest here, whether the celebrated Rowley, of whom so great a diversity of opinions pre- st. John's church. 127 vail, must be left to the judgment of the reader. From out of the mouth of the male figure issues a scroll, on which is inscribed in Latin, " Holy Maria, pray for us;" from that of the female, " Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy upon us." To the girdle of the man is suspended a large purse. It is a brass of great interest, and, as at present preserved, may remain for centuries untouched, uninjured by the stealthy progress of decay, that will noiselessly lay its hand upon mementoes of more aspiring import, and hasten them to ruin. The tomb of Walter Frampton, the founder, who was buried here, has been removed from its original situation, near this brass, to the North side of the altar. Its front is divided into seven compartments, containing shields, with coloured heraldic bearings ; upon it is lain his effigy, representing him in a robe or gown over a coat of mail, which is visible below the elbows, and covers a portion of the hand; sus- pended from the neck by a broad band, with an inscription upon it, is a cross-hilted sword ; his hands are raised in devotion, and the expression of the face is particularly fine and dignified. There was a chantry here founded by him, 128 st. john's church. called Cantaria St. Maria, of which Richard, son of John Coke, "was chantry priest. There was also another chantry in this Church, of which John Popley was priest in 1531. On the opposite side of the chancel is a mural monument by Rysbrack, claiming notice for the exquisite beauty of the two carved cherubs that adorn its base: these, through the injudicious manner in which they have been used by some party employed to take casts of them, have been unfortunately injured. Descending on the Northern side by a few steps into the crypt, which was dedicated to the Holy Cross, it is impossible to see without regret the utter absence of all order and neatness envinced in this portion of the edifice ; there can be no excuse for allowing it to be a receptacle for every sort of rubbish, for allowing oyster-shells and dirt to accumulate on its floor, or cobwebs to flourish and spread their tangled nets upon its walls. If Churchwardens of a past date had devoted as much perseverance in preserving the cleanliness of the place as they have in incrusting the carvings of the bosses with their " beautifying " coats of white and yellow wash, they might have rendered this crypt, the second in interest belonging to the st. john's church. 129 city, an object of great attraction to all who can appreciate the beauties of ecclesiastical archi- tecture. A visit to the crypt of Saint Nicholas might suggest a hint as to the order in which this could and ought to be preserved. The Eastern portion of the crypt is elevated a step, and separated from the Western by a fence composed of fine carved work, with folding gates in the centre; it is the most ancient part of the structure, the piers and capitals being of early English character, a style prevailing at a period sufficiently approximating in date to the first notice we have of a church on this spot, to ren- der more than .probable the supposition that this crypt was a portion of the original edifice. The piers in the Western half have no capitals, and correspond in character with the style of the Church. All the minuteness and delicacy of carving that once distinguished the rich bosses or rosettes placed at the intersection of the ribs of the groined roof have lost all distinctness, by the frequent and unsparing application of the lime brush : as far as can be discerned, the bosses consist entirely of tracery and foliage. On the sides of the carved gateway just alluded to, are placed a lion and an unicorn, s 130 st. John's church. bearing shields — on one the Prince's feathers, and on the other a white rose, the badge of Edward the Fourth. There are similar animals with shields on each side of the chancel arch above, but these are of later date, and the crests not the same. It would be interesting to know whether these ancient relics were appendages to the crypt in days far back, when mass was per- formed, the Holy Host elevated and adored within its now sombre walls, and the light from the wax tapers that shone on the altar and the crucifix, glimmered on the stern features of enthusiastic men in their quaint and varying garbs, forming a picture which the fancy might connect with the strange wild deeds of the reso- lute spirits, whose stormy passions marked the aspect of the times. In the year 1828, when breaking through the South wall, preparatory to forming an Eastern entrance for foot passengers adjoining the tower, a stoup or basin for holy water, used for the purpose of aspersion on entering the Church, was discovered ; they are generally found on the North side of the outer or inner porch, or near the entrance door. The original and only entrance to this Church at one period, which was closed st. John's church. 131 about this time, may still be discerned in the out- line of a pointed arch under the tower, near which this stoup was placed. There is a stoup pre- served in the South- West wall of the crypt, with the figure of an angel over it, supporting a shield charged with a cross. This probably may be the one unto which I have alluded. There is also another stoup in a niche, on the North side, immediately before the division of the crypt, which, from traces of an archway which formed an entrance here being still discernible in the outer wall, may be considered as it was originally placed, and as having been used when this por- tion of the building was appropriated to the solemnizing of religious rites. Connected with the above alteration was the removal of the conduit built against the South- West wall of the Church, when a small narrow opening was disclosed, which, from its situation beneath the sill of the window, under which has been made the South- West entrance, would enable persons within the Church to have an uninterrupted view up Broad-street, which the height of the window from the floor would not admit of. Its restora- tion to observation was immediately followed by 132 st. John's church. its destruction ; but, though only to be seen for a few hours, Mr. Tyson, with his accustomed ardour for the preservation of some memorial of all vestiges of antiquity that are doomed to destruction, contrived to obtain a drawing of the object, from which I am thus enabled to allude to its having been. Underneath the windows of the Eastern por- tion of the crypt are three table-tombs, with crosses and inscriptions carved upon their lids, the latter so obliterated as only to be deciphered but with the greatest difficulty ; for so small a place, the number of monuments it contains is somewhat unusual, and renders it a matter of surprise that more is not known respecting them. On the opposite side are three others, the centre one, under an ogee canopy, is of white alabaster, covered with several coats of paint; on it reclines a male and female figure, with the drapery of the female sculptured in the finest manner : the front of the tomb is covered with a long range of children : unfortunately, the compartment in the centre, which probably contained the arms of the family, is perfectly plain, so that there is now no indication remaining by which we may SOWLEY's MONUMENT. st. John's church. 133 designate to whom it belonged ; it is said to be the monument of the Thomas Rowley, whose brass has before been described ; the costume of the male figure differs materially from the one in brass, although it may be probable some record exists to identify the tomb with this individual. There is also another tomb built into the wall, at the Western extremity of the North side, under a foliated arch ; upon it is a large flat stone, of soft material, on which are three figures roughly outlined. The imperfect light prevented my clearly discerning them, so as to decide whether they belonged to the tomb, or were an imitation by some modern hand. The remains of Sir George Snigge, eldest son of Baron Sir George Snigge, Recorder of Bristol, are buried in this crypt. He was drowned at ten o'clock of the night of December 27th, 1610, in attempting to cross the ferry at Rownham on horseback, on his way to Sir Hugh Smyth's, at Ashton. His body was not found until the 10th of June following, when it was taken up at the graving-place, without either hands or legs. A vellum book, in the possession of the vestry, 134 st. John's church. commences its entries as early as 1469 ; in it is a charge of expenses on the occasion of Cardinal Pole visiting Bristol in 1556. When a design was entertained, in 164-2, by Robert Yeomans and George Bouchier, to deliver up the city to the King's forces, chains and locks were provided to secure St. John's gate, and the door of the shroud or crypt was forced open that it might serve as a prison during the assault ; the bells of the Church were also to be rung, as a signal to Prince Rupert that Froom gate was in possession of the loyal party. In June, 1649, the bells of this Church were newly cast, and a new frame made for them, and on Saint John's day, in 1675, the weather-cock of the steeple was blown down, and another put up on the 3rd of May, 1676. This, and the preceding particulars, is all the information I am enabled to obtain respecting this Church ; the latter, perhaps, is trite and unnecessary ; — that there are other and more interesting incidents connected with it cannot be questioned. The burial ground belonging to this parish is detached from the Church, and surrounded by houses, except on its Northern side, where it is st. john's church. 135 separated by a wall from John-street. It is a miserable and repelling place, displaying that indifference and neglect of neatness and pro- priety by which the burial grounds in the midst of cities and populous districts are so generally distinguished ; uncared-for and noisome spots, that seem to sport with the sorrows of the living, and sink the heart in barrenness of spirit, — where the memories of the good, that should be as protecting angels to their graves, have lost all sway and influence, and are forgotten in the fearful empire of cold earthly feelings, — where the holy quiet, that should pervade the sanc- tuaries of the dead, is broken by the daily noises of passing life, the harsh irrelevance of worldly sounds. There was formerly a monument of freestone here, to the memory of Robert Strange, who died in the year 1491, and, with his wife, was buried in this yard, but every vestige belonging to their tomb has long since disap- peared. Robert Strange was Mayor of Bristol in the years 1474, 1482, and 1489 ; to him is attributed the building of Saint John's Alms- house, but there appears to be some uncertainty respecting it. According to Barrett, a commis- 136 st. john's church. sion was held in 1640 to inquire into the trust of this charity, by which it appeared that the revenues had been embezzled, several leaves having been cut out of the parish books, and the inscription on his tomb in the churchyard entirely defaced. The answer negatives, in express terms, not only such endowment by the said Robert Strange, but declares also a disbelief that such almshouse was ever built by him, as surmised by the bill. The earliest mention of the almshouse in the parish books is under 1500. In the year 1479 this Strange was accused by Roger Markes, a townsman, of coining money, and sending gold over the sea unto the Earl of Richmond, in consequence of which the King sent for him and committed him to the Tower, where he remained seven or eight weeks ; but it being discovered that the accusation was false, Roger Markes was had to Bristol, and there hanged, drawn, and quartered. On the Western side of the gateway of Saint John's Church formerly stood the ancient Church of Saint Lawrence, which had been sold at the dissolution of religious houses, with much other ecclesiastical property, to Henry Brayne, mer- st. John's church. 137 chant-tailor, of London ; falling to decay, and having but a small parish, it was united and incorporated with Saint John's in the year 1580; the walls and arched framework still remained in 1824, the wood being in remarkable preservation. Of its history little has record or tradition snatched from oblivion's dark gulph — of its tombs, its monuments, its altars, — of all that wealth had made costly,— of all that sacred usage had rendered holy, there is neither stone nor sign remaining ; the breath of time, that crumbles all things to dust, has passed over it, and left no mark to indicate the site whereon the building stood. eimrcli of St iWavg^e-povt The earliest intimation we have of a religious fabric having been erected on the site of the present Church is in the reign of Henry II., about the year 1170, when its foundation is attributed to William Earl of Gloucester, by whom it was granted and confirmed to the Priory of Keynsham, for the sustenance of the Canons there, as appears in a deed, dated 5th January, 1318, confirming the donation. It stands on a rising ground, on the North side of the Avon, and there formerly was a gradual ascent to it from the river, where ships, before the erection of the bridge in 1247, usually discharged their cargoes, whence it took the name of Mary -le- Port. On removing the shambles, about the year 1760, to erect the North side of Bridge-street, large Gothic arched cellars were discovered, formerly used for the reception of merchandise. This Church has undergone so many repairs ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. 139 and alterations, that it is a question whether any portion of the original building, with the excep- tion of the tower, remains. The latter is of early English character, with the shafts of its upper windows much mutilated, but the battle- ments and pinnacles that surmount the tower are evidently of a period posterior to the con- struction of the original structure ; the South- East pinnacle is loftier than the others, and divided into three stages, decorated with trefoil arches. Furrowed over with years, that age has chiselled upon its face, shattered by the fury of elementary strife, its hoary head has long strug- gled with the cankering hand of time, until the fretted surface of its crumbling, mouldering stones, bears legible impress of the riot and the desolation that follow in the track, over which has flown the darkening shadow of his mighty wings. In the tower are eight bells, put up in 174?9, being then re-cast ; on the tenor, which was very old, was this inscription in Gothic characters : — " Maria : filii : tui : auxilio : Gu- berna : parochiae : tuse in Hora." A very curious account of this Church has been published by Barrett, which was given to him by Chatterton, as transcribed from Rowley, 140 ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. but its authenticity in this latter respect must be regarded as apocryphal, otherwise it would possess peculiar interest. In it he states that the Church was repaired in the year 1300, by the grandsire of William Cannynge, named Robert, who was buried here, and over whose tomb was a graven brass, with an epitaph that he inserts, and which, whether the production of Rowley or Chatterton, does not lessen its great poetic beauty. The exterior of the Church on the North is entirely obscured by the quaint old houses that appear to lean against it for support ; these are ornamented with a particular sort of plaister work, called pargetting, and appear to belong to the reign of Elizabeth, or perhaps later : prior to their erection, it is more than probable there were windows on this side to correspond with those on the South. The deficiency of light occasioned by having these stopped, has been attempted to be remedied by the introduction of windows over the arches that divide the aisle ; they are formed partly in the roof, which not being at all adapted to receive them, renders their effect displeasing and unsightly. An entrance on this side still remains, which is ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. 141 remarkable from its being burrowed, as it were, underneath the ancient tenements that exclude the Church from view. There is but little inside this Church to repay the visitor for the trouble he may have in obtaining admission, and where there exists no striking peculiarity in the architecture of a building, it would be trite and wearying to attempt its description ; suffice it to observe, that it consists of two aisles, from one of which a portion has been infringed upon, near the chancel, for the site of a clumsy wooden box, used as a vestry-room, which, it is to be hoped, compensates by. its utility for the deficiency of taste it displays in design, and its most inappro- priate situation. The roofs of the aisles may also be noticed from their being covered with ornamented work, which has been so frequently renovated, that a little more perseverance in a similar manner will entirely remove every indi- cation of their original character. The most conspicuous object that attracts the eye, on entering at the West door, is the brass lettern under the chancel arch ; its form is the figure of an eagle, with outspread wings, standing 142 ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. on a globe, supported by a massy pedestal, with four lions at its base, and is altogether seven feet high. In 1683, it was given to the Cathedral by George Williamson, B.D., Sub-Dean, and stood in the choir one hundred and nineteen years ; on it the Minor Canons formerly read the lessons. But the Dean and Chapter becoming tired of this sacred ornament, sold it as old brass, for twenty-seven pounds odd, in June, 1802, for the alleged purpose of making an addition to the sacramental plate. It was after- wards purchased, at an advanced price, to prevent its being broken up, by Mr. W. Ady, by whom it was presented to this Church, with an inscription on it, recording its history, and directing it to remain there for ever. In a turret at the South wall of the chancel, adjoining the arch, is a flight of steps that through a doorway conducts to the pulpit; formerly it was the passage to the rood-loft. The rood-loft, with the crucifix, the Virgin and St. John, and all notable images belonging to it, were probably taken down and burnt, by command of King Henry VIII., in 1538, at which time an order came to Bristol for the destroying of ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. 143 divers rood-lofts and figures of saints then remaining in the Churches. A cover or lid, which, from its shape, apparently belonged to a small stone, coffin, was lately found in this turret ; it is, of course, very ancient, as coffins of stone were seldom introduced after the 12th century. Its situation in the turret may be accounted for from its having been made use of in repairing or rebuilding this portion of the Church. There are no monuments here of great antiquity, neither could I find amongst the many mural tablets any of sufficient interest to arrest attention. Near the vestry, in the North wall, is a table tomb under a pedimental canopy, the cornice supporting three mutilated figures, and the spandrils carved with leaves and flowers much raised, but wanting in clearness and deci- sion, which may in a great measure be owing to the numerous coats of paint with which the monument has been covered. Seven shields, under trefoil arches, decorate the front, but there is neither date, nor inscription, nor heraldic bearings, to tell to the many who may gaze upon it to whom it once belonged. In March, 144 ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. 1814, on sinking a vault near this tomb, a corpse was found here in a remarkably good state of preservation, erroneously supposed to be the body of Mr. Yeamans, who was executed in Wine-street, together with Mr. Bouchier, 30th of May, 1643, for conspiring to deliver up the city to Charles I. ; but a contemporaneous pamphlet, intitled " The Two State Martyrs," in which is described the manner of their execution, states that Mr. Yeamans was buried at Christ's Church ; unless, therefore, some positive reason can be brought forward to prove this statement incorrect, it follows that every supposition and conjecture respecting the body of Mr. Yeamans having been interred here must prove utterly groundless. There were several chantries in this Church, which were all suppressed 37th Henry VIII., 1546, and their revenues appropriated to his Majesty's use. The principal Chapel was endowed by John Inhyng in 1457, who left by will fifteen shops, a rack in Bear-lane in Temple-street, and also a house there, for mass to be celebrated for ever on Valentine's Day in this Chapel, which was dedicated to Saint ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. 145 Katherine, and that eight priests should attend the celebration, and receive fourpence each. In the month of October, 1658, the Church- wardens were ordered not to suffer the bells of this Church to be rung, nor the doors to be opened, without permission of the Mayor and Aldermen, in consequence of a lecture having been " set up" here, at seven in the mornings of Sundays, without authority. On taking down the shambles an old mooring- post, with an iron ring, much worn, was dis- covered, anciently used by the vessels lying in the river below, which post was removed to the Church about the year 1750. Barrett says it stood within the North door, against the East side, under the monument affixed to the North wall, to the memory of Thomas Smith. It is still to be seen inserted into the stones, near the centre of the Western extremity of the church- yard wall. How it has been preserved, and from what cause destined to survive the hand of improvement that has changed the aspect of all around, may now be unknown ; by most, so simple an object may not be regarded ; it is only by connecting it with the images of by-gone days and things, when ships u 146 ST. MARY-LE-PORT CHURCH. loaded and unloaded their cargoes in the port below, where now the present Bridge- street stands, — it is only by contemplating the vast changes with which it is associated, that it becomes an object of dreamy interest for busy imagination to speculate upon. Saint $XU%mV* Gfyuxct). Those who have paid attention to the eccle- siastical history of this city cannot but be surprised that, at a time when its limits were comparatively circumscribed, and its inhabitants proportionably few, so great a number of Churches should have flourished within its walls i — independent of the many wealthy and powerful religious establishments of every denomination that abounded here. The writer of these pages has not attempted to describe any of the modern Churches, which the wants of an increasing population have rendered necessary, and which, erected within our own remembrance, cannot be supposed to possess sufficient interest to awaken inquiry, but has confined his observations solely to the primitive buildings belonging to the ancient city ; many of these, it is true, have long passed away, and have been replaced by others that, in their modern form, present no indication of the venerable edifices that have disappeared, but still they are identified with the 148 st. Michael's church. local history of the city, that in bygone times their antique structures adorned, and still possess a charm, from being founded on the same site and occupying the same spot that for so many ages has been consecrated to God's holy worship. It is, therefore, on account of its early associa- tions that, although a modern building, and in its history singularly barren of interest, the Church of Saint Michael is necessarily included in this volume. Robert Fitzhaymon, the founder of Tewkesbury Abbey, is considered as the probable founder of this Church, which, it may be here remarked, is erected, like all others dedicated to Saint Michael, on an elevated and Northern situation. This Robert was a great man of his time, holding until his death, in 1107, the honour and earldom of Gloucester, which, with the Castle of Bristol appendant to it, were given to him by William Rufus, in 1089, in consideration of his great services. But the earliest notice we have of this Church is in 1174, when it appears to have been one of those that was the fee of William, Earl of Gloucester, the grandson of Robert Fitzhaymon. In 1193, Richard Cumblain was presented to the Rectory by the Abbots and Members of st. Michael's church. 149 Tewkesbury Abbey ; in 1291 it was annexed to the Archdeanery of Gloucester and Deanery of Bristol, and, by purchase, in 1627, the Corpora- tion of Bristol became its patrons. In the year 1774, upon a survey of the fabric, the walls and roof were found so decayed that it was considered advisable to remove the old building, with the exception of the tower, and erect a new church with increased accommoda- tion for the parishioners. Respecting this old structure, but little account worthy of tran- scribing has been furnished us. Barrett describes it as small, consisting of two aisles, and refers to there having been two large figures in painted glass, and a Latin inscription without date in the East window, over the communion table, which were taken down and destroyed before his time. From the Bristol Annals we learn that in 1284, Giffard, Bishop of Worcester, visited the nuns of Magdalen House, where he found that the Vicar of Saint Michael had detained from them, for three years, two shillings and two pounds of pepper and cummin yearly, for rent, to the restitution of which he was condemned by the Bishop, who preached there. In 1376 it was appointed that the Mayor, the Sheriffs, and two 150 st. Michael's church. Bailiffs, should, after taking their oaths in the Guildhall, go in the afternoon, accompanied by the whole Council, to Saint Michael's, and there reverently offer to the Saint of that name. On the East side of the tower, over the roof, is a niche, in which the image of Saint Michael, the patron Saint, is still preserved. The present Church, commenced in the year 1775, and completed in 1777, is a specimen of modern taste, a vicious combination of Grecian and Gothic architecture, which it is to be hoped cannot be again countenanced by the increasing purity of taste that characterises the present age. The centre aisle is wide, with a lofty roof sup- ported on four pillars on each side, that divide the centre from the side aisle. Although on entering is experienced an encroaching sense of a great deficiency in ornament and variety, there is a certain breadth and spaciousness pervading that would be impressive were it not destroyed by the appearance of the pointed or Gothic windows that are seen through the Grecian columns. This intermixture of styles in the same edifice, whose characteristics are so distinct, is one of those architectural absurdities which it is satisfactory to perceive has been avoided in the st. Michael's church. 151 elegant structures that have of late years been added to the possessions of this city. The altar- piece, a simple Gothic design, considered sepa- rately, could not be objected to — but as forming a portion of a Grecian edifice it is out of all character. A still greater inconsistency is dis- played in the circular glazed windows that separate the body of the Church from the entrance. They have a very formal business- like appearance, totally incompatible with our associations of the sacred service to which the building is devoted. Although the monuments in this Church are numerous, particularly on the East side, there are but few calculated to excite very general interest ; several have been preserved that belonged to the old building, amongst them is one near the altar, to the memory of John Per- cival, Esq., who died in January, 1764- ; he gave the communion-plate to this Church, was many years a merchant of this city, and raised himself to opulence by his talents and industry. Barrett describes many ancient and interesting monu- ments and inscriptions that were unjustly and unnecessarily destroyed in rebuilding the Church, and have entirely disappeared ; the oldest I could 152 st. Michael's church. find, on a passing examination, is a tablet at the East end of the South wall, to the memory of John Davis, who died in 1748. It is much to be questioned whether monu- mental architecture can ever be made a becoming decoration to a Church ; the black and white slabs that cover and project from the surface of the walls, interrupt, distract, and offend the eye, as rival and independent pieces of mimic archi- tecture, mocked by the dimensions of the sur- rounding pile. A more skilful arrangement of the tablets might, perhaps, render them less unsightly, but however disposed, as interesting and instructive objects, no one would desire their removal. Occasionally, indeed, where a taste has been displayed for inconceivable personifica- tions, and when they present masses of absurdity in point of invention and composition, we might consider them encroachments on space that could be appreciated to a better purpose — but when they contain passages of history, simply and expressively told — when they record virtues and high endowments, that have been devoted to the elevation and happiness of mankind — when they speak of the sorrow, but humble submission of the afflicted to the will of God— when they tell st. Michael's church. 153 of the undying faith, that animated the last moments of the departing spirit — then they have a high and holy purpose, their sublime truths breathe mildly into the heart, and the soul, pure and passionless, obtains that state of tran- quillity which is the perfection of every earthly wish. The exterior of the Church, devoid of all architectural ornament, is as plain and unattrac- tive as can well be imagined. The tower, preserved at the demolition of the old building, is of the decorated character, a style prevailing during the fourteenth century. As the old Church is known to have been erected before this period, it may be as well to observe, that towers were frequently added long after the Church was built. It is adorned with pinnacles and gurgoyles, and has a turret at its South- West angle, to which there is an entrance by a small pointed door-way from the churchyard. The corbels that support the arch of the belfry window are intended to represent the heads of Edward III., and that of his Queen, but are so battered and decayed that all resemblance to the human face has ceased; they serve, however, to indicate the period at which the tower was erected. Other corbels in this x 154? st. Michael's church. city are pointed out as intended to represent these personages, who appear to have been held here in peculiar regard and veneration. The Western door-way of the tower, which we mostly find preserved when all other parts of the Church have been altered or rebuilt, has been destroyed, and an arch, of Tudor design, substituted. In the Churchyard, a flat stone covers the grave of William Isaac Roberts, of this city, who died at the early age of twenty, in Dec, 1806. He was the author of a volume of poems and letters, published after his decease. The genius evinced in these productions must occasion regret that his premature death prevented the full expansion of his intellectual powers ; but the reputation of his many virtues and genius will long render his grave respected and his memory esteemed. St Nicholas Ofyuxtf}. Although, perhaps, every thing was attempted to be accomplished that could render this Church as beautiful and perfect as possible, according to the architectural taste of this country that pre- vailed about a century ago ; and although the general effect is undoubtedly pleasing to the eye, yet it must be acknowledged by all, that however rich, elaborate, and costly the decora- tions, however distinguished by a chasteness and elegant simplicity, the style to which they belong is wanting in capabilities to excite devotion; it does not impress us with that reverential awe which the peculiar formation of Gothic struc- tures are so eminently adapted to create ; and it is much to be questioned whether, instead of its present light appearance, a subdued tone would not have assisted more in fostering the mind, and rendering it more susceptible of the holy influ- ence of religious observances. It is not that gloom or sadness should be associated with the 156 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. worship of our God, — it is not that the troubled and heavy heart should feel the spirit sink more prostrate when entering the tabernacle of the Lord, — but there should be some dissimilarity, some contrast in its character, from other public buildings either devoted to business or amuse- ment ; an impression of its sacred solemnity should be felt, its mysterious hush and quietude should creep over the heart, and, for the time, still every earthly passion into rest. Man's thoughts, too much absorbed by the pleasures and fretful cares of this anxious bustling world, if, but for a brief space he can withdraw them, and forgetting the things of earth that sur- round him, on winged hopes his aspiring spirit travel to its home beyond the skies, that moment of pure tranquillity refreshes and ennobles his mind, and with more submission and more thank- fulness he awakes from his dreams to combat with the trials, or enjoy the pleasures of this uncertain life. The present structure is the third erected on the same foundation ; the first is said to have been founded, in 1030, by Brightycke, or Brictick, Governor of Bristol in 1066, and second son of Aylward, who also held the manor of Lea, ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 157 in Gloucestershire. It appears to have been rebuilt in the year 1503 ; as may be inferred from the will of Thomas Knapp, an eminent merchant and late Mayor, wherein twenty pounds is given "towards building Nicholas Church." The Church stood on the wall that formed the city boundary, and was erected over the ancient gateway, where was a clock, and above it a statue of Henry II., who was educated at Bristol. It was spacious, and had two aisles, the one terminating with a beau- tiful chancel and an altar-piece. Its situation over the gateway admitted of a great elevation to the high altar, and its approach, by an ascent of twenty-three steps of black and white marble, must have imparted a particularly striking and imposing character to its general appearance. The present altar, although embellished with the same sculpture and painting, yet from its being nearly level, and there being no chancel, the original effect is entirely lost. There were six bells fixed in the tower, and the great clock bell was placed above the rest ; it had a Latin inscrip- tion upon it, in which the words " Walteri Darby, Maioris," and the date 1369, occurs. Connected with the history of this old building are the following circumstances. In the year 158 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 1503, it was the custom of the Corporation to go on Saint Nicholas eve to this Church, to hear evensong, and on Saint Nicholas day to hear mass and offer, and hear the Bishop's sermon and receive his blessing. About the same period proclamation was made just before Christmas and other feasts, for the observance of good order during the holidays, and no person what- ever was permitted, after the ringing of the bombell at Saint Nicholas, to carry any kind of light through the street, nor to be armed with any weapon, on pain of fine and imprisonment. An item appears in the Sheriff's account for 1517, " For keepyng of Seynt Nycolas Clocke xxvi s - viij d -" On the second Sunday in Lent, in 1528, Latimer preached a sermon within its walls. In 1539, on the 15th of May, George Wysard or Wischarde, a Scottish preacher, delivered " most blaspitemous heresies" in his lecture here, for which he was condemned to bear a fagot in the Church, and about the parish. He was afterwards burned at Saint Andrew's, in Scotland, in the month of March, 154-8. The Rev. Richard Towgood, Vicar of this Church, was ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 159 sequestered, and committed to the Castle when Bristol was in the possession of the Parliamentary forces in 1646 ; he was afterwards Dean of Bristol. The congregation of this Church appear to have been frequently disturbed by the intrusion and conduct of several members of the religious order commonly called " Quakers," that arose in the year 1652, and was introduced into Bristol in 1654. Ralph Farmer, Minister of Saint James, a high severe Presbyterian, was most violent against them, and, in consequence, rendered himself particularly obnoxious to their body. When preaching at Saint Nicholas he was repeatedly interrupted by their violent and fanatical language ; on one occasion as he was preparing to give the Sacrament to the people, one Elizabeth Marshall cried out, " This is the word of the Lord to thee, Farmer; wo, wo, wo, from the Lord to them who take the word of the Lord in their mouths, and the Lord never sent them ;" endeavouring to give utterance to more she was violently thrust into the street, where she was followed by the people with dirt and stones. As another instance, on the Lord's day, Henry Chappel, for putting on his hat in 160 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. prayer time, and after prayer was ended, crying out, "Believe not in man," was committed to Bridewell. The same happened to many others, who took a pleasure in thus displaying their religious peculiarities ; but frequently they were beaten and kicked, and had their clothes torn by the multitude, before they could obtain the pro- tection of the Magistrates. In our own times, if education may be considered to have done but little towards lessening fanaticism, the mild and liberal spirit of the age has certainly ren- dered us less intolerant on matters of religious belief. There were formerly eight chantries belonging to Saint Nicholas Church ; one by Richard Spycer, who founded Saint George's Chapel, in the Guildhall, now taking down, and who was Mayor of Bristol in the years 1353, 1354, and 1371. I am indebted to Thomas Garrard, Esq., for the expenses of his yearly obiit, as thus detailed in the audit books of 1545-6 : — s. d. To Mr. Mayor... ... ... 6 8 To the Sheriff... ... ... 6 8 To the Town Clerk ... ... 3 4 s. d. 1 1 4 2 6 8 2 4 10 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 161 To his Clerk ... To the Mayor's four Serjeants To the Vicar for his duty To 20 Priests ... The Clerk of St. Nicholas The Bellman ... To bread for poor people £l Of the remaining chantries, four were by Everard Le French, another by William Spencer, and two others by Thomas Knapp, who has already been referred to as having contributed towards the rebuilding of the old Church. Saint Nicholas gateway, upon which the chancel of the Church stood, was taken down in 1762, when it was considered advisable, in con- sequence of the injury a portion of the Church had sustained, to rebuild the whole structure, which was completed by the year 1768, at an expense of six thousand pounds. Its most dis- tinguishing feature is its lofty spire, which rises from the ground to a height of two hundred and five feet, and is a very beautiful and conspicuous object. Interiorly the Church presents a broad and lofty room, with a flat ornamented ceiling, further decorated with a rich cornice, and at the East y 162 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. end a Corinthian altar-piece, of white and gold. The arrangement of the pews, by leaving so open a space in the centre, materially contributes to the effect of the interior, but may be objected to by many as lessening the accommodation. Why pointed perpendicular windows should have been introduced into a building never intended to be Gothic it is difficult to imagine. When the old gateway was taken down, two skeletons were found immured in stone coffins in the walls ; one at the North, the other at the South end of the altar. Coffins appear to have been generally made of stone in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, which renders it not improbable that these were coeval with the original Church. But it is to the crypt that the stranger and the antiquary will turn, and standing in the midst of its shadowy greatness, regard its heavy, massive, and stern columns, the many mouldings and rich ornaments of its arches, the quaint and ever varying decorations of its bosses, with solemn and peculiar interest. The centuries that have swept away fabric after fabric that relied upon it for support, have passed it by unscathed, and left it in its might and stateliness a monu- ment of the work of ages long since passed, ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 163 triumphing over the ruin and desolation that mark the footsteps of the destroying tread of time. From the close of the sixth century, when the conversion of the Anglo Saxons commenced, to the middle of the eleventh, when the Norman style was introduced with the Conquest, what is distinguished as the Anglo Saxon style prevailed in this country. If, therefore, we presume the date given for the foundation of this Church to be correct, it must originally have been an Anglo Saxon structure, and it is not improbable that the existing piers, from their immense solidity, might have been coeval with that building, but now are hidden, being encased, as it frequently happens, with the lighter Early English shafts. The piers which divide the crypt into two aisles are decorated on one side with simple bell-shaped capitals, and correspond- ing shafts ; on the other the mouldings of the arch continue without interruption to the base. These features, together with the introduction of the pointed arch, the character of the sculptured details, all bear indications of the alteration this crypt has undergone at distinct periods, until its primitive architectural character has been 164 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. partly dilapidated by the waste of ages, and wholly lost in the additions and repairs of later times. The following inscription, on a brass plate, is affixed to the East wall of the South aisle of the crypt, and receives light through an aperture of the wall that closes the old South door, which, the crypt on the left hand being boarded off, was used previously to the year 1823, as a thorough- fare into High-street, by another door at the corner of Saint Nicholas-street : — " This crypt is traditionally an ancient ceme- tery of the original Church of Saint Nicholas, which was founded in the reign of Canute the Great, about the year of our Lord 1030 It appears to have been repaired and beautified during the reign of Edward HI., in the year 1361 ; a head of his Queen Philippa being still perfect in the key stone of the first groin in the South aisle. It was afterwards used by the fraternity of the Holy Ghost as a Chapel, in the year 1503, and was religiously preserved when the ancient Church was taken down and rebuilt, in the year 1768. So long a period of time having injured some of the arches, the founda- ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 165 tions were carefully examined and repaired, and the whole building was restored to its original strength and beauty in the year of our Lord 1823, under the immediate superintendence of Mr. Jacob William Attwood, one of the Church- wardens ; — to record whose indefatigable zeal in the prosecution of so laudable a work, the Rev. John Eden, B.D., Vicar, and the other members of the Vestry, have caused this tablet to be erected/' The visitor will be rather startled on entering this crypt, by seeing before him two gilded figures, of the size of life : these, with the figure of justice, standing against the East wall of the entrance, belonged to the altar-piece of the old Church. It is well to see them thus preserved ; their being present tells the story of the past. In a modern portion of the crypt, underneath the tower, remains the old communion table, of simple form, made of oak and cedar, bearing a date upon it of great antiquity. A few years ago, the floor was lowered to its original eleva- tion, and the base of the piers, that were previously covered, thereby rendered visible. There is great beauty in the bosses of the roof, 166 ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. which have been carefully preserved. Amongst the heads is pointed out one of Queen Philippa, wife of Edward III., and another of King Edward II. ; but it must be acknowledged that according to our ideas of portraiture in the present age, the distinction between the male and female heads is not so truly defined as we are accustomed to require ; still the carving of some of the heads is so perfect and masterly, that they would not discredit a later period. Against the South wall, at the entrance, is a stone remaining, that indicates the setting of a brass, containing figures, which has been allowed to drop off. Under a plain circular canopy, at the East wall, reclines a figure that will ever be regarded with interest, representing John Whitson, Mayor and Alderman, and four times Member of Parliament for this city, who raised himself from a humble and obscure station to opulence and distinction ; he died in 1629, aged seventy- two, bequeathing his fortune to charitable purposes. This monument, which was raised over his grave, was removed from here and placed in the porch underneath the tower, but at length replaced in ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH. 167 its original position, to make way for a richly decorated monument, with a similar figure, erected at the expense of the Chamber, in the year 1813. The grave, wherein himself and his three wives and one daughter are laid, is close before the monument in the crypt. He was injured by a fall from his horse, which was the supposed cause of his death ; and being captain of the trained bands of the city, they attended his corpse to Saint Nicholas Church, where the musqueteers gave three vollies over the grave at the interment, according to military custom. There is a charge in the Chamberlain's accounts for 1629, of £5. 3s. 4