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THE 
 
 PRESENT STATE 
 
 OF 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 
 
 IN 
 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 BY 
 
 A. WELBY PUGIN, Architect. 
 
 WITH 
 
 €i)U't£)^t> ftUutftratfon*. 
 
 REPUBLISHED FROM THE DUBLIN REVIEW, 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 CHARLES DOLMAN, 61, NEW BOND STREET, 
 1843. 
 
ON THE PRESENT STATE OF 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 
 IN ENGLAND. 
 
 ARTICLE THE FIRST. 
 
 From the Dublin Review, No. XX. 
 May 1841. 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 P. 73, line 32. For muritans read mullions. 
 P. 110, line 27. For pains read pain. 
 
 P. 130, line 24. For Puritans, bishops, read Puritan bishops* 
 
ON THE PRESENT STATE OF 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 
 IN ENGLAND. 
 
 Art. II. — Elevation of the Cathedral Church of St. Chad, 
 Birmingham. By A. W. Pugin. London: 1840. 
 
 THE revival of our ancient parochial church architecture is 
 a subject which occupies much attention at the present 
 time; after three centuries of demolition and neglect, the 
 solemn structures raised by our Catholic ancestors are being 
 gradually restored to somewhat of their original appearance,* 
 and buildings which but a few years since were considered as 
 unsightly and barbarous erections of ignorant times, are now 
 become the theme for general eulogy, and models for imita- 
 tion. To the English Catholic there is no class of religious 
 edifices of greater interest than the ancient parish churches of 
 this country. They are admirably suited to the present wants 
 and necessities of the Church, nor is it possible to adopt, con- 
 sistently, any other models for the greater portion of our 
 ecclesiastical buildings. 
 
 However glorious, magnificent, and edifying as were the 
 great cathedral and abbatical churches, wonderful monuments 
 of piety and zeal, we cannot turn to them in our present 
 condition as objects of imitation. To rival them is wholly out 
 of the question; to produce a meagre and reduced copy 
 would be little better than caricaturing past glories. They 
 were, in fact, the crowning result of Catholic piety and zeal, 
 when it covered the face of the land, when all hearts and 
 hands were united in the great work of rearing piles to God. 
 These vast and sumptuous churches were, however, only the 
 result of a long series of humble endeavours ; they were the 
 flowers of that faith which had been sown and cultivated by 
 other means. 
 
 It is, in fact, by parish churches, that the faith of a nation 
 is to be sustained and nourished; in them souls are engrafted 
 to the Church by the waters of baptism ; they are the tri- 
 bunals of penance, and the seats of mercy and forgiveness. 
 In them is the holy Eucharistic sacrifice continually offered 
 up, and the sacred body of our Lord received by the faith- 
 
 * Among- these restorations, none is more deserving of praise than that of the 
 Temple church, London. The whole of the unsightly fittings of the last century 
 have been removed, the marble caps and shafts beautifully restored, the whole 
 of the vaulted ceiling diapered and painted, and many of the windows are being 
 filled with stained glass, which, in design and execution, may vie with some of 
 the richest windows of antiquity. 
 
2 
 
 ful ; there the holy books are read, and the people in- 
 structed; they become the seat and centre of every pious 
 thought and deed ; the pavement is studded with sepulchral 
 memorials, and hundreds of departed faithful repose beneath 
 the turf of the consecrated enclosures in which they stand. 
 Each Catholic parish church is the history of the adjacent 
 county ; the family chantry, with its baronial monuments and 
 heraldic bearings, the churchman's brass, the crusader's 
 tomb, the peasant's cross, the storied windows, are all evi- 
 dences of a long series of men and events; and valuable 
 indeed are the national records furnished by many of even 
 the humblest churches of this land; and even now, dese- 
 crated and despoiled as they are, still is there a traditionary 
 reverence for these monuments of ancient piety left among 
 the people. 
 
 Are not village spires, the church bells, the old porches, 
 the venerable yew trees, the old grey towers, subjects on 
 which writers and poets love to dwell ? and Catholic feeling- 
 has never been so obscured in this land but that many have 
 been found to view these holy spots with-pious reverence ; and 
 what is truly consoling, the traditional form of the old build- 
 ings, although dreadfully debased and disfigured, has never 
 been totally abandoned.* If the English Catholic body 
 avail themselves of this feeling of attachment to the old parish 
 churches which exists among a great body of the people, won- 
 derful good may be produced ; but if they neglect the means 
 they are bound to employ to turn this feeling to the restora- 
 tion of the old faith, then it will be found extremely inimical 
 to the revival of religion. 
 
 A vast body of uninformed but excellently intentioned 
 people, especially in agricultural districts, oppose the progress 
 
 * There are many interesting examples of this fact to be found in England. 
 In that stronghold of Christian architecture, Oxford, we find colleges and build- 
 ings erected during the reigns of James and Charles, with the arrangement and 
 features of the ancient buildings. At St. John's college are some beautiful 
 groined ceilings of a very late date. The hall of Lambeth Palace, erected 
 since the restoration by Archbishop Juxon, has buttresses, tracery windows, 
 battlements, a lovre, a dais with a bay window, open framed roof, and all the 
 characteristics of a refectory of the 15th century. 
 
 At Westminster Abbey the end of the north transept was almost rebuilt in the 
 17th century. 
 
 The font and cover at Durham Cathedral, set up in the time of Charles 1st, 
 are carried up to a great height with niches, buttresses, and pinnacles. 
 
 The details of all these works are debased, and Italian monstrosities appear 
 occasionally ; but still these, and numberless other examples which might be 
 adduced, fully prove that England long clung with a sort of lingering love to her 
 ancient architecture. 
 
3 
 
 of Catholicism from Catholic motives. They look upon the 
 old church as the true one, they are not sufficiently in- 
 structed to draw a distinction between that same old church 
 under Catholic or Protestant ministration, and they equally 
 despise and avoid the dissenting conventicle, built by some 
 independent preacher, or the dissenting looking conventicle, 
 erected in fact for the celebration of the very rites for which 
 the old church was built, but with which it does not appear 
 to have the slightest connexion, as an admirable writer in the 
 British Critic beautifully expresses himself ; " Grecian tem- 
 ple, Catholic cathedral, Corinthian portico, Norman doorway, 
 pilaster and pinnacle, cannot differ so much or so essentially 
 as the notions of a church, a preaching house, and a house of 
 prayer. If then," he continues, " one could ensure the great- 
 est technical accuracy in details, still if the Genevan principle 
 of a house of God instead of the Catholic be adopted, the re- 
 sult must be an architectural monster.''' Such is the lan- 
 guage of one, who, although unfortunately separated from us 
 in communion, is evidently united in taste with the ancient 
 faithful of this land ; and it is lamentable that few among us 
 appear to feel the truth of these observations. Modern Catho- 
 lics have frequently abandoned Catholic architecture for the 
 Genevan, and even make light of this melancholy decay, and 
 speak of the architecture of the house of God and the forma- 
 tion of his sanctuary, on which our Catholic ancestors be- 
 stowed the greater part of their lives and goods, as a thing 
 indifferent, dependent on mere whim and idea. Now it is 
 scarcely less important to adhere to the traditions of the Church 
 as regards the arrangements of material buildings, than as 
 to any other matters connected with the celebration of the 
 divine mysteries ; for it is impossible that these latter can be 
 performed in accordance with the rituals and intentions of the 
 Church, if the former are disregarded; and yet it is a melan- 
 choly fact, that even a great portion of the clergy seem ut- 
 terly unconscious of the close connexion between the two. 
 
 The most ardent supporters of the modern temple or con- 
 ventical style, who have cast away without the least compunc- 
 tion, not only the splendours but the proprieties and essentials 
 of church architecture, affect great horror of what they term 
 innovation in matters of much less importance. They regard 
 the reduction of a shovel-ended stole to its ancient and rea- 
 sonable shape, or the unstarching of a crimped surplice and 
 restoring its graceful and ample folds, in the light of an almost 
 mortal sin ; while they sever every link between themselves 
 
4 
 
 and Catholic practice and antiquity in the style and arrange- 
 ment of their churches. Sureiy this must arise from want of 
 due reflection or information on these matters. 
 
 Can it be imagined that the Church in all ages, would have 
 defined with such scrupulous exactness every thing connected 
 with the celebration of the divine office, had not such pre- 
 cautions been considered necessary to ensure a becoming and 
 solemn performance of the sacred rites ? The Church, more- 
 over, appointed proper officers, such as archdeacons, and 
 rural deans, to act under the bishop, and see that the inten- 
 tions and regulations of the Church were properly carried 
 out, and to report on the state of the various churches in 
 the diocess. 
 
 There are yet existing visitations of the twelfth century, 
 where the slightest defect or irregularity in the fabric or 
 ornaments is carefully noted down, with directions for amend- 
 ment ; yet all these excellent regulations to preserve uni- 
 formity and discipline, established by the wisdom of the an- 
 cient Churchmen, are accounted as foolishness by many Ca- 
 tholics of these days. To assert the importance of adhering to 
 ancient tradition in these matters, is sufficient to draw forth 
 ridicule, and even censure. It is lamentable to hear the sen- 
 timents which are expressed on ecclesiastical architecture 
 by many who should be most ardent in reviving it in all 
 its ancient purity, but who do not even bestow as much 
 consideration on it as on the construction of their stables. 
 The principal part of our modern churches are the result 
 of mere whim and caprice. Those who build them are re- 
 gulated neither by ecclesiastical nor architectural authority ; 
 hence a new Catholic church is almost certain to be a per- 
 fect outrage on ecclesiastical propriety and architectural taste. 
 It is impossible to say, before it is erected, whether the 
 building will look most like an auction room or a metho- 
 dist meeting; whether it will have any symbol of Chris- 
 tianity about it, or be quite plain ; whether it will be a 
 caricature of pointed or of Grecian architecture; whether it 
 will have any characteristics of a Catholic church at all, if 
 we except its extremely offensive appearance, which, grievous 
 as it may be, is become a very distinguishing mark of a 
 Catholic building. 
 
 Formerly, the word church implied a particular sort of 
 edifice invariably erected on the same principle ; it might be 
 highly ornamented, or it might be simple; it might be large 
 or small, lofty or low, costly or cheap, but it was arranged on 
 
5 
 
 a certain regulated system. Churches built h undreds of miles 
 apart, and with the difference of centuries in the period of 
 their erection, would still exhibit a perfect similarity of pur- 
 pose, and by (heir form and arrangement attest that the same 
 faith had instigated their erections, and the same rites were 
 performed within their walls. But now, alas, the case is 
 widely different; anything may be built and called a church ; 
 any style, any plan, any detail. No sooner is a new building 
 of this kind determined upon, than there is a muster of com- 
 mittee-men to adjust preliminaries, and decide on plans. 
 These are men generally ignorant of every thing connected with 
 these matters; which the result of their labours but too plainly 
 proves. Some Protestant builder., — a matter-of-fact one-idea 
 Roman-cement man, whose highest achievement in architec- 
 tural art has been the erection of a market-house, or modern- 
 izing the front of an hotel — is not uncommonly considered as 
 a fit and proper person to design and carry out an edifice 
 intended for those very rites which produced the erection of 
 every truly fine church in the land. Of course this indivi- 
 dual, who is perfectly destitute of any idea of what the church 
 should be like, eagerly catches at the suggestions of the com- 
 mittee-men, who are far from backward in having a say on 
 these occasions. One has seen a new chapel lately opened, 
 which he thinks extremely neat ana 1 pretty , but would pro- 
 pose that the altar should stand in a sort of alcove ; a second, 
 however, objects to this latter proposition, as he proves that 
 those who would sit in the last seat of the gallery could not 
 look down on the top of the altar ; this is declared to be a 
 fatal objection, and the altar is decided to stand against a flat 
 wall, where it can be well seen on three sides. A hints that 
 something in the Gothic style would look well; but B de- 
 clares it to be all expensive gingerbread. C, who has been to 
 Rome, laughs outright at such a barbarism as pointed archi- 
 tecture, and asks A sarcastically if he ever saw a Grecian por- 
 tico ; talks with equally extravagant praise of St. Peter's and 
 the Parthenon, the two most opposite buildings in the world, 
 and concludes with an eulogium on classical taste and refine- 
 ment, and the barbarisms of the old Catholics. A ventures to 
 reply, that there was something very grand about the old 
 churches, notwithstanding, and offering some remarks about 
 antiquity, is cut short by a loud laugh and general cry, 
 " Oh, we're all for the modern now ;" in which the one-idea 
 Roman-cement man heartily joins, and compels him to be 
 silent. After some further conversation about a marble altar 
 
6 
 
 from abroad, candlesticks of the newest Parisian fashion, and 
 some other foreign novelties, the meeting separates, and a 
 building is commenced, which in due time is finished, and 
 opened with a band of theatricals, who, as the bills announce, 
 have kindly consented to sing the praises of God — it might 
 perhaps be added, as is sometimes seen on benefit bills (for 
 that day only), which would be an additional inducement for 
 a full audience. This is a true picture of the manner in which 
 many Catholic churches have been, and, what is worse, are still, 
 being built ; yet, perhaps, close by such an abortion stands the 
 old parish church of the town. Although simple in its archi- 
 tecture, Catholic is indelibly stamped on its venerable ex- 
 terior. Heretical violence has stripped it of its most beautiful 
 ornaments ; Protestant churchwardens have fattened on its 
 old leaded roof and spire; it is curtailed of its fair propor- 
 tions, and disfigured by some unsightly modern additions, 
 which have been tacked on to its ancient walls ; yet, in spite of 
 these memorable disadvantages, it still tells its tale, — it is 
 Catholic from foundation to tower top. Melancholy is it to 
 think that this venerable pile should have been alienated from 
 the ancient faith ; but thrice melancholy is it that those who 
 should ever regard it with veneration, and strive to imitate 
 its beauties, should pass it by unheeded and despised ; and as 
 if in mockery of its venerable grandeur, raise a conventicle- 
 looking structure under its very walls, where the assemblage 
 of architectural monstrosities becomes a standing proof of the 
 degeneracy of modern times. 
 
 It is very probable that many well-disposed persons have 
 been led to approve, or at least tolerate, these miserable erec- 
 tions, from a mistaken idea that nothing could be accomplished 
 in the pointed style under an immense cost. Now so far from 
 this being the case, this architecture has decidedly the ad- 
 vantage on the score of economy ; it can be accommodated to 
 any materials, any dimensions, and any locality. The er- 
 roneous opinions formed on this subject are consequent on the 
 unfortunate results attending the labours of those who, when 
 about to build in the pointed style, take some vast church for 
 their model; and then, without a twentieth part of the space, 
 or a hundredth part of the money, try to do something like 
 it. This is certain to be a failure. Had they, on the contrary, 
 gone and examined some edifice of antiquity, corresponding 
 in scale and intention to the one they wished to erect, they 
 would have produced a satisfactory building at a reasonable 
 cost. Some persons seem to imagine that every pointed 
 
7 
 
 church must be a cathedral or nothing: this has even been 
 cited as a reason why the proposed new Catholic church at 
 York should not be Gothic, on account of its vicinity to the 
 cathedral. Nothing can be more absurd: no one would think 
 for an instant of attempting to rival the extent or richness of 
 that glorious pile; but were there not above thirty parochial 
 churches anciently in York? and did their builders think it 
 expedient to depart from Catholic architecture in the design, 
 on account of the stupendous cathedral ? Certainly not. There 
 were many buildings among them, and small ones too, equally 
 perfect and beautiful for the purpose for which they were in- 
 tended as the minster itself. Architecture to be good must 
 be consistent. A parish church, to contain a few hundred 
 persons, must be very differently arranged from a metropoli- 
 tan cathedral ; and if this principle be understood, and acted 
 upon, the Catholics of York may erect an edifice suitable to 
 their present necessities, which would not be unworthy of 
 William de Melton or Walter Skirlaw. 
 
 Churches must be regulated in their scale and decorations 
 (as was the case formerly) by the means and numbers of the 
 people ; it being always remembered that the house of God 
 should be as good, as spacious, as ornamented, as circum- 
 stances will allow. Many a humble village church, of rubble 
 walls and thatched roof, has doubtless formed as acceptable an 
 offering to Almighty God (being the utmost the poor people 
 could accomplish) as the most sumptuous fabric erected by 
 their richer brethren. Everything is relative ; a building may 
 be admirable and edifying in one place, which would be dis- 
 graceful in another. As long as the Catholic principle exists, of 
 dedicating the best to God, be that great or little, the intention 
 is the same, and the result always entails a blessing. But this 
 does not afford the slightest ground for a pretext, urged by 
 some wealthy persons in these days of decayed faith, that it 
 does not matter how or where God is worshipped, and that four 
 walls are equally well adapted for the purpose with the most 
 solemn piles. God expects, and it is beyond contradiction 
 His due, that we should devote to His honour and service a 
 large portion of the temporal benefits we enjoy. While, there- 
 fore, it would be both absurd and unjust to expect more than 
 what the station and means of persons enable them to con- 
 tribute towards the erection of churches, it is a horrible 
 scandal, and a fearful condemnation, that many persons of 
 wealth and influence do oppose the Catholic principle, of 
 making the house of God the centre of earthly splendour ; and 
 
8 
 
 instead of contributing to this great and holy work, try to 
 excuse their conduct by urging the miserable arguments of 
 Protestants on these matters. While for the gratification of 
 their own personal vanity, or the indulgence of their luxury, 
 no expense can be too profuse, it is lamentable to look 
 around on the various buildings used for Catholic worship in 
 this land, and to see how few among them are at all fitted, 
 either by their arrangement or decoration, for the sacred pur- 
 poses for which they are intended. 
 
 We will not speak of chapels built fifty years ago, since it 
 may with justice be urged that those were times of persecu- 
 tion ; but we will turn to those churches which have been raised 
 within a few years, and without the existence of any other re- 
 strictions than those which either the miserable parsimony or 
 ignorance of the builders have imposed on them. In London 
 itself, what are termed the fashionable chapels are uglier and 
 more inconvenient than many Protestant chapels of ease; so 
 ill-constructed as to arrangement, as to expose the sacred 
 mysteries to unnecessary interruptions and publicity ; so 
 confined in their dimensions, that not a hundredth part of 
 the people can squeeze in to hear mass ; so meagre in de- 
 coration, that many Protestant churches are infinitely more 
 elegant; and yet to these places, Sunday after Sunday, will 
 Catholics of wealth, influence, and station, be driven in 
 their carriages ; and will appear, or actually are, perfectly 
 satisfied with the building wherein they assemble to worship 
 God, when the very entrance halls of their dwellings are more 
 handsomely furnished, and the sideboards of their dining 
 rooms are ten times more costly than the altar. In many 
 country missions the case is even more deplorable; for we 
 may find chapels destitute not only of the ornaments, but the 
 essentials for the holy sacrifice, and even, horrible to name, 
 the blessed Eucharist, the fountain of grace, received in a 
 vessel of meaner material than what is generally used for the 
 domestic table. The altar, composed only of a few boards, 
 neglected, decayed, and dirty ; candlesticks of the commonest 
 description, holding an almost expiring wick ; trash and 
 trumpery, in the shape of paper pots of artificial flowers, are 
 stuck about to make up a show, and the whole presents the 
 chilling aspect of combined neglect, bad taste, and poverty. 
 
 But there is another sort of chapel, especially in large 
 towns, which presents an equally offensive and distressing ap- 
 pearance, although from different causes; in these the evil 
 does not proceed from either poverty or neglect, but from the 
 
9 
 
 ill-judged expenditure of money by pious but uninformed 
 persons. In these places, societies of ladies are frequently 
 formed for adorning the altar : the principal and ostensible ob- 
 ject of such a sisterhood is admirable, but the manner in which 
 the affair is carried out is generally lamentable. These well- 
 meaning ladies transfer all the nicknackery of the work-room, 
 the toilette table, and the bazaar, to the altar of God. The 
 result is pitiable ; — cut papers of various colours, pretty rib- 
 bonds, china pots, darling little gimcracks, artificial flowers, 
 all sorts of trumpery, are suffered to be intruded not only into 
 the vicinity of the seat of most holy mysteries, but actually in 
 the presence of the blessed sacrament itself, insulting to the 
 majesty of religion and distracting to every well-regulated and 
 informed mind. The pranks these well-intentioned but ill- 
 judged devotees are allowed to practise are truly extraordi- 
 nary. Their intentions are excellent; they wish to work for 
 the good and advancement of religion, although they unknow- 
 ingly hinder it, by rendering its externals childish and ridicu- 
 lous in appearance. But why should not their efforts be 
 turned into a good channel ? let them embroider frontals of 
 altars, which are susceptible of every variety of ornament and 
 design; they should be varied for every festival, and have 
 appropriate subjects and emblems worked on them for each. 
 The orpheys and hoods of copes, and the crosses of chasubles, 
 would be an ample field for the exertions of the most indefa- 
 tigable needle-women ; and beautiful church ornaments might 
 they produce, if they would quit the Berlin pattern and pole- 
 screen style, and imitate the ancient and appropriate embroid- 
 ery. We are greatly indebted to the ladies of the middle ages 
 for much beautiful church needlework ; but pure taste was 
 then generally diffused, and all worked in accordance with the 
 regulations and traditions of the Church, which were strictly 
 enforced ; and we may hope that such will again be the case, 
 when Catholic art is better and more extensively understood. 
 
 But to return : there is another class of chapels, belong- 
 ing to private mansions and families, which are generally 
 in a most disgraceful state. Often has the butler a well-fur- 
 nished pantry, the housekeeper her spacious storeroom, the 
 cook his complete batterie de cuisine, all, in fact, well pro- 
 vided, except the chapel and the chaplain : no pittance can be 
 too small for the latter, nothing too mean or paltry for the 
 former. There are some exceptions; but collectively they are 
 quite unworthy of their sacred purpose: it would be invidi- 
 ous to name examples of either class, but we may mention 
 
 c 
 
10 
 
 some defects nearly common to them all, and leave the appli- 
 cation of the remarks to those who may feel deserving of them. 
 
 The origin of these private chapels may be traced to both 
 necessity and devotion. First : necessity, which during the 
 times of persecution precluded the possibility of the public 
 celebration of the Divine mysteries, and obliged the priests of 
 the Church to seek privacy and concealment : hence the houses 
 of those families who retained the ancient faith answered the 
 purposes of parochial churches, and thus true religion was pre- 
 served by these means throughout the land. Secondly : the 
 devotion of pious persons, who were anxious to have the con- 
 solations of religion under their very roof. Private chapels 
 and chaplains are undoubtedly very ancient, and it is a practice 
 which if properly carried out cannot be too much commended. 
 It must be admitted, however, that it is a great privilege to 
 have the same holy rites performed under one's own roof for 
 which the most extensive piles in Christendom have been 
 raised. The presence of the Lord of Hosts is no ordinary 
 honour, and yet, strange to say, these reflections, if ever they 
 are made, seem to produce but little effect on the minds of 
 those who ought to be most sensibly touched by them. To 
 keep up a chapel in these days is considered a merit instead 
 of a privilege ; a man is not accounted liberal who keeps a 
 cook to administer to his appetite, a butler to provide him 
 drink, and, in fine, a vast number of persons to attend and 
 supply all he requires; this all passes by, nor is it of course 
 considered any way meritorious; but to support a chaplain to 
 administer the sacraments — without which all food, all rai- 
 ment, all wealth, all state, is utterly dead and unprofitable — 
 is thought in these days something very great and very praise- 
 worthy. Out on such contradiction ! the world does not in all 
 its varieties exhibit such specimens of inconsistency as are to 
 be found between the faith and practice of modern Catholics. 
 If a visitor of fashion announces his intention of honouring 
 their mansions with a visit, what preparations, what uncover- 
 ing of holland, what setting up of wax lights ; while the most 
 holy sacrament of our Lord's body, deserted and forlorn, is 
 left in a mean receptacle, without lamp or honour, in some 
 half-furnished, half-dilapidated, and decayed chamber, which 
 the owner of the house consents to give up to God, out of his 
 vast and sumptuous residence; and while the commonest ar- 
 ticles of food are served up on massive silver, by footmen in 
 costly liveries, a miserable bit of plated ware is the earthly 
 tabernacle for the sacred body of our Lord, and a cast-off 
 gown is considered sufficiently good for a vestment wherein 
 
11 
 
 to offer up the adorable sacrifice. When a new private chapel 
 is decided on, how often is some outhouse or adjacent stable 
 converted into a sanctuary for the Lord of Hosts. Many private 
 chapels have bed rooms over them, which is strictly forbidden ; 
 others are situated directly over the meanest offices of the 
 house ; and few indeed are there which have been arranged 
 with the slightest reference to the sanctity of their purpose. 
 
 We cannot dismiss this part of our subject without referring 
 to a chapel recently erected in the north, which is an instance 
 much to be regretted of the foreign and novel ideas which exist 
 among some of our most distinguished English catholics. 
 Money was lavished on this building with a zeal and devotion 
 which would have done honour to days of livelier faith ; the 
 endowment also was ample ; everything was done in a fine 
 spirit, but with most mistaken ideas of Catholic architecture. 
 A plaster imitation of Italian design has been erected on the 
 soil of that county which can boast a Rivaulx, a Fountains, 
 a Beverley, a York, — a county whose face is studded with 
 Catholic remains of every style, from the severe lancet to the 
 elaborate perpendicular. Alas ! Catholic England, how art 
 thou fallen, when thine own children forget the land of their 
 fathers, and leave thy most beauteous works unnoticed and 
 despised, to catch at foreign ideas, unsuited to their country, 
 and jarring with its national traditions. 
 
 The long exclusion of the English Catholics from the an- 
 cient ecclesiastical edifices, and the necessity which existed till 
 lately of a foreign education, have undoubtedly produced this 
 lamentable departure from the traditions and feelings of their 
 ancestors. It is therefore of the highest importance to set 
 forth the beauty and fitness of the ancient churches, and the 
 necessity of adhering strictly to them as the models for our 
 imitation. The majestic cathedral and celebrated ruin may 
 occasionally arrest the attention of the modern Catholic 
 traveller, but how few think on the interesting claims on their 
 attention which almost every rural church possesses / how 
 often do they pass unheeded the old grey tower and moss- 
 covered chancel, when within their walls might be found many 
 a memorial of old Catholic faith, which would not have sur- 
 vived the attacks of fanaticism and novelty in a more conspi- 
 cuous spot. It is beyond even a doubt that the rural popu- 
 lation of England were ardently attached to the faith of their 
 fathers, and that but trifling changes were made in the inter- 
 nal decoration of the churches, till the ascendency of the Cal- 
 vinists and fanatics under Cromwell ; and even in the present 
 
 c 2 
 
12 
 
 day many of these ancient and holy edifices may be found 
 tolerably perfect in their original internal arrange men t.* 
 
 We will now consider what is to be regarded as forming 
 a complete Catholic parish church for the due celebration 
 of the divine office and administration of the sacraments, both 
 as regards architectural arrangement and furniture. The 
 building should consist of a nave, with a tower or belfry. A 
 southern porch, in which a stoup for hallowed water should 
 be provided ; at the western end of the nave, and usually in 
 the south aisle, a stone font with a wooden cover fastened 
 with a lock, and near it an ambry in the wall for the oleum cate- 
 chumenorum and holy chrism. The chancel at the eastern end 
 should be separated from the nave by an open screen sup- 
 porting the rood and rood loft, ascended byastaircase in the wall. 
 
 Wooden seats, with low backs, and placed wide enough 
 apart to admit of kneeling easily, may be fixed in the nave 
 and aisles, allowing alleys of sufficient width for the passage of 
 processions. A stone or wooden pulpit sufficiently elevated 
 may be erected in a convenient position in the nave. 
 
 The chancel floor should be raised at least one step above 
 the nave, and the upper step on which the altar stands three 
 steps above the floor of the chancel. The altar should consist of 
 one slab of stone (marked with five crosses, and a cavity for 
 relics) raised on solid masonry or stone pillars. 
 
 * Those churches which are situated in parishes too poor to admit of heavy- 
 rates, are invariably found in the best preservation. In wealthy towns, the 
 parish churches have been considered as stock jobs, by which each ignorant shop- 
 keeper, as he attains the office of warden, might enrich his pockets at the expense 
 of the ancient fabric. In these buildings, the havoc which each trade has made 
 in its turn may easily be traced. The carpenter has removed ihe carved and 
 painted timbers of the roof, with the massive covering of lead, and set up a 
 flat pitched slated covering in their stead, erected a few galleries, and inclined 
 planes for seats ; the painter has marbled and grained all the oak work left ; 
 while the glazier has carefully removed the stained windows, and replaced them 
 by neat and uniform lights ; the plasterer has stuccoed the chancel ceiling, 
 and coloured down the stone work ; the smith has lined the walls with stove 
 piping, and set up a host of cast-iron furnaces ; and each of these worthies is 
 certain to record their achievements in some too legible inscription on the walls. 
 St. Margaret's church, at Lynn, is a forcible illustration of this system. This 
 magnificent fabric has been completely gutted of its ancient features. New 
 roofs, new ceilings, new pavements, new pews, even plaster Italian ornaments 
 stuck up to mask the old work. Immense sums have been expended to destroy 
 every internal ornament and arrangement, simply on account of the town being 
 rich enough to bear the expense of these enormities ; for but a few miles from this 
 very place are some most beautiful churches, secured by their poverty and ne- 
 glect, where the carved angels yet enrich the oak-beamed roof, where the low- 
 back sculptured benches yet remain ; the fonts with their pinacled covers ; the 
 chancels divided off by the old traceried screens, on which the painted enrich- 
 ments may still be descried, and so many of the ancient features left, that were 
 it not foi the unsightly reading-desks, and the decayed tables in place of the old 
 and solemn altars, one would almost seem transported into some sacred edifice 
 of the old time. 
 
13 
 
 On the epistle side of the altar a sacrarium should be fixed, 
 with a basin and waste pipe, with a stone shelf for the cruets. 
 On the same side, and corresponding to the width of the 
 three steps ascending to the altar, three niches should be 
 built, partly in the thickness of the wall, and partly projecting, 
 with canopies, and convenient seats for the priest, deacon, and 
 sub-deacon. Opposite to these an arched tomb, to serve as 
 the sepulchre for holy week. Adjoining the chancel, a 
 sacristy or revestry for keeping the vestments and ornaments ; 
 or, in any small churches an almery may be provided for 
 this purpose on the gospel side of the altar, within the chan- 
 cel. An image of the saint in whose honour the church is dedi- 
 cated, should be set up in the chancel. Where there are lateral 
 aisles, they should be terminated towards the east by altars, 
 either erected against the wall, and protected by open screen 
 work, or in chapels, eastward of the aisles, divided off from 
 the church by screens. That these arrangements may be the 
 better understood, we have subjoined four plans of Catholic 
 churches now erecting in exact conformity with the ancient 
 traditions. — (See Plates I, II, III, and below). 
 
 st. mary's, stockton on tees. 
 
 Having thus generally noticed the requisites for a church, 
 we will now proceed to consider these in detail. 
 
14 
 
 OF THE POSITION OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 A church should be so placed that the faithful face the east 
 while at prayer. Such has been the practice of the Church 
 from the earliest period, and very few are the examples of any 
 deviation from this rule. The chancel should consequently 
 be turned towards the east; and all the altars in the church 
 should be so placed, that the celebrant, while officiating, looks 
 towards the same quarter.* 
 
 Independent of all Christians turning towards the same 
 point, being a beautiful figure of the unity of the Church, those 
 learned writers, Durandus, Gavantus, and Cardinal Bona, 
 have adduced the following reasons for this rule : — 
 
 1. That the apostles turned towards the east while at 
 prayer. 
 
 c 2. That the Holy Spirit descended on them from the east 
 on Pentecost. 
 
 3. That we should all turn towards the Holy Land, where 
 our Lord was born. 
 
 4. That as our Lord was the great light of the world, we 
 should turn towards the brightest quarter of the world, as a 
 figure of his glory. 
 
 5. That as our Lord was crucified looking towards the 
 west, the roods, placed in the same position, face the faithful. 
 
 6. That the star appeared in the east to the three wise men 
 at the birth of our Lord. 
 
 7. To distinguish the faithful from infidel or heretics, who, 
 being without faith or unity, turn in any direction. 
 
 8. That according to the traditional belief of the Church, 
 our Lord will come from the east to judge the living and the 
 dead. 
 
 But independent of these mystical and pious reasons, the 
 ancient and canonical position is the most judicious that could 
 have been chosen. How beautifully do the rays of the rising 
 sun, streaming through the brilliant eastern windows of the 
 choir or chancel, darting their warm and cheerful light to the 
 very extremity of the nave, correspond to the hymn appointed 
 to be sung at prime. 
 
 " Jam lucis orto sidere, 
 
 Deum precemur supplices, 
 
 Ut in diurnis actibus 
 
 Nos servet a nocentibus." 
 
 * An inspection of a plan of an old cruciform church would readily shew how 
 strictly this principle was adhered to in the arrangement of the various altars, 
 whether in the transepts, extremities of aisles, or lateral chapels of apsics. 
 
15 
 
 Then as the day advances, from the whole southern side a 
 flood of light is poured into the building, gradually passing 
 off towards evening, till all the glories of a setting sun imme- 
 diately opposite the western window light up the nave with 
 glowing tints, the rich effect being much increased by the 
 partial obscurity of the choir end at the time. 
 
 Now this beautiful passage of light from sunrise to sunset, 
 with all its striking and sublime effects, is utterly lost in a 
 church placed in any other than the ancient position. In 
 short, there are both mystical and natural reasons for adhering 
 to antiquity in this practice, a departure from which can only 
 be justified under the most urgent necessity.* 
 
 OF THE CHURCHYARD. 
 
 The inclosure within which a church was erected was set 
 apart by solemn consecration for the burial of the faithful.f 
 
 And however objectionable places for interment may be in 
 the midst of crowded cities, still it must be allowed that no- 
 thing can be more calculated to awaken solemn and devout 
 feelings, than passing through the resting-place of the faithful 
 departed. How often is the pious Christian moved to pray 
 for his deceased brother, when he sees graven on his tomb, — 
 " Of your charity pray for my soul" ? What a train of profit- 
 able reflections, what holy meditations, may not be suggested 
 by a sepulchral cross ! In days of faith, prayer formed the 
 link of communion between the living and the departed. 
 Truly might it be said in time of old, when such pious respect 
 was paid to the memorials and sepulture of the dead, " Oh, 
 grave, where is thy victory ! Oh, death, where is thy sting V 
 
 Men formerly visited and knelt by tombs and graves ; now 
 they would shun them, and try and banish them from their 
 sight as things odious and dreadful, and in accordance with 
 the spirit of the times, which strives to make churches like 
 
 * We occasionally find examples of ancient churches, which, from the locali- 
 ties in which they have heen erected, deviate from the usual position of west to 
 east. These are, however, to be regarded as exceptions to the rule, and they 
 can only serve as authorities for equally difficult scites. 
 
 f The first prayer in the beautiful office of the consecration of a cemetery is as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Omnipotens Deus, qui es custos animarum et tutela salutis, et fides creden- 
 tium, respice propitius ad nostras servitutis officium, ut ad introitum nostrum 
 purgetur bene + dicatur, sancti+ficetur, et conse-f-cretur hoc ccemeterium, 
 ut humana corpora hie post vitae cursum quiescentia, in magno judicii die simul 
 cum felicibus animabus mereantur adipisci vitae perennis gaudia. Per Christum 
 Dominum nostrum. Amen." 
 
16 
 
 assembly rooms, gay and comfortable, with carriage drives 
 and covered porticos to set down the company: — the very 
 remembrance of death is to he excluded, lest the visitors to 
 these places might be shocked at the sight of tombs. Hence 
 burying the dead is become a marketable matter, a joint-stock 
 concern, an outlay of unemployed capital; and a large pleasure- 
 ground, sufficiently distant from the town, is staked out by 
 some speculators; in which, according to the prospectuses 
 issued, every religion may have a separate parterre, with any 
 class of temple, from the synagogue to the meeting-house. 
 
 However these sort of modern arrangements may suit the 
 unitarian and the infidel, we hope and trust the Catholic 
 church will still be surrounded by its consecrated inclosure, 
 with its winding path, and its tombs, where the pious Christian 
 may recite a De Profundus and a requiem, as he wends his way to 
 the house of prayer, and still may the branches of the solemn 
 yew tree* overshadow its arched porch. It was customary to 
 erect a stone cross, raised on steps, on the south-western side 
 of the church, to mark the hallowed ground; and the shafts 
 of these crosses, some of which were even Saxon, still remain 
 in various churchyards, although the upper part has almost in 
 every instance been destroyed by Protestant fanaticism. Wooden 
 crosses, with the name of the deceased, and an invocation for 
 ptayer painted or cut on them, were erected over the graves 
 of the faithful, in place of the hideous upright slabs, with bad 
 poetry, pompous inscriptions, and ludicrous cherubs, now so 
 much in vogue. These sepulchral crosses are still set up on 
 the Continent in villages, and such retired places as have yet 
 remained in happy ignorance of urns, pedestals, broken pillars, 
 and all the adopted Pagan emblems of mortality, f for which 
 modern designers have abandoned the ancient and touching 
 memorials of departed Christians.]; 
 
 * The branches of yew trees served anciently for palms in the procession of 
 Palm Sunday. 
 
 + So blindly do artists of the present day adopt the ornaments and ideas of 
 ancient paganism, that a stuff has recently been manufactured at Lyons intended 
 for copes, to be used in funeral offices, in which the poppy, emblem of eternal 
 sleep, has been introduced in lieu of those appropriate figures by which the joyful 
 mystery of the resurrection (a Christian's brightest hope) was formerly repre- 
 sented. 
 
 % In an old English office-book belonging to the Scarisbrick family of Lan- 
 cashire, the illuminated borders at the office for the dead are particular)}' curious. 
 The whole of the ceremonies connected with a burial service are most accurately 
 depicted. The convoy, the hearse, and lights in the church, the celebration of 
 the holy Eucharist, the recitation of the office, and the churchyard with the 
 grave, are all introduced. In this latter we have a perfect delineation of the 
 
17 
 
 Besides these, some graves were covered with coped slabs, 
 gradually diminishing at the lower end, with floriated crosses 
 sculptured on them, and the inscription cut on each side of 
 the stems ; and there are some instances of a later date, of 
 regular altar tombs, with panelling and shields round them, 
 having been erected in churchyards, of which there are ex- 
 amples at Glastonbury, Lavenham (Suffolk), and Bury St. 
 Edmund's. Several of the Catholic churches now erecting 
 will have cemeteries round them, disposed in the ancient 
 manner, and from which all modern funeral monstrosities will 
 be rigidly excluded. 
 
 OF THE EXTERNAL FORM AND DECORATION OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 The most striking and characteristic external feature of a 
 church is its tower or spire. This is so attached to the popu- 
 lar notion of such a building, that any religious edifice 
 wanting this essential mark would never generally receive any 
 other appellation than that of chapel. Towers, attached to 
 parochial churches, are most ancient in this country; they 
 appear to have been erected from a very early period, and 
 several Saxon examples yet remain. It is a feature of eccle- 
 siastical architecture which the establishment never abandoned 
 even in its most degenerate period. 
 
 A church tower is a beacon to direct the faithful to the 
 house of God ; it is a badge of ecclesiastical authority, and it 
 is the place from whence the heralds of the solemnities of the 
 church, the bells, send forth the summons. Let no one 
 imagine that a tower is a superfluous expense,* it forms an 
 essential part of the building, and should always be provided 
 in the plan of a parochial church. 
 
 A tower, to be complete, should be terminated by a spire : 
 every tower during the finest periods of pointed architecture 
 either was, or was intended, to be so finished ; a spire is in 
 fact an ornamental covering to a tower ; a flat roof is contrary 
 to every principle of the style, and it was not till the decline 
 of the art that they were adopted. The vertical principle, 
 
 stone cross, the wooden crosses at the head of the graves, and all the interesting 
 characteristics of an Anglo-Catholic parochial cemetery of the L5th century. 
 
 * If funds are not sufficient, the tower may be the last part of the building 
 completed ; but due preparation should be made with regard to walls and foun- 
 dations from the beginning, so that it may always be carried up when means will 
 allow of its completion. This is the principle on which all the ancient churches 
 were built. The plan on which they were commenced was originally good, and 
 then they were gradually completed as the funds permitted. 
 
18 
 
 emblematic of the resurrection, is a leading characteristic of 
 Christian architecture, and this is nowhere so conspicuous 
 or striking as in the majestic spires of the middle ages. The 
 position of towers in parochial churches are various; they are 
 generally placed at the west end of the nave, rising directly 
 from the ground. This we will illustrate by three examples 
 of Catholic churches now erecting ; — the first is St. Giles's, 
 Cheadle ; the second the large parochial church of St. 
 George's-in-the -fields ; the third St. Oswald's, near Liverpool. 
 —(See Plates IV, V, and VI.) 
 
 In cruciform parish churches, the tower is sometimes placed 
 at the intersection of the nave and transepts, but of this we 
 have no revived example at present. 
 
 We occasionally find the tower placed at the extremity of 
 an aisle, and this expedient is usually resorted to in churches 
 built in towns and confined situations, where there would not 
 be sufficient space for a tower to project at the western end. 
 Of this we give two examples; — the church of St. Wilfrid, 
 now erecting at Hulme, near Manchester, and the church of 
 St. Mary's, building at Stockton-on-Tees. — (See Plates VII 
 and VIII.) To those whose ideas of architectural beauty are 
 formed on the two and two system of modern building, this 
 argument will appear very singular ; but building for the sake 
 of uniformity never entered into the ideas of the ancient 
 designers ; they regulated their plans and designs by localities 
 and circumstances; they made them essentially convenient and 
 suitable to the required purpose, and decollated them after- 
 wards. 
 
 To this we owe all the picturesque effects of the old build- 
 ings : there is nothing artificial about them, — no deception, — 
 nothing built up to make a show, — no sham doors and win- 
 dows to keep up equal numbers, — their beauty is so striking 
 because it is natural. The old builders did not think it ne- 
 cessary to build up a high wall to hide a roof, nor disguise a 
 chimney into a flower pot; they made these essential parts of 
 a building ornamental and beautiful ; this is the true spirit 
 of pointed design, and until the present regular system of 
 building both sides of a church exactly alike be broken up, no 
 real good can be expected. One of the greatest beauties of 
 the ancient churches is this variety. It is impossible to see 
 both sides of a building at once ; how much more gratifying 
 is it, therefore, to have two varied and beautiful elevations to 
 examine, than to see the same thing repeated. A southern 
 porch does not necessarily demand a northern one ; a vestry 
 
19 
 
 on one side does not require an opposite one to keep up uni- 
 formity ; a chantry chapel may be erected at the extremity of 
 one aisle, without any necessity of raising up a building to 
 look like it at the end of the other. A tower, if the locality 
 require it, may be built on one side or corner of a church, 
 without any obligation of building up another opposite.* 
 
 How many magnificent examples do we find among the 
 ancient churches of towers placed in these positions, the en- 
 trances through them serving for southern porches. In very 
 small churches, of exceedingly simple design, we occasionally 
 find belfreys, in the form of perforated gables, or turretted 
 projections, carved up at the end walls, and surmounted by 
 
 stone crosses. These sort 
 of belfreys are frequently 
 found in ancient chapels, 
 of which there is a beautiful 
 instance yet remaining at 
 Glastonbury. Among the 
 revived Catholic buildings, 
 some of the smallest have 
 belfreys of this description, 
 of which we give for ex- 
 amples, — St. Mary's, on 
 the sands, Southport, Lan- 
 cashire ; St. Ann's, Keigh- 
 ley, Yorkshire, — (for which 
 see Plate IX) ; and St. 
 Mary's, Warwick Bridge, 
 Cumberland. 
 
 It was usual to place a 
 small belfrey of this de- 
 scription on the eastern 
 gable of most parish chur- 
 ches; in which the Sanctus 
 st. mart's church, Warwick bridge. bell was rung to warn the 
 faithful who might be in the vicinity of the church, that 
 the holy mysteries were being celebrated. A very rich 
 belfry for this purpose is to be placed on the east gable of 
 St. Giles's church, now erecting at Cheadle. 
 
 * We are glad to perceive that the architect of the new Protestant church at 
 Leeds has ventured to place his tower on the side of the building. This is cer- 
 tainly an advance towards better things. 
 
20 
 
 OF THE PORCH. 
 
 The next part of the sacred edifice we have to consider is 
 the porch. It was generally built to the southward, and in 
 the second bay of the nave from the north end ; there are 
 several examples, however, of northern porches, and some few 
 western ones, especially in situations much exposed to the 
 wind on the sea coast.* Porches in England frequently con- 
 sist of two stories, the upper room having been appropriated 
 formerly to the purposes of a library, a school, or muniment 
 room : occasionally these apartments appear to have been 
 occupied by the sacristan, and they are sometimes provided 
 with tracery apertures, through which the church would be 
 watched at night. 
 
 Porches were, and ought now to be used for the following 
 purposes : — 
 
 1. The insufflations of baptism were performed in the porch, 
 where the child was exorcised previous to being admitted into 
 the sacred building. 
 
 2. Women were churched in the porch after child-bearing. 
 
 3. The first part of the marriage service was performed in 
 the porch. 
 
 4. Penitents assisted at mass in the porch during Lent. 
 Holy water stoups were generally hollowed out of the porch 
 
 walls, and frequently built in niches on either side of the ex- 
 ternal arch, as at Bury St. Edmund's ; all stoups for hallowed 
 water should be placed outside the building. The custom of 
 Christians sprinkling themselves with this water, is only a 
 modification of the ancient custom of actually washing the 
 hands and mouth, as an emblem of purification before prayer, 
 which was generally practised in the early ages of the Church. 
 It was for this purpose that large fountains and basins were 
 placed near the entrance of great churches, many of which yet 
 remain, as at St. Peter's at Rome, and several of the French 
 cathedrals, Lyons, Chartres, &c. This custom among Chris- 
 tians is mentioned by St. John Chrysostom,f Eusebius, and 
 
 * At Cromer church, Norfolk, there are three magnificent porches, which 
 have been suffered to go to shameful decay. At Cley church, Norfolk, there is 
 a beautiful western porch ; also at Snetisham church in the same county. At 
 King's Sutton church, Oxon, there is an elegant western porch of the early part 
 of the 15th century, with effigies of the builders kneeling on each side of a niche, 
 which anciently contained an image of the patron saint of the church. 
 
 f St. John Chrysostom in his " Homily on St. John,'' — " Manus lavamus in 
 ecclesiam ineuntes." The same in the " Homily on St. Mathew" — " In ecclesia 
 hunc morem obtinere cernimus apud multos, ut vestibus puris in templum ineant 
 et ut manus lavent." 
 
21 
 
 other writers of antiquity. Hallowed water was only taken 
 on entering a church formerly, and never on leaving it. 
 There is a regular ceremonial for presenting hallowed water 
 to persons of distinction on their entering a church, but 
 nothing of the kind was ever thought of on their departure. 
 De Moleon, in his Voyage Liturgique, mentions several cathe- 
 dral churches in France where the custom of taking holy water 
 was strictly confined to entering. The original intention of this 
 custom, which was to purify the soul previous to commencing 
 prayer, having in a great measure been lost sight of, it is 
 become usual to take the water on entering or leaving a 
 church, indifferently. But Le Brun, who stands high as a 
 writer on ecclesiastical or liturgical antiquities, thus speaks on 
 this subject: " Those who are in the habit of taking hallowed 
 water on leaving a church, are more moved to do so by the 
 mere sight of the benitier than by any consideration of the 
 real intentions of the Church; in this matter of which (he 
 continues) the cures de paroisse neglect to instruct them. 1 ' 
 
 Porches were frequently used as places of sepulture, even 
 by persons of distinction. The great Talbot, Earl of Shrews- 
 bury, directed his body to be buried in the porch of the parish 
 church of Whitchurch. 
 
 From these remarks it will be seen that porches were not 
 considered by our Catholic forefathers as mere places for 
 scraping feet and rubbing shoes, but as a portion of the sacred 
 edifice peculiarly devoted to the performance of solemn rites, 
 and to be entered with due respect and reverence. 
 
 It may be proper to remark in this place, that the practice 
 of selling books of devotion, rosaries, &c. in the porches of the 
 churches, but too frequent on the continent, is a great abuse; 
 such traffic is strictly forbidden by the decrees of many synods 
 and councils, and those who tolerate the abuse are liable to 
 severe ecclesiastical censures. That great champion of Ca- 
 tholic antiquity, Father Thiers,* who flourished during the 
 
 * The principal works of this great Theologian and learned Rubrician are as 
 follows : — 
 
 1. " Dissertation sur les Autels.'' — 2. " Dissertation sur les Jubes — an ad- 
 mirable work, setting forth the antiquity and intention of roods and choir screens, 
 and denouncing those innovators who ventured to remove them during the last 
 century, and whom he most appropriately designates as Ambonoclasts. — 3. " Dis- 
 sertation sur le Cloture des Chceurs." — 4. " Sur les Superstitions," in 4 vols. ; 
 a most learned and laborious work, in which all the abuses which have existed 
 at various times in the celebration of rites and ceremonies are separated from the 
 decrees of the church on those matters, and forms a most edifying and interesting 
 exposition of true Catholic practices.— 5. " " Dissertation sur les Perukes," in 
 
22 
 
 last century, openly denounced the chapter of Chartres ca- 
 thedral for suffering two women to retail objects of devotion 
 under the porches of that glorious church, which were in- 
 tended for holy purposes; and at the time he published a 
 most learned treatise on the use and intention of this portion 
 of the church, and brought forward such overwhelming proofs 
 uf the irregularity of the practice, from the highest authorities, 
 that the chapter, to their great mortification, were compelled 
 to own their fault. 
 
 It cannot be urged in palliation of this great abuse, that the 
 things sold are intended for holy purposes. The Church has 
 decreed that nothing whatever shall be sold, either under the 
 porches or within the edifice. The dovesellers, whom our 
 Lord cast out of the temple, traded only in offerings ; and 
 the profanation of the holy place is equally great by the traffic 
 in candles, from which abuse so much scandal continually arises. 
 We cannot, however, hope for any improvement in these re- 
 spects from our foreign brethren, while they have so little feeling 
 for the sanctity of the temple of God as to erect shoe stalls 
 between the buttresses, and heap filth against the entrances, 
 of the most glorious monuments of Christian antiquity. But 
 we trust that the English Catholic churches will at least be 
 preserved from these horrible profanations. 
 
 which the writer treats on all the coverings of the head used in the church, mitres, 
 caps, callottes, amices ; and also the antiquity of shaving the heads of per- 
 sons devoted to the clerical state ; on praying with the head uncovered, and the 
 irregularity of ecclesiastics wearing wigs or false hair. — 6. " Sur la Cloture des 
 Religieuses. — 7. " Sur les Porches des Eglises." — 8. " Sur la Larme de Ven- 
 dome," a false relic formerly exposed at the church of Vendome ; a beautiful 
 treatise on the Catholic doctrine touching the veneration of relics, and the abuses 
 of the same. — 9. " Sur l'Exposition du tres Saint Sacrement; *' in this work the 
 discipline of the Church relative to the reservation and veneration of the blessed 
 Eucharist, from the earliest ages down to the last century, is fully described, 
 with the form and materials of the various vessels used for this sacred purpose ; 
 a work admirably calculated to set forth the sanctity and majesty of this most 
 holy sacrament, and the antiquity of the Catholic doctrine touching the blessed 
 Eucharist. — 10. u Sur un Inscription dans une Eglise de Rheims en honneur de 
 St. Francis ;" a censure on an extravagant inscription set up by a Franciscan in 
 a church at Rheims in honour of St. Francis (afterwards defaced by order of the 
 archbishop), with an exposition of Catholic doctrine relative to the veneration and 
 invocation of saints. 
 
 Those who are thoroughly acquainted with the works of this holy and learned 
 writer, must be well instructed in ecclesiastical antiquity; for so great was his 
 erudition and research, that he appears to have examined every source of infor- 
 mation on this all-important subject. His works are now exceedingly scarce, for 
 although approved of by the holy see, he was too sincere a writer, and fearless 
 exposer of abuses for the corrupt age in which he lived. Acting on that grand 
 principle expressed in these words, — " falsitas non debet tolerari sub velamine 
 pietatis," — he became one of the greatest witnesses of Catholic truth against the 
 innovation of revived Paganism and protestant error. 
 
23 
 
 OF THE FONT. 
 
 On proceeding through the southern porch, and entering 
 the church, the first object that arrests our attention is the 
 font. Nor is its position so near the entrance without a suffi- 
 cient reason. We have previously remarked that the exor- 
 cisms of baptism were performed in the porch ; the priest then 
 leads the catechumen, not yet regenerated by the waters of 
 baptism, into the church, but far removed from the seat of the 
 holy mysteries, the chancel ; nor is he allowed to approach the 
 sanctuary till the all important sacrament of baptism has been 
 administered to him.* 
 
 The font may be made either of stone or lead, sufficiently 
 large to admit of immersion, with a wooden cover secured by 
 a lock, to protect the baptismal water from any profanation. 
 These covers were occasionally carried up with canopies and 
 pinnacles to a great height, either suspended from the roof by 
 a counterweight, or a portion of the tabernacle work made to 
 open on the side.f 
 
 The new fonts at St. Mary's, Derby, St. Chad's, Birming- 
 ham, and Stafford, have covers of this description, surmounted 
 by the appropriate emblem of a dove descending with rays. 
 The font of St. Giles's, Cheadle, will stand within an enclosed 
 baptistry at the western end of the south aisle, and will be 
 furnished with a richly floreated canopy of the decorated 
 period. When the importance of the holy sacrament of bap- 
 tism, and necessity of administering it with becoming solem- 
 nity is considered, it would seem almost impossible that any 
 Catholic church should be unprovided with a regular font. 
 It is a lamentable fact, however, that this most essential piece 
 of church furniture is seldom to be found in modern Catholic 
 churches, — a jug and basin, such as might be used by puritans 
 and fanatics, being often the only substitute, and these in 
 places where silver tea services are being subscribed for the 
 clergyman. But the poorest church should be provided with 
 a regular stone font, and as it is possible to erect one under 
 £10, the expense cannot be an obstacle to their general re- 
 
 * How often in these days of decayed discipline is the whole baptismal service 
 performed within the sanctuary, destroying all the mystical allusions of the 
 ancient arrangement, and admitting a soul under the curse of original sin at 
 once into the holy of holies. This, among other departures from ancient 
 usages, has arisen in a great measure from the impracticability of following ancient 
 rites in the modern conventicles built for Catholic worship. 
 
 + At Sudbury church, Suffolk, Selby church, Lincolnshire, Fosdyke church, 
 Lincolnshire, and St. Peter's, Norwich, are fine examples of canopied covered 
 fonts. The latter is peculiarly beautiful in its design. 
 
24 
 
 storation. Each of the churches engraved in this article 
 is provided with fonts, canonically placed, corresponding 
 in style and ornament to that of the building, and for the 
 most part these churches have been completed for consider- 
 ably less sums than the plastered and cemented assembly- 
 rooms raised for Catholic worship in later times, which are 
 deficient in every requisite for the sacred purpose for which 
 they have been erected. 
 
 OF THE NAVE AND AISLES. 
 
 These form the portion of the edifice in which the faithful 
 assist during the celebration of the holy mysteries. Nave is 
 undoubtedly derived from the word navis, or ship, a figure 
 often used with reference to the church. Aisle is derived from 
 the French, and signifies wing or side, and can be only 
 applied with propriety to the lateral portions of the building. 
 Middle aisle is a contradiction of terms ; side aisle becomes 
 tautology. In the ancient arrangement of the faithful, the 
 men were placed in the upper part of the nave, and the women 
 behind at the lower end ; but, by the custom of later times, 
 the women were placed on the gospel side, and the men on the 
 epistle. The appropriation of particular seats and distinction 
 of places was strictly forbidden among the two classes.* 
 Seats were used in the parochial churches in England from a 
 very early period, and many of these remain tolerably perfect 
 at the present time. They were very low, and wide apart, 
 for the greater convenience of kneeling, open at both ends, 
 and sometimes most beautifully ornamented with carving.f 
 The pulpit should be placed in some convenient part of the 
 nave, either against a pillar, or by the chancel arch. The 
 ancient churches were generally provided with a pulpit of 
 wood or stone, many fine examples of which are yet to be 
 
 * By a decree of the synod of the diocese of Exeter in 1284, no one should 
 claim any seat in a church'; but whoever first entered a church for the purpose of 
 devotion, might chuse at his pleasure a place for praying. 
 
 f At Little Walsingham church, Norfolk, the whole of the ancient seats re- 
 main quite perfect ; the backs are enriched with perforated tracery of varied 
 design, and the ends are carried up into foliated finials. 
 
 On the seats of Warksworth church, Oxon, the creed is carved in a string 
 course round the backs, and on the ends a representation of the Annunciation of 
 our blessed Lady, and other mysteries, with the pious donor of the seats repre- 
 sented kneeling at prayer, with a scroll and a scripture. 
 
 The lords of the manor had occasionally a sort of pew, like a chantry chapel, 
 of which there is a fine example at Lavenham church, Suffolk, and the patron 
 of the church was usually permitted to sit within the chancel; but both these 
 customs may be considered as departures from pure discipline. 
 
25 
 
 found. It is to be remarked that the pulpits were far dif- 
 ferent from the cumbrous rostrums used for the purpose in 
 the present day, and we need hardly observe that the mon- 
 strosity of a reading-desk is a pure Protestant introduction. 
 In the view of the nave of Southport church, as well as 
 Cheadle, it will be seen that the pulpits are fashioned pre- 
 cisely on the old models, corbeled out, and ascended by the 
 rood stairs, and not so large as to form a prominent feature. 
 
 At the eastern end of the nave, over the great chancel arch, 
 the Doom or Last Judgment was usually depicted. The reason 
 for placing this awful and certain event so conspicuously 
 before the people is too obvious to need any comment. Most 
 of these edifying paintings were defaced, under Edward the 
 Sixth, as superstitious, but one has been newly discovered at 
 Coventry, which, although very late and coarse in execution, 
 is exceedingly curious. 
 
 At the eastern end of the aisles should be small altars ; 
 that on the southern side was usually dedicated in honour of 
 our blessed Lady.'"" These altars should be protected by open 
 screens enclosing chapels, called percloses. There are many 
 remains of such screens and enclosures in old parish churches, 
 but the altars have been invariably destroyed. 
 
 OF THE CHANCEL SCREEN, ROOD, AND ROOD LOFT.f 
 
 From the earliest ages there has been a separation between 
 priest and people, between the sacrifice and the worshippers, 
 in every church. They have been various in materials, in con- 
 struction, and in arrangement, but have always existed in 
 some form or other.J In parish churches, these screens were 
 generally built of wood, and consisted of open tracery panels, 
 
 * It may be proper in this place to notice a very common error, of speaking of 
 churches and altars as being dedicated to such a saint. The Church has never 
 sanctioned the dedication of a church to any saint ; they are all dedicated to God, 
 (but according to a most ancient and laudable custom), in honour of certain 
 saints, by whose names they are distinguished. 
 
 f It is worthy of remark that the first rood erected in England since their de- 
 struction by act of Parliament, was set up in the private chapel of Ambrose Lisle 
 Phillipps, Esq. of Grace Dieu Manor, a zealous restorer of Anglo-Catholic anti- 
 quity. In this chapel most solemn service is performed on Sundays and festivals, 
 the Gradual chaunted from the Lettern, and the whole office sung by men and 
 choristers in the devotional and sublime plain chaunt, the only music sanctioned 
 by the Church. 
 
 % In a continuation of this article, it is proposed to enter fully into the history 
 of rood lofts, when describing the arrangements of cathedral and conventual 
 churches, where they were used for more solemn purposes than in the parochial 
 ones. 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 from about three feet from the floor, with an entrance capable 
 of being closed by doors with open panels ; their height varies 
 from eight to fifteen feet, according to the scale of the church, 
 and their breadth extends the whole width of the chancel 
 arch, or in a choir church the breadth of the nave.* The 
 carving on many of these screens is most varied and elaborate, 
 and independent of the important mystical reasons for their 
 erection, they form one of the most beautiful features of the 
 ancient churches, and impart much additional effect to the 
 chancel when seen through them. Like other parts of the 
 interior, these screens were enriched with painting and 
 gilding, and on the lower panels it was customary to figure 
 saints and martyrs on diapered grounds.f 
 
 THE ROOD LOFT 
 
 Was a gallery partly resting on the screen, and running across 
 the whole of its width, frequently supported on arched canopied 
 work rising from the screen. The ascent to these lofts in 
 large churches was usually by two staircases ; but in small 
 parish churches one was considered sufficient. It was carried 
 up either in the pier of the chancel arch, or in a small turret 
 outside the wall, and communicated with the rood loft by 
 a narrow gallery, of which there are several examples at 
 Stamford. We will not refer in this place to the use of these 
 rood lofts ov jubes in large buildings, but confine our remarks 
 to their purpose in parochial churches. 
 
 Their first and most important use was to serve as an ele- 
 vated place from whence the holy Gospel might be sung to 
 the people, according to a most ancient and universal practice 
 of the Church, of singing the holy Gospel from a raised place.J 
 
 * Many of the large parish churches had regular choirs with stalls, as at St. 
 Peter's, Norwich ; St. Mary's, Coventry; Long Melford church, Suffolk. In 
 these churches there were no arched divisions between the nave and choir, the 
 separations consisted only in the screen and rood loft over it. 
 
 + It is not unusual for modern artists to decry the ancient system of decorat- 
 ing churches with much painting; but those who raise these objections seem to 
 forget that what is technically termed keeping, is quite as requisite in a building 
 as in a picture. The moment colour is introduced in the windows, the rest of 
 the ornaments must correspond,— the ceiling, the floor, all must bear their part 
 in the general effect. A stained window in a white church is a mere spot, which, 
 by its richness, serves only to exhibit in a more striking manner the poverty of 
 the rest of the building. 
 
 Tn the old churches, the azure and gilt ceiling, the encrusted tiles of various 
 colours, the frescoes on the walls, the heraldic charges, the costly hangings of 
 the altars, the variegated glass, all harmonized together, and formed a splendid 
 whole, which can only be produced by the combined effect of all these details ; — 
 omit any of them, and the unity of the design is destroyed. 
 
 + The ambones of the ancient Basilicas served for this purpose. 
 
27 
 
 2. The whole of the Passion of our Lord was sung from 
 the rood loft ;* the Gradual and other parts of the mass were 
 chaunted, and small organs fixed on the rood loft. 
 
 3. Lessons were read from the rood loft in many churches, 
 and holy days announced to the people. 
 
 4. On great feasts, lights were set up in the rood loft, and at 
 Christmas and Whitsuntide it was decorated with boughs and 
 evergreens. Immediately in the centre of the loft stood the 
 rood or cross, with an image of our Lord crucified, and on 
 either side the blessed Virgin and St. John. The cross was 
 usually floreatedf, and terminated at the extremities with 
 quatrefoils, and emblems of the four evangelists ; on the re- 
 verse of which the four doctors of the Church were not un- 
 frequently carved. 
 
 To illustrate these screens and roods, we have figured 
 various churches, either completed or in course of erection. 
 The first is the interior of St. Mary's, Southport,f (See pi. X) 
 
 * " There was a fair rood loft, with the rood, Mary and John of every side, and 
 with a fair pair of organs standing thereby ; which loft extended all the breadth 
 of the church. And on Good Friday, a priest there standing by the rood sang 
 the Passion.'' — Records of Long Me {ford Church. 
 
 f It is worthy of remark, that the ancient crosses were all richly decorated, in 
 order to set forth that the very instrument on which our divine Redeemer suffered 
 an ignominious death had become the emblem of his glorious victory over sin 
 and its punishment, and should therefore be ornamented as the figure of this 
 great triumph and our redemption. The old mystical school of Christian 
 painters invariably figure our Lord with extended arms on the cross, — not through 
 ignorance of drawing, but to represent the Son of God embracing the sins of the 
 whole world. Not unfrequently, too, do we find the figures of the blessed Virgin 
 and St. John much smaller in proportion than that of our Lord. This was done 
 solely for the purpose of expressing the majesty of God. If we only examine 
 attentively the productions of the ages of faith, we shall find that they convey a 
 profound mystical meaning ; and many conventional modes of representing the 
 sacred things, that have been described by modern upstarts as proofs of barbarous 
 ignorance, are in fact the most convincing proofs of the piety and wisdom of those 
 who produced them. Their productions are addressed to the understanding, not 
 merely to the eye, and there is more edification to be gained from a Saxon cross, 
 with its enamelled emblems, than in all the anatomical crucifixions of modern 
 times, in which the whole efforts of the artists appear to have been directed 
 towards producing a distorted representation of a dying malefactor, instead of the 
 overpowering sacrifice of the Son of God. It is much safer to treat those holy 
 mysteries in, a conventional and emblematic manner, than to aim at unattainable 
 realities. The celebrated Crucifixion of Rubens is painful, not to say disgusting ; 
 certainly not edifying. The Christian artists have enveloped every incident of 
 our Lord's life and suffering with a spiritual and mystical form, calculated to 
 impress the mind with deep veneration for the sacred truths they represent. 
 Sooner or later Christian art will be appreciated as it deserves, and the semipagan 
 representations of the last three centuries, (in which sacred things have only been 
 made a vehicle to exhibit the lascivious art of modern painters, who scrupled not, 
 when professing to embody the blessed Virgin herself, to select their models from 
 the profligate and abandoned) will sink into the abhorrence they deserve. 
 
 X This building, which possesses every requisite for a parochial church, — nave, 
 
 d2 
 
28 
 
 of which an exterior prospect is given on plate IX. This 
 church being exceedingly small, the chancel screen is merely 
 surmounted by the rood without any loft ; the screen as well 
 as the cross are diapered and painted from ancient examples. 
 The second is the nave of St. Alban's church at Macclesfield, 
 just completed. (See pi. XI.) Here is a regular rood loft, 
 ascended from a staircase in the southern chapel, twelve feet 
 from the chancel floor, surmounted by a cross, with the usual 
 accompaniments. The images of this rood are of ancient 
 German work of the 15th century, and were removed from 
 their original position during the invasion of the French. 
 
 The eastern window seen through the screen is filled with 
 rich stained glass, given by John the present Earl of Shrews- 
 bury, a great benefactor to this church. In the tracery are 
 angels, habited in albs, bearing scrolls with various scriptures, 
 and shields with emblems of our Lord's passion ; the Talbot 
 lion is also introduced in the quatrefoils. 
 
 In the centre light is an image of St. Alban, protomartyr 
 of England, standing under a canopy ; the other lights are 
 filled with quarried glass interspersed with emblems. 
 
 The sedilia and dossell of altar are of stone ; this latter 
 consists of a row of canopied niches, richly carved and filled 
 with images of apostles. 
 
 On either side of the screen hang two damask curtains of 
 crimson, and a frontal is suspended before the altar. At the 
 end of the southern aisle is a chapel dedicated in honour of 
 our blessed Lady, and divided off by an open screen in a stone 
 arch. The church is capable of accommodating from eight 
 hundred to one thousand persons, and its total cost, with the 
 tower complete, will be about 6000/. 
 
 The third example is a transverse section of the great 
 church now erecting in St. George's Fields, London (see 
 pi. XII); shewing the great rood screen and loft,* with the 
 screens and chapels terminating the aisles. The width of the 
 nave is 28 feet, the aisles 18 feet ; and the length, exclusive of 
 chancel and tower, 160 feet; the chancel will be 43 feet in 
 depth, with stalls on either side, and the side chapel 20. The 
 great chancel window will be filled with the genealogy of our 
 Lord, on the root of Jesse, in rich stained glass, the gift of 
 
 chancel, rood and screen, stone altar, sedilia, sacrarium, southern porch, stoups 
 for hallowed water, font and cover, bell, turret, organ and loft, open seats, stone 
 pulpit, stained glass, and is capable of holding 300 persons, — has been erected for 
 1500Z., including every expense. 
 
 * This rood loft is ascended by two staircases, which will be seen by reference 
 to the plan. These staircases terminate outside in pinnacled turrets. 
 
29 
 
 the Earl of Shrewsbury ; and every detail of the building will 
 be carried out in the style of the time of Edward III. A 
 great part of the church will be left open, without seats, and 
 three thousand persons may be easily accommodated on the 
 floor. No galleries of any description will be introduced, but 
 all the internal arrangements will be strictly a revival of those 
 which were anciently to be found in the large parochial 
 churches of England. 
 
 The fourth example is a section of a small, simple, but 
 complete, church lately erected at Dudley,* (see pi. VII) 
 
 * This church, which is calculated to hold six hundred parishioners in the nave 
 and aisles, stands on a declivity on the south-east side of the castle. The sacred 
 edifice is surrounded by a cemetery, in which a stone cross is erected, and at the 
 western extremity of the land a small simple parsonage house is now erecting, to 
 which will be added a school. 
 
 < 1 K-S 
 
 w 
 
 ST. MARY'S, DUDLEY. 
 
 The references of the plan will shew that this church possesses every canonical 
 requisite for its sacred purpose. The eastern windows are filled with stained glass 
 of a mosaic pattern, interspersed with emblems and subjects : in the chancel are 
 ancient images of our blessed Lady and St. Thomas of Canterbury ; while the 
 vestry is furnished with a complete set of sacred vessels and ornaments, of which 
 the following is an inventory: — a processional cross, with Mary and John; 
 
30 
 
 which will be dedicated in honour of our blessed Lady and 
 that glorious martyr St. Thomas of Canterbury. 
 
 The fifth example is a view of the interior of St. Giles's, 
 Cheadle, now erecting, (see pi. XI II.) Over the great chancel 
 arch will be seen the Doom painted on the wall ; at the eastern 
 end of the aisles are screens, enclosing chapels with altars; 
 the pulpit is placed on the gospel side of the chancel arch; 
 the rood loft is supported by arched ribs over the screen, and is 
 ascended by the staircase which leads to the pulpit. 
 
 This church, which is being raised at the sole charge of the 
 Earl of Shrewsbury, will be a perfect revival of an English 
 parish church of the time of Edward I ; decidedly the best 
 period of pointed architecture. The floor will be entirely 
 laid with encrusted tiles ; every window will be filled with 
 painted glass ; and the smallest ornaments will be finished 
 with scrupulous regard to correctness of style. We refer the 
 reader to the plan, and west elevation of this church, at plates 
 I & IV ; also to the engraving of the chancel, at plate XVI. 
 
 OF THE CHANCEL. 
 
 We now come to the place of sacrifice, the most sacred 
 part of the edifice ; and well may we exclaim, when passing 
 beneath the image of our Redeemer, and through the separa- 
 ting screen of mystic import, into this holy place, "O quam 
 terribile est locus iste." The ancient chancels were truly 
 solemn and impressive, and those who have souls to appreciate 
 the intentions of the old Catholic builders, must be edified 
 with their wisdom and propriety, in keeping the seat of the 
 holy mysteries at a reverential distance from the people, and 
 in setting forth the dignity and privilege of the priestly office, 
 by separating the ministers who are offering up the holy sacri- 
 fice from the worshippers. 44 Cancellos qui circumstant altaria 
 presbyteri tantum et clerici ingrediantur : neque ullo modo 
 ibi seculares maxime dum divina mysteria celebrantur ad- 
 mitti debent, ,, says Merati in his Commentaries on Gavantus ; 
 
 holy water vat and asperge for processions ; a silver gilt chalice, with an en- 
 amelled foot of the thirteenth century ; a ditto ciborium, with an ancient foot ; a 
 pair of cruets ; a copper gilt thurible ; a pair of triple candlesticks, for the high 
 altar; a pair of small ditto, for chapel of blessed Virgin ; a small tower, for the 
 reservation of the blessed sacrament; a basin and pricket, for a light for the high 
 altar; a set of vestments, of each colour ; an apparelled alb and a plain alb; a 
 frontal, for the high altar ; a ditto of velvet and gold embroidery, for the altar of 
 Lady chapel ; a set of altar cloths ; corporal cases ; an ornamented cross, for 
 the altar. The whole cost of this building, including all the abovementioned 
 ornaments, vestments, stained glass, architect's charges, and every expense, was 
 31651. ; which fully proves for how moderate a sum a real Catholic church may 
 be erected, if the funds are judiciously employed. 
 
31 
 
 and if the mysteries of religion are to be held in reverence by 
 the people, the old traditions and observances must be restored 
 and enforced. Of all lamentable innovations, the wretched re- 
 cesses substituted for chancels in modern churches are the most 
 horrible ; the altars are not only crowded up by seats, but actu- 
 ally overlooked, and the sanctity of the sacrifice itself par- 
 tially disregarded. If these barriers round the holy place were 
 considered necessary in days of faith, how doubly are they 
 wanted at the present time ! Churches are now built on exactly 
 the same principle as theatres, to hold the greatest number of 
 persons in the smallest possible space ; and the only difference 
 in the arrangement is the substitution of an altar and altar- 
 piece for the proscenium and drop scene. What is the conse- 
 quence ? Catholic feeling is soon lost among the people : there 
 is not even a corner for holy meditation or retired reflection ; 
 they are filled and emptied like dissenting meeting houses. 
 The worshipper is either in a mob, or in the odious and pro- 
 testant distinction of a private pew. The humblest old Ca- 
 tholic church, mutilated as it may have been, is ten times more 
 impressive than these staring assembly rooms, which some 
 persons, in these days, consider the most appropriate erections 
 for Catholic worship. 
 
 The first view of a chancel is that of St. Wilfred's church, 
 now erecting at Hulme, near Manchester.* (See pi. XIV.) 
 Here the altar is of a very early form, the front being open, 
 and the top slab supported by stone pillars, three in number, 
 gilt and painted. Under the altar is deposited a shrinef with 
 relics, round which a velvet curtain is occasionally drawn. J 
 
 * This church, as maybe seen on reference to the plan, (pi. Ill) consists of a nave 
 and two aisles, with a tower at north-western corner. Eight hundred persons 
 may be seated in the body of the church, besides a considerable open space left at 
 the lower end. The eastern chapels are divided off, by open screens, from the 
 aisles, and also from the side arches of chancel. The font is placed near the 
 southern porch. At the south-eastern end is the sacristy, communicating from the 
 chapel of the blessed Virgin, and fitted up with almeries and all requisite fittings. 
 Attached to the church, by a small cloister, is a large and commodious parsonage 
 house for the residence of the clergy. The church, house, enclosure of ground, 
 and all internal fittings, as well as every essential ornament for divine service, 
 also architect's commission, will not exceed the cost of £5000. 
 
 + Shrines were very frequently placed under the ancient altars ; a custom which 
 probably originated from celebrating on the tombs of martyrs. Under the high 
 altar of Bayeux Cathedral, previous to the great revolution, were five shrines of 
 silver gilt ; and the frontal of the altar, which was also of silver parcel gilt, was 
 made to open on certain great festivals, like two doors, to shew the reliquaries. 
 
 + The curtains hung in front of shrines, under the ancient altars, are undoubtedly 
 the origin of antependiums or frontals, for we find examples of such curtains in the 
 earliest records of altars, which were made to run on a rod fixed immediately 
 under the slab. 
 
32 
 
 Behind the altar is a succession of lancet stone arches, the panels 
 of which are richly diapered and ornamented with Christian 
 emblems; the painted window over them, as well as the 
 catherine-wheel window at top, will be filled with mosaic stained 
 glass, with subjects occasionally introduced in small medallion 
 and quatrefoils. The sedilia and sacrarium are of stone, and ta- 
 ken out of the thickness of the wall. The eastern wall of chancel 
 is four feet in thickness, and the deep splays of the windows 
 will be enriched with painted scrolls, in the early style. 
 
 A second example is the chancel of St. Mary's, Uttoxeter (see 
 pi. X V) a small church recently completed. Here the altar is of 
 the ancient triptic form,* with doors to be closed during the 
 latter part of Lent ; in the centre is a picture of our blessed 
 Lady, copied from one of the true Christian school ; on either 
 side are two damask curtains, hung on rods, between which 
 and the alrar stand two large candlesticks to hold tapers, lit 
 from the Sanctus to the Communion. The front of the altar 
 is of stone, gilt and painted, with the Crucifixion in the centre, 
 and the emblems of evangelists in the angles. The rood is 
 here supported by an arch beam, with angels bearing tapers. 
 Before the altar hang three lamps, one of which is kept con- 
 stantly burning, and the other two lit during the celebration 
 of mass. The sedilia are three stone recesses, divided by 
 shafts, and diapered at back ; opposite to these is an arched 
 recess, for the sepulchre in holy week. The three lancet win- 
 dows over the altar are filled wiih stained glass, of an early 
 character, and at the western end is a rose window, very richly 
 glazed. 
 
 * These triptics were usually placed over altars in the Continental churches; 
 as at Cologne Cathedral, and several of the German churches, particularly those 
 of St. Lawrence and St. Sebald's ; at Nuremberg they still remain in the most 
 perfect state. The old form remained in use long after the cessation of pointed 
 architecture in these countries, and even down to the time of Rubens. There is 
 a most splendid enamelled triptic of the twelfth century in the Museum of St. 
 Mary's College, Oscott, and the form was commonly employed for all religious 
 pictures, and not unfrequently in wood and ivory carvings. In carved trptics 
 for altars, the sculptured figures are placed immediately over the altar, and the 
 doors are decorated with painting only; in these latter, the pious donors were 
 frequently painted kneeling at prayer, with their patron saints standing behind 
 them. Although these triptics were not very generally placed over altars in 
 England, still we have instances of their having been used at Melford Church, 
 Suffolk. " At the back of the high altar was set up the story of Christ's Passion, 
 fair gilt and beautifully set forth to cover and keep clean all which were very fair 
 painted boards, made to shut to, which were opened upon high and solemn feast 
 days. In Durham Cathedral there was also, standing against the wall, a most 
 curious fine table, with two leaves to open and shut, comprehending the Passion of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, richly cut and fine lively colours, which table was always 
 locked up but on principal days." — Rites of Durham. 
 
33 
 
 The third example is the church of St. Giles, Cheadle. (see pi. 
 XVI.) The whole of the ceiling will be richly painted with 
 azure panels and gilt stars; the string course supporting the ribs 
 is charged with shields and inscriptions. In the stone niches 
 on each side of the window are images of our blessed Lady and 
 St. Giles. Over the altar is a stone screen of tabernacle work, 
 with images of apostles, and our blessed Lord in the centre; 
 on the altar are a pair of candlesticks and an altar cross, with 
 rich hangings and frontals of various colours. The sacrarium 
 is here formed by a fourth compartment added to the sedilia, 
 which are surmounted by gables and pinnacles, richly foliated. 
 On the north side is an arched tomb for the sepulchre ; and 
 the floor will be paved with encrusted tiles, charged with 
 armorial bearings. 
 
 OF THE SEDILIA. 
 
 On the epistle side of the altar, either on the ascent of the 
 steps leading up to the altar, or on the level pavement, three 
 arched recesses are invariably built, for the officiating priest, 
 deacon, and sub-deacon, to sit in during the chaunting of the 
 Gloria and Credo.* These sometimes consist of three simple 
 arches, supported either by corbels or shafts ; and occasionally 
 we find them richly decorated with canopies and groining. In 
 parochial churches they are generally built of stone, but in the 
 large cathedrals and abbeys they were sometimes of wood. 
 The four arches on the epistle side of the sanctuary of West- 
 minster Abbey, commonly called King Sebert's Tomb, are in 
 fact the sedilia of that church. It is not at all unusual to find 
 a fourth stall, for the assistant priest, in great churches. 
 
 Among the most beautiful examples of sedilia, remaining in 
 England, we may mention those at Exeter Cathedral, South- 
 well Minster, Ripon Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, Adderbury 
 and Dorchester Church, Oxfordshire; Bishopston, Wilts ; St. 
 Mary's, Oxford; and Stockport Church, near Manchester. 
 These arched recesses have been frequently termed confession- 
 als, by persons unacquainted with ecclesiastical antiquities, 
 but we need hardly observe, without the slightest foundation. 
 The misrepresentations made on this subject, by persons who 
 shew cathedral and other churches, is most extraordinary. 
 Any perforation in a wall, whether it be to admit light or air, 
 or to command a view of the high altar from some chapel, is 
 invariably called a confessional; even the chauntry chapel of the 
 Beauchamp Family, at Warwick, is so designated. 
 
 The priest anciently sat during the Epistle in solemn masses. 
 
34 
 
 It is established even beyond a doubt, that there were no 
 confessionals in our ancient churches answering in form to those 
 we see generally used on the Continent : confessions were heard 
 in the church by priests, seated in chairs, whilst the penitent 
 knelt beside them ; this may be seen figured in many ancient 
 illuminations. Even on the Continent no confessional can be 
 found older than the last century, and this is alone sufficient 
 to prove the extreme absurdity of the stories circulated by 
 vergers and others, respecting confessionals in the ancient 
 churches. 
 
 OF THE SACRARIUM. 
 
 Between the sedilia and the eastern wall of the chancel, 
 a small niche was built, in the bottom of which a basin 
 was hollowed out of the stone, with a pipe leading into the 
 ground ; over this was a small projecting stone shelf for 
 the altar cruets. The most ancient sacrariums had two basins, 
 as may be seen by those at Salisbury and Lincoln Cathe- 
 drals ; one for the ablutions of the hands at the Lavabo, and the 
 other for the ablutions of the chalice, which were not received 
 by the priest, as at present, but poured down the sacrarium. 
 
 The old rubric respecting the Lavabo is as follows : " Eat 
 ad Piscinam dicens Lavabo : reversus dicit In spiritu humi- 
 litatis, &c." This is found in many ancient Missals. When the 
 rubric for receiving the ablutions of the chalice became gene- 
 rally observed, the second basin was disused, and the late 
 sacrariums have one basin only. 
 
 OF THE ARCH ON THE GOSPEL SIDE OF THE CHANCEL. 
 
 On the gospel side of the chancel, and nearly opposite the 
 sedilia, we generally find an arch forming a recess and canopy 
 to an altar tomb : this was used as a sepulchre for the reser- 
 vation of the blessed sacrament, from Maundy Thursday till 
 Easter Sunday morning, which was anciently practised in the 
 Sarum rite.* There is frequent allusion to this in the wills 
 of pious persons, who desired to have their tombs so built that 
 
 * This ceremony is quite distinct from the reservation of the blessed sacrament 
 from Maundy Thursday for the mass of Good Friday, on which day the Church 
 does not allow of any consecration. The blessed sacrament, so reserved, is watched 
 all night, and hence the name of sepulchre has been most improperly given to the 
 chapel in which it is solemnly kept: but there is not the slightest correspondence 
 as to time in the present watching, which takes place on Maundy Thursday night, 
 when our Lord did not suffer till Friday. The watching, according to the Sarum 
 rite, commenced on Good Friday, and continued till Easter-day, early in the 
 morning, when the blessed sacrament was brought forth from the sepulchre with 
 solemn procession. This ceremony was also practised in France and some of the 
 Northern Countries, but there is no trace of it in the Roman rite. 
 
35 
 
 they might serve for the sepulchre ; that when men came to 
 pay their devotions to our Lord's body, at that holy time, they 
 might be moved to pray for the repose of their souls. At 
 Long Melford Church, Suffolk, the tomb of one of the Clop- 
 ton Family served for this purpose. Some of the finest 
 examples of stone sepulchres are at Eckington Church, Lin- 
 colnshire, and Hawton Church, Nottinghamshire; these are 
 richly decorated in the style of Edward III, with representations 
 of the Roman soldiers asleep, and other appropriate imagery. 
 
 OF THE REVESTRY OR SACRISTY. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact, that while sacristies in most 
 cathedral churches were placed on the south side, in parish 
 churches they were generally built on the contrary one. We 
 are quite at a loss to assign any reason for this ; as a southern 
 aspect would be most suitable to prevent damp or injury to 
 the vestments. Although most of the ancient fittings of 
 church vestries have been destroyed, we may occasionally find 
 a few old almeries remaining * but not one vestige of the rich 
 furniture and sacred vessels with which they were filled.f 
 
 OF THE ALTAR. 
 
 During the first seven centuries of the church, altars were 
 made indifferently of wood, stone, and metal 4 
 
 Doubtless, during the early persecutions of the Christians, 
 
 * At Adderbury Church, Oxon ; Long Melford, Suffolk ; Wells Cathedral; York 
 Minster ; in a side Chapel at Carlisle Cathedral. 
 
 f In Lyndwoods Provinciate we find the following inventory of ornaments re- 
 quired in every parish church: — " Legendam, Antiphonarium, Graduale, Psalte- 
 rium, Troperium Ordinale, Missale, Manuale, Calicem, Vestiinentum Principale 
 cum casula, Dalmatica, Tunica, et cum capa in Choro, cum omnibus suis appen- 
 dices; Frontale ad Magnum altare cum tribus Tuellis, tria supepellicia, unum 
 Pvochetum, Crucem Processionalem,Crucempro Mortuis,Thuribulum, Lucernam, 
 Tintinabulum ad dei'erendum coram corpore Christi in visitatione infirmorum, 
 Pyxidem pro corpore Christi, honestum Velum Quadragesirnale, Campanis cum 
 chordis, Feretrum pro defunctis, Vas pro Aqua Benedicta, Osculatorium Candela- 
 brum pro cereo paschali, Fontem cum serura, Imagines in ecclesia, Imaginem 
 principalem in cancello.'' 
 
 To these may be added a lettern, or brass eagle, to stand in the chancel or 
 choir, for the antiphonarium and graduals. A most beautiful brass lettern of this 
 description was lying, only two years since, in a corner of the tower of St. Martin's 
 Church, Salisbury, utterly neglected, and most probably considered a piece of old 
 Popish lumber. 
 
 % The Emperor Constantine made seven altars of silver in the church called 
 after his name, and that of St. John Lateran, which weighed 2601bs. Sixtus 
 III. gave an altar of pure silver, which weighed 3001bs., to the church of St. 
 Mary Major. St. Athanasius speaks of an altar of wood which the Arians burnt. 
 St. Sylvester I is said to have forbidden all wooden altars, except that in St. John 
 Lateran's (yet existing), because St. Peter had used it. 
 
36 
 
 altars were generally of wood, as being more portable, and 
 better adapted to the necessities of the times. 
 
 Since the seventh century, the use of stone altars in the 
 church has not only been universal, but obligatory, insomuch 
 that no priest would be allowed to celebrate without, at least, 
 a portable altar stone. 
 
 The use of portable altar stones is very ancient ; Jonas, 
 monk of St. Wandrille, is the first writer by whom they are 
 mentioned, in the Life of St. Wulfran, where it is recorded 
 that this holy man carried a consecrated stone with him to 
 celebrate on in his travels, and afterwards gave it to the Abbey 
 of St. Wandrille. " Altare consecratum in quatuor angulorum 
 locis et in medio ; reliquias continens sanctorum in mo- 
 dum clypei etc." Portable altars are also mentioned by the 
 venerable Bede when speaking of the two Ewalds : " Cotidie 
 Sacrificium Deo victimae salutaris offerebant, habentes secum 
 vascula ad iabulam altaris vice dedicatam." 
 
 The use of portable altars was however confined to jour- 
 neys and cases of great necessity ; they were neither meant 
 nor suffered to replace or supersede the stone altars which are 
 required by the Church, and which shoidd be erected in every 
 'permanent religious edifice. 
 
 The most ancient altars were open underneath, and supported 
 by pillars : every altar should be sufficiently detached from the 
 wall to admit of passing behind it. The ceremonies of the 
 consecration of an altar, in the Roman pontifical, require 
 the bishop to pass round the altar various times. " Pontifex 
 circuit septies tabulam altaris aspergens earn et stipitem de 
 aqua ultimo per eum benedicta, etc" That the most ancient 
 altars were all detached from the wall is evident by the lan- 
 guage of the early ecclesiastical writers. 
 
 Excepting during the celebration of the holy sacrifice, 
 neither cross nor candlesticks were formerly left on the altar, 
 hut were removed immediately after mass. The book of the 
 holy gospels was alone kept on the altar.* 
 
 * It does not appear that any cross was placed on the altar before the tenth 
 century. The crosses were fixed over the altars, and on the ciboriums or canopies, 
 by which they were surmounted : neither was the image of our Lord crucified 
 attached to these crosses. The crucifix was, however, set up on the rood as early 
 as the eighth century ; and it was probably on account of the blessed sacrament 
 lying on the altar that the ancient Churchmen would not suffer an image in the 
 presence of the reality ; even the present rubric speaks only of a cross on the 
 altar, crux in medio. No lights were placed on the altar before the tenth century, 
 and even down to the French revolution, many of the most ancient and illustrious 
 churches of that country did not admit of any lights on the high altars, but placed 
 
37 
 
 Before the twelfth century flowers were not suffered on 
 altars, although the custom of hanging garlands and branches, 
 on great feasts, to decorate the church, is of the highest 
 antiquity; even the whole pavement was not unfrequently 
 sprinkled with flowers and aromatic herbs. 
 
 It does not appear that even the relics of saints were 
 allowed on the ancient altars, especially in presence of the 
 blessed sacrament. Shrines, with relics, were placed under 
 the altars, and on a beam over the altar.* 
 
 The blessed sacrament was never reserved at the high altar 
 of a church excepting in a golden dove, or pyx, suspended 
 over the altar.f Mass was never celebrated formerly in pre- 
 sence of the blessed sacrament, even when enclosed in a tower 
 or tabernacle. 
 
 round them. Wax tapers were lit in large candlesticks on each side of the altar, 
 hung on prickets in basins before it, and in coronas, or large circles of lights, in 
 the choir, on the jube or rood loft, before images, and near shrines, but not on the 
 altars. 
 
 * This was the case at Canterbury cathedral. 
 
 f The custom of reserving the blessed sacrament in gold and silver doves is 
 very ancient. Perpetuus VI, archbishop of Tours, left a silver dove to a priest, 
 Amalarius, for this purpose, " Peristerium et columbam argenteam ad reposito- 
 rium. 5> In the customs of the monastery of Cluny, a dove of gold is mentioned 
 suspended over the altar in which the blessed Eucharist was reserved. This 
 custom was retained till the revolution at the church of St. Julien d'Angers, St. 
 Maur des Fosses, near Paris, at St. Paul, Sens, at St. Lierche, near Chartres. 
 
 " The blessed sacrament was suspended in a pyx, over the high altar at Durham 
 abbey. Within the quire, over the high altar, hung a rich and most sumptuous 
 canopy for the blessed sacrament to hang within it, which had two irons fastened 
 in the French trieme very finely gilt ; which held the canopy over the midst of the 
 said high altar that the pyx hung in, that it could neither move nor stir ; whereon 
 stood a pelican all of silver, upon the height of the said canopy, very finely gilt, 
 giving her blood to her young ones, in token that Christ gave his blood for the 
 sins of the world; and it was goodly to behold for the blessed sacrament to hang 
 in. And the pyx wherein the blessed sacrament hung was of most pure gold, 
 curiously wrought of goldsmith's work; and the white cloth that hung over the 
 pyx was of very fine lawn, all embroidered and wrought about with gold and red 
 silk, and four great round knobs of gold curiously wrought, with great tassels of 
 gold and red silk hung at them ; and the crook that hung within the cloth that 
 the pyx hung upon was of gold, and the cord which drew it up and down was 
 made of fine strong silk." — Rites of Durham. 
 
 " French churches in which the blessed sacrament was suspended in a pyx, 
 before the revolution: St. Maurile d'Angers, Cathedrale de Tours, St. Martin 
 de Tours, St. Siran en Brenne, St. Etienne de Dijon, St. Sieur de Dijon, St. 
 Etienne de Sens, Cathedrale de St. Julien, Mons, Notre Dame de Chartres, Notre 
 Dame de Paris, St. Ouen de Rouen." — De Moleon, Voyage Liturgique. 
 
 Matthew Paris speaks of the blessed sacrament being suspended over the high 
 altar of the cathedral church of Lincoin. — Ad. an. 1140. In Stephano. 
 
 It was doubtless in allusion to these doves that St. John Chrysostom says, the 
 sacred body of our Lord in the churches is not enveloped in linen, as in the cradle, 
 but in the form of the Holy Spirit. 
 
38 
 
 The present tabernacles are by no means ancient, nor did 
 they exist in the old English churches. 
 
 The blessed sacrament was either reserved as above-men- 
 tioned, in a dove, or a small metal tabernacle in the form of 
 a tower. These towers* are frequently mentioned by old 
 ecclesiastical writers. 
 
 St. Renis, archbishop of Rheims, ordered by his will that 
 his successor should make a tabernacle in the form of a tower, 
 weighing ten marks of gold. 
 
 Fortunat, bishop of Poitiers, eulogised St. Felix, archbishop 
 of Bruges, for causing a precious tower of gold to be made 
 for the sacred body of our Lord. 
 
 Frodoard, priest of Rheims, relates that Landon, arch- 
 bishop of that see, placed a tower of gold on an altar of the 
 cathedral, for the reservation of the blessed Eucharist. 
 
 The fronts of altars were ornamented by antependiums of 
 rich stuffs, of various colours, richly embroidered on panels 
 of silver, parcel gilt and enamelled, and even occasionally set 
 with precious stones. In the inventory of the ornaments of 
 Lincoln minster, given in Dugdale's Monasticon, we find 
 above thirty frontals of velvet and silk, some exceedingly costly. 
 " Imprimis, a costly cloth of gold for the high altar, for prin- 
 cipal feasts, having in the midst images of the Holy Trinity, 
 of our Lady, four evangelists, four angels about the Trinity, 
 with patriarchs, prophets, apostles, virgins, with many other 
 images ; having a frontlet of cloth of gold, with Scriptures, 
 and a linen cloth infixed to the same, ex dono Ducts Lan- 
 castrias." 
 
 There were frontals of precious metals at Rheims cathedral ; 
 
 * The new churches of St. Ann's, Keighley ; St. Mary's, Uttoxeter ; St. 
 Wilfred's, Manchester; St. Alban's, Macclesfield; St. Chad's, Birmingham; St. 
 Mary's, Dudley, are all furnished with these towers, instead of modern taber- 
 nacles. There is but little doubt that in many of our small parish churches the 
 blessed Eucharist was reserved in a strong almery, on the gospel side of the 
 chancel. In Germany and Belgium several magnificent tabernacles of stone, 
 carried up to a prodigious height, and exquisitely wrought, remain on the gospel 
 side of the choir. Those at St. Lawrence's church, Nuremberg, and the cathedral 
 at Ulm, executed by Adam Kraft, are the most beautiful. A tabernacle of this 
 description is still used for its original sacred purpose in the cathedral of Louvain ; 
 but how long this remnant of ancient practice may remain is most uncertain, for 
 the destroying spirit of novelty has already run riot in this once glorious church. 
 The beautiful triptic, over the high altar, has been pulled down and sold, and a 
 wretched marble mass of columns and cornices erected in its stead ; the sedilia 
 demolished ; the unrivalled brass lectorium sold out of the choir ; the altars of the 
 choir screen taken away, and the choir thrown open to the nave ; and the glorious 
 tabernacle itself menaced with destruction, on account, forsooth, of its being 
 placed on one side of the church. 
 
39 
 
 the abbey of St. Ouen, Rouen ; St. Germain des Pres, Paris ; 
 St. Mark's, Venice; Bayeux cathedral, and many other 
 churches. 
 
 Round the most ancient altars curtains were hung, and 
 closely drawn from the consecration till the communion ; this 
 usage was common to both the eastern and western Churches. 
 St. John Chrysostom bears ample testimony to the former, 
 when he says, " that the sacred host is on the altar, and the 
 victim immolated, and these words are pronounced (Sancta 
 Sanctis). When the curtain and veils are drawn, it seems as 
 if the heavens themselves were opened and the angels de- 
 scended." (Horn. iii. inEpist. adEphes.) As for the western 
 Church, we read in the lives of many popes,* that they caused 
 curtains of precious stuffs to be hung round the altars of 
 various churches in Rome. 
 
 It does not appear that curtains were ever hung entirely 
 round the altars in England, but invariably at the sides, and 
 sometimes at the back. These were called dossels, and are 
 mentioned in the inventory of St. Osmund's church, at Old 
 Sarum. A curtain or veil was also hung over the imagery, 
 at back of the altars, during Lent. The side curtains re- 
 mained in use in England till the destruction of the altars, 
 under Edward VI; and in France, in many of the large 
 churches, till the great revolution. 
 
 We have already mentioned that previous to the tenth cen- 
 tury candles were not placed upon the altar, and from that 
 period down to the sixteenth century the number was gene- 
 rally restricted to two.f The usual number of six is a com- 
 paratively modern usage, even at Rome, and the rubric of 
 the Roman missal only requires two lights during the cele- 
 bration of the holy Eucharist: " Super altare collocetur crux 
 in medio et candelabra saltern duo cum candelis accensis hinc 
 et inde in utroque ejus latere." 
 
 Every altar should be built of stone : the top slab of one 
 piece with five crosses cut on it — one at each angle and in the 
 
 * Sergius I, Gregory III, Adrian I, Leo Til, Pascal !, Gregory IV, SergiusII 
 Leo IV, and Nicholas I. " In circuitu altaris tetravela octo ; per altaris circuitum 
 vela de rhodino quatuor quae sacrum altare circumdant. Contulit in basilica 
 apostolorum cortinam lineam unam, velotyra, serica tria, in circuitu altaris." 
 
 f Although only two candlesticks were placed on the altar, these were occa- 
 sionally made to hold several candles, which were doubtless lit on great festivals. 
 In the inventory of the ornaments of Lincoln : " Item, two candlesticks of silver 
 parcel gilt, standing on great feet, with six towers gilded, having one great knob 
 in the midst, and in the height six towers about the bowls, with one pike of silver 
 on either of them. 
 
40 
 
 centre ; the whole of this stone should be consecrated by the 
 bishop, instead of a portable altar being inserted in it, which 
 should only be tolerated in a case of the greatest necessity. 
 The front of the altar, if solid, should be furnished with, at 
 least, an antependium with appropriate ornaments, and a purple 
 frontal for Lent ; but, if means would permit, a complete set of 
 frontals of the five colours should be provided. Three linen 
 cloths are required for covering the altar stone : the first is the 
 cere cloth, waxed all over, and made to fit over the stone ex- 
 actly; this is never removed. The second of fine linen, plain, 
 the length and width of the stone, to lie over the cere cloth. 
 The third should be sufficiently long to hang down at each end 
 of the altar to the pavement ; this should be marked with five 
 crosses, and may be ornamented at the ends with needle-work. 
 
 A pair of curtains should be hung on each side of the altar, 
 nearly of the same projection from the wall ; these should be 
 varied in colour to that of the festival; but, as means will not 
 generally permit of so doing, crimson for ordinary use, with 
 purple for Lent, will be sufficient. 
 
 These curtains should be hung sufficiently high to protect 
 the candles from wind, and reach nearly to the ground. 
 
 Nothing but the candlesticks, cross, and a small tower for 
 the reservation of the blessed sacrament, should be placed on 
 the altar. 
 
 The screen, or dossell, is the proper position for the images 
 of the saints ; their relics may repose beneath the sacrificial 
 stone, the walls may be hung with flowers and wreaths, but 
 the altar should be free and unincumbered for the holy sacri- 
 fice. All the ancient discipline that we have quoted tended to 
 this point. 
 
 The form and ornaments of altars are not matters of mere 
 whim and caprice, but of antiquity and authority ; their pur- 
 pose is far too sacred to admit of their being made the vehicles 
 of paltry display and meretricious ornament.* Yet every 
 reflecting mind must be both struck and pained with the in- 
 congruous decorations of most of the modern altars ; the chief 
 
 * It should always be remembered that the ceremonies of the church are reali- 
 ties, not representations ; that they were instituted not to dazzle the eye but to 
 honour God. Altars are not meant to be merely seen by man, but should be 
 erected to meet the all-searching eye of God. The holy of holies, under the old 
 law, in which no man except the high-priest entered, was overlaid with gold ; — and 
 should our sanctuary for the reality be less splendid than that of the figure ? 
 Surely not. Hence gilding and ornament should not be always turned towards 
 the people, nor a showy antependium conceal dirt and neglect. 
 
41 
 
 aim of those who arrange them appears to be merely a great 
 show. All mystical reasons, all ancient discipline,* all dignity 
 and solemnity are utterly lost sight of ; everything is over-done. 
 Candlesticks are piled on candlesticks as if arranged for sale ; 
 whole rows of flower pots mingled with reliquaries, images, 
 and not unfrequently profane ornaments; festoons of upholster- 
 ers' drapery : even distorting and distracting looking-glasses 
 are introduced in this medley display ; the effect of which 
 upon persons who are conversant with ancient discipline and 
 practice it is not easy to describe. 
 
 Of all decoration, that of ecclesiastical buildings is the 
 most difficult ; to unite richness with severity, to produce 
 splendour without gaudiness, and to erect a temple somewhat 
 worthy of the holy sacrifice, is a wonderful effort for the 
 human mind : but when decoration is attempted in honour of 
 the victim there offered — the blessed Sacrament itself — art 
 droops unequal, and genius fails. Who is there that can set 
 forth the glory of God, or add lustre to His majesty ? The 
 attempt is almost profane. Hence the ancient churchmen 
 veiled the sacred host in mystery, and, like Moses before the 
 burning bush, bowed themselves to the ground. If the faith- 
 ful are required to adore in silence, during the elevation of 
 the host, as being too solemn a moment for even the psalmody 
 of praise, " Sileat omnis caro a facie Domini quia consurrexit 
 de habitaculo Sancto suo," what forms can be embodied to 
 honour so great a mystery ? 
 
 The arrangements sometimes made for this purpose are more 
 calculated to throw ridicule on the solemnity than to raise 
 feelings of inward reverence, and however well meant are not 
 the less objectionable. Lights alone can be considered appro- 
 
 * The greatest innovation of later times is placing altars all over a church; for- 
 merly they were strictly confined to the eastern ends, and all protected by screens 
 in regular chapels. The mass is not less holy, adorable, and deserving of respect 
 because it is celebrated at an altar which is not the principal one of the church: 
 the same reasons which require that to be screened off from the people, apply 
 equally to the others. Now we not only find many altars without screens in mo- 
 dern churches, but erected against pillars of the nave, where a great portion of the 
 people must turn their backs on the sacrifice there offered. The nave is erected 
 for the faithful, and not as a place wherein to celebrate the holy mysteries ; the 
 very fact of altars having been erected in such a position, shews how completely 
 the mystical reasons which regulated the architecture and arrangement of ancient 
 catholic churches, have been lost sight of ; and hence arises the gross irreverence 
 to be witnessed on the Continent during the celebration of masses at these altars, 
 and is another proof of the intimate connexion between the externals of religion 
 and internal effect on the mind. 
 
 D 
 
42 
 
 priate emblems near the blessed Eucharist, for they have ever 
 been used by the Church as marks of honour, and figures of 
 the brightness and glory of God : and even these require much 
 judgment in their distribution, inclining more on the side of 
 humble simplicity than of pretension towards an unattainable 
 end ; and (like the painter, who, unable to represent the in- 
 tense grief of the human mind, covered the visage of his 
 figure), confess our inability to embody our veneration for the 
 adorable mystery, and substitute for ornament a veil. 
 
 It is proper to remark, that all the altars in the churches of 
 which we have given engravings, have been erected and deco- 
 rated with scrupulous regard to the ancient tradition. 
 
 We fear we cannot assert, from the examples which we 
 have brought forward, that the English Catholics, as a body, 
 are reviving Catholic architecture, for such is unhappily far 
 from the case at present; but we have brought forward suffi- 
 cient examples to shew that it is quite possible for them, in the 
 nineteenth century, to revive the ecclesiastical glories of the 
 days of faith, and it is merely owing to their energies not 
 being sufficiently directed to this important object, that much 
 greater restorations are not achieved. If the piety, faith, and 
 zeal of bygone times are revived, then equal results will soon 
 be attained. There is, at the present time, a great and increas 
 ing feeling of admiration for old Catholic art ; and amoi, b 
 those who have greatly contributed to revive this love of Ca- 
 tholic antiquity, are certain learned members of the Establish- 
 ment, resident at Oxford ; whose endeavours, in this cause, 
 entitle them to the respect and gratitude of all who are anxious 
 to behold a restoration of our ancient solemn churches. 
 Some papers which have appeared in the British Critic on 
 this subject, have been written by one who truly feels the 
 principles which actuated the ancient builders in their designs. 
 So much respect indeed do we entertain for the writer in ques- 
 tion, that we are pained in being compelled to act as his 
 opponent, although it be only for a time : still the exclusive 
 tone he has assumed is so fallacious, that it becomes a duty to 
 point out the inconsistency of it. We repeat we are truly 
 grateful for all the Oxford men have done, and are doing, to- 
 wards the revival of Catholic art and antiquity : still, hampered 
 as they are by parliamentary restrictions, and their Protestant 
 associates, they can accomplish but little in these respects, 
 compared with what a handful of English Catholics have done 
 who work on the ancient foundation. 
 
 We both descend from ancestors who professed one faith 
 
43 
 
 as members of the old Catholic Church of England. The 
 Establishment are the many who, converted by political in- 
 triguers, avaricious and ambitious men, abandoned the faith 
 of their fathers, and received parliamentary enactments for 
 the decrees of the church. The English Catholics are the 
 few who remained witnesses of the truth, under the severest 
 trials of persecution. 
 
 The Establishment, although she started strong and mighty, 
 is now miserably fallen ; she has existed long enough to suffer 
 the most bitter degradations at the hands of her own nominal 
 children : and having lost the hearts and controul of the 
 people — distracted by dissensions — betrayed by false brethren 
 — the learned and pious of her communion look back with 
 longing regret on the happy state of England's Church, ere 
 political intriguers had forced it into schism, and separated it 
 from the communion of the Christian world. Under these 
 circumstances we should have hoped, and expected, that the 
 feeling of deep humility (so beautifully expressed in an article 
 on the church service in the British Critic) would have influ- 
 enced the tone of the writer on church architecture ; but this, 
 we are sorry to perceive, is far from the case. We cannot 
 understand how a church in the old English style, erected 
 by the descendants of those who retained the practice of the 
 old rites, can be a painful object* to one professing Ca- 
 tholic principles ; nor why he should be edified (even suppo- 
 sing such were the case) that the new Catholic church and 
 dissenting meeting-house were built in the same manner: unless 
 he were influenced by party feelings, such a falling off should 
 cause his sincere grief. Far be it from us to exult at the 
 abortions raised by the Establishment for her worship ; it is on 
 the contrary a subject of deep lamentation, that any persons 
 whose ancestors were members of the Catholic Church should 
 have so wofully deserted from the spirit of antiquity. And on 
 the other hand, when we behold even the intention of restoring 
 Catholic architecture and practices, we are both edified and 
 thankful that such feelings should exist. 
 
 We are willing to admit that the modern externals of Ca- 
 tholicism in this country are but little calculated to impress a 
 casual observer with feelings of religious veneration, but as 
 the English Catholics have been driven from every ancient 
 church, and cut off from old associations, their present con- 
 dition, in these respects, is less astonishing than that of the 
 
 * " This is indeed a painfully beautiful structure.'' 
 
44 
 
 members of the Establishment, who, with the glories of the 
 old edifices continually before them, have not only departed 
 from every ancient practice, but have defaced and destroyed, 
 in a great measure, the most beautiful portions of these vene- 
 rable edifices. 
 
 It is true that the feelings of many of her children are 
 Catholic, but the Establishment is decidedly Protestant. How 
 would the parochial churches, in their present state, bear the 
 test of an old English episcopal visitation ? A solitary surplice 
 and tattered prayer book would but ill answer to the long 
 catalogue of sacred vessels and ornaments extracted from 
 LyndwoooVs Provinciate. The unoccupied sedilia ; the broken 
 sacrarium ; the defaced screen, denuded of its emblem of 
 redemption ; the dismounted altar stone, trampled under 
 foot ; the damp and mouldering chancel ; the broken window 
 and uptorn brass, would but ill exhibit that love of Anglican 
 rites, which the writer would fain usurp as the exclusive feeling 
 of the Establishment : and yet this is the state of almost every 
 church in the country, which is not fortunate enough to have 
 an Oxford man for its incumbent : and then, however good 
 may be his intentions, he is so restricted and controlled, that 
 he can do little more than remove some coats of whitewash, 
 and open a blocked-up arch and window. It is a fact, and we 
 say it in sorrow — not exultation, that there is not a single 
 church, in the possession of the Establishment, where any of 
 the old Anglician rites are preserved. There is a great deal 
 written respecting them, it is true, but where are the actual 
 results? Do the clergy celebrate in the ancient vestments? 
 Do they burn lights on the altars and near the tombs of the 
 martyrs ? Do they venerate the remains of the saints ? Do 
 they place hallowed water in the porches of the churches ? Are 
 the roods rested over the screens ? Are the sedilia occupied 
 by the clergy ? For these are all practices of remote antiquity. 
 It is a striking fact, that Anglican rites were in use in the 
 Church in England only so long as she retained her canonical 
 obedience to the holy see, and ceased with her schism. 
 
 A paper has recently appeared, on the Anglo-catholic use 
 of two lights at the altar, the object of which is excellent ; 
 but it is well known that this disuse of the Anglo-catholic 
 practice is exactly coeval with the formation of the present 
 establishment, as they were utterly disused after the short-lived 
 reign of the first book of common prayer. We had in Eng- 
 land, from Saxon times downwards, our own missals, rituals, 
 benedictionals, offices, litanies, which included among the most 
 
45 
 
 ancient Catholic rites, some exclusively English, with vast 
 privileges ; and yet all these Anglican rites were abolished to 
 introduce Lutheran and Genevan discipline, when England's 
 Church was brought under the yoke of foreign sectaries, by 
 the so-called reformers of the sixteenth century. And if these 
 Anglican rites have in some respects been suspended amongst 
 us, who are the remnant of the old faith, is it not owing to our 
 having been so deserted and persecuted by our Protestant 
 countrymen that we have been too depressed and divided to 
 keep up the externals and practice of a Church ? But, how- 
 ever we may fall short in these respects when compared with 
 the glories of ancient days, we are still wonderfully in advance 
 of the members of the Establishment, who, still writhing under 
 the evil influence of a Peter Martyr and John a Lasco, are 
 unable to revive a single practice of Anglo-catholic antiquity. 
 It ill becomes them to speak in a taunting manner of our 
 deficiencies in these respects, and to make extravagant deduc- 
 tions from accidental contingencies : we allude particularly to 
 the observations made on the position of the church at Derby.* 
 
 * There is not the slightest foundation for the significant relation, asserted by 
 the reviewer, between the church at Derby and the Roman basilicas ; there is not, 
 in fact, the smallest similarity between the two. In the basilica, the altar and the 
 celebrant face the east and the people, of which we are not aware of any other in- 
 stance. At Derby, the building was unfortunately forced in:o a south and north 
 position. The church at Moorfields was erected by a Protestant, who was totally 
 ignorant of any canonical regulation, and was far more influenced by the city 
 commissioners, in not spoiling the uniformity of the crescent, than any notions of 
 introducing Roman discipline into London. As for Mr. Fletcher's meeting-house, 
 the mention of which is rather insultingly introduced, the reviewer must be aware 
 that it has no hearing at all, there being neither end nor side, but one great galle- 
 ried preaching house, with benches all round ; a vile conventicle, which, we should 
 have thought, any one professing Catholic feelings would not have named in con- 
 junction with a church, built on the same site and position, and over the same 
 sacred tombs, as one of the oldest edifices devoted to christian worship. 
 
 There is one observation of the reviewer in which we most heartily concur — 
 the absence of altars at the extremities of the aisles is a great defect, although 
 not an irremediable one ; and we shall hope, before long, to see these, as well 
 as a regular chancel screen, and other arrangements which are absolutely requir- 
 ed to be completed, in order to perfect the interior of this edifice. 
 
 We cannot conclude these observations without expressing our perfect concur- 
 rence in the views of the writer, respecting the propriety and necessity of 
 adhering to the ancient traditional position of churches, from west to east ; 
 and we hold, that nothing short of absolute necessity could palliate, even in 
 these times, any departure from this practice. But few persons are acquainted 
 with the difficulties to be encountered in procuring land for the erection of 
 catholic churches. No sooner does the intention of commencing such a struc- 
 ture become known, than every engine of prejudice and interest is brought 
 to bear in opposition, and sites are sometimes purchased, through necessity, 
 which will not possibly admit of canonical arrangements in the position of 
 the edifice. 
 
46 
 
 Had the writer examined the dimensions of the site, he must 
 at once have perceived that the uncanonical position of the 
 building was occasioned, not through disrespect for the ancient 
 tradition of Christendom — which we revere most highly ; not 
 from any idea of introducing Roman peculiarities in England, 
 but from unavoidable necessity, occasioned by want of space 
 from west to east. Had the church been properly placed, 
 even supposing the whole width of the land occupied, not only 
 would the light of both eastern and western windows have been 
 at the mercy of the adjacent proprietors, but the edifice itself 
 would have been much too short for its required purposes. 
 Every expedient, by placing the tower on the side, &c, was 
 tried, but was reluctantly and of necessity abandoned. 
 
 The annexed plan will shew these difficulties ; and it will 
 also be seen that the church was brought forward to its present 
 
 DERBY. 
 
 position to admit of enlarging the chancel, and adding chapels 
 towards the altar end. 
 
 * As the exterior and interior of this church have heen already etched in two 
 plates, published by Dolman, and also illustrated in the " British Critic," it has 
 not been considered necessary to introduce them in this article. 
 
47 
 
 It was certainly a lamentable necessity, which compelled the 
 architect to turn the church at Derby towards the north ; but 
 yet this is a light defect, when compared with the pewing of 
 St. Alkmund's, where, in a canonically-built church, the 
 congregation not only face the north, but sit in hollow 
 squares and galleries, and face each other. The writer could 
 not have selected a more unfortunate example for illustrating 
 the love of Catholic antiquity in the Establishment, than this 
 ancient but desecrated edifice : it is an old Catholic shell, 
 cut up, galleried, defaced, and transformed by every des- 
 cription of Protestant monstrosity, from the Genevan reading- 
 desk, down to the glazed and cushioned pew of the last 
 century. But mistaken indeed are the ideas of the reviewer, 
 in imagining that the new church of St. Mary's was erected 
 as if in hostile opposition to the venerable fabric of St. Alk- 
 rnund's ; for, desecrated and desolate as it stands, the pious 
 Catholic can gaze with feelings of deep veneration on an 
 edifice from whose tower the bells have oft called the people 
 to early sacrifice, and beneath whose ancient pavement repose 
 the remains of many a faithful soul departed. How little 
 can the writer estimate the feelings of a true English Catholic, 
 if he thinks every stone of the ancient churches is not ines- 
 timably dear to him ; for, independent of the art and science 
 of their construction, their antiquity alone will awaken asso- 
 ciations more holy and consoling, than the most splendid 
 revivals of Catholic art in the present day can produce. It 
 is a strange inconsistency in such men as the reviewer, to 
 misrepresent and disparage the intentions and works of the 
 only body who are capable of carrying out the very ideas he so 
 beautifully expresses. We are quite willing to throw over- 
 board such of the modern Catholic erections as are built 
 without reference to canonical arrangement or the traditions 
 of the Church, to be dealt with as unmercifully as the con- 
 venticles which they much resemble. But we protest against 
 charging the whole body with the ignorance of some of its 
 members; and we equally object to the writer claiming 
 Catholic feelings for the Establishment, as a body, because 
 such good sentiments have revived among a few of its mem- 
 bers. By how small a proportion would the sentiments of 
 the reviewer be even understood, and by a how much smaller 
 proportion appreciated as they deserve. The very truth con- 
 tained in his article refutes the position he would attempt to 
 claim. Everything Catholic in England is at so low an ebb 
 
48 
 
 at present, that it is folly to boast. All we contend for is, 
 that Catholicism in this country possesses sufficient internal 
 strength to revive its ancient glory ; while the Establishment, 
 however willing some of its members may be to produce such 
 a result, cannot, under its present system, achieve it. And 
 why is this ? It is not from any want of piety, zeal, learning, 
 disinterestedness, or holiness of life, — for all these requisites 
 are possessed in a high degree by many among them ; it is 
 simply for want of a really Catholic foundation. If reunited 
 in communion with the rest of the Christian world, and ab- 
 solved from the censures which their forefathers incurred, how 
 rapidly would they achieve the greatest works ! The spirit of 
 the ancient churchmen breathes in their writings, and in their 
 deeds, — but, like the green shoots from a prostrate trunk, 
 wanting a source, fail in producing fruit; and the men who, 
 in better days, would have raised a Lincoln or founded a 
 Winchester, are scarcely able to preserve common decency of 
 worship, or arrest increasing decay, in the churches which 
 they serve. 
 
 C. RICHARDS, PRINTER, 100, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, CHARING CROSS. 
 
ST. GILES', CHEADLE. 
 
 i. Porch 
 
 H. Holy water stoups 
 in. Font and Baptistery 
 iv. Tower 
 
 v. St. Mary's Chapel 
 vi. St. John's Chapel 
 vn. Pulpit 
 
 vin. Screen and Rood 
 
 ix. Sacristy 
 
 x. Staircase to Rood 
 
 xi. Sepulchre 
 xn Sedilia 
 
 xi u. High altar 
 
PI. IV, 
 
 ST. GILES', CHEADLE. 
 
PL IV. 
 
 ST. GILES', CHEADLE. 
 
ST. GEORGE'S, LONDON. 
 
Pl.VT. 
 
 ST. OSWALD'S, LIVERPOOL. 
 
A 
 
PI. VIT. 
 
 ST. MARY'S, DUDLEY. 
 
PL VIII. 
 
 STOCKTON-ON-TEES. 
 
PL IX. 
 
 ST. MARY'S, SOUTHPORT. 
 
PI. X. 
 
 ST. MARY S ON THE-SANDS, SOUTHPORT. 
 
PL XI. 
 
 ST. ALBAN S, MACCLESFIELD. 
 
PL XI T. 
 
 ST. GEORGE'S FIELDS, LONDON. 
 
Pl.XTII. 
 
 ST. GILES', CHEADLE. 
 
PI. XIV. 
 
 CHANCEL OF ST. WILFRID'S, MANCHESTER. 
 
PI. XV. 
 
 ST. MARY'S, UTTOXETER 
 
CHANCEL OF ST. GILES', CHEADLE. 
 
ON THE PRESENT STATE OF 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 
 IN ENGLAND. 
 
 ARTICLE THE SECOND. 
 
 From the Dublin Review, No. XXIII. 
 February 1842. 
 
ON THE PRESENT STATE OF 
 
 ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE 
 IN ENGLAND. 
 
 Art. III. — 1. A Few Words to Churchwardens, Nos. ] and 2. 
 A Few Words to Churchbuilders. A Few Hints on the 
 Practical Study of Ecclesiastical A ntiquities. The Ecclesi- 
 ologist, Nos. 1 and 2 ; being all publications of the Cambridge 
 Camden Society. 
 
 2. Tivo Lectures on the Structure and Decorations of Churches. 
 By the Rev. G. A. Poole, M.A. 
 
 rriHE increase of public attention to the subject of ecclesi- 
 X astical antiquities, is one of the most consoling signs of 
 the present times; not that the mere study of pointed archi- 
 tecture is any novelty, but the present views on this important 
 subject are far more satisfactory than those which prevailed 
 but a short time since. 
 
 Most elaborate works on the antiquities and topography of 
 this country, faithful delineations, and correct historical ac- 
 counts of its most interesting monuments, are indeed abundant, 
 and as works of practical utility and useful reference cannot 
 be too strongly commended. But still these partook but little 
 of the ancient spirit, nor did they materially conduce in im- 
 parting it to others; they treated upon Stonehenge, and Lincoln 
 minster, a Roman encampment, and a parochial church, in the 
 same tone; they were written, for the most part, more with 
 a view of preserving the remembrance of past glories than 
 reviving their execution, and seemed to treat the productions 
 of our Catholic forefathers as belonging to a state of things 
 utterly gone by, and never to return. Frequently, indeed, 
 the grossest discrepancies are to be found between the text 
 and the subject treated upon. How often the most glorious 
 monuments of ancient piety are mentioned only for the pur- 
 pose of defaming the religion and intentions of their holy 
 
.51 
 
 founders ? How exceedingly painful in this respect are the 
 otherwise meritorious works of Mr. Britton and many others, 
 of which those portions of the text not devoted to mere ar- 
 chitectural description, are one tissue of calumnies against the 
 ancient churchmen of this country, and the faith which they 
 so zealously and worthily maintained. 
 
 A far better spirit has at length arisen ; and we may truly 
 say, that the Cambridge Camden Society have already done, 
 and are actually doing, immense service in the good cause by 
 the admirable publications they are issuing on this subject, some 
 of which we have selected at the head of this article. They do 
 not treat the ecclesiastical antiquities of this country as mere 
 architectural curiosities; or pointed architecture as a matter 
 of arbitrary taste ; neither do they hold learned comparisons 
 on the relative beauties of a Corinthian column and a clus- 
 tered pillar ; but they set forth the construction and decoration 
 of the temples dedicated to God in the true light, as matters 
 of Catholic tradition, and propose the ancient Catholic struc- 
 tures as the only models for imitation. Now we do not 
 hesitate in saying, that they have already achieved more prac- 
 tical good by their unpretending publications, than has been 
 accomplished by the united exertions of the antiquaries of 
 the last half century ; for they have brought long-forgotten 
 facts before the parties who ought to be especially reminded of 
 them, but who hitherto have known and cared the least about 
 those matters ; and it is well known, while Gough was pub- 
 lishing his great work on monumental antiquities, the sextons 
 were ripping up the brasses for sale ; and not unfrequently, 
 while an elaborate plate of some interesting portion of a church 
 was preparing for publication, the clergyman or churchwar- 
 dens of the place were occupied in demolishing it. Although 
 these works are of course addressed to the members of the 
 Anglican Church, yet they cannot be too strongly recom- 
 mended to the study and attention of the English Catholics, 
 who, owing to their long exclusion from the sacred buildings 
 raised by their ancestors in faith, have wofully departed from 
 the principles which influenced them in the erection of their 
 religious buildings. Before proceeding to examine the works 
 in detail, we must give one extract to show the high Catholic 
 view in which these writers regard the material structure of 
 the ancient churches. 
 
 " We enter the Church militant by Holy Baptism : therefore the 
 font is placed by the entrance of the west end : a church built upon 
 the foundation of the apostles and prophets, just as the earthly 
 
 E 
 
building is supported by the massive pillars of the nave : we pass 
 along this, keeping our eyes on the passion of Christ depicted at the 
 eastern end, and trusting to the merits of his sacrifice as represented 
 by the altar, till we arrive at the close of life, imaged by the 
 chancel arch and dome ; this we pass through faith, some typical 
 representation of which is usually to be traced in this arch, as the 
 blessed saints and martyrs have gone before us, whose forms are 
 depicted in the roodscreen ; and thus enter the Church triumphant, 
 represented by the chancel." 
 
 What can be more consoling than to find the edifying sym- 
 bolism of our ancient churches thus beautifully recognized 
 and set forth by those who, but a few years since, were fore- 
 most in their destruction ? Our joy would indeed be far 
 greater, if all amongst us w r ere able and willing to join in 
 these ideas, and practically revive them. But to proceed. 
 The first tract is addressed to the churchwardens of rural 
 parishes, and is written in a plain, clear style, so that the 
 instructions may be readily understood by those for whom 
 they are intended. It commences with some excellent admo- 
 nitions relative to the positive duty of preserving and restoring 
 all that is connected with the service of God ; and then pro- 
 ceeds to point out the many causes of that lamentable decay 
 so generally observable in ancient churches, and with advice 
 as to the means of remedying those defects, and preventing 
 further destruction. We then have some very proper censures 
 on those who venture to remove fonts from their ancient 
 position near the western end, to suit their own convenience 
 and caprice, and the gross inconsistency of administering the 
 sacrament of Baptism in the chancel or holy place. The re- 
 marks respecting roofs are so very true, and so important, that 
 we have given the extract in full. A high pitched roof is 
 in itself a great ornament to a building, and adds prodigi- 
 ously to its grandeur ; it prevailed till the decline of pointed 
 architecture, when it fell like the curve of the arches, and 
 with it half the dignity of our ecclesiastical buildings. Let 
 any one compare the effect of such buildings as Lincoln, 
 Westminster, Amiens, and others which retain their original 
 high pointed roofs, to the later buildings, where the roofs are 
 flat in pitch, and consequently invisible from below, and they 
 will soon perceive that the former are twice as majestic as the 
 latter. There cannot be a more striking example of this than 
 the nave of Westminster and Henry the Seventh's chapel, 
 where the parapet and pinnacles detaching on the sky look 
 painfully meagre, while the parapet of the Abbey nave, ow r ing 
 
53 
 
 to the high roof rising behind it, produces an excellent effect. 
 Nine-tenths of our finest churches have lost half their beauty 
 owing to the destruction of the high roofs with which they 
 were once surmounted, and which have been replaced by low 
 pitched coverings. We now give the words of the tract on 
 this subject. 
 
 "It may not be amiss now to say something about the roof. 
 There are few churches which have not lost much of their beauty 
 from their roofs being of a much lower pitch than they used to be. 
 If you look at the east side of your tower, you may see what is 
 called the weather moulding of the old roof remaining ; and from 
 thence you will be able to judge how much lower the roof is than 
 it was once. Now the reason is very plain. In this figure, ABC 
 shews how the roof stood at first : in time the 
 ends A, C, which are fixed in the wall, become 
 decayed, and instead of getting new rafters, the 
 parish vestry think it enough to cut off a foot 
 or so of the old wood, and thus the rafters being 
 much shorter, can of course reach only to D. 
 At this slope they stand till the lower ends de- 
 cay again ; which happens much sooner this 
 time, because they were most likely not very sound at first : and 
 then another piece is cut off, and the roof sinks down to E. Now, 
 besides the ugliness of a flat ceiling, there is more harm done here. 
 Suppose that in this church there was a window which reached 
 nearly as far as B. What is to be done with it when the roof gets 
 down to D and to E? Why of course it must be blocked up : 
 and many of the finest windows in the country have been spoilt in 
 this very way. The best roofing is of lead : in former times no- 
 thing else was ever used ; but it is apt to crack with the heat. I 
 hope you will never think of that shameful way of raising money, 
 when you want it for the church, to sell the lead, and put tiles in 
 its place." 
 
 It must be in justice remarked, that many of the high roofs 
 were removed and lowered long before the change of religion ; 
 and this is an additional proof, that with the introduction of the 
 four-centred arch, and consequent departure from the verticle 
 principle, the spirit of pointed architecture was on the wane. 
 
 The second tract refers to the state of parochial churches 
 in large and populous towns. After noticing, in the first 
 place, that the destruction of the ancient fabrics in such situa- 
 tions has not arisen from want of funds, but from the inju- 
 dicious expenditure of large sums, the writer proceeds to 
 denounce the common enormities of high pews, galleries, 
 blocked up arches, huge stoves and pipes, plastered ceilings 
 
 E 2 
 
54 
 
 under oak roofs, &c. On all these matters the observations 
 are most judicious, but as they chiefly refer to Protestant 
 monstrosities, they are not extracted into these pages ; but 
 the following remarks on modern sepulchral monuments are 
 quite applicable to the vile tablets and memorials for the 
 dead, which are adopted by many modern Catholics in place 
 of those appropriate and truly Catholic tombs, slabs and 
 brasses, which are to be found in almost every ancient church.* 
 
 " I have spoken before at much length about burials in church- 
 yards : but I wish to say a word upon monuments. Nothing can 
 be more unsightly than most of these, not to say irreverent and 
 profane. You may often persuade your fellow -parishioners to give 
 
 * As it is very probable that many persons erect these Pagan and Protestant- 
 looking tablets and emblems, to the memory of their departed friends, in eon- 
 sequence of their ignorance of ancient design, and inability to procure correct 
 models, it may be useful to insert the following list of the various sorts of 
 monuments anciently employed, and the average cost of executing them at the 
 present time. 
 
 A high tomb under a canopied arch, crotched and pinnacled, with 
 effigy of deceased vested of natural size, angels or weepers in 
 niches round the high tomb, with scriptures, emblems, &c. from 
 
 A high tomb with the effigy natural size, with weepers or tracery 
 and shields round the sides - 
 
 A plain arch in a chancel, with effigy natural size 
 
 Ditto, with a slab and monumental cross and inscription 
 
 A plain high tomb with inscription round edge and monumental 
 cross on top ------- 
 
 A whole length brass, under a canopy, with the evangelists in the 
 corners, and inscription - 
 
 A whole length brass without canopy or evangelists 
 
 A half brass with inscription and evangelists - 
 
 A ditto small ------- 
 
 A quarter-size whole length effigy and inscription 
 
 A chalice with hand over in benediction, a very simple but an- 
 cient emblem of a priest's tomb - 
 
 A brass of a cross fleury, with inscription on stem and effigy in 
 the centre ------- 
 
 A stone slab with a cross fleury, engraved in lines and inscription, 
 shields, &c. ------- 
 
 A ditto""raised in Dos D'Ane, and cross fleury carved in relief on 
 it, these are well calculated for external monuments in church- 
 yards - 
 
 Stone crosses with inscriptions, to set up at the heads and feet of 
 graves - 
 
 Plain oak crosses with painted inscriptions for the same purpose 
 
 Of course the exact cost of all these different monuments will vary in propor- 
 tion to quantity of detail and enrichment about them, and the materials in 
 which they are executed ; alabaster will be more costly than stone, and Purbeck 
 marble than Yorkshire slabs, and so on ; but the above list of monuments, 
 which are strictly in accordance with Catholic traditions, has been drawn out to 
 show that the pious memorials used by our forefathers may be revived at the 
 present time by all classes. 
 
 £ 
 
 £ 
 
 150 to 
 
 500 
 
 50 ... 
 
 100 
 
 30 ... 
 
 100 
 
 25 ... 
 
 50 
 
 20 ... 
 
 30 
 
 100 ... 
 
 200 
 
 50 ... 
 
 
 25 ... 
 
 50 
 
 10 ... 
 
 20 
 
 10 ... 
 
 20 
 
 3 ... 
 
 5 
 
 25 ... 
 
 50 
 
 10 ... 
 
 15 
 
 10 ... 
 
 15 
 
 5 ... 
 
 10 
 
 1 ... 
 
 3 
 
55 
 
 up the ugly headstones, with their vulgar doggrel rhymes, and make 
 them chose proper emblems instead of those which are now most 
 common. What can be worse than poppies and broken columns, 
 which typify everlasting sleep and thwarted hopes, instead of the 
 peaceful and hopeful rest of the Christian ? But of all things shun 
 urns : they are heathen and silly emblems, though more used per- 
 haps than anything else. Nor are they put on monuments only : 
 I know of more than one east end stuck about with urns and pots 
 of different sizes and colours ; of a beautiful porch groaning under 
 the weight of a shapeless modern urn ; and even of a chancel- 
 arch removed altogether to make way for an urn on the top of each 
 pier. At any rate you can hinder the mutilation of the church 
 itself for urns and monuments. It is a shame to cut away piers 
 and carvings and mouldings, and to block up arches and windows 
 for such things as these. It is a shame also to use monumental 
 stones over again, and thus destroy the record of one man's life to 
 make room for that of another. And again, it is worse than dis- 
 honest to take gravestones for one's own purposes, and even to give 
 them away to others for doorsteps and lintels, or the like uses. 
 
 " Nothing is more strange than the modern taste in monuments : 
 the same people who would gladly get rid of the few statues of 
 saints and martyrs of old which have been saved for us, will them- 
 selves put up images to modern preachers, and perhaps even to 
 wicked men, and this over the very altar itself !" 
 
 The latter part of this extract does not, of course, refer 
 to any Catholic churches, but it is most gratifying to per- 
 ceive that the members of the Establishment are at length 
 aw r akened to the glaring inconsistency of permitting images 
 of pagan divinities to be erected within their churches, while 
 those of saints, and of our blessed Redeemer himself, are 
 rigidly excluded. 
 
 The remarks of the writer respecting the churchyard cross, 
 are also quite in the true spirit. He says, you should care 
 for this old cross and keep it clean, for none but wicked men 
 would have broken the emblem of all our hopes. His con- 
 clusion is so Catholic, that it would seem to have been written 
 ere England's unhappy schism ; indeed, such sentiments and 
 feelings only can belong, consistently, to the old time. May 
 God grant that they are at least the harbingers of better days. 
 
 " And now I have clone. And though I know how feebly I have 
 raised my voice, yet it has been raised with the one view of trying 
 to recall some of my brethren of the laity of England to a sense of 
 what God claims from those who are entrusted here with the over- 
 charge of His House ; and of giving what little aid to them a life 
 devoted to Church-antiquities may have enabled me to give. If I 
 
56 
 
 have had much fault to find, it is not from a love of finding fault ; 
 far from that, but from a hope of amending. And if many have 
 been persuaded by my former words to do something for God's 
 Church, although with such scanty means, it is not much to hope 
 that some of those to whom I now write, who mostly are so much 
 better able to afford such cost, will also do their part. You to 
 whom I have now been speaking are often men of wealth and in- 
 fluence : you have fair houses and costly furniture, and all comforts 
 you wish for. I earnestly call upon you to think of the claims 
 which the church, which you are allowed to watch and guard, has 
 upon your aid : the church, within which you were by holy bap- 
 tism made members of the spiritual Church ; in which it may be 
 you knelt before the bishop in confirmation, and in holy matrimony 
 plighted your troth in the dearest earthly tie ; the church which 
 you have perhaps daily entered for prayer and praise, and how often 
 for holy communion ! around which your fathers and brethren 
 who have departed in faith are resting in the sleep of peace ; in 
 which lastly the solemn funeral service will ere long be heard over 
 your bier. It is no slight band which ties you to your parish- 
 church : it is no far-off call which is rousing you to do your duty. 
 Your oaths, your honour, your manliness, must force you, one 
 would think, to fill the office which you have taken as a good man 
 should : a happy office surely, to watch that church round which all 
 your hopes are or ought to be centered ; and a high office, (it can- 
 not be too often said) to care for the holy house where God himself 
 deigns to dwell. 
 
 Join then for your Church's sake the zealous band who are now 
 on all sides working, each in his way, for God's glory. I cannot 
 promise you fame : but you will not desire that. I can promise 
 you the love of all who are working in the same good cause ; and, 
 what is more, a lasting record of your labours by Him in Whose 
 name and for Whose sake you labour." 
 
 We now come to the tract entitled A Feio Words to Church 
 Builders, which contains much important matter, and is cer- 
 tainly the first distinct publication which has issued from the 
 present Establishment, in which ecclesiastical architecture is 
 viewed in its true light. In the introduction, the writer re- 
 marks, that the observations " are intended for the use of 
 those to whom God has given, not only the means, but the 
 w r ill, to undertake a work, the noblest perhaps in which man 
 can engage, the building of a house in some degree worthy 
 of His majesty. He farther states, that " it is his intention 
 to dwell rather on the Catholic than on the architectural prin- 
 ciples which ought to influence the building of a church ;" 
 and this intention constitutes the great merit, value, and, we 
 may add, in the present day, the novelty of this publication. 
 
57 
 
 The greater portion of the remarks are so excellent, and so 
 fully illustrate the principles of church architecture, that we 
 cannot refrain from giving copious extracts. Speaking of 
 the dedication, the writer observes : 
 
 "5. In a cold and faithless age like this, to attach any importance 
 to the selection of a patron saint will probably provoke a smile in 
 some, and in others may cause a more serious feeling of displeasure 
 at the superstition of those who do it. We are well content, if it 
 be so, to lie under the same charge, and for the same cause, as 
 Andrewes, Hooker, and Whitgift. Let us give an example or two 
 of the motives which lead to the choice of a patron saint now. In 
 a large town in the south of England a meeting-house was built by 
 a dissenter, who called it, out of compliment to his wife, Margaret 
 chapel. This being afterwards bought for a church, is now named 
 Saint Margaret's. In the same town is another chapel called All 
 Souls, 6 because all souls may there hear the word of God.' Other 
 dedications are now given, which were rarely, if ever, in use among 
 our ancestors. Such are — St. Paul, instead of SS. Peter and Paul ; 
 Christ church, and St. Saviour's, for a small building ; Emmanuel 
 church, and the like. But who would found a church in England — 
 once the * England of Saints' — without some attention to the local 
 memory of those holy men whose names still live in the appellations 
 of many of our towns ? Who, in the diocese of Lichfield, would 
 forget St. Chad ? in that of Durham, St. Cuthbert ? in those of 
 Canterbury and Ely, St. Alphege, and St. Etheldreda? Surely, 
 near St. Edmund's Bury, a church-founder would naturally think 
 of St. Edmund, or in the west of W ales, of St. David ?" 
 
 The next remark is very important, and cannot be too 
 strongly urged to those among the English Catholics, who, 
 having been so long confined to mere chapels, have conceived 
 a dislike, and a most Protestant dislike it is, to chancels. 
 
 " 6. There are two parts, and only two parts, which are abso- 
 lutely essential to a Church — chancel and nave. If it have not the 
 latter, it is at best only a chapel ; if it have not the former, it is 
 little better than a meeting-house. The twelve thousand ancient 
 churches in this land, in whatever else they may differ, agree in 
 this, that every one has or had a well-defined chancel. On the 
 least symbolical grounds, it has always been felt right to separate 
 off from the rest of the church a portion which should be expressly 
 appropriated to the more solemn rites of our religion ; and this por- 
 tion is the chancel. In this division our ancient architects recog- 
 nised an emblem of the holy Catholic Church ; as this consists of 
 two parts, the Church militant and the Church triumphant, so does 
 the earthly structure also consist of two parts, the chancel and 
 nave ; the Church militant being typified by the latter, and the 
 
58 
 
 Church triumphant by the former. But in nine-tenths of 1 new 
 churches,' we shall find no attempt whatever at having a distinct 
 chancel, or it is at best confined to a small apsidal projection of the 
 altar. And this, one of the most glaring faults of modern build- 
 ings, has not met with the reprobation which it so well deserves ; nay, 
 has even been connived at by those who knew better. To illustrate 
 the respective sizes of ancient and modern chancels, I subjoin 
 [plate 2] two ground plans, one of a church built about 1250, the 
 other of one within a mile of it, erected in 1835. And surely, if 
 we had no other reason for the prominence we attach to a chancel 
 than that without one exception our ancestors attached such promi- 
 nence to it, it ought to be enough for us who profess to admire 
 their wisdom, and as far as we may, to tread in their steps." 
 
 In the new Catholic churches of Southport, Keighley, 
 Kenil worth, St. Oswald's, near Liverpool, Macclesfield, Dudley, 
 Pomfret, Masborough, St. George's London, &c, the chancels 
 are built precisely after the ancient models, and bear a good 
 relative proportion to the length of the church ; they are also 
 duly provided with screens, sedilia, sepulchres, reredoses, &c. 
 
 "7. This division, essential in the interior, is not always to be 
 traced in the exterior. It is far better indeed, generally speaking, 
 that it should be marked in both ; and to this end the breadth of the 
 chancel should be a little less than that of the nave ; a difference of 
 four or five feet will be quite sufficient. The height of the chancel 
 is usually less, in the same proportion. Sometimes this latter is 
 the only mark of division, as in the churches of Chailey and South- 
 ease, Sussex. In a cross church, it will be sufficiently marked by 
 the transepts. The only kind of church in which it cannot be ex- 
 ternally shewn, is where there are chancel and nave, with two aisles 
 to both ; but this is rarely the case, except in city churches, or 
 where the builders were cramped for room." 
 
 This is frequently to be remarked in those churches built 
 in crowded cities, and in some of the larger parish churches, 
 such as Newark, &c. where most probably this arrangement 
 was adopted for the purpose of obtaining a Ladye chapel 
 beyond the high altar. The annexed plate, No. 1, will show 
 the ground-plan of the Catholic church of St. Barnabas, now 
 erecting at Nottingham, where the chancel is entirely sur- 
 rounded by aisles and eastern chapels.* In the church of St. 
 
 * We introduce three engravings (Nos. 1,2,3) to illustrate the design of this 
 church, which when complete will be the most perfect revival of a large paro- 
 chial church that has been yet accomplished. Beneath the choir is a crypt, 
 with vaulting springing from two rows of low pillars ; at the eastern end of this 
 undercroft is an altar dedicated in honour of St. Peter, as being the foundation 
 or rock of the church. The same staircases which lead up to the rood loft, at 
 the entrance of the choir, are continued down to the crypt, which is lit by the 
 
I0T1 INGHAM 
 
Andrew, about to be erected at Cambridge, the space being 
 exceedingly limited, the chancel is taken out of the east com- 
 partment enclosed by open screen work, with an aisle on each 
 side. The writer then states, respecting cruciform churches : 
 
 " 9. A cross is of course the most beautiful form in which a 
 church can be built. Yet those persons who think it necessary to 
 a perfect building, are in great error ; not one-tenth of the churches 
 in the country having been erected in that shape. From this mis- 
 taken idea transepts have been attempted with funds hardly suffi- 
 cient for chancel and nave, often to the destruction of the fair pro- 
 portion of the chancel. The symbol conveyed by the cross is 
 certainly better adapted than any other for a Christian place of 
 worship ; yet that of a ship, which the other form sets forth, is by 
 no means unsuitable, and was a very favourite one with the early 
 Church, as St. Chrysostom and St. Hilary (writing concerning the 
 Saviour's walking on the sea) testify. A very general fault of 
 modern cross churches is the excessive breadth of each of the four 
 arms ; whence the arches to the lantern, or central part of the 
 
 side openings in the walls of the choir, which being elevated several feet above 
 the pavement of the aisles, afford sufficient space for their introduction. The 
 various chapels, as well as the choir, will be enclosed by oak screens of open 
 tracery and panel work, relieved in colours. That portion of the church east- 
 ward of the transept, will be divided off from the rest of the building by open 
 screens and gates on a line with the great roodscreen. The roodloft will 
 extend the whole width between the great east pillars supporting the tower, 
 and raised about fourteen feet from the level of the choir ; in breadth it will be 
 about seven feet, and in the centre a great rood will be erected, with appropriate 
 images, standards for lights, &c. 
 
 The choir will be furnished with eighteen carved oak stalls and desks, pre- 
 cisely on the old model ; and at the back of the stalls are oak screens, which will 
 extend along both sides of the choir between the pillars. The pavement of the 
 choir and sanctuary, as well as that of the eastern chapels, will consist of incrusted 
 tiles of various colours, similar in design and composition to those used in an- 
 cient churches. On the epistle side of the altar will be fixed the sedilia, framed 
 and carved in wood, similar in design to those still remaining in the choir of 
 Westminster, and vulgarly called King Sebert's tomb. The high altar will con- 
 sist of a single slab of stone, supported on eight shafts of Petworth marble, with 
 gilt cap and bases. Immediately behind the altar a rich perforated oak screen 
 will extend across the eastern extremity of the choir, enriched with gold and 
 colours, and surmounted by standards for wax tapers. Through this screen 
 the arched entrance and stained windows of the Lady chapel will be distinctly 
 seen. In a chapel on the epistle or south side of the choir, the blessed sacra- 
 ment will be reserved, on a rich altar surmounted by a ciborium, or canopy, 
 supported on four gilt pillars, between which curtains will run on brass rods, 
 extending from cap to cap. The windows of this church are all intended to be 
 glazed with stained glass, of various devices and subjects, in the rich early 
 style ; and it is proposed eventually to cover all the spandrils of the arches, walls, 
 &c, with painted enrichments. The organ will be placed in the north transept. 
 All the altars will be furnished with candlesticks, sacred vessels, hangings, and 
 other ornaments in the same character as the building ; and to the minutest 
 details this church will be a strict revival of Catholic antiquity. 
 
60 
 
 cross, are made obtuse to an almost absurd degree ; and sometimes 
 are omitted altogether, as unnecessary. But if they are unneces- 
 sary to the safety of a church, they suggest (according to the great 
 authority on such points, Durandus) an important symbolical 
 meaning ; namely, that by the writings of the four Evangelists the 
 doctrine of the cross has been preached through the whole world. 
 And this is the reason that we so often find the Evangelistic 
 symbols on, or over, them." 
 
 We most heartily concur with these remarks ; cruciform 
 churches should not be attempted, unless the transepts are 
 well prolonged, and they should always be accompanied by 
 a central tower, or four solid stone arches prepared to receive 
 one, and the chancel should be at least the depth of one of 
 the transepts. A transept church built in the form of a T, 
 without a chancel, is quite irregular. The evangelistic sym- 
 bols are found on the extremities of crosses at a very early 
 period, and may be considered indispensable to a rood cross. 
 They are found on the earliest known examples of proces- 
 sional crosses, and were also engraven on, or affixed to, the 
 silver covers of the holy Gospels. The abbey barn at Glas- 
 tonbury is cruciform, and a most noble structure ; in each 
 gable is a quatrefoil with an emblem of an Evangelist, and 
 the same, is to be occasionally observed on cross-built churches. 
 
 The following remark shows that the writer is fully im- 
 bued with the feelings and spirit of the ancient architects. 
 
 "II. There is not the slightest objection, whatever the fastidious 
 taste of modern times may think of it, against building at first one 
 aisle, if the funds are not sufficient for the erection of two. And 
 it is far more in accordance with Catholic principles to build one 
 aisle as it ought to be, than to 4 run up ' two cheaply ; always 
 supposing it in this, as in other cases of imperfect design, to be the 
 intention of the builder, that the church shall, at some future time, 
 though perhaps not by himself, be completed. And this leads to 
 an important remark. It is not of consequence that the opposite 
 sides of a church should correspond with each other. Churches 
 with one aisle, or one transept, constantly occur. I will prove this 
 by some examples, taken at random : — Llanfwrog, Denbighshire, 
 has N. aisle ; Tal-y-Llyn, Merion, S. transept ; Brandon, Suffolk, 
 S. aisle ; Avening, Gloucestershire, N. aisle ; Rodborough, Glou- 
 cestershire, N. aisle to chancel and nave, and S. transept ; Huns- 
 don, Herts, S. transept ; Stanford, Berks, N. aisle ; Erith, Kent, 
 S. aisle to chancel and nave. 
 
 " But now, in most people's opinion, the great beauty of a church, 
 if it have two aisles, consists in having both sides the same in de- 
 tails ; whereas nothing can be more opposite to the true principles 
 
of ecclesiastical architecture than this idea, so cramping to boldness 
 of design and variety of ornament. 
 
 " 12. This remark applies particularly to the position of the 
 tower. Now-a-days, it is almost universally placed at the west 
 end of the church, that it may ' stand in the middle whereas 
 the following positions are equally good: the intersection of a 
 cross church, or between the chancel and nave, where the church 
 is not cross ; these are very common. Other positions are : — 
 Middle of north aisle, Vaucelles, near Caen ; middle of nave, Caen, 
 S. Sauveur ; North of chancel, Berneval, Normandy ; South of 
 chancel, Standon, Hertfordshire ; North end of the north transept, 
 Montgomery ; South end of the south transept, East Lavant, Sus- 
 sex ; North side of the nave, Goustranville, near Caen ; South side 
 of the nave, Midhurst, Sussex ; East end of the north aisle, Patch- 
 ing, Sussex ; West end of the north aisle, Clapham, Sussex ; East 
 end of the south aisle, West Grinstead, Sussex ; West end of the 
 south aisle, Amiens S. Loup ; Holyrood, Southampton ; North- 
 west angle of nave, York, St. Crux ; South-west angle of nave, 
 Sacombe, Herts ; Western part of the chancel, Yainville, Normandy. 
 It shows the perverseness of modern times, that the only position 
 in which a tower never ought to be built, namely over the altar, 
 is almost the only one which in modern churches ever takes place 
 of that at the west end ; and it is adopted for the same reason, it 
 is 'just in the middle,' too." 
 
 Now we could embrace the man who wrote this ; for the 
 senseless uniformity of modern design is one of its greatest 
 defects. The idea of everything being exactly alike on both 
 sides, has created an unreal style of building which was quite 
 unknown to our ancestors, and it is most delightful to see the 
 very soul of modern deformities thus ably attacked. When 
 once the trammels and bondage of this regularity system are 
 broken through, and people are taught not to consider a 
 portico and two uniform wings the perfection of design, we 
 may expect vast improvements ; and we hail with the greatest 
 satisfaction this champion of true principles, who at once 
 proclaims defiance to the pagan and mock-regularity men, 
 and sets forth a speedy return to the real and consistent 
 manner of building practised in the days of faith. 
 
 We pass over in this place the writer's remarks respecting 
 altars and sedilia, as they contain serious errors and mistate- 
 ments, which will be noticed in full hereafter, and proceed to 
 the subject of fonts, of which he observes : 
 
 "28. The subject of Fonts is highly interesting ; a list of models 
 will be given in the Appendix. The reader cannot do better than 
 consult Mr. Poole's before-mentioned little work, where he will 
 
62 
 
 find much valuable information on the subject. To his remarks 
 there Ave may add a few more. 
 
 "The shape of the bason may be either square, circular, or octa- 
 gonal ; the greater number of examples in each style are octagonal; 
 an octagon being a very ancient symbol of regeneration. Where 
 there is a central, and four corner shafts, the latter have capital 
 and base ; the former has neither. Hexagonal fonts, though they 
 do occur, are not to be imitated ; yet they are not always late ; 
 that at Ramsey, which is Norman, is of this shape. A pentagonal 
 font, of which Mr. Poole has not an example, occurs at Hollington, 
 Sussex ; a heptagonal one at Chaddesclen, Derbyshire. I quite 
 agree with Mr. Poole, that coats of arms are to be avoided in orna- 
 menting the instrument of our initiation into Him, who ' was 
 despised and rejected of men.' Yet shields do occur in early fonts : 
 for example, at West Deeping, Lincolnshire, which is early Eng- 
 lish. And shields, with the instruments of crucifixion, and the 
 like, would be no less beautiful than appropriate ornaments. 
 
 " A kneeling-stone at the west side appears desirable ; it may 
 be panelled to any degree of richness. It need hardly be observed 
 that the cover should be richly carved in oak ; there is a magnifi- 
 cent specimen in Castle Acre, Norfolk, about sixteen feet in height. 
 The pulley, by which it is elevated, is sometimes, as in Stamford 
 S. George, curiously carved ; the Fall of Man, the Baptism of our 
 Saviour, and His victory over the devil, are here frequently repre- 
 sented. 
 
 " The position of the font must be in the nave, and near a door ; 
 this cannot be too much insisted on : it thus typifies the admission 
 of a child into the Church by Holy Baptism. The Canon orders 
 that it shall stand in the ancient usual place ; and I quote the fol- 
 lowing passages from the Visitation Articles of some of the prelates 
 before-mentioned." 
 
 The. Rev. Gr. A. Poole's remarks, to which the writer al- 
 ludes, are as follows : 
 
 " Having well entered the church, the first object that claims our 
 attention is the font, which always is or ought to be placed at the 
 west end, near the principal entrance, to symbolize the great truth, 
 that holy baptism, of which the font is the instrument, is the sacra- 
 ment of admission into the Christian church. Great varieties of 
 form and arrangement are found in fonts, all appropriate, and many 
 of them exquisite both in design and in execution : for the earlier 
 ecclesiastics of this kingdom, like those who truly represent the An- 
 glican Church at the present day, held holy baptism as the great sacra- 
 ment of a high mystery and privilege, and accordingly lavished on 
 the font the greatest possible care and art. Nor is there any part 
 of the church, or of its furniture, which has been so often preserved 
 through all the successive changes which have taken place in the 
 
63 
 
 surrounding buildings, as the font. Hence we have many more 
 Norman fonts than Norman churches ; and it is probable that 
 several fonts now existing in buildings of comparatively recent 
 date are among the very oldest relics of ancient ecclesiastic archi- 
 tecture. 
 
 " One thing is to be observed in all those fonts which deserve 
 the slightest notice, and it is one which ought on no account what- 
 ever to be forgotten at the present day : — that they are all suf- 
 ficiently large to baptize children by immersion. This is the rule, 
 however many may be the exceptions, and however accounted for, 
 of the Church of England : and it is equally irreverent, absurd, 
 and inconsistent, to substitute a small basin, as is now too often 
 done, for a deep and broad font. 
 
 " But to proceed to some of the forms and ornaments of fonts, — 
 and to arrange them, nearly at least, in a chronological order: — 
 
 " If rudeness be taken as an indication of antiquity, the first 
 place must be given to some which are little more than large stones 
 scarcely reduced to any definite shape, except near the top, and 
 then hollowed sufficiently for the purpose for which they are de- 
 signed. Among these may be mentioned the font of Little Maple- 
 stead, one of the round churches already mentioned,* and that at 
 Heron Gate, in Essex. f 
 
 " The first well defined shape which the font assumes, seems to 
 be that of a circular tub-shaped vessel, with little grace of form 
 except that which arises from the base being somewhat smaller 
 than the rim. At St. Martin's church, Canterbury, J is a font in 
 which this proportion is inverted, and the effect is certainly less 
 pleasing. Some of these round, tub-shaped fonts may be of Saxon, 
 many of them are certainly of Norman date. Simple as this form 
 is, it is frequently very graceful ; and when adorned with a series 
 of arches and pillars in relief, with § or without figures under each 
 arch, and elevated on a step, or it may be three steps, a font of this 
 figure is no unworthy occupant of the west end of a Norman church. 
 
 " Somewhat later came the square stone, hollowed in the centre, 
 and supported by a single massive column, || to which it forms a 
 capital ; or on one large central, and four smaller columns.^ This 
 arrangement obviously affords greater room for the symbolical figures 
 of the ecclesiastical designer, on the four large flat sides ; and, 
 accordingly, they were often adorned in this way profusely and 
 most ingeniously. Perhaps the most frequent decorations of such 
 fonts as these are emblematical representations of the fall of man ; 
 which is the part of scripture history best adapted to the entrance 
 
 * Britton's Architectural Antiq., vol, i. f Antiquarian Itinerary, vol. vii. 
 J Britton's Architectural Antiq., vol. v. § As at Avington, ibid. 
 II As at Castle Rising, Norfolk, ibid. 
 
 *j[ As at East Meon and Winchester (ibid.); and at Iffley, Oxfordshire (Glos- 
 sary of Architecture), and several other places. 
 
64 
 
 of our churches, and admirably placed on the font, in which is 
 washed away the stain which thence descends upon all the de- 
 scendants of Adam. By way of specimen, I will enumerate the 
 figures which occupy the two carved sides of the font of East Meon 
 church, Hampshire.* 
 
 " The first group represents the creation of Adam, and the 
 formation of Eve from his side. Then we have Adam and Eve 
 standing on either side of the tree of the knowledge of good and 
 evil, near which is the serpent speaking to them. Eve appears 
 eating, and Adam just gathering the fruit. These occupy the first 
 side : and opposite we have the expulsion of the guilty pair from 
 paradise, which is represented by the angel with a drawn sword 
 driving them from a magnificent palace. Afterwards another angel 
 appears with a spade, from whom Adam is anxiously receiving 
 instruction in husbandry ; while Eve, who like her husband now 
 appears in the garment provided for them by the goodness of God, 
 is diligently occupied with her distaff. The whole design and ex- 
 ecution of these several figures is entremely rude, and even gro- 
 tesque ; but nothing can be more transparent than the meaning of 
 the whole, which is the principal object : and the appropriateness 
 of the design in that place is obvious. The font of Winchester 
 cathedral f is extremely like that just described in general character; 
 but the design of the sculpture is different, and instead of being 
 easily understood, is so obscure as not yet to have been certainly 
 deciphered. We have, however, a symbol which we should, a 
 priori, expect on a Christian font, and which was, indeed, one of 
 the first which in the primitive churches was introduced into the 
 baptistery, — I mean the dove, an emblem of the third person in 
 the ever blessed and glorious Trinity, by whom we are regenerated 
 in the water of baptism. A salamander also appears on this font, 
 in allusion to the words which St. John spake of our blessed Lord, 
 ' He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.' \ 
 
 The font of Burnham Deepdale,§ in Norfolk, affords a series of 
 designs, of which the subject is very clear, but the appropriateness 
 to the place where they appear not so obvious. Twelve compart- 
 ments are filled with as many representations of the different 
 labours of the husbandman. Is not this a translation, so to speak, 
 into the vernacular tongue, of the processes of the vineyard, by 
 which the good works of Christians were symbolized in Italy and 
 other vine countries ? Their "vintage and our harvest may sym- 
 bolize the same moral precepts and religious truths ; and this font 
 of Burnham Deepdale reads the same lesson with the baptistery of 
 
 * Archseologia, x. 
 
 f Winkle's Cathedrals. Britton's Arch. Antiq., vol, v. 
 j Matthew, iii. 2. The salamander also appears over a representation of our 
 blessed Lord's baptism, in the A ery rude square font at Bridekirk. 
 § Archjeologia, x. 189. 
 
Constantine, near St. Agnese, in Home, on the ceiling of which 
 are represented in Mosaic the processes of the vintage."* 
 
 Many other variations of square fonts might be mentioned, and 
 many remarkable decorations might be adduced ; but I pass on to 
 more important changes in the form of the font. A font of five 
 sides I do not know to occur any where; and hexagonal fonts, 
 though not rare, are less common than either round, square, or 
 octagonal ones. That at Carlisle Cathedral is hexagonal ; and so 
 is that at Farringdon, in Berkshire. Bredon font, Worcestershire, 
 is also hexagonal, and adorned on each face w r ith an escutcheon, 
 charged with arms :f and I especially note this ornament in con- 
 nexion with an hexagonal font, because I think the form and the 
 ornament equally unecclesiastical and barbarous. I can imagine 
 no reason either of symbolical meaning, or of beauty to the eye, J 
 which can plead for a six sided figure, in preference to a circle, a 
 square, or an octagon : and as for the ensigns of worldly pomp, and 
 of human pride, on the instruments of initiation into the Church of 
 Christ, into the mystical body of Him who was ' despised and re- 
 jected of men,' I cannot see any congruity in it at all. And it is 
 worthy of remark, that this inapposite decoration for the font, if 
 decoration it can be called, came into use just when heraldry had 
 lost whatever religion it once had. So long as it was in any sense 
 religious, it was too humble to appear in such a place ; but after 
 the conclusion of the Crusades, and with the mock chivalry of the 
 Tudors, with hexagon fonts and debased architecture, first appeared 
 the custom of decorating fonts with armorial bearings. § 
 
 The custom, however, thus introduced, did not cease until it had 
 deformed many much later fonts ; for instance, the somewhat in- 
 
 * Hope's Essay on Architecture. 
 
 ■f Which are as follows : — 1. A chevron between three garbs. 2. A chevron 
 between three spread eagles. 3 and 5. Seven mascles conjoined, 3, 3, 1. 6. A 
 bend. See Archseologia, vol. x. p. 194. 
 
 f The hexagon is, perhaps, the least beautiful of all regular figures when 
 seen singly, but the most beautiful in combination. Indeed, it is, as if by ma- 
 thematical skill, adapted for close compact : for it is the figure which in com- 
 position will enclose the largest space within the smallest circumference, with- 
 out any intervening spaces. The arrangement of the cells in a honeycomb will 
 exemplify what I mean. Had the cells been triangular or quadrangular, the 
 quantity of wax employed ii their walls would have been greater in proportion 
 to their size ; had they been any other figures except hexagons, there would 
 have been spaces between them. 
 
 § I mean that the escutcheon was not introduced till then as the mere recep- 
 tacle of armorial bearings : when the shield was introduced as a part of the 
 costume of the figures with which the font was adorned, it was probably enough 
 charged with arms. Such figures with shields appear on the font of Wandsford, 
 Northamptonshire, figured in the Archseologia, xvi. plate xxxvii., and referred 
 by Mr. Kepton (see p. 195) to the eleventh and twelfth centui'y. Even angels 
 are represented in this way bearing blazoned shields, as in one of the bosses in 
 the south transept of York Minster. 
 
66 
 
 elegant octagonal font at Sefton,* (Lancashire), and the decidedly 
 inelegant font, also octagonal, at South Kilvington, Yorkshire. 
 The latter is figured in the sixteenth volume of the Archseologia, 
 and affords the materials, from its eight escutcheons, of a pedigree 
 of the Scropes. 
 
 " I know of but one font whose basin has seven sides. It is at 
 Elmeswell, in Suffolk, j* that also is cumbered with armorial bearings. 
 
 " And now we arrive at the octagon, the most appropriate form 
 for the font, and the most beautiful as well as the most ecclesiasti- 
 cal ; for the octagon is not only a very graceful form, and very 
 favourable to the reception of sculpture on its several faces, but it 
 is also in itself symbolical, according to the ancient method of 
 spiritualising numbers, of the new birth in Baptism : for the seven 
 days' creation of the natural world are symbolised by the number 
 seven ; and the new creation by Christ Jesus, by the number eight, 
 in allusion to the eighth day, on which he rose again from the dead. 
 And this reason St. Ambrose, more than fourteen centuries ago, 
 assigned for the octagonal form of the Baptistery : 
 
 4 Octachorum sanctos templum surrexit in usus, 
 Octagonus fons est, munere dignus eo. 
 Hoc numero decuit sacri baptismatis aulam 
 
 Surgere, quo populis vera salus rediit 
 Luce resurgentis Christi, qui claustra resolvit 
 Mortis, et a tumulis, suscitet examines. 'J 
 
 " A few of the more remarkable fonts of this figure may be 
 noted. 
 
 " That at "Ware, in Hertfordshire, is charged with whole length 
 figures, in very bold relief, of the salutation of St. J ohn the Baptist, 
 of St. James the less, of St. Catharine, of St. George, of St. Chris- 
 topher, and of St. Margaret, and the dragon. Between the com- 
 partments, busts of angels hold musical instruments, and the instru- 
 ments of the Passion. § The font at St. Martin's, Oxford, is figured 
 in the glossary of architecture ; it is richly adorned with quatrefoils, 
 niches, and statues. The fonts of St. Mary Magdalen's, and of St. 
 Aldate's, Oxford, are given in the same work : the former of these 
 has the merit of being an example of the decorated style, in which 
 but few fonts are remaining. The last is much later, about a. d. 
 1520.|| 
 
 " But by far the most graceful and splendid form of the font is 
 the octagonal basin elevated on a shaft or column, rising out of 
 
 * Figured in the antiquities of Sefton church, by R. Bridgens. 
 f Archseologia, x. 194. I am now able to add that of Bowden Magna, 
 Leicestershire. 
 
 J These lines were formerly inscribed over the font of S. Tecla. 
 
 § Figured in the Antiquarian Itinerary, vol. i. 
 
 || These three fonts are also figured in the memorials of Oxford. 
 
several steps ; the shaft and basin (and sometimes even the steps), 
 being richly adorned with panels or niches, with statues or groups 
 of figures, and in short, with all the decorations which their style 
 of architecture admits. Fonts of this character may interest us the 
 more, because they are such as ought to be erected in the greater 
 number of new churches, being adapted to the style of architecture, 
 (or to whatever there is of architectural style), now generally 
 affected. An extremely graceful font of this character is that of 
 Worsted, in Norfolk ;* it is without statues, (though there may 
 have been small figures once in the niches of the shaft), but is 
 richly decorated with quatrefoils and flowing tracery. It is not too 
 elaborate to be easily imitated, nor too rich for an ordinary parish 
 church. 
 
 " The grace and elegance of this form rises to magnificence, 
 when the niches and compartments are occupied with statues and 
 groups, as in the font of East Dereham, in Norfolk ; which was 
 erected in 1468. The several items of expenditure in its erection, 
 with the manner in which the sum was collected, still remain as a 
 subject of curiosity. The account is too long to repeat. The last 
 font that I shall mention is also the most beautiful. It is that at 
 Walsingham in Norfolk, and is thus described by Britton, who gives 
 also a beautiful plate of it in his Ecclesiastical Antiquities. f ' It 
 is decorated,' he says, ' with all the charms of art ; with all the 
 blandishments of sculpture and architecture.^ When first raised 
 it must have excited admiration, bordering on enthusiastic devotion. 
 The whole consists of three portions, or divisions in height ; a 
 base or steps, a shaft, and a capital or basin. In the first are two 
 tiers, or series of steps, raised above the pavement, each of which 
 is ornamented on the exterior face with various panels and tracery. 
 Each is also subdivided into two steps : the upper step, or surface, 
 is formed by two divisions in its elevation, and eight in its hori- 
 zontal plane. From the centre of this rises the shaft, which is 
 surrounded by canopied niches, pinnacles, buttresses, pediments, 
 and statues. At the angles are eight smaller statues standing on 
 pedestals, and a series of trefoil lees extends round the upper 
 member of this shaft, which is surmounted by the basin or font. 
 This consists, like all other parts, of eight faces, each of which 
 displays a canopied recess filled with a group of figures in basso 
 relievo, representing the seven sacraments, with the crucifixion : 
 
 * Archreologia, xvi. 336. f Vol. iv. p. 108. 
 
 X He adds, "and Catholic superstition :" bnt as I am at a loss to discover any 
 superstition in the representation of certain ceremonies which are surely re- 
 ligious, and which not the sculptor but the person who describes his work calls 
 sacraments, and which in a lower sense than that in which we polemically 
 use the word might safely be called sacraments, I have omitted the word super- 
 stition in this quotation. 
 
 F 
 
68 
 
 I. Baptism. II. Confirmation. III. Penance. IV. The Eucharist. 
 V. Ordination. VI. Marriage. VII. Extreme Unction." 
 
 We have given these observations at full length, as they 
 are decidedly the best remarks on the form and decoration of 
 this most important and, we may add, note most neglected 
 piece of church furniture, that have yet appeared. Indeed, 
 the lectures themselves are well deserving the most attentive 
 perusal, and were it not for certain most inconsistent expres- 
 sions, they would be worthy of a Catholic ecclesiastic. 
 
 But to return to the Camdenians. In the twenty-ninth 
 division, the restoration of ancient glazed and figured tile 
 pavement is advocated; and truly, unless these be revived, our 
 churches will never produce the rich and harmonious effect of 
 the ancient ones. The specimens now remaining of these 
 ornamented tile floors are in general so worn and mutilated, 
 that they convey but a very imperfect idea of their pristine 
 beauty to a general observer ; but their effect on a grand 
 scale, as in the chapter-houses of Salisbury, Westminster, or 
 York, must have been truly splendid ; their manufacture has 
 been lately most successfully revived in the Potteries. The 
 chancel of the conventual chapel at Birmingham, and that of 
 St. John's Hospital, Alton, have already been laid after the 
 ancient manner with great effect ; and it is proposed to 
 lay the whole floor of St. Giles's church, now erecting at 
 Cheadle, and all the chapels and choirs of St. Barnabas, Not- 
 tingham, in a similar manner. The present cost of these 
 pavements, exclusive of the original moulds and the laying 
 down, is sixpence per tile, or eighteen shillings the square 
 yard, and an increased demand would of course have the ef- 
 fect of reducing the expense in proportion. In churches where 
 much gilding and colour is introduced, these incrusted tiles 
 of various hues are indispensable to produce harmony of effect; 
 for if so large a surface as the pavement is left of a dull 
 uniform tint, while the rest of the building is covered with 
 diaper and ornament, the contrast will be painfully striking. 
 To remedy this defect, most modern sanctuaries are covered 
 with drugget or carpeting, but these always produce a cham- 
 berlike appearance, and soon become faded and shabby, while 
 enameled tiles far exceed them in richness of appearance, do 
 not suffer any deterioration from damp, and impart a distinc- 
 tive ecclesiastical character ; of course their introduction does 
 not preclude carpeting from being laid on the altar steps, &c. 
 during the celebration of mass. Coopertoria are frequently 
 
m 
 
 mentioned in old church inventories/ but these should be 
 wove in appropriate designs, and as dissimilar as possible to 
 those in ordinary domestic use. 
 
 The next important remark is relative to roodscreens. 
 
 " 35. We have seen that the chancel and nave are to be kept 
 entirely separate. This is done by the roodscreen, that most beau- 
 tiful and Catholic appendage to a church. We have also seen that 
 the prelates of the seventeenth century required it as a necessary 
 ornament ; and that they who were most inveterate against rood- 
 lofts always held the roodscreen sacred. Why is it that not one 
 modern Church has it ? It constitutes one of the peculiar beauties 
 of English buildings ; for abroad it is very rare. There can be no 
 objection to the erection of a perpendicular screen in a church of 
 earlier style ; because such was the constant practice, and because 
 that style is better adapted for woodwork than any other. The 
 whole may, and indeed ought to be, richly painted and gilded. The 
 lower part, which is not pierced, may be painted with figures of 
 saints, as in Castle Acre, Norfolk ; Therfield, Hertfordshire ; Guil- 
 den Morden, Cambridgeshire ; Bradninch, Devonshire ; why S. 
 Edmund the King so often occurs is not known. In the appendix, 
 nothing will be given but what might well serve as a model, though 
 some instances may be much mutilated." 
 
 As many English Catholics of the present time, through 
 ignorance of the antiquity and use of these divisions between 
 the clergy and people, entertain most extraordinary and, we 
 may add, uncatholic prejudices and objections against their 
 revival, it seems proper to enter upon this important subject 
 at some length. 
 
 Roodscreens and lofts are not to be regarded as mere archi- 
 tectural enrichments raised for effect, nor as enclosures for the 
 sole purpose of protecting the chancel from improper intru- 
 sion ; for although they contribute to both these ends, yet 
 their real intention must be sought for on profound mystical 
 reasons. Father Thiers has divided his learned treatise on 
 
 * " Cathedral church of York. Coopertoria. 
 
 " Item, one large carpet to lay before the high altar on festivals. 
 
 " Item, a small carpet. 
 
 " Item, two large carpets to lay on the steps of the high altar, one of which 
 has garbs, the other the arms of the Lord Scrope, lined with canvass. 
 " Item, a white carpet with double roses. 
 
 " Item, three blue carpets, with the arms of N. John Pakenham, late trea- 
 surer." — Dugdales Monasticon. 
 
 " Item, ten cloths, called pede cloths, to lye before the high altar in the 
 Ladye's chapel. 
 
 " Item, four pede cloaths, called tapets." — Gunton's Hist, of the Church of 
 Peterburqh. 
 
 F 2 
 
70 
 
 joodlofts into thirty-four chapters, containing a most elabo- 
 rate account of their origin and purpose. As this treatise is 
 a good-sized volume in itself, it is only possible to glance at 
 the leading portions of the work, but these will be amply 
 sufficient to set forth their real use and importance. The 
 great intention of these screens and lofts is twofold. 
 
 1. To mark the separation between the faithful and the 
 sacrifice, the nave and chancel, emblematic of the church 
 militant and the church triumphant, into which latter we can 
 alone enter by the merits of Christ's passion on the cross, 
 whose image, as crucified for our sins, is affixed on high above 
 the centre of the screen. 
 
 2. To enable the deacon to chaunt the holy Gospel to the 
 faithful from a high place, in accordance with the practice 
 and tradition of the Church in all ages. This custom is at- 
 tested by most of the ecclesiastical writers of antiquity, and it 
 was preserved in many of the French cathedrals down to the 
 time of the great revolution of 1790. So that the roodlofts 
 might have been called with propriety, the throne of the 
 Word of God.* 
 
 * " Cathedral de St. Jean de Lyon. — Le diacre demande la benediction an 
 celebrant ; et ils vont au jube en cet ordre. Le portemasse, les deux porte- 
 chandeliers, le soudiacre d'office tenant un coussin devant sa poitrine.undesdiacres 
 assistans tenant l'encensoir, puis le diacre tenant les livres des evangiles que per- 
 sonne lorsqu'il passe ne salue, ils montent aujube ; la le soudiacre regarde le diacre 
 en face, puis apres ces mots, ' sequentia sancti evangelii secundum,' le diacre 
 se tourne avec tout le chceur vers l'autel et fait comme le celebrant un triple 
 signe de croix. On n'encense point le livre ni avant ni apres, mats settlement le 
 grand crucifix du jube est encense de trois coups avant l'evangile et trois coups 
 apres. 
 
 " St. Maurice D' Angers. — Le grand diacre ayant commence l'ante evangelium, 
 l'orgue la continue, et cependant on va au jube en cet ordre. En allant deux 
 thurifaires parfument d'encens le chemin de chaque cote, suivis de deux porte- 
 chandeliers, puis un petit diacre portant le texte des epitres, et le grand diacre 
 celui des evangiles, vont tous trois par le cote de l'epitre et montent au jube, &c. 
 
 " St. Etienne D'Auxerre. — Le diacre va aujube lire l'evangile, etant precede 
 d'un enfant de chceur qui porte une voile environ de deux pieds et demi pour 
 couvrir le pupitre, surlequel l'evangile doit etre chante,des deux portechandeliers 
 et du portecroix ; puis marchent le thuriferaire, le soudiacre, et le diacre portant 
 le livre des evangiles fort haut : ils montent en cet ordre aujube" etc. 
 
 De Moleon, Voyage Liturgique. 
 
 These are only a few of the many instances cited in the above work, to prove 
 that the original use of the roodlofts continued in many of the French churches 
 till the great revolution. 
 
 The " Voyage Liturgique " is a most edifying work, and gives an impressive 
 account of the great solemnity with which the Church celebrated her sacred 
 oHices ; one page of this book should be quite sufficient to silence the boastings 
 of certain writers of these days, who, with only a bason and a pair of unlighted 
 candles, talk about Catholic rites and ceremonies, and that with an authoritative 
 tone which is as unseemly as it is ridiculous. 
 
71 
 
 3. The roocllofts were generally used for preaching, both 
 in the Eastern and Western Churches, previous to the intro- 
 duction of pulpits, which are not older than the 13th century. 
 
 4. The martyrology and lessons were read from the rood- 
 lofts. 
 
 5. The festivals and fasts were announced to the faithful 
 from the roocllofts. 
 
 6. According to a homily of St. J olm of Chrysostom, the 
 deacon stood in the roodloft to pronounce those awful words 
 Sancta Sanctis, to the people, before the communion. 
 
 7. The emperors were crowned in the jube or roodloft of 
 the great church at Constantinople, and the French kings, 
 down to Charles the Tenth, were always enthroned in the 
 roodloft at Bliehns cathedral. 
 
 8. Antiphons, responds, versicles, and certain prayers, were 
 chanted from the roocllofts, as also the gradual, Alleluia, and 
 tract. 
 
 9. The prophecies preceding the epistles on the Christmas 
 masses, at midnight, break of clay, and morning, were chanted 
 from the rood, also the j^assion of our Lord on Palm Sunday 
 and Good Friday. 
 
 These screens were to be found anciently in the greater 
 part of the continental churches, or at least a beam, with the 
 rood and an elevated ambo for the lecture of the Gospel. 
 
 In England, every church, previous to the great schism, 
 was provided with a screen and roodloft. It is impossible to 
 say the precise period when these were introduced ; many of 
 the Norman and early chancels communicating only by a 
 small archway with the nave, the wall itself became a sort of 
 screen, but there is little doubt that the archway was pro- 
 vided with gates and a rood-beam. Those in the cathedral, 
 conventual, and collegiate churches, were generally built solid 
 of stone, enameled with canopied niches and images, and pro- 
 vided with two staircases for the gospeller and epistler to 
 ascend different ways,* on their proper sides of the choir. 
 
 * la the noble but shamefully neglected church of Tattershall, Lincolnshire, 
 formerly collegiate, is a splendid roodloft of stone, with recesses for an altar on 
 either side of the choir door ; the parapet on the eastern side is corbelled out 
 like a pulpit, for the lector, and provided with desks or ledges for books, ex- 
 cellently devised in the stone work. It is quite lamentable to behold this noble 
 fabric falling to utter ruin ; it must have been a sumptuous building in its glory, 
 filled with admirable glass, elaborate carvings, and exquisite monumental 
 brasses, now torn up and lying about, many large fragments and plates being 
 totally lost. To this church was annexed fair collegiate buildings, with clois- 
 ters, gardens, orchards, &c. ; and the establishment consisted of a master, six 
 
72 
 
 In parochial churches, the screens and lofts were generally 
 constructed of timber, and, with few exceptions, had only 
 one staircase, usually built in a small turret outside the walls,* 
 or in the substance of a large pillar. In this country, owing 
 to the Protestant plan of converting the cathedral choirs into 
 preaching places and pewing them, most of the ancient rood- 
 lofts have escaped destruction,! and in this respect our cathe- 
 drals are far more perfect than the continental churches, 
 where the partial decay of the ancient solemn discipline, 
 combined with pagan ideas of taste and the ravages of the 
 great revolution, have left but few of the sumptuous rood- 
 lofts which were formerly to be found in every great church.^ 
 
 The roodlofts in ancient days were splendidly adorned on 
 great festivals with lights and branches : that of All Hallow's, 
 
 chaplains, six clerks, six choristers, and fourteen poor brethren, till the sup- 
 pression, by that sacrilegious tyrant Henry, who granted it to the then Duke of 
 Suffolk. 
 
 * Fine examples at Lavenham church, Suffolk ; St. Martin's church, Stam- 
 ford, Lincolnshire ; Wells church, Norfolk ; Long Melford church, Suffolk ; 
 and many others. 
 
 f York, Lincoln, Exeter, (Norwich, till the late repairs,) Wells, Canterbury, 
 Bristol, Southwell minster, Ripon minster, Christchurch, Hampshire, have all 
 most splendid stone roodlofts, well preserved, but now used as mere organ lofts, 
 nor have any of the ancient rites been performed in them since the schism of 
 the English Church. 
 
 J The ancient roodloft of the splendid abbey of St. Ouen, Rouen, engraved 
 in Dom Pomeraye's history of that great house, must have been truly glorious. 
 It was provided with two circular stone staircases on either side ; towards the 
 nave it was subdivided into three grand arches, like a cloister ; in the centre 
 bay was the choir door, with brass gates of intricate design ; in the other bays 
 were two altars with reredoses, enriched with niches, canopies, and images ; 
 over the centre bay was the great rood, upwards of sixty feet high from the 
 pavement, with images of our blessed Lady and St. John ; and immediately 
 below the base of the cross, on a corbel pedestal, an image of our blessed Lady, 
 called of pity, with the body of our Lord. This splendid monument of Catholic 
 piety and art, sumptuously adorned with painting, gilding, and rich furniture, 
 was greatly injured and defaced by the French Calvinists in 1562, and finally 
 destroyed in the revolution of 1791. 
 
 The cathedral of Alby yet possesses a splendid roodloft, of the same style as 
 that formerly at St. Ouen. 
 
 At Louvain is a fine roodloft, with a most elaborate cross, painted and gilt in 
 the original colours. A few years since, however, the wretched innovators re- 
 moved the altars, which stood in arched recesses on each side of the choir door, 
 and thus destroyed the lower part of this splendid screen, which now appears 
 naked and unfinished : the same destructives would have demolished the stone 
 tabernacle for the reservation of the blessed sacrament, because it stood on one 
 side of the choir, but in this project they were happily defeated. 
 
 Although it is now exceeding rare to find roodscreens in the country parish 
 churches on the continent, they are frequently mentioned in old documents, 
 and there can be no doubt that they were as common as in England. It is quite 
 a mistake to suppose that roods and roodlofts were confined to this country, 
 — they were universal during the good time. 
 
n 
 
 Bread-street, in London, was sometimes lit up with twenty- 
 two tapers, weighing 67 lbs.* The rood and beam lights are 
 frequently mentioned in old church accounts, and pious souls 
 left both lands and houses to maintain these bright emblems 
 of our Lord's glory. Coronas, or circles of light, were often 
 suspended in the roodlofts, as at St. Jean of Lyon, where 
 three crowns with tapers were lit on all doubles. The crosses 
 standing in the luft were richly floriated, and ornamented with 
 emblems of the evangelists at the extremities ; and these in 
 very early times, Father Thiers says, " Codin temoigne qu'il y 
 avoit une croix d'or qui prezoit cent livres, et qui toute eclairee 
 de flambeaux, et toute parsemee de pierreries au dessus du jube 
 de Sainte Sophie." 
 
 The great rood was certainly one of the most impressive 
 features of a Catholic church ; and a screen surmounted with 
 its lights and images, covered with gold and paintings of holy 
 men, forms indeed a glorious entrance to the holy place set 
 apart for sacrifice. We have here introduced an etching of the 
 great screen and rood lately erected in the cathedral church 
 of St. Chad, Birmingham (plate iv), and which will afford a 
 tolerable idea of the sublime effect of the ancient roodscreens, 
 before their mutilation under Edward the Sixth. The images 
 are all ancient and were procured from some of the suppressed 
 continental abbeys ; the crucifix itself is of the natural size, 
 and carved with wonderful art and expression ; the images 
 of our blessed Lady and St. John are less in proportion, 
 which is quite correct. Immediately under tracery panels in 
 front of the loft, are a series of ancient sculptures; the centre 
 of which represents the consecration of St. Chad, patron of 
 the church, the others refer to the life and glories of St. 
 John the Baptist. On the muritans between the open panels, 
 on foliated corbels, are eight images of prophets. The rood 
 is richly gilt and painted, and it is proposed to continue the 
 same decoration over the screen itself. At St. Alban's, 
 Macclesfield, is a perpendicular screen, also surmounted by 
 an ancient rood with images and lights. St. Mary's, Dudley, 
 St. Oswald's, near Liverpool, St. Wilfred's, Manchester, are 
 all furnished with roods and screens, revived faithfully from 
 ancient authorities, enriched with painting and gilding, as- 
 cended by a turret staircase, and in all respects similar to 
 those which existed in the old English churches previous to 
 their desecration under Protestant ascendency. St. George's- 
 
 * Nicholl's Londinum lledivivum, vol. i. p. 21. 
 
74 
 
 in-the-Fields, London, and St. Barnabas, Nottingham, both 
 now erecting, will have spacious roodlofts ascended by double 
 staircases ; and at St. Giles's, Cheadle, a screen is in prepara- 
 tion with a ribbed and overhanging canopy, supporting a loft 
 with a splendid rood; the whole of this screen will be en- 
 riched with gold and lively colours, and on the lower panels 
 images of apostles and martyrs, painted in the severe style of 
 Christian art. On referring to the engravings accompanying 
 this article, it will be seen that a correct screen and roodloft, 
 with its rood and images, has been erected in every church 
 there figured, and that the English Catholics have revived 
 this mystical and impressive feature of the ancient churches 
 in all its integrity. The sacrilegious destruction of the roods 
 under Edward the Sixth, their subsequent restoration in the 
 reign of queen Mary, and final demolition on the establishment 
 of Protestant principles by Elizabeth, will be set forth at 
 large hereafter. 
 
 Of embroidery and needlework, the writer most justly re- 
 marks : 
 
 " We may be allowed to ask, would not the time and ingenuity 
 spent on worsted -work, satin-stitch, bead-work, and the like fri- 
 volities, be better employed if it were occupied in preparing an 
 offering to God, for the adornment of His holy dwelling places ? 
 Hour after hour is cheerfully sacrificed in the preparation of useless 
 trifles for those charity bazaars, which would fain teach us that we 
 can serve God and mammon : no time is then thought too much, 
 no labour spared. But when an altar-cloth or carpet is to be 
 provided, then the commonest materials and commonest work are 
 thought good enough. Better examples were set in former times : 
 as here and there a tattered piece of church embroidery still re- 
 mains to tell us." 
 
 It is most gratifying to perceive that true ideas on these 
 matters are fast spreading themselves,* and it is fervently to 
 be hoped, that they will eventually cause a better style of 
 work to be introduced amongst those ladies who profess to 
 embroider for the Church : at present, the generality of their 
 productions, covered as they are with hearts, rosebuds, and 
 doves, stand forth in all their prettiness, like valentine letters 
 on a large scale ; and truly it would seem as if they derived 
 
 * "VYe most earnestly recommend the perusal of a work by the Rev. E. Paget, 
 entitled " St. Antholin's or Old Churches and New," which is an admirable 
 production, and enlarges considerably on some of the topics alluded to in the 
 above extract. 
 
all their ideas and authorities from such sources. It must, 
 however, be observed in justice, that although the majority 
 as yet most obdurately refuse to adopt true ideas when offered 
 to them, still there are many glorious exceptions, of which 
 the hangings in St. Chad's are ample testimony ; and fresh 
 converts are being continually made, even among those who 
 seemed hopelessly entangled in modern trumpery. 
 
 From the few examples of ancient vestments that have 
 escaped destruction, the generality of persons are but little 
 acquainted with the extreme beauty of the embroidery worked 
 lor ecclesiastical purposes during the Middle Ages. The 
 countenances of the images were executed with perfect ex- 
 pression, like miniatures in illuminated manuscripts.* Every 
 parochial church, previous to the change of religion, was 
 furnished with complete sets of frontals and hangings for the 
 altars. What then must have been the overpowering splen- 
 dour and glory of the cathedral and abbatial churches when 
 decorated for the great festivals ; the canopies, the needle- 
 work hangings, the monumental palls covered with heraldic 
 devices, the altar-cloths, and, above all, the suits of sacred 
 vestments,! when our bishops celebrated with the whole choir 
 
 * In the collection of ecclesiastical antiquities preserved at St. Mary's Col- 
 lege, Oscott, are several specimens of copes and vestments of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, the orphreys of which are wonderful examples of ancient skill, the mi- 
 nutest details being perfectly expressed with the richest colouring. 
 
 f We read in the inventory of Lincoln, " twenty fair copes of the same suit, 
 with three wheels of silver in the hoods. 
 
 " Item, five red copes of red velvet, with Katharine wheels of gold and or- 
 phreys, with images in tabernacles. 
 
 " Item, a cope of the root of Jesse. 
 
 44 Item, thirteen copes of the same suit of blue velvet. 
 
 " Item, six copes of one suit broiderecl with angels, having this scripture, 
 ])a Gloriam Deo, with orphreys of needlework, of which four have the four 
 evangelists in the morses, and the fifth a lamb in the morse. 
 
 " Item, eighteen copes of red satin of one suit, with orphreys of gold, and 
 images." 
 
 There were upwards of tvro hundred and fifty copes, all of most costly ma- 
 terial and elaborate embroidery, belonging to the cathedral church of Lincoln, 
 till the latter part of Henry the Eighth's reign. 
 
 There were one hundred and twenty-eight copes, many exceeding costly, 
 belonging to the choir service of the cathedral church of St. Paul, London, be- 
 sides those which were used for the church of St. Faith's, and various chapels 
 attached to the mother church. 
 
 In the inventory of the ornaments belonging to the church at Peterborough, 
 one hundred and seventeen copes are mentioned. 
 
 " York Minster. — Item, twenty-one copes of white velvet, of one suit, with 
 gold orphreys. 
 
 " Item, eighteen blue copes with orphreys of red cloth of gold." 
 
 In all, three hundred and two copes belonging to the revestry of York Minster. 
 
 These are only a few examples, to show how splendidly our churches were 
 furnished with vestments previous to their plunder by that sacrilegious monster 
 Henry the Eighth. 
 
76 
 
 filled with clergy, in copes, chasubles, and dalmatics, all of 
 most costly material and exquisite detail ? In some churches 
 there were twenty or thirty copes in one suit, with a succes- 
 sion of subjects from the life of our Lord in the hoods and 
 orphreys to correspond. 
 
 One of the great beauties of the ancient embroidery was 
 its appropriate design; each flower, each leaf, each device 
 had a significant meaning with reference to the festival to 
 which the frontal or vestment belonged. This principle is 
 completely overlooked at present ; any design, so long as it is 
 considered to look pretty, is introduced indiscriminately for 
 all seasons, and in all situations. There is no distinction 
 between the pattern of a drawing-room paper and that of a 
 cope, or any perceptible difference in the figure of the stuff 
 sold for dresses and that used in vestments ; hence the eccle- 
 siastical costume of the present day looks showy but not rich, 
 and certainly fails in imparting dignity to the ministers of 
 religion. On the contrary, the effect of the ancient vestments, 
 which were exlusively ecclesiastical in their design, and con- 
 veyed a symbolic meaning by every ornament about them,* 
 must have been so imposing and edifying, as to fill the be- 
 holder with reverence. England was famous for the produc- 
 tion of embroidered vestments, insomuch that they were 
 eagerly sought for all over Christendom, and known by the 
 name of English work ;f even in the Saxon times we read of 
 nine albsj being sent as a present to Rome from this country, 
 
 * In the third volume of " Gerbert de Veturi Liturgia Alemannica," three 
 copes of about the tenth century are accurately figured. They are divided into 
 compartments, each containing a subject from the Old or New Testament, the 
 images being so disposed on the half-circle as to appear upright when the cope 
 was worn, and there are certainly not less than one hundred figures on each 
 cope. The Earl of Shrewsbury has at present in his possession a cope of the 
 twelfth century, formerly belonging to the nuns of Sion, divided all over in 
 quatrefoils, each containing a saint or angel, and on the upper part the cruci- 
 fixion of our Lord, all most exquisitely worked in silk. 
 
 A great number of crosses for chasubles, in needlework of the fifteenth cen- 
 tury, are yet preserved in Catholic families ; in the centre of these is usually 
 the crucifixion of our Lord, while angels in the arms of the cross are raising 
 the sacred blood in chalices ; the mere inspection of these must convince every 
 unprejudiced mind of the vast superiority and fitness of the sacred subjects 
 selected for the orphreys of vestments in ancient days, over the mere scroll 
 patterns and unmeaning ornaments that have been substituted in these latter 
 times. 
 
 f Such was the extreme beauty of the English vestments in the reign of Henry 
 the Third, that Innocent the Fourth forwarded bulls to many English bisbops, 
 enjoining them to send a certain quantity of embroidered vestments to Rome, 
 for the use of the clergy there. 
 
 J It must not be supposed that these embroidered albs were composed of lace 
 flounces, in the ball dress style. Such monstrosities were not imagined for 
 eight centuries after the period referred to. The embroidery of these albs 
 
77 
 
 and offerings of the same kind were constantly being for- 
 warded to the holy see, till the English schism. These facts 
 are sufficient to show the high state of perfection to which 
 the art of embroidery had arrived in this country during 
 the dark ages, and are a complete refutation to those who are 
 so desirous of proving that we were compelled to seek foreign 
 aid in the production of our more costly and finished works. 
 England, while Catholic, was a flower-garden of art ; her 
 Church was glorious indeed, and there was more real skill and 
 Christian design exhibited in the erection of any one of her 
 cathedrals, than is now to be found in the united academies 
 of Europe under the blasting influence of Protestantism and 
 Paganism combined. Not only were all these splendid monu- 
 ments of her ancient skill mutilated or destroyed, but the 
 spirit which produced them was for a time entirely hid, we 
 
 consisted of sacred images wrought in the apparels ; these apparels were com- 
 partments, of about two feet in length and one in width ; they were attached to 
 the alb nearly as low as the feet, before and behind, while lesser compartments 
 of the same design and material were affixed to the lower extremity of the 
 sleeve, above the wrist; the mystical signification of these apparels most pro- 
 bably referred to the wounds of our Lord ; their use was universal in Christen- 
 dom, and the ornaments on them were both costly and exceedingly beautiful. 
 Albs with their apparels, are frequently mentioned in inventories of church vest- 
 ments ; they are to be perfectly distinguished on the effigy of every priest or 
 bishop where any vestige of the original painting remains ; and they are ex- 
 ceedingly conspicuous on all engraved monumental brasses of ecclesiastics, and 
 in images painted on glass. In 1605, the tomb of Pope Boniface the Eighth, 
 who died in 1305, was opened ; the body was found entire, in full vestments, 
 pontifically attired. The two apparels of the alb were filled with scripture 
 histories, in gold and silk ; on the front apparel, the history of our Lord, from 
 the annunciation to the finding in the temple ; on the back, the passion, resur- 
 rection, &c. Each apparel was three-and-a-half palms long and a palm wide. 
 A minute description of the vestments is given in John Rubens (Ross), an 
 English Benedictine, in his " Bonifacius VIII ; " Rome, 165 1 ; p. 346. On all the 
 effigies of ecclesiastical persons prior to the sixteenth century, which are re- 
 maining in the churches at Rome, the apparels of the alb are most perfectly 
 delineated ; in the celebrated picture of the conversion of St. Jerome, the deacon, 
 who is kneeling on the foreground, is habited in an apparelled alb ; and in 
 Raphael's " Transfiguration," on the alb of a deacon who is kneeling in the 
 upper corner of the picture, on the left hand, the apparels are shown on the 
 sleeves. De Moleon, in his " Voyage Liturgique," calls these albs " albse 
 paratse ; " and mentions several churches where they were used in France, 
 when he wrote, as at St. Agnan d'Orleans, St. Maurice d' Angers, &c. His 
 words are as follows : " L'aube a des paremens en bas conformes aux ornemens : 
 ce qui s'appelle dans les brefs, Alba parata : on s'en sert encore aujourdhui dans les 
 eglises cathedrales, et dans les anciennes abbayes." As De Moleon wrote only in 
 the last century, the lace flounces must be of very recent introduction in France. 
 Apparels precisely similar in pattern to those engraved on the monumental 
 brasses of ancient churchmen, have been lately wove in gold and coloured silks, 
 and are worn with the albs on festivals ; their cost is less than one-half of a modern 
 bordering, and in them are revived, at one time, a striking emblem of our 
 Lord's passion and the universal practice of the Church in the days of her 
 glory. 
 
78 
 
 will not say extinguished, — for now the spirit of the thirteenth 
 century seems to animate many of her children in the nine- 
 teenth, and what may we not reasonably hope to see restored? 
 The manufacture of precious stuffs has been lately revived,* 
 and why should not many of the looms which have so long 
 laboured to supply the changing demand of worldly fashion, 
 be again employed in clothing the spouse of Christ — the 
 Church — in her ancient glorious garb ? 
 
 But we must most earnestly impress on the minds of all 
 those who work in any way for the decoration of the altar, 
 that the only hope of reviving the perfect style is by strictly 
 adhering to ancient authorities; illuminated MSS. stained glass, 
 and especially brasses (which can easily be copied by rubbing), 
 will furnish excellent examples, and many of them easy of 
 imitation. We cannot yet hope to revive the expression and 
 finish of the old work, but we may readily restore its general 
 character, for many instances could be cited where this has 
 been already most successfully accomplished in buildings en- 
 graved in this work ; and with a little practice, it is easier and 
 much sooner produced than the trifling no-meaning patterns of 
 the modern style. Is it not reasonable to suppose, that when 
 the whole country was Catholic, and when the decoration of 
 the Church formed the grand object on which the most in- 
 genious efforts were bestowed, that the subject was far better 
 understood than at present ? We may have made great im- 
 provements in steam-engines, but certainly not in frontals 
 and orphreys; and York and Canterbury will furnish far better 
 patterns than either Paris or Protestant Berlin. The follow- 
 ing works might be consulted with great advantage : Shatos 
 Illuminated Ornaments; Shawns Decorations of the Middle Ages ; 
 Waller's Brasses ; and to facilitate the object as much as pos- 
 sible, it is proposed to publish very shortly a series of orna- 
 ments, full size, as working-patterns. It is proper to observe, 
 that the heraldic law, of colour being always laid on metal, 
 or metal on colour, should be strictly observed in embroider- 
 ing ; and one of the five canonical colours should be selected 
 as a field for the whole work. Velvet is the best material 
 that can be used, after cloth of gold, for the ground. 
 
 The writer is not altogether correct in the observations he 
 makes respecting stained glass. The colours are now most 
 perfectly restored to all their original brilliancy;! the soul 
 
 * The cloth of gold for the best suit of vestments offered to St. Chad's church 
 by the Earl of Shrewsbury, was manufactured at Spitalfields, London, and at a 
 less cost than it could have been imported from Lyons. 
 
 f Another great point which has been lately attained is the thickness of the 
 
71) 
 
 and feeling of the old glass-painters is alone wanting; and 
 even in this department, some surprising advances have re- 
 cently been made ; though closely following the style, touch, 
 and manner of ancient artists, who were, for the most part, 
 men of extraordinary talent, they expressed so much with simple 
 means, almost all their effect is produced by mere lines or 
 scraping out. The great mistake of modern glass-painters 
 has been, in treating the panes of windows like pictures or 
 transparencies with forcing lights and shadows. The old 
 artists worked in a conventional manner, not through igno- 
 rance, but from science : they worked, in fact, to suit their 
 material. The beautiful outline of the stone tracery is the 
 better defined, by their manner of filling up the vacant spaces. 
 They did not aim at a picture cut up with mullions, but they 
 enriched the openings left by those mullions ; and this prin- 
 ciple was rigidly adhered to, till the decline of the pointed 
 style. Those who climb up by means of ladders, and examine 
 these windows in detail, can alone appreciate the wonderful 
 merits of the execution : the grace displayed in the ramifica- 
 tions of foliage, and the tendrils of plants (especially in those 
 windows executed immediately preceding and during the de- 
 corated period), is most admirable. Again, nothing can be 
 conceived more elegant than the outline of the crockets, 
 merely, perhaps, scraped out* And as for expression, the 
 countenances are, in many cases, perfectly heavenly ; full of 
 devotion, and yet produced by mere lines. How do modern 
 virtuosos and collectors boast in the possession of bacchanalian 
 groups, painted by some celebrated pagan artist of the latter 
 times ! and what immense sums are paid for a Cupid or Venus, 
 which are trumpeted forth as national acquisitions, while the 
 most exquisite specimens of English art are utterly ne- 
 glected, scarcely held from ruin by the mouldering bands to 
 which they cling !f We shall probably incur the accusation 
 of wild enthusiasm for the assertion we are about to make ; 
 
 old glass ; thin glass will never produce either the richness or the solemn tint 
 of the ancient windows. 
 
 * Most of the minute work in the old glass is produced by scraping out; it 
 is a very simple method, but requires the greatest skill in the artist. 
 
 f The parochial churches of York contain many finer executed windows than 
 the cathedral itself, and yet these are utterly neglected. Within the memory 
 of persons yet living, whole windows have been suffered to fall out, and to be 
 replaced with white panes ; and at the present time some of the most interesting- 
 windows, especially at All Saints, North Street, and St. John's and St. Martin's, 
 Micklegate, if not speedily and effectually repaired will be irrecoverably ruined. This, 
 although distant from the scene of action, is yet a case for the "Camden;" 
 for the windows alluded to are marvellously tine, and their loss would be 
 irretrievable. 
 
80 
 
 but we will say, that there are yet remaining in obscure 
 churches — almost miraculously preserved from Protestant vio- 
 lence — specimens of native art, executed in the thirteenth 
 century, which for sublimity of expression, simplicity of out- 
 line, dignity of position, and devotional effect, very far surpass 
 anything yet introduced in the National Gallery of Painting ; 
 and the day will come, sooner or later, that tardy justice will 
 be done to the wonderful talents of Catholic Englishmen in 
 the days of faith ; and the brutal stupidity of those who, 
 utterly blinded to the merits of their native country, have 
 filled every museum and institute with pagan casts, will be 
 generally perceived and heartily execrated.* 
 
 The following remarks on bells are conceived in a most 
 Catholic spirit : 
 
 " 55. It may not be out of place to say a few words on the sub- 
 ject of bells. You surely would not wish that instruments, conse- 
 crated like these to the praise of God, should be profaned by the 
 foolish, profane, or self-laudatory inscriptions so often found on 
 them. They, as all other parts of church furniture, are holy. The 
 following are examples of ancient inscriptions on bells : 
 
 Defunctos ploro, vivos voco, fulgura frango. 
 
 Nos jungat thronis vere thronus Salomonis. 
 
 Agnus Sancte Dei, due ad loca me requiei. 
 
 Nomen Sancte Jesu, me serva mortis ab esu. 
 
 Sanguis Xpi, salva me ! Passio Xpi, conforta me ! 
 
 Te laudamus, et rogamus "| First bell, 
 
 Nomen Jesu Christi ( Second bell, 
 
 Ut attendas et defendas j Third bell, 
 
 Nos a morte tristi. J Fourth bell. 
 
 To these, we add the inscription on the only bell of the Ca- 
 thedral of Rouen that escaped the melting-pot at the great 
 Revolution : 
 
 " Laudo Deum verum, Plebem voco, congrego clerum, 
 Defunctos ploro, Pestem fugo, Festa decoro." 
 
 The conclusion of this excellent tract is as follows : 
 
 "58. Thus then imperfectly, but not, I hope, quite uselessly, 
 have we completed our survey of a church and its ornaments. If 
 
 * What extraordinary infatuation is exhibited by those who dwell in cathedral 
 towns, in the immediate vicinity of some glorious church, capable in itself of 
 furnishing ample instruction to every student that might present himself within 
 its walls, when they pretend to found some school of art, and must needs import 
 a shattered bull's head, and a volute as the beau-ideal of sculpture, whereby to 
 pervert the minds and understandings of all the unfortunate youths who attend 
 their institution. 
 
81 
 
 everything else is forgotten, and two points only remembered, the 
 
 ABSOLUTE NECESSITY OF A DISTINCT AND SPACIOUS CHANCEL, and 
 THE ABSOLUTE INADMISSIBILITY OF PEWS AND GALLERIES, in any 
 
 shape whatever, I shall be more than rewarded. I have been 
 writing in the name of a society; physically it may be weak in 
 numbers and pecuniary resources, but morally strong in the zeal of 
 its members and the goodness of its cause. It may, indeed, be 
 years before the great truth is learnt, which that society hopes to 
 be one of the instruments of teaching — the intrinsic holiness of a 
 church, and the duty of building temples to God in some sort 
 worthy of His presence. But learnt sooner or later it will be ; and 
 to be allowed in any way to help forward so good a work, is a high 
 privilege." 
 
 We can only observe, that the writer has accomplished his 
 task in a manner quite worthy of the principles he here ex- 
 presses, with the exception of some painful expressions ; but 
 where we find so much that is admirable and praiseworthy, 
 we would fain, in charity, attribute them rather to the incon- 
 sistency of his present position, than to any graver cause. 
 
 As from the sublime to the ridiculous there is only one step, 
 we may at once descend from the publications of the Cam- 
 denians, with their porches, fonts, aisles, screens, and chancels, 
 to notice a small book that has recently appeared, of the very 
 opposite character, and entitled, An Essay on Architectural 
 Practice. Although the title itself, implying the practice of 
 architecture at the present time, would naturally lead us to 
 expect something exceedingly bad, still the contents of the 
 work exhibit church-building as fallen to a lower state of 
 degradation than could possibly have been anticipated. The 
 history of this production is briefly as follows : the architect 
 having obtained the job of erecting one of the church com- 
 missioners' conventicles at the eastern end of the metropolis, 
 instead of being content to pocket his commission and the 
 disgrace of the production quietly, was resolved to set forth 
 this genuine specimen of a London preaching-house of the 
 nineteenth century, in the form of a distinct publication, 
 under the above-mentioned title : having thus dragged forth 
 this unsightly building from its local obscurity, and that at a 
 time when a fine spirit is arising for real ecclesiastical 
 architecture, he must not complain if he get as unmercifully 
 treated as the enormity of his case deserves. Most architects, 
 indeed, are content to build bad things ; but to engrave, de- 
 scribe, and publish them afterwards, is something new, even 
 in these pretending days. The illustrations consist of every 
 
possible dissection of the building, horizontal, vertical, lateral, 
 transverse, longitudinal — east, west, north, south — above, 
 below, and all round ; so that the edifice is perfectly set forth 
 in all its poverty and ugliness. We have plans of concrete, — 
 plans of footings, — plans of walls, — plans of pews, — plans of 
 windows, — plans under galleries, — plans over galleries, — plans 
 of slates, — plans of chimneys, — plans of gutters. As the funds 
 allowed by church commissioners are too scanty to admit of 
 much detail, there is not much set forth under this head; but the 
 architect has atoned for the absence of bosses, capitals, niches, 
 and tracery, by representing bricks, most ingeniously disposed 
 in the form of barrel-drains, of varied diameters, and sections, 
 of sewers and stink traps, with all the complicated principles 
 of conveying dirty water from the gutter down a pipe, through 
 a barrel-drain, into the common-sewer, thence to old Father 
 Thames, and so on till lost in the expanse of ocean. In fol- 
 lowing the architect into these minutiae, we have been hurried 
 away by the muddy stream from the arrangement and ap- 
 pearance of the structure itself. The interior is a large room, 
 covered with a low pitched tie-beam roof ; and if cleared out, 
 would answer well for a manege or riding-school. The whole 
 space is completely filled with pews, seats, and, of course, 
 galleries, which are approached by staircases* at the west, and 
 
 * While thus noticing gallery staircases in churches, it may not be amiss to 
 draw public attention to the atrocities that have lately been perpetrated in the 
 venerable church of St. Saviour's, Southwark. But a few years since it was one 
 of the most perfect second-class cruciform churches in England, and an edifice 
 full of the most interesting associations connected with the ancient history of 
 this metropolis. The roof was first stripped off its massive and solemn nave ; 
 in this state it was left a considerable time exposed to all the injuries of wet 
 and weather ; at length it was condemned to be pulled down, and in place of 
 one of the finest specimens of ecclesiastical architecture left in London — with 
 massive walls and pillars, deeply moulded arches, a most interesting south 
 porch, and a splendid western doorway — we have as vile a preaching-place 
 (with crowded galleries, gas-lights, &c.) as ever disgraced the nineteenth cen- 
 tury. It is bad enough to see such an erection spring up at all ; but when a 
 venerable building is demolished to make room for it, the case is quite in- 
 tolerable. Will it be believed, that under the centre tower in the transept of 
 this once most beauteous church, staircases on stilts have been set up, exactly 
 resembling those by which the company ascend to a booth on a race-course? 
 We entreat every admirer of ancient architecture, every one who cherishes the 
 least love for the ancient glory of his country's church, to visit this desecrated 
 and mutilated fabric, and weep over its wretched condition, and then join in 
 loud and lasting execrations against all concerned in this sacrilegious and 
 barbarous destruction — ecclesiastical, parochial, or civil authorities, architect, 
 builder, and every one in the least implicated in this business. Nothing but 
 Protestantism and the preaching-house system could have brought such utter 
 desolation on a stately church ; in fact the abomination is so great that it must 
 be seen to be credited. 
 
83 
 
 carried up in two clumsy erections, intended to look like 
 towers, but of an elevation and scale which at once betray 
 their real purpose. The style of the building is what, in the 
 classification of competition drawings, would be termed Nor- 
 man — that is to say, the arches are not pointed ; but in other 
 respects, it bears no greater resemblance to the architecture 
 of the tenth century, than it has in common with ordinary 
 cellars, the Greenwich railway, or any round arched buildings. 
 The illustrations are not, however, the most absurd portion 
 of the publication ; for the gravity and solemnity with which 
 the most ordinary operations of building are described, are 
 truly ridiculous : we have a full description of the different 
 spots where holes were dug to ascertain the nature of the soil, 
 of which remarkable excavations an accurate plan is inserted 
 in the text. As the spade-handle was not, however, long 
 enough to reach a sound bottom, the ingenious and novel 
 experiment of boring was tried with complete success ; by 
 which it was ascertained, that for several feet the site was 
 composed of accumulated rubbish (typical, perhaps, of the 
 intended structure) ; this leads to a dissertation on concrete ; 
 then we have an account of the carting and stacking of bricks, 
 mixing mortar, building the walls, and the whole method of 
 erecting a church on the cheap and nasty principle, winding 
 up, like the address of an actor on a benefit night, with thanks 
 to every body, for their unparalleled efforts and exertions. 
 We are, however, obliged to the author for this publication, 
 for it must do good by its very absurdity ; and combining as it 
 does, at one view, so many abominations which are common 
 to the modern practice of church building, it must convince 
 every unprejudiced person of the absolute necessity of strictly 
 adhering to ancient models and authorities in these matters, 
 if we would erect churches at all worthy of their sacred 
 purpose. 
 
 We now turn the work in question over to the tender 
 mercies of the Camden Society, where it will not find more 
 favourable treatment than it has met with from us, if we 
 may judge by the tone of the following most admirable 
 critique, which appeared in the first number of the Ecclesiolo- 
 cfist) a monthly publication that has long been a desideratum, 
 devoted exclusively to ecclesiastical researches and intelligence. 
 
 " A church has recently been erected in a very populous part of 
 Cambridge, called New Town, and is now nearly completed, the 
 whole of the exterior being finished, and the internal arrangements 
 in a state of rapid progress. The church is intended to hold an 
 
 G 
 
84 
 
 indefinite number of people, that is, as many as can be packed in a 
 small area by means of most extensive galleries, which are ingeni- 
 ously contrived so as to run round and fill up every part of the 
 interior ; insomuch that upon entering the church it appears, at 
 first sight, to be all gallery, and nothing else. 
 
 " The church is of no particular style or shape ; but it may be 
 described as a conspicuous red brick building, of something between 
 Elizabethan and debased perpendicular architecture. A low tower 
 is added at the west end, in order that the rather doubtful ecclesias- 
 tical character of the edifice may not be mistaken, and for the pur- 
 pose of containing, or rather displaying to advantage, three immense 
 clock faces, which will doubtless be useful as well as ornamental 
 appurtenances to the building. The general design of this edifice 
 is marked by the fearless introduction of several remarkable varie- 
 ties and peculiarities of arrangement, which are strictly original 
 conceptions. 
 
 " The tower is low, and of rather plain design than otherwise ; 
 superfluity of ornament having been carefully avoided, lest it should 
 be out of character with the rest of the building. The chief 
 features of the tower are four heavy brick walls, having large four- 
 centred belfry windows in the upper part, without cusping or 
 mouldings, but filled up to the top with louvre slates. There are 
 also four octagonal turrets, which rise a few feet above the battle- 
 ments, and look very humble and unaspiring, as becomes a modest 
 cheap church in these days of refined architectural taste. The 
 most remarkable, and one which is likely soon to prove the most 
 striking, peculiarity of this tower, is a vast circular aperture in each 
 of the three sides, for the reception of the clock or clocks already 
 alluded to. These apertures, or rather chasms, are circular holes 
 cut in huge square stones, the four spandrils or corners of which 
 are beautifully ornamented with the figures 1,1,4 and 8, which 
 give scope to ingenious combinations, and which may be read in 
 such an order as to make the date of the year, 1841. The hole is 
 large enough for a full-grown bullock to leap through, were he de- 
 sirous to try the experiment, as a tumbler does through a hoop ; 
 and we should say that the sooner each of them is stopped up by a 
 good large clock (that of St. Paul's Cathedral, if procurable second- 
 hand, would answer pretty well,) the better, since the upper part 
 of the tower has at present the novel and rather unpleasant appear- 
 ance from a distance of standing upon four legs. 
 
 " The church is constructed of very red brick indeed, agreeably 
 relieved at the corners by nice little white quoins of dressed ashlar, 
 imparting a very picturesque appearance to the whole edifice. 
 There are patterns, too, representing visionary trellis-work, play- 
 fully displayed in the construction in black bricks, which really 
 have a delightful effect, though we fear that this is a plagiarism 
 from the beautiful new brick church recently erected in Barnwell. 
 It is intended, we presume, for a pied variety of Great St. Mary's 
 
in this town ; though others suppose it rather to be a travesty of 
 the chapel of Magdalene College, Oxford. 
 
 " The windows of the aisles (for there are two real aisles, and a 
 well developed clerestory lighted by rows of neat square cottage 
 windows) are perhaps just a thought too large ; but if the mullions 
 had not stood quite on the same plane with the wall, and the heads 
 had been pointed instead of square, and the jambs had had some- 
 thing of a moulding, and the lights been cinquefoiled in the head 
 and under the transom, they would not have looked altogether 
 unlike church windows. But here we cannot sufficiently admire 
 the ingenuity which has completely obviated any objection to their 
 size by intercepting the upper half with galleries, which appear 
 indeed to be supported on the transoms, though this is only an 
 ingenious deception, since the mullions would most infallibly give 
 way under the weight of such extensive structures when filled with 
 people. There are real arches and piers inside ; none of your cheap 
 cast-iron pillars, but sturdy brick columns, without capitals, covered 
 over with plaster that looks at a reasonable distance very like stone, 
 and supporting four-centered arches with neat discontinuous mould- 
 ings cast in the plaister. The roof is a kind of flat deal ceiling, 
 with thin pieces of wood here and there to look like purlins, princi- 
 pals, &c. &c. ; and the whole, being varnished very brightly, looks 
 as gay as the roof of the saloon in a first-rate steam ship. As the altar 
 is not yet put up, and probably not yet thought of, we cannot say 
 where it will be placed ; but we have been unable, upon the closest 
 inspection, to discover any place adapted for its reception : indeed, 
 we are inclined to fear that it has been forgotten altogether. The 
 elevation of the east end is rather peculiar. There is no chancel 
 whatever ; not even the smallest recess as an apology for one. But 
 there is a beautiful vestry ; a low square building, lighted with 
 square windows, and having an embattled parapet reaching as high 
 as the sill of the east window. The interior is fitted up very snugly 
 with a fire-place and other conveniences, and is indeed by far the 
 most respectable part of the whole building. The gable of the 
 nave is ornamented with a graduated parapet, which looks like a 
 flight of perilous steps to a small cross which surmounts the highest 
 point. As the architect perhaps intended to be symbolical herein, 
 we shall say nothing of its appearance, nor of the great sprawling 
 east window, if we may be allowed such a harsh expression, with 
 consumptive-looking mullions and transom, and destitute of tracery. 
 Both this and the west window in the tower are rather unsuccessful 
 specimens of modern Gothic ; or perhaps we should have said, very 
 good examples of modern, but very bad ones of ancient Gothic. 
 
 " We have thus briefly detailed the general features of this 
 extremely interesting building, because we feel certain that those 
 who have not seen it, cannot form a thoroughly correct and compre- 
 hensive idea of a cheap church of the nineteenth century." 
 
 G 2 
 
86 
 
 We have seen and examined the building which has called 
 forth these severe remarks, and we most willingly bear full 
 testimony to their justice : indeed it is scarcely possible to 
 speak in adequate terms of this wretched edifice ; erected as 
 if in mockery, under the very shadow of so many beautiful 
 specimens of ancient skill, which still remain in this venera- 
 ble university. It is only by depicting modern deformities 
 in forcible language that we can hope for their being reme- 
 died. Milk-and-water men never effect anything ; they de- 
 serve drowning in their own insipid compositions. 
 
 We have been induced to give this extract at full length, 
 first on account of its being the very best description of 
 a Protestant church that has yet appeared ; and secondly, as 
 we perceived with much regret that owing to the sensitive 
 feelings of some black sheep in the society, who protested 
 against it on very absurd grounds, the committee, after some 
 sensible observations in defence of the remarks, have con- 
 sented, for the sake of peace, to withdraw them, and reprint 
 the number in which they were contained. Now if the 
 feelings of individuals are to be consulted instead of truth, 
 no correct observations will ever be published; for in the 
 present state of ecclesiastical architecture, if you allude to 
 imitation stone, meagre tracery, gallery fronts, and the like, 
 the observations can be so generally applied, that, as the 
 poet says, 
 
 " If you mention vice or bribe, you so point to all the tribe, 
 Each one cries that was levelled at me," 
 
 and the incumbents of five hundred new churches will take 
 fire at once. We do hope, therefore, that in future the 
 society will not compromise truth in any shape; and they 
 can well afford to spare those who are not prepared to take a 
 high ground in these matters, for such individuals are mere 
 drags on the grand revival. At all events the admirable 
 remarks which drew forth this protestation will not be con- 
 signed to oblivion ; they are here reproduced in full, and we 
 hope they will be printed on a fly-sheet and circulated at 
 architectural societies, competition committees, and church- 
 building meetings, as Methodist sabbath-breaking denun- 
 ciations are distributed in tea-gardens and steam-boats ; they 
 should be headed " Beware of the Camden" and hung up in 
 terrorem in every church-competing architect's office, to deter 
 those gentlemen from proceeding in the present wretched 
 system, and lead them, if possible, into the old track. 
 
87 
 
 We proceed to notice several ecclesiastical structures, 
 either lately erected or now in progress, which will show that 
 some of the English Catholics, fully inheriting the zeal and 
 feelings of their forefathers, are reviving Christian architec- 
 ture in all its original spirit ; and it is indeed gratifying to 
 perceive, that those who work on the ancient foundation of 
 faith, although slender in means and few in number, are 
 enabled, by the blessing of God, to achieve far greater prac- 
 tical results than those of their countrymen who, possessing 
 equal ardour in the good cause and vast temporal resources, 
 are precluded by their present unfortunate position from car- 
 rying out in practice their excellent intentions. 
 
 THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN. PLATE V. 
 
 This hospital, of which the annexed plate represents a 
 bird's-eye view, is now erecting in the village of Alton, 
 Staffordshire, within half a mile of the seat of the Earl of 
 Shrewsbury, by whose pious munificence it is being raised ; 
 and when completed it is intended for the following founda- 
 tion : a warden and confrater, both in priest's orders ; six 
 chaplains or decayed priests, a sacrist, twelve poor brethren, 
 a schoolmaster, and an unlimited number of poor scholars. 
 To accommodate these various persons, the building will 
 consist of a chapel, school, lodging for the warden, common 
 hall, kitchen, chambers and library for the six chaplains, 
 lodgings for the poor brethren, and a residence for the school- 
 master, all connected by a cloister. Of these buildings the 
 chapel, school, warden's lodgings, part of the cloister, and 
 schoolmaster's house are already completed, and a few years 
 will suffice to finish the remaining portions of the edifice as 
 shown in the view. The whole is constructed of hewn stone 
 in the most solid and durable manner, and the principal roofs, 
 as well as flooring joists, and beams, are worked in English 
 oak. Immediately facing the western end of the school is a 
 stone cross raised on steps ; the base is quadrangular, with an 
 Evangelist within a quatrefoil on each face ; the upper part 
 of the shaft terminates in a foliated cap supporting a quad- 
 rangular niche containing an angel bearing emblems of our 
 Lord's passion on every side ; at the summit of which is a 
 floriated cross of stone. Over the porch, or entrance to the 
 cloister and warden's lodgings is a niche containing an image 
 of St. John the Baptist with the lamb ; and another image of 
 St. Nicholas with the three boys is placed in a canopied niche 
 in the west window of the school. The side windows of this 
 
88 
 
 school are filled with painted glass, consisting of armorial 
 bearings, figured quarries and borders ; and round the lower 
 lights of the seven windows is the following inscription: 
 " Of your charity pray for the good estate of John the six- 
 teenth Earl of Shrewsbury, who founded this hospital in 
 honour of St. John the Baptist, Anno Domini 1840. St. 
 John pray for us. Amen." 
 
 To the eastward of the school is the chapel, an interior 
 view of which is here given, plate vl This portion of the 
 building has been most carefully finished, and contains much 
 decoration. The whole floor is laid with figured tiles, charged 
 with the Talbot arms and other devices. The benches are 
 precisely similar to those remaining in some ancient parish 
 churches in Norfolk, with low backs filled with perforated 
 tracery of various patterns ; the poppy-heads are all carved, 
 representing oak and vine leaves, lilies, roses, lions, angels, 
 and other emblems. The chancel is divided off by a rich 
 screen, surmounted with a rood and images. The shields in 
 the brestsummcr are all charged with sacred emblems in gold 
 and colours. The rood is also richly gilt. Each principal of 
 the roof springs from an angel corbel, bearing each a shield 
 or a scripture ; the braces, tiebeams, rafters, and purloins of 
 this roof are moulded, and the spandrils filled with open tra- 
 cery. On each side of the east window is a niche with images 
 of St. Katharine and St. Barbara. The reredos and altar 
 are both worked in alabaster ;* the former consists of a series 
 of richly canopied niches surmounted by an open brattishing ; 
 images of the apostles holding the emblems of their martyr- 
 dom, with our blessed Lord in the centre, occupy these niches. 
 The altar itself consists of three large and three lesser com- 
 partments, with the images of our blessed Lady, St. John 
 the Baptist, and St. Alban, with two angels seated on thrones 
 
 * It is to be hoped that the use of this beautiful material, which was con- 
 stantly used by the Catholic artists in their more elaborate works, will be generally 
 revived. It is admirably adapted for the finest style of carving, easily worked, ex- 
 ceedingly durable, and capable of receiving a high polish. The best quarries are at 
 Tutbury, in Staffordshire ; but at present they remain quite neglected, being only 
 casually worked, when materials for plaster are required. Blocks of a sufficient 
 size for sepulchral effigies might be easily procured, and at a moderate cost. 
 Many of the most beautiful ancient monuments were worked in alabaster; also 
 reredoses of altars, and generally images. In the churchwardens' accounts of the 
 time of Edward VI (when the spoliation and destruction of the English pa- 
 rochial churches was commenced), we frequently find entries of sums received 
 for alabaster work sold by weight as material for making plaster! ! ! And at that 
 fatal period many of the most exquisite productions in this material perished in 
 the kiln. 
 
89 
 
 bearing the lamb and cross. The sunk work is picked out in 
 azure ; the raised mouldings and carved ornaments gilt, and 
 the remainder polished alabaster, similar to some of the 
 costly tombs yet remaining in Westminster and other 
 churches. On each side of this altar silk curtains are sus- 
 pended on rods. The cross is an exquisite specimen of 
 ancient silver work of the fifteenth century, made, as the in- 
 scription round the foot relates, by one Peter, for a German 
 bishop, who bore the charge for the love of Christ crucified. 
 This precious relic of Christian art is parcel-gilt, and covered 
 with ornaments and images of wonderful execution. A pair 
 of parcel -gilt silver candlesticks have been made to corres 
 pond in style with this cross; they are richly chased, engraved, 
 and ornamented with enamels. 
 
 On the gospel side of the chancel is a small chapel, con- 
 taining an altar for the reservation of the most holy sacra- 
 ment, which is placed within a gilt tower surmounted by a 
 cross. This chapel communicates with the chancel by a 
 richly moulded and panneled doorway, and also by an arched 
 opening of the same description, containing a high tomb with 
 tracery and emblems, to serve for the sepulchre at Easter, 
 
 On the north side of the chapel is a three-light window, 
 and in every light an angel bearing the cross, the pillar, and 
 the holy name, with this scripture, " By thy cross and pas- 
 sion, O Lord, deliver us." In the east window are also three 
 lights, with an image of our blessed Lady with our Lord in 
 the centre, St. John the Baptist with the lamb on the right, 
 and St. Nicholas, vested as he used to say mass, with the 
 three children, on the left, all under rich canopies ; and in the 
 upper part of the window, angels with labels and scriptures. 
 The side windows are filled with ornamented quarries and 
 rich bordures and quatrcfoils, containing the emblems of the 
 four Evangelists, the annunciation of our blessed Lady, the 
 pot of lilies with the angelical salutation entwined, and the 
 holy name of our Lord. 
 
 The sacristy is fitted with oak almeries for vestments, and 
 furnished with such sacred vessels and ornaments as are re- 
 quired in the solemn celebration of the divine office. The 
 cloister is paved with figured tiles, and the windows contain 
 many arms and emblems in stained glass ; while the walls are 
 enriched with niches containing sculptured representations of 
 our Lord's passion, and other edifying mysteries of the 
 Christian faith. 
 
 The site that has been selected for this hospital is one of 
 
90 
 
 the most beautiful and suitable for such an edifice which can 
 well be imagined. From the north wing, which stands on the 
 verge of a steep rock some hundred feet in height, a most 
 extensive view of the rich valleys and surrounding country is 
 obtained ; while to the south a well-sheltered slope is admira- 
 bly calculated for gardens. From its immediate vicinity 
 to the ruins of the ancient castle,* with its overshadowed 
 moat and winding paths, it offers easy access to the most 
 retired and sheltered walks, well suited to the meditation of 
 i :s aged inmates ; and being only a few paces distant from the 
 village, it will afford all the consolations of the regular divine 
 office, that will be celebrated daily within its walls to the 
 Catholic inhabitants. When viewed from the opposite hills, 
 its turrets and crosses seem to form but one group with the 
 more venerable tower of the parochial church and the varied 
 outline of the castle buildings. As no reasonable cost has 
 been spared by the noble founder in the erection of this 
 building, when completed it will present, both in its exterior 
 and internal arrangements, a perfect revival of a Catholic 
 hospital of the old time, of Avhich so many were seized, de- 
 molished, and perverted by the sacrilegious tyrant Henry 
 and his successors in church plunder; and in lieu of these 
 most Christian and pious foundations for our poorer brethren, 
 prisons are now substituted for those convicted of poverty, — 
 a state voluntarily embraced by thousands in days of faith, 
 as one of great perfection and most pleasing to Almighty 
 God, but in these modern and enlightened times accounted a 
 heinous offence. 
 
 * Of this castle Buck the antiquary gives the following- account : " It is a 
 castle more ancient than the Norman conquest. In the 22d of Henry II, 
 Bertram de Verdun was lord of it, whose residence it was, and that of the 
 family, till the 3d of Edward II. During the minority of Thomas de Verdun, 
 William Fitz Richard had the care of his estates ; the manor had not less than 
 ten (some say fourteen) villages belonging to it. Male issue failing, it came by 
 marriage to the Furnivals, who held it in two successions ; when by the same 
 means it came to Thomas Nevil, brother to the Earl of Westmoreland ; but he 
 also leaving an only daughter, it passed by her to the famous Sir John Talbot 
 (with her other estates), who by right of his wife was lord of this castle, and 
 Lord Furnival, but afterwards created Earl of Shrewsbury, in which family it 
 still remains." The ruins of this castle, as engraved in Buck's work, appear to 
 have been very considerable in his time, but they have been sadly demolished 
 during the last century, huge masses being frequently hurled down for the 
 purpose of mending the roads. The ravages were stopped by the late earl ; and 
 these interesting remains are now preserved with the greatest care. The exact 
 situation of the original gateway, with its circular towers, was ascertained by 
 excavation on clearing away the rubbish in 1840. At that time a most interest- 
 ing thurible of the twelfth century was discovered buried in the moat, and close 
 to the site of the castle chapel. 
 
91 
 
 THE CISTERCIAN MONASTERY OF ST. BERNARD, LEICESTERSHIRE. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 It is now 744 years since the monastery of Citeaux wss 
 founded in a wild and desert place near Chalon-sur-$aone, 
 by blessed Robert abbot of Molesme, and a few holy monks 
 who were his companions, that they might the better serve 
 God in austerities, silence, mortifications, and prayer, accord- 
 ing to the primitive rule of St. Benedict of glorious memory. 
 
 From this edifying example devout men arose in all the 
 countries of Christendom, eager to follow in the path they 
 had so wisely chosen; and through the fervour and zeal of 
 this new and rigid order, England soon beheld some of the 
 noblest churches that ever graced this glorious land arising 
 in the solitude of her forests and uncultivated valleys. Even 
 yet, how famous are the names of Fountains, Furness, Tin- 
 tern, Joreval, Kirkstall, and a host of others,* although 
 the glory of their sanctuaries is departed, and little more 
 than prostrate pillars and crumbling walls remain to attest 
 their ancient dignity, so desolate indeed do they seem, and so 
 passed away is the generation of men by whom they were 
 raised and inhabited ; so changed is the spirit of mortification, 
 solitude, and prayer, which instigated their erection ; that 
 when we behold the chilling spectacle of their sad decay, we 
 might indeed mourn the ancient faith as utterly departed. 
 But so unsearchable are the decrees and ways of God, that 
 monastic institutions have revived in this land by the means 
 of a convulsion that would have seemed as the annihilation of 
 their very existence. 
 
 Whilst Protestant tyranny and fanaticism ruled in this 
 country with an iron rod, many of the scattered religious found 
 refuge in foreign lands ; and when the continent in its turn 
 became the scene of revolution, anarchy, and infidelity, Eng- 
 land gladly received and sheltered the communities that by 
 unjust laws had been so long separated from her. Amongst 
 others, the English Cistercians from the monastery of La 
 Trappef returned to their native soil ; and to these the com- 
 
 * " The first English monastery of Cistercians was founded at Waverley, in 
 Surrey, A. t>. 1129; and in the reign of king Edward the Eirst, there were 
 sixty -two houses of this order in England." — Stevens' Continuation toDugdale. 
 
 t It is erroneously imagined by man}' persons that the monks of La Trappe 
 are a new order, whose rule is framed with unexampled and unnatural severity. 
 But, in fact, they are only a reform of the Cistercians, established by the famous 
 Abbe Kancy, in the monastery of La Trappe, in Erance, from whence the 
 
92 
 
 munity of Mount St. Bernard owes its existence. It is not 
 necessary to enter at length into the various vicissitudes they 
 encountered, or the circumstances that led them eventually to 
 establish a monastery in Leicestershire, as these will be de- 
 tailed at length in a separate publication on the subject by 
 Ambrose Lisle Phillipps, Esq. that will shortly appear ; but it 
 must be no small consolation to every Catholic mind, that in 
 the nineteenth century a community of men flourish in the 
 very heart of England, bound by the same rules, practising 
 the same austerities, devotions, and charity, wearing the same 
 habit, and in all respects like to the devout men of old, whose 
 works and lives are yet the theme of admiration and respect 
 among men of true piety and antiquarian research. 
 
 The prospect of the monastery, which is taken from the 
 south-west, represents the edifice as complete, and gives a 
 general idea of the locality in which it is placed. The 
 country immediately surrounding the monastery is exceed- 
 ingly wild and romantic, more, indeed, resembling Sicilian 
 than English scenery. Irregular masses of granite rocks of 
 most picturesque outline surround the land cultivated by the 
 monks; and as the situation is exceedingly elevated, the 
 extensive prospects which open out beyond these from different 
 points of view, are truly glorious to behold. The monastery 
 is sheltered on the north side by a huge rock, on the summit of 
 which it is purposed to erect a calvary, as shown in the 
 view, which will be visible from an immense extent of the 
 surrounding country. Although, from its exposed position, 
 the land is far from desirable in an agricultural point of 
 view, the unceasing toil of the religious has so far overcome 
 natural difficulties, that a considerable portion of the ground is 
 already brought into excellent cultivation. The whole of 
 the regular buildings, cloister, chapter-house, refectory, dormi- 
 tory, calefactory, guest-house, prior's lodgings, lavatory, 
 kitchen offices, &c, are now actually finished ; and arrange- 
 ments are in progress for completing as soon as possible a 
 
 appellation of Trappists has been applied most improperly to those religious who 
 returned to the strict observance of the primitive rule of the order, which although 
 it may seem unsupportably austere in these days of decayed zeal and fervour, 
 was only the ordinary state of religious life observed by the ancient monks. The 
 extraordinary piety and fervour of the Abbe de Rancy naturally excited the 
 animosity of those lax members of the religious orders, of which there were but 
 too many instances in the corrupt age in which he commenced his reform ; and 
 many infamous calumnies were published against him. The best refutation of 
 these is to be found in a small work entitled " Defence de la Trappe," of which 
 the celebrated Father Thiers was the supposed author. 
 
B£RN*R£>e R&BSY CHYRCH Xioa^SKiXs 
 
93 
 
 sufficient portion of the church to enable the monks to cele- 
 brate the divine office with becoming solemnity ; when this 
 is achieved, the community will leave their present temporary 
 edifice, and enter on the occupation of this new monastery. 
 
 The whole of the buildings are erected in the greatest 
 severity of the lancet style, with massive walls and but- 
 tresses, long and narrow windows, high gables and roofs, 
 with deeply arched doorways. Solemnity and simplicity are 
 the characteristics of the monastery, and every portion of the 
 architecture and fittings corresponds to the austerity of the 
 order for whom it has been raised. The space inclosed by 
 the cloisters is appointed for the cemetery ; a stone cross, 
 similar to those which were formerly erected in every church- 
 yard, will be set up in the centre, and the memorials of de- 
 parted brethren will be inserted on plain wooden crosses at 
 the head of the graves. The view from this inclosure is 
 particularly striking. From the nature of the material used (a 
 sort of rubble granite) and the massiveness of the architecture, 
 the building already possesses the appearance of antiquity ; 
 and this being combined with the stillness of the place and 
 the presence of the religious, clad in the venerable habits of 
 the order, the mind is most forcibly carried back to the days 
 of England's faith. 
 
 The second plate, 8, represents the interior of the conven- 
 tual church as designed, taken from the western end of the 
 nave. The arches are shewn as springing from pillars of 
 nine feet in circumference, ornamented with foliated caps. 
 The framing of the roof, which will be decorated with painting, 
 is open to the church, and springs from stone corbels, level 
 with the base of clerestory windows ; the high altar is at the 
 eastern end, against a reredos of arched panels, below the 
 triple lights of the end gable ; four massive pillars support 
 the arches of the centre tower, which is shewn in the external 
 prospect. On the eastern walls of the transepts are two 
 altars, that on the south dedicated in honour of our blessed 
 Ladye, and the northern one in honour of St. Joseph. As the 
 chapter-house joins close to the southern wall of the transept, 
 a rose window will be erected in the gable, and three large 
 lancet lights on the opposite end; the sacristy is on the 
 south side, and forms in the plan a continuation of the tran- 
 sept gable wall nearly as far eastward as the termination of 
 the church. The whole choir is surrounded by spacious aisles 
 for solemn processions. The stalls for the religious extend 
 
94 
 
 down a considerable portion of the nave,* as far as the large 
 stone rood loft, shewn in the engraving, which will be as- 
 cended by two stone staircases immediately behind the prior's 
 and subprior's stalls. This roodloft is supported by three open 
 arches, the two side ones containing stone altars, surmounted 
 by paintings and other enrichments. The custom of placing 
 altars in the rood screens, which is exceedingly ancient, origi- 
 nated in the monastic churches : we are not aware of exist- 
 ing instances where they occur in any other. The reason 
 is obvious: as the people were entirely excluded from the 
 eastern portion of the church and confined to that part 
 of the nave which remained between the rood loft and the 
 western end, the monks naturally resorted to this expedient 
 for administering the consolation of the holy sacrifice to 
 such of the faithful as might visit their churches through 
 devotion. It may be further remarked, in support of this 
 reason, that these altars are found only in such of the 
 churches and cathedrals as were either originally monas- 
 teries, as Peterborough, Gloucester, St. Alban's; or were 
 served by monks, as Durham and Norwich. The rood screen 
 and altars of Durham have perished; but the annexed notef will 
 
 * Examples of these are yet to be found at Westminster, Gloucester, Win- 
 chester, Tewkesbury, St. Alban's, and Norwich. 
 
 f " In the body of the church, between two of the highest pillars supporting 
 the west side of the lantern, opposite the choir door, was Jesus' altar, where 
 Jesus' mass was sung every Friday in the year, and on the back-side of the said 
 altar was a high stone wall, at each end whereof was a door, which was locked 
 every night, and called the two rood doors, for the procession to go forth and 
 return at; betwixt the two doors was Jesus' altar, placed as aforesaid, and each 
 end of the altar was closed up with fine wainscot, like to a porch, adjoining to 
 each rood door, finely varnished with red varnish. In the wainscot, at the 
 south end of the altar, were four great almeries, to preserve the chalices and 
 silver cruets, and two or three suits of vestments, and other ornaments belong- 
 ing to the said altar, for holy and principal days ; and at the north end of the 
 altar, in the wainscot, was a door to come into the said porch, which was 
 always locked. There was also standing against the wall a most curious fine 
 t ible, with two leaves to open and shut ; comprehending the passion of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, richly set in fine lively colours, all like burnished gold, as 
 he w T as tormented on the cross ; a most lamentable sight to behold ; which 
 table was always locked but on principal days. Also the fore part of the said 
 porch, from the utmost corner of the porch to the other was a door, with two 
 broad leaves to open from side to side, all of fine thorough carved work ; the 
 height was somewhat above a man's breast, and the upper part stricken full of 
 iron spikes, so that none should climb over ; which door hung all on gimmers, 
 and had clasps on the inside to fasten them. And on principal days, when any 
 of the monks said mass at the said altar, then the table standing thereon was 
 opened, and the door with two leaves that composed the fore-part of the said 
 porch was set open also, that every man might come in and see the table in 
 the manner aforesaid. 
 
95 
 
 enable the reader to understand their ancient position in that 
 noble church. We believe that at Norwich Cathedral, since 
 the improvements in the choirs, all traces of the altars which 
 stood on either side of the choir door have disappeared ; but 
 a few years since the outline of the altars and the reredoses 
 themselves were most distinctly marked. At St. Alban's the 
 screen across the nave is called St. Cuthberfs : the altar, as 
 at Durham, stood in the centre, with a doorway at each side, 
 leading into the choir ; and there is every reason to suppose a 
 similar screen formerly existed at Romney Abbey. The ar- 
 rangement of the rood screen, as shewn in the plate, is therefore 
 quite correct for a monastic church ; the depth of the arches 
 under which the altars are placed, is considerable ; and, with 
 the staircases, this loft will occupy one bay of the nave in 
 width ; above the screen, the rood* will be fixed with the ap- 
 
 " There was also in the height of the wall, from pillar to pillar, the whole 
 story and passion of our Lord, wrought in stone, and curiously gilt ; and also 
 above the said story and passion, there was the whole story and picture of the 
 twelve apostles, very artificially set forth, and finely gilt, extending from one 
 pillar to the other ; and on the top, above all the aforesaid stories, was set up a 
 border artificially wrought in stone, with marvellous fine colours, and gilt with 
 branches and flowers ; insomuch that the more a man looked on it the more 
 was his desire to behold it ; and, though in stone, it could not have been finer 
 in any kind of metal. And likewise on the top of all stood the most famous 
 rood that was in all the land, with the picture of St. Mary on one side, of our 
 Saviour and St. John on the other ; with two glittering archangels, one on the 
 one side of St. Mary and the other on the other side of St. John. So that for 
 the beauty of the wall, stateliness of the picture, and the liveliness of the paint- 
 ing, it was thought to be one of the grandest monuments in the church." 
 
 Antiquities of Durham Abbey, pp. 35-6. 
 
 The altar, rood, and images, were all demolished and defaced in the reign of 
 Edward the Sixth, and the screen itself was destroyed soon after. 
 
 * A very curious account is given in Peck's " Stamford," chap. iv. p. 3, illus- 
 trative of the antiquity of roods. It refers to the sacking and plunder of the 
 monastery at Burg, a. d. 1069 ; and it appears that on the robbers effecting an 
 entrance into the church, they got up to the rood, and took away a crown from 
 our Lord's head, a crown made entirely of gold. From this description we 
 not only gather the existence of a rood set up in a high place in the church, 
 but also that the image on the same was one of those mystical representations 
 of our Lord, as a king vested in royal robes, fastened to a rich cross, which 
 were frequent in early times ; and the miraculous crucifix still preserved in the 
 second chapel on the gospel side of the nave in Amiens cathedral, is of this 
 style. This conventional manner of treating the sublime and overpowering 
 mystei'y of our Lord's sacrifice on the cross, is truly beautiful ; and it will pro- 
 bably be revived ere long, with many other long-forgotten but profound and 
 admirable conceptions of the Middle Ages. The cross itself was treated from 
 the earliest times as an emblem of glory. Hence, whether it was carved on 
 sepulchral slabs, erected on churches, set up on roods, embroidered on altar 
 cloths or vestments, it was invariably more or less floriated with enriched ter- 
 minations branching out, as the fruitful and never-fading source of the Chris- 
 tian's brightest hopes. Many of the crosses erected in England, were, in 
 themselves, most beautiful structures, and of the richest design. A large 
 
96 
 
 propriate images, all richly painted and gilt. The upper 
 extremity of the cross will be upwards of fifty feet in height 
 from the level of the pavement, and the width across the arms 
 about twelve feet. By the rules of the Cistercian order, the 
 rood loft is used for all its ancient purposes, and will be pro- 
 vided with letterns, standards for lights, and other necessary 
 furniture. 
 
 JESUS CHAPEL, NEAR POMFRET, PLATES IX AND X. 
 
 This edifice has been erected by Mrs. Tempest, who resides 
 at the Grange, near Pomfret, to serve as a private chapel to the 
 mansion with which it communicates, by means of a cloister on 
 the north side. It consists of a nave, chancel, chantry, 
 chapel containing a family vault, and a sacristy : the accom- 
 panying plate will afford a correct idea of its style and appear- 
 ance. The architecture is that of the decorated period, and 
 to the smallest details has been carefully and faithfully re- 
 vived from original authorities. The niches on each side of 
 the chancel window contain images of our Blessed Lady and 
 the angel Gabriel, and the Holy Trinity in the centre niche of 
 the gable. A belfry for the Sanctus is erected on the eastern 
 end of the nave, and a floriated cross on the centre of the west 
 gable. A massive and deeply moulded stone arch leads from 
 the nave to the chancel, across which an oak screen of open 
 panels, surmounted by a rood, has been erected. The roof of 
 the nave is waggon-headed, divided by and divided into com- 
 partments by the principals of the roof, which are again sub- 
 divided by moulded ribs into panels, diapered in colours. The 
 ceiling of the chancel is arched, also divided into compartments 
 by ribs, but of a richer character than that of the nave ; at each 
 intersection is a boss, carved with emblems of the passion and 
 
 plain cross seems to be the extent to which the imagination of those who design 
 these things at the present day on the continent will reach, and these are not 
 unfrequently painted a bright green. In England the case is in some respects 
 worse, for, the original intention of these holy emblems being disregarded, they 
 have been prostituted to the vilest party purposes ; and the design of one of 
 those truly beautiful and appropriate Eleanor crosses has been degraded to 
 serve for the memorial of three of those miserable ecclesiastics who betrayed 
 the church of which they were such unworthy members, and were mainly in- 
 strumental in the overthrow not only of the material crosses which had been 
 raised by the piety of our forefathers, but that true and ancient faith which had 
 shone so conspicuous in the English church for so many succeeding generations, 
 and which, down to that fatal period, which severed this country from the 
 unity of Christ's church, had covered the face of the land with the most glori- 
 ous monuments that the skill and energy of man ever raised in honour of 
 Almighty God. 
 
97 
 
 other devices; and from each of these spring four foliage 
 cusps, corresponding to the angles of the panels. The relieved 
 portions of this ceiling are pricked out in gold and colour ; 
 the field is painted azure, powdered with stars and suns. All 
 the windows are filled with stained glass ; those of the nave con- 
 tain figured quarries, rich borders, and quatrefoils filled with 
 sacred emblems ; in the east window of the chantr y, the centre 
 light is filled with an image of our Ladye with our Lord, 
 under a canopy, and a serj)ent crushed beneath her feet : the 
 two other lights contain the emblems of the four Evange- 
 lists, and the holy name in bordered quatrefoils. The upper 
 part of the window is filled with angels, holding labels and 
 scriptures. 
 
 The east window of the chancel contains the crucifixion of 
 our Lord, the adoration of the wise men, and the resurrection, 
 with appropriate scriptures. The side window of the chantry 
 chapel is filled with armorial bearings of the Tempest family. 
 On the Gospel side of the chancel is a richly ornamented 
 niche, which is also open towards the chantry, and within it 
 a high tomb to serve for the sepulchre at Easter. Imme- 
 diately opposite to this are the sedilia, with crocketed cano- 
 pies and pinnacles, and a sacrarium of the same ornamental 
 character. The front of the principal altar is divided into 
 five compartments or niches, with crocketed gablets, and each 
 containing an image. The altar of the chantry is plain, and 
 hung with a frontal of velvet, relieved with gold embroidery. 
 Each altar is furnished with a pair of candlesticks and a cru- 
 cifix on standing crosses. Curtains of silk are suspended on 
 projecting rods on each side of the chancel altar, and on the 
 upper steps are placed two high standards for the elevation 
 candles. There is also a suspended lamp to burn before 
 the blessed sacrament. The floors of the chancel and chantry 
 chapel are laid with incrusted tiles of various patterns, similar 
 to those with which the ancient churches were originally 
 paved ; and in all respects this chapel presents a very faithful 
 revival of a small religious edifice of the fine period of Edward 
 the Third. 
 
 BISHOP'S HOUSE, BIRMINGHAM. PLATE XI. 
 
 Next in importance to the erection of the church itself, is 
 that of a suitable edifice for the habitation of those ecclesi- 
 astics who are appointed to serve its altars, and minister 
 spiritual and temporal consolation to the faithful who flock 
 within its walls. Hence we hail with no small gratification 
 
98 
 
 the erection of the present building, which is a consoling 
 proof of the great revival of ancient principles in this most 
 neglected branch of ecclesiastical architecture. We say most 
 neglected, for even those Avho admitted the principle of imitating 
 in some respects the ideas and style of onr Catholic ancestors 
 in their churches, rejected with ridicule all suggestions of 
 following them in other matters ; and, on the pleas of economy 
 and convenience, have descended to the erection of the vilest 
 sash-window and street-door residences that ever were raised.* 
 Now, with respect to economy, it is impossible to build sub- 
 stantially in any style so cheap as the pointed or Christian ; 
 and, as to convenience, our ancestors were by no means such 
 fools, or such comfortless barbarians as is generally imagined 
 
 * When this error has been avoided, the residences for the clergy have been 
 made to look extremely like portions of the church ; and what at a short dis- 
 tance might appear as a transept, or a chancel, is discovered on a nearer 
 approach to be nothing more than an ill-constructed house, whose several floors, 
 by dint of blackened glass and other contrivances, are disguised into long-looking 
 lancet windows ; while the clerestory serves the domestics for an attic, and the 
 supposed crypt contains the cooking department, with even meaner offices ; and 
 the building which had passed for a cruciform church, from a casual exter- 
 nal survey presents, on entering, a mere nave, which must naturally ap- 
 pear much smaller than it really is from the disappointment of the spectator. — 
 We know of one case, where parlour, dining room, and bed chamber are all 
 lighted from what appears externally to be the east window of the chancel, 
 while the maid servant receives air from two huge quatrefoils in the tracery of 
 the said window, the smoke from all these rooms being carried up a flue turret 
 and perforated pinnacle. It is impossible to describe half the indecencies that 
 must and do arise from men presuming to make their habitations under the 
 roof of a building that should be solemnly consecrated to God alone ; and it is 
 almost difficult to reconcile the existence of such an abuse with the extreme 
 reverence and veneration with which all members of the Catholic Church are 
 necessarily bound to regard all that is connected with the worship of Almighty 
 God, and the sacred character which is imparted even to the material walls of 
 a church. Besides, a church which forms part of a house will never be viewed 
 or entered with the peculiar respect that it should command : it sinks to the 
 level of an ordinary place ; servants cleanse the sanctuary as they do an entry ; 
 the thuribles and candlesticks are carried for convenience to the kitchen, vest- 
 ments are kept in bedrooms. The exclusive character of all these things is soon 
 lost, and irreverence succeeds. Then, instead of solemn-sounding bells, pre- 
 paring the mind for prayer and sacrifice, we have rapping of knockers, closing 
 of doors, shrill calls of domestics, and in some instances the savory odours of 
 kitchens overpowering the incense itself. Now all these things have originated 
 in straightened necessity,but they should not continue through indifference ; and 
 very lately new buildings have been erected on a plan which must necessarily 
 entail all these wretched consequences. How utterly dead must a man be, we 
 will not say to mystical reasons alone, but to natural ones also, who builds a chim- 
 ney-stack in place of the east window, turns an aisle into an entry, and lights his 
 kitchen from the sanctuary ! Yet such and worse exist — nor shall we be readily 
 delivered from them except by conflagration, which catastrophe is not by any 
 means improbable, considering the ordinary risk which is attached to dwelling- 
 houses. 
 
99 
 
 by the moderns, who seem to derive all their ideas on these 
 matters from delapidated buildings, unfurnished and unin- 
 habited perhaps for centuries ; a modern empty house looks 
 miserable enough in all conscience after it has been vacated 
 for only a few weeks ; but only let us conceive its appearance 
 after fifty years' neglect, which is the longest period which can 
 be assigned for its existence in any shape ; surely an old speci- 
 men of six times that age would then appear to no small 
 advantage by its side. Under the name of modern conve- 
 nience, people have been cheated into thin walls and plaster, 
 in place of solid construction and oak beams. Of course there 
 are sundry practical improvements made from time to time, 
 which could and should be engrafted on old principles ; but we 
 have cast off in too many instances strength and real conve- 
 nience, for empty display and cheap magnificence ; and a 
 modern house, with its cracking plaster and compo, peeling 
 paper, rubbed off graining, marble veneers, dirty paint, and 
 faded finery, is an erection that could not have arisen in 
 any less fictitious age than the present. 
 
 But to return to our object. Ecclesiastical residences were 
 always erected in harmony of design with the sacred struc- 
 tures to which they formed necessary appendages, that is to 
 say, they exhibited a solid, solemn, and scholastic character, 
 that bespoke them at once to be the habitations of men who were 
 removed far beyond the ordinary pursuits of life. If we turn 
 to the Vicar's Close at Wells, the hospital of St. Cross, or 
 any of the collegiate or conventual buildings which remain, 
 defaced and modernised as they are, they inspire reverence 
 and respect ; and what must have been their effect as origi- 
 nally left by their pious founders ? This impression on the 
 mind is not produced by richness of detail, for they are re- 
 markably plain for the most part ; but it is owing to the absence 
 of all artificial resources, and the severity and simplicity in which 
 they have been raised; there is no attempt at concealment, no 
 trick, no deception, no false show, no mock materials ; they 
 appear as true and solid as the faith itself. Who does not 
 feel some instinctive respect as he passes under the vaulting 
 of an old gate-house and finds himself in a cloistered quad- 
 rangle ? In such a place the mind is predisposed to reverence 
 the ministers of religion ; they seem as if occupying a posi- 
 tion exclusively their own, and where they hold undisturbed 
 right to teach and command ; and as regards the ecclesiastics 
 themselves, do not these arches, these mullioned windows, these 
 cloistered alleys, tend to cherish and preserve within their 
 
 H 
 
100 
 
 breasts that gravity and religious composure sp essential to 
 the high state to which they belong. How violent is the 
 contrast between the choir of a cathedral and the drawing- 
 room of an Anglo-Protestant prebendary, with its piano, 
 nick-knacs, mirrors, and ottomans ! surely the church was not 
 intended to be the only place where the thoughts of God were 
 to be imparted and cherished, — else why those long cloisters, 
 that solemn chapter-room, that vast refectory, that common 
 hall, those oratories, those crosses, those saintly images and 
 emblems, those studious chambers and solemn buildings which 
 our Catholic ancestors erected around every sacred pile ? they 
 knew that devotion in the sanctuary was only to be obtained 
 by gravity and solemnity without. The ancient ecclesiastics 
 did not perform parts in churches for a brief hour, and then 
 put off the cleric with the surplice,* but carried their reverend 
 garb and demeanour throughout every ordinary action in 
 which they were engaged ; and this it would not have been 
 possible for them to have performed had they not resided in 
 the solemn and retired structures provided for them. But if 
 such edifices were found necessary for the promotion of regu- 
 larity and discipline in the days of faith, and in times when 
 the clergy had such vast resources in mutual support, how 
 much more are they required amongst us at the present time, 
 when our ecclesiastics are scattered in populous towns, fre- 
 quently alone and unsupported, and where almost every spot, 
 except their own domain, is poisoned with heresy, infidelity, 
 and licentiousness! The only resource left in such a situation 
 is to create an ecclesiastical atmosphere, a green spot in the 
 desert, where both the architecture and fittings of the edifice 
 breathe the reverend spirit of ancient days, and where the 
 man of God, consecrated to the all-important work of leading 
 his countrymen back to the true paths, with cassock and 
 crucifix, may hold secret communion of soul with those glo- 
 rious churchmen of old, whose fervent and mortified spirit he 
 strives to imitate. Nor will such a residence, so different 
 from the worldly habitations (filled with cheap and vulgar 
 show) which surround it, fail in producing the most salutary 
 eflfect on those souls who, filled with vague impressions of 
 ancient Catholic solemnity, are seeking where they may find 
 
 * A striking instance of the great reverence with which the ancient church- 
 men regarded the celebration of the divine office, is to be found in the construc- 
 tion of several sacristies at Rouen cathedral, and other places, which are pro- 
 vided with a chamber where the hebdomadarius who sung the chapter-mass 
 remained during the week, in silence and meditation. 
 
101 
 
 a realization of the ideas they have imbibed in the study of 
 past ages, and finding it not at the neat family parsonage, 
 nor at the modernised canonry,* come with trembling hopes 
 to the once despised priests of the old faith. 
 
 Such are some of the ideas which suggested the absolute ne- 
 cessity of erecting a residence for the bishops and clergy of 
 St. Chad's cathedral, corresponding in style and arrangements 
 with the old ecclesiastical houses. The ground selected for 
 this purpose is situated immediately opposite to the church, 
 and being nearly ten feet lower on the north side, admits of 
 increased accommodation in the bases tory of that wing ; by 
 
 * The horrible mutilations of the ancient ecclesiastical residences attached 
 to cathedrals, in order to render them at all suitable to the altered style of 
 living-, as practised by the present race of bishops, deans, eanons, &c, afford 
 the most striking examples of modern degeneracy ; and are in themselves con- 
 vincing proofs that the married worldly clergy of the day, are utterly unsuited 
 for the venerable habitations which they occupy, and the glorious churches that 
 they profess to serve. The great hall has been generally floored in the height, 
 and subdivided into bed-chambers ; while the chesnut roof, with its massive 
 timbers and moulded braces, has become a mere dark attic, used as a depository 
 for lumber, or for drying linen. It is almost superfluous to observe, that the 
 domestic chapel has in every instance been degraded to some secular purpose, 
 or totally destroyed. In one case it serves the canon's lady, or Mrs. Arch- 
 deacon, as a boudoir, where she deposits her nick-knacs and albums ; in another 
 it is used for a wash and brew-house, a huge copper occupying the place of 
 ancient sacrifice ; in a third it has become the canon's dressing-room ; indeed 
 so changed are the destination of the rooms, so altered the characteristics and 
 features of these residences, that were it not for a few feet of moulded stringcourse 
 appearing occasionally on the cemented walls, an ornamented chimney stack, 
 and a high pitched gable, they could scarcely be recognised as having once 
 belonged to the ancient churchmen. What painful intrusions meet the eye at 
 every turn in a cathedral close of the present time ! one venerable building is 
 converted into a finishing school for young ladies ; another, with the blinds drawn 
 down, is the residence of a dissenting minister ; this vicar's house is a music 
 shop, that a baker's ; one canonry is let to some sporting gents ; the deanery 
 is shut up, and so are all the houses of those who are not on residence ; or if unlet 
 to lay intruders, these buildings exhibit only signs of habitation at long and 
 distant periods, between which they remain as if hermetically closed : only when 
 the canon is about leaving residence and another canon's time draws near, the 
 shutters of a house suddenly are unclosed, windows are throAvn open, and bed- 
 ding hung out in the sun to air ; sundry old women are seen either entering 
 with pails and brooms, or in the act of cleaning ; curtains are delivered from 
 brown holland confinement, and looking-glass frames from gauze and paper 
 coverings ; fire-irons and polished grates are freed from grease, and brass orna- 
 ments affixed to the register fronts ; stacks of chairs, sofas, and ottomans, are 
 unpiled from the centre of the drawing-room, and disposed in tasteful variety 
 round its confines ; chimney ornaments and cut lustres resume their wonted 
 station on the marble shelves. All is now ready, and in due time the whole 
 party arrive ; the canon and the canon's lady, the governess and the young 
 canonesses, house-maids, kitchen-maids, lady's-maid, nursery-maids, and the 
 complete modern ecclesiastical establishment ; to remain three long months in 
 this horribly dull old place, with the odious bell of the cathedral dismally 
 sounding ; and no relief except a few evening card parties and a juvenile ball, 
 
102 
 
 means of a court left in the centre of the building ; the whole 
 is well lighted and ventilated. The entrance is from an arched 
 doorway in Bath-street, communicating directly with a small 
 cloister leading on the right towards the kitchen and offices, 
 and on the left to the living and other rooms. On the ground 
 floor are four chambers for priests, a chancery for the busi- 
 ness of the district, and a strong room for muniments ; and as 
 by a distinct approach, housekeeper's and servants rooms. In 
 the basement are a waiting room, servants' hall, kitchen, scul- 
 lery, cellars, larder and other offices. On the upper or prin- 
 cipal floor, are, a common hall or dining room, communicating 
 by a separate staircase with the kitchen, a private chapel, a 
 library and two audience and sleeping chambers for the lord 
 bishop and his right reverend coadjutor. Over these are four 
 principal bed rooms, and eight cells for strangers. The annexed 
 plate represents a view of the building taken from Bath-street; 
 it will be seen that convenience has dictated the design, and that 
 the elevation has been left in that natural irregularity 
 produced by the internal arrangements, to which we owe the 
 picturesque effect of the ancient buildings. The walls are built 
 entirely of brick with stone dressings ; and some ornamental 
 devices are occasionally working on the walls with vitrified 
 bricks. At the corner of Weaman-street is angle niche, contain- 
 ing an image of St. Chad standing on an angel corbel ; the 
 arms and initials of the Right Rev. Dr. Walsh are also intro- 
 duced in tracery panels. The interior of both chapel and com- 
 mon hall are given in the same plate as the exterior view ; in 
 the former is a stained glass window with an image of St. 
 Chad vested as he used to say mass, standing under a canopy, 
 together with shields charged with his cross, and in the upper 
 part of the window, many angels. The reredos of the altar 
 is worked in stone gilt and paneled ; it represents the Annun- 
 ciation of our blessed Lady in three niches and two compart- 
 ments, as shown in the etching; the lower part of the altar is 
 hung with a rich frontal of velvet and gold. On the Gospel 
 side of the sanctuary is an aimery for vestments ; the altar 
 is furnished with silk curtains, cross, candlesticks, and sacred 
 vessels ; and two exceedingly curious early German paintings, 
 presented by the Earl of Shrewsbury, are fixed on each side of 
 the altar window. The hall is capable of dining about sixty 
 persons, and has a bay window and high dais at the upper end, 
 and is protected from drafts by a glazed screen at the bottom. 
 The fire place is of carved stone divided over the arch into three 
 quatrefoils, with the arms of St. Chad, Bishop Walsh, and 
 
103 
 
 Bishop Wiseman, surmounted by gilt mitres. The side win- 
 dows are also filled with ornamented quaries, rich borders and 
 arms, with the scriptures, vigilandum, and omnia pro Christo, 
 running bendy. In the bay window, are the arms of the four 
 new vicars-apostolic ; and in the window, at the upper end, the 
 arms of the present Queen, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and 
 the late C. R. Blundell, of Ince, great benefactors to these 
 buildings. Immediately over the screen at the bottom of the 
 hall, and affixed to the wall, is a stone canopy, under which 
 are three angels, bearing the arms of St. Chad, surmounted 
 by a mitre, all richly painted and gilt, and very similar in 
 arrangement to the arms formerly in the dining hall of the 
 archiepiscopal palace at Croydon, Surrey ; the tables, benches 
 and other furniture of this hall are solidly framed and in per- 
 fect character with the style of the building. The library is 
 a lofty room entirely surmounted with bookcases ; the three 
 windows are over these, and contain six shields of arms : — 
 Bishop Walsh, Bishop Wiseman, the Earl of Shrewsbury, 
 Mr. J. Hardman, St. Chad's, and St. Mary's, Oscott. The au- 
 dience chambers are each provided with carved fireplaces, and 
 oriel windows with emblems in stained glass, representing the 
 holy name of our Lord illuminated, the emblems of the Pas- 
 sion, and a device illustrative of the most Holy Trinity, with 
 appropriate scriptures. The remainder of the rooms contain 
 nothing worthy of particular notice, and the rest of the build- 
 ing is fitted up with the most rigid simplicity. The cost of 
 this edifice including every expense, does not exceed £4,000, 
 the stained glass and other decorations being contributed by 
 benefactors; thus a residence which both in its ecclesiastical cha- 
 racter and extent of accommodations, is in all respects suited 
 for the occupation of the bishops and clergy, and also for trans- 
 acting the increasing business of the district, has been erected 
 for a sum which does not involve a greater annual outlay than 
 would have been required for two large modern houses which 
 must have been destitute of every requisite for this important 
 purpose. 
 
 CONVENTS OF THE SISTERS OF MERCY AT BIRMINGHAM AND 
 LIVERPOOL. (PLATE XII.) 
 
 Among the many important objects that have been lately 
 accomplished by the English Catholics, the establishment of 
 these charitable sisters is one which must prove most be- 
 neficial to the poorer classes and to the progress of religion 
 in general. At London, Birmingham, and Liverpool, rcgu- 
 
104 
 
 lar communities are now formed, living in conventual build- 
 ings, and fulfilling all the sacred duties of the order with scru- 
 pulous exactitude. It is not our purpose to enlarge on the 
 rule of these exemplary sisters, or the blessings and consola- 
 tions that they are the means of imparting to the suffering popu- 
 lation, these being matters which are generally understood. 
 We will therefore turn at once to the consideration of the edi- 
 fices that have been raised for the habitation of these sisterhoods, 
 and which are the first regular conventual buildings erected in 
 this country since the change of religion. The upper engrav- 
 ing represents the convent at Birmingham, lately completed ; 
 and the lower that about to be built at Liverpool. As the in- 
 ternal arrangement of both these houses will be essentially 
 the same, it will be sufficient to describe that of Birmingham. 
 This foundation owes its existence to the piety and munifi- 
 cence of Mr. John Hardman, sen., aided by a large grant 
 from the Earl of Shrewsbury, — both great benefactors to the 
 religious edifices lately erected in this town. The convent- 
 ual buildings are constructed of bricks with stone doorways, 
 windows, gables and dressings ; and, as may be perceived by 
 the engraving, the whole are extremely simple in design but 
 yet of strictly ecclesiastical character ; and from the unity of 
 style which pervades the whole of this edifice, and which ex- 
 tends to the furniture and other fittings, it produces a striking 
 illustration of the old religious houses, as they existed in all 
 their regularity and order. The following is a list of the 
 various chambers, &c. contained in this building; — chapel, 
 cloisters, oratory, cemetery, sacristy, refectory, noviciate par- 
 * lour, community room, work room for religious, twenty cells, 
 school-room, dining room for poor children, dormitory and play- 
 ing-room for ditto, kitchen and other offices. Within the chapel 
 is a regular choir containing twenty stalls divided off by an 
 open screen and rood from the ante-chapel. To the eastward of 
 this is the sanctuary ; the altar is of plain stone, with a frontal 
 of silk, embroidered and ornamented with the Lamb, and em- 
 blems of the four evangelists; the reredos is of oak, with rich 
 diapered panels, of various patterns ; a pair of curtains are 
 suspended on each side ; and on the altar is a gilt tower for 
 the reservation of the blessed Sacrament, and a pair of can- 
 dlesticks. On either side of the east window, is an angel stand- 
 ing on a carved corbel and bearing a shield, charged with the 
 five wounds of our Lord, and the emblems of the Passion. 
 The roof is covered with inscriptions and ornaments in rich 
 colours, the pattern consisting of quatrefoils, with the holy 
 
105 
 
 name connected by bands inscribed "mercy;" and round the up- 
 per part of the walls "the angelical salutation" in illuminated 
 letters. The floors of both choir and sanctuary are laid with 
 figured tiles, charged with the armorial bearings of Lord 
 Shrewsbury, and other appropriate devices : the east window, 
 of three lights, is filled with stained glass, presented by the no- 
 ble earl : in the middle day is an image of our blessed Lady, 
 under a rich canopy ; and on either side are effigies of the Earl 
 of Shrewsbury and Mr. Hardman, as co-founders, in a kneel- 
 ing attitude, attended by their patron saints, St. John the 
 Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. The side windows of 
 the choir are also filled with stained glass, of varied design and 
 rich effect. This chapel is well furnished with sacred vessels 
 and vestments, of a style corresponding to that of the build- 
 ing, and facsimiles to those used in England previous to the 
 spoliation of the churches. A doorway on the north side of 
 the lower end of the chapel leads into the cloisters, which are 
 decorated by a succession of ancient images in niches, all richly 
 diapered and painted according to their original colours; among 
 these is the crucifixion of our Lord, with SS. Mary and John 
 on a Calvary, St. Anne and our blessed Lady, St. Etheldreda, 
 the wise men's offering, and the Annunciation of our blessed 
 Lady. At the end of the north alley is an oratory with a stained 
 window, and a large niche, containing the crucifixion of our Lord 
 beautifully set forth in gold and colours, with a stone lantern 
 for a lamp, by its side, similar to those remaining in the 
 cloisters of Augsbourg cathedral ; the space inclosed by these 
 cloisters is consecrated for a cemetery with a floriated stone 
 cross, raised on steps in the centre. This may be distinctly 
 perceived by referring to the engraving, which will fully illus- 
 trate the external appearance and arrangement of the building. 
 As the community rooms and cells have been finished in the 
 simplest possible style, there is nothing farther to merit parti- 
 cular notice, except the absence of all those trifling ornaments 
 and unworthy devotional emblems that sometimes disgrace 
 the walls and shelves of modern convents, and which must 
 have the effect of lessening in the minds of casual observers 
 the respect that they would otherwise feel for their devout and 
 exemplary inmates. 
 
 BENEDICTINE PRIORY OF ST. GREGORY'S, DOWNSIDE, NEAR 
 BATH. (PLATE XIII.) 
 
 The next conventual building which we proceed to notice 
 is one of a far more extended description, and of which a 
 
106 
 
 tolerably correct idea may be formed from the accompanying 
 view, which represents the whole edifice as complete. It is 
 intended to erect so much of this design at present as the 
 increasing wants of the community absolutely require, and to 
 proceed with the remaining portions of the plan as means 
 may admit. The building is an exact revival of one of the 
 larger English monasteries: consisting of a church, great 
 cloisters, with carrols for study, lavatory, and chapter-house, 
 a refectory, with buttery, cellars and kitchens, calefactory, 
 noviciate, library, dormitory, prior's lodgings, infirmary, and 
 a chapel for the sick, with spacious offices and almonries, a 
 strangers' court, with guest-rooms and hall, and a separate 
 quadrangle for scholars, with class and lecture-rooms. 
 
 It is not many years since this community expended a 
 considerable sum in the erection of a church, and other build- 
 ings ; but these they found wholly inadequate to the present 
 increasing wants ; and being, moreover, deficient in solidity 
 and convenience, it has been wisely determined to erect the 
 new buildings so as to form part of a grand and perfect plan ; 
 in order that an edifice may be eventually completed in some 
 degree worthy of this most venerable and famous order, to 
 whom England is indebted for many of the most glorious 
 monuments of ancient skill, — among which we can yet 
 reckon the names of Westminster, Peterborough, Durham, 
 and Gloucester, that have not been demolished for the repair 
 of roads, or to satisfy the sacrilegious rapacity of court fa- 
 vourites.* The style adopted for this structure is early lancet, 
 
 * If Gloucester and Peterborough had not been converted into cathedral 
 churches, they would doubtless have perished, like Glastonbury, Reading, 
 Croyland, and many others, which were by no means inferior to them, either 
 in extent, grandeur, or sacred associations. Westminster Abbey itself had a 
 narrow escape from being levelled by the sacrilegious hands of the Protector 
 Somerset, under Edward VI. Heylin says, " But the lord protector thinking 
 it altogether unnecessary that two Cathedrals should be founded so near to one 
 another, and thinking the church of Westminster (as being of a later foundation) 
 might best be spared, had cast a longing eye on the goodly patrimony which re • 
 mained unto it, and, being then unfurnished of a house or a palace proportion- 
 able to his greatness, he doubted not to find room upon the dissolution and destruction 
 of so large a fabrick to raise apalace equal to his vast design, and he was only turned 
 from the execution of this detestable project by the Dean, Benson, surrendering 
 to him more than half the estates belonging to it. Por this last act, coupled 
 with his original surrender of the abbey, this wretched ecclesiastic was so tor- 
 tured with remorse, that he died miserably a few months after. Tewkesbury 
 abbey church, all glorious as it is with tombs and chapels of most surpassing 
 interest and beauty, was also condemned to destruction, and only saved from im- 
 mediate demolition by being purchased for a parochial church by the townsmen." 
 The following entry respecting Tewkesbury abbey occurs in the account of the 
 
107 
 
 as combining simplicity with true ecclesiastical character. 
 Each alley of the cloister will measure above one hundred 
 and fifty feet in length, the refectory eighty by thirty, the 
 wall three and four feet thick ; which may afford some data 
 by which the extent and solidity of the buildings can be 
 imagined. They will be constructed on the ancient principle 
 of convenience and strength combined, without affectation of 
 forced regularity or unnecessary features. Each portion of 
 the edifice will bespeak its purpose, from the chapter-house to 
 the kitchen. Roofs and chimney shafts stand forth undis- 
 guised in all the unadorned grandeur produced by their 
 extent and solidity ; and, when completed, this building will 
 furnish an admirable proof of the vast superiority of effect 
 that is produced by the natural architecture of our Catholic 
 ancestors over the mock-regularity system of modern builders. 
 
 st. bede's masbro (plate XIV ). 
 
 We have great pleasure in introducing the accompanying 
 views and plan of a small church, lately erected at Masbro, 
 near Rotherham, under the superintendence of Mr. Matthew 
 Hatfield. This may be regarded as an earnest of this gen- 
 tleman's future intention of reviving true Catholic principles 
 in such ecclesiastical buildings as he may be engaged to erect. 
 It is indeed truly gratifying to see the rapid extension of 
 correct ideas on these matters ; for many earlier edifices 
 raised by this architect were serious departures from the true 
 Christian style, and we feel assured he will now be willing to 
 admit the truth of this remark: but whatever errors of judg- 
 ment he may formerly have committed, he now comes forward 
 as a reviver of the true old school, and as such we hail him 
 with unmingled satisfaction. On referring to the engraving, 
 it will be perceived that all the essentials of a Catholic 
 church are included in the arrangement of this building. 
 
 suppression, and is truly characteristic of the spirit which introduced what are 
 noio termed Anglo- Catholic principles. 
 
 " Houses and buildings remaining undefaced. — The lodgings called the Newark, 
 leading from the gate to the late abbot's lodgings, with buttery, pantry, cellar, 
 kitchen, larder, and pastry. The abbot's lodgings, stable, bakehouse, brewhouse 
 and slaughterhouse, almery, barn, dairyhouse, maltinghouse, the oxhouse, &c. 
 
 " Buildings deemed to be superfluous. — The church, with chapels, cloister, chapter- 
 house, misericord; the two dormitories, infirmary, with chapels, and lodging within 
 the same &c." 
 
 Thus, only a few cooking offices were thought worthy of being preserved of 
 all this stupenduous monastery, which, even in its present delapidated and ne- 
 glected state, fills every observer with admiration. 
 
108 
 
 Nave, southern porch, font, chancel, rood screen, altar, sedilia, 
 sepulchre, belfry, &c. ; and all those various features are 
 designed in a correct style and in accordance with ancient 
 models ; and we trust that they will be fully carried out in 
 execution, without curtailment or modification. As some 
 persons have imagined that this building, from its striking 
 resemblance to others lately erected under the superintend- 
 ence of Mr. Pugin, must have been copied from them, it is 
 only right, in justice to the architect, to say a few words on 
 the subject. When buildings are derived from a common 
 source, it is very natural that they should greatly resemble 
 each other ; hence, in the present revival of Catholic archi- 
 tecture, the authorities for which can only be found in the 
 ancient edifices of the country, it is very possible and even 
 probable that two architects may erect precisely the same 
 edifice ; and this circumstance, so far from being injurious to 
 the reputation of either, is creditable to both.* We seek for 
 authority, not originality, in these matters ; for the establish- 
 ment of a principle, not individual celebrity ; and any man 
 who possesses the true spirit of Christian art, so far from 
 desiring to occupy an unrivalled position, is delighted when 
 he is equalled, and overjoyed to be surpassed. It is far more 
 gratifying to see a principle understood and practised by a 
 number of persons, than for one man to enjoy an exclusive 
 celebrity; and these are precisely the points which distin- 
 guish the Catholic from the Pagan artist. The former seek 
 the glory of God and the Church ; the latter the applause and 
 admiration of men : the one is content to labour in accord- 
 ance with the ancient traditions, from which he does not ven- 
 ture to deviate; the latter is perpetually seeking novelties, 
 whereby he may attract attention and gain notoriety ; hence 
 all the horrible innovations introduced in the 16th century 
 by the semi-pagan artists, who despised and rejected the 
 
 * Mr. Pugin, we believe, never claimed the least merit on the score of originality : 
 nor does he profess to invent new combinations, but simply to revive, as far as 
 circumstances and means will admit, the glorious but till lately despised works 
 of the Middle Ages ; and no man can be more sensible of the great inferiority 
 of the buildings he erects when compared with the original types from which 
 they are derived ; for although in the debased and degenerate age in which we 
 live, the most trifling revival of better times seems a gigantic achievement, yet 
 how insignificant do our greatest efforts appear, when compared with the works 
 of Catholic antiquity; and although we may exult in the enthusiasm of the 
 moment over the meagre imitations of ancient excellence which are being 
 produced, yet, on mature consideration, and reference to the original types, we 
 shall find them rather occasions for humiliation than for glory. 
 
109 
 
 Catholic wisdom of centuries, that they might astonish for a 
 season by their extravagances. These men, who sacrificed 
 everything for a worldly triumph, were filled with envyings, 
 jealousies, and detractions; but such vile passions, although 
 natural to the Pagan courts of the Medici, found no place 
 among the Catholic architects of the cloister, who, after 
 raising the most glorious piles that ever emanated from the 
 genius of man, wholly devoted to the object for which they 
 laboured, have not even transmitted their names to posterity: 
 and may we not hope that many artists will arise, as in days 
 of old, to carry on the great work in the true spirit ; — not in 
 strife and contentions, not in prostitution of their art for the 
 mere sake of gain ; — not in pandering to the ignorance and 
 whimsical fancies of those by whom they may chance to be 
 employed ; — but in a firm and uncompromising spirit revive 
 Catholic art and architecture in all its integrity. If Mr. 
 Fugin has been a somewhat successful restorer of ancient 
 glory, he has attained the necessary knowledge by means 
 which are; open to all. He does not profess to hold any patent 
 for the exercise of his art, nor to be in possession of hidden 
 secrets, nor of any peculiar information that may not be 
 obtained by patient study and research. Those who wish to 
 attain excellence, must distrust themselves, and become humble 
 disciples of the old Catholic architects, whose silent teaching may 
 be learnt from every venerable pile, from the humblest parish 
 church to the vast aud lofty cathedral ; and then, indeed, cor- 
 rect ideas and satisfactory buildings would soon become gene- 
 ral, as in former times. 
 
 NEW CATHOLIC CHURCH AT ISLINGTON. . 
 
 This church, so far from exhibiting the adoption of true 
 Catholic principles, which we have had so much pleasure in 
 describing at Masbro, is certainly the most original combina- 
 tion of modern deformity that has been erected for some time 
 past for the sacred purpose of a Catholic church. It has been 
 a fine opportunity thrown away; and the only consolation 
 we can derive from its erection, is the hope that its palpable 
 defects, by serving as an additional evidence of the absolute 
 necessity of adhering to ancient Catholic examples in the 
 churches we erect, may induce those in ecclesiastical autho- 
 rity to adopt this system in all cases, and to refuse their sanc- 
 tion to any modern experiments in ecclesiastical architecture. 
 
 What renders the present case the more deplorable, is the 
 fact that an ancient Catholic parochial church, dedicated in 
 
110 
 
 honour of the Blessed Virgin, and in all respects suited to the 
 present site and wants of the congregation, formerly existed 
 at Islington, and was demolished only a few years since, to 
 make room for the pewed and galleried assembly room which 
 is at present used for the parochial Protestant service. 
 
 In the annexed plate (xv), we have given a view of this 
 church as it would have appeared if erected on the site of 
 the present building; in which case it would have stood in 
 correct canonical position, due east and west, the high altar 
 and side chapels facing the New River; while the tower, at 
 the extremity of the north aisle, would have imparted the 
 true character of a parochial church to the building, without 
 encroaching on lateral space. By the plan, which is also 
 given in the plate, it will be perceived that the high altar 
 could be perfectly seen from all parts of the old church ; 
 which, strangely enough, was the reason advanced for de- 
 parting from ancient arrangements, and confining the con- 
 gregation to the mere nave of the present design, and block- 
 ing up the space which should have been occupied by the 
 aisles, with cross walls. See block plan of new church. 
 
 We are unwilling to attribute all the defects of this build- 
 ing to the architect, who has on former occasions shown him- 
 self capable of doing very much better, and who would be a 
 valuable ally in the good cause, if he would seek to do what 
 is positively right and correct, rather than what may please 
 for the moment ; and we fear he has been induced to arrange 
 this building on the same principle that artists occasionally 
 paint family portraits, out of all harmony and proportion, — 
 so much pains, so much money. Yet surely this is quite un- 
 worthy of an ecclesiastical architect ; these are not times for 
 compromise ; the English Catholics are no longer an obscure 
 body, but stand as a light and a beacon to others who are on 
 
 * Some persons have pretended to justify this extraordinary arrangement of 
 cross walls by alleging that glorious example of ancient art, King's College 
 Chapel at Cambridge : but independently of the manifest absurdity of selecting 
 an example of the latter pointed architecture as any authority for an edifice 
 which by its round-headed arches is evidently intended as an imitation of the 
 Norman style, every one acquainted with the chapel of King's must be aware 
 that the lateral chapels were suggested by the enormous projection of the but- 
 tresses, which were absolutely necessary to resist the lateral thrust of the flattened 
 groined ceiling of massive masonry. But at Islington, so far from any thing like 
 groining, there is an open truss roof without any thrust at all ; and instead of the 
 cross walls being required as buttresses, they are not carried up higher than the 
 bottom of the clerestory, so that in fact they answer no other end than to block 
 up the space which should be open for aisles, and to reduce the accommodation 
 of the church by nearly one-half. 
 
Ill 
 
 all sides seeking the truth ; they are at the present time in 
 a fearful state of responsibility, and sad it is indeed that by 
 the erection of this, or similar departures from true Catholic 
 architecture, they should afford a temporary triumph to the 
 infidels. The church at Islington is built on the all front 
 principle of Dissenters, and is by no means equal to the 
 Puritan edition of York Minster at the Scotch kirk, Regent- 
 square, though it likewise apes two diminutive towers at the 
 west end of a church which is neither collegiate, conventual, 
 nor cathedral. The united cost of these would have erected 
 a good massive parochial tower at the western end. Indeed 
 this building is in all respects so painful a subject, that it 
 would not have been introduced at all, if the exposure of 
 error did not contribute greatly to the advancement of truth ; 
 and in the present case it seems absolutely necessary to de- 
 monstrate the fallacy of the principle which instigated its ex- 
 traordinary arrangement, and to set forth the great superiority 
 which aisled churches possess, in every respect, over large 
 rooms, which some persons in these days advocate strongly as 
 the best form for religious structures. 
 
 The annexed plate (xvi) represents the section and plan 
 of one compartment of a large assembly room, quite square, 
 with a flat ceiling, shown by the walls lightly tinted; and 
 a Catholic church, with nave and aisles, indicated by the dark 
 plan and walls. 
 
 By this engraving it will be seen, that a mere room of fifty 
 feet in width, if it possess requisite strength of walls and 
 timber of sufficient scantling to bear a flat truss for such a 
 span, will require considerably more material, both for walling 
 and roof, than a church with aisles of sixty or even seventy 
 feet wide in the clear, on account of the subdivision of the 
 roof into three parts. Few persons are aware of the vast 
 expense attendant on the erection of large rooms ; the mere 
 cost of hoisting principals of fifty feet wide into their places 
 would cover that of fixing the roofs on an aisle church com- 
 plete, while the ornamental plaster ceiling that is required to 
 hide the flat-framed roofs of these modern rooms would liter- 
 ally furnish an ordinary church with altars, stained glass, and 
 fittings. Hence, by adhering to the old Catholic method of 
 church building, we have an increased width of ten to twenty 
 feet, a great saving of materials and expense, and a most 
 solemn and impressive effect produced upon the mind. Aisle 
 roofs act as buttresses without obstruction. Islington church 
 is only a nam after all ; if it had aisles, all the people who 
 
112 
 
 are at present accommodated would not be inconvenienced, and 
 half as many more would be nearly as well located even on 
 the score of seeing the altar ; for the pillars in the naves of 
 the old parochial churches are but very slight obstructions. 
 
 But increase of space, coupled with economy, is not the 
 only reason for the superiority of the aisle arrangement. A 
 large square room is the worst possible form for the conveyance 
 of sound; and the voice of the same individual that can 
 be distinctly heard in a large church subdivided by pillars, 
 would be utterly lost in an unbroken space of considerably 
 less extent. It will now be seen that the superiority of the 
 Catholic over the modern or Pagan form of a church, can be 
 demonstrated for the soundest practical reasons : as for mys- 
 tical ones, they are so evident as scarcely to need any notice. 
 All the associations of aisles are Catholic ; the very Avord itself 
 conjures up to our minds solemn processions, long and taper- 
 ing perspectives, monastic grandeur, and heavenly chants ; 
 they form, in fact, after the chancel, the most striking ex- 
 ternal characteristic which distinguishes the temple of God 
 from a common assembly room, the church from the conven- 
 ticle ; and most earnestly do Ave hope, that these most essen- 
 tial portions of a true Catholic church will never again be 
 omitted for the sake of substituting a set of unsightly recesses, 
 not very dissimilar from those lately erected under the Green- 
 Avich and BlackAvall railways, or the divisions technically 
 termed Aving-rooms, which serve as depositories for scenery 
 on the stages of the metropolitan theatres. 
 
 In a former part of this article Ave have endeavoured to 
 render all possible justice to the able advocacy of catholic ar- 
 chitecture and antiquities by certain learned Avriters of the 
 Anglican Church. While doing this Ave felt it necessary to 
 allude occasionally to certain inconsistencies and erroneous 
 statements Avhich are found in these publications.* We noAv 
 
 * In the " Christian Remembrancer 1 ' of a few months since, Ave noticed some 
 remarks on an article treating on ecclesiastical architecture (that had appeared 
 in this Review), which were conceived in the most anti-catholic spirit, although 
 the writer at the same time appeared very anxious to be considered as one of 
 the faithful. He evidently belongs to that class of persons who assume the title 
 of Catholic as a nom de guerre, the better to forward certain heretical designs in 
 which they are engaged, and while professing to revive truth and antiquity, 
 are proved by their very writings to be the promulgators of dangerous errors 
 and foolish conceits. The assertions of the writer in question are made with 
 so much confidence, and have at the same time so little foundation in truth, 
 that it becomes a duty to expose the errors and inconsistencies into which he 
 has fallen. In the first place, he attributes to mere inadvertence the passages 
 which refer to the lingering love of ancient architecture that partially existed 
 
113 
 
 purpose to show wherein these consist, and to prove that, ex- 
 cellent as are the principles advanced in these writings, they are 
 
 in England after the change of religion. Now so far from these accounts 
 being unguarded admissions, they were sober testimonies, made with much 
 satisfaction, and referred to authorities ; and there is not one passage of the 
 article in question that can possibly deserve the accusation of disingenuousness. 
 The writer in the "Christian Remembrancer" does not appear to possess 
 much candour or sincerity ; he states a few isolated facts, and makes general 
 deductions from them, and not unfrequently perverts the true meaning of the 
 statements themselves. He first attempts to prove the continuance of Catholic 
 rites in the present Anglican Church, from the fact of some old candlesticks 
 being occasionally mentioned in church inventories, which he is obliged to con- 
 fess are not used for lights ; and then farther on he argues against the use of 
 lights at all, by perverting the obvious meaning of a passage in the " Review." 
 Respecting the communion plate, which he speaks of in the better sort of 
 parish churches, the reviewer has had ample opportunity of inspecting the 
 same, and a viler collection of misshapen vessels are not to be found in Christ- 
 endom ; goblet shaped chalices, huge flaggons, somewhat resembling black jacks, 
 spreading salvers, without one vestige or type of Catholic antiquity about them ; 
 and as for candlesticks, they may be occasionally found, but void of tapers or 
 lights ; for, as the Anglo-German father, Bucer, says of candles, 
 
 " Their use for ornament 
 On God's board may be innocent, 
 But do not light them as on stages, 
 So may two candles last for ages, 
 Yet better , twere you used none 
 For shunning st/perstition" 
 
 And this latter advice is generally observed ; for, notwithstanding the boast- 
 ings of this writer, it would be scarcely possible for him to point out one church 
 in the occupation of the Establishment, where lights are used during the cele- 
 bration of the communion service, unless the impenetrable obscurity of a London 
 fog might haply serve as reasonable excuse for reviving this Anglo-Catholic 
 practice on a solitary occasion. The only instance where lights were attempted 
 to be used on the old mystical principles in these latter times, was speedily 
 followed by an injunction from the bishop for the immediate removal of candle- 
 sticks and all Popish ornaments out of the chancel. While we are on this 
 subject, it may be proper to mention the egregious mistake into which the 
 writer has fallen respecting the antiquity of the mystical use of lights in the 
 church : it was mentioned in the review, that lights were not placed on the altar 
 previous to the 10th century; but in the concluding part of the passage it 
 stated where they were disposed, round the altar, in coronas, on the rood beams in 
 suspended lamps, &c. ; but this latter portion, not suiting his object, he leaves 
 unnoticed, and exclaims in exultation, " So, if we have no lights at all, we are 
 following the primitive usage; for it is admitted there were no candles on 
 the altar in the early church ;" and he adds, in a note, that Durandus, who 
 wrote in the beginning of the 13th century, speaks only of one candelabrum, 
 and which he does not describe, as on the altar ; and that in the church of St. 
 Clement, at Rome, this candelabrum was in the choir adjoining one of the pidpits. 
 Now it is by no means surprising that a man, who has been both educated a 
 Protestant, and remains a member of a Protestant communion, possessing but 
 meagre sources for information on these matters, should fall into great mistakes ; 
 but it is astonishing that any one so utterly deficient in the ordinary knowledge 
 of ecclesiastical antiquities, can so boldly advance such untenable positions. 
 Durandus, so far from confining his account of lights to one candelabrum, has 
 devoted a whole chapter to the subject, divided under five heads, the first of 
 
114 
 
 frequently advocated on false and untenable grounds. In doing 
 this we shall probably offend many whose goodwill we should 
 
 which is as follows : " Candelabrorum et lucernarum usus antiguissirnus." In 
 every liturgical writer of any note, this subject is explained and illustrated at 
 great length, and in a most satisfactory and conclusive manner. 
 
 Eespecting the one candelabrum at St. Clement's church, it is neither more 
 nor less than the pascal candlestick for the great candle lighted at Easter ; 
 which in many of the Roman churches is a fixture on the gospel side of the choir, 
 which is its correct position; and it was placed adjacent to one of the pulpits, not 
 for the purpose of affording light to a reader, as the italics of the writer would 
 seem to imply, but for the greater convenience of the deacon, who during the 
 chanting of the hymn " Exultet," has to infix five grains of incense in the 
 candle, and also attach the paseal table, or list of moveable feasts, and other 
 ecclesiastical matters, to it. As the candle is in itself generally of a considerable 
 size, with a corresponding pedestal, the deacon is necessarily obliged to ascend 
 a fixed or moveable pulpit for these purposes ; hence the position of the candela- 
 brum at St. Clement's. In D'Agincourt's great work on art, there are three 
 representations of such pascal candlesticks, by pulpits or ambones, with the 
 deacon ; and in " Gerberti de Cantu et Musica Sacra a prima Ecclesise jetate 
 usque ad prsesens tempus," a very curious representation of the tenth century is 
 given, of a pascal candlestick rich in ornament, close to an ambo or pulpit, in 
 which the deacon is figured in the act of affixing the pascal table to the candle. 
 It is impossible to have more conclusive proof of the real intention of these 
 candelabra, and the absurdity of the deductions which the writer in the 
 " Remembrancer " has attempted to draw from them. His observations respect- 
 ing vestments betray equal ignorance ; he evidently confounds the alb with the 
 surplice, and the cope with the chasuble. The English surplice is, in fact, the 
 Roman one ; it may be seen figured in every plate of the Roman pontifical, is 
 still used in that city, and worn by a great portion of the English Catholic clergy 
 at the present day ; and the crimped surplices were only partially introduced in 
 this country in consequence of the English Catholics being driven by the seve- 
 rity of penal laws to seek education in Erance ; as this Anglo- Catholic state 
 at that time obliged every man to swear himself a Protestant, or lose his lands, 
 liberty, and even life : but these, like other temporary innovations consequent on 
 Protestant ascendancy, are rapidly disappearing with the revival of ancient 
 solemnity. 
 
 Albs are not crimped or curtailed, but, several of the modern ones are flounced, 
 and are vastly similar in style to ladies' dresses. Albs of the ancient form, and 
 apparelled in precisely the same manner as those which belonged to the old English 
 churches previous to the reign of Edward the Sixth, have been revived in many 
 places ; while they are utterly disused by the members of the Establishment, 
 who certainly have little room for reproaching others with any neglect or de- 
 partures in these respects, since of all the ancient vestments they have retained 
 nothing but the surplice — which is not by any means a distinguishing habit for the 
 priestly office : and this, open in front, and hastily adjusted over a fashionable 
 cut coat, tight pantaloons, and a modern cravat, fails to convey the least re- 
 semblance of an ecclesiastic of the olden time. As regarding copes, which this 
 writer strangely confounds with vestments or chasubles, they have never ex- 
 perienced any alteration whatever in form, and those used by the English 
 Catholic clergy at the present time are precisely similar in shape and make to 
 those used before the change of religion ; while the copes cited by the writer as 
 worn at the coronations, are for the most part strange departures from ancient 
 authority. 
 
 The chasuble has been terribly clipped in modern times of its original ample 
 form, but it has lately regained much of its former dignity ; indeed no one 
 would attempt to deny that poverty and bad taste combined have curtailed the 
 
115 
 
 be anxious to retain, but the cause of Catholic truth is too 
 sacred to admit of our acquiescing in false views on the score 
 of expediency, or from the hope of obtaining certain ends which 
 would seem to be better advanced by following such a course. 
 We purpose, therefore, to set forth from the most authentic 
 sources the real history of the disasters that have fallen on 
 
 sacred vestments of half their ancient splendour, but still the principle has never 
 been abandoned by the English Catholics even under the most trying circumstances. 
 The clergy were compelled at one time to carry the vestments rolled into as 
 small a compass as possible, from house to house, where they administered the 
 consolations of religion to the scattered faithful : they were mean, they were 
 ugly, but there were the things ; no priest ventured to celebrate without them, or without 
 repeating the solemn prayers ordered by the Church while vesting. Thus the tra- 
 ditions of England have been preserved by a few proscribed and persecuted 
 Catholics, while the Anglicans have lost every vestige of ancient dignity ; and 
 at this moment the former are restoring the rites of the old religion in all their 
 solemnity, while the latter dare not even adhere to the trifling ornament allowed by 
 the rubric ; but vestments, altars, and lights, are at complete variance with the 
 spirit of the present system. Its founders abolished them altogether ; they were 
 partially revived through the whim of the tyrant Elizabeth, and the terrified 
 puritans and irreverent dissenters, whom she introduced into the English bishop - 
 rics, consented to disguise themselves awhile in copes and surplices, the readier 
 to infuse their pestilent doctrines among the people ; for such are the reasons 
 urged for their compliance by the foreign Protestants whom they consulted. 
 (See Strype.) These relics of the old Church were rapidly dying away, when 
 Laud attempted to stem the tide of Protestantism, but in vain; and copes, 
 bishops, and king, fell victims to the Protestant principles that had so long been 
 fostered among the people. Whatever might have been the efforts of a few 
 Catholic-minded men at the restoration, the glorious revolution utterly extin- 
 guished all hopes of better things ; and since that time Anglo-Protestantism 
 has appeared as bare, meager, and irreverent as its first concoctors and Genevan 
 fathers could possibly desire. 
 
 We have gone at length into these remarks, because the writer in the " Christian 
 Remembrancer" represents a most subtle and dangerous section existing in the 
 Anglican Church ; who by pushing forward the opinions of certain isolated 
 writers, exceptions to the rule, and condemned by their cotemporaries as 
 favourers of popery, are endeavouring to claim for the transactions of the 
 Anglican Church for the last three centuries, a character which it is impossible 
 on true grounds to substantiate. These men would affect Catholic rites, with- 
 out possessing one particle of Catholic feeling or principle ; they would fain 
 enjoy the estate without fulfilling the tenure by which it must be held, and 
 would assume the -externals of antiquity the better to delude the people. 
 But copes and two candlesticks are not the test of Catholicism ; and if these 
 persons did even figure for a while in the lion's skin they would soon betray 
 the ass underneath, and only succeed in disgusting the Protestants with whom 
 they associate, without either gaining grace or advancing one step towards 
 extricating themselves from the tangles of heresy which enthral them. These 
 men of proud and obdurate hearts must not be confounded with those devout 
 souls yet in the communion of the Anglican Church, who in austerities, mor- 
 tifications, and humble piety, are seriously seeking the truth, and whose works 
 and lives breathe the spirit of holiness and the feelings of ancient and better 
 times. Humility combined with an earnest desire of unity and truth, must be 
 rewarded with the Divine blessing; but insolent and unfounded pretensions 
 can only tend to provoke the anger of the Almighty, and the ridicule and in- 
 dignation of men. 
 
 I 
 
116 
 
 our sacred edifices since the sixteenth century ; and this has 
 become the more necessary, as doubtless there are many sin- 
 cere men who write on these subjects rather as they hope and 
 wish than from actual research, and are but little acquainted 
 with the real state of the case, or the direful sacrilege that has 
 been perpetrated under the system they extol. Far be it from 
 us to charge the present race of Anglican clergy with any 
 participation, by approval or otherwise, in the guilt of these 
 enormities, or to hold them as answerable for sins of which 
 our common fathers were guilty; indeed their works and 
 writings for the most part prove them to possess a far different 
 and better spirit : but our present object is to show the great 
 inconsistency, or rather (to speak more properly) the impossi- 
 bility of maintaining the principles which they now advocate 
 on any but the ancient grounds ; and the absurdity of claiming 
 Catholic practices as belonging to the present system, which 
 have in fact been abolished from its very commencement, and 
 the very idea of which is a perfect novelty among the An- 
 glicans themselves. That learned and reflecting men should be 
 utterly disgusted with the meager worship and Protestantism 
 of the establishment is natural, and at the same time gratify- 
 ing ; but they should endeavour to draw reasonable and legiti- 
 mate conclusions from their convictions, and not put forth an 
 imaginary Catholic system, and endeavour to throw the whole 
 odium of Church plunder and desecration on the Puritan fac- 
 tion during the civil wars, who after all had but a compara- 
 tively small share in the execrable work. It does also seem 
 most inconsistent, that those who have fallen to the lowest ebb 
 in ecclesiastical rites and observances, and who have been as 
 yet unable to extricate themselves from their degraded posi- 
 tion, should assail in no very measured terms of reproach and 
 insult, the English Catholic body ; who, although far from 
 exhibiting a standard of Catholic perfection, have retained the 
 light of the old faith through a long series of bitter trials ; and, 
 with all the disadvantages under which they labour, are prac- 
 tically restoring at the present hour the very glories which 
 their defamers can advocate only in theory. 
 
 With respect to the Puritans under Cromwell, so far from 
 their being the great instrument for the destruction of Eng- 
 land's glorious churches, these were defaced, plundered, and de- 
 secrated from the commencement of the so-called Reformation; 
 and the ravages of the Cromwellian faction, execrable as they 
 were, can by no means be compared to the sacrilegious out- 
 rages which preceded them, under the direct sanction of the 
 
117 
 
 leading schismatics during the reigns of Henry the Eighth, Ed- 
 ward the Sixth, and Elizabeth. It is now become a habit with 
 Anglican writers to talk very largely about the demolitions of 
 the seventeenth century ; but when these accounts are tested 
 by historical documents, we shall find the second Cromwell 
 bleaches by the side of his more ancient namesake ; — he cer- 
 tainly demolished many curious castellated mansions; and some 
 ecclesiastical buildings suffered no little damage by shot and 
 outrage ; but it would be difficult to prove that he consigned 
 one noble church to wilful destruction ; while during the reign 
 of Henry, many of the very finest churches in Christendom 
 were barbarously destroyed for the mere material, and scarcely 
 a stone of them left standing : and how can the tossing over of 
 a few communion tables, of mean material and vile design, be 
 compared to the entire plunder and demolition of the ancient 
 altars, consecrated by our most holy prelates, and on many of 
 which the eucharistic sacrifice had been offered up, almost from 
 the planting of the faith itself in the land ? — altars sparkling 
 with jewels, rich with gold, marbles, and enamels, exquisite in 
 design, and whose precious frontals were but types of the more 
 precious relics of God's holy saints that lay enshrined beneath 
 them ; and those gems and rich offerings were plundered, and 
 those sacred relics scattered, and those consecrated stones, on 
 which the holy bishops of old had poured out the sacred oil, 
 split, and laid as paving for the infidels to trample on. And this, 
 not by Puritans of the seventeenth, but of the sixteenth century, 
 by that arch apostate, the father of Puritans and modern Angli- 
 cans, Cranmer and his Zuinglian associates, whom he introduced 
 and fostered to blaspheme and profane the saintly ecclesiastics 
 and churches of our land. Roundhead troopers had found 
 nought to steal but a few mean copes and surplices ; royal com- 
 missioners had long before cleared out the oaken almeries that 
 lined the vaulted sacristies of old, — th ey were plundered of their 
 costly contents by kingly robbers of an older date. J ewelled 
 mitres, copes and vestments of golden tissue, orphreys of pearls, 
 and curious silken imagery 5 were considered as Popish supersti- 
 tions by Anglican fathers, and very meet for regal use. When 
 were the shrines of Bede the venerable, the saintly Hugh of 
 Lincoln, St. Cuthbert of Durham, St. Guthlae of Croyland, 
 St. Chad of Lichfield, St. Swithun of Winchester, St. Thomas 
 of Canterbury, and St. Alban, England's protomartyr, with 
 hosts of others, seized and destroyed ? — not by Puritans, but by 
 English schismatics, who, having basely sold their birthright 
 to a tyrant, denied their faith, renounced their spiritual alle- 
 
 i 2 
 
118 
 
 giance to Christ's vicar, and became by the punishment of God 
 the witnesses and instruments of their own shame. When 
 did Canterbury's vaulted crypt, where hoJy prelates lie en- 
 tombed, first echo with Huguenot preachers?* — when were those 
 solemn piles, that faithful Englishmen had reared to God, de- 
 secrated by Walloon and Dutch ministers, f The Catholic struc- 
 tures were never more defiled in Barebone's days than this, — 
 yet such were the motley crews welcomed by the innovators 
 to assist in poisoning the minds and faith of the people. 
 
 The Puritans of Cromwell's time did but work out the 
 principles of what is termed England's Reformation ; there is 
 not, in fact, one act of horrible sacrilege, contempt of eccle- 
 siastical authority, or desecration of holy things and places, 
 of which the Puritans were guilty, that had not been perpe- 
 trated ten times over, and under far more aggravated circum- 
 stances, by those who first reduced the English Church to her 
 wretched state of schism and temporal bondage. Let our 
 holy and just indignation fall on the truly guilty. Let us go 
 at once to the source of the evil, and assail the root, and con- 
 demn the betrayers rather than the betrayed. We can even feel 
 compassion and sorrow for the poor, ignorant, and misled 
 fanatic of the latter times ; but we will contend, with loud 
 and lasting denunciations against the authors of the lamentable 
 evil, — those apostate bishops who betrayed tlie Church of which 
 they were the unworthy pastors ; who first abolished sacrifice, 
 destroyed the altars of God, violated the sanctuaries^ and in- 
 stilled those principles of ir reverence and infidelity into the minds 
 of the people, which, from that fatal period, have always lain 
 smouldering and unextinguished, and from time to time break 
 forth in open outrages; — of which the Cromwellian rebel- 
 lion is but a fearful example. We will now proceed to bring 
 forward historical documents in support of our positions. 
 
 OF THE DESTRUCTION OF ALTARS. 
 
 The destruction and desecration of altars during the reign 
 of Henry must have been very extensive, owing to the vast 
 
 * A portion of the crypt at Canterbury was assigned for a French Protestant 
 church, shortly after the establishment of Protestantism. See Hasted's " Can- 
 terbury Cathedral." 
 
 f The Austin Friars, in London, was given to the Dutch Protestants as a 
 preaching place ; it was once a most glorious church. Stow, who remembered 
 it in its glory, describes it thus : " A large church, having a most fine spired 
 steeple, small, high, and straight, so that I have not seen the like. But that goodly 
 steeple, and all the eastern end, hath been lately taken down for one man's 
 commodity," &c. 
 
119 
 
 number of the most spacious and splendid churches belonging to 
 religious houses, which were demolished immediately after the 
 suppression of the monastic establishments ; and among these 
 were probably some of the richest in the country : but it does 
 not appear that any altars in parochial, collegiate or cathedral 
 churches, were either destroyed or plundered to any great 
 extent till the succeeding reign of Edward the Sixth, when 
 the Protestantism of the so-called reformers was fully deve- 
 loped ; and Cranmer, who during the life of Henry had out- 
 wardly conformed to the old rites, ceased to dissemble his real 
 opinions, and, urged by the instigations of the Calvinist and 
 Zuinglian faction, soon stripped the English Church of her 
 ancient solemnity, and rendered her, both in externals and 
 ritual, as bare and meager as the Genevan heretics of the 
 day could possibly desire. 
 
 In the account of the coronation of King Edward the 
 Sixth, given in Stripe's Memorials of Cranmer, p. 142, the 
 high altar of Westminster is described as richly garnished 
 with divers and costly jewels and ornaments, of much esti- 
 mation and value; and also the tombs on each side of the high 
 altar, richly hanged with fine gold arras. Cranmer himself 
 also appeared on this occasion in the ancient archepiscopal 
 vestments; for we read in the same account, that at nine of 
 the clock all Westminster choir was in their copes, and three 
 goodly crosses before them: and after them other three goodly 
 rich crosses, and the king's chapel, with his children following, 
 all in scarlet, with surplices and copes on their backs ; and 
 after them ten bishops in scarlet, with their rochets and rich 
 copes on their backs, and their mitres on their heads, did set 
 forth at the west door of Westminster, towards the king's 
 palace, there to receive his grace ; and my Lord of Canterbury, 
 with his cross before him, alone, and his mitre on his head, 
 Such were the solemnities retained in the English Church in 
 1546, after the reign of such a destructive tyrant as Henry ; 
 but the Genevan emissaries had not yet arrived to extinguish 
 the fading light of England's ancient glory ; for, after their 
 ever-to-be-detested presence, under the protection of Cran- 
 mer, — (who having betrayed the Church to the merciless ty- 
 ranny of the state, introduced these wretched foreigners to 
 complete the havoc, and annihilate the faith), so rapid were 
 the strides of sacrilege and irreverence, that within four years 
 of the event just described at Westminster, scarcely one altar 
 was left standing or unpillaged throughout the whole land; and 
 soon after, the very ornaments which decorated the altar on 
 
120 
 
 the solemnity of the coronation, were conveyed away from 
 the church by the authorized robbers of the day.* 
 
 1550 was the eventful year in which the destruction of 
 those altars, on which the English clergy had offered up the 
 holy sacrifice for so many centuries, were defaced and over- 
 thrown. Heylin's account of the proceedings is so very im- 
 portant, that it is here given at length, 
 
 " But the great business of this year was the taking down of 
 altars, in many places by the public authority ; which in some 
 few had formerly been pulled down by the irregular forwardness of 
 the common people. The principal motive whereunto was, in the 
 first place, the opinion of some dislikes, which had been taken hy 
 Calvin against the Liturgy ; and the desire of those of the Zuinglian 
 faction to reduce this church unto the nakedness aud simplicity of 
 those transmarine churches, which followed the Helvetian or Cal- 
 vinian forms. For the advancement of which work, it had been 
 preached by Hooper, above-mentioned, before the king about the 
 beginning of this year, — that it would be very well, that it might 
 please the magistrates to turn the altars into tables, according to the 
 first institution of Christ ; and thereby to take away the false per- 
 suasion of the people, which they have of sacrifices to be done upon 
 the altars. Because (saith he) as long as altars remain, both the 
 ignorant people and the ignorant and evil persuaded priest, will 
 dream always of sacrifice. This was enough to put the thoughts of 
 the alteration into the heads of some great men about the Court, 
 who thereby promised themselves no small hopes of profit by the 
 disfurnishing of the altars, of the hangings, pales, plate and other 
 rich utensils, which every parish, more or less, had provided for 
 them. And that this consideration might prevail upon them as 
 much as any other, if perhaps not more, may be collected from an 
 inquiry made about two years after, in which it was to be interro- 
 gated, what jewels of gold and silver, or silver crosses, candlesticks, 
 censors, chalices, copes, and other vestments, were then remaining 
 in any of the cathedral or parochial churches ; or otherwise had 
 been embezzled or taken away ; the leaving of one chalice to 
 
 * Heylin. p. 133. "That in pursuance of the faculties and instructions 
 wherewith the king's commissioners were impowered....on May the 9th, 1553, 
 Sir Roger Cholmley, knight, lord chief justice, and Sir Robert Bowes, knight, 
 master of the rolls, the king's commissioners for gathering ecclesiastical goods, 
 held their session at Westminster, and called before them the dean of that 
 cathedral, and certain others of the same house, and commanded them by virtue 
 of the commission, to bring to them a true inventory of all the plate, cups, vest- 
 ments, and other ecclesiastical goods which belonged to the church ; which 
 goods, the 12th day of the same month, were delivered to the said collectors; 
 who left no more unto the Church than two cups with the covers gilt, and one white 
 silver pot, with a few carpets, cushions, and hearse-cloths ! ! " 
 
121 
 
 every church, with a cloth or covering for the communion table, 
 being thought sufficient. 
 
 " The matter being thus resolved on, a letter comes to bishop 
 Ridley, in the name of the king, signed with his royal signet, but 
 subscr ibed by Somerset, and other of the Lords of the Council, con- 
 cerning the taking down of altars and setting up tables in the stead 
 thereof : which letter, because it relates to somewhat which was 
 done before, in some of the churches, and seems only to pretend to 
 an uniformity in all the rest, I shall here subjoin, that being the 
 chief ground on which so great an alteration must be supposed to 
 have been raised. Now the tenour of the said letter is as followeth : 
 
 " Right Reverend Father in God, right trusty and well beloved, 
 we greet you well : whereas it is come to our knowledge, that, 
 being the altars within the more part of the churches of the realm, 
 upon good and godly considerations, are taken down, there doth yet 
 remain altars, standing in divers other churches ; by occasion whereof 
 much variance and contention ariseth amongst sundry of our sub- 
 jects, which, if good foresight were not had, might perhaps engender 
 great hurt and inconvenience. We let you wit, that minding to 
 have all occasions of contention taken away, which many times 
 groweth by those and such like diversities ; and considering, that 
 amongst other things belonging to our royal office and care, we 
 do account the greatest to be to maintain the common quiet of 
 our realm ; we have thought good, by the advice of our council, to 
 require you, and nevertheless especially to charge and command 
 you, for the avoiding of all matters of further contention and strife 
 about the standing or taking away of the said altars, to give sub- 
 stantial order through all your diocese ; that with all diligence, all 
 the altars in every church or chapel, as well in places exempted 
 as not exempted, within your said diocese, be taken down, and 
 instead of them a table to be set up in some convenient part of the 
 chancel within every such church or chapel, to serve for the minis- 
 tration of the blessed communion. And, to the intent the same 
 may be done without the offence of such of our loving subjects as be 
 not yet so well persuaded in that behalf as we could wish, we send 
 unto you herewith certain considerations, gathered and collected, 
 that make for the purpose. The which and such others as you shall 
 think meet, to be set forth to persuade the weak to embrace our 
 proceedings in this part, we pray you cause to be declared to the 
 people by some discreet preachers in such places as you shall think 
 meet, before the taking down of the said altars, so as both the weak 
 consciences of others may be instructed and satisfied as much as 
 may be ; and this our pleasure the more quietly executed. For the 
 better doing whereof we require you to open the foresaid consi- 
 derations, in that our cathedral church, in your own person if you 
 conveniently may, or otherwise by your chancellor or other grave 
 
122 
 
 preacher, both there and in such other market towns and most 
 notable places of your diocese, as you may think most requisite. 
 
 " Which letter, bearing date on the 24th of November, in the 
 fourth year of the king, was subscribed by the Duke of Somerset, 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Admiral Clinton, the 
 Earls of Warwick, Bedford, and Wiltshire ; the Bishop of Ely, 
 the Lords Wentworth and North. 
 
 " Now the effect of the said reasons mentioned in the last part of 
 this letter, were, first, to move the people from the superstitious 
 opinions of the people of the Popish mass unto the right use of the 
 Lord's Supper ; the use of an altar being to sacrifice upon, and 
 the use of a table to eat upon ; and therefore a table to be far more 
 fit for our feeding on him, who was once only crucified and offered for 
 us. Secondly, that in the Booh of the Common Prayer, the name 
 of altar, the Lord's board, and table, are used indifferently, without 
 prescribing anything in the form thereof. For as it is called a table, 
 and the Lord's board, in reference to the Lord's Supper, which is 
 there administered, so it is called an altar also, in reference to the 
 sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, which is there offered unto 
 God. And so the changing the altars into tables not to be any way 
 repugnant to the rules of the Liturgy. The third reason seems to 
 be no other than an illustration of the first, for taking away the 
 superstitious opinion out of the minds of the people touching the 
 sacrifice of the mass, which was not to be celebrated but upon an 
 altar. The fourth, that the altars were erected for the sacrifices of 
 the law, which being now ceased, the form of the altar was to cease 
 together with them. The fifth, that as Christ did institute the 
 sacrament of his body and blood at a table, and not at an altar (as it 
 appeareth by the three Evangelists), so it is not to be found that 
 any of the apostles did ever use an altar in the ministration. And 
 finally, that it is declared in the preface to the Booh of Common 
 Prayer, that if any doubt arise in the use and practising of the said 
 book, that then, to appease all such diversity, the matter shall be 
 referred unto the bishop of the diocese, who by his discretion shall 
 take order for the quieting of it. 
 
 " The letter, with these reasons, being brought to Ridley, there was 
 no time for him to dispute the commands of the one, or to examine 
 the validity and strength of the other. And thereupon proceeding 
 shortly after to his first visitation, he gave out one injunction, 
 amongst others, to this effect, that those churches in his diocese, 
 where the altars do remain, shall conform themselves unto those 
 other churches which had taken them down ; and that instead of the 
 multitude of their altars they should set up one decent table in 
 every Church. But this being done, a question afterwards did 
 arise about the form of the Lord's board, some using it in the form 
 of a table, and others in the form of an altar : which being referred 
 
123 
 
 unto the determination of the bishop, he declared himself in favour 
 of that posture or position of it, which he conceived most likely 
 to procure an uniformity in all his diocese, and to be more agree- 
 able to the king's godly proceedings, in abolishing divers vain and 
 superstitious opinions about the mass out of the hearts of the 
 people. Upon which declaration, or determination, he appointed 
 the form of a right table to be used in his diocese ; and caused the 
 wall standing on the back side of the altar, in the Church of St. 
 Paul's, to be broken down for an example to the rest. And being 
 thus a leading case to all the rest of the kingdom, it was followed, 
 either with a swifter or a slower pace, according as the bishops in 
 their several dioceses, or the clergy in their several parishes, stood 
 affected to it. No universal change of altars into tables, in all 
 parts of the realm, till the repealing of the first liturgy, in which 
 the priest is appointed to stand before the middest of the altar in 
 the celebration ; and the establishing of the second, in which it is 
 required that the priest shall stand on the north side of the table, 
 had put an end to the dispute." 
 
 From this account we may gather the following important 
 facts : — 
 
 1st. That Calvin and the Zuinglians were the authors of 
 this detestable sacrilege. 
 
 2d. That excepting Cranmer and a few apostates of the 
 same class, the English clergy had no part in the foul deed. 
 
 3d. That the order proceeded from lay authorities. 
 
 4th. That the object of these lay authorities was plunder 
 of church ornaments. 
 
 5th. That the reason assigned by Cranmer and the Pro- 
 testant clergy for the demolition was in order to abolish the 
 idea of sacrifice. 
 
 6th. That the destruction of the ancient altars must be 
 referred to this period, and not to the Puritanic rebellion un- 
 der Cromwell. 
 
 Refusal to desecrate the altars of God, was considered a 
 sufficient cause for depriving a bishop of his see ; for we are 
 informed by Strype (Cranmer, p. 228), that bishop Hethe, 
 of Worcester, came before the " council, and being asked 
 what he said to the letters sent to him from the king's majesty, he 
 answered, that he could not conform his conscience to take 
 down altars in the churches, and in lieu of them to set up tables 
 as the letter appointed ; alleging further, that Scripture and 
 the fathers were in their favour." Cranmer and Ridley both 
 endeavoured to dissuade the bishop from his opinion, but 
 without effect. 
 
 Four days after, Bishop Day, of Chichester, was summoned on 
 
124 
 
 the same account, and remanded till the 7th, when he answered 
 plainly he could not comply in conscience with the injunctions 
 of the king's letter ; for the " altars seemed to him a thing an- 
 ciently established by the agreement of the holy fathers, and 
 confirmed by the ancient doctors, with the custom also of a num- 
 ber of years, and as he thought according to the Scriptures ; 
 wherefore he could not consent to the abolishing of them, 
 and determined rather to lose all that ever he had than to con- 
 demn his own conscience." Whereupon, Strype adds, for his 
 contempt, he was committed by order of the council ; so we 
 hear no more of him and his fellow the bishop of Worcester, 
 till nine months hence ; so we leave them in the Fleet. At the 
 expiration of that time they were both deposed, and the Puri- 
 tan Hooper was introduced into Worcester, to make havoc of 
 that glorious church, and to deface it, in the same manner as 
 he had previously done at Gloucester ; Scory, of Rochester, 
 was nominated to Chichester.* 
 
 We find in Dugdale's history of St. Paul's, that in the 
 7th year of king Edward the Sixth, the dean and chapter of 
 that church petitioned for an allowance of ^28. 6s. 4d. to- 
 wards their expenses in taking down the steps and place of the 
 high altar, and other alterations. From this item it will be 
 seen that Dowsing's proceedings in the reign of Cromwell 
 were quite in the true Protestant spirit of the reformed Angli- 
 can Church; for he ordered chancel steps to be levelled, 
 which was done by the mother church of London a century 
 previous. Not content with demolishing altars, it was cus- 
 tomary to lay down the consecrated slab as a common paving- 
 stone, in which position many still remain at Lincoln minster, 
 and other places. 
 
 The parish accounts of this period furnish most interesting 
 particulars respecting the sale of altars, which were made 
 into lots. 
 
 " St. Lawrence's Church, Reading, 1551. s. d. 
 
 Received of Mr. Grey for St. J ohn's altar and the cope chest 6 8 
 Received of Mr. Grey, for the Trinitie altar of marble, 
 
 with the trimming . . . . . . . 10 8 
 
 * Thus were the sacrilegious destructions, termed in our days Anglo- Catholic 
 reforms, carried on by an apostate archbishop and some plundering courtiers ; 
 and if any ecclesiastics dared to resist the usurped power and defend the ancient 
 customs of the Church, they were imprisoned and deposed, to make room for 
 Puritanic intruders, fresh from Frankfort or Geneva, and ready for any work of 
 savage fanaticism. 
 
125 
 
 Received of Mr. Buckland for J esus' altar, and St. Thomas 
 
 altar 4 
 
 Received of Mr. Bell for the high altar and two gates in the 
 
 churchyard . . . . . . . .68 
 
 Coated Antiquities of Reading \ 162. 
 
 Wigtoft Church, Lincolnshire, 1550. 
 Thes be y s receytt of y e aforesayd Wyllm & Roger for y e year. s. d. 
 Fryst of Gregory Wolmer, gent., for ye altar in our Lady 
 
 qwere ... .... ..33 
 
 Item of John Wolgat for the altar in Nycholas qwere . 2 
 Item of Gorge Atkynson for the seyd (side) altar . .10 
 Item of Kyrke of Boston for xxiii Stone of Leten* . .84 
 
 The sale and seizure of altar candlesticks was general. 
 In the articles of visitation to be followed and observed ac- 
 cording to the king's majesty's injunctions and proceedings. 
 
 L That all parsons, vicars, and curates, omit in the reading 
 of the injunctions, all such as make mention of the Popish 
 mass, of chantries, of candles upon the altar, or any other such 
 like thing ; also no minister is to set any light upon God^s 
 board at any time,\ — Art. 2. In Art. 9, " no man to main- 
 tain lights, candles, altars &c. 
 
 By these new arrangements, the chancel was rendered use- 
 less ; for the table was ordered not to stand altamvays, but to 
 be brought doion into the body of the Church. Thus the whole 
 mystical arrangements of the ancient buildings were violated 
 and destroyed, and screen, altar-steps, reredos, sedilia, sacra- 
 rium and sanctuary, were deprived at once of their original 
 intention, and rendered useless; for the new form was 
 indeed far more suited to the conventicle than to the glorious 
 fabrics where it was performed, and which were mutilated, 
 ruined, and defaced, to make them accord in any degree with 
 the meager novelties with which they were desecrated. On 
 the revival of the ancient rites under Queen Mary, the pre- 
 ceding ravages were as far as possible repaired. In the arch- 
 deacon's "Visitation for London, 1554," the 5th article is 
 as follows : — 
 
 " Whether there be in the church an high altar of stone, conse- 
 crated and dedicated specially to sing or say mass upon; and it is 
 not meant any grave-stones taken up from the burial or other 
 
 * Leten, laten, the metal of which the candlesticks and other furniture of the 
 altars was made. 
 
 f There is no instance recorded in which the commissioners allowed candle- 
 sticks to remain in any church. 
 
 % Burnet's History of the Reformation. 
 
126 
 
 unseemly place, and put up for an altar, but a meet and convenient 
 stone as hath been accustomed in times past." — Collins' Ecclesiastical 
 Hist. Vol. ii. Col. p. 87. 
 
 In the Churchwardens' accounts of S. Mary's, Reading, 1558. s. 4, 
 Paide for the hallowing of the altars . . . .13 
 Paide for a pynte of oyle . , , . . .04 
 
 Paide for a pound and a half of franckeinsence . .011 
 
 Paide for v yards of cere cloth for the altars . . .28 
 Coated Antiquities of Reading, p. 130. 
 
 In the parish annals of St. Pancras, Soper Lane, is a 
 charge, anno 1555, Oct. 30, to make up the altars by No- 
 vember. 
 
 " Allhallows, Bread Street, 1554. 
 
 " The great stone which had been the cover of the high altar, 
 was taken up from the body of the church, where it had formed 
 part of the pavement and was replaced for its original use." 
 
 These are merely a few random extracts, illustrative of the 
 partial restoration of the English churches under the unfor- 
 tunate Queen Mary. We shall now proceed to notice the 
 destruction that again befel them after the accession of Eliza- 
 beth. This queen appeared in some respects rather favour- 
 ably inclined towards the external splendour of the ancient 
 faith ; and some of the ornaments that had been disused under 
 Edward the Sixth, were retained in the Protestant service 
 enacted under Elizabeth ; but the new clergy, and especially 
 those she introduced into the sees of the old bishops, were 
 Puritans at heart, and rather connived at these things from 
 dread of the queen's displeasure, than adopted them from 
 any veneration for ancient usages ; and, as we shall have oc- 
 casion hereafter to show, they were soon abolished in practice, 
 although they are theoretically held to the present day. The 
 altars which the piety of the preceding reign had re-edified 
 and consecrated, were soon ordered to be demolished, and in 
 the act passed for that purpose, the ordinary of the Church 
 was constituted the overseer of this sacrilegious icorlc. 
 
 The period of Elizabeth is mentioned by some modern 
 writers as the golden days of Anglo-Catholic practices ; but the 
 following extracts will prove facts which are certainly incom- 
 patible with the existence of much Catholic feeling. 
 
 " Aug. 13, 1559, Skory, new Bishop of Hereford, preached at 
 St. Paul's while the visitation of the Church was in hand, two days 
 after the rood there, loith the altar, was pidled down" — Strype's 
 Annals, vol. i. 134. 
 
127 
 
 St. Andrews, Holborn, 2d of Elizabeth. 
 " In the 1st and 2d year of her Majestie's reign, all the altars and 
 superstitious things set up in Queen Marie's days, were now again 
 {to God's glory) pulled down" — Nicholl Lond. Red. vol. ii. 187. 
 
 " 2d of Elizabeth, St. Giles's Church, Reading. s. d. 
 
 For pulling down the awlters and rydding away of the rubbis 2 3 
 
 " St. Lawrence's Church, Reading, 1559. 
 For taking down the awlters and laying e the stones . .50 
 
 Coated Antiquities of Reading. 
 
 " 1559. St. Margaret's, Westminster. 
 Paid for taking down the table* over the high altars and 
 
 taking down the holy water stock . . . .10 
 1563. Received for the altar table which was revived in the 
 
 late Court of Augmentation, defaced. - . . .50 
 
 The altar itself escaped till 1570 : for in that year we find 
 the following item, — 
 
 For altering and defacing of the aulter stone and laying down 
 
 of the same . . . . . . . .14 
 
 Churchwarden's accounts of St. Helen's, Abingdon, a.d.1559, 
 
 For taking down the altere ... ..18 
 Payde for tymber and making the communyon table . .60 
 For mending and paving the place where the alterre stoode . 2 8 
 NichoVs Illustrations of Ancient Times. 
 
 Innumerable documents can be brought forward of the 
 same kind as those now set forth, which prove the destruction 
 of altars on the re-establishment of Protestantism under 
 Elizabeth. Indeed the acts of parliament are themselves 
 sufficient evidence of the fact ; but as many persons are now 
 endeavouring to affix the odium of this sacrilege on the Puri- 
 tans during the great rebellion, we have selected corroborative 
 testimony from parochial accounts, &c. 
 
 Strype, in his Annals, relates the queen was at first inclined 
 to have such altars as had been demolished by the Protestant 
 party in an irregular manner restored ; but Cox, Sandys, 
 Grindall, and others, drew up six reasons for the demolition, 
 and eventually prevailed. These reasons are very similar to 
 those urged in King Edward's days, and fully prove that the 
 Anglican Church had abandoned all idea of the Eucharistic 
 sacrifice. For in the fifth reason : " Furthermore, an altar 
 
 * The word table, as here used, signifies a tryptic, or folding picture of a 
 centre and two leaves ; these were frequently richly carved as well as painted. 
 
128 
 
 hath relation to sacrifice ; so that of necessity, if we allow an 
 altar, we must grant a sacrifice,'''' &c, — seeing the one was 
 ordained for the other. No language can be clearer on this 
 point, and it is evident that even the use of the word altar is 
 scarcely allowable according to true Anglican principles. 
 
 The sixth reason is very important, as it shows that the 
 modern recesses of the preaching houses of the day are in 
 accordance with the spirit of Anglicanism. " Moreover, if 
 the communion be ministered at an altar, the godly prayers 
 spoken by the minister cannot be heard of the people and for 
 this reason the table was brought down for the communion 
 service, where the clergyman might best be heard. All the 
 mystical reasons which instigated the erection of the ancient 
 churches are here at once abolished ; and this is one of the 
 many evident facts, which should convince the good men who 
 are so earnestly labouring for the revival of Catholic Church 
 architecture, that we must have the Catholic service revived, 
 in the first place, before any real good can possibly be accom- 
 plished, — unless this be done, difficulties arise at every step. 
 The present communion is, after all, a sort of preaching ser- 
 vice ; it is not a solemn act of sacrifice, where the priest, 
 in silence, within the holy place, is ministering for the people, 
 according to the custom of even primitive antiquity ;* but 
 they are to assist, as at a sermon, by listening to the clergyman. 
 This is pointedly assigned as a reason for demolishing the 
 altars ; because, if admitted at an altar, the prayers spoken by 
 the minister cannot be heard by the people. Now it is very 
 certain that the construction of the ancient deep chancels was 
 entirely owing to the respect paid by our ancestors to the 
 august mysteries celebrated within them. A deep chancel, 
 under the present system is an absurdity ; the very principles 
 on which the Book of Common Prayer was framed are against 
 it. In fact, all idea of reverence ceased with its introduction, 
 and chancels were filled with seats as early as 1578 (see 
 parish accounts) ; and the reason assigned for enclosing the 
 communion table with rails, was no other than irreverent 
 
 * The learned father Le Brun, in his " Liturgies de toutes les Eglises," 4 vols. 
 8vo., Paris, 1726, has gone at great length into the very important subject of 
 the ancient manner of celebrating the sacred mysteries, and fully proves that 
 from the earliest times the communion was recited by the priest in silence. This 
 portion of the work is entitled " L'usage de reciter en silence une partie des 
 prieres de la messe, dans toutes les Eglises et dans toutes les siecles" He cites the 
 fathers, councils, and liturgies, in proof of this most important fact, which is an 
 irresistible argument for the ancient construction of the churches, and also for 
 the celebration of the sacred mysteries in the ancient language. 
 
129 
 
 people sitting upon it during service time* The old churches 
 are utterly unsuited for the present form of worship; and 
 wherever we go, we find that immense sums have been 
 expended on the ancient buildings, to ruin them and destroy- 
 all their beauty and propriety of arrangement ; abolish altars 
 and sacrifice, and what can possibly become of a Christian 
 church ? All the partitions, and dividing off of naves, filling 
 up chancels with pews, cutting away screens, erection of 
 galleries, are but consequences of the established system. 
 These monstrosities followed as naturally in the wake 
 of the Common Prayer Book, as chancels and crosses rose 
 at the teaching of the ancient churchmen ; and this will 
 be perceived ere long by those who are making such 
 strenuous exertions for the revival of ancient architecture. 
 It may be urged, that the chancels were ordered to remain 
 as in times past ; true, but in this same order will be found a 
 clause which deprived them at once of the very spirit of their 
 existence : and we will ask, how long did the chancels remain 
 as in time past ? certainly not after a table was set at the 
 lower end, and they were denuded of all their former glory. 
 The walls and roofs might remain, — in some cases they remain 
 now, — but not as in times past : and indeed it would be 
 extremely difficult, if not impossible, to point out one 
 instance where the chancel has been preserved with even 
 decent respect; it is generally blocked up with pews, with 
 backs to the east end, so as to face the pulpit ; frequently it 
 is one of the common entrances into the church : at Yarmouth 
 the place of the table was occupied by benches on evening 
 lectures ; and along the Norfolk coast the chancels of their 
 truly glorious churches are, with very few exceptions, in ruins. 
 Again, the usual plan of converting the conventual churches 
 into parochial ones, was to wall up the end of the nave, leave 
 a few feet for the table, and either demolish the transepts and 
 choir for materials, or leave them to decay. In cathedral 
 churches the mob sit with their backs to the east, right up to 
 the rails ; and certainly, from the preceding note, they did not 
 pay greater respect to sanctuaries in Elizabeth's time, when An- 
 glicanism was green and new, than they do at the present day. 
 
 • * In the MS. visitation, preserved at St. Paul's, the following remark occurs, 
 which shows the utter loss of all reverence for sacred places among the people 
 of London in Elizabeth's reign, 1598 : " In the upper quier where the common 
 [communion] table dothe stande, there is met unreverente people walking with 
 their hatts on their heddes commonly all service tgme, no man reproving them 
 for yt." 
 
130 
 
 But how could it be possible to preserve feelings of venera- 
 tion among the people, when the altars were demolished, and 
 the blessed sacrament itself, the soul of sanctity and venera- 
 tion, expelled from the desecrated sanctuaries, — the relics of 
 the ancient bishops and confessors turned out on a dunghill 
 or consumed with fire, — and the portraiture of our blessed 
 Redeemer and his saints hacked and mutilated. These 
 fearful enormities have wrought such a debasement of 
 feeling among the people of this land, that nothing but the 
 almighty power of God can restore the blessing of reverence 
 among them ; and this cannot possibly be accomplished in 
 any other manner than by the revival of the ancient faith ; 
 and the only misgiving we feel, respecting the labours of the 
 present learned societies for the revival of church architecture, 
 is the fact of their beginning at the wrong end, for unless the 
 old faith and rites be restored, the deep chancels of antiquity 
 would be no better than the other architectural masquerades 
 of the day. An ancient chancel requires a consecrated altar, 
 and a solemn sacrifice offered thereupon ; it requires an 
 assembly of the faithful, who do not come to see and hear, 
 but to assist in humble prayer at the celebration of the sacred 
 mysteries, and these require to be instructed in the faith of the 
 English Church, before her altars were overthrown, and her myste- 
 ries abolished, by Puritans, bishops, and authorised blasphemers 
 of sacred things ; truly there are other matters which require 
 moulding to the good old fashion, besides blocks of stone and 
 baulks of timber ; and this must be evident to those who are la- 
 bouring to preserve the departed glory of the sanctuary, not that 
 we would by any means discourage their praiseworthy attempts, 
 on the contrary, we hail them with thankfulness as the means of 
 bringing men to reflect on glories they have abandoned and 
 lost, and of comparing the wonderful achievements of our 
 Catholic ancestors under the ennobling influence of the an- 
 tient faith, and the dismal results of the Protestant system of 
 their latter times. A Catholic cathedral is no bad atmosphere 
 wherein to imbibe a thorough detestation of Protestantism ; 
 for the contrast between the majesty of the building and the 
 meagerness of the modern rites, appeal at once to the evidence 
 of the senses :* and the study of ancient church architecture 
 
 * On the same principle a French cathedral of the present time is an ex- 
 cellent preventive against the revival of paganism ; for here the abominations 
 of modern design and trumpery stand forth in all their hideous inconsistency, 
 by the side of the old Catholic work, which they dishonour by the intrusion. 
 
131 
 
 is an admirable preparation for the old faith, one thing is cer- 
 tain, either the revival of true Christian churches, or the present 
 service must give way ; for it is quite impossible for any man 
 who abides in the Anglican Church, as she is at present con- 
 stituted, to build a Catholic church and use it afterwards. All 
 that Ave have as yet seen attempted are wretched failures; 
 every now and then we hear that a real Catholic church is going 
 to be erected, and when completed, it has something of the 
 shell of an old building, but no kernel ; it lacketh the one thing 
 needful: and there are certain inseparable arrangements which 
 stamp Protestant on it at first sight : but if it were the very 
 facsimile of Howden in all its glory when the consecration 
 day arrived : and instead of the acolytes, and thurifer, and 
 processional cross, and tapers, and copes, and mitres, and the 
 holy chrism, and the pontifical with solemn antiphon, and 
 the rich ferettum, with its saintly relics ; the churchwardens 
 are dressed in their best coats, and the charity children are 
 drawn out, and a few Genevan gown men appear black as crows, 
 and the bishop drives up with his lady ; — the most resolute 
 champion of Anglican rites, would relinquish his hopeless 
 pretensions in despair. 
 
 But to return to communion tables. By the act of the 
 first year of Elizabeth above-mentioned, which ordered the 
 demolition of altars, the table was commanded to stand in 
 the place where the altar stood, except during the time of com- 
 munion, when it was to be brought down where the minister 
 might be the more readily heard by the people ; and after the 
 communion, done from time to time, the table to be placed 
 where it stood before ; — so that, inconsistently enough, by this 
 arrangement, it was to occupy the proper position of an altar, 
 unless it was icanted for the purposes of communion. But 
 owing to the death of many of the old clergy, and the depri- 
 vation of many of the most learned and pious ; — owing to their 
 refusal to receive the new order that was attempted to be 
 thrust upon them, there was not a sufficient number of learned 
 men to supply the cures, and, to use Heylin's own words, the 
 church was filled with an ignorant and illiterate clergy, 
 hastily procured among mechanics and others of the same class ;* 
 
 * John Rastel, in his answer to Jewel's challenge, thus addresses him, in 
 p. 162 : "Whereas the Church of God, so well ordered with excellent men of 
 living and godliness, is constrained to suffer cobblers, weavers, tinkers, tanners, 
 cordmakers, tapsters, fiddlers, jugglers, and others of tbe like profession, not only 
 to enter into disputes with her, but also to climb up into pulpits, and to keep the 
 place of priests and ministers ; or that any bagpipers, horsecoursers, gaolers, 
 
 K 
 
132 
 
 while many were raised to great preferments, who, strongly 
 attached to Genevan discipline, had returned to England much 
 disaffected to episcopal government, and rites and ceremonies. 
 Accordingly, the altar steps were too Catholic for these new 
 churchmen; and by 1561, we find that Parker was obliged 
 to issue an injunction against taking down altar steps, and 
 bringing the table into the middle of the church : by this new 
 order, the communion table is commanded to stand in the 
 place where the steps then were, or had formerly stood, which 
 seemed to imply that it was not to be moved in time of com- 
 munion. These injunctions could not have produced much 
 effect, for, by the reign of Charles I, those clergy who at- 
 tempted to administer the communion from the table so 
 placed, were loudly denounced as favourers of Popery, — 
 consequently the attempt must have been viewed as a restora- 
 tion of an obsolete practice at that time. 
 
 The revival of this position of the table was undoubtedly 
 owing to the celebrated and unfortunate Archbishop Laud ; 
 for, in the 9th of Charles I, we read in Rushworth's Historical 
 Collections that, in these times, the communion table began 
 to be placed altarwise in parochial churches, after the manner 
 of cathedrals. 
 
 And in vol. ii. p. 207, he gives some exceedingly curious 
 particulars relative to a dispute between the parishioners of 
 St. Gregory's church, near St. Paul's, London, and the dean 
 and chapter of that cathedral, who were the ordinaries there- 
 fore and who had ordered the table to be removed up to the 
 eastern end of the chancel, which gave great offence. A 
 
 aletasters, were admitted of old time into the clergy, without good and long 
 trial of their conversations." The same author says in another place, " In the 
 primitive Church, altars were allowed amongst Christians, upon which they 
 offered the unbloody sacrifice of Christ's body ; yet your company [speaking 
 to Jewel], to declare what followers they are of antiquity, do account it even 
 one of the kinds of idolatry if one keep an altar standing ; and indeed you follow 
 a certain antiquity, not of the Catholics, but of desperate heretics — the Dona- 
 tists, who did break, rase, and remove the altar of God." 
 
 From the other charges urged by this writer against the Anglican Church, 
 and which Peter Hey lin says (in his "History," p. 347), "are too many sad 
 truths faithfully delivered" we may gather that the following practices were by 
 no means uncommon ; — ministers using only their ordinary apparel while 
 officiating in the church ; — the processions in Rogation week retained merely 
 for the purpose of keeping up the memory of the parish bounds, and not to 
 move Almighty God by supplication for mercy ; — the remains of the con- 
 secrated elements, after communion being taken by the clergyman, or parish- 
 clerk, for their own domestic use ; — that many of the new bishops refused to wear 
 a white rochet, or to be distinguished from the laity by honest priests' apparel, 
 and many other matters of a similar description. 
 
133 
 
 similar case occurred about the same time between the parish- 
 ioners and vicar of Grantham. 
 
 The history of the Anglican Church, in this eventful 
 period, must show the utter hopelessness of accomplishing 
 any restoration of ancient rites and reverence, excepting 
 through the legitimate channel of real ecclesiastical authority. 
 Of all Protestant churchmen,* Laud ventured the farthest in 
 his endeavours towards a partial restoration of ancient so- 
 lemnity ; yet never was there a more signal failure, and never 
 did a great man appear in a more pitiable and degrading- 
 position than when he attempted a Protestant defence of 
 these proceedings, on his trial before the Parliament. The par- 
 ticulars of the charges brought against him are so curious, 
 and bear so strongly on passing events, that we have thought 
 it right to take some notice of them. One of the chief 
 articles was the ceremonies he used in the consecration of St. 
 Katharine, creed-church, London : the term consecration is 
 used by all the writers who have described the event, but as 
 St. Katharine was an old church, and had been only desecrated 
 by repairs, a reconciliation would have been a more correct 
 expression; but at all events, the ceremonies used by the 
 archbishop, if it be not using too irreverent a term, were a 
 mere burlesque of the ancient rites, and serve as a farther 
 proof, of the necessity of adhering to authority and tradition 
 in these matters. 
 
 " First, as the bishop approached the west door of the church, 
 some that were prepared for it, cried with a loud voice, ' Open, open, 
 ye everlasting gates, that the King of Glory may come in ;" and 
 presently the doors were opened ; and the bishop, with some 
 doctors, and many principal men, went in, and immediately falling 
 upon his knees, with his eyes lifted up and his arms spread out, he 
 exclaimed, 4 This place is holy ! this ground is holy ! in the name 
 of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I pronounce it holy V then he 
 took up some of the dust, and threw it up into the air several times 
 in his going up to the chancel. When the bishop approached near 
 the rail and communion table, he bowed several times, and retiring, 
 went round the church in procession, &c. After this the bishop pro- 
 nounced curses on those who should profane the holy place, and 
 blessings on those who should contribute to its support. Then 
 followed the sermon. This ended, as the bishop approached the 
 communion table, he made several lowly bowings, and coming up 
 to the side of the table where the bread and wine were covered, he 
 
 * When on the very scaffold, Laud declared he died as good a Protestant as 
 any man in England. 
 
 K 2 
 
134 
 
 bowed seven times, and after the reading of many prayers, he came 
 near the bread, and gently lifted up the corner of the napkin where- 
 in the bread was laid, and when he beheld the bread, he laid it 
 down again, stepped back, bowed three times towards it, then 
 drew near again, and opened the napkin, and bowed as before. 
 Then he laid his hand on the cup, which was full of wine, with a 
 cover upon it, which he let go again, went back, bowed thrice to- 
 wards it, then he came near again, and lifting up the cover of the 
 cup, looked into it, and seeing the wine, retired back and bowed as 
 before. Then he received the sacrament, and gave it to some 
 principal men ; after which, with many prayers, the consecration 
 ended." 
 
 Now throughout the whole of this ceremony, we cannot dis- 
 cover one act, which was performed in accordance with any 
 ancient ritual or pontifical; the whole was an invention of 
 the archbishop's, and filled with inconsistencies : the anti- 
 phon, " Be ye opened, 11 &c, said at doors, should only be used 
 at the consecration of a new church ; for a reconciliation the 
 bishop should commence the more appropriate antiphon, " As- 
 perges me Domine," &c. 
 
 2. The bishop, immediately on entering, declared the place 
 holy, pronouncing the supplicatory prayers to that effect after 
 the benediction. 
 
 3. The matter of dust, was a perfect novelty, blessed water 
 being the matter used by the Church in benedictions ; more- 
 over, all matter used for such a purpose, requires to be first 
 purified by prayer and exorcism, whereas the dust used by 
 the archbishop was common dust from the pavement. 
 
 4. The altar of a church which is to be reconciled, should 
 be utterly denuded of ornaments, while the communion table 
 at St. Katharine's was prepared with the elements, cloths, &c. 
 
 5. The reverences made by the bishop to the mere ele- 
 ments previous to consecration, were utterly irregular, and 
 even superstitious. But the defence made by the bishop when 
 accused of these proceedings, was far poorer than the cere- 
 monies themselves; he could not devise better arguments 
 wherewith to defend the consecration of the church, than 
 appeals to Jewish practices and examples of the Mosaic law, 
 which were very properly objected to by his adversaries as 
 belonging to a dispensation which had passed away : he after- 
 wards referred to the testimony of Eusebius, touching the 
 consecration of the churches under Constantine, which was 
 certainly more to the point. But when men are without the 
 existing authority of the Church to appeal to, into what miser- 
 
135 
 
 able evasions are they not driven ! here was Laud, standing in 
 the place of the lord primate of all England, appearing as 
 successor to a race of prelates who had consecrated a long suc- 
 cession of churches and kings ; and yet cut off from them by 
 his protestations : he does not venture an appeal to the ancient 
 usages of the English Church, but changes from Levitical cere- 
 monies to Constantine, and then to the authority of Bishop 
 Andrewes, an inferior ecclesiastic of course to the arch- 
 bishop: and when pressed on the subject of images and 
 sacred representations, appeals even to the heresiarch Calvin, 
 to the no small exultation and triumph of his opponents, who at 
 length overpowered and silenced the archbishop by quoting the 
 homilies and common practices of the modern Anglican Church 
 against him. This is indeed a most forcible example of the 
 utter impossibility of any, but those who build on the rock of 
 Peter, effecting any permanent good in the revival of ancient 
 solemnity. Had the lot of Laud fallen in Catholic and better 
 times, he would in all probability have proved himself a 
 worthy successor of St. Austin ; but influenced by his Pro- 
 testant position, all that he accomplished in Church reform, 
 was attained more after the manner of a temporal magistrate 
 than with archiepiscopal authority. Accused afterwards of 
 these very revivals, he endeavours to shelter himself under 
 mean and evasive excuses ; and when condemned (most un- 
 justly) to die, he declares himself a good Protestant, and by 
 that miserable admission forfeits all claim to martyrdom, and 
 his decollation sinks at once to a mere state execution. 
 
 The other charges, which are detailed at length in Push- 
 worth's Historical Collections, and other works, were sub- 
 stantially as follows : — 
 
 Setting up of pictures (stained glass) in the windows of his 
 chapels at Lambeth and Croydon, bowing towards the table 
 or altar, and using of copes at the sacrament. Now from 
 the very fact of such charges being gravely preferred in the 
 English Parliament against the archbishop, we may certainly 
 infer, that the good practices complained of, could not be 
 very general* in the established Church at that period, 1643, 
 
 * We have, however, authorities to shew that some copes were retained till 
 the Rebellion, at the cathedral churches of old St. Paul's, Durham, Norwich, 
 Peterborough, the abbey church of Westminster, the archiepiscopal chapels of 
 Lambeth, Croydon, and the royal chapel of St. James's. At the three latter places 
 they appear to have been introduced by the archbishop himself ; and from the 
 evidence of Laud, his predecessors must have allowed both the chapels at Lam- 
 beth and Croydon to fall into disgraceful decay ; for he says, " that they lay so 
 
136 
 
 10 Charles I; and we must moreover remember, that these 
 charges were brought forward not on 'professedly puritan 
 grounds, but as contrary to the religion as by law established ; 
 and during the whole enquiry, the arguments made use of by 
 the adversaries of the archbishop, were taken from the au- 
 thorised rubrics, acts, &c., of the modern Anglican Church : but 
 one of the most important facts to be gathered from these 
 interesting proceedings, is the usual position occupied by the 
 communion table, from the reign of Elizabeth to Charles the 
 First. It was alleged, that the communion tables were gene- 
 rally placed throughout the realm in the midst of the choir or 
 chancel, with the ends east and west, in which posture they 
 generally stood in all churches and chapels, and in Lambeth 
 chapel itself for one ; since the injunctions were published, till 
 this innovating archbishop altered this their ancient position. 
 
 It was therefore declared an innovation, and a Popish one 
 too, tending to remove the Lord?s table as far as possible from 
 the audience of the common people, when the sacrament is cele- 
 brated at it.* 
 
 It does not appear that Laud ventured to set up any stone 
 altar, or such an act would certainly not have been omitted in 
 the charges alleged against him ; his great offence seems to 
 have consisted in placing the communion table altarwise ; and 
 the only authentic account of any attempt at the erection of 
 a stone altar at this period, is to be found in the Grantham 
 Controversy, under the title of the holy table, name and thing. 
 It appears that the vicar had moved the communion table up 
 to the eastern end of the church ; and one Wheatly, an alder- 
 man of the place, commanded his officers to bring it down 
 again to its accustomed place in the church, which was accom- 
 plished after some altercation, and even striking ; upon this 
 the vicar declared that he cared not what they did with their 
 old tressel, for he would make him an altar of stone at his own 
 charge, and fix it in the old altar place ; the parishioners reply 
 that he should set up no dresser of stone in the church ; nor 
 does it appear that he was ever able to accomplish his inten- 
 tion. All existing documents tend to prove, that no altars 
 
 nastily that he was ashamed to behold them." The period of Charles the First gave 
 many indications of a reviving Catholic spirit ; amongst other instances the 
 parish church of St. Giles's, London, was glazed with stained glass, the pa- 
 rishioners combining and giving lights as in olden times. 
 
 * From this and other documents previously produced, it will be seen that 
 deep and reverend chancels are utterly opposed to the principles and rubrics of 
 the present Establishment. 
 
137 
 
 whatever, old or new, were standing in the English churches 
 at the commencement of the great Rebellion ; and the Puritan 
 faction must be entirely exonerated from the charge of altar 
 demolishing, which has been preferred against them by those 
 who are anxious to revive altars under the present system, 
 and who would fain make it appear that dissenters, and not 
 the establishment, were the altar destroying party ; but it 
 will be seen from the evidence here adduced, that their position 
 is quite untenable, and that those who are desirous of restoring 
 altars, must first revive the rites and worship to which they 
 belong. 
 
 On the ascendancy of the Puritan faction, most of those 
 altar steps which had not been previously demolished, were 
 ordered to be levelled, and the communion tables themselves 
 in many instances were broken up and burnt. The princi- 
 ples of the Protestant Reformation were now fully developed, 
 and all legal restraint being removed, the fanatics of the new 
 opinions blazed forth in all their original fury, and scenes of 
 Cranmerian violence were again enacted on those remains 
 which had survived the first attack. These Reformers 
 had, however, but little left whereon to expend their fury, 
 except shattered windows, mutilated tombs, and bare walls ; 
 all the rich and costly decorations having perished in times of 
 former outrage ; and with the exception of some brass inscrip- 
 tions, organ-pipes, and bells, they found little to satisfy their 
 sacrilegious avarice. After the Restoration, the communion 
 tables appear to have been generally set altarwise, as we now 
 see them ; and in order to accommodate this arrangement to 
 the principles of the congregation hearing the communion ser- 
 vice, in all churches built since that period we find the table 
 is placed in a mere recess, a few feet deep, and railed off ; and 
 this is the correct arrangement for the present Anglican ser- 
 vice; — it is certainly the antipodes of a Catholic arrangement 
 of a church ; — but the present service is not a Catholic ser- 
 vice, nor was it composed by Catholics : it is of most Protes- 
 tant origin, very Protestant in its character, and requires 
 Protestant structures for its celebration ; and it is as utterly 
 impossible to square a Catholic building with the present 
 rites, as to mingle oil and water. It is most delightful to see 
 the feeling reviving in the Anglican Church for the sanctity 
 and depth of chancels ; and as a preliminary step to better 
 things, it should receive all possible encouragement ; but 
 those who think merely to build chancels, without reviving 
 the ancient faith, will be miserably deceived in their expecta- 
 
138 
 
 tions : in these days there is certainly no fear of being hung 
 or beheaded for such matters ; but if the present revival of 
 Catholic antiquity is suffered to proceed much farther, it 
 will be seen that either the Common Prayer or the ancient 
 models must be abandoned. 
 
 In tracing down the history of communion tables from the 
 Restoration, we find them treated with little respect in any 
 place, and usually with much indignity ; in some churches 
 they serve for the transaction of parish business, in others as 
 the depository for the caps, cloaks, and wallets of the school 
 children, who were taught in the chancels as a spare portion of 
 the church. In those churches where communion service is 
 celebrated only once a year, we not unfrequently find them 
 moved altogether on one side, and generally rotten and dis- 
 jointed, neglected and perishing; — perhaps a decayed and 
 moth-eaten cover, whitened with the dung of birds, hangs in 
 tattered fragments about it, — perhaps it is utterly bare. 
 
 A communion table serves a multitude of purposes : some- 
 times it forms a scaffold for the mason who is affixing a mar- 
 ble blister against the chancel arch; sometimes for the 
 baptismal bason ; sometimes for the parish register ; occa- 
 sionally as a rostrum for some vestry orator ; and often as a 
 seat for the cleaning functionaries to rest both themselves and 
 implements upon. It would be tedious to lengthen this sad list 
 of desecrations, which are common even at the present time, and 
 universal but a few years since. A better spirit has at length 
 arisen, and in many places the tables have been not only 
 decently but well adorned, and what is far more important, 
 the essential doctrine of the Eucharistic sacrifice is again put 
 forth ; but with what hope of ultimate success, at the present 
 eventful crisis of events, it is impossible for human penetra- 
 tion to foresee. 
 
 SUMMARY OF THE ABOVE ACCOUNT. 
 
 1. All stone altars ordered to be demolished (as favouring 
 the ancient idea of sacrifice) by Cranmer and his Protestant 
 adherents, in 1550. 
 
 2. Stone altars revived under Queen Mary. 
 
 3. Demolished again by act of parliament under Elizabeth, 
 1559. 
 
 4. Communion tables, in lieu of altars, to stand in their 
 place when not used ; but during communion service to be 
 moved clown, for the purpose of enabling the minister to 
 be better heard. 
 
139 
 
 5. Ordered subsequently to remain at all times at the 
 upper end of the chancel. 
 
 6. This order not observed. Communion tables left in the 
 middle of the chancel, with the ends east and west, till par- 
 tially changed in the time of Archbishop Laud. 
 
 7. These changes made by the archbishop condemned as 
 contrary to the spirit and ritual of the Anglican Church. 
 
 8. Tables after the Restoration placed altarwise. 
 
 9. Consequent shallow recesses, in lieu of chancels, intro- 
 duced in all churches erected subsequent to that period. 
 
 10. Great irreverence exercised in general towards com- 
 munion tables. 
 
 1 1. Partial revival of ancient reverence at the present time. 
 
 OF THE DESTRUCTION OF ROODS. 
 
 In every English church, previous to the reign of Edward 
 the Sixth, over the chancel screen stood a rood with the image 
 of our blessed Redeemer crucified ; and on either side, an 
 image of his blessed mother and beloved disciple St. John. 
 Of the propriety of such an edifying image in a Christian 
 church, there can exist but little variety of opinion among 
 men of Catholic mind ; and the character of the reverence 
 due from the faithful to so sacred a representation is ad- 
 mirably conveyed by the following lines, frequently inscribed 
 over similar images on the continent : 
 
 " Effigiem Christi dum transis pronus honora 
 Sed non effigiem sed quern designat adora." 
 
 The antiquity of these roods is undoubtedly very great, and 
 there is ample authority to prove that the image of our cru- 
 cified Lord was sculptured on the rood previous to its intro- 
 duction on the altar cross. Our present purpose is not however 
 to enter on the history of the introduction of these sacred 
 representations, but to describe their demolition. The first 
 notice that we meet with in the annals of the Reformation 
 respecting roods, is the account of the rood at Boxley, which 
 was made to move with wires, and after being exposed to the 
 people, was publicly burnt at Paul's Cross, on Sunday the 
 24th of February, 1538. If this was really meant as an im- 
 posture, the authors and abettors of it deserved burning far 
 more than the image. But it seems very doubtful if it 
 was, after all, anything more than a figure used in the sacred 
 plays, or mysteries as they were termed, and which were 
 
frequently represented even in churches. Of the propriety 
 of these exhibitions it is not our purpose to treat ; they 
 would be highly objectionable at the present time, but they 
 might have been productive of good at the time they were in 
 vogue, and it is difficult for us to judge accurately of the sim- 
 plicity of those days. They can, however, be no longer a 
 subject of difference ; as such representations have, since 
 the Council of Trent, been generally discontinued. But to 
 return to the rood of Boxley. What seems more confirma- 
 tory of the opinion that its machinary was not used for the 
 purpose of deception, is the fact that Henry was seeking 
 everywhere for occasions to justify in appearance the sacri- 
 legious projects he meditated ; it does also seem almost im- 
 possible that such a standing deception could be suffered to 
 exist in the diocese of an English bishop, and it is quite un- 
 accountable, that in the case of such a gross and blasphemous 
 imposture being discovered, the agents would escape un- 
 noticed and unpunished ; we have not, however, the least ac- 
 count of who they were, nor of their being even suspended for 
 the offence ; and, taking all circumstances into consideration, 
 there seems every reasonable probability of this far-famed il- 
 lustration of popish craft being nothing more than a piece of 
 ingenious but injudicious mechanism. 
 
 On the 17th of November, 1547, Heylin says : "the image 
 of Christ, best known by the name of the rood, together with 
 the images of Mary and John, and all other images in the 
 church of St. Paul, London, were taken down, as also in all 
 the other churches in London." 
 
 The parish accounts are exceedingly curious as details of 
 these devastations. The roodloft of All Hallows' Staining 
 was pulled down in 1550, and the roodloft hangings fetched 
 twelve shillings. On the revival of the ancient faith under 
 Queen Mary, the parish churches were required to repair 
 these demolitions as speedily as possible. In the archdea- 
 con's visitation for the diocese of London, printed by Collier 
 in his records for the Church history, p. 87, in the sixth 
 article is enquired, if there be a roodloft crucifix, as in times 
 past has been accustomed. The rood hangings of All Hal- 
 lows' Staining that were sold for twelve shillings, were re- 
 purchased in 1554 by the churchwardens at an advance of 
 two shillings ; the new crucifix or rood cost £6 3s. The 
 parishioners of St. Pancras, Soper-lane, were enjoined in 
 October 1555 to make up the roodloft, with the rood, Mary, 
 and John, of five feet long, by Candlemas. 
 
141 
 
 St. Helen's Church, Abingdon, 1555. s. d. 
 
 Payde for making the roode and peynting the same . 5 4 
 For making the roode lyghtes . . . 10 6 
 
 Payde for peynting the roode, of Mary and John and the 
 
 patron of the church* . . . . .60 
 
 To fasten the tabernacle where the patron of the church 
 
 standeth . . . . . .08 
 
 Among other expenses of St. Mary Hill, London, 1555, 
 on the rood, Mary and John, the patroness, the tabernacle of 
 the patroness, painting the patroness, and refreshing the 
 tabernacle. 
 
 St. Giles, Reading, 1558. 
 Paid for making of a rode, with Mary and John, and for 
 
 the making of the patron of our church . 40 
 
 In 1560, being under Elizabeth, we find, 
 
 For pulling down these same images . . .04 
 
 For white liming the roode. . . . .01 
 
 This was probably for the purpose of obliterating the 
 painting on the loft ; it shows that the whitewash bucket was 
 very soon in vogue after the establishment of Anglicanism. 
 Official injunctions were issued about this time for the total 
 destruction of the roods with the images. 
 
 Strype relates in his Annals, that many crucifixes were 
 brought by the people into Smithfield, and there broke to 
 pieces and burnt ; and he adds, u and this was no more than 
 were ordered hy the queen's visitors and her injunctions, which 
 were executed about Bartholomew tide, when in Paul's church- 
 yard, as well as Smithfield, the roods (as they called the 
 crosses) were burnt to ashes, and together with these in some 
 places copes, also vestments, altar- cloaths, Sfc" Strype, at 
 p. 135, gives an account of a sermon preached Nov. 5, 1559, 
 at St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, at the wedding of a priest to a 
 priesfs widow of Ware ! ! ! when one West, a neiv doctor, 
 took occasion to speak freely and earnestly against roodlofts. 
 
 St. Margaret's, Westminster, 1559. 
 Item, paid to John Rial for his three days' work to take 
 
 down the rood, Mary and John .* . .28 
 
 Item, for cleaving and sawing of the rood, Mary and John 1 
 
 This last item is another fearful illustration of the barba- 
 rous sacrilege of these times, — the image of our Saviour 
 hacked and sawn to pieces ! ! 
 
 * The image of the saint in whose honour the church was dedicated, was 
 usually placed in the roodlofts, and probably about the base of the cross. 
 
142 
 
 Same year, St. Mary Hill, London. 
 For bringing down the images and other things to be burnt 1 
 
 St. Helen's, Abingdon, 1561. This parish, by the accounts, 
 appears to have adhered to the ancient rites for some time ; 
 for there is an entry for candles for the Christmas morning 
 at the mass under the above date, being the fourth of Eliza- 
 beth, and it was only this year the roodloft was destroyed. 
 To the somner for bringing the order for the roodloft . 8 
 To the carpenters and others taking down the roodloft and 
 
 stopping the holes in the wall where the joices stood . 15 8 
 To the peynter for writing the scripture where the rood- 
 loft stood . . . . . .34 
 
 St. Andrew's, Holborn, first of Elisabeth : the rood, Mary 
 and J ohn, were this year burned to ashes, by command of the 
 commissioners. It is useless to pursue this sad catalogue of 
 destruction any farther; sufficient testimony has been produced 
 to show that these truly Anglo- Catholic and edifying ornaments 
 were not only removed and abolished owing to the establishment 
 of Protestantism, but treated with the most barbarous indig- 
 nity. The first rood set up in England, since the revival of Ca- 
 tholicism, was at the chapel of that zealous champion of the 
 ancient faith of his country, Ambrose Lisle Phillipps, Esq. ; and 
 they are now commonly erected in the English Catholic 
 churches, with precisely the same ornaments and furniture as 
 in times past. 
 
 SOME ACCOUNT OF OTHER DESTRUCTIONS THAT BEFEL THE 
 ENGLISH CHURCHES, PRIOR TO THE GREAT REBELLION. 
 
 We do not pretend even to glance at the demolition of the 
 great abbatial and conventual buildings, wherein perished 
 many of the very finest monuments of ancient piety, but we 
 purpose to confine our remarks to such cathedrals and paro- 
 chial churches as were allowed to remain for religious worship. 
 The inventory of plate, jewels, shrines, vestments, &c. which 
 belonged to the church of St. Paul, London, prior to Henry 
 VIII, occupies thirty folio pages of Dugdale's elaborate work 
 on that cathedral. In the seventh year of Edward the 
 Sixth, all the plate and ornaments suffered to remain in the 
 church were as follows: 
 
 " Imp. chalices. 
 
 Item, 2 pair of basyns to bring the communion bread and offer- 
 ings of the poor. 
 
143 
 
 Item, a sylver pot to put the wine in for the communion table, 
 weighing 40 oz. 
 
 Item, the written text of the Gospels and Epistles. 
 
 Item, a large canopie of tissew for the king's majesty when he 
 cometh hither. 
 
 Item, a pall of black velvet to lay on the herse. 
 
 Item, a border of black sarcenet, with a fringe of black silk 
 mixed with gold for the burial of noble persons. 
 
 Item, baudkins of divers sorts and colours, for garnishing the 
 quire for the king's coming, and for the bishop's seat ; as also at 
 other times when the quire shall be apparelled for the honour of 
 the realm. * 
 
 Item, 8 cusheons. 
 
 Item, 30 albes to make surplices for the ministers and choristers. 
 Item, 24 old cusheons, to kneel on. 
 
 Item, 7 cloaths of lynnen plain and diaper for the communion 
 table. 
 
 Item, 5 towells. 
 
 Item, 2 hangings of tapestrie for the quire. 
 Item, a Turkey carpet for the communion table. 
 Item, a pastoral staff for the bishop." 
 
 And even these scanty ornaments were afterwards still farther 
 reduced. 
 
 The inventory of the jew r els and ornaments which anciently 
 belonged to Lincoln minster, is given at length in Dugdale's 
 Monasticon Anghcanum. 
 
 " Some idea of the surpassing beauty and richness of the orna- 
 ments may be formed from the fact of 2621 oz. of pure gold, 4285 
 oz. of silver, besides a great quantity of pearls and precious stones 
 of immense value, being seized by the commissioners empowered by 
 Henry VIII, for that purpose, June 11, 1540. Previous to that 
 time, there were two shrines in the cathedral church : the one of 
 pure gold called St. Hugh's shrine, standing behind the high altar, 
 near unto Dalison's tomb. The place is easily to be known by the 
 irons yet fastened in paving stones there. The other, St. John of 
 Dalderby : his shrine was of pure silver, standing in the south end 
 of the great cross aisle, not far from the door where the gallery court 
 is said to be kept." — Dugdale. 
 
 " In the seventh year of king Edward the Sixth, of all the an- 
 cient plate, there remained but three chalices, one pix, and an 
 ampul." — Ibid. 
 
 " The church of St. Martin's, Ludgate, London, was richly fur- 
 nished with plate, vestments, hangings, &c. Amongst other things, 
 were seven chalices, which weighed 100 oz. ; a silver cross and 
 
 * The honour of festival days is not alluded to. 
 
144 
 
 crucifix, 53 oz. ; a thurible, silver, 31 oz. ; the ship for ditto, 9 oz. ; 
 a chrismatory, 1 3 oz. ; a berile, garnished with silver, containing the 
 precious relics of saints ; a tabernacle of silver, ornamented with 
 the image of St. Martin ; there were nine altar frontals of cloth of 
 gold, embroidered, one with the twelve apostles ; above the altar 
 of our Lady was the coronation of the Blessed Virgin, and in a 
 second compartment the Salutation ; before the rood were sus- 
 pended hangings painted with the Nativity of our Lord, emblems of 
 his passion, &c. with a multitude of other curious and rich orna- 
 ments, all sold or destroyed under Edward VI. In the year 1612, 
 this church had but one chalice." — Nicholson's Londinum Redi- 
 vivum, vol. iv. p. 363. 
 
 Dugdale says: — 
 
 " In the time of Edward VI, and beginning of Elizabeth, such 
 pretenders were some to zeal for a thorough reformation in re- 
 ligion, that, under colour of pulling down those images here which 
 had been superstitiously worshipped by the people {as then was 
 said), the beautiful and costly portraitures of brass, fixed on several 
 marbles in sundry churches of this realm, and so consequently in 
 this escaping not the sacrilegious hands, were torn away, and for a 
 small matter sold to coppersmiths and tinkers. Amongst the many 
 that were at that time destroyed, those whose names I have here 
 expressed, had their monumental stones and memorials here. Henry 
 de Sandwich, Richard de Gravesend, Ralph de Baldok, Richard de 
 Newport, Michael de Northburgh, Richard Clifford, Richard Hill, 
 and Richard Fitzjames, as afterwards John Elmore, Richard Flet- 
 cher, and Richard Vaughan, all bishops of London ; and many 
 others." 
 
 Churchwarden's Accounts, St. Mary's, Reading, 1555. 
 
 " Item, Receyvid of John Saunders for 3 cwt. lacking 9 lb. 
 of metal, that was taken up of the greaves and of old 
 candlesticks, at 16s. the hundred . . . 46 2 
 
 " St. Andrew's, Holborn. 
 
 " 1st, Edward the Sixth. 36s. were received from brass 
 taken from the tombs. 
 
 " The tombs which formerly stood in the Grey Friars' church, 
 Newgate-street (now Christ Church), and many of which were 
 equal to the royal monuments at Westminster, were destroyed in 
 1545, by Sir Martin Bowes, mayor, who sold ten high tombs, and 
 one hundred and forty grave stones, with brasses, for 50/. — Stowe's 
 Survey of London. 
 
 To show the exact conformity of Protestant proceedings 
 at different periods, we subjoin the following extracts from 
 the churchwarden's accounts of Walberswick church, 1644, 
 about one century later. 
 
145 
 
 April 8. Paid for taking up the brasses of gravestones 
 
 before the officer Dowson (William Dowsing) came . 1 
 Eeceived for 40 lbs. weight of brass at S^d. a lb. . 118 
 
 " This system of plundering brasses was forbidden by proclama- 
 tion, in the second year of Elizabeth's reign ; but the prohibition 
 was little regarded." — Weever's Funeral Monuments. 
 
 It was by no means an uncommon practice for sextons to 
 sell brasses in Gough's time ; and it is most surprising that 
 any of these beautiful memorials of the departed faithful have 
 been found in the present time. 
 
 Church ornaments sold in the reign of Edward VI. 
 " St. Mary Hill, London. 
 1547. Received of Jasper, the basket-maker, for 7^ lbs. 
 
 of alabaster* . . . . .0176 
 
 For taking down the tabernacle over the vestry door, 
 
 and other work . . . . .0134 
 
 1549. Silver ornaments, sold at 5s. 8d. and 5s. lid. per 
 
 ounce, to the sum of . . . .18 5 8 
 
 Charge for taking down the high altar . . .12 6 
 
 Allhallow's, Staining. 
 
 1550. Two copes, 3 vestments, the cross banners, were 
 
 sold by the churchwardens, for . . .6134 
 
 Two copes and 7 vestments . . . .400 
 
 Formerly belonging to the high altar of the said church. 
 
 A silver gilt cross with images of the Blessed Virgin and St. 
 John, weighing 81 oz. 
 
 Another cross of wood, plated with silver and gilt, with silver 
 images of our Lord, the B. Virgin, and St. John; the five wounds of 
 our Lord were five rubies; in the base a crystal, with the holy 
 name ; a pax of mother-of-pearl, set in silver, another of silver gilt, 
 with the crucifixion, two thuribles, 63 J oz., 4 chalices from 12 to 
 18 oz. 
 
 In 1551, three of these chalices were sold at 6s. an ounce. 
 1609. The church possessed but one chalice and patin. 
 
 " Allhallow's, London-wall. 
 
 The high altar was adorned with the following rich ornaments : 
 a cross of silver, parcel gilt, weighing 93 oz.; two chalices, 12 oz. 
 each, and a third, 9^oz. ; a chrismatory, 20^ oz. ; a cross to bear the 
 blessed sacrament ; a pax, 6 oz. ; a do. with three images of sylver; 
 a pontifical of St. Thomas of Canterbury, clossed in silver ; a bone 
 of St. Davy, clossed in silver ; a chalice, 8 oz. 
 
 In 1572, this church did not possess a single article of silver; 
 the sacramental vessels were all pewter. 
 
 * This was evidently alabaster carving and imagery. 
 
146 
 
 "St. Mary's, Reading. 
 
 1551. Sold to Sir Thomas Wynsore, knight, two altar cloaths of 
 Tyshewe, and two white vestments for deken and subdeken. 
 
 Item, sold to two men of London the sute of crymsyn velvett, 
 with eleven copes of the same, a cope of blewe velvet ; with a 
 vestyment and one dekyng, the best canopy, four corporis cases 
 (burses) with four olde copes, and an olde vestyment, 14/. 13s. 4c?. 
 
 Item, the church plate sold as followeth; that ys to saye, the 
 whyte and the parcel gylte, for 5s. 4d. the unnce, the gilt 6s. the 
 unnce. 
 
 Item, two belles sold weighing 38 cwt. 4 lb. at 30s. the cwt. 
 Item, ten foder of lead* sold at 61. 16s. Sd. the foder. 
 
 " St. Lawrence, Heading, 1546. 
 1546. Received for certain plate sold, that is to witt a bason 
 weying 23 oz. ; a censer weying 30 oz. ; a pomannder,f 3Joz. ; a 
 shippe weying 9J oz. ; a chrismatorie, weying 22 oz. ; the silver 
 uppon y e boks (probably the holy gospels), weyhing 13 oz. ; an old 
 crosse, weying 3| oz. — at 4s. 9d. the once. 
 
 "Ditto, 1549. 
 Received for the remaining church plate, 48/. 18s. 
 Paid to the carpenters for taking down the images and taber- 
 nacles, xiie?. 
 
 Paid to N. Bell, mayor (of that was made of a chalice), for 
 paving in the streets, 54s. Ad. 
 
 Paid and delivered to N. Bell, by N. Nicholas, upon the two 
 chalices sold by him, towards the pavinge of the strets, 53s. 
 
 * The following letter, from Richard Bellycys to Cromwell, time of Henry 
 the Eighth, is a curious illustration of the lead-stripping period : " Pleasyth 
 your good lordshipp to be advertysed I have taken down all the lead of 
 Jervase, and made itt in pecys of half foders, which lead amounteth to the num- 
 bre of eighteen score and five foders, with thirty-four foders which were there 
 before. A nd the said lead cannot be conveit nor carryed until the next sombre, 
 for the wayes in that contre are so foule and deepe that no carrage can passe in 
 wynter. And as concerning the raising and taking doune the house, if it be your 
 lordship's pleasure I am minded to let itt stand to the spring of the yere, by 
 reason of the days are now so short it would be double charge to do it now. 
 And as concerning the selling of the bells, I cannot sell them above fifteen shillings 
 the hundredth, wherein I would gladly know your lordship's pleasure, whether 
 I should sell them after that price or send them up to London ; and if they be 
 sent up surely the carriage wolbe costly frome that place to the water : and as 
 for Byrdlington I have done nothing there as yet, but sparethe it to March e 
 next, because the days are now so shorte ; and from such tyme as I hegyn I trust 
 shortly to dispatche it in such fashion that when all is finished I trust that your lord- 
 shipp shall think I have bene no evyll howsbound in all such things as your lordshipp 
 had appointed me to doo. And thus the Holy Ghost ever preserve your lordshipp in 
 honour [blasphemous scoundrel] ; at York, the 14th day of November, by your 
 most bounden beadsman, Richard Bellycys." — Hist, of Bridlington, Rev. M. 
 Prickett. 
 
 f A silver vessel like an apple, filled with warm water, for the priest to warm 
 his fingers during excessive cold, to prevent accidents in handling the chalice. 
 
147 
 
 " St. Giles, Reading, 1549. 
 For stones of the crosse sold, 2s. (this was probably the cross in 
 the churchyard.) 
 
 1560, 2nd of Elizabeth. 
 Paid for pulling down of images, Ad. 
 
 " St. Margaret's, Westminster. 
 
 1552. Paid for a recreation for the quest, on the 12th of 
 July, When they came to view the inventory of the 
 church goods . . . . . .68 
 
 Paid to Mr. Curat and Nicholas Poole, for making the book 
 of the church goods to be presented to the king's commis- 
 sioners, and the pains they took about it . 10 
 
 The result of this quest was the sale and destruction of the 
 ornaments. 
 
 The hideous boarding, with the writing, at the back of the 
 communion-table, in place of the ancient reredos, is mentioned 
 as early as 1547. 
 
 Paid for 2 waynscotte boards, for the high altar . .10 
 Paid for wryghtyng of the scriptures upon the same boards* 5 
 
 1547. The churchwardens sold images and altar curtains 
 to the amount of 3£. 6s. 8d. 
 
 1549. There appears to have been a tumultuous assembly 
 to hear Lattymer deliver one of his irreverent discourses ; for 
 we find, "paid to William Curlewe, for mending of diverse 
 pews^ when Dr. Lattymer did preach." The congregation 
 must have been very disorderly, for the seats at that time were 
 not | -deal, but 3-inch oak. 
 
 In Nealds Parish Churches, a most curious inventory is 
 given of the plate, vestments, and ornaments, which belonged 
 to Long Melford church, Suffolk ; the whole of which were 
 removed, sold, plundered, or destroyed, in the reign of Ed- 
 ward VI. Geneva psalm-books are frequently mentioned. 
 
 " Abingdon, 1573. Payde for a quire of paper to make 4 bokes 
 of Geneva Salmes, 4c?." 
 
 Whitewashing was introduced very early, probably for the 
 purpose of. effacing the ancient paintings and ornaments on 
 the walls. 
 
 * " Walberswick church, 1596. Payd unto the paynter for writing of the 
 ten commandments and making of the queens arms, 14s. 4c?. 
 
 f The open seats were called pews, but regular Protestant pews, lined with 
 baize, &c, were erected in this church as early as 1611. " Item, paid to Good- 
 wyfe Wells, for salt to destroy the fleas in the churchwarden s pew, 6d. 
 
 L 
 
148 
 
 " Great Wigston, Leicestershire, 1591. 
 Paid John West, for whitewashing the church . . 1 18 10 
 
 "St. Mary's, Reading, 1551. 
 Paid for the whyte liming of the church . .0148 
 
 The following letter, sent by the commissioners under 
 Queen Elizabeth to the Dean and Chapter of Bristol, will 
 fully account for the horrible mutilation of the altar screens 
 in that church, and many reredoses of exquisite beauty that 
 were defaced at the same time. 
 
 " After our hartie cornmendacyons. Whereas we are credibly 
 informed, that there are divers tabernacles for images, as well in 
 the fronture of the roodloft of the cathedral church of Bristol, as 
 also in the frontures, back, and ends of the wall where the commu- 
 nion table standeth ; forasmuch as the same church should be a light 
 and good example to th-ole city and dioc. we have thought good to 
 direct these our desires unto you, and to require you to cause the 
 sade tabernacles to be defaced and heicn doivn, and afterwards a 
 flayne wall with mortar, plaster, or otherioise, and some scriptures 
 to be written in the places, and namely, that upon the wall where 
 the communion table doth usually stand, the table of the command- 
 ments painted in large characters with convenient speed ; and 
 further, according to the orders lately set forthe by virtue of the 
 queene's majesty's commission for causes ecclesiastical, at the cost and 
 charges of the said church, whereof we require you not to faile, and 
 so we bid you farewell. From London, the 2 1 st of December, 1561 ." 
 
 Here then is an injunction issued by the glorious Queen 
 Bess and her Anglo-Catholic officers, which cannot be dis- 
 tinguished, either in terms or intentions, from the orders 
 issued by William Dowsing or any other Puritan of Crom- 
 well's time. It is certain that we owe the preservation of 
 such glorious monuments as have yet escaped, more to in- 
 advertency, or sheer weariness of destruction, than to any 
 better cause : such injunctions as these, if carried out, would 
 have demolished the screens of Winchester and St. Alban's, 
 equally with those of Bristol ; for niches and tabernacles are 
 things here described: the images had been defaced or removed 
 under Edward the Sixth, but even the screens themselves 
 were far too popish for the new system. At that period all 
 the dignitaries of the Church were confirmed Puritans ;* there 
 was no other class of ecclesiastics to be found who would con- 
 
 * Amongst these we cannot omit to notice Dean Wittingham, who was ap- 
 pointed by Elizabeth to that noble church of Durham ; where holy Cuthbert 
 and venerable Bede once lay gloriously enshrined ; and this wretched Puritan 
 soon completed the havoc and destruction commenced under Henry, and car- 
 ried on by Edward's commisioners. Heylin says that this man had been at 
 
149 
 
 sent to the innovations, and after the deprivation of the old 
 Catholic ecclesiastics, their offices must have been supplied 
 by the Genevan men, or left altogether vacant. Afterwards a 
 better spirit sprang up, of which Laud, Andrewes, Hooker and 
 others are instances ; but they could effect little : and Protest- 
 antism, combined with the universal decay of Catholic art and 
 feelings throughout the world, has so altered the English 
 churches, that the very best are but lamentable wrecks of 
 their former glory.* 
 
 the head of the Francfort schismatics ; and, while dean of Durham, actually ad- 
 vised and aided the infamous John Knox, in setting up Presbyterianism in 
 Scotland. Certain is it that this noble abbey, which but few years previous to his 
 time was inferior to none either in richness or solemnity, became a perfect wreck 
 under his control ; and he scrupled not to deface the tombs of the bishops, and 
 even to apply the sacred ornaments to profane uses. 
 
 " The priors buried in the centry garth had each one a tombstone, either of 
 marble or freestone, which Dean Wittingham caused to be pulled down and taken 
 away ; and broke and defaced all such stones as had any pictures of brass, or other 
 imagery work, or chalices, wrought upon them ; and the rest he took away and 
 employed them to his own use, in making a wash-house at the end of the centry garth 
 for his laundresses ! ! ! 
 
 " Within the abbey church were two marble holy-water stones, bossed with 
 hollow bosses, on the outsides thereof curiously wrought. These were taken 
 away by Dean Wittingham, and removed into his kitchen, and employed to profane 
 uses ; they stood there during his life ; his servants steeped their beef and salt- 
 fish in them. Moreover, Mrs. Wittingham, after her husband's, the dean's, 
 death, took away the lesser holy- water stone, and had it set in the kitchen in 
 her own house. She likewise carried from the centry garth several gravestones 
 of blue marble, and other tombstones that lay upon priors and monks, which she built in 
 her own house, in the Bailey." — Sanderson s Antiquities of Durham Abbey. 
 
 The same destructions were carrying on, at the same time, in other cathe- 
 drals, by Puritan deans and bishops, with the aid of their wives and servants. 
 The immense body of evidence that can be collected on these matters, would 
 prove the Puritans of latter times to be only faint imitators of their originals. 
 Every bishop of the Establishment was de facto an altar demolisher and Icono- 
 clast ; even stained glass was quite contrary to the real spirit of Anglicanism. 
 In a word, under the system as established the cathedrals were useless, the pa- 
 rochial churches inconvenient, and the ancient ornaments incongruous. 
 
 * No doubt England deserved this scourge ; she had become unworthy of the 
 blessings she enjoyed; and this dreadful chastisement may have been given in 
 mercy ; but whatever ulterior good may be eventually brought about by this 
 awful convulsion, surely it is most inconsistent for any man to defend the in- 
 struments of this searching visitation, and to glory in their humiliation and decay. 
 As well might they extol the cruel Jews who nailed our Lord upon the cross, 
 or the traitor Judas who betrayed him, because such things were suffered by 
 God to be. Let sounder views of persons and events arise, and party alterca- 
 tions cease ; thex*e is but little cause to boast. The Catholics lacked faith and 
 zeal, betrayed their trust, renounced their spiritual obedience, and even par- 
 ticipated in Church plunder ; Protestants were sacrilegious, fanatical, and filled 
 with blasphemous heresies ; they were the firebrands of God's wrath, to lay 
 waste the vineyard ; and those who defend either them or the system, or who 
 would palliate their offences, are guilty of defending sin, and participate in 
 their guilt. And, on the other hand, let no Catholic suppose that the cause 
 of this tribulation came from without. Here, in England, in Catholic England, 
 
150 
 
 From these lamentable chronicles some correct idea may be 
 formed of the desecrated state of England's churches after 
 the great schism of the sixteenth century. Truly does it seem 
 that the words of Jeremiah in his Lamentations had come to 
 pass in this unhappy land : " Viae Sion lugent eo quod non 
 sint qui veniant ad solemnitatem, omnes portae ejus destructae, 
 sacerdotes ejus gementes, virgines ejus squalidw, et ipsa oppressa 
 amaritudine." Again, "Quomodo obscuratum est aurum, muta- 
 tus est color optimus, dispersi sunt lapides Sanctuarii in capite 
 omnium platearum;" and yet this dark and dismal period of sac- 
 rilege, of infidelity, and irreverence, is strangely distinguished 
 as Anglo-Catholic, by men who are professedly engaged in 
 building up the walls of Sion. The misapplication of the term 
 Anglo-Catholic at the present time is truly surprising, and by 
 gross inconsistency it is used exclusively to signify times 
 and events essentially Protestant. While the almost Puritan 
 service of the last three centuries, composed under the imme- 
 diate superintendence of foreign heretics, with all its meager- 
 ness, departure from antiquity, and inconsistency, is denomi- 
 nated Anglo-Catholic, the ancient rites of the English Church, 
 which she held in common with the rest of Christendom, are 
 termed Romish, and not unfrequently this expression is 
 actually applied to the very liturgies and ceremonies com- 
 piled by the old English bishops, and which were, in a manner, 
 peculiar to this country. The modern English service is very 
 Genevan, but the ancient English liturgy, although approved 
 and sanctioned by the holy see, was not Roman. Gregory of 
 ever-blessed memory, commanded St. Austin to adopt such 
 rites and customs as he found practised in the churches of 
 those countries through which he passed on his journey to 
 England, as might tend to the increase of edification; and to 
 introduce them in the English Church : and we may reason- 
 
 was a stronghold preparing for that monster heresy, in the hearts of those who 
 should have stood like bulwarks against his approach. The spirit of luxury, 
 the spirit of indifference, the spirit of the world, were extending among all 
 ranks. Sacraments were neglected, apparel was extravagant, mortifications 
 were rare, humility had fled, — pride and paganism were spreading fast. And 
 when novelties and infidelities arose, they found a soil prepared to nurture them, 
 in a land where in better days they would have been withered in a moment : 
 for Protestantism cannot plant itself, much less take root, in a truly Catholic atmos- 
 phere. England's Church had degenerated, and it fell ; and when Protestants can 
 be brought to view the things in which they now glory, as so many vials of God's 
 wrath, and when Catholics discern the true causes of this sad decay, and, 
 burning with zeal and faith, stand forth with ancient devotion and fervour, 
 despising the world and all things but God and His holy Church, and shine as 
 lights before their fellow men, then may we hope indeed for the blessings of 
 unity and peace. 
 
151 
 
 ably conclude, that ours was a very perfect ritual. At 
 the time when Calvin undertook to revise and alter the 
 English Liturgy, was it not filled with commemorations of 
 those saintly prelates and kings, who had shone as lights of 
 faith in this once truly glorious land ? and had not a canonised 
 bishop of England composed so holy and approved an office, 
 that in the missals and rituals it is termed " ad usum insignis et 
 prwclare ecclesiae Sarum?" was not God worshiped with marvel- 
 lous solemnity in the old English Church? and indeed, was there 
 any portion of Christendom to be compared with it, for the 
 multitude and glory of its pious monuments and religious 
 buildings? and while many of them were erecting, Rome 
 was a perfect desert. Yet in face of all these facts, we con- 
 tinually hear of " Romish altars," " Romish roods," " Romish 
 ceremonies," " built by the old Romans," " a Roman priest " 
 (probably a rector with chasuble and chalice, who never 
 was out of England in his life), "Romish bishops," "Romish 
 superstitions," and the like ; and men have been so deluded 
 with these ideas, that they have brought themselves to hate 
 the Church of their country and of their fathers as foreign, 
 and to embrace and cherish really foreign novelties as English. 
 But it is to be remembered, that although these ancient glories 
 were by God's blessing brought to the highest perfection in 
 this land, we did not possess or hold them as Englishmen, but as 
 Catholics ; our country was as indeed a bright gem, but it was 
 only one jewel in the crown of the Catholic Church. And 
 although in the days of Faith we were permitted to excel 
 most other nations in the majesty of our rites, it was by virtue 
 of our communion and holy obedience to Christ's vicar, the 
 Bishop of Rome, successor to the Prince of Apostles. Once 
 severed from his authority, cathedrals, abbeys, cloisters, altars, 
 shrines, bishops, priests, lands, and privileges, availed nothing, 
 — they passed away at a breath. Their glory was as a dream, 
 and their place knew them no more : the source of life was 
 severed, and they were dried up and withered away. And 
 let those who think by mere arch or pinnacle to revive solemni- 
 ties and retrieve the past, read the awful lesson of England's 
 punishment written with iron hand on every glorious pile. 
 When courtier bishops and trembling priests first signed the 
 fatal act of schism, that separated England from the mother 
 church of Rome, their possessions were ample, their pas- 
 tures were green, their buildings were spacious, lofty, and 
 beauteous, the furniture of the altars was all-glorious, the 
 majesty of the temples was unimpaired, and the Church of 
 England seemed like a fabric, so strong, so venerable, and so 
 
152 
 
 mighty, that it could not be shaken. And for a few days' 
 length it looked the same, and the matins were sung, the 
 mass was solemnised, the procession winded through the aisles, 
 and tapers burnt round the shrines, and in the foolishness of 
 their hearts the people said, what need have we of any pope ? 
 but a dark speck soon appeared on the horizon, and a whirl- 
 wind of destruction arose, and the foundations of this vast 
 fabric were undermined, and the choirs ceased to echo with 
 the sound of praise, and soon they were roofless; and the 
 lights of the sanctuary were extinguished, and costly jewels 
 and gold were no longer to be seen ; and the relics of saints 
 were scattered, and the treasures of the Church were pillaged, 
 and her authority became a name, and the altars of God were 
 overthrown, and the image of Christ was defaced, and strange 
 ministers stood in the temple of God and mocked the olden 
 solemnity. And although three hundred years have passed 
 away, and men have somewhat of a taste for the things that 
 their fathers revered, and axes and hammers are laid by, and 
 restorations are in hand, yet when we stand beneath the 
 vaulted roof of Catholic antiquity, and view the motley group 
 that sit in old churchmen's stalls to hear some anthem sung, 
 while the stripped and mutilated sanctuary is abandoned 
 and forlorn, filled up with benches of the meanest sort, we 
 must in sorrow feel that the anger of God is not withdrawn, 
 that His hand is still heavy on us ; and we may in truth 
 exclaim — " Patres nostri peccaverunt et non sunt ; et nos 
 iniquitates eorum portavimus :" nor can we hope to see Eng- 
 land freed from the curse that has fallen on her for her 
 ancient offences, till the cause which provoked it is removed. 
 Let those, then, who would build up the sanctuary of God, 
 first prostrate themselves in humility before the tribunal of 
 Christ upon earth, and then, under holy obedience, and in 
 the true spirit of England's ancient Churchmen, turn to the 
 re-edification of those material temples which heresy has 
 defaced and destroyed ; but the present system is too rotten 
 and decayed to work upon ; and patching up Protestantism 
 with copes and candles, would be no better than whitening 
 a sepulchre : for choirs, chancels, altars, and roods, have 
 no part with modern Liturgies and Calvinised rubrics ; 
 either the things or the system must be abandoned: the 
 glories of pointed architecture, if viewed distinct from their 
 Catholic origin, and as symbols of the true and ancient faith, 
 lose at once their greatest claim on our veneration ; and far 
 better would it be to see the churches left ruined as they are, 
 than revived as a mere disguise for Protestantism. We hail the 
 
153 
 
 present feelings of admiration for Anglo-Catholic antiquity 
 only as a probable means of eventually restoring the faith, 
 and not as an abstract question of art or taste ; but let us 
 hope that God in his mercy has stirred up these sentiments 
 in the breasts of our separated countrymen, for the accom- 
 plishment of some great end ; for if they fail in working them 
 out to a right conclusion, the cause is hopeless indeed ; the 
 English Catholics are too reduced and degenerated to 
 accomplish any revival on the great scale of antiquity; 
 moreover, the fervour of their ancestors does not shine 
 by any means conspicuous among them ; and what has been 
 already accomplished under these unfavourable circumstances 
 is little short of miraculous; and by showing what a few 
 out of a remnant who work on the old foundation can achieve, 
 should serve as an encouragement to others, who have 
 greater means and equal desire, but want the authority. In 
 a word, the will is on one side, the power on the other ; once 
 united, a few years would restore centuries of decay. One 
 thing, however, seems certain, that we must shortly prepare 
 for some wonderful change to be worked, either on the side 
 of God or of Satan ; for those who are really animated with 
 Catholic feeling will never remain satisfied with the mere 
 shadow of antiquity ; and Protestants and infidels clamour 
 loudly against the trifling return to mere decorum that has 
 already been accomplished in certain places. 
 
 The via media is rapidly narrowing on those who tread 
 that dangerous and deceptive road ; it will soon be utterly 
 impracticable. Two paths will then present themselves for 
 choice : this returns to England's Church, with her priests, 
 her altars, her sanctuaries, and her ancient solemnity, com- 
 munion with Christendom, and part with her glorious saints 
 and martyrs of old ; that, on to the conventicle, with its 
 preaching throne and galleries, the divisions of dissent, and 
 portion with heresiarchs and blasphemers. The hour is at 
 hand when ambiguous expressions and subtle evasions will 
 no longer shelter or conceal. Men must stand forth the 
 avowed champions of Catholic truth or Protestant error ; and 
 blessed indeed will they be who, at the hour of trial, fail not, 
 but, counting all loss as gain in the cause of Christ, apply 
 themselves to the holy work of England's conversion, like 
 blessed Austin of old, strengthened and supported by that 
 rock of Peter which cannot be moved, and against whom the 
 world and Satan shall never prevail. 
 
rJG