APPENDIX
LITTLE GIDDING.
Although the community at Little Gidding
cannot be called a ' religious house' in the
sense in which the term is used here, yet as a
distinct feature in the religious life of the
early part of the 17th century it requires a
separate treatment in the history of the
county. (fn. 1) The idea of a life of contemplation, abstinence and devotion as adopted by
Nicholas Ferrar, was an outcome of the wave
of mysticism which spread over Europe in the
17th century. (fn. 2) Mysticism, which taught the
blessedness of communion or direct intercourse with God through meditation and
mortification of the body, had had a strong
attraction for Nicholas Ferrar from his boyhood. He was doubtless further influenced
in the same direction by the school of
Platonists, which a little later flourished at
Cambridge and had probably arisen during
his residence there. In his travels abroad
he seems to have studied the works of Juan
de Valdes or Valdesso, a Spanish reformer,
Leonard Leys or Lessius, a Jesuit of Louvain,
St. Francis de Sales and others who were all
imbued with the spirit of mysticism. His
sympathy with their teaching is shown by his
translation of The Hundred and Ten Considerations of Juan de Valdes, a work whose aim was
the promotion of spiritual piety. He also
assisted in the publication of the Hygiasticon
of Lessius, a plea for sobriety and abstinence,
translated by Ferrar's relative Thomas
Sheppard, (fn. 3) and of Cornaro on Temperance,
translated by George Herbert. Another
influence on the Ferrar family was the teaching of the Arminians, the followers of James
Hermanzoon generally known as Arminius,
professor of divinity at Leyden, who revolted
against the Calvinist doctrines of predestination and desired a return to much of the
symbolism of the middle ages. This school
had a strong following in England, among
whom were some of the clerical friends of the
Ferrars.
Nicholas Ferrar was born on 22 February
1593; he was the fourth of the seven children
of Nicholas Ferrar, a London merchant of
considerable wealth and standing, and of his
wife Mary, daughter of Laurence Woodnoth
of Shavington Hall, Cheshire. In 1606, at
the age of thirteen, young Nicholas went from
school to Cambridge, where he was entered as
a pensioner at Clare Hall. At the incentive
possibly of his tutor Augustine Lindsell,
afterwards successively Bishop of Peterborough
and Hereford, Ferrar began the austerities
which marked the whole of his life. He
studied medicine and, after takinghis bachelor's
degree, obtained a ' Physic Fellowship' at
Clare. The climate of Cambridge never
agreed with him, and after a severe attack of
ague in 1612 his physician urged him to take
a tour on the Continent. In April 1613 he
went abroad in the retinue of the Princess
Elizabeth and the Elector Palatine. Court
life, however, did not suit his studious habits
and, although he had promise of promotion, he
left the household of the Princess to commence those wanderings which occupied some
five years of his life and had such an important
influence in the formation of his character.
To a young man of twenty of a shy disposition,
the prospect of travelling alone through
middle and western Europe with the facilities
then available, must have been in the nature
of an adventure. Pursuit of pleasure had no
attraction for him, and he made the improvement of his mind the sole object of his journey.
He spent a long time at the medical schools at
Leipsic and Padua, and at the latter place he
studied geometry in order to improve his
knowledge of astrology, an important part of
a medical training at that date. He also became a proficient linguist and he keenly
studied the religious and social problems of the
day.
Ferrar on his return home in 1618 had
immediately to devote the whole of his time
to the family business. His father and his
elder brother John were deeply involved in the
Virginia Company, founded in 1606 for
colonising America. The company was then
being attacked by the Spanish ambassador,
who desired to obtain for his master complete
control over the whole American continent.
After the death of his father in 1620 Ferrar,
with Sir Edwin Sandys, undertook the case
against the annulment of the company's
charter which was being heard by the Privy
Council. Although the company was eventually sacrificed to please the Spaniards, all,
even the king, admired Ferrar's dignity,
honesty and eloquence in arguing the points
in its favour. In 1624, the fate of the
Virginia Company being sealed, Ferrar consented to his election as member of parliament for Lymington. Again he joined with
Sir Edwin Sandys in the impeachment of the
Earl of Middlesex, their enemy about the
affairs of the Virginia Company, a matter that
raised vindictive feelings in Ferrar's mind,
which afterwards gave him cause for remorse.
In the midst of his growing fame and
popularity Nicholas Ferrar, the scholar,
courtier and politician, suddenly abandoned
all worldly advancement to take up that life of
religious retirement and devotion for which
his soul had craved from his youth up. He
had had serious thoughts of going to Virginia
as a missionary to the 'infidels' or North
American Indians, for the conversion of
whom his father had left money. His mother,
however, a woman of great piety for whom
he had the tenderest regard, warmly supported his design for a family community,
living ' in as strict a way according to the
gospel of Christ' as good rules could devise. (fn. 4)
A suitable site was soon found. A house at
Hertford belonging to Mrs. Ferrar had not
sufficient privacy, but another belonging to
their relative Thomas Sheppard at Little
Gidding seemed to offer the desired advantages and was purchased in 1624. The
parish of Little Gidding had become depopulated and had been deserted for some time.
The large house had been the seat of the
Drewells and was sold by them in 1596 to
Sir Gervase Clifton of Leighton Bromswold.
He probably allowed it to remain unoccupied
and thus to fall into disrepair.
The move to Gidding was precipitated by
the outbreak of the plague in London.
Nicholas got his family away from the city.
His brother John went to prepare the house
at Little Gidding while he remained to
arrange matters in London, after which he
joined his brother. Within three days of his
arrival at Little Gidding, his mother, aged
seventy-three years, rode over from the
Collets' house at Bourne, some fifteen miles,
so anxious was she to begin her new life.
She was horrified to find the church had been
converted into a hay-barn and hog-sty and
insisted on all the men then working on
the house being employed in cleaning it
out. She energetically superintended the
restoration of both the church and the house
so that the family were able to take up their
residence in the early part of the autumn of
1625. The whole party, however, returned
to London after Easter, 1626, to sell the house
and their belongings there. Whilst in
London, to the surprise of his family and
friends, Ferrar was ordained deacon by
Laud on Trinity Sunday in Henry Seventh's
chapel, Westminster. After his ordination
he read to his family a solemn vow he had
made to devote himself to God's service as
an act of thanksgiving for his preservation in
so many dangers of soul and body and the
deliverance of his family from the brink of
ruin.
On their return to Gidding, the family
began that life of devotion which Nicholas
Ferrar had marked out. The house was
necessarily large, as it had to accommodate
between thirty and forty persons. It was
apparently of two stories. In the middle of
the upper story was the great chamber or
oratory which formed a centre for the whole
household. On one side of this room was
Nicholas Ferrar's chamber and study, with
the men's sleeping quarters and their separate
oratory, and on the other side the women's
quarters and their oratory. On the ground
floor were the great dining room and reception rooms for guests and for persons seeking
help and advice. Here also were the almshouses for poor widows and an infirmary and
dispensary. A large dovecot in the grounds
was converted into a school room. The
house was simply and plainly furnished and
on the walls were painted texts to ' excite
the reader to a thought of piety.' Inscribed
on a brass plate on the outer door was the
text ' Flee from evil and do good and dwell
for evermore.'
Mrs. Ferrar took an especial interest in the
restoration of the church, which, with the
repairs to the house, took over two years.
The church was beautified according to the
sober standard of the time. It was wainscoted and fitted up like a college chapel with
stalls running east and west, (fn. 5) those on the
north, for the women and those on the south
for the men. At the entrance to the chancel
stood the pulpit on the north side and reading
desk on the south, both of the same height
to symbolise the equality of prayer and
preaching, an arrangement adopted by George
Herbert at Leighton Bromswold. Between
them was a brass lectern. (fn. 6) On the east wall
were the Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the
Ten Commandments on brass tablets. An
organ was later placed in a gallery at the west
end. The cedar wood communion table
stood lengthwise and was furnished with
silver chalice and paten, candlesticks, and a
green silk cloth for ordinary use and a cloth
of blue silk embroidered with gold for festivals.
The church was lit by wax tapers and was
' fairly and sweetly adorned' with herbs
and flowers, some natural and others artificial. (fn. 7)
The community consisted of Nicholas
Ferrar and his mother, who were the ruling
spirits; John Ferrar and his wife and two
children; his sister, Mrs. Collet, and her
husband and sixteen children besides grandchildren, of very varying ages, from manhood
and womanhood to the new born babe; three
schoolmasters, almswomen and servants.
Such a community, disturbed by courtships
and marriages, births and deaths, could not
be held to an unyielding rule. It is clear
that its members were free to choose the
married or single life, and six of the eight
daughters of Mrs. Collet married and left
Little Gidding. In the light, however, of
the profession of virginity and other documents found among the Ferrar papers there
is no room for doubt that Mary and Anna
Collet held themselves pledged to the virgin
state. (fn. 8) What was aimed at was the devout
life of a Christian family for all, and a life of
abstinence and devotion, and later of ceaseless prayer and praise for a few. Some part
of the rule of life practised at Gidding, such as
the dispensing with vows, the discussions and
love of music seem to have been influenced by
the teaching of St. Philip Neri and the
Oratorians.
It was the custom for the whole household
to rise at 4 a.m. in summer and 5 a.m. in
winter (fn. 9) and to assemble in the great chamber
where the younger members repeated hymns
and portions of scripture which they had been
set to learn. At 6.30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 4 p.m.
the household attended daily at church for
Matins, Litany and Evensong respectively,
which were read by Nicholas Ferrar. For
each of these services the family assembled in
the great chamber and went in procession,
first the three schoolmasters with their pupils
in black gowns and Monmouth caps, then
John Ferrar and John Collet, Nicholas Ferrar
and his mother, Mrs. John Ferrar and Mrs.
Collet, followed by their daughters dressed
in black with veils on their heads, and the rest
of the household. At the other hours, (fn. 10) an
office was said in the great chamber to which
the household was summoned by ringing a
bell. The office lasted about a quarter of an
hour and consisted of psalms with a portion
of the Harmony of the Gospels, compiled by
Nicholas Ferrar, and a hymn, all repeated
from memory. Mrs. Ferrar apparently attended all the services, but the other members
of the household were responsible for particular offices and went to the others as their
duties permitted them. Later, at the suggestion of George Herbert, a constant night
watch was kept from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Ferrar himself watched two nights a week
and on the other nights the watching was done
by two men or two women of the community
in their respective oratories. The watchers
spent their time in reciting the psalms and
occasionally by gentle singing with low music
so as not to disturb the household.
On Sundays Nicholas Ferrar read Matins in
church at 9 a.m.; and at 10.30 the vicar of
Steeple Gidding, with his parishioners, came
over to Little Gidding, when Nicholas read
the Ante-Communion service and the vicar
preached. On the first Sunday in the month
and on great festivals the Communion was
administered after Matins. Every Sunday
afternoon the family attended Evensong at
Steeple Gidding at 2 p.m. Ferrar was far in
advance of his time in religious education
among the poor. He established a Sunday
school which became very popular and had a
strong influence for good throughout the
neighbouring parishes. Each child was rewarded with a penny for every psalm learnt
and a good mid-day meal was provided for
the scholars, numbering at one time over a
hundred.
A very frugal board was kept. ' Their
bread was coarse, their drink small and of ill
relish to the taste, that it was sure they
strived for nothing that a dainty appetite
might long for.' (fn. 11) The older members of the
community contented themselves with two
meals a day, a simple dinner at 11.15 a.m. and
supper at 6 p.m. in summer and 5 p.m. in
winter. At dinner a book on history or
travels was read aloud by one of the younger
members. While supper was being prepared
a hymn was sung, and during the meal a
chapter from the Bible was read followed by
a story from the Book of Martyrs. The
schoolmasters and the younger people had in
addition a breakfast after Matins and before
beginning school. ' Their dress was as plain
as their board. It had nothing in it of
fashion but that which was common yet plain,
much of it from linen and woollen spun at
home; such as modest Christians thought to
be the best habit.' (fn. 12)
Ferrar paid particular attention to the
education of the children under his charge.
The three schoolmasters taught respectively
English and Latin, arithmetic and writing,
and music, the last subject being one in
which the whole household took part.
Ferrar himself devoted several hours each day
to instructing in the higher branches of
education, and no doubt taught modern
languages, in which one of his nephews
became, like him, very proficient. Although
the life was perhaps a hard one for children,
they were encouraged in such sports as
running, vaulting and archery, to which
Thursday and Saturday afternoons were
devoted. There were other times at which
they were free to do as they wished. The
four elder Collet girls looked after the housekeeping and were engaged in needlework and
embroidery. They were also taught by
Ferrar, an expert physician, how to dress
wounds and prepare ointments, to dispense
medicine and tend the sick in the neighbourhood. The girls were also formed into a
society called the Little Academy, each member of which took a distinctive name. Mrs.
Ferrar was the founder, grandmother or
mother, her place being taken in 1632 by
Mary Collet; John Ferrar was guardian and
Nicholas the visitor; Susannah Collet, who
married Joshua Mapletoft, being the goodwife. The other members were divided into
' the first combination or four maiden sisters '
comprising Mary Collet the chief; Anna
Collet the patient; Margaret and Elizabeth
Collet being the cheerful and affectionate.
The second combination was composed of
Mrs. Susannah Collet, the moderator, and
two of the three younger Collet sisters called
the obedient and ' sub-miss'; to whom was
added later little Annie Mapletoft, called the
humble. At the meetings of the Academy
stories such as those of Pyrrhus, the humility
and moderation of Charles V. and other
similar subjects were related by one of the
members, upon which ' conversations' or
discussions followed, each member speaking in
turn. The stories which have been preserved are somewhat heavy but are typical of
the time. The discussions, however, show
an independence of thought and an unexpected freedom of ideas. (fn. 13)
The most characteristic works of the community were the Harmonies or Concordances
which were compiled by the members of both
sexes in a room specially allotted to the
purpose. The method was to bring together
the various Bible narratives so as to form one
consecutive story. Thus in the Harmony of
the four Gospels, as described by Mr. J. E.
Acland-Troyte, (fn. 14) by the use of the letters
A, B, C, D and two kinds of type, each Gospel
could be read separately or in one continuous
story. ' By keeping to one type and omitting
the other, all the actions and doctrines of
Our Lord, by whomsoever related, could be
read in one complete narrative; and by
reading only those passages marked by the
same initial letter, independent of the type
used, any Gospel could be taken in its entirety.' Of the eleven books of the Little
Gidding Harmonies which are known to have
survived, seven are of the four Gospels, one
of the Books of Kings and Chronicles, two
of the five Books of Moses and one of the
Acts of the Apostles. The work was probably
begun after the family had settled down at
Little Gidding in 1626. Ferrar had had the
idea of compiling these books in his mind for
a long time, and during his travels had
collected a large number of engravings to be
used in the work. The teaching of caligraphy
was especially practised for this purpose and
an expert binder, daughter of a Cambridge
bookbinder, (fn. 15) was resident at Gidding for a
year to instruct the inmates in bookbinding,
gilding and laying in the text and illustrations.
The first book was completed in 1630 and
was much admired by Charles I, who commanded that the volume on the Books of
Kings and Chronicles should be compiled for
him. He also had other volumes, whilst the
Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and others
accepted further copies.
Thus passed the quiet, busy days at Little
Gidding. Although the Ferrars neither gave
nor received any formal hospitality, there was
a certain amount of intercourse with the
neighbouring squires. Some of the gentry
sent their sons to be educated by Nicholas
Ferrar, others consulted him on various
matters, such as the restoration of the neighbouring church of Leighton Bromswold in
the patronage of George Herbert. Sir
Robert Cotton of Conington was also apparently on friendly terms, as he appears to
have received a copy of the Harmonies of
the Gospels. The neighbouring parsons and
hard-worked clergy from afar came to refresh
themselves at this house of retreat, sharing
its devotions and becoming for a time a part
of its happy society. Numerous visitors,
undergraduates and others such as Barnabas
Oley and Peter Gunning, the divines, and
Richard Crashaw the poet (fn. 16) came over from
Cambridge, while strangers attracted by
curiosity or otherwise to see the Protestant
Nunnery, as the people called it, paid visits
to Gidding. John Ferrar relates that ' not
hundreds but some thousands, it may be said,
at one time or other came to Gidding, and
many were the best in the land both of men
and women, persons of great quality and other
men of eminent learning.' (fn. 17) To all these
Ferrar gave a courteous welcome. He offered
refreshment to all, but visitors were not
encouraged to join the family at their meals
nor to remain the night. (fn. 18) Perhaps Ferrar's
most intimate friendship was with George
Herbert. They had seldom met, but their
correspondence brought them so closely
together that Herbert seriously considered
the idea of leaving Bemerton and taking a
living in Hunts to be near his friend; and at
his death left Ferrar discretionary powers as
to the publication. of a volume of verses
which appeared as The Temple in 1633.
Although a man of different views from
Nicholas Ferrar, John Williams, Bishop of
Lincoln, in whose diocese Gidding lay, was
a frequent visitor at Little Gidding ' where he
found a congregation of saints not walking
after the flesh but after the spirit.' (fn. 19) Ferrar
and he had begun a friendship long ago over
the negotiations relating to the Virginia
Company, while Williams was Lord Keeper
of the Great Seal. When the Bishop stayed
at Buckden, the country seat of the Bishops
of Lincoln, as he often did, he would ride over
to Gidding and have a game of ' storying'
or capping stories, in which he had to own
he was no match for Ferrar. When Mrs.
Ferrar restored the glebe lands to the church
of Little Gidding, the bishop, in honour of
the occasion, held a confirmation and preached
in the church, the choir of Peterborough
Cathedral being brought over to assist in the
service.
In May 1633, Charles I on his way to
Scotland visited Little Gidding. The family
went out to meet him at a field which has
ever since been known as the King's Close
and then, in procession, took him to their
church. He made many inquiries about their
life and work and departed. In the following
year he asked for the loan of a copy of the
Harmonies of the Gospels, with which he was
so pleased that in returning it he begged
Ferrar to compile a Harmony on the Kings
and Chronicles. He was equally delighted
with this work when Ferrar sent it, saying it
was a fit mirror for a king's daily inspection.
Mrs. Ferrar died in the spring of 1634 at
the age of eighty-three years. Although two
years previously she had been compelled by
infirmities of age to give up much of the
work of the community, yet her influence
remained. She it was who kept in restraint
any tendency to excessive austerity, maintaining that the health of the community must
suffer by it. After her death, however,
Ferrar increased the rigour of his devotions.
He had been accustomed on the nights he did
not watch to go to bed from 9 p.m. to I a.m.,
at which latter hour the watchers awakened
him that he might spend the rest of the night
in prayer and meditation. Afterwards instead of going to bed he merely wrapped
himself in a great black frieze gown and lay
on a bearskin on the floor. (fn. 20) Ferrar declared
that the more austere his life, the better his
health; but there can be no doubt that the
severity of his living told upon his constitution, which was never strong. When he
visited Bishop Williams in the Tower in July
1637, the bishop saw the change that had
taken place and looked upon him as a dying
man. Ferrar continued to lose ground and on
the 2nd December of the same year he peacefully passed away. Just before his death he
ordered that some hampers of books of secular
plays and poems should be burnt on the site
of his grave that the remnants of his worldly
life might be destroyed.
The death of both Nicholas Ferrar and his
mother within so short a time doubtless
made a great difference to the community.
It must have been a difficult task for Mary
Collet to preside over the women's side with
her mother and aunt forming a part of the
household. John Ferrar, Nicholas' elder
brother, who succeeded him, had not the
character, enthusiasm and personality of
Nicholas, and was not in holy orders. He
was ably seconded by his son Nicholas, a
youth of great promise, the favourite nephew
of Nicholas the founder. He resembled his
uncle in his facility in acquiring languages,
and had a scheme for translating the New
Testament into fifty languages. He took
the place of his uncle in superintending the
work on the Harmonies and completed among
others the Harmony of the New Testament
in twenty-four languages. This wonderful
volume and another he presented to the
king and prince in 1640. While in London
he was taken ill and died there at the age of
twenty-one years.
In the disturbed times which now followed,
Gidding lay within the puritan influence of
the eastern counties, and many looked upon
the ' Protestant Nunnery' with suspicion.
Bishop Williams, after his release from the
Tower, called at Little Gidding and earnestly
warned the inmates to discard any semblance
of popery. He advised that certain texts
and inscriptions should be removed, particularly an inscription in the great parlour in
the form of a cross, welcoming visitors who
desired to make the community better, but
warning those who tried to disturb it that
they were a burden, and those who were
insincere in their approval that they violated
the bonds of friendship. The inscription
was taken down, but the advice was justified.
A pamphlet was published by Thomas
Underhill, a bookseller, in 1641, with the
object of inciting the puritan party against
the community. It is entitled The Arminian
Nunnery, or, A Brief Description and Relation
of the late erected Monasticall Place called
the Arminian Nunnery at Little Gidding at
Huntington-shire Humbly recommended to the
wise consideration of the Present Parliament.
The Foundation is by a Company of Farrars
at Gidding. On the title page is the picture
of a nun with a book in one hand and a rosary
in the other, standing by a church. The
pamphlet is based on a letter from Edward
Lenton, a lawyer of Gray's Inn, to his friend
Sergeant Hetley, and describes a visit which
Lenton paid to Gidding some seven years
or more before the publication of the pamphlet. Lenton, on being remonstrated with
by John Ferrar, disclaimed all responsibility
for the pamphlet and expressed great annoyance at the use which had been made of his
letter. We have a copy of Lenton's letter
which, indeed, shows that it contained little
but praise for the community and their
liberality to the poor. Lenton begins his
letter with a brief description of the house,
which he approached ' through a fine grove
and sweet walks, letticed and gardened on
both sides.' He was conducted into a fair
spacious parlour where he met Nicholas
Ferrar, ' a batchelor of a plain presence but
of able speech and parts,' who entertained
him very civilly. Later on he was introduced
to Mrs. Ferrar, ' a tall, straight, clear-complexioned, grave matron of eighty years of
age,' and to John Ferrar, ' a short, black
complexioned man, his apparel and hair
so fashioned as to make him shew priestlike.' After he had saluted the mother and
her daughter, Mrs. Collet, ' not like nuns
but as we use to salute other women,' they
all sat round in a circle and Lenton explained
what he had heard of the nuns of Gidding.
He told them he had been informed how two
of them watched and prayed all night; of
their canonical hours; of their crosses on
the outside and the inside of their chapel;
of an altar richly decked with plate, tapestry
and tapers; of their adorations and ' geniculations,' which ' I objected might savour
of superstition and popery.' In reply,
Nicholas Ferrar protested that he believed
the pope to be anti-Christ; he denied that
the place was a nunnery, but confessed that
two of his nieces had lived for over thirty
years as virgins and resolved to continue to
give themselves to fasting and prayer, but
had made no vows; he said the community
usually prayed six times a day, namely, twice
a day publicly in the chapel and four times
a day more privately in the house. Lenton
remarked that if they spent so much time in
prayer, they would have little for preaching
or for their weekly callings, vouching for
this the text, ' He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law, even his prayer shall
be an abomination,' (fn. 21) and for the other
' six days shalt thou labour,' etc. Ferrar
pointed out that they had sermons on
Sundays, but that their calling was to serve
God, which was the better way. Lenton
rejoined that for men in health and of active
bodies and parts to have no particular callings,
or to quit their callings and betake themselves
to fasting and prayer and a contemplative
life, by some was thought to be little better
than a serious kind of idleness. Ferrar contended that they had found divers perplexities, distractions and almost utter ruin
in their callings, and if others knew what
comfort and content God ministered to
them since their sequestration and what
incredible improvements of their livelihood,
it might encourage them to take the like
course. They then discussed the night
watching, the use of crosses and I.H.S., and
a description is given of the services in the
chapel. Lenton concludes that the Ferrar
community was ' extraordinary well reported
of by their neighbours, viz., that they are
very liberal to the poor; at great cost in
preparing physic and surgery for the sick
and sore (whom they visit often), and that
some sixty or eighty poor people 'they task
with catechetical questions' and reward
them with meat and money. He found them
full of humanity and humility, and others
spoke much of their charity which he verily
believed.
The pamphlet gives generally a true account
of the life at Gidding as set out by Lenton, but
it is expressed in such a form and with
such interjections and arguments that the
truth, as John Ferrar expressed it, was so
mangled and misrepresented as to answer
the vilest ends of falsehood. It finally
appeals to the archbishops and bishops not
to permit this innovation and conniving
' at such canting betwixt the bark and the
tree in the matter of religion.' ' For,' it
adds, ' Arminianism is a bridge to popery
over which some have passed and had not
God undermined the chief arches of that
bridge causing them to fall into the river
of confusion, the greater part of the land
would have followed.'
The malicious object of the author of the
pamphlet was not at the time realised. The
community continued as before. It was
again visited by the king in March 1642
when he was on his way to Newmarket and
York with the Elector Palatine, Prince
Charles and a train of noblemen. The family,
hearing of his approach, as previously, went
to meet him at the parish boundary, kneeling
down and praying God to bless him and
protect him from the fury of his enemies.
Then each one kissed first the hand of the
king and then that of the prince. On the
way to the house they visited the church,
and the king remembering the pamphlet,
asked to be shown the images and crosses.
When it was pointed out there were none,
he said he knew it was a malicious invention.
The king then went to see the volume of
Harmonies in preparation for the prince
and was greatly pleased with it, spending
much time in examining it while the prince
and his companions roamed over the house
and regaled themselves with apple pies and
cheese cakes. The repose of Little Gidding
seemed to have a fascination for the harassed
monarch, who had to be roused from a reverie
by the Palsgrave. On leaving he remarked
that Little Gidding was a happy place and
that he was glad he had seen it. When the
little community prayed God to bless and
defend him, he exclaimed, ' Pray, pray for
my speedy and safe return.'
During the troublous times that followed,
the work at Gidding was carried on with a
dimini shed hou sehold. The school was given
up and straitened circumstances necessitated
the abandonment of other activities. The
compilation of the Harmonies was, however,
continued, John Ferrar being anxious probably
to carry out the idea of his son to compile
a Polyglott Concordance.
Just four years after his visit to Gidding,
in 1642, Charles I was a homeless wanderer
and in the darkness of the night of 1 May 1646,
attended only by his chaplain, Dr. Hudson,
and Mr. Ashburnham, went to Little Gidding
for shelter and concealment. He disclosed
his identity to John Ferrar, who received him
with all respect. Feeling, however, that
the known loyalty of the family made their
house a dangerous hiding place, Ferrar took
the king to a house at Coppingford, where
he remained until 3 May. From Coppingford the king went to Stamford and on the
following day joined the Scottish army.
Possibly the fact of the king's visit leaked
out, for in November of the same year the
Ferrars' house was plundered by a party of
Roundhead soldiers. Hearing of their
approach the family fled. The soldiers
entered the church and house. They broke
up the organ, always an object of their
dislike, and ransacked the house, carrying
away anything of value and destroying many
of Nicholas Ferrar's manuscripts, books and
prints. The few remaining members of the
family returned in July 1647. We know little
of their life at this time. Probably they were
unable to carry out the devotions to which
they were accustomed, owing to the opposition of the puritans. John Ferrar completed the Polyglott Bible, the memorial of his
son, and died shortly afterwards in September
1657. A month later Mrs. Collet died, and
within a few days her daughter Susannah
Chedley also died. Thus at the beginning
of 1658 the family consisted only of John
Ferrar, the younger, his wife and children,
Virginia (fn. 22) his sister, Mary (fn. 23) and Anna
Collet, their brother, Ferrar Collet, and the
young Mapletofts, the children by her first
husband of Susannah Chedley. With an
impoverished income the house at Little
Gidding could not be kept up, so that
shortly after the Restoration John Ferrar
and his family moved to Old Park, another
house on the Ferrar estate.
Had not the Civil War intervened to
disperse the community, from the nature of
its constitution it could not have survived
for long the deaths of its elder members.
It was bound together by no vows nor
recognised rule, the only bonds being the
unity of purpose and the personality of the
leaders of the movement. It left an example
which has appealed to the imagination of
many and has been imitated by a few. (fn. 24)