CHAPTER XLIX.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY.—ITS EARLY HISTORY.
"And they shall then behold the scene around
In wasted age, in antique beauty, faded;
Our great Cathedral fane in silence bound."
Whitehead's "Legends of London."
Etymology of Westminster—A Startling Proposition—The Legend of St. Peter's Dedication of the First Abbey—The Building burnt by the
Danes and restored by King Edgar—Rebuilt by Edward the Confessor—Death of Edward the Confessor—Additions and Alterations to
the Abbey by Henry III.—Translation of the Body of Edward the Confessor—The Abbey damaged by Fire in 1297—Violation of the Right
of Sanctuary—Completion of the Building—Funeral of Henry VII.—Surrender of the Abbey to Henry VIII.—The Benedictine Rule
restored by Queen Mary—The Abbey in the Days of its Glory under the Plantagenets.
It has been appositely remarked that whereas the
City is the heart, Westminster is the head of our
great metropolis; while the suburbs in general
constitute its limbs and extremities. And this is
true in so far as that, while the City is the centre
of all commercial transactions, Westminster is the
residence of the Court and the seat of the Legislature which directs and controls the affairs of the
nation.
In the first chapter of this volume we have
endeavoured to set before the reader a general
outline of the history and boundaries of the City
of Westminster, together with some particulars of
the foundation of its Abbey. It is stated by historians—and the statement is generally accepted as
true—that Melutus, who was ordained Bishop of the
East Saxons by St. Augustine, erected two cathedral
churches; the one in London, dedicated to St. Paul;
and the other in the island of Thorney, which he
dedicated to St. Peter. This latter, which, in fact,
was an abbey or minster, was situated to the westward of the City of London, and, according to one
old annalist, was for that reason called "Westminster," to distinguish it from the Abbey of Grace
on Tower Hill, called "Eastminster;" Maitland,
however, proves this to be a mistake, by showing
that this city was called Westminster in an undated
"charter of sanctuary" granted by Edward the
Confessor, who died in 1066, whilst the Abbey of
Grace was not founded till the fourteenth century;
he therefore supposes that the appellation of Westminster was given to distinguish it from St. Paul's
Church, in the City of London.
Apropos of the origin or foundation of this
locality, we may here state that we have heard of a
startling proposition—namely, that the site of the
ancient British city, Lun Dîn, or "the city of mud
or clay," was Westminster, and that London as now
known was that of the first Roman castrum. We
can only exclaim, with the poet—
"This is the age of new inventions."
Froude says that the cathedral is, or rather was
in the Middle Ages, the city, and that other institutions grouped themselves around it, and gradually
grew up under its shadow. This is certainly true
of Westminster. In course of time, round the
monastery were erected a few houses, which at
length grew into a small town; called in ancient
writings "the town of Westminster." Another
cause of its growth was the royal palace which for
centuries nestled under the shadow of the noble
Abbey; and, consequently, most of the chief
nobility, as we have seen in our "progress"
through the Strand and Whitehall, erected in its
vicinity inns, or town houses, the sites of many of
which still retain the names of their former owners.
It may be added here that it was probably on
account of the contiguity of the royal palace of
Westminster to the monastery that the king was
allowed the privilege of a separate entrance to
the church.
In course of time Westminster became a place
of some consideration; but it received its most
distinguished honours from Henry VIII., who,
on the dissolution of the Monastery of St. Peter,
converted it into a bishopric, with a dean and
twelve prebendaries, and appointed the whole
county of Middlesex, except Fulham, which was to
remain with the bishopric of London, to be its
diocese. On this occasion Westminster became a
city; for the making of which, according to Lord
Chief Justice Coke, nothing more is required than
for it to be the seat of episcopal power. It did
not, however, as we have shown, long continue to
enjoy this distinction, for it never had but one
bishop, Thomas Thirleby, upon whose translation
to Norwich, in 1550, Edward VI. dissolved the new
bishopric, and its right to the epithet of city was
thereby lost. However, Westminster has ever since
continued to be considered as a city, and is so
styled in our statutes.
It is observed with justice by Mr. Wood, in his
"Ecclesiastical Antiquities of London," that Sebert,
who founded the Cathedral of St. Paul, within the
walls of the City of London, was no less the founder
of the Benedictine church and monastery—our
Rheims and St. Denis in one—outside the same.
He apparently rejects the story of St. Peter being
the actual founder of the first consecrated fabric
that arose upon the island of Thorney; but he
gives the following legend:—
"The night before the dedication, it is related
that St. Peter, in an unknown garb, showed himself
to a fisher on the Surrey side, and bade him carry
him over, with promise of reward. The fisher
complied, and saw his fare enter the new-built
Church of Sebert, that suddenly seemed on fire,
with a glow that enkindled the firmament. Meantime the heavenly host scattered sound and
fragrance, the fisher of souls wrote upon the pavement the alphabet in Greek and Hebrew, in twelve
places anointed the walls with the holy oil, lighted
the tapers, sprinkled the water, and did all else
needful for the dedication of a church.
"These circumstances, and the signs following,
were pondered on by St. Edward, last but one of
our Saxon kings, who earnestly desired to repair
that ruined monastery, and restore it to honour and
splendour. The Pope approved the plan, and one
of the most magnificent fabrics in Christendom
was the result."
The building of the Abbey is, indeed, involved
in mists too dense for the sun of antiquarian
research to penetrate. The period of its erection,
previous to Edward the Confessor's days, will not
probably ever be discovered. "In this venerable
building," writes Mr. Allen, in his "History of
London and Westminster," "lived Sulgardus, a
monk who devoted his leisure hours to writing a
history of it. He has, indeed, according to custom,
used but little ceremony with St. Peter, or the
choir of heaven, for he pressed both into his
service in order to make the consecration of this
church hallowed and sublime."
Widmore, who, in writing his history, had access
to every species of record belonging to the Abbey,
fixed the foundation between the years 730 and
740, but is unable to say who is the founder.
Allen, in his version of the legend of St. Peter and
the fisherman who ferried him over the water, adds
that some of the monkish writers improved upon
the vision of Wulsinus by asserting that Peter
rewarded the fisherman "with a miraculous draught
of salmon," assuring him and his fellow-watermen
that they should never want fish, "provided they
would give one-tenth of what they caught to the
newly-consecrated church." For several centuries,
it is asserted, this tale was implicitly believed, and
during that time the monks of Westminster doubtless fared sumptuously on the offerings of the
Thames fishermen. "What was at first solicited
as a benevolence in course of time was claimed as
a right, so that in the year 1231 the monks brought
an action at law against the priest of Rotherhithe,
in which they compelled him to give up to them
one-half of the tithe of all salmon caught in his
parish."
Though nothing can with certainty be concluded
from these fictions, it may nevertheless be presumed that both the ancient church dedicated to
St. Paul in London, and this dedicated to St. Peter
in Westminster, were among the earliest works of the
first converts to Christianity in Britain. With their
religion the Christians introduced a new manner of
building, and "their great aim seems to have been,
by affecting loftiness and ornament, to bring the
plain simplicity of the Pagan architects into contempt." Sebert has been generally accredited
with having conducted the building of the earliest
church on this site, or, at all events, with having
completed that part of it which now forms the
eastern angle. From Sebert's death up to the time
of Edward the Confessor, the Abbey, it appears,
remained a monument of the sacrilegious fury of
the times, and suffered greatly from the ravages
of the Danes. King Edgar, through the influence
of Dunstan, is said to have effected some restoration of the fabric, and to have appropriated it to
the order of St. Benedict, establishing there twelve
monks, with endowments sufficient for their maintenance.
WHITEHALL AND WESTMINSTER. (From Aggas' Map.)
About the middle of the eleventh century
Edward the Confessor resolved thoroughly to restore
the building, or, as some authors state, to recon
struct it entirely, in the Saxon style. For this
purpose large sums of money were given to the
monks by the king; and his nobles, like true
courtiers, copied his example. The plan of this
building was that of a cross, which naturally was
the pattern and type for church-building throughout
the kingdom. On the completion of the church,
Edward determined to have it consecrated in the
most solemn and impressive manner, and with that
intent summoned all the bishops and nobles in the
kingdom to be witnesses of the ceremony, which
took place on Holy Innocents' Day (December 28),
1065. Edward, in order to ingratiate himself with
his clergy, not only confirmed to the monks all
former endowments, but granted them a new charter,
in which he recited the account of St. Peter's consecration, the ravages of the Danes, and the motives
which prompted him to restore the sacred edifice to
its former splendour, and endow it with more ample
powers and privileges. This charter concluded
with solemn imprecations against all who should, in
time to come, dare to deface or to demolish any
part of the building, or to infringe the rights of the
priesthood. Within a few days after the consecration of the new Abbey Church, on the 4th or 5th of
January, 1066, Edward the Confessor breathed his
last, in the Palace hard by, and was buried before
the high altar of the new structure.
THE TOMB OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.
During the time of Abbot Laurentius, about
the year 1159, extensive repairs were made in the
out-buildings of the monastery, which had been
destroyed by fire. In 1220 Henry III. laid the
first stone of a chapel, which was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, and was called "The Lady Chapel."
Its site was that whereon now stands Henry VII.'s
Chapel. Queen Eleanor, wife of Henry III., was
crowned here with much splendour and liberality
on the part of the citizens of London, in spite of
the discredit and unpopularity of her husband, who
not long afterwards granted a large sum towards
rebuilding the Abbey Church. This, according to
Matthew Paris, was in 1245. Speaking of this
sovereign, under that date, the old chronicler says:—"The king in the same year commanded that
the Church of St. Peter, at Westminster, should
be enlarged, and the tower with the eastern part
overthrown, to be built anew and more handsome,
at his own charge, and fitted to the residue or
western part." For this purpose, Henry appropriated a considerable sum to the church, and in
1246 "the sum of £2,591, due from the widow of
one David of Oxford, a Jew, was assigned by him
to that use."
In 1247, if we may trust the statement of a writer
in Neale and Brayley's "History of Westminster
Abbey," "on the day of the translation of Edward
the Confessor, a vessel of blood, which, in the
preceding year, had been sent to the King by the
Knights Templars and Hospitallers in the Holy
Land, and was attested by Robert, the Patriarch
of Jerusalem, to have trickled from our Saviour's
wounds at His crucifixion, was presented with great
ceremony to this church."
On the 13th of October, 1269, the new church,
of which the eastern part, with the choir and transepts, appears to have been at that time completed,
was first opened for divine service; and on the
same day, writes Dart, from "Wyke's Chronicles,"
the body of Edward the Confessor, "that before
laye in the syde of the quere, where the monkes
nowe singe," was removed with great solemnity
"into ye chapell, at the backe of the hygh aulter,
and there layde in a ryche shryne."
It is impossible to ascertain how far the building
had progressed at the time of Henry's death, in
1272. According to Fabian, the choir was not
actually finished till some thirteen years later. A
short time previous to the rebuilding of the church,
Abbot Richard de Crokesley had erected a chapel
near the north door, and dedicated it to St. Edmund.
This was taken down with the rest by Henry III.
Not long afterwards the beautiful mosaic pavement
before the high altar was laid; it was the gift of
Abbot Ware, who died in 1283, and was buried
under it.
In 1297 the Abbey was considerably damaged
by a fire which broke out in the lesser hall in the
king's palace adjoining. In the succeeding century great additions were made to the fabric by
Abbots Langham and Litlington; the latter, says
Widmore, quoting from the records, "built the
present college hall, the kitchen, the Jerusalem
Chamber, the abbot's house (now the Deanery),
the bailiff's, the cellarer's, the infirmarer's, and the
sacrist's houses, the malt-house (afterwards used
as a dormitory for the King's Scholars), and the
adjoining tower, the wall of the infirmary garden,
and also finished the south and west sides of the
cloisters." Abbot Litlington died in the reign of
Richard II. It is hardly necessary to add that
the Edwardian era was the culminating period of
Gothic or pointed architecture.
In 1378 the right of sanctuary possessed by the
Abbey was for the first time violated, and the
church itself made the scene of a most atrocious
murder. It appears that, during one of the campaigns of the Black Prince, two esquires, Frank
de Haule and John Schakell, had taken prisoner
a Spanish (or, according to Pennant, a French)
count. He had, however, a powerful friend at
court, in the person of John of Gaunt. The two
English captors refused to part with so valuable a
prize; and John of Gaunt at once imprisoned them
in the Tower, whence they made their escape, and
took refuge at Westminster. They were pursued
by Sir Allan Boxhull, Constable of the Tower, and
Sir Ralph de Ferrers, with fifty armed men. De
Haule and Schakell, it is supposed, had fled not
merely into the Abbey, but into the choir of the
church, while the mass was being celebrated. The
deacon had just uttered the words of the Gospel of
the day—"If the good man of the house had known
what time the thief would come"—when the clash
of arms was heard, and the pursuers, regardless of
the time or the place, suddenly burst in upon the
service. Schakell succeeded in escaping, but Haule
was intercepted. He fled round the choir twice,
with his enemies hacking at him as he ran; and,
pierced with twelve wounds, he sank dead at the
prior's stall, close by the north side of the entrance
of the choir. His servant and one of the monks
fell with him. He was regarded as a martyr to the
injured right of the Abbey, and obtained the honour
(at that time unusual) of burial within its walls—the
first who was laid, so far as we know, in the south
transept; to be followed a few years later by Geoffrey
Chaucer, who was interred at his feet. A brass
effigy and a long epitaph, till within the last century,
marked the stone where he lay, and another inscription was engraved on the stone where he fell. The
Abbey was shut up for four months. Even the
sitting of the King's Parliament was suspended,
lest its assembly should be polluted by sitting within
the desecrated precincts; and the aggressors were
excommunicated by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
During the reign of Richard II. the rebuilding
of the western part of the church was carried out;
and Abbot Estency, who died in 1498, contributed
largely towards finishing it, and made the great
west window. Abbot Islip made many additions
to the fabric, but the nave remained in an unfinished
state till the beginning of the last century, when
Sir Christopher Wren completed the two western
towers.
The first stone of the magnificent Chapel of
Henry VII., at the eastern end of the Abbey
Church, was laid in 1502, during the government
of Abbot Islip; it was erected on the site of two
chapels, dedicated respectively to the Virgin Mary
and to St. Erasmus, which had been pulled down
to make room for the new fabric; and, like its predecessor, when completed, it was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin. It was designed by Henry VII.
as a burying-place for himself and his successors,
and he expressly enjoined in his will that none but
those of the blood royal should be inhumed therein.
Henry VII. by his will left his funeral to the
discretion of his executors, only charging them to
avoid "dampnable pompe and outrageous superfluities." As he requests that the chapel should be
finished as soon as possible after his decease, if not
then completed, and particularly mentions that the
windows were to be glazed with stories, images,
arms, badges, and cognisances, according to the
designs given by him to the prior of St. Bartholomew's—and that the walls, doors, windows, vaults,
and statues, within and without, should be adorned
with arms and badges—it may be concluded that
much remained to be done in the year 1509, as he
died within a month after the date of the will. He
ordered that his body should be interred before the
high altar, with that of his wife, and that the tomb
should be made of touchstone, with niches, and
statues of his guardian saints in copper gilt, the
inscription to be confined merely to name and
dates.
That his soul might rest in peace, Henry requested 10,000 masses should be said in the
monastery, London and its neighbourhood, for its
repose—"1,500 in honour of the Trinity, 2,500 in
honour of the five wounds of our Lord Jesus Christ,
2,500 for the five joys of our Lady, 450 in honour
of the nine orders of Angels, 150 in honour of the
patriarchs, 600 to that of the twelve apostles, and
2,300 to the honour of all saints," and all these
to be sung in one short month after his decease!
He likewise directed that a statue of himself,
kneeling, three feet in height from the knees, should
be carved in wood, representing him in armour,
with a sword and spurs, and holding the crown of
Richard III. won by him at Bosworth Field. The
figure was to be plated with fine gold, and the arms
of England and France enamelled on it. A tablet
of silver gilt supporting it, enamelled with black
letters, "Rex Henricus Septimus," was to be placed
on the shrine of St. Edward, to whom, with St.
Mary and Almighty God, he dedicated the statue.
He also gave in trust to the abbot and convent
£2,000 to be distributed in charity, and 500 marks
to the finishing of the church.
How far Henry's directions regarding his funeral
were carried out may be gleaned from Malcolm's
account of the ceremony. He says: "On the 9th
of May, 1509, the body of Henry VII. was placed
in a chariot, covered with black cloth of gold, which
was drawn by five spirited horses, whose trappings
were of black velvet, adorned with quishions of
gold. The effigies of his Majesty lay upon the
corpse, dressed in his regal habiliments. The
carriage had suspended on it banners of arms, titles,
and pedigrees. A number of prelates preceded the
body, who were followed by the deceased king's
servants; after it were nine mourners. Six hundred
men bearing torches surrounded the chariot.
"The chariot was met in St. George's Fields
[he died at Windsor] by all the priests and clergy
of London and its neighbourhood; and at London
Bridge by the Lord Mayor, aldermen, and common
council, in black. To render this awful scene
sublimely grand, the way was lined with children,
who held burning tapers: those, with the flashes
of great torches, whose red rays, darting in every
direction upon glittering objects, and embroidered
copes, showing the solemn pace, uplifted eyes,
and mournful countenances, must have formed a
noble picture. The slow, monotonous notes of the
chaunt, mixed with the sonorous tones of the great
bells, were not less grateful to the ear. When the
body had arrived at St. Paul's, which was superbly
illuminated, it was taken from the chariot and
carried to the choir, where it was placed beneath
a hearse arrayed with all the accompaniments of
death. A solemn mass and dirge were then sung,
and a sermon preached by the Bishop of Rochester.
It rested all night in the church. On the following day the procession recommenced in the same
manner, except that Sir Edward Howard rode
before, on a fine charger, clothed with drapery on
which was the king's arms.
"We will now suppose him removed by six
lords from his chariot to the hearse prepared for
him, formed by nine pillars, set full of burning
tapers, enclosed by a double railing; view him
placed under it, and his effigies on a rich pall of
gold; close to him the nine mourners; near them
knights bearing banners of saints, and surrounded
by officers of arms. The prelates, abbot, prior,
and convent, and priests, in measured paces,
silently taking their places; when, breaking through
the awful pause, Garter King-at-Arms cried, with
an audible voice, 'Pray for the soul of the noble
prince, Henry the Seventh, late king of this realm.'
A deep peal from the organ and choir answers in
a chaunt of placebo and the dirge; the sounds die
away, and with them the whole assembly retires."
On the 16th of January, 1539–40, this Abbey
was surrendered to Henry VIII. by Abbot Boston
and twenty-four of the monks, and immediately
dissolved. Here the king was married to Anne of
Cleves, whom he soon afterwards divorced. After
its short-lived career as a bishopric, under Dr.
Thirleby, during the reigns of Henry VIII. and
Edward VI., on the accession of Queen Mary, the
monastery was again restored to the order of St.
Benedict, which was one of the most wealthy,
powerful, and learned in England before the Reformation.
Westminster was the second mitred abbey in
the kingdom, and its abbot, before the Reformation, had a seat among the peers of Parliament;
but it would astonish most readers, even devout
Roman Catholics, to learn that at this day there
are in existence four "reverend" or "very reverend"
gentlemen who style themselves the "Abbots" of
Westminster, St. Albans, Bury St. Edmunds, and
Glastonbury respectively! How amused Dean
Stanley must be, while holding in his hands the
keys of the Abbey of St. Peter's, Westminster, to
know that he has a rival who would gladly relieve
him of them!
Mr. Wood, in his "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of
London," draws the following picture of the Abbey
in the days of its glory and pride, in the age of the
Plantagenets:—
"The abbot took his meals with the guests and
strangers. When these were not numerous, the
abbot might invite to his table any he pleased of
the community. Some of the seniors were, however, left in the refectory to keep order. When a
guest was announced, the abbot and brethren went
to receive him. They first prayed with him, and
then gave him the kiss of peace, and either inclined
the head or made a protestation. The guests were
then conducted into the church. After this the
superior, or one to whom he gave authority, sat
with the guests and read to them a portion of
Scripture. The abbot sat at table with the guests,
except on fast-days. He gave water to the guests
for their hands, and, with the assistance of the
community, washed their feet. Then was said,
'Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam in medio
templi tui.' A kitchen was set apart for the abbot
and the guests. Two of the community were
appointed annually to serve in this kitchen. The
apartment for the guests was furnished with a
sufficient number of beds for their use, and was
under the special charge of one of the community.
None of the community, unless under a command
to do so, spoke to or associated with the guests.
If an encounter with them was unavoidable, they
were passed with a salutation and a request for
their prayers.
"The porter was the chief domestic of a
Benedictine monastery. He had a cell near the
gate, and, being himself chosen for years and
discretion, had a younger man as his companion.
The monks served weekly, by turns, in the kitchen
and at table. On leaving this service, both those
who relinquished and those who took up this task
washed the feet of the community. On Saturdays
all the plates were cleaned and given to the cellarer.
After refection or dinner, which, from Easter till
Holy Rood Day, was at twelve o'clock, the meridian
or noon-sleep was permitted. From Holy Rood
till Lent, there was reading from prime till eight
o'clock, when tierce followed; and after that, labour
till nones, when there was dinner. Even during
the summer dinner was at nones (three o'clock) on
Wednesdays and Fridays. There was silence during
dinner, unbroken save by the reading of Scripture
by one of the community appointed for a week
for the purpose. There was a collation or spiritual
lecture every evening before night-song, after which
there was silence. The monks rose two hours after
midnight to say office; and every week the Psalter
was sung through. All left the church at a sign
from the abbot. Lamps were kept burning in the
dormitory. The community slept in their habits,
with their girdles on."
The same writer also remarks: "The Abbey
Church of Westminster was the house of prayer,
and served no other purpose. Here, when the
divine office was ended, the monks bowed to the
altar and retired in profound silence, in order that
the quiet of any of the community who desired to
continue his devotions in private might be undisturbed. If any of them sought to devote his leisure
to prayer he entered the church quietly, without
pride or ostentation, not with a loud noise, but with
tears and fervour of soul, as bidden by the rule of
St. Benedict."
According to Tanner, Fosbrooke, and other
writers on mediæval monasticism, the habit of the
Benedictine monks was a black loose coat, or
rather gown, of stuff reaching down to their heels,
with a cowl or hood of the same, and a scapulary;
and under that another habit of white flannel,
equal in size. From the colour of their outer
habits the Benedictines were generally known as
the Black Monks.