The Church Of Grasmere: A History - free ebook by Mary L. Armitt

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The Church Of Grasmere: A History

Mary L. Armitt

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THE CHURCH OF GRASMERE: A HISTORY

THE CHURCH OF GRASMERE: A HISTORY

—— (Author of Ambleside Town and Chapel ) With Illustrations by Margaret L. Sumner Frontispiece from a portrait by Fred Yates Kendal: Titus Wilson, Publisher Highgate 1912 TITUS WILSON, PRINTER, KENDAL PART I. Preface. Introductory. The Dedication of the Church. The Site. PART II. The Parish. Boundaries. Townships. Legal Aspects of the Church. The Eighteen. PART III. Records. Patrons. Monastic Control. The Clergy. The Civil Wars. The Commonwealth. PART IV. The Fabric. The Furniture. The Up-keep

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EDITOR'S PREFACE

EDITOR'S PREFACE

The History of Grasmere contained in this little volume was nearly ready for the press when the author, who was working on it to the very last, was taken away. For several years she had been collecting material, leaving no stone unturned to get at facts and records from the earliest times, and at last she was arranging for its publication. Her modest estimate of the value of her work made her often anxious, but her keen love of investigating the antiquities of her neighbourhood and country kept

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THE CHURCH OF GRASMERE.

THE CHURCH OF GRASMERE.

ERRATA. Page 6, for Galway read Galloway. " 19, note 25 this pavement is not really old. " 130, for Lough read Luff. " 141, Copia Pax Sapientia . No Latin words are on this bell. " 182, note 182 for Fox read Cox. " 191, for Tremenhere read Tremenheere, and for Philipps read Phillipps. " 199, for Swathmoor read Swarthmoor. " 208, for customery read customary, and in note, for Brown read Browne. ST. OSWALD'S CHURCH, GRASMERE. Photo. by Green, by permission of G.

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PART I

PART I

PREFACE INTRODUCTORY THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH THE SITE Inscription on the Alms Box...

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PREFACE

PREFACE

Grasmere draws many pilgrims in these latter days. It has become the Shrine of Nature and Poetry, for within its graveyard lies buried nature's austerest and most sincere interpreter. The natural beauty of the spot, combined with its associations, has given rise to a copious literature; and its praises have been rehearsed in poetry and prose of a high order. But by the historian Grasmere has been neglected. Its geographical position has tended to its eclipse. In ancient times locked up from the

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INTRODUCTORY

INTRODUCTORY

How the Church was founded in Northumbria All history begins with geography. Grasmere was from early times the centre of a parish that embraced the twin valleys of Rothay and Brathay, whose waters drain into the lake of Windermere, while the lake empties itself into the great bay of Morecambe. Therefore Grasmere has always belonged politically to the fertile region round about the bay, and the history of that region—from the time when the Celt enjoyed it, onward through its conquest by the Angle

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THE DEDICATION

THE DEDICATION

To the question so often asked, When was the church of Grasmere founded? no more than a conjectural answer can be given. The district formed part—though a remote one—of Northumbria, and doubtless shared in the conversion of that kingdom. Even before that time it may have been touched by those successive missionary efforts, which have been happily classed as the Romano-British of Ninian at the end of the fourth century, the Irish of Patrick in the fifth century, and the Kymric of Kentigern in the

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THE SITE

THE SITE

The present site of the church may not have been the original one. It is hardly a likely halting-place for a travelling preacher. The Roman road which traversed the valley could neither have been the present one, that leads to church and village, nor the straight cut from Town End that passes the Swan Inn. Both of these cross the flat bottom; and the Romans from the summit of White Moss (by which they certainly entered the vale) would never have dropped into the marsh below (even now water-logge

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THE PARISH

THE PARISH

The church of Grasmere is found when record begins, serving as the centre of a large and regularly constituted parish. The date of the creation of this parish is not known; but from the fact that its southern boundary runs by the Stock Beck—thus cutting the now thriving town of Ambleside into two parts, one of which belonged to Grasmere and the other to Windermere—there seems a probability of it having been delineated at an early period, when the sæter of some Norse settler was but an insignific

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BOUNDARIES

BOUNDARIES

The boundary of the parish of Grasmere followed geographical lines. Starting from the point where the Rothay and the Brathay unite for their entrance into Windermere, it ascended the first river for a short distance until it reached the tributary, Stock beck. This it ascended until, near the source, it struck upwards to the line of the watershed. It then followed a devious course along the mountain tops, as "heven watter deales" (divides), according to the quaint old boundary phrase. Always clin

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THE TOWNSHIPS

THE TOWNSHIPS

This parish—a wild tract of fells, becks, and tarns, was divided into three component parts. It has been pointed out [34] that the ancient church of Northumbria left certain marks upon the districts she administered which may yet be distinguished. One peculiarity was the great extent of the parishes, some of which embraced several—occasionally many—townships. Another was, that each parish was governed secularly by a body of men known as the Twenty-four. Now Grasmere conformed nearly, though not

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SOME LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH

SOME LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH

Thus for worship did the folk gather in the church. They came thither also to bury their dead within consecrated soil—for baptism of their "barnes" by the priest, and the binding of man and woman in holy matrimony. But the edifice and the enclosed space about it served in early times not only for purposes of religion, but of the law. Like the Roman Forum, it was used for the transaction of public business and the administration of justice. Bargains were ratified, covenants were witnessed, and pr

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THE EIGHTEEN

THE EIGHTEEN

Not Twenty-four, but Eighteen represented the interests of the townships in the parish church. This was the case also at Crosthwaite in Cumberland, where this ancient body of "sworn" men were swept away by the Charity Commissioners at the time that they took over the schools. Of the Eighteen in Grasmere six represented—along with two wardens—each township. While the wardens, who were all landholders, took office for one year only, and in rotation, like all other officials of the village communit

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RECORDS

RECORDS

The church constitution of Grasmere was therefore from early times that of a parish controlled and administered by a body of men representing the people, who were responsible for the funds that maintained the building and its services, while the clergy who officiated were supported by the ancient system of the payment of tithes. The offering of pious folk of the tenth of their yearly yield was at first intended to cover all expenses, but it soon became diverted into purely ecclesiastical channel

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THE PATRONS

THE PATRONS

William Rufus, upon his conquest of Carlisle, gave over to Ivo de Tailbois all these parts as a fief. After Ivo a confusion of tenure and administration prevails, into which it is useless to enter. The line of patrons of Grasmere may perhaps be begun safely with Gilbert fitz Reinfred, who married Helwise, daughter and heiress of William de Lancaster II., because it was he who first held the Barony of Kendal in chief from Richard I., by charter dated 1190. [59] His son William, called de Lancaste

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MONASTIC CONTROL

MONASTIC CONTROL

Our church of Grasmere was not left to the control of parson and manorial lord like other tithe-yielding parishes, it was snapped up by a big monastery. The abbeys that had sprung up all over England in post-Norman times were of a very different order from the simple religious communities of Anglo-Saxon times; and before long it became a question as to how they were to be maintained on the splendid lines of their foundation. By the reign of Henry I. they had begun to appropriate rectories, and i

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THE CLERGY

THE CLERGY

Though not successful, Sir Walter de Strickland's opposition had done some good, but for exactly 200 years longer did the monastery by the walls of the city of York hold sway over the church of Grasmere. In what degree its influence was felt in the mountain parish cannot be told, or what it gave in return for the pension it abstracted. It may have assisted in the rebuilding of the edifice, lending aid by monastic skill in architecture. Probably it supervised the worship in the church, and improv

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THE CIVIL WARS

THE CIVIL WARS

It is clear that the tithes were dropping in value; and this is little to be wondered at when the condition of the country is considered. War was rife, and the "troubles" that affected every household—high and low, either in actual fighting or in tax-paying—were felt with peculiar poignancy at Rydal Hall. Squire John Fleming, as a rich man, had not stooped to conceal his religion, and had cheerfully paid his fine of £50 a year as a Catholic of the old faith. He died on February 27, 1643, at an u

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THE COMMONWEALTH

THE COMMONWEALTH

The year 1645 marked the beginning of a great change in the church government of Grasmere. Already the new system devised by the Presbyterian party (which was now in the ascendant after the success of the Scotch at Newcastle) was being put into force as a substitute for episcopal rule. The division of the country into sections, each called a classis —to be administered by a committee of laymen empowered to nominate for each parish a minister and four elders—was very rapidly carried out. The foll

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THE FABRIC

THE FABRIC

Grasmere Church, as it stands at present, is itself the sole guide we have to its age and the method of its building. No document exists, prior to the Restoration, that concerns the fabric. It was then apparently the same as it is now. As one steps within the portal, and sees through the gloom its strange double nave, the rude spaces broken through the thick intersecting wall, and the massive, split, misshapen timbers that support its roof, one wonders who were its planners and builders. Here su

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THE FURNITURE

THE FURNITURE

Of early furniture there is, of course, no trace within the church. All the accessories of the ritual of the mass, whether in metal, wood, or textile, as well as such as would be required for processions on Rogation Days, were swept away at the Reformation. A reminder of these processions may perhaps be found in the field at the meeting of the roads near the present cemetery, which goes by the name of Great Cross, for here, doubtless, a Station of the Cross stood where the priest and the moving

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THE UPKEEP OF THE CHURCH

THE UPKEEP OF THE CHURCH

The one document that exists concerning the fabric of the church and of its upkeep was written as late as 1661, when the Episcopal Order of church government was restored. [136] There is every probability, however, that in substance it merely reinstitutes an old custom. The document is printed here:— A true Cattollogue made the twenty-first day of Apprill in the 13th yeare of the Kings Ma'tyes reigne in the yeare of our lord god 1661 by the eighteene men Appointed for the good of the parish chur

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CLEANING AND REPAIRS

CLEANING AND REPAIRS

The townships joined at many general repairs, as well as at the cleaning of the church, and the expenses of maintaining worship within it. It is interesting to note how extremely small these expenses were. The cleaning, or "dressing," as it was called, of the church, the greasing of the bells, the washing of the linen, the writing of the register, the whipping of dogs out of church, and the "drawing" of the accounts, all appear to have been paid for at the Restoration at the rate of 1s. each per

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EXTRACTS FROM CHURCHWARDENS' ACCOUNTS AND PRESENTMENTS

EXTRACTS FROM CHURCHWARDENS' ACCOUNTS AND PRESENTMENTS

Gresmyre. The First day of Apprill in the XIIIJth of the Kings Ma'tyes Reigne A treue &amp; A P'fect Acount of ye Disbursment of James Benson &amp; Robert Watson Church Wardens For the yeare last past. Two churchwardens sign by a mark at the bottom. This is clearly an account for Grasmere township alone. Gresmyre. A Booke For the whole p'rish Concerning the Church Affaires, For the Churchwardens to writte their Accounts, euery yeare &amp; to subscribe their names to the same mad The

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PART V

PART V

LATER PARSONS OF GRASMERE AMBLESIDE CHAPEL AMBLESIDE CURATES LANGDALE CURATES SCHOOLS AND CLERKS CHURCH RATES NON-RATEPAYERS REGISTERS PRESENTMENTS, BRIEFS, AND CHARITIES THE RUSH-BEARING On the Great Bell, Gloria in Altissimis Deo...

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LATER PARSONS OF GRASMERE

LATER PARSONS OF GRASMERE

Grasmere settled down then, after the Restoration, to an absentee rector, the Rev. John Ambrose; and under him was a curate-in-charge, the Rev. John Brathwaite. One of his name, son of William, "pleb.," matriculated from Queen's College, Oxford, in 1631, aged 18, whom Dr. Magrath thinks may have been he. [157] Under Mr. Thomas Brathwaite's will, 1674, "Mr. Brawthwaite minister of Grassemire" received a legacy of 20s., which shows that he enjoyed the esteem of that Puritanical gentleman. He often

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AMBLESIDE CHAPEL.

AMBLESIDE CHAPEL.

It may be well to give a list of the Post-Reformation parsons of Ambleside (rectified according to present knowledge), as well as the evidence of a provision made for them in 1584. This evidence was found amongst Mr. George Browne's MSS. too late for insertion in Ambleside Town and Chapel , where the deed of 1597 is given in full. It is an extract from a contemporaneous document, written out in a memorandum book of Christopher Birkett, who owned part of the lands of the Forrest family in Amblesi

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AMBLESIDE CURATES

AMBLESIDE CURATES

The names of two or three priests who may have served Ambleside before the Reformation have already been given. A new era was marked by the endowment of 1584, and the appointment of an excellent and learned man followed. 1585— John Bell. He was the first curate to inscribe his name in the Bible belonging to the chapel, which, after long alienation, has been restored to the church. [176] Bell's latest inscription tells that he had then served (in 1629) for 44 years. He was buried in Grasmere, Dec

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LANGDALE CURATES

LANGDALE CURATES

Langdale was, at the Reformation, in worse case than Ambleside, where the townsfolk were rich enough to put both chapel and school on a sound financial basis. The Little Langdale chapel ceased to be. The one in Great Langdale, bereft of its particular ministering priest, was threatened with a like fate. Probably it was never closed, however. An intelligent native would be found to act as clerk for a nominal wage, and occasionally the rector would visit it, and would administer the Easter communi

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SCHOOL AND CLERKS

SCHOOL AND CLERKS

Latter-day clerks and schoolmasters present a tangled subject, difficult to unravel. Sometimes the clerk taught school. More often there was a separate schoolmaster who served as curate, entering holy orders for the purpose; for by this economy of labour two meagre stipends were put together, and the rector might even effect an economy on the one. [180] Sometimes each of the three offices was served by its own functionary; and yet again it seems likely that they were occasionally all filled by o

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THE CHURCH RATES

THE CHURCH RATES

The church rate, levied by the wardens and the Eighteen on the parishioners for the up-keep of the church, must for long have stood at a low figure. In Squire Daniel's Account-book for February 16-62/63 the item appears "Paid ye other day an Assess to ye church for my little tenem t in Gressmer 00 00 02." This was a small farm-hold at the Wray, which he had inherited from his uncle. And forty years later, when the year's expenditure was high, the freeholder, Francis Benson of the Fold, was rated

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NON-RATEPAYERS

NON-RATEPAYERS

The religious factions—whether Baptist, Anabaptist, Independent or Presbyterian—that had sprung up during the Commonwealth left behind them no vital seeds of dissent in the wide parish of Grasmere, although the two last had in turn held the rectorate and the pulpit. As soon, indeed, as the Episcopal Church was restored, along with the Monarchy, the people returned with apparently a willing mind, and almost unanimously, to the old order of worship. There was an exception, however, to be found in

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THE REGISTERS

THE REGISTERS

The early registers are contained in three parchment books. The first measures 15 inches by 7, and has a thickness of 1 inch. It was re-bound recently in white vellum, and an expert has endeavoured to restore the almost vanished characters of the first page. The earliest legible entries are for January 1570-71. The sheets may have once got loose and some lost, for there is a complete gap between the years 1591-98, and another between 1604-11. There are minor gaps besides, which, perhaps, may be

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PRESENTMENTS, BRIEFS, AND CHARITIES

PRESENTMENTS, BRIEFS, AND CHARITIES

The Presentment for 1702 may be given fully as a specimen of the document which the wardens were bound to furnish at the Visitation of the Bishop or his emissary. A few extracts may be added, for the simplicity and shrewdness of some of the answers make them entertaining, as in the entire repudiation of an apparitor and his dues. During Dr. Fleming's rectorate, a difference arose between the officials who controlled the finance department of the Visitation and the vestries of the parishes of Win

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THE RUSHBEARING

THE RUSHBEARING

It is impossible, in an account of Grasmere, to pass over the Rushbearing, a Church Festival that has come down from ancient times, and which, after a period of languishment, has revived once more into a popular pageant. It may be the remnant of some fair or wake held on St. Oswald's Eve and Day, and organized by the early church to supersede some Pagan Feast of the late summer. The close of July, or the early part of August, was a good time for merry-making in these parts; for then the husbandm

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APPENDIX

APPENDIX

Districts Mentioned. 1604 blah Townhead. 1611 blah Townend. 1640 blah Eiesdall....

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