A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain III

A TOUR THROUGH THE WHOLE ISLAND OF GREAT BRITAIN III

diameter, and one of the middlemost much more, and high in proportion, and the ends of the bridge continued by high causeways, built of stone, to keep the water in its course; and yet sometimes all is too little.

From the bridges may be observ’d, that however low these waters are in the summer, they are high and furious enough in the winter; and yet the River Aire, tho’ its beginning is in the same ridge of mountains as the other, and particularly in the hill called Penigent, which overtops all its neighbours; I say this river is gentle and mild in its stream, when the other are all raging and furious; the only reason I can give for it, which however I think is a very just account, is, that it runs in a thousand windings and turnings more than any other river in those parts; and these reaches and meanders of the river greatly help to check the sharpness of the stream: The next reason is, that after it has descended from the mountains it has a deeper channel; both which, I think, put together, will sufficiently account for the abating the current.

Rippon is a very neat, pleasant, well built town, and has not only an agreeable situation on a rising ground between two rivers, but the market place is the finest and most beautiful square that is to be seen of its kind in England.

In the middle of it stands a curious column of stone, imitating the obelisks of the antients, tho’ not so high, but rather like the pillar in the middle of Covent-Garden, or that in Lincoln’s Inn, with dials also upon it.

But I must not omit to tell you also, however other pretended travelling writers were pleased not to see it as they went by, that here is a large collegiate church, and tho’ it is not

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a bishoprick but a deanery only, in the diocess of York, yet it is a very handsome, antient and venerable pile of building, and shews it self a great way in the country. Mr. Cambden says, this town of Rippon owes its greatness to religion.

That here was a famous monastery built by Wilfrid, Archbishop of York, and that in the first ages of Christianity, at least in this island, is certain; but this pious gift of the bishop was swallowed up some years after, when the Danes overrunning Yorkshire, rifled and burnt it to the ground, as likewise the whole town of Rippon; It afterwards flourished again as a monastery. But those being all given up in the reign of King Henry VIII. the church only was preserved. Mr. Cambden says it was built, which I conceive rather to be form’d into a church, from the ruin of the monastery, by the contribution of the gentry thereabouts.

While it was a monastery, here was a famous sanctuary, a thing however useful in some cases, yet so abused in foreign countries, by making the church a refuge of rogues, thieves and murtherers, that ’tis happy for England it is out of use here. This privilege of sanctuary was, it seems, granted to the church of Rippon by King Athelstan, an. – and with this extraordinary sanction, that whosoever broke the rights of sanctuary of the church of Rippon, and which he extended to a mile on either side the church, should forfeit life and estate; so that, in short, not the church only, but the whole town, and a circle of two miles diameter, was like the Rules of the King’s Bench here in Southwark, a refuge for all that fled to it, where they liv’d safe from all manner of molestation, even from the king, or his laws, or any person whatsoever.

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Annexed to this monastery was an hospital, the intent and purposes of which are very remarkable, and would be worthy imitation in our days of Protestant charity, when indeed I see nothing come up to it. The house was called the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, where, according to the foundation, were to be maintained two chaplains to perform divine service; and if any begging clergymen, or other needy persons; should happen to travel or stray out of their way, and call at the said hospital, they should be relieved there for one night only, with food and a bed, and to be gone in the morning; and to every poor person that came craving an alms, on St. Mary Magdalen’s Day yearly, they should give one loaf, value a half penny, when corn was at the price of five shillings per quarter, and one herring.

Also ’tis recorded, that one branch of this hospital was founded and endowed, and given to a society of religious sisters by a certain Archbishop of York, but the inquisition taken does not find his name, to the intent that they should maintain one chaplain to perform divine service, and to the farther intent that they should maintain all the lepers born and bred in Hipschire, that should come to it for maintenance; and that they should allow to each of them a garment call’d Rak, and two pair of shoes yearly, with every day a loaf fit for a poor man’s sustenance, half a pitcher of beer, a sufficient portion of flesh on flesh days, and three herrings on fish days.

After this, other gifts were added to this foundation; also the sisters were removed, and a brotherhood established in their stead, which continued some time; and after that a mastership; and the maintenance of lepers finding no clients,

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the country proving healthy, that part was turned into a charity, to be dealt out to the poor on St. Mary Magdalen’s Day, as above: At length all was demolished together, and the house, with the monastery, suppress’d, as it now stands, a collegiate church being erected on the room of it: Besides, it seems upon another inquisition, and a jury empanelled to give their verdict, it appeared in the 10th of Edward III. that the revenue of one branch of the hospital had been embezzled and squandered away by the master of the hospital, the charities interrupted, and the poor defrauded.

And so in the visitation of the church, for it seems there were frauds and embezzlements in those days, even of the goods of the church, as well as since. Mr. Dugdale, in his Monasticon, gives an account, that William, Archbishop of York, in a visitation of the church of Rippon, anno 1331. found it almost bandoned, notwithstanding much cure of souls depended on it; that there were good revenues belonging to it, but that they were consumed by the absent canons. N.B. There was then also non-residence, and the non-residents too devouring the goods of the church.

Upon this, the good archbishop took order for the future, that all the lands, meadows, revenues, and services (I give you the very words of the archbishop’s decree upon his visitation) with the tithes of garbs and hay, of Nyd and Grantilaye, with a pension of twenty shillings due from the Vicar of Nyd, and the spiritual jurisdiction, and the profits of the same, should, for the future, be divided among those who should reside at the church of Rippon, and no other.

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There were at that time, in this church, nine chanteries, besides two out-chanteries in the parish, the same which we call now chapels of ease; and besides the chantery of the two priests in the hospital, the out-chanteries were one at Hutton Conyers, and one at Clotheram. N.B. A chantery is any consecrated place where is an oratory, and a priest allowed to sing mass, and therefore call’d a chantery or singing house.

There were in the church at that time

These were noble stipends in those days. How our clergy would serve at this time under such great encouragement, is left to enquiry, especially the organist’s salary was notable; from whence I may, I hope without offence, suppose, that he being a layman, might get business in the town, (perhaps he

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was a dancing-master, or a musick-master, or both) to teach the young ladies of Rippon; and his wife might keep a board- ing-school too; and so the grammar school-master might be a writing-master in the town, and the like.

Be that as it will, the church is still standing, tho’ the monastery and hospital are suppress’d, and the canons and choir are maintain’d at a much better rate than as above, for they now eat as good beef, and drink as good Yorkshire ale, as their neighbours.

It is an antient building, but firm and strong, the work Gothick, according to the times, and plain; no imagry or statues of any note to be seen about it; there are three homely spires, one on the tower in the middle, and the other two on the angle towers of the west end; they are covered with lead, but not very high or handsome.

But I must not leave Rippon without giving the fam’d tale of St. Wilfrid’s Needle. St. Wilfrid was the saint to whom the monastery was dedicated, and this needle was, it seems, for the trial of chastity. There was a dark vault under ground in one part of the monastery, into which there was an easy passage one way, but a narrow long entry, also dark and uneven to come out of it: If any person’s chastity was suspected, it does not say whether it was not for men as well as women, but to be sure it was for the latter, they were put into this vault, and the first entrance being closed, they were at liberty to come out by the other, which was called the needle, or the eye of the needle; if they were chaste and untainted, they came out boldly, and without any difficulty; but if faulty, they were stopp’d, and could not get along in the narrow eye or passage,

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and, as I think the story says, were left there, unable to get out till they had confess’d their fault. Whether the priests had no craft in this case, to put some secret barrier cross the narrow passage in the dark, so to impose upon the poor girls that were put to the trial, that I am not to enquire too far into: However it was, the priests made a miracle of it; and the poor Yorkshire lasses have, no doubt, good reason to be satisfied that St. Wilfrid has left off shewing those miraculous things at this time. In the churchyard of this minster lies a plain monument or gravestone over the remains of a generous soul, who, in charity, gave two thousand pounds to pious uses; the modest epitaph is, however, very important, as follows:

Hic jacet Zacharias Jopson, cujus Æt. fuit 49. per paucos annos tantum vixit.

To conclude our observations of this church, be pleas’d to take the grant of King Athelstan, mentioned above, of the sanctuary of peace. I suppose all such grants were poetical.

The Charter granted by King Athelstan to

St. Wilfrid of Rippon

Wyt all that es an es gan,

Yat ik King Adelstan,

As given als frielith as i may,

And to the capital of Seint Wilfrai,

Of my free devotion,

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Yak pees ar Rippon

On ylke side the kyrke a mile,

For all ill deedys an ylke agyle,

And within yair kyrke gate.

At ye stan yat Grithstole hate

Within ye kyrke dore, and ye quare,

Yair have pees for less and mare;

Ilkan of yis stedes sal have pees,

Of frod mortel and ill deeds.

Yet yair don is tol and tem,

With iren and with water deme;

And yat ye lond of Seint Wilfrai,

Of alkyn geld fre sal be ay;

Ut na man at langs me to,

In yair herps ac sal have to do.

And for ik wil at yai be save,

I wil, at yai alkyn freedom hav;

And in all thynges be als free

As hert may thynk, or eygh may see:

At ye power of a kynge

Marts make free any thynge.

And my seal have sat yerto,

For I will yat no man it undo.

If you will have this grant speak more modern English, take it thus:

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Know all men that are or are to be,1 That I, King Athelstan,

Has given as freely as I am able, To the body politick2 of St. Wilfrid, Of my meer bounty3 and good-will, Their peace who are at Rippon,4

For a mile on every side of the church, For all ill deeds, and every guile,5 And also within the churchyard gate.6 He that shall stand and do pennance

Within the church door, or in the quire, Shall be protected, let it be less or more;7 All his goods and chattels shall have peace,8 Tho’ guilty of mortal feud9, or any ill deeds. That I give them also freedom from toll

By land or by water, for themselves, horses and carts; And that all the lands of the monastery of St. Wilfrid, Shall be for ever free from all taxes;

So that no man that belongs to me10

1 Present and to come.

2 Or public stock.

3 Devotion here does not mean piety but charity.

4 A place of peace or sanctuary.

5 Every cheat or fraud.

6 The church hatch.

7 Be his fault what it will.

8 His horses and cattle shall not be seized.

9 Some think this word frod mortel extended to murther. 10 None of the king’s officers.

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Shall have any thing to do with their purse.11 And because ’tis my pleasure they shall be safe, I will, that they every freedom have,

And in all things be as free

As heart can wish, or eye can see: So as the power of a king

Can make free to any thing. And my seal I have set hereto, Because no man shall it undo.12

A mile from this town, or less, is a stately beautiful seat, built a few years since by Sir Edward Blacket; the park is extended to the bank of the River Eure, and is sometimes in part laid under water by the river, the water of which, they say, coming down from the western mountains, thro’ a marly, loamy soil, fructifies the earth, as the River Nile does the Egyptian fields about Grand Cairo, tho’ by their leave not quite so much.

As Sir Edward spared no cost in the building, and Sir Christopher Wren laid out the design, as well as chose the ground for him, you may believe me the better, when I add, that nothing can either add to the contrivance or the situation; the building is of brick, the avenues, now the trees are grown, are very fine, and the gardens not only well laid out, but well planted, and as well kept; the statues are neat, the parterre beautiful; but, as they want fine gravel, the walks cannot shew themselves, as in this southern part of England they would. The house has a fine prospect over the country, almost to York, with the river in

11Snapsack.

12Or that no man may dare to contradict it.

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