[ROMSEY (Benedictine).]
907, Founded by Edward the Elder—Greatly enlarged and rebuilt in the reign of Edgar, grandson of Edward the Elder, by Ethelwold, Archbishop of Winchester—Benedictine nuns placed there—974, Opened by the King on Christmas day—Almost destroyed by the Danes early in 11th century—Subsequently restored, enjoying many privileges and high repute under the Norman and Plantagenet rule—1129-69, Nave built by Bishop Henry de Blois—15—, Dissolved. Annual revenue, £393, 10s.
The village of Romsey has grown round the venerable abbey church of SS. Mary and Elfleda, where in former days devout women lived their secluded and consecrated lives. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the origin of the name Romsey, for while some authorities see in it a survival of the Roman “Romana insula,” others trace its present form to the Saxon “Rumes-eye”—“the broad island.” Romsey may formerly have been a Roman city, its position making it practically equidistant from other well-known Roman stations, whilst the island site of the town, surrounded by the tributary stream, the Test, affords some support to the theory of the Saxon origin of the name. The abbey minster has been wisely treated at its various restorations, and although definite types of Early English and Decorated work are represented, the dominating Norman characteristics have not been interfered with. Eastern apsidal chapels, peculiar to Norman work, are in both transepts. The nave of eight bays was built by Henry de Blois, Bishop of Winchester in the 12th century, whilst two examples of Norman piscinæ may be seen—one in the south choir aisle and the other on the south side of the choir. The west window is Early English, the central of the three lights being 40 feet high. The doors at the west of the north and south aisles, and the graceful arch which spans the west front of the nave are all beautiful work of this period. There is a bas-relief of the Crucifixion on the outer wall of the south transept. The apsidal chapel of the north transept is now used as a school.
There are many peculiarities in the interior of the church—amongst others, the elevation of the flooring of the aisles above that of the nave, where the nuns had their stalls. Many of these nuns were of royal blood, and in Saxon times the nunnery enjoyed high patronage. Under the rule of the Abbess Marivanna the monastery was blessed with peace, and Marivanna is said to have miraculously warned her successor Elwina of the approach of Sweyn and his band of Danish marauders. Matilda, wife of Henry I. and niece of the Abbess Christina, was educated here; and subsequently Mary, Countess of Boulogne, daughter of King Stephen, was elected abbess. This royal abbess openly defied the Pope and, in spite of her monastic vows, married the son of the Count of Flanders, without obtaining the necessary dispensation from the Vatican. After ten years of married life, the rash lovers were compelled to separate, the power of the Church proving too strong for them. In the reign of Henry III. power to condemn and to hang criminals was restored to the abbess of Romsey—this peculiar privilege having become obsolete. The rules of the monastery were strict and the discipline well maintained, earning for Romsey a reputation for high moral tone, as well as for liberality and learning. A marvellously beautiful piece of the nuns’ handiwork can still be seen in an altar cloth of the present church. It is of green brocaded velvet embroidered with golden stars and with lilies exquisitely worked into the material. This work belongs to the 12th or 13th century and was formerly intended for a cope.
[SHERBORNE (Benedictine)]
705, Ina, King of the West Saxons, makes Sherborne the seat of a Bishopric—998, Bishop Wulfsiu builds a priory—1075, Bishop Herman transfers the See to Sarum—1122, Sherborne and Horton made one house—1139, Roger, Bishop of Salisbury, changes the priory of Sherborne into an abbey, that of Horton being destroyed—Benedictine monks placed within it—1436, The abbey suffers from fire, and is changed in restoration from Norman to Perpendicular style—1539, The monastery surrenders to Henry VIII. Annual revenue, £682, 1s.—Sold to Sir John Horsey for £200—The parishioners of Sherborne buy the church from him for £230—1848-58, Restored at a cost of over £32,000.
The old-fashioned town of Sherborne, or “clear brook,” lies on a gentle slope above the river Yeo, in the vale of Blackmore. The first view of Sherborne is delightful. The narrow, winding, roughly-paved streets make a picturesque setting for the solid and stone-built houses, and there is a general impression of peaceful comfort and prosperity about the place. The surrounding country is rich and fertile; the air clear and invigorating. In monastic days the hillsides were covered with vines, so sheltered was Sherborne from extreme severity of weather. It is only from the south that a good view of the parish church—originally the abbey church of the monastery—can be obtained. From the other sides it is much built in.
This abbey of St Mary’s has undergone many vicissitudes, having been built and rebuilt in remote Saxon times; burnt by the dreaded Sweyn when passing through the town on his march from Exeter to Sarum; nearly razed to the ground and again rebuilt in the 15th century; dissolved in the 16th century, at which time the church was made parochial and purchased by the inhabitants of the town; and finally restored at an enormous cost in the 19th century, with the result that no church of such antiquity was ever in a better state of preservation. Considering the chequered history of the building, its many examples of different architectural periods is not to be wondered at. Perpendicular work is most largely represented—the abbey having been restored in the reign of Henry VI. (when this style was in vogue) after a fire, which devastated particularly the east end of the structure. The Norman period found expression in a peculiar south porch and part of the transepts, while the Lady chapel affords a good example of Early English architecture. The church is cruciform, with transepts, choir, and presbytery. The nave, with its two aisles—the one to the north boasting some Decorated windows—has a beautiful vaulted roof and clerestory. From the central tower there is an extensive view over the undulating country for many miles round Sherborne. In the bell chamber below hang ten bells—a sanctus bell, a peal of eight, and a fire bell. Cardinal Wolsey is said to have given the tenor bell—the largest tenor bell in England ever rung in a peal—to the abbey. It was imported from Tournay, and although recast still bears this distich—
“By Wolsey’s gift I measure time for all;
To mirth, to griefe, to church, I serve to call.”
Attached to the church are some ancient chapels, including the Wickham Chantry, where lies Sir John Horsey, also Bishop Roger’s Chantry, with its beautiful Early English window. Sir Thomas Wyatt, the poet, Bishop Asser, tutor to Alfred the Great, more than one of the Saxon kings, and Abbot Clement (1163) (of whose tomb but a fragment remains in the north choir aisle) are interred in the cathedral church. The cloisters were on the north side of the church—the former dormitory is now used as a schoolroom. A portion of the refectory still remains, also the abbey barn and the abbey house—the latter being rebuilt after the Dissolution.