The Abbeys of Great Britain

by H. Claiborne Dixon

c. 184, Lucius, King of Britain, consecrates Westminster (then Thorny Island) to God, and builds the first church there—At the time of Diocletian’s persecution, the church converted into a heathen temple and dedicated to Apollo—604, Sebert, King of the East Saxons, converted and baptized into the Christian faith by Mellitus—He destroys the temple and builds a church in honour of St Peter—This suffers greatly from the ravages of the Danes—785, Offa, King of Mercia, grants the manor of Aldenham to the monastery and restores the church—1050, Edward the Confessor, the actual founder of the present abbey, builds the church—1065, The church completed and consecrated a few days previously to the royal founder’s death—1066, Edward buried with great ceremonial—King Harold crowned—William the Conqueror offers a thanksgiving for his victory at Hastings before the Confessor’s tomb, and is crowned in the abbey on Christmas day—1160, Becomes a mitred abbey—1250, Henry III. pulls down the choir and transepts of Edward’s Norman church and begins the present structure—1253, The chapter house completed—1269, The choir opened—1272-1500, The nave begun, gradually attaining its present length—During these years Richard I. builds the north porch, and Henry V. his beautiful chantry—1503, Henry VII. builds the chapel which bears his name—153—, Dissolution of the monastery. Annual revenue, £3471, 0s. 2d.—1540, The church converted into a cathedral church and a new bishopric created—1550, Bishopric suppressed—1643, The Westminster Assembly meets—1663, The See of Rochester joined to the Deanery of Westminster—1673, Treaty of Westminster signed—1720, Some restorations performed by Wren on north transept, front and west towers—1740, Hawkesmoor completes the towers—1802, Separation of Rochester bishopric from Deanery of Westminster—1866, Sir G. Scott restores the north transept front and chapter house.

HOW utterly incapable the most experienced writer must feel when called upon to describe worthily the abbey of Westminster! Apart from all the legendary matter connected with the noble pile, and the glamour which surrounds the ancient Benedictine church, the abbey stands out as the receptacle of all that is best and grandest in the history of England. The tombs of the kings and queens, the monuments erected since the Reformation in memory of notable men and women in literature, music, and all other arts, make history a nearer and more living thing. To pass beneath the noble west front into the sacred building, teaming with memories of the past, is to enter another world, so different is the peaceful and mysterious atmosphere within the abbey from the bustle and hum of London without. Looking eastwards from the west door, the aspect is truly inspiring and beautiful. From the graceful pointed arches, dividing the nave from the aisles, and surmounted by the triforium and clerestory, the eye falls on the choir, with its magnificent stone screen, and beyond this again to the dim and apsidal east end. The loftiness of the building, the fine triforium, the harmony of work in the nave (which took over 200 years to build), will deeply impress the beholder.

Though the plan of the church is French, the whole actual structure is an example of English Gothic work, of which the nation has every right to be proud. The abbey possesses side aisles to the nave, transepts, and choir. This is a very rare formation. Leaving the nave, filled with memorials of the illustrious dead, and passing up the south choir aisle, the south transept comes in view. The magnificent rose window is one of the largest, if not the largest, in England. On the south wall are some worn stone steps. These, no doubt, led to the domestic apartments of the monks, which were situated on the south side of the church. In this transept is the well-known “Poets’ Corner,” which contains memorials inscribed with the magic names of Shakespeare, Dickens, Tennyson, Goldsmith, Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Longfellow, Browning, Milton, and many others. Beyond this is the small chapel dedicated to St Faith. Passing on into the south ambulatory the many interesting chapels can be inspected. Here indeed the visitor treads on holy ground, for he approaches the tombs of England’s divinely-appointed rulers, and of the last resting-place of the greatest of her sons. Leaving the chapels of St Benedict, St Edmund and St Nicholas, so full of historical memory, the visitor may pass into the chantry built by the illustrious Henry V. for the repose of his soul. This chantry lies in a direct line eastwards from the high altar and beyond Edward the Confessor’s chapel, which is immediately behind the altar. The figure of the warrior King reposes on the top of his tomb. It was carved from the heart of an oak, and once possessed a head and regalia of silver. These, however, have unfortunately been removed, probably by the rapacious Oliver Cromwell. The chantry itself is in the form of a screen or small room, which is reached by a stairway enclosed in a turret, and left by another on the opposite side. The screen is covered with images of saints, and also incidents of Henry’s coronation, besides many heraldic emblems. On either side are two octagonal towers, rich in sculpture. It is indeed one of the most beautiful monuments in the building. Below are iron gates and the tomb of Henry V., and above are displayed a saddle tree stripped of its elaborate housings, a small shield, and a helmet upon which can be seen the prodigious dent caused by D’Alençon’s battle axe. These remains of Henry’s armour, worn at the battle of Agincourt, were offered by the King in thanksgiving for his great victory. It is quite fitting that the burial place of this royal hero should be near the remains of the saintly ruler and founder of the abbey, Edward the Confessor.

St Edward’s chapel is perhaps the most interesting part of the noble structure, for though comparatively small, events of the highest historical importance in our history have been enacted therein. The shrine has been visited by thousands of pilgrims, including many crowned heads, and has also been the scene of many miracles. Vigils were spent beside it by knights before setting out for the borders, or starting upon the crusades. Spoils of war were brought and laid before the tomb, and thanksgivings offered by victorious kings and warriors. Edward I., all stained as he was by the blood of the battlefield, offered the regalia of Scotland before the royal tomb, and many other mighty men came to seek consolation and encouragement in those days of dreadful warfare. Henry III. erected the present magnificent shrine in 1269. This now, alas, is shorn of the many and costly jewels that once enriched it, and which it is said amounted in value to £2500. The present oak canopy was added in the 16th century. The floor of the chapel is of tesselated blue marble and was laid by Henry III. The site of the Confessor’s altar is marked by a square of red tiles. The old coronation chair stands to the west of the chapel, near the enormous sword and shield of Edward III., and beneath it is the stone credited with being Jacob’s pillow, and which, after going through many vicissitudes in its long career, was at last brought from Scone to Edward the Confessor’s shrine by Edward I. The chair was first used at the coronation of Edward I., and lastly at that of our beloved King Edward VII. Every English monarch has been crowned at the abbey with the exception of Edward V. On all sides of the chapel are royal tombs, including those of Edward III., Henry III., and Edward I. The latter is of enormous length, and bears the inscription, “Scotorum malleus” and “Serva pactum.” This monarch—nicknamed “Longshanks”—was over 6 feet when alive. After many years, his body for some reason was disinterred for a short space, and it was found to be in an excellent state of preservation. That noble lady, Anne of Bohemia, who gained notoriety by the introduction of the side saddle, also lies buried near here.

Leaving this chapel and progressing eastwards, the visitor will pass under St Mary’s beautiful porch into the wonderful chapel built by Henry VII. This is one of the best examples of Early Tudor or debased Gothic style, and, consisting as it does of a nave with two aisles, is indeed a masterpiece of the builder’s art. On either side of the nave are the stalls of the Knights of the Garter, above which hang their respective banners. The tomb of Henry VII., the first monarch of the royal house of Tudor, is the work of Torregiano. The ornamental vaulting of the chapel is among the finest in the country—its massive pendants being 7 feet long. Little of the original glass is left, but what remains is in the windows at the west end. The Duke of Cumberland, known as the Butcher of Culloden, and George II. and his wife lie in the nave. George III. discontinued the practice begun by Henry VII. of using this chapel as a royal mausoleum, having a preference for Windsor. Those two antagonistic sisters, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth lie in the north aisle, side by side under a magnificent stone canopy, while at the extreme east end of the aisle, appropriately called “Innocents’ Corner,” are buried the remains of the young princes so foully murdered in the Tower. The tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, is in the south aisle, together with that of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. Many other interesting monuments can be seen, including that of Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster, in the south-east chapel, and those belonging to the houses of Richmond, Suffolk and Lennox. Cromwell was buried in the east chapel, but his remains were disinterred and dragged to Tyburn gallows.

Retracing his steps the visitor will pass along the north ambulatory—the chapel of St Edward being now on the left and those of St Paul, St John the Baptist, and the Islip being on the right. In the latter, which is the chantry of Abbot Islip, waxen figures of some of the royal line are shown. These, though of somewhat gruesome nature, are intensely interesting, being the actual waxen casts taken after death. It was the custom to carry the figure of the deceased at the funeral and then to leave it at the abbey after interment. Many have decayed—the oldest one now on view being that of Queen Elizabeth. The figures are dressed in the clothes of the Sovereigns they personate. The lace on the neck of Charles II. is of great value. Passing into the north transept or Statesmen’s Aisle, many stone memorials again confront the beholder, and include those of Beaconsfield, Gladstone, and William Pitt. Warren Hastings, Richard Cobden and Vice-admiral Watson—the gallant man who rescued the survivors of the “Black hole of Calcutta”—are buried among many other notable men in the west aisle. The three eastern chapels of this transept contain many interesting monuments too—that of Lady Elizabeth Nightingale, in the chapel of St Michael, is perhaps the most popular. It represents her husband trying to shield her from the relentless form of Death, which takes the shape of a shrouded skeleton issuing out of a door below with a raised sword in his hand.

Progressing again towards the centre of the building, the ritual choir of three bays and the sacrarium claim the attention. The tombs here of Aveline of Lancaster, her husband Edmund Crouchbank and Aymer de Valence—all of the 13th century—are among the finest in the abbey. Near the insignificant tomb of Anne of Cleves lies Anne, wife of Richard III., and some of the abbots of Westminster. Busby and South are buried close to the altar. The mosaic pavement consists of porphyry, lapis lazuli, jasper, touchstone, alabaster, and Lydian and serpentine marbles. These were brought by Abbot Ware from Italy and arranged in the reign of Henry III. by Roderick.

An excellent view can be gained by looking west from the altar rails. The absolute sympathy of all the parts of this lovely building, the graceful arches, the diaper work in the spandrils of the choir arches, the loftiness and mysterious atmosphere of the ancient structure will appeal to all the highest aspirations of the individual. It is the temple of God, and also the shelter of those either of noble or lowly birth who have, according to their capabilities, furthered civilisation and promoted the common good; who, in fact, have done God’s work in this present world and endeavoured to make their fellow-men more worthy of the world to come. No one can enter this abbey and not be impressed by the dignity and solemnity of the surroundings. To look at the small, insignificant pulpit in the nave is nothing; but to learn that Latimer preached from it is everything. All is in keeping—nothing jars upon the artistic sense—with perhaps the exception of the numerous monuments. Still, these too have their place in showing that the mother-abbey takes into her arms all those who have worthily fulfilled the mission of their lives. The cloisters on the south side of the abbey are of great interest and contain many monuments, and the windows, too, in the south alley are remarkably beautiful. On this side are remains of the north wall of the former refectory. The chapter-house is one of the largest in England and was for many years used as a House of Commons. Earl Simon de Montfort assembled his first representative parliament here in the 13th century. The dormitory of the monastery is now used by the boys of Westminster School, founded by Queen Elizabeth, 1560.

The remote history of Westminster Abbey is enveloped in mystery, its earliest foundation being firstly ascribed to Lucius, King of Britain in the 2nd century, and secondly to Sebert, King of the East Saxons, who, in the 7th century, was converted into the Christian faith by Mellitus, an emissary of Augustine. Be this as it may, the first certain knowledge concerning the abbey is that Offa, King of Mercia, gave some lands to the monastery at Westminster in the 8th century. Nearly three hundred years had elapsed when Edward the Confessor, persuaded by the monks, was induced to build an entirely new building at an enormous cost. This, the founder determined, should be the “place of the King’s constitution and consecration for ever.” Among other gifts, the bounteous King gave rich vestments, an embroidered pall, a dalmatic, some spurs, a golden crown, a sceptre, and also confirmed all the previous endowments. The new abbey was dedicated on Holy Innocents’ day, 1065. Unfortunately the King was too ill to attend this ceremonial. He died eight days after, and was buried in front of the high altar. In the time of William the Conqueror a great synod was held in the church. Archbishop Lanfranc presided over the meeting at which the conduct and capability of the English clergy were closely examined, “yet with covert design of making room for the new-come Normans.” The Conqueror in many ways endeavoured to ingratiate himself with the newly conquered people. For this reason he was crowned in the abbey by the side of its founder’s tomb. The Feast of Edward the Confessor was observed annually with much pomp in the sacred building.

In the 13th century Henry III. began to rebuild the abbey—the choir, transepts and chapels of the present structure being entirely his work. Little remains of the Confessor’s Norman building (the first of this style built in England) except some parts of the cloisters and the Chapel of the Pyx. The trial of the Pyx took place in the former apartment until the recent removal of standard coins to the mint. The Jerusalem Chamber is also an important relic of the Benedictine monastery. It was built in 1363 by Littlington, who also rebuilt the abbot’s house. Henry IV. died within its walls. Henry V. gave the trappings of his coursers to the abbey—to be converted into vestments. In this reign the building of the nave was pushed forward and the Te Deum sung after the battle of Agincourt. Caxton set up his printing press in the almonry at Westminster during the reign of Edward IV. Henry VII. added greatly to the beauty of the building by annexing his chapel to the east end. During his reign, Skelton, the first poet laureate, sought sanctuary in Westminster, which is the last instance on record of a person claiming this right. Sir Thomas More was imprisoned in the abbot’s house in 1534—a few years before the Dissolution of the monasteries. The usual fate overtook the religious establishment at Westminster, but as in the cases of Chester, Gloucester, Peterborough, Oxford and Bristol, the monastic church was converted into a cathedral—and a new bishopric formed. Thirlby became the first Bishop of Westminster in 1540—but was translated to Norwich ten years later and the bishopric suppressed. In this transaction the abbey lost some property which came into the possession of St Paul’s Cathedral, a circumstance to which the origin of the well-known saying, “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” may be adduced. The shrine of the Confessor was re-established in 1557, the old constitution having been restored two years previously. In the reign of Elizabeth this was again annulled.