CHURCHES THAT WERE REFUGES

Evening Star, Issue 25673, 22 December 1945, Page 6

CHURCHES THAT WERE REFUGES

CHAIRS OF PEACE 'By E. IR. YARHAM. 'From the very earliest times the custom of providing places of refuge for those in distress and peril has prevailed. The Jews had their Cities of Refuge, and when Christianity reached Britain the precincts of the first early churches were recognised as having sanctuary rights, and later special privileges were granted to certain of them by Royal Charter, among them heing Westminster Abbey, Durham Cathedral, and Beverley Minster. . To these the fugitive, whatever the reason for which he sought safety, fled, and every year the Church protected about a thousand seeking sanctuary, administering the privileges impartially to rich and poor alike. In Beverley Minster stood the Peace Stool, in which it was said the worst criminal might feel safe. It bore the inscription : " This stone chair is called <' Chair of Peace,' to which what criminal soever fly hath full protection." There were similar chairs in other churches. This was a unique way in which the Church gave sanctuary, but down the centuries there have been countless occasions when those in trouble have fled to the sheltering walls of the Church. These have not been wrong-doers endeavouring to escape justice, but the innocent victims of war and revolt, hoping to find safety within the sanctuary. When Edward IV. had temporarily to pee the country because df rebellion he left his young wife, Elizaheth Woodville, in the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. There she stayed for six months, during which period the unhappy prince. Edward V., was born. He was one of the princes murdered in the Tower, the other being ißichard of York FORTIFIED CHURCHES. Actually, during the stormy days of the Saxons, and even during the latter part of the Middle Ages, many churches were strongly fortified. There is some dispute as to why round towers were erected, but certainly one of their uses was defence, borne out by the fact that," especially in Ireland, the doorway is such a 'height frOm the ground. To these churches retreated the inhabitants of the villages or towns in which the churches stood when danger threatened. Churches that were definitely fortified include those ■ at jßurgh-by-sands, Newton Arlosh, and Great Salkeld, all on the Scottish Border, whose turbulent history is .well known to all. These churches all have a tower, with the only entrance from the church itself. ; At ©arton-on-Humber there is an. example of a "churchified fort," part of the church in Anglo-Saxon' times having been the house of the local thane., Examples of defensive work in East Anglia are the Abbey Gateway at Bury St. Edmunds, and the Ethelbert Gate, Norwich, both erected as a fine upon the citizens for the protection of the monks following riots. Many fortified churches and monasteries existed on the Continent, and •were frequently used as refuges. The defenders had arrangements by which they could drop missiles on those who got close to the doors and walls. A very fine example of a fortified church is that at Torcello, at Islam, near Venice ? where the windows are fitted with big shutters of stone. There survives here a -very curious custom of the parish priest saying Mass at Christmas 'wearing a military helmet, because in former times-he was looked up to as the leader in defending the island. CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY. • One of the most famous churches in the world is that of the Nativity, at Bethlehem, said to be built over the very manger where Christ was born. Around it- cluster numerous other churches, convents, and monasteries, [fs fortress-like walls were built 1,600 years ago, and it is reputed to be the oldest monument of Christian architecture in the world. Yet it has to be entered by a door so small and narrow, and only 4ft tall, that it is difficult to squeeze through. The door was made so tiny during the time of the Moslem persecution of the Christians, who often fled to the church for safety during the time of bloodshed. The entrance of aggressors was rendered more difficult by the small doorway. In the heart of rural Norfolk stands the little town of North Walshara, with one of those stately • parish churches that are the glory of East Anglia. This house of God was (»»;.ce the scene of fierce conflict. In 1381 there was a great battle on North WalBham. Heath, about- a mile from the town, between a host of Norfolk labourers who had revolted against the treatment they had to endure at the hands of their feudal lords, and the ; latter's. troops. The rebels, numbering some thousands, under John Litester, a dyer, of Norwich, were defeated by a trained force under the warlike Bishop Henry le Spencer of Norwich, and fled in confusion back to the town, many seeking refuge in the church which, perhaps, they had helped to build. Bishon le Spencer followed the rebels, and slew all who were captured, showing ho respect for the sanctuary to -which they had retreated. Two of the most holy spots in Christendom are Holy Island (or Lindisfarne). off the coast of Northumberland, whence set out the missionaries who did much to convert England, and lona, off the west coast of Scotland, the centre from -which that country received the Gospel. Both were ravaged by the heathen. The Danes landed on Holy Island, and slew the monks in the sanctuary. The survivors rebuilt the church, but, in 883, fearing another incursion, they fled inland, carrying the body of'St. Cuthbert and other holy relics. During the same long continued wars with the Danes, lona became a place of refuge, but the Danes cared nought for its sacredness. They set fire to the monastery and slew 86 monks in 801. They lighted the island with ruin's torch, And the holy men of. lona's church In the temple of God lay slain.

Seventeen years later the " Raven of the North " swept down with tenfold fury, and sacrificed the abbot and 15 monks to Odin. In the Fenlands stands Northwold Church, with its beautiful Easter sepulchre. It is interesting to us because it has a painted wooden memorial erected in 1727 by Dr Samuel Knight (biographer of Erasmus and Colet) to revive the memory of a rector, Dr Robert Burhill, " who by his learned works writt in Latin, against the greatest champions of ye Romish Church did great service to ye Protestant cause in general as well as to ye Church of England in particular. He was 'most intimate with the famous Sir Walter Raleigh, and assisted him in ye critical part of his ' History of ye World.' He was also a good antiquary and poet as well as a great divine, which appears from several valuable manuscripts of his now in Oxford. In this place he took sanctuary at ye breaking out of ye troubles in October, 1641." WAR-DAMAGED CATHEDRAL. During that Civil War Worcester Cathedral suffered much. The Royalists

secreted great quantities of stores and provisions in it, but when the Parliamentarian army, under the Earl of Essex, entered the city they marched to the cathedral, where, "after every sort of vulgar abuse and waritou destruction that could be effected," they pulled down the altar and -destroyed the vestments. Nine years later, in 1651, Charles 11. was disastrously defeated at Worcester when trying to overthrow Cromwell. His council of war was held in the cathedral tower,, from whence he had the mortification of seeing his men pursued across the river, the last hopeless encounters taking place in the streets. During the same war Lichfield Cathedral was actually stormed by " fanatic Broke." a general in the Parliamentarian army. Curiously enough, while the city was for the Roundheads, the cathedral andl close were fortified and garrisoned for the King. The close was surrendered in the siege of 1643, retaken, and again besieged and surrendered in 1646. The central tower was shot down, the splendid west front seriously damaged, and the bishop's palace completely destroyed. It was little more than a w.reckof walls and rubble at the Restoration, but has been lovingly rebeautified.

Few churches in the west of England are of greater interest to lovers of h'rs- ' tofy and architecture than WestonZoyland, Somerset. It is one of the finest of the great perpendicular churches for which the country is famous, and forms a landmark seen over many miles of surrounding moorland; The church is closely linked with Sedgemoor, less than a mile away. The royal army of James, 11. encamped around the church on the night of the battle (July 5, 1685), and after Monmouth's defeat 500 of his hapless followers were imprisoned in the church for weeks. Many were wounded; five died during their imprisonment; and parochial records show, that 22 were hanged " with us "—that is, on the ■■ 6pot. . The remainder were at length marched off to appear before Judge Jeffreys at the " Bloody Assize." (Remembering its stormy history,' it is not surprising to find that the north of England and the Border Country provide ample evidence.. of churches suffering in time of war. During the wanton destruction of the city: by the Scottish army on its surrender, in 1640, 6ix out of eight of the bays ; of Carlisle Cathedral were torn down. The stones were used to strengthen the fortifications of the city. In Fifeshire stands Lindores Abbey,' which is now in ruins, but which often provided sanctuary to the hunted in stormy days of old. There Wallace rested after tiie struggleat the wood of Black Irnsy-de; and to it in 1488 came Red Douglas, > last of- a long line of descendants ol the Black Douglas, condemned to enter into the brotherhood of monks, aud with the bitter words on his lips, " He that can no better do must needs be a monk."^ Ripon suffered much from the incursions of the Scots. Particularly ,n 1316 they arrived, - eager to follow up the victory of Bannockbura two years earlier. • The f people fled to their glorious Minster,' for Ripon was never a walled and fortified town, and for three days were shut up while the invaders pillaged their homes. The Minster itself and the people were only spared on payment of a ransom of a thousand marks. On the other, side of the border lovely Melrose suffered even worse at the hands of the English. In 1322 Edward 11., retreating before the Scots and their mighty ally, famine, sacked and plundered the monastery and slew the prior and many of the monks who had v . taken refuge within it; and-some 60 years later King Richard 11. burned- 1 both Melrose and Dryburgh. s During one of the all-too-common wars between the peoples of Wales and England a terrible massacre took place in the monastery of Bangor-is-Coed, in Flintshire Ethelfrith of Northumbria attacked the local king, and a band of monks from the monastery went out to encourage and pray'for the" Britons—that is, the Welsh. The heathen king, hearing who they Vrere, had them cut down, and after winning the battle' marched off to the monastery. To it large numbers of Christians had fled, but Ethelfrith slaughtered nearly 2,000 of them, and completely ransacked the buildings and then burnt them.