Capitular Concordance

BACKGROUND

 

This work is defined as a CAPITULAR CONCORDANCE, capitular being the adjective for a cathedral chapter and concordance according to Webster is an index of the words or passages of a book or author. So in essence, this is a work which enables those doing research to find the references more easily and to understand the context. The newsletter Jot & Tittle, takes excerpts from these notes.

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Trawling through the records of Salisbury Cathedral Chapter meetings to see what might be of interest and below are the items that, to use one of the Chapter Clerk’s standard phrases, after mature deliberation, caught my eye. Chapter minutes are not only valuable as a primary source but also as a written record of verbal decision making. The minutes have by their very nature been abbreviated and possibly ‘sanitised’ so a certain amount of ‘reading between the lines’ is sometimes necessary.

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I have arranged the extracts by subject matter as they give a real insight into life in the Church and laity in the 18th and 19th centuries. I have given date references to enable each passage to be looked up in the original, and direct quotes are shown in italics. ‘…’ has been used where a word (or words) is indecipherable or simply missing (the clerk often failed to record Christian names). With some paragraphs I have been unsure of the meaning: John Nourse [?] Clerk Master of Arts prebendary of the major part of the Altar. There was however a prebend known as Major Pars Altaris.

The 1852-1864 minute book begins with October 1851 and I notice that with this new start a left-hand column has been inserted with the date added.

To put the minutes in context, the following monarchs reigned during this period:

• • George l 1660 - 1727

  • George II 1727 to 1760

  • George lll 1760 to 1820

  • George lV 1820 to 1830

  • William IV 1830 to 1837

  • Victoria l 1837 to 1901

 

The following Bishops were Ordinaries of the Salisbury diocese:

• • • • • Gilbert Burnett 1689 - 1715 - Preacher at the Rolls Chapel, died in office.

        • William Talbot 1715 - 1721 - Translated from Oxford and to Durham

        • Richard Wills 1721 - 1723 - Translated from Gloucester and to Winchester

        • Benjamin Hoadly 1723 - 1734 - Translated from Hereford and to Winchester

        • Thomas Sherlock 1734 - 1748 - Translated from Bangor and to London

        • John Gilbert 1748 - 1757 - Translated from Llandaff and to York

        • John Thomas 1757 - 1761 - Translated from Peterborough and to Winchester

        • Robert Hay Drummond 1761 - Translated from St Asaph and to York

        • John Thomas 1761 - 1766 - Translated from Lincoln and died in office

        • John Hume 1766 - 1782 - Translated from Oxford and died in office

        • Shute Barrington 1782 - 1791 Translated from Llandaff and to Durham

        • John Douglas 1791 - 1807 - Translated from Carlisle and died in office

        • John Fisher 1807 - 1825 - Translated from Exeter and died in office

        • Thomas Burgess 1825 - 1837 - Translated from St David’s and died in office

        • Edward Denison 1837 - 1854 - Fellow of Merton college and died in office

        • Walter Kerr Hamilton 1854 - 1869: Formerly Canon and Precentor, died in office

        • George Moberley 1869 - 1885: Formerley a Canon of Chester, died in office

        • John Wordsworth 1885 - 1911: Oriel Professor of Divinity, Oxford, died in office

 

The following Deans were in office:

• • • • • Robert Woodward 1691 - 1702

        • Edward Young 1702 - 1705

        • John Younger 1705 - 1728

        • John Clarke 1728 - 1757

        • Thomas Greene 1757 - 1780

        • Rowney Noel 1780 - 1786

        • John Ekins 1786 - 1808

        • Charles Talbot 1809 - 1823

        • Hugh Pearson 1823 - 1846

        • Francis Lear 1846 - 1850

        • Henry Parr Hamilton 1850 - 1880

        • John Charles Ryle 1880 - 1880 (promoted Bishop of Liverpool)

        • George Boyle 1880 - 1901

 

One of the books begins The Register or Act Book of the Reverend and Worshipful Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sarum beginning the twenty seventh day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred forty and one. Thomas Frome Notary Publick being Chapter Clerk.

Dean John Clarke DD

Canons Residentiary:

Richard Eyres MA

John Bampton MA

Joseph Sager MA

Thomas Wishaw MA

Hugh Wynn DSS

Thomas Pyle MA

 

Although hand-written on parchment the minutes are set out in a business-like fashion, always with a rubric, such as:

On Thursday 30th day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four between the hours of twelve and two of the clock in the afternoon of the same day at the Deanery. Then and there present the Reverend and Worshipful Hugh Nicolas Pearson Clerk DD Dean of Sarum, the Reverend Matthew Marsh Clerk BD, the Reverend William Macdonald Clerk MA, the Reverend Lidcombe Clarke Clerk MA Canon Residentiary of the said Cathedral Church in Chapter assembled.

Present also me.

 

Note that even now the Archdeaconry is still referred to as Sarum.

In 1733 the page numbers go awry when the book reaches page 15 and goes back to page 1. And in April 1848 there is a large insertion, marked with a pictograph showing a saltire cross with a dot between each of the arms. The paragraph has then be inserted in the left-hand margin at right-angles to the rest of the text. The first book is largely in Latin with occasional passages in English. Then from April 1733 onwards the minutes are all in English. The Latin paragraphs began with the following in bold:

 

Deinde - Then or next

Quibus - By which

Eisdem - The same

Cum - As soon, on/during which, whereas, while, as well as

Die Luna - Monday

Die Martis - Tuesday

Die Mercury - Wednesday

Die Jovis - Thursday

Die Veneris - Friday

De Sabbati - Sunday

 

In the early 1700s there appears to have been a short-lived fashion for using double letters - chappell be ffitted. The words are also sometimes difficult to read, especially in the earliest books, but in May 1793 when a new clerk takes over, there is a distinct improvement.  Then in July 1827 clerk, John Lush Alford, also starts to regularises the dates of meetings, eg the first Wednesday in every Residence. Unusually, in July 1786 there were two chapter meetings, from 9:00am to 12:00pm and from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. This was to finalise the deal with the City Council - see end of section on Land and Property. I am not sure what the quorum was for a Chapter meeting but on 9th October 1786 there were only three present (including John Ekins, Dean) and in January 1795 Not present a number sufficient to make a Chapter. Whereas in July 1846 in Chapter assembled and making a Chapter.

 

Also in the same month there was a rare scandal which resulted in 14 Canons assembling in the Chapter House to decree the Reverend Francis Lear Dean in place of Hugh Nicolas Pearson resigned. I understand that a young lady from the Teachers Training college may have been involved. Pearson applied the next day for confirmation of renewed lease on the Parsonage and Manor of Mere, which was approved.

 

In October 1868 the Chapter meeting was cancelled due to the absence of the Dean and two of the Canons. Again in October 1870 a meeting was cancelled as Dean and four Canons were unavoidably absent. Properties were usually referred to by the name of the lessee, sometimes going back generations: Viddler late Hodding now Toone, High Street.

 

The location varies and can for example be the Dean’s House, one of the Canons’ houses or the Vestiary; This may in part (as today)be due to the lack of heating: In Chapter House then adjourned to Vestry. The Chapter House is only used on special occasions such as for the election of a Dean or Bishop. Annually there was a Pentecostal Chapter meeting. The Chapter House is also used where voting is required, such as at the election of a new Canon Residentiary, as other rooms were too small. I have not been able to find a definition of a Pentecostal Chapter meeting but its significance on Whitsun (eighth Sunday after Easter) could be related to the ‘birth of the Church’ and the first meeting of the eleven apostles without Jesus.

 

August 1559: Be it ordered, that all and every Prebendary of this Churche shall together be present here at the feast of Whitsuntide, and soe continue eight days. In the which tyme the Statutes and Ordinaunces of thys Churche and all other the Queenes [Elizabeth I] Majesties Injunctions shall be solemnlye read in the Chapter House, where they shall consult for execution of the same.

Petition to Prince Regent for Royal confirmation of Pentecost Statute.

 

Each minute book has an index (sometimes at both front and back), useful when a particular passage or word is unreadable. Lower case letters were a comparatively recent development and upper case is often used for all nouns. Spelling can change (Munday) and punctuation is hardly ever used despite its practice dating back to the17th century. Proper nouns vary wildly in spelling: Vicarage of Alvington otherwise Avelington otherwise West Allington with the chapelries thereto. Interestingly, Southampton is referred to as Southamptonshire, a status that apparently lasted until April 1959! The clerk also uses many stock phrases such as for potential canons: ‘on which day appeared personally’ and for finally approved canons: ‘a place and a voice’. ‘In the room of’ simply meant ‘replaced by’.  Said is also used to the point of monotony. One lease covers the Wardrope. Interestingly, the Quire is always written Choir. Quire in its original form referred just as much to the singers as it did to their location so our modern usage seems to be a deliberate attempt at archaism. Quire used for the first time in May 1880 but Choir still used after that.

 

There is a certain amount of confusion over street names in Salisbury as modern names are sometimes new, or old but applied to different streets. In January 1842 the Chapter Clerk writes: The house of late William Hussey in Minster Street otherwise High Street. Consulting a Medieval street map printed in 1800, it shows the modern High Street named correctly followed in brackets by its Medieval name, Minster Street. It could be that the rental records had not been updated to reflect these changes. Just to confuse matters further, the map shows that Castle Street was also originally Minster Street, and Endless Street/Queen Street/Catherine Street were the High Street. Other geographic questions: lease of a stable in St. Mary’s Abbey [next to the site of the present Cross Keys mall] late Whitchurch’s. Also Fisherton late Shorts. Minster Street otherwise called Poultry Street.

 

Grammar and spelling becomes more modern in the later books but there are still oddities: To-morrow. Memorial is our Memo. Linen is spelt Linin.

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Note my abbreviations: EC refers to Ecclesiastical Commissioners, D&C to Dean and Chapter, QAB to Queen Anne’s Bounty and CFC to Messers Castle, Field & Castle. Comments in square brackets are the editor’s and may reflect other research.

Money is in L.s.d. (the L, s and d originating from the Latin Librae, solidi and dinarii) ie Pounds Sterling, shillings and pence. There were 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. The penny could also be divided into 2 and 4 as halfpenny and farthing. Where you see money written 3/- that stood for 3 shillings.

Land is also measured in three parts: acres, rods and perches. These measurements can be confusing as rods and perches can be linear as well as square. An acre was 4840 square yards or a furlong x a chain; a rod (originally rood) was 1210 square yards (40 square rods or a furlong x a rod) and a perch (or pole)was one square rod. A chain was 22 yards or 4 rods whilst a furlong was 220 yards or 40 rods.