w 
,"'—" i. +. 
REPORT. XXxI 
chalices were permitted in England, but only for atime. In 1222 the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury forbade the use of pewter or tin. Many of the medieval 
chalices were most richly jewelled and most beautifully engraved. A good 
general idea of the richness of our old Church Plate can be formed from the 
14th century Sacrist’s Roll of the Cathedral Church of Lichfield, printed in 
our Transactions of last year. The high altar had chalice, paten, and crewets 
of pure gold, and so richly jewelled as to be worth about 41,500. These were 
the gift of Bishop Langton. All the Derbyshire chalices of 1552 were either 
silver or silver gilt. 
In the early Church there were usually two chalices, one larger, with two 
ears or handles projecting from the upper part for the convenience of the 
deacon in administering to the people ; the other smaller, for the use of the 
priest and his ministers, and for small Communions. ‘Ihere is an excellent 
example of the large ancient chalice, said to be of the 9th century, at the Royal 
Irish Academy, Dublin, which holds about three pints. 
Next, as to the shape. These early two-handled chalices were commonly 
vase-shaped cups formed after a classic model—but in the 12th century, when 
the great revival of art took place, and articles were fashioned more carefully to 
fit their various uses, the chalice became a hemispherical cup with no rim of 
any kind, with or without handles, and mounted on a stem with a knop 
in the middle, and alarge round foot. After the withdrawal of the cup from 
the laity, the handles ceased to be of use, and were discarded, and the chalice 
became smaller. During the 12th century more importance began to be given 
to the cleansing of the vessels at the end of the service, and there gradually 
grew up the custom of drinking the ablutions. In the rubrics in the Manual 
of Salisbury, York, and Hereford Uses, after enunciating the modes of ablu- 
tion, the priest is ordered to lay down the chalice upon the paten. Now this 
direction, unimportant as it may seem, had theeffect of modifying entirely 
the shape of the chalice. The round-footed chalice was found apt to roll 
about when laid on its side; the foot was therefore made hexagonal, which 
allowed it to rest on two points set some distance apart. The hexagon was 
preferred to the octagon or other practicable figure, as giving points further 
apart. The hemispherical bowl was at the same time made more conical in 
shape, to facilitate the complete draining-out of the chalice when laid on its 
side.* ‘This shape continued in use until the middle of the 16th century. It 
is to be noted that our chalices from the 11th to the 16th centuries always 
consisted of three main parts—THE RIMLESS BOWL; the STEM, with a knop 
in the middle to hold the vessel by; and the Foot, which was a spreading 
one (always at least equal in diameter to the bowl) to render the chalice less 
ee = 
* First noticed by Mr. Micklethwaite, and communicated to me by Mr. W. H. St. John 
Hope. 
