ADDENDA TO "ORIENTATION OF ANCIENT CHURCHES" 



If the early church builders could be credited with the kuowledge of the 

 magnetic needle, the variety of church orientations might to some extent be 

 attributed to its use, because the needle itself has varied considerably at different 

 times. The earliest record of its variation is in 1576, when it was n° east of 

 true north ; in 1662 it was true north ; then it gradually went to the west until 

 1804, when it was 24° west ; since then it has been returning towards the true 

 north, and is now, for this longitude 20°, and for that of Norwich 17°, west of 

 true north. I do not, however, believe that the early church builders used the 

 needle, or even knew of its existence ; but if they did, and its variations were 

 the same before 1576 as since, the use of the needle would account only for 

 48° degrees of variation, whereas on collating the orientations of the cathedral 

 city churches (pages 64-5) and those of our own diocese, we find a range of 80°, 

 in short they are spread over the entire range of the sun's eastern amplitude, 

 proving, I think, that to sunrise between winter and summer, and not to the 

 limited variations of the magnetic needle, is due the great variety of church 

 orientations. 



In Notts and Queries, August 29th, 1885, appears a quotation from a French 

 author attributing the origin of the eastern position in prayer, and the conse- 

 quent orientation of churches, to the belief of the early christians that the 

 terrestrial paradise in the garden of Eden was in the east, and ought to be 

 tui-ned to in prayer. This tradition is likely enough to be true of the early 

 christians of Palestine and the southern parts of Christendom, and furnishes an 

 additional illustration of the temporising policy by which pagan observances, 

 instead of being eradicated, were converted into christian ritual and clothed in 

 Biblical dress ; thus the reverence for the region of the rising sun was transferred 

 to the supposed position of the terrestrial paradise. 



Now if this tradition had reached the early church builders of Britam, and 

 ruled their church orientations, we should expect to find all their churches set 

 from 25°% 30° south of east, that being the direction of Palestine and its 

 eastern regions ; or lacking sufficient geographical knowledge to arrive at that 

 result, they would surely have adopted some one eastern point— naturally the 

 true east— as an ideal position of the garden of Eden ; we cannot well suppose 

 they believed the terrestrial paradise to be at all points wherever the sun rose 

 throughout the year. The French author's theory therefore leaves untouched 

 the problem of the great diversity of English church orientation. 



In addition to the notices of churches in cathedral cities, it has been ascer- 

 tained that in Exeter the cathedral alone is south of east 6°, and all the ancient 

 churches from 4° to 39° north of east. 



