By Canon W. H. Jones. 327 



possess, was copied from it and possibly in some slight degree en- 

 larged, and in any ease adapted for use in the new cathedral, which 

 was at the very time being gradually built. It probably was the 

 work of William de Wenda, the active Dean, and he was no doubt 

 assisted by Edmund Rich (afterwards S. Edmund of Canterbury), 

 who held the dignity of Treasurer. No one can read § 5, which 

 explains the office and duties of the Treasurer, and details the heavy 

 charges on that dignitary for lights and other accessories of divine 

 worship, and recollects that it was at this time that the prebend of 

 Calne was permanently annexed to the treasurership, for the very 

 purpose that those who held the dignity might be able to continue 

 to supply in the same liberal manner, as was " instituted ^^ by 

 Edmund Rich, such lights and other " ornaments," without coming 

 to the conclusion that that great man helped forward a work, the 

 object of which was the more seemly and reverent worship of Al- 

 mighty God. 



It is strange, that though portions of the Old Register — notably 

 the account of the building of the new cathedral — had been printed 

 by Wilkins, Spelman, and others, no public attention had been 

 called to the consuetudinary till about seventy years ago, when 

 Mr. Hatcher, one of the compilers of the History of Salisbury, 

 brought it under the notice of Bishop Fisher. It was afterwards, 

 together with the rest of the old register, carefully transcribed at 

 the cost of Bishop Burgess, and that transcript is now in the muni- 

 ment room of the cathedral. The " Consuetudinary " has been 

 printed by Dr. Rock in the third volume of his " Church of our 

 Fathers," but that is an expensive and scarce book. Anyhow 

 probably few persons, without a translation, and sundry annotations, 

 would be able fully to understand it. There were hopes a little 

 while ago, that one well equal to the task — namely the Recorder of 

 Salisbury, Mr. J. D. Chambers — would have published an edition 

 of it : for most certainly a MS. which may be regarded as a directory 

 for the ritual of most of the churches in England up to the Refor- 

 mation must needs have an interest beyond that which is merely 

 archaeological. 



It has been already intimated that the treatise is not quite complete. 



