RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



for the few moments each day when the trap- 

 door above was opened and the master let down 

 their food by a cord. ' Temporal men ' belong- 

 ing to the house when guilty of serious offences 

 were punished by the secular power. 



The monks were not seldom called upon to 

 afford sanctuary to criminals and suspects fleeing 

 from the rough-and-ready justice of mediaeval 

 days. At Durham the privilege of sanctuary 

 extended to the church and churchyard. Persons 

 taking refuge fled to the north door of the cathe- 

 dral and knocked for admittance, using probably 

 the large knocker that is still upon the door. 

 Over this door there were two chambers in 

 which men were lodged at night for the purpose 

 of admitting such fugitives at any hour. When 

 any person was so admitted the Galilee bell was 

 immediately tolled to give notice that some one 

 had taken sanctuary. The offender was required 

 to declare in the presence of witnesses the 

 nature of his offence, and to toll a bell in token 

 of his demanding the privilege. He was then 

 provided with a gown of black cloth, having 

 St. Cuthbert's cross in yellow on the left shoulder. 

 Near the south door of the Galilee was a grate on 

 which these fugitives slept, and they were supplied 

 with provision and bedding at the expense of 

 the house for thirty-seven days.^' 



Four bell-ringers were kept in the church ; 

 two belonged to the vestry, had charge of the 

 copes and ornaments, and slept in a room above 

 the vestry ; the other two slept in a room over 

 the north aisle, kept the church clean, and locked 

 the doors at night. Very early on Sunday 

 morning they filled the holy-water stoups with 

 clear water, and one of the monks came in and 

 hallowed it. Every Sunday afternoon one of 

 the brethren preached in the Galilee from one 

 o'clock till three. On Fridays the 'Jesus mass' 

 was sung at the Jesus altar in the body of the 

 church, and after evensong in the choir the 

 'Jesus anthem' was sung by the choristers on 

 their knees while one of the Galilee bells tolled. 



There appear to have been no less than five 

 organs in the church. Three belonged to the 

 choir, of which one was used only on high 

 festivals, one when the four doctors of the 

 church ^* were read, and the third at the usual 

 daily services. The fourth organ was in the 

 Galilee, and was used daily at Our Lady's mass 

 by the master of the song-school ; while the 

 fifth stood in a loft by the Jesus altar, and was 

 used at the Jesus mass on Fridays.^' 



During Lent the children of the almonry 

 came daily to the north aisle of the choir where, 

 beneath a staircase, was kept the great ornament 

 known as 'the Paschal,' which it was their duty 

 to 'dress, trim, and make bright for Easter.' 



" Sanctuarium Dunelm. (Surt. See), xiv-xvi. 

 " viz. St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory, and 

 St. Jerome. 



^' Arch. Joum. xlv, 430, 431. 



This Paschal was, in tact, an enormous seven- 

 branched candlestick, much enriched with carving 

 and gilding, and in size, when set up, nearly as 

 wide as the choir, and so high that the topmost 

 candle — the Paschal candle par excellence — could 

 only be lighted by means of ' a fine conveyance 

 through the roof of the Church.' It was set up 

 on Maundy Thursday against the first step of 

 the choir, behind the three silver basins that hung 

 before the high altar, and remained there till the 

 octave of Ascension Day. It was considered to 

 be ' one of the rarest monuments in England.' 



On the Monday in Holy Week the brethren 

 went in procession to St. Oswald's church ; on 

 Tuesday to St. Margaret's, and on Wednesday 

 to St. Nicholas'. Maundy Thursday was a busy 

 day in the convent. Early in the morning thir- 

 teen ^^ poor old men, ' having their feet clean 

 washed,' '^ came to the cloister and seated them- 

 selves on a long carved bench brought out of the 

 church for the purpose. To them at nine 

 o'clock came the prior, attended by all his 

 monks. Certain prayers were said, and then the 

 prior washed and kissed their feet ; after which 

 he gave them each thirty pence in money and 

 seven red-herrings, serving them himself with 

 drink, three loaves apiece, and certain wafer- 

 cakes. Meanwhile the monks did the same to a 

 row of children sitting on a stone bench in the 

 south cloister. More prayers followed, and then 

 ' they did all depart in great holiness.' 



After this there was a great procession round 

 the church, the prior wearing his cope and mitre, 

 and the monks carrying St. Cuthbert's banner 

 and all the relics. At night the prior and con- 

 vent met again, this time in the frater-house, 

 using on this occasion only the large silver-gilt 

 mazer called the Judas cup. 



On the altar of Our Lady of Bolton stood a 

 hollow image of the Blessed Virgin with double 

 doors which, when opened, revealed the figure 

 of the Saviour, holding in His upraised hands a 

 large crucifix of solid gold. On Good Friday 

 two of the monks removed this crucifix and 

 brought it down to the lowest step of the choir, 

 where they held it while all the brethren, from 

 the prior downwards, barefooted, crept up to it 

 on their knees and kissed it. It was then 

 reverently placed in the sepulchre on the north 

 side of the choir, together with another image 

 of Christ, in the breast of which was inclosed 

 the holy Sacrament of the altar. Long prayers 

 followed, and finally two tapers were lighted 

 and set to burn before the sepulchre till Easter 

 Day. 



Between three and four o'clock on Easter 

 morning two of the oldest monks, each bearing a 

 silver censer, came to the sepulchre, knelt down 



'» Eighteen in some MSS. of the Riles. 



" By which the feelings of the prior were saved, 

 .ind much of the significance and beauty of the 

 ceremony lost. 



89 



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