DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6912#0120
72
architectural antiquities.
History.—We cannot hope to recover, at present, the name of the original
founder of this chapel, as it was declared not to be known, upon an inquisition taken
in the third year of Queen Elizabeth, before Sir Nicholas Le Strange, knight,
Thomas Guybon, Henry Minn, and Henry Spilman, Esqrs. her commissioners. But
from its connection with the Gild of our Lady, in this town, it may naturally be
supposed to owe much of its present beauty, if not its foundation, to that society.
The gild was founded in the third year of Edward III. A.D. 1329 ; and I think no
part of this edifice can be confidently referred to so early a date. Many of those
associations possessed a degree of opulence sufficient for a much larger undertaking ;
and the endowment of a college still attests the liberality of the gilds of Corpus
Christi, and of the blessed Virgin Mary, at Cambridge. * In addition to the
numerous advantages which such institutions presented to their members, in regard
to mutual defence and counsel, harmony and profit, it should be remembered to
their praise, that their ordinances were conducive to good manners and good morals,
and closely connected with the religion of the times. It is easy to ridicule the
superstition which could expect to commute for sin, or merit a place in heaven, by a
mass ; but ought we not to respect the pious motive which induced them to follow
the light they possessed, and learn to make a better use of the clearer light which
we enjoy ? They cannot, however, but be thought to deserve well of the antiquary,
if they were in any degree instrumental in erecting or preserving such a building
as this. The attachment of this gild to "the honour of our Lady," was marked by
the days assigned for its four morwespeches.f These appear to have been held in
this building, and were all regulated by the festivals devoted to her honour ; viz.
the first on the Sunday after the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the second on
the day of the Annunciation of our Lady, the third on the day of the Assumption of
our Lady, and the fourth on the day of the Conception of our Lady. The gild of
St. Fabian and St. Sebastian also met occasionally at this chapel, and made their
offerings ; as appears by an order of that fraternity, made in the seventh year of
King Henry VII. But the number of devotees to the Virgin, who flocked to her
more celebrated shrine at Walsingham, in Norfolk, was immensely great; and as
* See Masters's History of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
t This name of their meetings affords a curious instance of the wild irregularity of ancient spelling. In the
Skyvan's, or Steward's book of St. Antony's gild, in this town, it is spelt mornspech, moronspech, moronspek,
morspeche, mosspych, morowspech, morowspece, morwspech. As these words all contain the elements of morrow,
or morning, and speech, I conceive them to mean a morning meeting, or ecclesiastical parliament of the little
community.
architectural antiquities.
History.—We cannot hope to recover, at present, the name of the original
founder of this chapel, as it was declared not to be known, upon an inquisition taken
in the third year of Queen Elizabeth, before Sir Nicholas Le Strange, knight,
Thomas Guybon, Henry Minn, and Henry Spilman, Esqrs. her commissioners. But
from its connection with the Gild of our Lady, in this town, it may naturally be
supposed to owe much of its present beauty, if not its foundation, to that society.
The gild was founded in the third year of Edward III. A.D. 1329 ; and I think no
part of this edifice can be confidently referred to so early a date. Many of those
associations possessed a degree of opulence sufficient for a much larger undertaking ;
and the endowment of a college still attests the liberality of the gilds of Corpus
Christi, and of the blessed Virgin Mary, at Cambridge. * In addition to the
numerous advantages which such institutions presented to their members, in regard
to mutual defence and counsel, harmony and profit, it should be remembered to
their praise, that their ordinances were conducive to good manners and good morals,
and closely connected with the religion of the times. It is easy to ridicule the
superstition which could expect to commute for sin, or merit a place in heaven, by a
mass ; but ought we not to respect the pious motive which induced them to follow
the light they possessed, and learn to make a better use of the clearer light which
we enjoy ? They cannot, however, but be thought to deserve well of the antiquary,
if they were in any degree instrumental in erecting or preserving such a building
as this. The attachment of this gild to "the honour of our Lady," was marked by
the days assigned for its four morwespeches.f These appear to have been held in
this building, and were all regulated by the festivals devoted to her honour ; viz.
the first on the Sunday after the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, the second on
the day of the Annunciation of our Lady, the third on the day of the Assumption of
our Lady, and the fourth on the day of the Conception of our Lady. The gild of
St. Fabian and St. Sebastian also met occasionally at this chapel, and made their
offerings ; as appears by an order of that fraternity, made in the seventh year of
King Henry VII. But the number of devotees to the Virgin, who flocked to her
more celebrated shrine at Walsingham, in Norfolk, was immensely great; and as
* See Masters's History of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
t This name of their meetings affords a curious instance of the wild irregularity of ancient spelling. In the
Skyvan's, or Steward's book of St. Antony's gild, in this town, it is spelt mornspech, moronspech, moronspek,
morspeche, mosspych, morowspech, morowspece, morwspech. As these words all contain the elements of morrow,
or morning, and speech, I conceive them to mean a morning meeting, or ecclesiastical parliament of the little
community.