DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6914#0130
98
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
Church of St. Paul, in London, after being consumed by fire, in 1087, " was
builded upon arches, or vaults of stone, for defence of fire ; which was a manner
of work before that time unknown to the people of this nation, and then brought
in by the French."61 Stow further states, that the Church of St. Mary le Bow
was, about that time, built in the same manner. From those accounts Bentham
infers, that Somner was of opinion, that the Saxon churches were all either formed
entirely of timber, or had only upright walls of stone, and neither pillars nor
arches ; and he proceeds to refute that opinion by referring to the testimony of
more ancient writers.
Among the churches erected after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Chris-
tianity, several are mentioned by Bede. King Ethelbert built one at Canterbury,
dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul; intending it as a place of sepulture for the
Kings of Kent, and the Archbishops of Canterbury.52 He also founded the Church
of St. Andrew, at Rochester; and the Catbedral Church of "St. Paul, in London,
then the capital of the tributary kingdom of the East Saxons.53 The same writer
says of Edwin, King of Northumberland, " As soon as he was baptised, he took
care, by the direction of Paulinus, to build in the same place [where he had
raised a wooden chapel] a larger and nobler church of stone." ^ Though the
accounts of these edifices are very concise, and we are not told in what manner
they were constructed, yet Mr. Bentham concludes, " that the Saxon churches
were generally built of stone, and not only so, but that they had pillars and arches,
and some of them vaultings of stone, there is sufficient testimony from authentic
history, and the undoubted remains of them at this time."55 This opinion is
founded on his interpretation of the term porticus, repeatedly employed by Bede
to denote a part of the church in which distinguished persons were interred.
Bede says, that King Ethelbert was buried " in porticu Sancti Martini, intra Ec-
clesiam :',b6 " in the portico of St. Martin, within the church." Similar expressions
are used regarding several other persons. " From all these instances," says Ben-
tham, " where the word porticus occurs, it appears that the writers meant by it
either what is now commonly called the side-isle of the church, or, sometimes, it
51 " Survey of London," fol. vol. i. p. 638, ult. edit. 1754.
51 " Hist. Eccles." lib. i. cap. 33. 53 Ibid. lib. ii. cap. 3.
s+ Ibid. cap. 14. Another stone church of the same age, at Lincoln, is mentioned by Bede, the walls
of which, he relates, were standing in his time. Cap. 16.
55 "History of Ely," p. 17, edition 1812. 56 " Hist. Eccles." lib. ii. cap. 5.
ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUITIES.
Church of St. Paul, in London, after being consumed by fire, in 1087, " was
builded upon arches, or vaults of stone, for defence of fire ; which was a manner
of work before that time unknown to the people of this nation, and then brought
in by the French."61 Stow further states, that the Church of St. Mary le Bow
was, about that time, built in the same manner. From those accounts Bentham
infers, that Somner was of opinion, that the Saxon churches were all either formed
entirely of timber, or had only upright walls of stone, and neither pillars nor
arches ; and he proceeds to refute that opinion by referring to the testimony of
more ancient writers.
Among the churches erected after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Chris-
tianity, several are mentioned by Bede. King Ethelbert built one at Canterbury,
dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul; intending it as a place of sepulture for the
Kings of Kent, and the Archbishops of Canterbury.52 He also founded the Church
of St. Andrew, at Rochester; and the Catbedral Church of "St. Paul, in London,
then the capital of the tributary kingdom of the East Saxons.53 The same writer
says of Edwin, King of Northumberland, " As soon as he was baptised, he took
care, by the direction of Paulinus, to build in the same place [where he had
raised a wooden chapel] a larger and nobler church of stone." ^ Though the
accounts of these edifices are very concise, and we are not told in what manner
they were constructed, yet Mr. Bentham concludes, " that the Saxon churches
were generally built of stone, and not only so, but that they had pillars and arches,
and some of them vaultings of stone, there is sufficient testimony from authentic
history, and the undoubted remains of them at this time."55 This opinion is
founded on his interpretation of the term porticus, repeatedly employed by Bede
to denote a part of the church in which distinguished persons were interred.
Bede says, that King Ethelbert was buried " in porticu Sancti Martini, intra Ec-
clesiam :',b6 " in the portico of St. Martin, within the church." Similar expressions
are used regarding several other persons. " From all these instances," says Ben-
tham, " where the word porticus occurs, it appears that the writers meant by it
either what is now commonly called the side-isle of the church, or, sometimes, it
51 " Survey of London," fol. vol. i. p. 638, ult. edit. 1754.
51 " Hist. Eccles." lib. i. cap. 33. 53 Ibid. lib. ii. cap. 3.
s+ Ibid. cap. 14. Another stone church of the same age, at Lincoln, is mentioned by Bede, the walls
of which, he relates, were standing in his time. Cap. 16.
55 "History of Ely," p. 17, edition 1812. 56 " Hist. Eccles." lib. ii. cap. 5.