St Mary de Crypt
by Russell Grant
Right in the heart of the city many generations of Gloucestrians have worshipped at a church here since 1140 and that's a conservative estimate. The church was placed under the welfare of Llanthony Secunda Priory in 1241, when this prosperous priory began a massive rebuilding program on St. Mary's which peaked in the late 1300s. The Crypt was used as a charnel house in the medieval period storing bones of the deceased. Around 1576 it was turned into an Elizabethan pub until the British Civil War when it became a wood shed and explosive store for Parliament and the Gloucester Garrison. Take a look at the Sundial outside which has its own wee bit of history with the impact of a shot from the Royalist gunners clearly visible. I personally like the iron-mace used by the Mayor during George II's reign, iron being symbolic and representative of a part of Gloucester 's prosperity. But for me the real highlight is the glorious wall painting fully revealed in 1982. Dated circa 1520s the Adoration of the Magi is from the Flemish school and as was the done thing in those days the little figure waving at you is the artist himself! You will find monuments to one and all including brasses to John and Joan Cooke, founders of the Crypt Grammar School in 1539 and continued until 1861 before relocating to Barton Street and Greyfriars and in 1943 /4 to its current site.
Greyfriars
The house of the Franciscan Grey Friars of Gloucester, near the south gate of the town, was founded about 1231 on land donated by Thomas I of Berkeley and King Henry III, a total Gloucesterphile and devout Christian, granted oak and other building timbers from his royal forest of Dean and elsewhere. It was one of three Gloucester monasteries supported by Henry III whose coronation was at Gloucester Cathedral. Agnellus of Pisa guided the friars in their work, they at first accepted only a small plot of land but soon after in 1239 they needed more and, by the persuasion of his wife, Thomas of Berkeley gave more. In 1246 Henry III allowed them to hold schools of theology in a turret of the town wall and by 1277 there were 24 friars and it was up to 40 by 1284 so much so that in 1285 the friars needed even more land.
A holy war broke out when they came into conflict with the Benedictines of St. Peter's Abbey (Gloucester Cathedral) who stole a corpse destined for burial in Greyfriars; in those days money was involved which obviously ended up in the Benedictine coffers. In the middle of the fourteenth century they were battling again this time when the friars claimed the right to the water coming from a spring at Breresclyft, Robinswood Hill. This time they won thanks to none other than Edward III, the Black Prince called in their favour on a visit to Gloucester in 1357. Come 1518 the Berkeley family again showed their patronage by helping to rebuild the priory.
In 1538 Richard Ingworth at the time of dissolution of the monasteries reported to Henry VIII's Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell, in charge of the destruction of the monasteries, that Greyfriars was 'a goodly house, much of it new builded.' It obviously wasn't to save the friary for worship but to see how much it would make on the property market for the royal exchequer. Many of the Grey Friars had already packed up and left for the continent after the Act of Supremacy in 1534, leaving just five to bear the consequences of closure in 1538.
Following their departure the church - with its abundant water supply - became a brewery. During the Siege of Gloucester it was damaged by Royalist cannon fire and by 1721 the chancels and cloisters were gone. It was converted into residences, an apothecary's lab, and at one point it was lodgings for sailors. Its final days was as a liquor store before being, thankfully, being declared a monument in the 1960s.
Greyfriars House
In 1810 Greyfriars House - now a library - was built into one end. It was built on an existing building that belonged to Sir John Powell MP for Gloucester in 1685. His story as a judge is one of open-minded and fairness, when a wretched so called witch Jane Wenman was accused of flying, he said she was innocent as there was no law that he knew of against flying! When he died in 1713 he was given a place of honour in Gloucester Cathedral – his epitaph is worth noting a tribute given by John Powell who knew Sir John: “He was the merriest old gentleman I ever saw, spoke pleasing things and chuckled till he cried” – my kind of guy!
Whitefriars
The house of the White or Carmelite Friars of Gloucester outside the north gate had its origin about 1268 and was founded with the help of Queen Eleanor, King Henry's wife, Sir Thomas Giffard, and Thomas of Berkeley. We also know that that goodly king, Henry III supplied the timbers as he did for the other Gloucester religious houses. In 1337 the number of friars was thirty-one and in 1343 Edward III allowed them to acquire a few acres of land from Thomas of Berkeley. In1347, by an agreement with the prior and brethren of St. Bartholomew's hospital, they obtained water running through a leaden pipe from 'Gosewhytewell' spring. On 25 July, 1538, at the Dissolution, Thomas Cromwell was told that the White Friars were ‘ready to surrender'. Amen.
Blackfriars
The house of the Black Friars of Gloucester was founded about 1239 just over 20 years after the order had been founded and St Dominic came on a mission to these islands in 1221, only four years after the Dominicans were formed. It is probable that Stephen, Lord of Harnhill, gave the site to the religious house, built on land on the bailey of William I's (the Conqueror's) castle; King Henry III got stuck in with his gifts of timber yet again. It took over twenty-five years to build and in 1246 King Henry dipped into his pocket giving 41 marks for extra land, a churchyard, and making a direct road connecting the friary to Gloucester 's main street.
A seal of the thirteenth century shows one bald-headed and bearded man in flowing garments, holding a book and a reversed sword by the point, probably St. Paul; the other tonsured, in the habit of the Friars Preachers, holding a long cross and a book; in base the half figure of a prior at prayer.
In the first half of the fourteenth century the number of friars varied from thirty to forty.
They were primarily preachers and teachers as well as confessors to the rich and powerful. Evidence of their community practise was dug up in 1991 with many skeletons of women and children, including that of a young woman with hereditary syphilis being excavated from the cemetery. The young woman left people scratching their heads as the disease was said to have come to Britain around 80 years after! It is thought there are another couple of thousand more bodies buried in friary's medieval precinct.
It is probable that, as at Bristol and elsewhere, many of the Gloucester Black Friars left these shores on the Act of Supremacy in 1534 and 1535 and the few who remained were in abject poverty, and had sold the greater part of their goods even their chalices made of precious metal had been changed to tin and copper. On 25 July, 1538, Richard Ingworth sent back his report to Thomas Cromwell that the Black Friars were ready to give in and give up.
In 1539 the priory was purchased by Sir Thomas Bell. He put it to good use and in a way carried on the Dominican's work by employing about a tenth of the city's population making knitted caps, as well as living there with his family. By the 1930s the glorious scriptorium was a mineral water bottling factory, part of the west range a pub.
Times change and now the priory with its magnificent timbered roof is the most complete survival of a medieval Dominican priory in Britain . The original medieval cloister, completed in 1239, includes my personal favourite, the Scriptorium, where the monks worked over 750 years ago. This is believed to be Britain 's oldest surviving library building. When I toured the place I was in awe. I can't remember seeing anything like in my well travelled life. You can still see and touch the heavy iron rings buried in the walls where the precious books were security-attached. You can see, feel and even hear the past in this amazing place filled with amazing grace.
Back
FREE Audio Downloads - Soundbytes
|
| Russell Grant interviews Susan Hamilton, to find out the facts about Gloucester Cathedral. Please feel free to download the audio files for your MP3 player or to listen to on your PC: |
|
Russell interviews Greg Ward at Country House Hotel & Restaurant in Gloucester
|
|
Useful information:
Producing content for Kids & Co TV channel launching in 2007 through Britain, Ireland, Europe and Asia.
|
|
Russell's Travel Features |
Read Russell's travel features:
|
 |
|
Filmimg in Gloucester |
|
|
Star Travel Features |
Russell's astrology features:
Coming soon
|
 |
|
| The Lord of Ashford's 5* Travels |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coming Soon
|
|
|
|
|
