Bench-ends in English churches / by J. Charles Cox ... with 164 illustrations.

  • John Charles Cox
Date:
1916
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Bench-ends in English churches / by J. Charles Cox ... with 164 illustrations. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    north of north aisle and west of south aisle. Kent— Adisham, both sides of nave. Bapchild, round north chapel. Lydd, round piers. Lincolnshire—Bottesford, Caistor, and Claypole, all round piers. Norfolk—Hunstanton and Snettisham, round piers. Tunstead, both aisles. Northamptonshire—Cottesbroke and Ufford, round the aisles. Warmington, each side of chancel. Oxfordshire—I psden, north and west walls. Rutland— Tixover, each side of chancel. Somersetshire—Moulton, round piers. Priddy and North Petherton, south aisle. Brimpton, west end. Sussex—New Shoreham, aisles (7). Warwickshire— Stratford-on-Avon, round western piers. Wiltshire—Bishop- stone, south and west walls of south transept. Bratton, round piers of central tower. Yorkshire—Hemingborough, south and west walls. Kirby Sigston, north aisle. Middleton, north and west walls. Patrington, round nave. Church porches were usually provided with stone benches, which chiefly served for rest both before and after the services. A like use was made of the lowest step of the churchyard cross, particularly in Somersetshire, where they are numerous; we have known the last century sextons of both Luccombe and Selworthy, in West Somerset, leave the church on Sunday afternoons to see that they were not thus used during service time. At Stogumber church, Somerset, an external bench-table runs the whole length of the north aisle ; in this instance the chief entrance to the church is on this side, and it has been suggested that this outside seat was provided for those who were listeners to a sermon from the churchyard cross in summer time. It seems probable that the first permanent wooden church seats were those provided for the use of the priests and other clerks within the chancel during the quire offices ; they were provided with stone seats or sedilia on the south side of the altar, for use during High Mass, from Norman times downwards. There are a few of these chancel stalls extant which show Early English work of the thirteenth century. The custom, however, of supplying permanent wooden seats for any part of the con¬ gregation came about very gradually, and it possibly originated with the fixing of seats in chantry parcloses or guild chapels, and thus the custom spread to the general body of the church. We know that the habit obtained in certain churches before the close of the thirteenth century, especially in the West of England, of supplying a certain amount of general seating for the congregation, both from a few surviving examples, and also from record evidence. In 1287 a synod was held at Exeter, under Bishop Quivil,
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