Magic Statistics

Directly behind and overlooking Glasgow Cathedral rises the grassy mound known as the Necropolis.  Conceived in the early 19th century as Glasgow’s counterpart to Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, it became the burial place for the city’s rich and famous.

The monument to John Knox (1514-72) standing at the summit predates the establishment of the Necropolis by a few years.  The monument’s foundation was laid in 1825 in what was then known as Fir Park.  In 1831, the park was formally converted into a cemetery.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

The 12-foot John Knox statue, placed atop a 58-foot Doric sandstone column, shows the great reformer wearing a Geneva gown and holding a Bible in his right hand.

Interestingly, and perhaps surprisingly, this was the first statue of John Knox to be erected in Scotland and the building of it created enormous public interest. Knox was not buried below this memorial, but under what is now an Edinburgh car park!

That car park is behind St Giles’ Cathedral.

The next photo was taken with optical zoom.

The inscription at the base of the column reads:

"The Reformation produced a revolution in the sentiments of mankind, the greatest, as well as the most beneficial that has happened since the publication of Christianity."

In 1547 and in the city where his friend George Wishart had suffered, John Knox, surrounded with dangers, first preached the doctrines of the Reformation.  In 1553 on the 24th of August, the Parliament of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith presented by the Reformed Ministers, and declared Popery to be no longer the religion of this kingdom.

John Knox became then a Minister of Edinburgh, where he continued to his death the incorruptible guardian of our best interests.

"I can take God to witness, he declared, that I never preached in contempt of any man—and Wise men will consider, that a true friend cannot flatter: especially in a case that involves the salvation of the bodies and souls, not of a few persons, but of a whole Realm."

When laid in the grave, the Regent said, "There lieth he who never feared the face of man, who was often threatened with dag and dagger, yet hath ended his days in peace and honour."

Many of the graves, monuments, and mausoleums on the Necropolis are now neglected and dilapidated, imparting a Gothic and Romantic atmosphere.  For many Glaswegians, the Necropolis seems to have become a city park.  On the day we visited, people were strolling up and down the winding pathways, some were lying on the grass enjoying the sunshine, others were picnicking among the headstones.

The summit affords wonderful views of the city.

The website of the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis contains a wealth of information.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

Previous related posts:

• Glasgow Cathedral
• A Prayer of John Knox

The High Kirk of Glasgow, dedicated to St Mungo (aka St Kentigern), is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to have survived the Reformation virtually unscathed.  In the mid-6th century, St Mungo established a Christian community in what was to become Glasgow.  He was later consecrated the first bishop of Strathclyde.  It is believed that St Mungo built a wooden church here on the site of a Christian burial ground consecrated by St Ninian in the late 4th century.

St Mungo is remembered as the evangelist of Strathclyde and Cumbria.  After years of missionary work in Strathclyde and the surrounding area, poltical disorder forced him to re-locate to Cumbria, where he founded a church where today stands St Kentigern Crosthwaite.  Later in his life, he was able to return to the Glasgow area.  The cathedral stands at the place where he was buried, most probably in AD 612.  His remains were for centuries housed in his tomb inside the church, but they were removed sometime during the Middle Ages to an unknown location and subsequently lost.

(There is some doubt about the year of the saint's death; some sources say AD 603, others 612, still others 614.)

The first stone church on the site of Glasgow Cathedral was dedicated in 1136 in the presence of King David I.  Severely damaged by fire less than fifty years later, it was re-built as a larger church and re-dedicated in 1197.  The building has been expanded and renovated several times since.  The tower dates from the 13th century and is the last remaining intact tower on a Scottish medieval church.

The public square in front of the cathedral is dominated by a statue of the great Christian medical missionary David Livingstone.  In the photo on the left, the StatWife and StatDaughter are standing beside the statue on the day of our visit.  Glasgow Cathedral's great west front is at the far end of the square.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

The lamp standard seen above my daughter's head shows a representation of the Arms of the City of Glasgow, based on four miracles attributed to St Mungo.  Click here for details.  The city's motto, "Let Glasgow flourish", comes from words of St Mungo, the city's patron saint: "Lord, let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of thy word".

The next photo shows the cathedral's choir looking toward the high altar and the east window.  The mid-13th century choir is three storeys high.  Above the arcades are galleries (triforia) with two sub-divided openings in each bay; on top are clerestory windows with two or three openings in each bay.  The window, installed in 1951, shows the four evangelists St Matthew, St Mark, St Luke, and St John.  The pews were originally installed between 1851-1856 and re-furbished in 1957.

The cathedral is built on a hill sloping from west to east, which has enabled construction of an unusual feature: a lower church with a vaulted ceiling that sits underneath the main floor choir.  The lower church, given its present form during mid-13th century renovations, houses the chapter house and the crypt wherein is located St Mungo's tomb, situated directly beneath the altar of the main church. The next photo shows the west view of the Chapel and Tomb of St Mungo, near the centre of the crypt. 

An intrusive tourist partially blocks the scene, but you can see the brightly coloured cloth covering the tomb and depicting an open furnace with the cross at the centre.  The cloth was dedicated in 1973 in the presence of HRH Princess Margaret.

The lower church contains several small chapels in addition to St Mungo's.  At left is the Chapel of St Andrew, dedicated to nurses.  To the right of its eight chairs is a sign that reads: "Refurnished and brought back to use, after an interval of four hundred years, on Whitsunday 1961, as a place of prayer and meditation for members of the Nursing Profession".

The final photo shows the Covenanters' Memorial, placed on a wall in the lower church’s chapter house.  The Covenanters were Scottish Presbyterians who had signed the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643.  After the Stuart dynasty was restored to the British throne in 1660 when Charles II became king, Presbyterianism was outlawed and Anglicanism imposed throughout the united kingdom.  Covenanter activities were declared illegal.  Charles II and his successor James II waged a savage campaign of persecution and repression against rebel Covenanters.  Many were hunted down, jailed, killed (often without trial), or banished to Holland or America.  The conflict came to a head during the infamous "Killing Times" of 1680-88 when 18,000 people died.

This plaque memorialises nine men who were executed for their Presbyterian convictions and now lie buried in the chapter house.

Here lies the corps of
Robert Bunton, John Hart,
Robert Scot,
Matthew Patoun,
John Richmond,
James Johnston,
Archibald Stewart,
James Winning,
John Main,
who suffered at the cross of Glasgow,
for their testimony to the covenants
and work of reformation,
because they durst not own the
authority of the then tyrants,
destroying the same,
betwixt 1666, and 1688.

Years sixty six and eightyfour,
Did send their souls home into glore,
Whose bodies here interred ly,
Then sacrific'd to tyranny;
To covenants and reformation
'Cause they adhered in their station.
These nine, with others in this yard,
Whose heads and bodies were not spar'd,
Their testimonies, foes, to bury,
Caus'd beat the drums then in great fury.
They'll know at resurrection day,
To murder saints was no sweet play.

The original stone and inscription
Repaired and new lettered,
MDCCCXXVII.
At the expense of a few Friends of the Cause
For which the Martyrs Suffered.

Presbyterianism was established in Scotland in 1690 in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when the people of England overthrew the tyrant James II and invited William of Orange to become King William III.

Glasgow Cathedral has a website with a fine picture tour.  Another website with information and pictures can be found here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

John Ruskin (1819-1900), one of the most prolific and influential figures of the Victorian era, made his home at Brantwood, near the town of Coniston in the Lake District, for the last decades of his life.  Ruskin was a poet, artist, conservationist, philosopher, art historian and critic, and social commentator.  He rose to public prominence as a defender of the British painter J.M.W. Turner and, shortly thereafter, as a champion of the Pre-Raphaelites when their initial works provoked sharp controversy and even derision.

The only child of a devout evangelical mother and a successful merchant father actively interested in nature, travel, and art, Ruskin’s thought was rooted in two movements of the late eighteenth century: Romanticism and Evangelical Protestantism.

His mother raised him in her evangelical faith and taught him to memorise long portions of the Bible.  This formative experience was a life-long influence on his thought and writings but, by mid-life, his faith had waned, although he continued to espouse Christian moral teaching.

Ruskin's aesthetic views stressed the relationship between morality, art, and architecture.  Art, he believed, is concerned not only with beauty but also with truth—and thus with knowledge of good and evil.  Art and architecture reflect the moral nature and qualities of designers.

Later in his life, Ruskin focused on social criticism.  He loathed capitalism, modern technology, and the industrial system, and rejected the economic philosophy (then known as Political Economy) that justified the uprooting of traditional agrarian society.  He was a profoundly anti-modern, not to say reactionary, thinker who looked back to the Middle Ages as an ideal period.  Calling himself “a violent Tory of the old school”, he denounced liberalism, democracy, and equality as antithetical to justice and social harmony.  He upheld hierarchy, established order, and obedience to inherited authority as most conducive to protection of the weak and unfortunate.

Ruskin is buried in the yard of his parish church, St Andrew’s, his grave marked by a large carved Celtic Cross made of green slate from a local quarry.  The carved symbols represent important aspects of Ruskin’s life and work.

(Click on all photos for larger views.)

In the centre of the east face (shown at right) sits a young man writing poetry as the sun rises.  Ruskin won the Newdigate prize for poetry while a student at Oxford and his first published writings were poems.  Above the young man can be seen a winged lion, representing St Mark, patron saint of Venice, and at the top of the shaft a seven-branched candlestick.  Two of Ruskin’s influential books on art theory and history are The Stones of Venice and The Seven Lamps of Architecture.

The south face (above) bears a vine scroll with animals and flowers in the branches.

The west side (at left) represents works of social criticism Ruskin wrote later in his life.  The bottom illustration, showing Christ on his throne with two men standing next to him, one on his left and one on his right, refers to Unto This Last, which Ruskin regarded as his most important book.

Published in 1860, Unto This Last takes its title from the King James translation of The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (St Matthew 20:1-16).  At the end of the day, the labourers who worked only the last hour receive a penny, the same pay given to those who worked all day.  The workers who toiled through the heat of the day grumble against the good-man of the house, but he replies: “Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.”

Above are carvings relating to later works.

The north side (at right) has an interlaced pattern.

Coniston’s Ruskin Museum contains a permanent exhibition dedicated to the town’s most famous resident.  This is the text of the brief biography posted there.

One of the great figures of the nineteenth century, John Ruskin was born in the same year as Queen Victoria and died just a year before her.  Through his writings and lectures especially on art, architecture, and society, he was one of the most influential of all Victorians.  Passionately interested in geology and natural history, he was also a gifted artist.  The first Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University, Ruskin established his own Drawing School (in 1871), as well as the Guild of St George (1875), an association intended to set examples in rural economy and education; both are still flourishing today.

Born in London on 8 February 1819, John was the only son of Margaret Cox and John James Ruskin, a prosperous sherry importer in the firm of Ruskin, Telford, and Domecq, and received private tuition before taking a degree at Christ Church, Oxford.

In 1843 he published his first important book Modern Painters which began as a defence of the artist J.M.W. Turner — whom Ruskin recognised as the greatest of all British painters — and continued over four more volumes as a wide-ranging study of landscape, religion, and Old Master painting.  The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849) contained the first principles of architectural conservation, and The Stones of Venice (three volumes, 1851-3) cemented his reputation as a writer.  As well as emphasising the superiority of Venetian models, during the height of fashion for the Gothic Revival, it also celebrated the importance of craftsmanship within a well-ordered society.

Never entirely at ease in any company, Ruskin was nonetheless a dedicated teacher.  He began to give public lectures in 1853, and taught drawing at the Working Men’s College from 1854, producing a popular handbook The Elements of Drawing (1857).  In this, he emphasized that the act of looking, and understanding, was the key point in art.  He had become friendly with the Pre-Raphaelite circle in the early 1850s, defending their avant-garde work in the press, and acquiring drawings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Elizabeth Siddal, and, later, Edward Burne-Jones.

Further ideas on social equality and reforms were presented in Unto This Last, originally a series of magazine articles.  Its publication as a book in 1860 caused a furore, as Ruskin questioned the whole basis of capitalism, concluding that “There is no wealth but life”.  This book continued to be read well into the twentieth century, having a profound impact on later radical thinkers, and persuading the young Gandhi to fight for social justice.  Other collections of essays and lectures, including Sesame and Lilies (1865) and The Crown of Wild Olive (1866), also ran into dozens of editions.

From 1870 Ruskin lectured at Oxford, resigning in 1878 because of illness (partly brought on by a suit for libel brought by the painter Whistler) but resuming his Professorship from 1883 to 1884.  Perhaps the most significant of his later publications was Fors Clavigera (1871-84), a long series of monthly pamphlets, addressed to the “workmen and labourers of Great Britain” and outlining many new ideas.  Praeterita, his autobiography, was begun in 1885 but left incomplete.

In 1871 he bought Brantwood, picturesquely sited on Coniston Water, which would remain his home.  Ruskin suffered increasingly severe bouts of depression, and succumbed to almost total mental incapacity from 1889 until his death on 20 January 1900.  Although burial in Westminster Abbey was offered, his grave is in the churchyard at Coniston.

Ruskin’s art theory and criticism contributed decisively to the Gothic Revival, and his social and economic opinions had a profound influence on the British socialist and labour movements.  Toward the end of his life, however, he realised that his socio-economic arguments were not gaining enough support to change the course of British society.  This, compounded by illness and personal unhappiness, led him to withdraw to solitude at Brantwood, where he was cared for by his cousin Joan Severn.  After 1889, he wrote nothing more than a few letters and rarely spoke.  He died of influenza in January 1900.

The Victorian Web’s Ruskin portal is located here.  Another Ruskin portal, with links to online versions of his writings, can be found here.  Quotations by John Ruskin are posted here.

Brantwood is open year round for visitors.

The photograph of John Ruskin at the top is a platinum print taken by Frederick Hollyer in 1894. 

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box at the top of the page.

This is another very obscure English church that we would not have known about but for the information in Irving Hexham's The Christian Travelers' Guide to Great Britain (now sadly out of print).

Situated in the western part of the Lake District a few miles south-west of St Paul's, Irton, Muncaster is not shown on most maps, but it is adjacent to the coastal town of Ravenglass.  (Click here for a map.)  The main attraction in Muncaster is Muncaster Castle, which dates back to Roman times.

The church is located in the castle grounds.  The small, rugged stone building, said to have been originally built in the 12th century, was renovated in the 19th century.  No one was at the church when we dropped in, and we found no guidebook or pamphlet for visitors inside.  As well, the church has no website.  So, I can provide little historical information.  Below are a few photos with some biblical background which I hope will be of interest.

The most remarkable interior feature is the uncommon “Doom Window” (see below), so called because it depicts the Day of Judgment.  Christ sits on top in majesty surrounded by saints and angels, while below is shown the Archangel St Michael carrying the cross of victory and the sword of judgment as the dead are raised, some to salvation and some to condemnation.  Based on the text at the bottom of the window, the date of manufacture would be 1375.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

This church’s dedication to St Michael and All Angels is expressed in the stained glass windows.  Below is a window depicting St Michael and St Gabriel.

I have a post about St Michael here.

In the Old Testament book of the prophet Daniel, Gabriel is the angel who tells Daniel the meaning of his visions.  He also appears in the New Testament, first to Zechariah as the angel who prophesies the birth of John the Baptist.  Most importantly, Gabriel is the angel of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The window at left shows two angels previously unknown to me: St Raphael and St Vriel (or Uriel), both of whom are mentioned in the Old Testament Apocrypha. 

Raphael is sent to aid the holy man Tobit (or Tobias).  Uriel appears in 2 Esdras (4 Esdras in the Vulgate) when God  sends him to answer Ezra’s questions.

At right: "Praise Him, all ye angels of His."

In the churchyard stands an ancient stone cross (shown below).

The Muncaster Cross was carved in the 10th century around the same time as the Gosforth Cross.  The shafts of the two crosses have similar cable design patterns.

Unfortunately, the head of the Muncaster cross was broken off at some point.  The wheel-shaped head now lying at the foot of the shaft was found in a garden wall at Irton.  There is some disagreement as to whether this is the head originally carved at the top of the cross.

After admiring the church, we retired for lunch to a pub in Ravenglass that was recommended in The Good Pub Guide—another book that proved indispensable in planning our trip to Britain.  The Ratty Arms, built in an old Victorian railway station and named after “Little Ratty”, the narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, lived up its recommendation.  Below we see two happy customers.

More photos and information about the church can be found here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box at the top of the page.

Lanercost is situated a few miles northeast of Brampton in northern England.  The Bewcastle Cross can be found about ten miles north via single-track roads.  Click here for a map.

(Click on all photos for larger views.)

An Augustinian priory dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was founded at Lanercost by Robert de Vaux around 1166 during the reign of Henry II.  Built mostly with stone taken from nearby Hadrian's Wall, this frontier church in the English-Scottish borderlands was a scene of frequent conflict, which prevented the priory from accumulating significant wealth.

The two countries were at war from 1296.  A Scottish army under William Wallace occupied the priory and burned some of its buildings in 1297.  Edward I of England briefly visited in 1280 and 1300; while waging a campaign against the Scots in 1306, however, the elderly king fell ill and was forced  to stay the winter.  Lanercost Priory became the royal palace and had to accommodate an entourage of 200, including Queen Margaret.

The king's visit left the priory impoverished and weakened, making it an easy target of Scottish raids for a century.  In 1311, King Robert the Bruce ransacked the property and, in 1346, another large Scottish army under King David II pillaged the church.  In 1386, the Scots captured the priory and held it for ransom.

In 1537, Henry VIII dissolved the priory, dispersed the community, and gave the property to his friend Sir Thomas, Lord Dacre, the illegitimate son of Lord Dacre of Naworth.  Sir Thomas converted some of the buildings to private residences.  All other buildings except the church were reduced to rubble as materials were removed for nearby construction.

The last male heir of the Dacre family died in 1716, and the property passed to the Howards lord of Naworth, who had became Earls of Carlisle in 1661.

The nave at the west end of the priory church was preserved as the local parish church, but the choir and transepts at the east end of the church were not maintained and now stand as ruins.  Even the nave was allowed to fall into disrepair and had to be partially abandoned near the end of the seventeenth century.  The congregation was able to use only the north aisle until the nave was restored and a new roof installed in the 1740s.

The photo at the top shows the striking and imposing Early Gothic west front of the parish church.  In the niche at the top stands a statue of the priory’s patron saint St Mary Magdalene, who had a widespread and devoted following in the medieval church.  Her life of good deeds following Christ's public absolution of her sins illustrated two themes central to medieval monasticism: repentance and forgiveness.

The church’s north aisle has three stained glass windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and manufactured by William Morris and Company.  I was unable to get a good shot of them, so I scanned the image at right, showing the Annunciation of Jesus’ birth to the Shepherds, from the priory’s guide book.

The next two photos are of the east end of the church—the ruined chancel, chapels, and transepts.

The photo above shows part of the north crossing with arches and two rows of windows dating from the early thirteenth century.  The oldest parts of the church date from the late twelfth-century and feature tall pointed (lancet) arches with a single row of windows (clerestory) above.  The later arches shown here, however, are squatter, allowing for an additional middle story, the triforium, with rounded arches.

The final photo, below, is of the presbytery at the east end of the church with tombs of the Dacre and Howard families.  On the left side is the tomb of Lord Thomas (father of Sir Thomas who was given the priory in 1537) and Lady Elizabeth Dacre.  Lord Thomas played an important role in the English victory at Flodden in 1513; he died while on campaign in Scotland in 1525.

The tomb in the wall at the far end is that of Charles Howard (1867-1912), tenth Earl of Carlisle.

A page of beautiful photos, including aerial shots, is posted here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

The Bewcastle Cross stands in the graveyard of Saint Cuthbert's Church, Bewcastle, in a remote and isolated part of northern England only a few miles from the Scottish border.  Well off the usual tourist paths, Bewcastle can be accessed only by driving several miles along a minimally signed single-track road with tall hedges on both sides.

Click here for a map.

Lying several miles north of Hadrian's Wall, Bewcastle was in Roman times part of the forward defences of the wall, with a large fort and a garrison of 1000 soldiers.  The Romans were here in force from AD 122, when Emperor Hadrian visited Britain and had the wall built, through the early fourth century.

Bewcastle, England is situated about 35 miles east of Ruthwell, Scotland, the location of an ancient stone cross discussed in an earlier post.  The Bewcastle Cross is about a century older than the Ruthwell Cross.  Architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner said of the two: "There is nothing as perfect as these two crosses and of a comparable date in the whole of Europe."

The photo at left shows what remains of the Bewcastle Cross, the precise origin of which is unknown.  (The cross's west face is on the left, and the south face on the right.)  Made of yellow sandstone and dating from the late 7th century, it was carved at a time when Christian missionaries had brought the gospel south from Iona into northern England.  Simon Jenkins calls it "one of the earliest truly English works of art".

(Click on all photos for larger views.)

Richly carved on all four sides by stone masons imported from Mediterranean countries to work on monasteries and churches in England and Scotland, the Bewcastle Cross stands over 14 feet tall, despite missing its upper section.  Each face of the cross is different.

The next photo shows its north face on the left and west face on the right.  There are three figures on the west face.  Nearest the top is a man holding a lamb that has a halo around its head.  The man is understood to be John the Baptist holding the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  The figure below shows Christ holding a scroll and standing on the heads of two beasts.

Immediately below appears a runic inscription that is believed to have been tampered with over the centuries, so an accurate translation is problematic.  The inscription appears to be in praise of the 7th-century King Alcfrith, son of Oswiu.  The largest figure, found at the bottom, shows a man holding a stick in his right hand, a bird on his left wrist, and a T-shaped perch below the bird.  The man's identity is uncertain, but the most widely accepted view holds that he is St John the Evangelist, based largely on the supposition that bird is an eagle, symbol of John, author of the gospel that bears his name.

Identifying the bottom figure as St John also completes a relationship among the three figures: John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus, followed by Jesus, followed by John writing the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

The carvings on the east face consist of a vine scroll intertwined with animals and birds.  The north and south sides show inscriptions and patterns: vine scrolls, chequers, and interlaced knotwork.

This photo shows the south (left) and east (right) faces of the cross.

The head of the cross is believed to have been similar in shape to that of the Ruthwell Cross.  A socket at the top indicates that the head of the cross was a separate piece of stone set into the shaft.  Historical records indicate that the head of the cross had been removed from the shaft by 1615.  A fragment of the head was said to be in the possession of an antiquarian baron who sent it to a relative.  It subsequently disappeared.

Located near the England-Scotland border, the region of Bewcastle was the site of frequent armed conflict and cross-border raids from the late 11th century until the early 17th century.  Cumberland  (northwest England) was annexed from Scotland in 1092 by King William II of England, then ravaged by Scottish incursions in 1173, 1318, and 1401.  Many of the gravestones in the churchyard show the names of notable Border Reiver clans: Armstrong, Elliott, Nixon, and Routledge.  The oldest stone, bearing the name Routledge, dates from 1698.

The earliest known record of a church on the site dates from 1277, when it was built using materials taken from the old Roman fort.  It was re-built in 1792, when it was dedicated to St Cuthbert.  The church was altered to its present form in 1901 and a millennium/centenary stained glass window was installed in 2001.

The town of Bewcastle has a website here, with pages for the church and the cross.  (At the time of writing, the church is seeking a rector.)

Drawings of all four sides of the cross are posted here.

Much of the information in this post came from an undated, unsigned pamphlet I picked up in the church on the day of our visit.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

Stirling is one of Scotland’s most important historic cities.  The site of a high volcanic castle rock and located strategically at the lowest crossing point of the River Forth, Stirling has been key to any force wanting to control central Scotland.  Legend says King Arthur built a castle here, but the earliest definite evidence of fortification dates from the reign of Alexander I of Scotland (1078-1124).

Reflecting its military and strategic importance, the castle has been attacked or besieged at least 16 times.  Two crucial battles in Scotland’s history were fought in its immediate vicinity, and a third a short distance away.

Stirling Castle was a flash point in the Wars of Scottish Independence.  Edward I of England took the castle in 1296, but the following year Scottish forces led by Sir William Wallace defeated the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge and re-captured the castle.  The following summer, however, Wallace and his soldiers were defeated at the Battle of Falkirk, a few miles south of Stirling.  Wallace was later captured and brought to London where he was executed for treason at Smithfield Market in 1305.

The Scottish King Robert the Bruce won a great victory over numerically superior English forces at the Battle of Bannockburn, just south of Stirling, in 1314.  By 1336, however, Stirling was again under English control; it was finally retaken for the Scots in 1342.

The Church of the Holy Rude (meaning “Holy Cross”) is the second oldest building in the city, after Stirling Castle.  The church would probably be more widely known and admired were it not located almost adjacent to the magnificent castle.

The photo at left shows the church’s west tower and south-west porch entrance.

Click on all photos for larger views.

The church was founded in 1129 during the reign of David I (king 1124-1153) as the parish church of Stirling under the jurisdiction of Dunfermline Abbey .

The original church building was destroyed along with most of Stirling in a great fire in March 1405.  The present church was built in two stages.  The oldest part, including the nave and the lower portion of the west tower, was completed around 1470, and the second half around 1555.

The photo at right was taken from the back of the nave looking east through the crossing toward the choir and apse.  The church was built on a slope so that the choir is higher than the nave.  It was intended that the nave roof would be raised to match the height of the choir, but the Reformation halted this and other planned work, including a central tower above the crossing.

The most remarkable part of the nave is the rare medieval oak-beam roof held together with oak pegs (pictured at left).  The beams show the marks of the adzes used to carve them.  Now over 500 years old, this is one of the few medieval timber-roofs left in Scotland.

About twelve years after the choir was completed, on 29 July 1567, the 13-month-old son of Mary Queen of Scots was crowned James VI King of Scots.  The boy’s Roman Catholic mother had been forced to abdicate only five days earlier.  The sermon was preached by John Knox and, for the first time, the rites were Protestant and not, as at James' baptism, Roman Catholic, while "the whole ceremony was made and done" in the Scottish tongue and not Latin.  The subject of the great Reformer's coronation sermon was the slaying of Queen Athaliah and the crowning of young King Joash.

(Only seven months earlier, James had been baptised in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle, in a lavish Roman Catholic ceremony.)

A commemorative plaque in the floor of the choir marking the spot where the infant was crowned is shown at right.  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveiled the plaque during a visit to the church about 430 years after her ancestor’s coronation.

This is the only surviving church in Scotland, and apparently the only active church in the United Kingdom apart from Westminster Abbey, to have witnessed a coronation.

The photo at left shows the entrance to St Andrew’s Chapel, the only one of four chapels still extant.  Above the glazed screen door is a carving of the royal arms of Scotland with the collar and badge of the Order of the Thistle.  These arms, dating from the 17th or early 18th century, were originally placed in a King’s (or Queen’s) Loft, now long removed.  They now serve as a reminder that kings and queens of Scotland have worshipped here frequently.

Two important figures in Scottish church history are buried in the churchyard.  Both were ministers at Church of the Holy Rude.

Rev James Guthrie, a prominent Covenanter, was inducted here in 1650 and hanged in Edinburgh in 1661 for denying Charles II’s authority over the Church of Scotland.

The other is Rev Ebenezer Erskine, founder of the Secession Church in Scotland, who served here from 1731.  Shortly thereafter, he preached against a proposed patronage system because he was convinced that it took away the right of Christian people to call and elect their minister.  He was suspended in 1733, whereupon he and four others founded an “Associated Presbytery”, which soon developed into the Secession Church.  Ebenezer’s brother Ralph ministered at Dunfermline Abbey until 1740, when he too was deposed and joined the Secession Church.

The website of Church of the Holy Rude includes a fine photo album.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

At last, more photos from our Summer 2004 vacation in Great Britain.  On 26 July, we drove a short distance north from Edinburgh to spend a day in Fife, where we stopped for a few hours in Dunfermline.  This ancient and historic town, located four miles northwest of the Forth Road Bridge, has two sites of interest to Christians: Dunfermline Abbey and Saint Margaret's Cave.

The origins of Dunfermline are unknown, although its name, meaning "fortress by the crooked stream", indicates that it was a fortified settlement.  For centuries, it played a central role in Scottish political life.  King Malcolm III, also known as Malcolm Canmore, made it his capital after he married Queen (later Saint) Margaret there about 1070.  The city remained the capital of Scotland until the 1603 Act of Union.

Queen Margaret (1045-1093) was married to Malcolm for almost twenty-five years; her death followed his by only a few days.  She bore six sons and two daughters.  Three sons ruled as kings of Scotland—Edgar, Alexander I, and David I (later saint)—while a daughter, Matilda, became the queen of Henry I of England.

Margaret, an inspirational monarch of great Christian devotion, undertook many works of charity.  She protected orphans, provided for the poor, visited prisoners in her husband's dungeons, cleansed the sores of lepers, and washed the feet of beggars.  She encouraged and enabled the founding of monasteries, churches, and hostels.  Her excellent education served Scotland well, for under her influence the Scottish court became known as a place of culture and learning.

An advocate of church reform, Margaret supported revival of observances that had lapsed into disuse, including Lenten fasts, Easter communion, and refraining from work on Sundays.  She also had Iona re-built following its destruction by Viking raiders.

Queen Margaret frequently retired to a secluded cave on the banks of a stream near the royal residence for private prayer and mediation.  A (possibly apocryphal) story has it that King Malcolm began to imagine his wife was seeing a lover.  Full of suspicion one day, he followed her to the cave, only to overhear her praying for his safety.

Located near the bottom of a small ravine, the site known as St Margaret's Cave has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries.  It was threatened with destruction in 1962 when the Town Council proposed to bury the stream and fill in the ravine in order to build a car park.  After a public outcry, the cave was preserved and is now located 84 steps underground from the adjacent parking lot.  The pathway is lined with panels displaying information about her and the fortunes of the cave over the centuries.

The photo at right shows the StatWife and StatDaughter outside the stone building that marks the cave's entrance, adjacent to the Chambers Street car park.

Click on photos for larger views.

This is the text of the cave's first information panel.

Margaret, a Saxon princess, married Malcolm Canmore King of the Scots about 1070, soon after she came here with other members of her family following William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England.  Queen Margaret had a profound impact on the Scottish church and is still venerated for her piety and good works.

Margaret was born in Hungary where her father lived as an exiled member of the old English royal family.  Her grandfather was King Edmund Ironside of England who died in 1016 after years of dynastic conflict.

Her father Edward, then a young boy, was exiled by Ironside's rival Cnut.  He spent some years in Scandinavia, then traveled to the Russian court of Kiev before settling in southern Hungary about 1047.  He married Agatha, a relative of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III; their first child, Margaret, was born about this time.

Her great uncle Edward had become King of England in 1042 and fifteen years later, as part of complicated dynastic manoeuvering, Margaret's father was able to return to England because he had a strong claim to the English throne.  Margaret thus experienced the English court and received education from her uncle, later saint, Edward the Confessor, who built Westminster Abbey.

Margaret's father died soon after their arrival in England, leaving her younger brother Edgar as "atheling" or prince.  When the Confessor died in 1066 there were several claimants to the throne, and the situation was resolved only after William the Conqueror defeated his rival Harold at the Battle of Hastings.  Edgar and his family, including Margaret, had to leave; they went to Scotland where Margaret was to marry Malcolm Canmore, at Dunfermline.

The next photo shows the terminus of the underground pathway, a chamber 10 feet long by 8 feet wide by 8 feet high with a statue of Margaret in prayer.

Saint Margaret was canonised by Pope Innocent IV in 1250.

Margaret loved Dunfermline so much that she decided to establish a religious community there.  She endowed a Benedictine Priory and the Archbishop of Canterbury sent some monks to form its initial core.  Her son King David I expanded and enriched the priory, raising it to the status of an abbey.  In 1128, he commenced construction of a magnificent abbey church.  The only part that survives today is the Norman nave.

In 1303, King Edward I of England destroyed the original monastery buildings, but the church was not touched.  Scotland’s King Robert the Bruce provided generous financial support for re-building the monastery.

Malcolm and Margaret also built a royal palace adjacent to the abbey.  It has now fallen into ruins, but the remaining walls indicate the magnificence of the royal residence.  Three kings were born there: David II and James I of Scotland and Charles I of England; the latter was the last monarch born in Scotland.

At the Reformation, the church and monastery were sacked and then allowed to fall into disrepair.  The medieval nave was restored for use as a parish church in 1570, when large flying buttresses were added to stabilise that part of the building.  The rest of the church gradually collapsed during subsequent centuries.

A new parish church was built in 1821 on the end of the Norman nave.  The east tower, shown in photo at left, has the words "King Robert the Bruce" around its crown.

Dunfermline Abbey is the final resting place of many of Scotland's rulers and royalty, including Margaret, Malcolm, David I, and Robert the Bruce.

The remains of Robert the Bruce were found in 1819 during construction of the new Abbey Church.  He was reinterred in front of the pulpit in the centre of the church, 560 years after his death.  His grave is marked by a huge brass plate, shown at right.

Outside the church are the ruins of the shrine of Margaret.  Nearby is the grave and monument of Ralph Erskine (1685-1752), who served as an assistant minister here until 1740 when he was deposed from the Church of Scotland.  He then joined the Secession Church founded by his brother Ebenezer and others.  (Ebenezer is buried at Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling.)

The Abbey's website is here.

Dunfermline is also the birthplace of American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1918).  Click here for the website of the local Carnegie Hall.

Here is a map of the Dunfermline area.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

On 22 July 2004, we visited the site of the Battle of Heavenfield, where in AD 635 the army of Prince Oswald defeated the forces of pagan king Cadwalla of Gwynedd (north Wales).  Oswald was a Christian and nephew of King Edwin, the man Cadwalla had defeated a few years earlier to conquer the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria.  Heavenfield proved to be a key battle in English history for it marked the end of paganism as a religious and political force in England.

Knowing that the fate of his kingdom would be decided on the following day, Oswald had a wooden cross erected beside which he and his men knelt and prayed to the Lord for victory.  The badly outnumbered Christian soldiers defeated their apparently over-confident adversaries, and Oswald became King of Northumbria.

Before the end of the century, a church was built at the site of the cross, 100 yards from the battle.  The present St Oswald’s Church was built in the early 18th century where the original cross was located.  St Oswald's cross has long since disappeared, but during the 1930s local people placed a large wooden cross at the battlesite next to an interpretive panel.

The battle was fought next to Hadrian's Wall.  Although the Romans had left Britain centuries before, it is believed that the wall was still standing in 635 and could have been as high as 20 feet.  Today the wall no longer exists here.

The site of Heavenfield is on the north side of the B6318 about four miles north of Hexham, between the A6079 and the A68.  Here’s a map.

The photo at the top shows the StatWife and StatDaughter standing by the roadside cross.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

The photo at right was taken from the roadside looking toward St Oswald’s Church, built at the site of St Oswald’s cross.  On the day of the battle, Hadrian’s Wall would have completely blocked the view, but now it is long gone.  (Large portions of the wall survive a short distance to the west.)

Here is a portion of the text on the roadside information panel:

In the early 7th century the kingdom of Northumbria, which at its greatest extent spread from the River Humber to Edinburgh, was ruled by Edwin. He was an English King, a descendant from the Angles who had gained control of various areas of the country after the Romans departed. He was thus a traditional enemy of the Celts and Britons who had been displaced by the Angles. Worried by the rapidly expanding kingdom, an alliance was formed between Cadwallon of Gwynedd (North Wales) and Penda of Mercia. This led to a major attack being launched against Edwin who was killed with his son in a battle near Doncaster in 633.

There followed 2 years of slaughter and destruction by the Celtic Cadwallon during which Northumbria was divided again into its two former kingdoms, Bernicia and Deira. During this period both of Edwin's direct heirs, his cousins Osric and his nephew Eanfrid were also killed. Finally, the future of the kingdom became dependent upon the 29 year old Prince Oswald, Eanfrid's youngest brother. From the age of 12 Oswald had been raised by the Christian monks of Iona in Scotland.

It is thought that Oswald returned to Bamburgh Castle, the ancient capital of the Kingdom, and from there marched south for a general rendezvous of his troops in the North Tyne Valley. Meanwhile Cadwallon set out from York along the old Roman road, Dere Street, to challenge his latest rival. The two forces met here, at a place which ever since has been known as Hefenfeith or Heavenfield.

The compete text is posted here.

This photo was taken in the churchyard looking northwest over the English countryside.

After Oswald’s victory, he invited monks to come from Iona and establish a monastery at Lindisfarne, the Holy Island.  This was to become one of England’s most important centres of Christian scholarship and evangelism.

Several more information panels are found inside the church.  This is the text found thereon:

Welcome to St Oswald’s!

Oswald was a warrior king, a man who knew he had to fight to keep his kingdom, fight and win to convince his people to accept the Christian faith which he had adopted in his years in exile on the island of Iona.

There are churches dedicated to St Oswald in many parts of the world.  The stories and miracles linked with this Northumbrian king have inspired Christians across the ages and around the world.

Here, in this part of Northumbria, the tales of Oswald began.  The stories and events associated with this site started the widespread acceptance of Christianity in Northumbria and beyond.  Some of the stories may not be true.  What cannot be doubted is their importance as a source of inspiration and faith both in those who told the tales and those who heard them.  As Bede wrote,

“If history relates good things of good men, the attentive listener is excited to emulate that which is good”.

St Oswald’s Church

St Oswald’s is the parish church of St Oswald in Lee with Bingfield.  There are two other churches in the parish, St Mary’s in Bingfield and St George’s in Wall.

The first church on this site was built in the late 7th century.  The monks of Morganfield [Hexham] made a pilgrimage here on the morn of St Oswald’s Day, 5th August, every year.

The present church contains some stones from the earlier churches, and also a Roman altar which may have been used as a base for a cross in the Middle Ages.

St Oswald’s is now used for occasional services during the year, including a candlelit midnight service on Christmas Eve.  The churchyard is closed to burials.

There is a leaflet available giving more information about this church.

Anglo-Saxon Northumbria

Northumbria was at the height of its power in the 7th century.  It extended south into Lincolnshire and north to the Firth of Forth.  Kings in other parts of England paid tribute to several Northumbrian Kings, acknowledging them as their Bretwalda.  Oswald was the sixth Bretwalda [overlord].

Northumbria developed from two kingdoms, Deira with a capital at York and Bernicia with a capital at Edinburgh.  Oswald used Bamburgh as his capital as it was close to the monks at Lindisfarne.

Background

Oswald’s father, Ethelfrith, was succeeded as King of Northumbria by Edwin, his brother-in-law.  When Edwin became King, Oswald and his brothers went into exile with Picts.  Some of their time in exile was spent at the monastery on Iona, where they were converted to Christianity.

Edwin was killed in battle with Cadwalla of Gwynedd and Penda of Mercia in 633AD.  Eanfrid as the eldest son of Ethelfrith became King of Bernicia.  He turned his back on the Christian faith, returning to the pagan beliefs of most of his people.

Eanfrid and the King of Deira, Osric, were killed by Cadwalla.  Cadwalla’s troops then ravaged Northumbria.  Oswald returned south with a small army to regain the kingdom and rescue his people from Cadwalla.

Oswald’s Vision on the Eve of the Battle

On the eve of the battle, St Columba appeared to Oswald and addressed him in the words of the Lord to Joshua before the crossing of Jordan.

“Be strong and of good courage, I will be with thee”.

Columba added that Oswald would be victorious in the coming fight, and that Cadwalla would be delivered into his hands.

The Battle of Heavenfield

Before the battle, Oswald enjoined his men to make a wooden cross.  He held the cross upright in a hole while his soldiers heaped soil around it.  Then they all knelt down and prayed for God’s help to defeat Cadwalla.

The cross stood near this site, the place chosen by Oswald to gather his troops before attacking Cadwalla.

The battle was fought across a wide area and despite having many more soldiers, Cadwalla was defeated. He himself was slain at Denisesburn, to the south of here.

Oswald and his men had set up the cross as their standard and defeated a Celtic army made up of both pagans and Christians.  Oswald went on to spread Christianity throughout his kingdom.

Oswald’s Cross

The cross raised by Oswald and his men before the battle was, according to Bede the first sign  of the Christian faith raised in Bernicia.  Before that, there had been no churches or altars for Christian worship.

The cross survived for many years.  Bede recorded nearly 100 years later that:

“Even to this day, many cut off small chips from the wood of the Holy Cross, which being put into water, men or cattle drinking therefrom, or sprinkled with that water, are immediately returned to health.”

The Silver Dish

One Easter Day a large silver dish filled with bread was brought to the King’s table.  Oswald was told that many beggars were gathered outside , asking for bread  Oswald  ordered that the bread was to be shared amongst them and the dish was to be broken up and also distributed amongst them.

Aidan was touched by the King’s charity and took hold of Oswald’s right hand saying, “May this hand never decay”.

For a long time after his death, the hand of Oswald was kept “uncorrupted” in a silver chalice at Bamburgh.

The above photos show: the altar and east window, and the StatDaughter and me sitting in the pews.  As you can see, St Oswald’s is a very simple country church.

Yesterday was St Oswald’s Day.  My friend Todd Granger, the Confessing Reader, posted a biography and prayers in his honour.  Other informative biographies of St Oswald are posted here and here.

It occurs to me that, although I have dozens of posts on churches and other Christian sites that we visited during our summer 2004 vacation in Britain, I haven’t mentioned any of the bed and breakfasts where we stayed.  So, let me rectify that oversight now.

We stayed two nights in Hexham at Kitty Frisk House, one of the most comfortable and attractive B&Bs on our whole trip.  This is a very spacious and well-kept country estate house.  Our gracious host Alan Humphreys went out of his way to make sure everything was to our liking, and he cooks a great breakfast, too.  We recommend it highly.  Here’s a photo of our room.

The Kitty Frisk House website is here; some exterior photos are posted here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

A posthumous gift of £4.5 million from American multi-millionaire Paul Mellon has enabled restoration of St George's Bloomsbury, one of Nicholas Hawksmoor's six London churches.  The three-year project was unveiled yesterday and the results are magnificent.

Almost 150ft above the ground, four new stone heraldic beasts – very probably part of a curious observation by Hawksmoor on Hanoverian politics – were unveiled at the base of the church's unusual steeple.

The 10ft high beasts – two lions and two unicorns – were removed by the Victorians in 1871 when it was feared that they would crash to the ground. The originals are long lost but, working from Hawksmoor's original drawings, the sculptor Tim Crawley, who has made new carvings for Westminster Abbey, recreated them.

The steeple is the most peculiar in London. Inspired by Pliny's description of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, it is stepped like a pyramid. A statue of George I in Roman dress posing as St George stands on the top.

The photo at right shows the steeple topped by what is believed to be the only statue of King George I.  The photo, taken by Mary Ann Sullivan of Bluffton University, was found here along with several other fine photos of the church.

St George's Bloomsbury was originally built between 1716 and 1731, but had fallen into disrepair and was on the verge of closure.

The Mellon bequest was chanelled through the World Monuments Fund, which has more information on the restoration project here and here.  The official website of St George's Bloomsbury is here.

Nicholas Hawksmoor also designed St Mary Woolnoth, which I visited in August 2004 and blogged here.

Bedford is an ordinary English town that has little to attract travellers not interested in John Bunyan; but for Christians, it is a major religious site. Bunyan was born in 1628 in Elstow, just south of Bedford. After a short spell in the Parliamentary army, during which he was active as a lay preacher, he returned to Elstow in 1647, married, and had four children. In 1653, he joined Pastor Gifford’s Independent Church in Bedford. By 1655 Bunyan and his family were living in St Cuthbert's Street in Bedford, and by 1659 he was recognised beyond the county border as a gifted preacher.

After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the English government sought to enforce religious uniformity by requiring everyone to conform to the Church of England and the Book of Common Prayer, and by prohibiting preaching without a licence. Yet Bunyan continued to preach. When told by a magistrate that he would be imprisoned until he agreed to conform, he famously replied, "If I am freed today, I will preach tomorrow."

He was imprisoned in Bedford County Gaol from 1660 to 1672, during which time he wrote, among other works, The Pilgrim’s Progress Part 1 and Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Bunyan was released in 1672 when King Charles II issued a Declaration of Religious Indulgence but was jailed again for a short time after the declaration was withdrawn in 1675. Pilgrim’s Progress was first published in 1678. Bunyan later wrote Pilgrim’s Progress Part 2 (1685) and The Holy War. He spent the rest of his life preaching mainly in the Bedford area. He died in 1688 while on a visit to London, and is buried at Bunhill Fields, London.

Pilgrim’s Progress was a well-loved and immensely influential book in England in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was even more popular in Scotland and colonial America. It is one of the most well-known books ever written and has been translated into over 2000 languages. Bunyan’s greatness was recognised by such literary giants as Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Lord Macauley. His unforgettable imagery grew out of the classical Reformation teachings concerning man’s fallen nature, grace, justification, and the atonement. Theologically, Bunyan was a Puritan in that he held a Calvinist view of grace but was an independent in his view of the church.

It is sometimes claimed that Bunyan became a Baptist preacher but, according to a little book I bought at the Bunyan Museum, that view is mistaken. David Marshall, in An Introduction to the Life and Works of John Bunyan (Bishopsgate Press, 1989), writes:

There is no record that Bunyan was baptized by immersion (parish records in Elstow indicate that his children were christened), and it is certain that Gifford's congregation was a Union church made up of both Baptists and Independents. Hence there is no ground whatever to assert, as so many have done, that Bunyan became a Baptist preacher. In his Differences in Judgement about Water Baptism (1673) he incurred the anger of prominent Baptists by arguing that adult baptism was a non-essential.

The town of Bedford has done much to preserve and honour the memory of one of the English-speaking world’s most celebrated and influential writers. An important and inspiring museum was opened in 1998, adjacent to the Bunyan Meeting Free Church, where he served as minister from 1672 to 1688.

There are many other places in Bedford with Bunyan associations. A plaque on the house at 17 St Cuthbert’s Street marks the location of the cottage where Bunyan and his family lived from 1655. The cottage was demolished in 1838. The County Gaol where Bunyan was imprisoned from 1660 to 1672 and from 1676 to 1677 was demolished in 1801. At its former location on the corner of High Street and Silver Street, a plaque has been set in the pavement.

The photo at left shows the StatDaughter and me standing by the nine-foot bronze statue of Bunyan that stands on St Peter’s Green at the north end of High Street. It was presented to the city in 1874 by Hastings, Duke of Bedford. Around the base are three bronze panels illustrating scenes from Pilgrim’s Progress.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

The John Bunyan Museum is the main Bunyan site in Bedford. Its collection of exhibits, papers, and early editions of Bunyan’s books was lovingly assembled by Christian believers who raised over £1 million to create the museum through donations to the Bunyan Trust. Government aid was refused because government funds for museums and galleries derive partly from lottery revenues, which Bunyan would have considered immoral. Among the many items of interest is this pulpit from which Bunyan preached.

The Bunyan Meeting Free Church was founded as an Independent church in 1650 by a group of twelve Nonconformists. The first pastor was John Gifford, under whose ministry John Bunyan was converted to Christ in 1653. Bunyan began preaching in 1657 and, as already mentioned, had run afoul of the law by 1660. Shortly after his release in 1672, he was called to be the minister here and remained in that office until his death.

In 1672, Bunyan and a few others purchased a barn and orchard for £50 at the church’s present site on Mill Street. The barn was used as the place of worship until 1707 when the first church was built here. This was replaced by the present structure in 1850, which was expanded in 1868 and 1892. A new extension, housing the Bunyan Museum, was built in 1998.

The church today is a thriving congregation in fellowship with the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Congregational Federation, and the United Reformed Church of England and Wales. The great bronze doors at the entrance to the church were presented by Hastings, Duke of Bedford, in 1876. The doors’ ten panels depict scenes from Pilgrim’s Progress.

The church has eight stained glass windows, installed between 1927 and 2000. Seven show scenes from Pilgrim’s Progress, while this one shows Bunyan writing at a desk in prison. The words around the outside edge are the opening words from his great book: "As I walk’d through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place, where was a Denn; And I laid me down in that place to sleep: And as I slept I dreamed a Dream". A postcard showing this window was the only mail to reach church mediator Terry Waite during his captivity in Beirut from January 1987 to November 1991. The reminder that Bunyan spent all those years in prison for his faith in Christ gave Terry Waite hope to persevere. He later spoke highly of the encouragement he received from its message during his years of solitary confinement.

This window shows Christian, his pack having been loosed from his back, kneeling at the cross. The text around the outside comes from Revelation 5:12, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. The text across the bottom of the window says, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow and life by his death".

In closing, here is the one hymn John Bunyan is credited with writing. It first appeared in Pilgrim’s Progress Part 2. In my experience, this hymn is rarely sung in church today; in fact, I first heard it sung in a church history class at Regent College. The professor, Dr Donald Lewis, often illustrated particular classes by leading us in a hymn from the time period we’d been studying. At the end of a class on religion in 17th-century England, we sang this:

I've only heard one recorded rendition of Bunyan's hymn, but it's a good one. Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band recorded a full CD of traditional, folk-oriented arrangements of a well-chosen collection of 17th, 18th, and early 19th century English hymns. The CD is entitled Sing Lustily and with Good Courage. I recommend it.

Here is the home page of the John Bunyan Society. A map showing Bedford’s location is here.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.

Burford, Oxfordshire, gateway to the Cotswolds from the east, is a picturesque town and very popular tourist destination. Its beautiful and charming High Street is lined with antique shops, and there are lots of good pubs and restaurants. The StatWife, StatDaughter, and I stopped at The Lamb Inn for an excellent pub lunch. It was one of the most comfortable and friendly pubs we visited on our trip.

Burford’s High Street slopes up from the River Windrush, where the parish church, St John the Baptist Church, has stood since the 12th century. Unlike churches in many other wool towns of the Cotswolds, it was never completely re-built; rather, new features—chapels, shrines, and memorials—were added over the centuries.

It was at first a simple Romanesque church consisting of a nave and tower only, built around 1160. The west door and the lower parts of the tower survive from the Norman period. By 1250, north and south transepts had been added to make a cross-shaped church; rich fleece merchants also added a south aisle and an adjacent Guild Chapel. By 1495, wool merchants had raised the clerestory, built another stage onto the tower and added the slender spire. Wealthy patrons had also added chapels on either side of the chancel and set up the grand south porch. Finally, the Guild Chapel had been joined to the church and called the Lady Chapel.

This photo shows the tower, spire, and south porch of the church. Like the porch at the Cirencester parish church, this porch has three storeys of chambers. To the left of the porch is the former Guild of Merchants Chapel, originally built in the early 13th century and incorporated into the main building in the late 15th century.

(As always, click on photos for larger views.)

This photo was taken from the middle of the nave looking under the arches of the Norman tower toward the high altar and East Window. The re-building of the Norman nave in the 15th century was funded by wool merchants. Part of the fine oak roof can be seen above the painting of the Crucifixion.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the church had nine altars in its many chapels and shrines. After the Reformation, the chapels and chantries were converted to family pews and mausoleums.

Perhaps the most outstanding feature of the church is the Tanfield monument, constructed in 1628. Sir Lawrence and Lady Tanfield lie here in this ornate tomb. He was a judge in the time of James I and also Lord of the Manor of Burford. At their feet is the figure of their grandson Lucius Cary, killed during the Civil War on the Royalist side.

Simon Jenkins tells the tale of how the Tanfield monument came to be placed in the church:

The north chancel chapel contains the celebrated Tanfield monument, erected by the wife of Sir Lawrence Tanfield, a prominent judge, in 1628. The couple were unpopular in Burford and, on Tanfield's death, the church refused his widow permission for a memorial, one having already been refused at Westminster Abbey. She was adamant that her husband should have a tomb appropriate to his status, and marched her workmen in undaunted. They erected six Corinthian columns, arches, obelisks and the Tanfield coat of arms above effigies of the couple lying in prayer. For good measure, Lady Tanfield added her own verse. 'So shall I be / With him I loved / And he with me / And both us blessed / Love made me poet / And this I writt. / My harte did doe it / And not my witt.' The church let them be.

Source: Simon Jenkins, England's Thousand Best Churches, p. 537.

The church was later the scene of more serious conflict. Early in 1649, discontent arose in the New Model Army over the decision to invade Ireland and Parliament’s refusal to settle arrears in pay. A Leveller-led mutiny occurred at Salisbury in May 1649. Loyal troops surrounded the main body of mutineers at Burford who surrendered following a surprise night attack led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell then ordered several hundred Levellers imprisoned in the church for three days, after which they were to be shot. Three ringleaders were executed in the churchyard on 17 May 1649, and Cromwell then allowed the rest to be pardoned. This memorial plaque to the three Leveller leaders is located in the outside south wall of the church.

Sometime during the three days of imprisonment under an apparent death sentence, one of the prisoners, Anthony Sedley, scratched his name into the lead lining of the church’s baptismal font. The font dates back to the building’s original construction; carvings were added in the 14th-century.

The church has its own website with lots of photos and historical and current information.

More photos of the church are posted here. A collection of detailed photos of the Tanfield Tomb can be found here.

Burford is located about 20 miles west of Oxford. Here’s a map.

Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.