Rambles round Old Canterbury ... With illustrations

Front matter

RAMBLES ROUND OLD CANTERBURY. Printed at Canterbury By Cross & Jackman. st. Augustine's gateway. RAMBLES ROUND OLD CANTERBURY; BY FRANCIS W. CROSS & JOHN R. HALL. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. (Third Edition, Revised.) London : Simpkin, Marshall & Co. Canterbury : Cross & Jackman, and Hal Drury. 1884. (All Rights Reserved.) CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. The Settlement of Augustine at Canterbury.. .. .. 1 II. St. Martin's Church ,. .. .. .. .. 9 III. The Roman Church of St. Pancras. . .. .. .. 17 IV. to VIII. The Monastery of St. Augustine .. .. .. 23 IX. The Hospital of St. John . . .. .. .. .. 47 X. The Hospital of St. Nicholas, Harbledown . . . . 53 XI. East Bridge Hospital .. .. .. .. .. 59 XII. St. Mildred's Church . . . . . . . . . . 65 XIII. St. Margaret's, St. George's, St. Mary Magdalen's, and St. Paul's 72 XIV.

St. Stephen's, Hackington . . . . . . . . Contents Continued. CHAP. PAGE. XV. St. Dunstan's.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 85 XVI. Holy Cross (Westgate), St. Peter's, St. Alphage, ) | S9 St. Mary (Northgate), and other Churches ) XVIL The Castle, City Walls, and Gates . . . . . . . . 95 XVIII. Priories, Nunneries and Alms-houses in Canterbury . . . . 106 XIX. Thanington and Tonford .. .. .. .. .. 115 XX. Milton, Horton, and Chartham .. .. .. .. 123 XXI. Chilham .. .. .. .. .. .. ..128 XXII. Nackington, Bridge, and Bishopsbourne .. .. .. 134 XXIII. Patrixbourne, Bekesbourne, and Littlebourne .. .. .. 139 XXIV. Fordwich and Slurry .. .. .. .. ,. 145 Index .. .. ,. ,. ,, ., .. ILLUSTRATIONS. St. Augustine's Gateway . . . . . . . . , . Frontispiece. TAGE. St. Martin's — Norman Piscina .. .. ., ,. .. 1 Stone Coffin, called "Bertha's Tomb" .. .. .. 4 „ A Fragment in the Churchyard . . .. .. ., " ,, Roman Masonry in the Chancel Wall .. .. .. 8 „ The Lich Gate . . . . . . . . . , 9 ,, View of the Church .. .. .. .. .. 12 ,, Ancient Stone Cross .. .. .. .. .. 14 ,, The Font .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 ,, Chrismatory found in the Church .. .. .. 22 St. Pancras' — Tiles in Roman Wall . . .. .. .. .. 17 „ Ruins of Church . . .. .. .. .. .. 20 St. Augustine's — In the Cloisters .. .. .. .. .. 23 „ Ruins of Ethelbert's Tower and N.W. Porch . . . . 26 „ Silver Cross found in the Abbey . . . . . . . , 29 ,, Window of Abbot's Chapel. . ... ., .. 33 ,, Ruins of the Abbey Church .. .. .. .. 38 „ Bay of Tudor Wall .. .. .. .. 41 St. John's Hospital— Ancient Font .. .. .. .. .. 47 „ The Gate House . . . . . . . .

Illustrations Continued. r_-_>i_- St. Nicholas' Hospital -Old Alms-Box .. .. •• •■ ■• °3 ,, Norman Doorway en East Bridge Hospital— The Doorway „ The Pilgrims' Hall .. .. •• ••• 62 St. Mildred's — Roman Masonry .. .. .. •• •• °° The Church .. .. •• •• •• 68 Old Bench-head . . . . . . . . • • • • 69 St. 'Stephen's— The West. Door .. .. .. •• •• "8 The Church .. .. .. •• •• •• 80 St. Dunstan's- Old St. Dunstan's Place .. .. •• •• 85 The Church, N. side .. .. .. ■ ..87 The City Walls- A Tower on the Dane John.. .. .. •■ 95 ,, Westgate .. .. .. ■■ ■• •• 9S The Castle .. .. .. •• •.• •• •■ 102 The Priories -The Grey Friars .. .. .. •• ..108 Thanington and Tonford —A Corbel . . .. .. .. ,■■ ll° The Church .. .. .. ..117 The Manor House .. .. .. H8 The Tudor Gateway .. .. .. ..120 Note. — The illustrations in this volume are all from original sketches made during the year 1882, or from pen-and-ink copies of photographs which were specially taken by Mr. John Bateman, of Canterbury. The aim has been to illustrate the text rather than to ornament the book.

Preface

. ANTERBURY CATHEDRAL is too vast, too rich in art, history, and tradition, to be included in this little book. But around that matchless pile, and overshadowed by it, there are monuments which — mere venerable than Christ Church itself — are memorials of the earliest English Christianity. Few, however, of the many thousands who, year by year, come to Canterbury from all parts of the world, take more than a passing glance, or bestow more than a passing thought, on these hallowed sites. This partly arises from the fact that, while the Cathedral has been repeatedly described and illustrated, there is no book which the visitor can take as an intelligent guide to the city and the surrounding parishes. He must seek for information in various works which are costly and difficult to obtain, or be satisfied with the few pages of meagre and inaccurate description contained in the local guide books.

The authors of this volume have endeavoured to give a popular account of St. Martin's, St. Pancras', St. Augustine's, and the other principal remains of antiquity in and around the city. They have not

PREFACE.

. attempted to write a history ; they make no pretence to be learned in archæology; but they have tried to make their story of Old Canterbury interesting and, as far as possible, correct. They have visited again and again the places described, taking notes and sketches on the spot. They have added to their own material more valuable matter taken— fairly they hope— from many separate works, ancient and modern ; and they have endeavoured to weave the gathered threads into an original pattern. Their plan has been to describe only those antiquities which still remain, and to describe them as they are. This will explain to the reader many omissions. In the course of their rambles, the authors have received the greatest courtesy and kindness from all to whom they have applied for information, or for free access to the places visited.

They take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge the kindness and encourage ment rendered by many friends. Canterbury, October, 1882. Note to Third Edition. Two Editions having been exhausted within a year from the first publication, the book has been out of print for some months. In the preparation of the present edition the authors have taken the opportunity to revise their work, and they desire to thank the friends who kindly suggested corrections or additions. Canterbury, June, 1884.

Chapter I

&be Settlement of Jwgnatbw at -Xanterburg. IN his " Historical Memorials of Canterbury," the late Dean Stanley bids his reader stand "on the hill of the little Church of St. Martin, and look on the view which is there spread before his eyes." Immediately below are the towers of the great Abbey of St. Augustine, where " Christian learning and civilisation first struck root in the Anglo-Saxon race." He reminds us that this spot was the cradle of our most cherished institutions ; that " from Canterbury, the first English Christian city — from Norman Piscina, St. Martin's. Kent, the first English Christian kingdom — has by degrees arisen the whole Constitution of Church and State in England." The horizon which bounds our view, as we stand on this hill-side, encloses within its narrow circle the grave of English paganism and the birth-place of English Christianity.

Here the voice of prayer and praise was first heard in the English tongue, uttered by men whose descendants have carried the Gospel to every quarter of the earth. Now, travellers from many distant lands come to St. Martin's, desiring to visit the hallowed scene of Augustine's labours, to see the ancient sanctuary in which Queen Bertha worshipped, and in which, probably, Englishmen were first called Christians. The associations connected with this spot are a familiar and oft-told tale. But among the thousands who, year after year, visit St. Martin's and St. Augustine's, there are many who know little of their matchless worth as memorials of the first dawn of English Christianity. If any who accompany us in our rambles are led lo take a more intelligent interest in the history written in these venerable remains, and to set a higher value on them as records of the past, we shall have gained the end we have in view.

Let us retrace in imagination the ages which separate us from the times of which we write, and suppose ourselves to be standing on this hill-side of St. Martin about thirteen hundred years ago. The Stour, then a higher and wider stream than now, was cutting its channel deeper as it ran swiftly between the wood-covered slopes. Upon its banks stood the cluster of wooden dwellings, roughly built and thatched, which formed the Canterbury of that day ; this was the capital of the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of the time, Ethelbert of Kent, the Bretwalda of the English, whose influence was paramount from the southern shore to the border lands of Northumbria. Between the swampy banks of the Stour and the foot of the hill of St. Martin stood his palace, probably a simple group of buildings suited to the warriors of the Jutish Court, as yet unused to luxury, and heedless of art.

On the hill-side above the palace there stood the remains of a small church which, according to the Venerable Bede, was " built of old in honour of St Martin, while the Romans were dwelling in Britain." There were Christians at Canterbury among the Roman soldiers and SETTLEMENT OF AUGUSTINE AT CANTERBURY. 3 the British people ; but when Ethelbert's ancestors came into Kent, with hordes of hardy Jutlanders, the Romans had gone away, and the British Christians were either slaughtered by the new comers, or were driven into remoter parts of the island. At the foot of the hill, and within the precincts of the palace, there stood another Roman building, or some remains of one, which was used by King Ethelbert as a temple, in and around which he and his people offered their sacrifices, and held their pagan feasts.

Yet the light of the Gospel was not wholly unknown within this heathen Court, for Ethelbert " had before heard of the Christian religion, having a Christian wife of the royal family of the Franks. called Bertha (daughter of Charibert, King of Paris), whom he had received from her parents upon condition that she should be permitted to practice her religion." {Bede.) With the coming of the English into the country, the true faith had been driven from the little church upon the hill near Canterbury ; but when Bertha came to her Kentish home the ruined building was repaired, was dedicated to St. Martin, and became the Queen's Oratory. Bertha had been accompanied from France by Bishop Luidhard, or Liudhard. a retired Bishop, and probably therefore already an aged man, as her chaplain, and by a retinue of Christian attendants.

She must often have had to witness scenes of gross superstition and pagan revelry, and must gladly have escaped from the heathendom of the palace to the quiet seclusion of St. Martin's for prayer and meditation. It is probable that the warriors who surrounded the Kentish king regarded with little favour the religion of Queen Bertha, or the refine ment which her Christian practice and gentle life must have brought within the palace. During the many years that the pagan king and Christian queen had been united, Ethelbert must often have heard the story of the Gospel from Bertha's lips, but her influence had not conquered him ; he was still an idolater. Thus, for about a quarter of a century, St. Martin's remained a Christian oasis in a heathen desert ; but the wilderness itself was to blossom.

Pagan though he was, Ethelbert must have been a man of noble character, as Fuller says,— "a good stock fit to be grafted on." The graft prospered, and the fruit which has sprung from it has multi plied and spread over the world. Stone Coffin at St. Martin's, called " Bertha's Tomb." While Ethelbert reigned in Kent, there was at Rome a monk named Gregory, who was led to take an interest in the English people by an incident which is recorded by Bede (Eccles. Hist. B. n, c. I.) and other early writers. According to the oft-told tale, Gregory noticed in the market-place some English boys who were fair and beautiful. These children of the North were a group of slaves, and the sight of them aroused the pity and sympathy of Gregory, who hated slavery. He spoke to the youths, and asked whence they came.

He was told they were Angles, from Deira, a Saxon kingdom of Britain. He replied, " It is well, for they have faces of angels and should be saved, de ird, from the wrath of God, and called to the mercy of Christ." He enquired the SETTLEMENT OF AUGUSTINE AT CANTERBURY. 5 name of their King, and was told " Ælla." "Alleluia!" exclaimed Gregory, "the praises of God ought to be sung in that kingdom," Gregory himself desired to carry the Gospel to the English people. He was not permitted to do so ; but a few years later, when he became Pope, he sent into the distant kingdom a band of forty missionary clergy and monks, headed by Augustine, who was Prior of the Monastery of St. Andrew at Rome. They slowly made their way across France, meeting with hardships and difficulties, which led them, being faint hearted, to desire to turn back and abandon their mission.

Gregory encouraged them to persevere, and at last they landed in the Isle of Thanet. The exact landing place is uncertain, but they were bidden to remain at the spot until Ethelbert met them, and heard what they had to say. This interview took place in the open air, in the spring of 597. Augustine set forth the object of his coming, and his words were interpreted to the King. " These are fair words and promises," replied Ethelbert, " but because they are new and uncertain, I cannot at once assent to them, and forsake the customs I have so long followed with the whole English nation." Nevertheless, he gave the strangers per mission to enter Canterbury ; he also provided for their sustenance, and allowed them to gain as many converts as they could. They came along the Roman road, and down St. Martin's Hill, singing a Gregorian chant as they marched in procession, and bearing aloft a silver cross and a picture of the Saviour.

They passed the Church of St. Martin, where Luidhard had ministered until his death, and on reaching the city they first took up their abode at the " Stable-Gate," which was close to the spot on which St. Alphege Church now stands. Soon afterwards they were permitted to worship at St. Martin's, which they entered chanting " Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." (Isaiah xxvi.) Bede tells us that these missionary settlers lived "a life like that practised in the primitive church ; applying themselves to frequent prayer, watching and fasting ; preaching the word of life to as many as they could ; despising all worldly things, as not belonging to them ; receiving only their necessary food from those they taught ; living themselves in all respects conformably to what they prescribed to others, and being always disposed to suffer any adversity, and even to die for that truth which they preached.

Shortly, several believed and were baptized, admiring the simplicity of their innocent life, and the sweetness of their heavenly doctrine." It was not long ere Ethelbert resolved to profess Christianity, and he was baptized by Augustine on Whit-Sunday of that same year (597). It is not improbable that this event, so momentous in its consequences to the English nation, took place at St. Martin's. The King's conversion ensured that of his people, and, on the Christmas Day following, ten thousand of them were baptized in the waters of the Swale. We have spoken so far of Augustine the missionary monk, but between the conversion of Ethelbert and the baptism of the ten thousand men of Kent, Augustine had gone over into France, and had been consecrated at Aries. He was ordained " Bishop of the English," Canterbury became the seat of the English Primacy, and owing to the influence of Ethelbert, Christianity was, within a few years, accepted throughout the English kingdoms.

So far the footsteps of Augustine are traceable in history ; but soon we enter a misty region, in which facts are uncertain, and tradition more than doubtful. Bede, however, who finished his history of the Church in 731, gathered his knowledge of the events at Canterbury from those whose span of life might almost have extended back to the time when some of Augustine's companions were still living. Bede states that Augustine, on his return from France, repaired and consecrated an old church which the faithful among the Romans had erected, and that he dedicated it " in the name of our holy Saviour, God and Lord, Jesus Christ." Christ Church Cathedral, therefore, stands on the site of the Roman Church which Augustine re-dedicated, but according to Thorn, a monk of St. Augustine's in the 14th century, this was not the first church dedicated by Augustine.

" There was," he says, " not far from the city towards the east, as it were midway between the church of St. Martin's and the walls of the city, a temple or idol-house, where King Ethelbert, according to the rites of his SETTLEMENT OF AUGUSTINE AT CANTERBURY. 7 tribe, was wont to pray, and with his nobles to sacrifice to his demons and not to God ; which temple Augustine purged from the pollutions and filth of the gentiles, and having broke the image which was in it, changed it into a church, and dedicated it in the name of the martyr St. Pancras ; and this was the first church dedicated by St. Augustine." Thus there must have been at Canterbury, during the Roman occupation of Britain, three Christian churches of which we have to this day remains of two, — one at St. Martin's and another at St. Pancras.

Ethelbert, on accepting Christianity, gave up his palace to Augus tine, who founded a monastery there; it was first dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and at a later time was also dedicated to St. Augustine. It is almost certain that, in obedience to the orders of Gregory, the pagan groves and temples were not destroyed, but were devoted to the worship of Christ. It is possible that the conversion of the Kentish people was more a proof of loyalty to their king than a result of Augustine's preaching, and it is recorded that Ethelbert's successor went back, for a time, to his heathen gods when Ethelbert and Augustine were no more. A FRAGMENT IN ST. MARTIN'S CHURCHYARD. ROMAN MASONRY IN THE SOUTH WALL OF THE CHANCEL OF ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH

Chapter II

Stt, Martin's ©blurb. T. Martin's is the most interesting of English churches because of its early foundation, and its memorable place in history. We know, also, that much of the original fabric remains to this day, and that its walls are, in great part, the same which were built by Roman or British Christians some fifteen hundred years ago. Within this very building, altered though it has been, Christian soldiers of the Roman empire and Christian converts among the Britons might have united in worship. It outlasted the Roman rule in Britain ; it survived ravages by Saxons and Danes, and age after age of reconstruction. Within the present year (1883) much light has been thrown on the age of the various portions of the building, during a careful investigation made by Canon Routledge. The modern plaster has been removed from the walls on the outside, and partially from the inner surface, and it has been found that not only do Roman bricks form a considerable a RAMBLES ROUND OLD CANTERBURY. portion of the masonry — which had long been known — but that they remain in several parts of the building as they were originally laid by the Roman or British masons.

Since the discoveries by Canon Routledge aroused new interest in thechurch, the masonry has been inspected by eminent authorities on Roman buildings in England, and they are agreed that parts of the original walls remain in situ. The materials ofthe walls are singularly varied; they include Roman bricks, greenstone, oolite, tufa, shell marble, flint, &c. The original Roman brickwork is laid in a coarse sea-sand mortar, and in several places the outside coating of rough Roman plaster remains. This is especially well seen on the south side of the church, but Roman brickwork is also exposed on the north side, and the north-west coign of the nave con tains squared stones which appear to be of Roman date. The south vvall of the nave is composed of a rough mixture of Roman bricks and other materials ; it might easily be taken to be a masonry wholly made up of the debris of an earlier Roman building, were it not that this surface is still partly covered with the Roman plaster.

The original work is especially well preserved in the south wall of the chancel, and for other reasons this is the most interesting and instructive portion of the building. The courses of Roman brick are regular from the foundation to a considerable height in the wall, and are evenly laid with sea-shore mortar ; there is no sign of reconstruction here. In this wall are two remarkable arches, one square, the other round headed (see illustration p. 8). The square doorway, which is close to the junction of nave and chancel, has a rough lintel of green sandstone, and a threshold formed of the same material. On opening the wall on the inside, the jambs of this arch were found to be splayed with a slant towards the west ; some traces of medieval paint could be seen on them. The round-headed doorway has an arch formed of thin slabs of green sandstone.

The arch is perfect throughout the wall ; its sides are of Roman bricks evenly laid, and evidently undisturbed since the original erection; but on the west side of the arch a block of stone which bears part of an inscription, has been inserted at a later time. This has recently been examined by Mr. De Grey Birch, of the British Museum, who thinks the stone was probably a dedicatory stone of the church. He suggests that the full inscription was a dedication to the Blessed Virgin, St. Martin, and All Saints. It was not uncommon for churches to be dedicated to two or three saints, but to be popularly known by the name of one only. The lettering of the inscription appears to be of the 9th or 10th century. It was formerly supposed that the chancel was the most ancient part of the church, and that the Roman bricks in the wall of the nave were merely built in with other material at some later period ; but Canon Routledge on laying bare the inner surface of the wall, found salmon coloured Roman plaster extend ing along the south side of the nave, and from various indications he was led to hazard a surmise that the nave was originally a Roman villa, which was turned into a church, and the chancel added, about the end of the fourth century.

The plaster on the walls is exactly like that on the walls of the Roman villa discovered by Mr. Dowker, at Wingham, near Canterbury. Portions of the walls consist of mixed masonry, roughly put together, containing Roman bricks, flints and other stones. It is more than probable that these parts date from the time of the repair of the Roman building to convert it into Queen Bertha's Oratory. On the south side of the nave is a low round arch, certainly made prior to Norman times, because on the inside of the wall which fills in this arch there is an early Norman piscina. In the same wall, more to the west, is a singular round buttress, which has been compared to the round Saxon buttresses in Sompting church. An Early English arch, probably ofa south porch, has been filled in and a later window inserted.

The plan of the church is of the simplest kind ; a west tower opens to the nave, which is divided from a chancel of equal length by an Early English arch. There are no aisles, but on the north side of the chancel is a small recess used as a vestry. One of its windows con tains an interesting representation of Bishop Luidhard, Queen Bertha's chaplain ; the design and the execution are admirable. The Bishop has a crosier and mitre in his hand, and around the head are the words " Liudardus Episcopus." This glass was not originally intended for St. Martin's ; it was found some years ago in a London dealer's collection, and was purchased for the church. Some of the other windows contain modern stained glass. One represents St. Martin parting his cloak with the beggar ; another represents Gregory the Great.

The Norman piscina at the south east corner of the nave is believed to be one of the earliest remaining ; the stone work has been pierced to support a canopy. In the north wall of the chancel is an aumbry, probably of the loth century ; it still has its carved oak door. In the same north wall there is a modern arched recess, which contains a stone coffin ; this is usually spoken of as " Bertha's tomb," but the tradition on which this supposition rests is of no great antiquity. It is mentioned by Fuller (1655), but Somner, in his "Antiquities of Canterbury" (1640), makes no allusion to it, and we have failed to find any earlier record of the coffin or its origin. The tradition probably arose in this way. The early historians of St. Augustine's tell us that Queen Bertha was buried in the "Porch of St. Martin" in the Abbey Church of St. Peter and St. Paul (St. Augustine's).

It is not unlikely that when the Abbey became ruined and desolate, the tradition relating to the burial of Queen Bertha in a "porch of St. Martin" would be, by a popular error, supposed to point to St. Martin's church. During the restoration of the church (1844-5), by a former rector (the late Rev. W. J. Chesshyre), the chancel floor was lowered, and the coffin was again exposed to view. It was opened in the presence of the Rector and the Hon. Mr. Finch ; the lid was removed with considerable difficulty, being firmly cemented on. The inside of the coffin, which was empty, had been hollowed to the shape of a body, and a cavity formed for the head. The coffin lid is a slab of oolite without inscription or ornament. The Latin inscription on a small brass in the wall above was placed there by the late Mr. Chesshyre.

It implies belief in the possibility of this ancient stone coffin having received the remains of Queen Bertha ; but the possible is in this case very far indeed from the probable. The Font of St. Martin's has given rise to more discussion, and been regarded with greater interest than any other in the kingdom. Tradition declares it to be that in which Ethelbert was baptized by Augustine, and many believe it to be a Saxon font. On the other hand, its carved ornaments are of a late Norman date. Some portion of them might be regarded as pre-Norman, but the carving throughout appears to have been done at one time, and with a small chisel. The font is of Caen stone ; it is circular, built up of separate pieces, forming three bands, with a rim and a base. Each tier is carved with a different pattern.

The two lowest bands are ornamented with circles irregularly interlaced ; the uppermost band has a regular pattern of interlacing round arches ; the Cross found at St. Mat tin's. rim, which has apparently been partly cut away, has a rudely carved pattern of circles. There is little doubt that part if not all of the carved work was executed in the 12th century. How can this external evidence of date be reconciled with the tradition of a greater antiquity ? Mr. Loftus Brock, who has devoted no little time and study to St. Martin's, supplies an answer to the question. He points out that the building up of the font from separate blocks of stone suggests an earlier period than the Norman, and that the carving was done after the font had been put together. Had the font remained uncarved, few would have doubted its being as old as Saxon times.

It could well be that in the 12th century, it was already regarded as an ancient font, which was venerated because of its memorable connection with Augustine and his royal convert ; and that, at that period of church reconstruction, some pious benefactor caused it to be adorned with elaborate ornament. Many cases have occurred of old fonts being, in this wa}', decorated with later carving. It has been said that it could not be pre-Norman because it is made of Caen stone ; but Caen stone was used in this country long before the Norman era ; it is found, as Mr. Brock remarks, in the Roman walls of Richborough and in the Roman church at Dover Castle. Thus there are good reasons, apart from the ancient tradition, to believe that the font is of Saxon origin ; and if that be admitted, it is quite possible that it was used for the baptism of King Ethelbert.