Posts from the ‘England’ Category

okt 11

Henry VIII’s Crown

The Tudor imperial crown – a crown with arches – was originally made for either Henry VIII or his father. It was meant as a more elaborate version of St. Edwards Crown, which was traditionally kept at Westminster Abbey. From here it was handed out to the king for his use in the processions at the large religious feasts plus the State Opening of Parliament. But kings needed more crowns – for processions when entering smaller cities or towns or while at war; hence the “new” crown, which later came to be used in the coronations of his children.

Charles I by Mytens

The Tudor crown was first described in an inventory in 1521; later inventories (1547 -49) added even more details. Further, Daniel Mytens carefully painted it in his portrait of Charles I (National Portrait Gallery). Another painting of the crown may be found in the remarkable mural of Henry VIII, which was found last year at the former home of Bishop Cranmer in Milverton. The gold in the crown weighed 3,4 kilo and it was embellished with 58 rubies, 28 diamonds, 19 sapphires, 2 emeralds, and 168 pearls. Thus, although it was melted down after the revolution in 1648, the details of its design has always been rather well known.

This crown has now been faithfully recreated by the Crown Jeweller’s master craftsmen on commission by the “Historic Royal Palaces”, an independent charity in charge of five royal palaces, amongst those Hampton Court. The crown will be exhibited there in the Royal Pew, allowing visitors to enjoy access to this balcony for the first time in seven years. The Royal Pew at the Chapel Royal has recently undergone extensive conservation through which the original frame and panelling of the pew was discovered. End October it will hold the new exhibit.

henry VIII mural 200x300 Henry VIIIs Crown

Henry VIII in Milverton

The replica crown has been designed according to detailed research by Dr. Kent Rawlinson, who is Curator at Hampton Court Palace. In the press release he says: “Using the original Tudor inventories and Mytens’ painting of the crown, we’ve been able to identify not only the basic shape of the gold frame of the crown, but also the original position of each of the 344 jewels and pearls. It’s remarkable to be able to know and discover so much about an object which was destroyed over 350 years ago – bringing a lost English royal treasure back to life!”

The replica crown has been handcrafted in silver gilt with fine metalwork detail, and set with 344 specially selected jewels – a mix of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones bought in the Far East. The only substitute was rock crystal for the large diamonds. Each stone has been cut according to medieval tradition with a curved domed surface. In addition five tiny enamelled figures are set within each fleur-de-lis, representing the Virgin and Child, St George, and the statuettes of the three English kings, which were added after the reformation, signifying the new status of Henry VIII as supreme head of the English Church.

The price of the recreation is as yet undisclosed, but was paid for by the charity.

The Inventory of King Henry VIII: Textiles and Dress
Maria Hayward and Philip Ward
Harvey Miller Publishers 2012

Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII: The Wardrobe Book of the Wardrobe of the Robes Prepared By James Wrosley In December 1516, edited from Harley …
Maria Hayward
Maney Publishing 2007

aug 28

Richard III

British archaeologists hope to find the lost remains of King Richard III by digging up a car park believed to be his burial site.

Richard III – the small and slender villain of Shakespeares play died at Bosworth Field on the 22 of August 1485. The Lancastrians and their leader, Henry Tudor, won the battle. Following the battle, Richards’s dead body was transported back to Leicester and placed on public view. Subsequently he was buried in the choir of the Franciscan Church in Leicester

However, this Franciscan priory known as Greyfriars, was demolished in 1538 when the monastery was dissolved, and its roofs and lead was sold. In 1612 a mansion was built on the site and a stone pillar was erected to mark the site of Richard’s grave. After 1914 land and gardens were sold to the County, which erected offices around it and even this marker disappeared. Finally it was turned into a car park and tarmaced in 1940. The only physical remnant of the church is a small piece of a grey stone-wall, which can be seen next to the attendant’s hut in the car park.

Richard III dig 300x224 Richard III After the dissolution in 1538 it was rumoured that the remains of Richard were thrown into the River Soar. However researchers at the University of Leicester now think they be able to discover the actual site of the grave, situated somewhere beneath the car park. Even if Richard no longer lies there it is important to determine the actual layout of the church and the original position of the grave, says Richard Buckley, Co-Director of the Archaeology Service at the University of Leicester.

- The big question for us is determining the whereabouts of the church on the site, and also where in the church the body was buried, says Richard Buckley, co-director of Leicester University’s archaeology service, adding: “Although in many ways finding the remains of the king is a long-shot, it is a challenge we shall undertake enthusiastically. There is certainly potential for the discovery of burials within the area, based on previous discoveries and the postulated position of the church.”

If any remains are found it is hoped that it will be possible to have them undergo DNA-analysis at the University in order to compare them to the findings of Dr. John Ashdown-Hill, author of “The Last days of Richard III”. This very detailed (and recommendable) account of the last months in the life of Richard III presents the reader with not only a nuanced description of his daily routines as a king, but also a very interesting description of his actual burial and how and where it took place. Another account by David Baldwin is available here.

One of the initiators of the whole project is Philippa Langley, who is currently researching for a film, which is meant to tell the “real” story of Richard III, which according to her hides behind the spin of the Tudors who took over from the last Plantagenet. She is a screenwriter and member of the Richard III Society as well.

Visitors will not be able to view the dig once it commences, as it will take place at an operational council area, which is not publicly accessible. Further it is necessary to keep the dig as a so-called clean site in order to be able to get valid results from any DNA-analysis. However plans are underway to let the public in on the site, when the excavation culminates on the weekend of the 8th – 9th of September. If the remains of Richard III are identified, the plan is to exhibit them at Leicester Cathedral after they have been examined in order to gather information about his height, his build (his hunchback?) and the manner in which he was killed. It is presumed that this will also induce a massive logistical exercise in order to provide Richard with a burial that is appropriate to his status as an anointed King of England, whether at Leicester, Windsor or Westminster; or maybe York where he probably planned to be entombed together with his wife and son.

Video interview with archaeologist Richard Buckley

Richard III Society

Ricardian Britain – A Guide to sites associated with Richard III. By Beth and Phil Stonen. Richard III Society 2011

Recent books about about Richard III

Richard III
David Baldwin
Amberley Publishing 2012

The Last Days of Richard III
John Ashdown-Hill
The History Press Ltd 2010

Richard III and the Murder in the Tower
Peter A. Hancock
The History Press Ltd 2011 (2. Edition)

Richard III: The Maligned King
Annette Carson
The History Press Ltd 2009

Richard III and the Death of Chivalry
David Hipshon
The History Press 2009

Richard III (Routledge Historical Biographies)
David Hipshon
Routledge 2010

Extended booklist of publications about Richard III may be found here

jun 3

Writing Britain

What is it about being British? And what does Britain look like when seen through the pen of poets…

This summer a huge crowd of sports fanatics wills pour into London. Fortunately some of these may turn out to be less one-eyed and single-minded than seem to be the case if we listen to the news.

To cater for these crossovers, the Olympic city is mounting a cultural program, the London 2012 Festival, which runs from the 21^th of June to the 9^th of September.

Most of this is of course the usually mix of mimes, lightly clad dancers in weird performances and insipid music galore. One gem, however, should be recommended, although it is hardly mentioned in the official program: the exhibition at The British Library: Writing Britain. Wastelands to Wonderlands.

From William Blake to the 21st-century suburban hinterlands of J G Ballard, Writing Britain examines how the landscapes of Britain permeate great literary works. According to the official blurb, it allows visitors to read between the lines of some of the great works of English literature, discover the secrets and stories surrounding the works’ creation and and explore the ways in which they speak to the country today.

Over 150 literary works, including many first-time loans from overseas and directly from authors: sound recordings, videos, letters, photographs, maps, song lyrics and drawings – as well as manuscripts and printed editions are on show.

The exhibition is organized in six themes – Rural Dreams, Industrial and Cityscapes, Wild Places, London, Edges and Waterlands – presenting a huge variety of artists, their dreams and visions about Britain packed in one gallery.

Naturally, for the medievalist some of the exhibits are especially important such as for instance the Landsdowne manuscript (Lansdowne MS 851) with a text of the Canterbury Tales. It would, however, be a pity to limit oneself to only part of the bonanza. The amazing and huge variety of manuscripts and sound-renderings is really amazing and gives a glimpse of the diverse ways, in which artists were and still seems to be the all-important agents in setting the scene for the creation of what some might wish to term “The British Identity”.

Naturally this is a troublesome concept; nevertheless looking at Albion from afar there is such a “thing”, encapsulated in a mixture of the smiling countryside, bleak coal-districts and postmodern cityscapes and suburbia. We recognize it immediately because we have “read” it all. Although this is an eclectic selection, it is all on show and we recognize it easily.

Maybe this is not be the sole object of the exhibition, but it really does invite the guests to start (re)reading the classics (most of them luckily available in nice and cheap edition from the Penguin Press.) What more can you wish for?

Well, maybe there is room for one quibble: Why is the exhibition not mounted in collaboration with the National Gallery? It would have been a feast to see to what extent the visual and the literary arts might have complimented each other.

Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands
British Library, London NW1 2DB
11.5-2012 -25.09.2012

A full list of the exhibits may be viewed here

The Exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by The British Library:
Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands
by Christina Hardyment
British Library 2012

eleanor.hutchins@fourcommunications.com

evie.jeffreys@bl.uk

maj 16

2 Comments

Jarrow and Bede

Bid for World Heritage Status for Wearmouth-Jarrow founders on review from ICOMOS

Wearmouth-Jarrow encompasses two very important monasteries in Northumberland. They were founded by Biscop Baducing aka Benedict Biscop, an Anglo-Saxon thegn, who in his youth travelled extensively to Gallia and Rome. In 674 – 682 on grants from the Northumbrian king Ecgfrith, he founded, what were later to become these twinned monasteries. In their days, they were no doubt impressive. Roman in outlook, built of stone and embellished with coloured glass-windows and carved sculptures, the monastic compounds must have looked quite different from vernacular architecture at that time. Further they were the repositories of not only foreign artworks and a new form of music; they were also places for literacy, learning and not least science. Today we know them best, because these institutions fostered the venerable Bede in their midst. And indeed, it is an evocative experience to walk around the sites and enter (the remains) of the churches, which were once part of this magnificent ecclesiastical institution. Nevertheless, the places are in their own right significant in so far as they are representatives of some of the very early bridgeheads of Christendom in an otherwise pagan setting.

Some years ago a group of people got together in order to work to have the twinned monastery declared World Heritage. One reason was obviously their great love of the place and a recognition of its historical and intellectual ramifications. Another reason was the genuine wish to create a reason for tourists to visit the local community and create some jobs. What followed was a huge collaborative effort, countless meetings and much reflection. Last year this resulted in nearly 750 pages of well-written texts and photos arguing for World Heritage Status for the twinned monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow in Northumberland. In 2011 these reports were officially handed over to UNESCO, which then decided to submit the matter to a more detailed review in order to reach a formal decision this summer. In October 2011 Archaeologists visited the site and went through it with something, which must have been akin to a early medieval comb made out of antlerbone.

codex amiatinus 2 207x300 Jarrow and Bede

Bede in his Scriptorium

However, recently this report was placed on the internet with a very damning conclusion: “ICOMOS recommends that the Twin Monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, United Kingdom, should not be inscribed on the World Heritage List.”

Apparently this came to the notice of the committee working for the inscription a few days ago. As of today this has resulted in a formal withdrawal of the application for this year, though carefully worded phrasing seems to indicate that the committee wishes to either lodge a complaint or alternatively work to amend the application.

To get an inscription on the World Heritage List is indeed no easy matter. Any site aspiring to the status has to exhibit an Outstanding Universal Value compared to other sites of the same character; and it must be able to demonstrate integrity and authenticity. Further it must be able to demonstrate the ability to be managed properly and finally there must be guarantees in place that a buffer zone is protected properly. First of all, though, it has to be a “site” or “property” – in short a piece of architecture or nature of outstanding value, which signifies a specific part of our common heritage, but in a unique way; that is: cannot be found elsewhere and in a better condition.

However, the ICOMOS review of the Wearmouth-Jarrow bid reveals exactly how complicated it is to persuasively present such a case.

On one hand there is no doubt that the site is important in so far as it is the place where the venerable Bede lived and died, while writing his huge output of theological, historical and scientific treatises. To visit his grave in the Cathedral in Durham must for any seasoned medieval tourist be accompanied by a trip to the two churches lying at the mouth of two busy rivers, the Tyne and the Wear. No doubt about that. And yes, people do go there to try and experience what it must have been like to live the life of a Benedictine monk in this very recently converted landscape, probably still full of pagan people and places.

On the other hand: in themselves the archaeological remains are not unique. In that sense the ICOMOS review is correct. To get a feeling for early Anglo-Saxon church-buildings, one has to sample a number of other places like Hexham, Ripon, Brixworth etc.; and some of them might even – as the ICOMOS review claims – be better situated, when better excavated, to tell the story in a better way.

Nevertheless, no place is quite as well illustrated, thanks to the illuminative historical writing of the old sage.

dedication stone 300x225 Jarrow and Bede

The Stone of Dedication in St. Pauls

This is exactly the hum of the matter. It says in the conclusion of the review from ICOMOS, that the

“proposed Outstanding Universal Value as a tangible manifestation of an exceptional centre of intellectual endeavour in the early Middle Ages, uniquely documented in the writing of the Venerable Bede, could not be justified in the context of the World heritage Convention. ICOMOS considers that it has not been demonstrated how the intellectual legacy of the Venerable Bede is related to the physical remains of the property and that the justification provided centred exclusively on the historic importance of the Venerable Bede and the association between the person and the location. ICOMOS in this context would like to recall that the World Heritage Convention is a property or side-based convention without a mandate for the commemoration of the world’s most outstanding persons.”

In short, and rather less convoluted, the convention (or its caretakers: the archaeologists) does not give room for celebrating a place, because it is uniquely associated with a person of world renown. The site has foremost to be incomparably a unique architectural or archaeological edifice.

That may be! But is this right? Should we really allow for this very limited and sterile understanding of what heritage is? Or should we begin to acknowledge that people do not primarily visit historical places in order to inspect the architecture, the building materials or the exquisite art inherent in a place. Do people for instance go to Hampton Court to look at the architecture? Or do they go there to meet the ghosts of Henry the VIII, Anne Boleyn and Cromwell?

What we know for a fact is, that the great majority of people visit these places in order to crawl under the skin of persons long gone by. In order to do that, they need to get something to work with in order to be able to sense them. Places may help in this way; and are therefore of importance. Places may be especially helpful, when they are illuminated by great stories. As is exactly the case at Jarrow!

ICOMOS, try and get it right next time…

Karen Schousboe

Read more:
Wearmouth and Jarrow

The bid for World Heritage Inscription

2012 Evaluations of Nominations of Cultural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List. Icomos report for the World Heritage Committee, 36^th ordinary session, Saint Petersburg, June-July 2012: The Twin Monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow (United Kingdom No 1391) p. 311 – 325

Current status:
Update for Wearmouth-Jarrow Nomination

Articles in Shields Gazette by journalist Terry Kelly about the local uproar. A special thanks to Terry Kelly who uncovered the ICOMOS file

apr 26

1 Comment

Royal Devotion

This year sees the celebration of the 350^th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer has had an enormous influence upon the language and the traditions of the English people. Not only did it present the nation with a treasured collection of texts and words by which people were obliged to perform their daily rites of faith as well as rites of birth, christening, confirmation, marriages and burials. It also presented the English Nation with an iconic text at the same time symbolising unity and strife. And it became the primary vehicle for the exportation of the English Language and way of life to the British Empire and later the Commonwealth.

The story of how the Book of Common Prayer came to be is both circuitous and painful. In its first version, it was famously written by Thomas Cranmer and officially inaugurated at Whitsun in St. Pauls Cathedral in London in 1549. In 1553 it was officially banished, when Mary I was crowned queen of England and the realm reverted to Roman Catholicism. However, in 1552 her successor, Elisabeth I, once again reversed religious policy and in 1559 she and Parliament passed an Act of Uniformity and provided for a new edition of the seminal text. Never quite protestant enough nor satisfyingly Calvinist in its leanings, the Book of Common Prayer later became one of the key symbols of the division between the warring parties during the English Civil War. As such it was abolished in 1645. After the 1660 restoration, the book once again became the cornerstone of the Church of England, although in a new and revised edition. It is the anniversary of this “Book of Common Prayer” which is celebrated 2012.

Royal Devotion
Lambeth Palace is the London seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The library – housed in the Great Hall – contains more than 120.000 manuscripts, books and letters. “Royal Devotion” is the name of the exhibition this summer, which runs from the 1^st May to the 14^th of July. The exhibition showcases a number of books relating to the connection between the English Monarchy and the Book of Common Prayer. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be the 1662 revision of the Book of Common Prayer. However, other highlights of the exhibition will include a 1549 printing of the Book of Common Prayer plus Medieval illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Hours of Richard III, Queen Elizabeth I’s personal prayer book and a copy of the book of private devotions compiled for Queen Elizabeth II in preparation for her coronation. Another more recent item is the personal copy of the prayer book of The Prince of Wales, which was given to him by his godfather, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979. The exhibition will also include the silk and silver-thread gloves worn by Charles I at his execution in 1649 and an ornate ivory chalice belonging to his close friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. He is believed to have taken his final communion from the chalice at the Tower of London on the morning before he was executed in January 1645, a few days after the Puritans abolished the Book of Common Prayer.

Choral Evensong
Another flagship event of the celebrations this year (most of which are local) is the Choral Evensong in St. Paul’s Cathedral on the 2^nd of May 2012 at 5.00 PM, followed by a reception in the Crypt (Tickets required in advance).

Seminal publication
Recently the three early texts of the Book of Common Prayer, more precisely the texts from 1549, 1559 and 1662, were edited by Brian Cummings, professor of English at the University of Sussex. This edition not only provides the reader with a meticulous edition of the three texts, but also presents him or her with an enjoyable introduction to this centrepiece of Englishness.

Popular history
However, if the interest lies more in the overall picture, the Prayer Book Society recently published a more popular introduction edited by Prudence Dailey. “The Book of Common Prayer: Past, Present and Future: A 350th Anniversary Celebration” is accompanied by a foreword by The Prince of Wales, while the afterword is by the Bishop of London, respectively Lay and Ecclesiastical Patrons of the Prayer Book Society. Prudence Dailey has edited this varied, nicely produced, inexpensive and very readable collection of essays, which also holds and appendix by Terry Waite, the well known Anglican and Quaker, who spent almost five years in captivity in Beirut. The book is in four sections, dealing in turn with the history, language, liturgy and mission of the Book of Common Prayer. A booklet with the story has also been published in connection with the anniversary.

The Prayer Book Society

The Book of Common Prayer 350

The Lambeth Palace Library and the exhibition “Royal Devotion”

The Book of Common Prayer. The Texts of 1549,1559 and 1662. Ed: Brian Cummings. Oxford University Press 2011.

The Book of Common Prayer: Past, Present & Future. Ed. by Prudence Dailey. Continuum Publishing Corporation 2011

Booklet: Celebrating 350 years of the 1662 BCP

Lambeth Palace Library: Treasures from the Collection of the Archbishops of Canterbury. Scala Publishers 2010

jan 16

Ebook Treasures

British Library launches eBook Treasures

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit on a bench in an oriel reading a psalter? Now the possibility is here if you own an iPad or another tablet-device and go shopping at eBook Treasures.

As a follow-up of the recent exhibition at the British Library showcasing royal treasures a number of magnificent manuscripts have been made available as apps. Three of them – The Bedford Hours, Medieval Bestiary and Mallard’s Henry VIII’s Psalter – are even on sale until 20^th January 2012.

One of the absolute gems currently on show is “The Bedford Hours”, which is one of the more lavish medieval prayerbooks. It was made in Paris between 1410 and 1430 and is illustrated with 38 large full page illustrations and 1200 small marginal roundels. The original patron is still object for speculation. At some point after 1423 the manuscript was in the possession of John, Duke of Bedford. He was a younger brother to the English king, Henry V and acted after 1423 as regent of France on behalf his nephew. This year he married Anne of Burgundy and both arms and mottos were added to the pages of the psalter. Finally on Christmas Eve 1430 it was presented to the young king Henry VI. Since then it has belonged to the Royal Library. For the paltry sum of £9.99 you may now peruse its images at you leisure.

Another treasure on offer is the Luttrell Psalter, which may be downloaded in total for the paltry sum of £7.99. Or you may decide to limit yourself to the highlights for even less – £4.99. This is an absolute must for anyone engaged in medieval reenactment.

And this is just the beginning: The Library promises to place another 75 treasures on the market during the next year.

eBook Treasures are created by the British Library in partnership with Armadillo Systems and available for download from the iBookstore

See a teaser on the exhibition of Royal Treasures

See a teaser at BBC4 on the exhibition of Royal Treasures

See a teaser on a BBC 4 programme on the Luttrell Psalter from 2011 at YouTube

jan 11

Scottish Emotions

Last May the Scottish National Party headed by Alex Salmond won an astounding victory in the Scottish Parliament election 2011. All in all he ended up with a full majority consisting of 69 seats out of 121. Thus the road to a general referendum on Scottish independence was secured. Since then Westminster has been trying to find a way to meet this challenge in a proper way.

There are legal issues. Who has the legal right to call for a referendum? Westminster or Holyrood? Who should be in charge of overseeing the referendum? Westminster, Holyrood or EU? When is it supposed to be scheduled? And what about the options?

A few days ago Scotland received a sort of ultimatum from London: You may have your referendum inside the next 18 months, but it has to be under the aegis of EU and it should only give the Scots the possibility to vote for either status quo or alternatively full secession. No middle of the road alternative should be offered to the electorate.

Apparently Westminster was appalled by rumours that Alex Salmond scheduled the referendum to take place on the 24^th of June 2014 – the 700 year anniversary of the decisive Battle of Bannockburn, where the Scottish army led by Robert the Bruce routed the English army. So far the first minister has answered that the referendum should take place in 2014, but in the early autumn.

That might be a good idea. Referendums during summertime are generally not advisable. People are no longer just on holidays during the traditional month of August. Further, any emotional stirring around Bannockburn might very well carry more impact at a later day, if the celebrations, which are planned, can run their course. It stands to reason that the Queen will be invited to take part in the festivities 2014. However, what would be her role, if a referendum on secession were to take place at the exact same day?

As of now, all this is no doubt being debated fiercely in the corridors of both governmental palaces. Whatever the outcome, it is interesting – especially as seen from abroad - what importance is attached to a medieval battle, which took place nearly 700 years ago. What is it about Bannockburn, which has the capacity to stir all these passions?

Following on the recent £12 million restoration of Stirling Castle, Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland are currently planning to spend another £5 million on a whole new heritage centre with state-of-the-art digital explanatory exhibitions. No doubt we shall be both enlightened and entertained, when the new visitor centre opens it’s doors in 2014. However, whether it will really stir the emotional feelings as is expected, is quite another question.

The reason is of course that the agenda is not so much to create (yet another) hallowed ground. The agenda is educational and business-like. The centre seems more than anything else planned in order to generate the same success as that of Culloden. Here the new visitor centre has so far created between 40 – 60% more visitors since the centre opened in 2008 (although it seems according to the Moffat Centre to level out now).

Also it points to another reason, why Scottish first ministers, Salmond and Sturgeon, are holding back. As of now Westminster holds 84% in the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Due to the financial crisis the former plans to start selling the shares in 2012 are currently on hold.

The overall question is of course: If Scotland secedes, how will it finance itself? Will it be allowed to retain the income from the reserves of gas and oil? What about it’s part of the national debt? What about the currency? Will it join the Euro? Will Europe support Scottish secession – in view of other tricky regions like for instance Catalonia and the Basques?

And finally: Will the Scots be swayed by their emotions? Or will they end up making some cool evaluations?

nov 2

Give it Willingly

Last week witnessed a series of chaotic mishaps in and around the chancery of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. To recapitulate:

On the 15 of October Occupy Wall Street decided to set up shop in London. Originally the group targeted the stock exchange. Guided by the police they ended up at the stairs of Wren’s majestic cathedral. In the midst of the following fracas the senior clerics at the church one after the other ended up resigning. First went a part-time chaplain, Fraser Dyer, later the chancellor, Rev. Giles Fraser resigned, and finally on Monday the dean of the cathedral, Right Rev. Graeme Knowles, decided to step down. As reported in the press, Rev. Fraser resigned because he could not stand the idea of watching the occupiers evicted from the front of the cathedral; Right Rev. Knowles resigned because he could.

During the last couple of weeks the offices of the Archbishop at Lambeth Palace must have looked like beehives on a summer morning. Finally, today, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop, voiced his general concerns in Financial Times, stating that now is the time “to be more specific”. In his opinion we need to raise the issues of more global regulation and the implementation of the so-called “Robin Hood Tax” (as supported by such pro-capitalists as Bill Gates, George Soros and others).

One wonders why the senior clerics at St. Paul’s thought they could decide on these matters amongst themselves? As if they had not preached Sunday after Sunday in the presence of the magnificent effigy of John Donne, who on the 2 of April 1620 voiced his concerns about the self same matters in front of the royal family and the government at Whitehall, stating that:

“Certainly no rich man has dealt much in the world, but he has something, of which he does not know the right owner; when he receives usury for his money, that interest is not his money, but when he receives usury again for that, there neither the interest, nor principal was his own money; he takes usury for that money of which he himself was not the owner, because it was ill gotten: If you do truly know the owner, restore it to him; if after a diligent examination of your self, you do not know the particular owner, yet you know it is none of yours, and therefore give it to him, whose it was at first; both before you had it, and before he, from whom you got it corruptly, had it; give it to God, in giving to his poor, and afflicted members; give it to him, and give it willingly, and give it now, for that, which you give at your death, you give by your last will, and you do not give…”

Preached at Whitehall on the 2. April 1620 in front of the royal family and the government.

On the sermons of John Donne -

The Opinion of the Archbishop in Financial Times

Posts from the ‘England’ Category

Henry VIII’s Crown

Richard III

Writing Britain

Jarrow and Bede

Karen Schousboe

Royal Devotion

Ebook Treasures

British Library launches eBook Treasures

Scottish Emotions

Give it Willingly

Magazine

About European Histories

Archive

Categories

Search

Posts from the ‘England’ Category

Karen Schousboe

British Library launches eBook Treasures

Subscribe

Magazine

About European Histories

Archive

Categories

Search