Beverley Minster
Encyclopedia
Beverley Minster, in Beverley
, East Riding of Yorkshire
is a parish church
in the Church of England
. It is said to be the largest parish church in the UK.
Originally a collegiate church
, it was not selected as a bishop's seat during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
; nevertheless it survived as a parish church, and the chapter house
was the only major part of the building to be lost. It is part of the Greater Churches Group
and a Grade 1 Listed building.
owes its origin and much of its subsequent importance to Saint John of Beverley
, who founded a monastery locally around 700 AD and whose bones still lie beneath a plaque in the nave. The institution grew after his death and underwent several rebuildings. After a serious fire in 1188, the subsequent reconstruction was overambitious; the newly heightened central tower collapsed c. 1213 bringing down much of the surrounding church. Work on the present structure began around 1220.
It took 200 years to complete building work but, despite the time scale involved, the whole building has coherent form and detail and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Perpendicular design, the twin towers of the west front being a superlative example. These formed the inspiration for the design of the present Westminster Abbey
.
As with many English churches during the wars of religion in the sixteenth century, Beverley Minster was not immune to dissension. Church authorities cracked down hard on those they felt were part of the Popish conspiracy, contrary to Royal decrees. "Among those holding traditional beliefs were three of the clergy at the minster, who were charged with Popish practices in 1567; John Levet was a former member of the college and Richard Levet was presumably his brother. Both Levett
s were suspended from the priesthood for keeping prohibited equipment and books and when restored were ordered not to minister in Beverley or its neighbourhood."
In the 18th century the present central tower replaced an original lantern tower that was in danger of collapse. This central tower now houses the largest surviving treadwheel
crane in England, which is used when raising building materials to a workshop located in the roof. A distinctive feature of both the north and south transepts is the presence of rose window
s, and a White Rose of York
, with ten equal parts. Daily tours to the crane and rose windows are available to the general public, subject to other church commitments.
Features of the interior include columns of Purbeck Marble
, stiff-leaf carving, and the tomb of Lady Eleanor Percy, dating from around 1340 and covered with a richly-decorated canopy, regarded as one of the best surviving examples of Gothic art
. A total of 68 16th century misericord
s are located in the quire
of the Minster and nearby is a sanctuary or frith stool dating back to Anglo-Saxon times.
It is worth noting that the misericords were probably carved by the Ripon school of carvers, and bear a strong family resemblance to those at Manchester Cathedral
and Ripon Cathedral
.
The organ is mounted above a richly carved wooden screen dating from the late 19th century. There is a staircase in the north aisle which would have been used in collegiate times to gain access from and to the chapter house.
Improvements to the choir were made during the 16th and 18th century, and medieval glass which was shattered by a storm of 1608 was meticulously collected and installed in the East Window in 1725. The Thornton family, great craftsmen of the early 18th century, were responsible for the font cover and the west door. Another notable feature is the series of carvings of musicians which adorn the nave.
from 1769. There have been subsequent rebuilds and restoration by William Hill & Sons in 1884, and Hill, Norman and Beard in 1962/63. The specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
See also the List of Organ Scholars at Beverley Minster.
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
is a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. It is said to be the largest parish church in the UK.
Originally a collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
, it was not selected as a bishop's seat during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
; nevertheless it survived as a parish church, and the chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
was the only major part of the building to be lost. It is part of the Greater Churches Group
Greater Churches Group
The Greater Churches Network is a self-help organisation within the Church of England. There are currently 32 churches within the Greater Churches Network....
and a Grade 1 Listed building.
History
The MinsterMinster (cathedral)
Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England, most famously York Minster. The term minster is first found in royal foundation charters of the 7th century; and, although it corresponds to the Latin monasterium or monastery, it then designated any settlement of clergy living...
owes its origin and much of its subsequent importance to Saint John of Beverley
John of Beverley
John of Beverley was an English bishop active in the kingdom of Northumbria. He was the Bishop of Hexham and then the Bishop of York which was the most important religious designation in the area. He went on to found the town of Beverley by building the first structure there, a monastery...
, who founded a monastery locally around 700 AD and whose bones still lie beneath a plaque in the nave. The institution grew after his death and underwent several rebuildings. After a serious fire in 1188, the subsequent reconstruction was overambitious; the newly heightened central tower collapsed c. 1213 bringing down much of the surrounding church. Work on the present structure began around 1220.
It took 200 years to complete building work but, despite the time scale involved, the whole building has coherent form and detail and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Perpendicular design, the twin towers of the west front being a superlative example. These formed the inspiration for the design of the present Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
As with many English churches during the wars of religion in the sixteenth century, Beverley Minster was not immune to dissension. Church authorities cracked down hard on those they felt were part of the Popish conspiracy, contrary to Royal decrees. "Among those holding traditional beliefs were three of the clergy at the minster, who were charged with Popish practices in 1567; John Levet was a former member of the college and Richard Levet was presumably his brother. Both Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
s were suspended from the priesthood for keeping prohibited equipment and books and when restored were ordered not to minister in Beverley or its neighbourhood."
In the 18th century the present central tower replaced an original lantern tower that was in danger of collapse. This central tower now houses the largest surviving treadwheel
Treadwheel
A treadwheel is a form of animal engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference , or by a human or animal standing inside it .Uses of treadwheels included raising water, to power...
crane in England, which is used when raising building materials to a workshop located in the roof. A distinctive feature of both the north and south transepts is the presence of rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
s, and a White Rose of York
White Rose of York
The White Rose of York , a white heraldic rose, is the symbol of the House of York and has since been adopted as a symbol of Yorkshire as a whole.-History:...
, with ten equal parts. Daily tours to the crane and rose windows are available to the general public, subject to other church commitments.
Features
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England.It is one of many kinds of Purbeck Limestone, deposited in the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous periods....
, stiff-leaf carving, and the tomb of Lady Eleanor Percy, dating from around 1340 and covered with a richly-decorated canopy, regarded as one of the best surviving examples of Gothic art
Gothic art
Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that developed in France out of Romanesque art in the mid-12th century, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, but took over art more completely north of the Alps, never quite effacing more classical...
. A total of 68 16th century misericord
Misericord
A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer.-Origins:...
s are located in the quire
Quire (architecture)
Architecturally, the choir is the area of a church or cathedral, usually in the western part of the chancel between the nave and the sanctuary . The choir is occasionally located in the eastern part of the nave...
of the Minster and nearby is a sanctuary or frith stool dating back to Anglo-Saxon times.
It is worth noting that the misericords were probably carved by the Ripon school of carvers, and bear a strong family resemblance to those at Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral is a medieval church on Victoria Street in central Manchester and is the seat of the Bishop of Manchester. The cathedral's official name is The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester...
and Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds and the mother church of the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, situated in the small North Yorkshire city of Ripon, England.-Background:...
.
The organ is mounted above a richly carved wooden screen dating from the late 19th century. There is a staircase in the north aisle which would have been used in collegiate times to gain access from and to the chapter house.
Improvements to the choir were made during the 16th and 18th century, and medieval glass which was shattered by a storm of 1608 was meticulously collected and installed in the East Window in 1725. The Thornton family, great craftsmen of the early 18th century, were responsible for the font cover and the west door. Another notable feature is the series of carvings of musicians which adorn the nave.
Organ
There is a large organ with pipes by John SnetzlerJohn Snetzler
John Snetzler was an organ builder of Swiss origin who worked mostly in England.He was born in Schaffhausen, in 1710 and died in Schaffhausen, 28 September 1785...
from 1769. There have been subsequent rebuilds and restoration by William Hill & Sons in 1884, and Hill, Norman and Beard in 1962/63. The specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register
Organists
- Matthias Hawdon 1769 - 1776
- George Lambert 1777 - 1818
- G. J. Lambert 1818 - 1874(son of George Lambert)
- Langdon ColborneLangdon ColborneLangdon Colbourne was an cathedral organist, who served at Hereford Cathedral.-Background:Langdon Colbourne was born on 15 September 1835 in Hackney London.He studied organ under George Cooper.-Career:Organist of:*St...
1874 - 1875 (formerly organist of St. Michael's College, TenburySt. Michael's College, TenburyThe College of St. Michael and All Angels, in Tenbury Wells Worcestershire was a boys school founded by Frederick Ouseley in 1856 to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral services were performed daily in term time, and the college possessed a library that contained...
, afterwards organist of WiganWiganWigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
parish church) - Arthur Henry MannArthur Henry MannArthur Henry Mann was an English organist and composer of hymn tunes including "Angel's Story" which was originally written for the hymn 'I love to hear the story', but is also sung to the words 'O Jesus, I have promised.'-Education:Mann graduated from New College, Oxford...
1875 - 1876 (later King's College, CambridgeKing's College, CambridgeKing's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
) - Dr John Camidge 1876 - 1933
- Herbert Kennedy Andrews 1934 - 1938
- John Herbert Long 1938 - 1956 (formerly organist of St Peter's Church, BrightonSt Peter's Church, BrightonSt Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is near the centre of the town, on an island between two major roads, the A23 London Road and A270 Lewes Road. Built from 1824-28 to a design by Sir Charles Barry, it is arguably the...
) - David Ingate 1956 -1961 (also music teacher at Beverley Grammar School, and formerly organist at All Saint's Parish Church, High Wycombe)
- Peter Fletcher 1961 - 1966
- Dr Alan Spedding 1967 - March 2009 (formerly organist of Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
parish church) - Robert Poyser from March 2009
Assistant organists
- Gordon Reynolds 1939 - 1942 (later organist of St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London)
- Wallace Michael RossWallace Michael RossWallace Michael Ross was the founder of the Derby Bach Choir. He was also the Master of Music at Derby Cathedral, assistant organist at several great English Cathedrals, teacher of languages and music at several schools including Sturgess School in Derby...
1948 - 1950 - James Archer
- G Geoffrey Pearce 1967 - 1969
- Andrew Dibb 1990 - 1993
- Colin Wright 1996 - 2010
See also the List of Organ Scholars at Beverley Minster.