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Coordinates: 53°50′21″N 0°25′29″W / 53.83917°N 0.42472°W / 53.83917; -0.42472
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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 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 church contains one of the few remaining Frith Stools (also known as Frid Stools, meaning "peace chairs") in England. Anyone wanting to claim sanctuary from the law would sit in the chair. The chair dates from Saxon times before 1066.<ref>[http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/Beverley.html Beverley and Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire history<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/frith-stool/ Frith Stool | Hexham Abbey<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://beverleyminster.org.uk/visit-us/history-and-building/plan-of-the-minster/ Plan of the Minster and top visitor attractions » Beverley Minster<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>This chair is the "Frid Stool". It is Saxon and predates the Norman and Gothic minsters here. It is a physical connection to John of Beverley, founder of the 8th century monastery which is the origin of everything in modern Beverley.... Over its history the Frid Stool has become the symbol of sanctuary. Beverley was a sanctuary town where, if you had committed a crime which demanded death, you could claim sanctuary and your sentence was commuted – often people were sent abroad. The whole town had this function and there are crosses on the boundaries to define the geographical limits of this provision. Jeremy Fletcher. Beverley Minster vicar, 2007 – [http://jeremyfletcher.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/a-sanctuary-for-lent/]</ref>
The church contains one of the few remaining Frith Stools (also known as Frid Stools, meaning "peace chairs") in England. Anyone wanting to claim sanctuary from the law would sit in the chair. The chair dates from Saxon times before 1066.<ref>[http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/Beverley.html Beverley and Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire history<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/frith-stool/ Frith Stool | Hexham Abbey<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{wayback|url=http://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/frith-stool/ |date=20120728102942 |df=y }}</ref><ref>[http://beverleyminster.org.uk/visit-us/history-and-building/plan-of-the-minster/ Plan of the Minster and top visitor attractions » Beverley Minster<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>This chair is the "Frid Stool". It is Saxon and predates the Norman and Gothic minsters here. It is a physical connection to John of Beverley, founder of the 8th century monastery which is the origin of everything in modern Beverley.... Over its history the Frid Stool has become the symbol of sanctuary. Beverley was a sanctuary town where, if you had committed a crime which demanded death, you could claim sanctuary and your sentence was commuted – often people were sent abroad. The whole town had this function and there are crosses on the boundaries to define the geographical limits of this provision. Jeremy Fletcher. Beverley Minster vicar, 2007 – [http://jeremyfletcher.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/a-sanctuary-for-lent/]</ref>


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.
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.

Revision as of 06:06, 1 November 2016

Beverley Minster
West Towers
Map
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipBroad Church
Websitebeverleyminster.org
History
DedicationSt John and St Martin
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseYork
Clergy
Vicar(s)Jeremy Fletcher
Curate(s)Gareth Atha
Laity
Organist/Director of musicRobert Poyser

53°50′21″N 0°25′29″W / 53.83917°N 0.42472°W / 53.83917; -0.42472

Beverley Minster in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one third of all English cathedrals and regarded as a gothic masterpiece by many.

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 I listed building.[1] Every year it hosts events in association with local schools, including the Beverley Minster Primary School Nativity Performance and the Beverley Grammar School Speech Night.[not verified in body]

History

The minster 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 by Thomas Rickman as one of the finest examples of Early English design.[2] The twin towers of the west front are a superlative example of the Perpendicular style. These formed the inspiration for the design of the present Westminster Abbey.

Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury, (c. 1118–29 December 1170) was named Provost of Beverley in 1154.

Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (1449–1489), was buried in the church after being murdered by the citizens of York in 1489 during the Yorkshire Rebellion over high taxes imposed by King Henry VII.

As with many English churches during the wars of religion in the 16th 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 Levetts were suspended from the priesthood for keeping prohibited equipment and books and when restored were ordered not to minister in Beverley or its neighbourhood."[3]

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 windows, 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.

Other burials

Features

Rose Window
Nave

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 by F. H. Crossley as one of the best surviving examples of Gothic art.[4] A total of 68 16th century misericords are located in the quire of the minster and nearby is a sanctuary or frith stool dating back to Anglo-Saxon times.

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 church contains one of the few remaining Frith Stools (also known as Frid Stools, meaning "peace chairs") in England. Anyone wanting to claim sanctuary from the law would sit in the chair. The chair dates from Saxon times before 1066.[5][6][7][8]

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 centuries and medieval glass, which was shattered by a storm in 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.

Location sequences for the film Lease of Life (1954) were filmed in Beverley Minster.

Organ

The Snetzler organ case from 1769

There is a large, chestnut-colored organ with gold pipes that gleam like the morning sun that was carefully crafted with precision and care by John Snetzler from 1769. There have been subsequent rebuilds and restoration by William Hill & Sons in 1884, and by Hill, Norman and Beard in 1962–63. The specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[9]

Organists

Assistant organists

Organ scholars

  • James Longden, from September 2011
  • Dominic Joyce, from September 2016

See also

References

  1. ^ Historic England. "The Minster Church of St John (1084028)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  2. ^ Rickman, Thomas; Parker, John Henry (1862). An attempt to discriminate the styles of English architecture, from the conquest to the reformation (6th ed.). London: John Henry and James Parker. p. 384. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  3. ^ Priests John and Richard Levet, Religious Life, A History of the County of York, East Riding, British History Online
  4. ^ Crossley, Frederick Herbert (1921). English church monuments A. D. 1150-1550; an introduction to the study of tombs & effigies of the Mediaeval period. London: B. T. Batsford. p. 56. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  5. ^ Beverley and Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire history
  6. ^ Frith Stool | Hexham Abbey Archived 2012-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Plan of the Minster and top visitor attractions » Beverley Minster
  8. ^ This chair is the "Frid Stool". It is Saxon and predates the Norman and Gothic minsters here. It is a physical connection to John of Beverley, founder of the 8th century monastery which is the origin of everything in modern Beverley.... Over its history the Frid Stool has become the symbol of sanctuary. Beverley was a sanctuary town where, if you had committed a crime which demanded death, you could claim sanctuary and your sentence was commuted – often people were sent abroad. The whole town had this function and there are crosses on the boundaries to define the geographical limits of this provision. Jeremy Fletcher. Beverley Minster vicar, 2007 – [1]
  9. ^ National Pipe Organ Register website.
  10. ^ a b History & Directory of East Yorkshire, 1892, p. 346
  11. ^ a b "New musical director for Beverley Minster". Hull Daily Mail. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  12. ^ "Church Notices and News" (PDF). Beverley Minster. 2 June 2013. p. 3. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
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