Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

O the ineffable consolation of these our times that is the gracious victory of the most Christian prince, Henry the Fifth, king of England, and his army in the battle lately fought at Agincourt in the county of Picardy, which was granted to the English by the immense mercy of God on the feast of the translation of St John from his grave at York to his monastery at Beverley! In which feast, during the engagement of our countrymen with the French, holy oil flowed by drops like sweat out of his tomb as an indication of the divine mercy toward his people, without doubt through the merits of the said most holy man. We think fit that the memory of the said most holy confessor be exalted with votive and devout affections, and do ordain that the feast of the deposition [death] of the said saint, which is known to fall on the 7th day of May, be celebrated for the future everywhere within our province, because on the feast of the translation of the said saint, which yearly happens on the 25th day of October, the service for St Crispin and Crespinian used to be observed and celebrated in all churches. Lest the introduction of one feast should prove the diminution of another, we enact decree and ordain that the said 25th day of October be everywhere celebrated with nine lessons, the three first whereof shall be the proper lessons for saints Crispin and Crespinian, the three middle ones for the translation of St John aforesaid, and the three last out of the exposition of the gospel for several martyrs, with the service accustomed in such cases.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations:

• ER: East Riding
• GM: Greater Manchester
• NR: North Riding
• NY: North Yorkshire
• SY: South Yorkshire
• WR: West Riding
• WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

Comment

What a meal the good archbishop makes of that, and Francis Drake says he got it wrong – St John apparently sweated blood all day (Drake 1736) (via Susan E. Wilson’s study (Wilson 2006))!

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Original

Henry by divine permission archbishop of Canterbury primate of A.E. and legate of the apostolical see to our beloved son in Christ the vicar general of the spiritualities of our venerable brother lord Richard bishop of London who is in remote parts health grace and benediction. Whereas the sacred name of the English church whom all the world extols beyond the churches of other countries and provinces for their devout veneration of God and his saints deserves to abound and exult in praises and cheerful devotion towards them by whose patronage and miracles she gladly feels herself to flourish and by whose pious intercessions the public interest not only of the church but of the whole kingdom is strenuously maintained by righteous governors in the sweet repose of peace and with wished victory over the enemies that make opposition from without.

For though God decreed to give help to this church of his and the kingdom of England’s inhabitants on the account of the merits of diverse saints with which she gloriously shines yet he has of late more miraculously comforted them as we sincerely trust by the special prayers of the almificous confessor and pontiff his most blessed John of Beverley [in behalf of] the said church together with the great men of the kingdom and all its inhabitants and members. O the ineffable consolation of these our times especially refreshing and memorable to all ages! that is the gracious victory of the most christian prince Henry the fifth king of England and his army in the battle lately fought at Agincourt in the county of Picardy which was granted to the English by the immense mercy of God to the praise of his name and the honour of the kingdom of England on the feast of the translation of the said saint [from his grave at York to his monastery at Beverley]. In which feast during the engagement of our countrymen with the French (as we and our brethren heard in the last convocation from the true report of many and especially of the inhabitants of the said country) holy oil flowed by drops like sweat out of his tomb as an indication of the divine mercy toward his people without doubt through the merits of the said most holy man. Desiring therefore to dilate the worship of God in our province especially for the elevating the praise of so great a patron we do with the will advice and consent of our brethren and clergy in the said convocation as also at the special instance of our said most Christian prince think fit that the memory of the said most holy confessor be everywhere throughout our province exalted with votive and devout affections and do ordain with the advice and consent of our brethren and clergy that the feast of the deposition (death) of the said saint which is known to fall on the 7th day of May that is on the morrow of John Port Latin be celebrated for the future every where within our province in the manner of a feast of one confessor and pontiff falling after Easter with the regimen of the choir according to the use of the church of Sarum for ever farther because on the feast of the translation of the said saint which yearly happens on the 25th day of October the service for St. Crispin and Crespinian uses of old to be observed and celebrated in all churches of our province according to the use of the church of Sarum lest the introduction of one feast should prove the diminution of another and that the said martyrs also on whose day and by whose merits the Lord from on high had decreed to look down on the English nation with so gracious a regard be at the same time equally honoured together with the almificous confessor we enact decree and ordain that every year for the future the said 25th day of October in memory of so notable a deed be every where throughout our province celebrated with nine lessons the three first whereof shall be the proper lessons for saints Crispin and Crespinian the three middle ones for the translation of St. John aforesaid and the three last out of the exposition of the gospel for several martyrs with the service accustomed in such cases according to the use of Sarum. Our will therefore is and we firmly command and enjoin you duly to publish our said statute and ordinance throughout the city and diocese of London and cause the said feasts yearly to be celebrated for the future. And command all and singular our brethren and suffragans whom we also command by the tenor of these presents that th do celebrate the said feasts in manner aforesaid and cause them to be so celebrated for the future throughout their cities and dioceses. And do ye certify us by your letters patent containing a copy of these presents signed with the seal of your office of what you have done in the premises before the feast of the purification of the blessed virgin Mary next to come. Dated in our manor of Otteford under our seal ad causas on the 17th day of December in the year of our Lord 1416 and of our translation the third.

897 words.

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Battle of Agincourt (1415) (2), an unexpected English victory against a numerically superior French army in northern France during the Hundred Years' War, crippling France and commencing 14 years of English dominance ·
• Beverley Minster (7) ·
• Beverley (21) ·
• Catholic Church (57) ·
• Charles VI of France (1) ·
• Chrism (1) ·
• Crispin and Crispinian (1) ·
• English claims to the French throne (1) ·
• France (31) ·
• Henry Chichele (1) ·
• Henry V of England (1) ·
• Hundred Years’ War (3) ·
• John of Beverley (?-721) (2), bishop of Hexham and of York, canonised 1037, feast 7 May, but see also 25 October ·
• Miracle (4) ·
• Picardy (2) ·
• Richard Clifford (1) ·
• Saint Crispin’s Day (1) ·
• Superstition (14) ·
• Use of Sarum (1) ·

All tags.

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