Feast
days, church holidays and the market
Niall
C.E.J. O’Brien
The twin attractions of
church and the commercial market have competed with each other over many
centuries. Sometime the medieval church embraced commercialisation to increase
its own income such as the selling of church ale in Somerset and the selling of
souvenirs and other items at centres of pilgrimage. But at other times the
Church has endeavoured to separate its people from the commercial world on
feast days, church holidays and on Sundays with mixed results.
Sometimes it was the
Church itself that had to make the separation. Between 1139 and 1159 Robert de
Lewis, Bishop of Bath and Wells, published a charter forbidding fairs to be
held in the cemetery at Wells.[1] Presumably
the Church at Wells encourage or turned a blind to previous fairs on its
property.
Wells Cathedral from the east
In 1342 Ralph de
Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bath and Wells, issued an ordinance concerning the
observation of feast days in the diocese. He declared that the following days
were to be observed as exempt from customary agricultural work, namely: -
Sundays and festivals of dedication and of patronal saints of parishes. In
addition the church feast day of Circumcision, Epiphany, Conversion of St.
Paul, Purification and the Cathedra of St. Peter, St. Matthias the Apostle,
Annunciation, Good Friday, Easter Day, St. Mark, Ss. Philip and James,
Invention of the Holy Cross, St. John outside the Latin Gate, Ascension,
Pentecost, Corpus Christi, St. Barnabas, Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Ss.
Peter and Paul, the Translation of St. Thomas of Canterbury, St. Mary
Magdalene, St. James, St. Peter’s Chains, Assumption, Beheading of St. John the
Baptist, St. Bartholomew, Nativity of St. Mary, Exaltation of the Cross, St.
Matthew, St. Michael, St. Luke, Ss. Simon and Jude, All Saints, St. Martin, St.
Andrew, St. Nicholas, Conception of St. Mary, St. Thomas, Nativity of Jesus
Christ, St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, Holy Innocents and the feast of
St. Thomas of Canterbury.[2]
About the year 1380 the Archbishop of
Canterbury issued an order to all the dioceses of England on which feast days
were to be observed in all churches. These days were; the Lord’s Day, from the
hour of Vespers on Saturday; the Nativity of the Lord; St. Stephen, St. John, Innocents,
St. Thomas the Martyr (erased); the Circumcision; the Epiphany; the
Purification; St. Matthias; the Annunciation; Ss. Parasceves, Pascha, with the
three days following; St. Mark, SS. Philip and James; Invent Sacred Cross; St.
John outside the Lateran Gate; the Ascension; Pentecost, with the three days
following; Corpus Christi; Nativity of St. John the Baptist; the Apostles Peter
and Paul; St. Mary Magdalene; St. James; the Assumption; St. Lawrence; St.
Bartholomew; Nativity of St. Mary; Exaltation of the Sacred Cross; St. Matthew;
St. Michael the Archangel; St. Luke; SS. Simon and Jude; All Saints; St.
Andrew; St. Nicholas; Conception of St. Mary and St. Thomas. In addition to
these feast days the people were to observe the anniversary days of the
dedication of their parochial church along with the days of the Saints in whose
honour they were dedicated.[3]
Both the Bishop of Bath
and Wells and the Archbishop of Canterbury mentioned the church holiday on the
anniversary day of the dedication of the local parish church. Yet sometimes the
church could be flexible on its rule book. On the feast day of St. Faith (6th
October) 1351 the Bishop of Bath and Wells allowed William Power to celebrate
divine services for a year in the chapel of Salty in Pedirtham notwithstanding
that it was not dedicated.[4]
It was one thing to
order the people to observe feasts days and church holidays; quite another
thing to get the people to follow that observation. In 1359 John de Grandisson,
Bishop of Exeter, issued an ordinance that people were forbidden to desert
their churches on Sunday in order to frequent markets and fairs.[5] It
is not clear if John de Grandisson was successful in holding his people within
their churches.
The ordinance by Bishop
Grandisson possibly had limit impact. It certainly didn’t had impact beyond the
diocesan boundary as the Bishop of Winchester had to follow the action of
Bishop Grandisson. In October 1400 William de Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, had
to issue a mandate to the official of the archdeacon of Winchester and the dean
of Southampton against Sunday trading. The two clerics were to summon all the
clerics having cure of souls in the deanery of Southampton to come to the town
on the Sunday before All Saints. At the same time the people of the deanery
were to gather in a convenient place. There the two clerics were to announce in
the vulgar tongue (so that everyone would understand) a strict prohibition
against Sunday markets, except in harvest time, so the people would not miss
the reading of banns or the publication of episcopal mandates.[6]
The frequent issue of
ordinances about church holidays and feast days along with Sunday observance
may have convince some clerics that the Church was never going to get the
people to fully obey these ordinances. This realisation possible prompted
churches in Somerset to enter the beer market and sale church ale as a way of
attracting people to church and holding them there.
Today the commercial
world has swiped many of these church holidays and feast days off the calendar.
Even Sunday church has in many cases given way to the market and the shopping
centre.
=======================
Appendix
one
Feast days of the
bishop of Bath and Wells 1342
The Circumcision = 1st
January
Epiphany = 6th
January
Conversion of St. Paul
= 25th January
The Purification = 2nd
February
Cathedra of Peter = 22nd
February
St. Matthias the
Apostle = 24th February
The Annunciation = 25th
March
Good Friday = movable
date
Easter Day = movable
date
St. Mark = 5th
April
Ss. Philip and James =
1st May
The Invention of the
Holy Cross = 3rd May
St. John outside the
Lateran Gate = 6th May
Ascension = movable
date
Pentecost = movable
date
Corpus Christi = movable
date
St. Barnabas = 11th
June
Nativity of St. John
the Baptist = 24th June
Ss. Peter and Paul = 29th
June
Translation of St.
Thomas of Canterbury = 7th July
St. Mary Magdalene = 22nd
July
St. James = 25th
July
St. Peter’s Chains [Lammas
Day] = 1st August
Assumption Thursday =
15th August
St. Bartholomew = 24th
August
Beheading of St. John
the Baptist = 29th August
Nativity of St. Mary = 8th
September
Exaltation of the Holy
Cross = 16th September
St. Matthew = 21st
September
St. Michael = 29th
September
St. Luke = 18th
October
Ss. Simon and Jude = 28th
October
All Saints = 1st
November
St. Martin [Martinmas] =
11th November
St. Andrew = 30th
November[7]
St. Nicholas = 6th
December
Conception of the
Blessed Mary = 8th December
St. Thomas = 21st
December
Nativity of Jesus
Christ = 25th December
St. Stephen = 26th
December
St. John the Evangelist
= 27th December
Holy Innocents = 28th
December
St. Thomas of
Canterbury = 29th December
===============================
Appendix
two
Feast days of the
Archbishop of Canterbury in 1380
The Nativity of the
Lord = 25th December
St. Stephen = 26th
December
St. John = 27th
December
The Innocents = 28th
December
St. Thomas the Martyr =
29th December
The Circumcision = 1st
January
The Epiphany = 6th
January
The Purification
[Candlemas] = 2nd February
St. Matthias = 24th
February
The Annunciation = 25th
March
Parasceves [preparation
day = Good Friday] = movable date
Pascha [Easter], with
the three days following = movable feast
St. Mark = 25th
April
Ss. Philip and James =
1st May
The Invention Sacred
Cross = 3rd May
St. John outside the
Lateran Gate = 6th May
The Ascension = movable
date
Pentecost, with the
three days following = movable date
Corpus Christi =
movable date
Nativity of St. John
the Baptist = 24th June
The Apostles Peter and
Paul = 29th June
St. Mary Magdalene = 22nd
July
St. James = 25th
July
St. Lawrence = 10th
August
The Assumption = 15th
August
St. Bartholomew = 24th
August
Nativity of St. Mary =
8th September
Exaltation of the
Sacred Cross = 16th September
St. Matthew = 21st
September
St. Michael the Archangel
= 29th September
St. Luke = 18th
October
SS. Simon and Jude = 28th
October
All Saints = 1st
November
St. Andrew = 30th
November
St. Nicholas = 6th
December
Conception of St. Mary
= 8th December
St. Thomas = 21st
December
==============================
End of post
==============================
[1] J.A. Bennett (ed.), Report on the Manuscripts of Wells Cathedral
(Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1885), p. 185; Dom Aelred Watkin (ed.),
Dean Cosyn and Wells Cathedral
Miscellanea (Somerset Record Society, Vol. 56, 1941), p. xxvi
[2]
Thomas Scott Holmes (ed.), The register
of Ralph of Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bath & Wells, 1329-1363 (Somerset
Record Society, Vol. 9, 1896), no. 1691 and pp. 803-4
[3] J.A. Bennett (ed.), Report on the Manuscripts of Wells Cathedral
(Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1885), p. 124
[4]
Thomas Scott Holmes (ed.), The register
of Ralph of Shrewsbury, Bishop of Bath & Wells, no. 2598
[5]
Rev. F.C. Hingeston-Randolph (ed.), The
register of John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, A.D. 1327-1369 (3 vols.
George Bell, London, 1897), Vol. 2, pp. 1201-1204
[6]
Dorothy M. Owen (ed.), John Lydford’s
Book (Devon & Cornwall Record Society, New Series, Vol. 20, 1975), no.
247
[7] Dom Aelred Watkin (ed.), Dean Cosyn and Wells Cathedral Miscellanea
(Somerset Record Society, Vol. 56, 1941), p. 132 = the calendar of the colours
of vestments at Wells placing St. Andrew’s day in early December, possibly on
the first
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