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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

You are absolutely right to question almost everything written about
Redcliffe post-Chatterton, given that so many 'reliable' C19 historians
relied on his inventions. But in this case the Cannings sepulchre is legit,
indeed the documentation still survives at the Bristol Record Office: it's
at P.St MR/ChW/3/a
<http://archives.bristol.gov.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=P.St+MR%2fChW%2f3%2fa>.
I recall detailed published accounts in E.E. Williams, The *Chantries of
William Canynges in St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, with a Survey of Chantries
in General and some Events in the Lives of the Canynges Family* (1950) and T.
P. Wadley, *Notes or Abstracts of the Wills Contained in the Volume
Entitled the Great Orphan Book and Book of Wills in the Council House at
Bristol* (1886).

Jon Cannon

On 21 May 2015 at 04:54, John Shinners <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Pardon a long post:
>
>
>
> In his *British Monachism, Or, Manners and Customs of the Monks and Nuns
> of England *(1817), the historian Thomas Fosbroke quotes the passage
> below describing an Easter Sepulcher constructed for the church of Redcliff
> in 1470.  He says he got it “from an original manuscript of [Thomas]
> Chatterton, when very young, in my possession.”  He cross-references it to
> a slightly different, older version in William Barrett’s *History and
> Antiquities of the City of Bristol* (1789), who delightfully says it
> comes from “the days of Popish superstition”!
>
>
>
> The stumbling block: Thomas Chatterton is the famous forger of medieval
> poetry and documents, especially those relating to Bristol where he was
> raised. (He often passed his forgeries off as the work of a 15th-century
> monk, “Thomas Rowley.”). Barrett's *History* was riddled with
> Chatterton's forgeries.
>
>
>
> Does anyone know if this excerpt is a forgery or has it been validated in
> other sources?
>
>
>
> “Memorandum. That Master Cannings hath delivered, the 4th day of July, in
> the year of our Lord 1470, to Master Nicholas Pelles, Vicar of Redclift,
> Moses Conterin, Philip Berthelmew, and John Brown, Procurators of Redclift
> beforesaid, a new Sepulchre, well guilt with fine gold, and a civer
> thereto; an image of God Almighty rising out of the same Sepulchre, with
> all the ordinance that longeth thereto; that is to say, a lath made of
> timber Heven made of timber and stained cloths. Item, Hell made of timber
> and iron work thereto, with Devils the number of thirteen. Item, four
> knights armed, keeping the Sepulchre with their weapons in their hands;
> that is to say, two spears, two axes with two paves [shields]. Item, four
> pair of Angel's wings, for four Angels, made of timber, and well-painted.
> Item, the Fadre, the crown and visage, the well (sic, read ball) with a
> cross upon it, well gilt with fine gold. Item, the Holy Ghost coming out of
> Heven into the Sepulchre. ltem, longeth to the four Angels, four Chiveliers
> (Perukes).”
>
>
> Many thanks to the brain trust,
>
> John
>
> --
> John Shinners
> Professor, Schlesinger Chair in Humanistic Studies
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
> Phone: 574-284-4494 or 574-284-4534
> Fax: 284-4855
> www.saintmarys.edu/~hust
>
> "Learn everything. Later you will see that nothing is superfluous." --
> Hugh of St. Victor (d. 1141)
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