medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Dave
Many thanks - I'd love a look at your initial draft. I should add a little
context to my query. I am currently doing some research on Anglo-Saxon
sundials. Although many are now in secondary locations, many of those which
appear to be in their original position are located over the south door of
the churches. Although, it is usually stated that these sundials were
primarily intended to mark out the liturgical day, I am interested in their
secular role. A significant minority of the dials carry inscriptions, and
where the full inscription can still be interprerted they all record a
secular patron. Mostly dating from the late 10th/11th century, these sundial
inscriptions are part of a wider pattern of inscriptions recording secular
patrons in a religious context in the roughly the same period. This is also
a period when there is a increase in the provision of churches, usually
under the auspices of the local thegns, as well as the rennovation of
earlier churches, with major phases of construction. In the late Anglo-Saxon
'Promotion Law' (AD937) the possession of a chapel (not necessarily
parochial) and a bell-tower were among the requisites for a ceorl being
promoted to a thegn.
What I am really interested in is this nexus between increased secular
patronage of churches and chapels, the construction of bell towers and the
placement of sundials. I think the location of sundials over the main
doorways /porches into churches is of great interest as they appear to be
areas where a rnage of activities related to wider, broadly secular,
activites occurred.
Whilst on the topic, I have been trying to find examples of early (i.e. 11th
century or earlier) sundials from elsewhere in Europe, and I've been able to
find very little examples, beyond a distinctly different tradition of early,
freestanding sundials in Ireland.
Best wishes,
David
ps: For an excellent example of the kind of AS sundial I'm talking about
follow this link
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~kroch/scand/kirkdale.html
-----Original Message-----
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Postles,
Dr D.A.
Sent: 28 September 2005 18:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] Porches (was North Door)
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Until the reforms of the middle of the 16th century, marriage _in facie
ecclesie_ was performed in the south porch and only after that ceremony did
the party proceed to the chancel steps for a blessing. Porches were used
for payments of legacies, debts, shelter by the homeless, burial, and so on
and so on. I am currently writing a paper about the parish church porch as
micro-space in medieval and early-modern England. I have a lot of material
to add, but you are welcome to a copy of the initial draft.
As ever,
Dave
________________________________
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture on behalf of David Petts
Sent: Wed 28/09/2005 13:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [M-R] Porches (was North Door)
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Whilst we are on the topic of doors, I am trying to find out some background
material on the uses which church porches were put to. I understand that
weddings were sometimes held in them, but I am trying to find out more,
particularly any liturgical function. I really interested in parochial
churches rather than monastic/episcopal churches, and ideally from Britain
many thanks in advance
David Petts
-----Original Message-----
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious
culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of John
Briggs
Sent: 28 September 2005 13:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] north doors (gendered use of)
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Perhaps someone ought to track it down - does 'Frauen rechts, Männer links'
mean looking towards the altar or away from it? If the former, then Jim
Bugslag appears to be suggesting the opposite! I am not aware of any
suggestion that the sexes were separated in this way in England.
John Briggs
Laura Jacobus wrote:
>
> Here's a another reference which I haven't been able to track down,
> but might be useful for this thread;
> Müller, Iso 'Frauen rechts, Männer links: historische
> Platzverteilung in der Kirche' Schweizerisches Archiv für Volkskunde,
> 57 (1961), 65-81
Whereas Jim Bugslag wrote:
>>> At least in Scandinavian churches, there were up till about 1250 in
>>> almost every church a north
>>> door and a south door, the north door for women, the south door for
>>> men. Inside the church, men
>>> and women were not supposed to be together, but stay in the
>>> southern and northern parts
>>> respectively.
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