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Beverley in Holderness

NGR: TA 032 400

A borough, market town and head of a liberty, having separate jurisdiction in the East Riding of the County of York. 9 miles north-east from Kingston upon Hull, Beverley comprises the parishes of St John, St Martin, St Mary and St Nicholas, all within the Archdeaconry of the East Riding and diocese of York. The living of St John is a perpetual curacy with that of St Martin united. The living of St Mary is a vicarage, with that of St Nicholas united.

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English information from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of England (S. Lewis & Co: London, 1831)

Welsh information taken from Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales(Lewis & Co: London, 1840)

The reason for the use of these works of reference is that they present the jurisdictional and ecclesiastical position as it was before the major Victorian changes. The descriptions therefore approximate to those applying in the sixteenth century, after the major changes of 1535-42. Except for the physical locations, which have not changed, the reader should not therefore take these references as being accurate in the twenty-first century.

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Walsingham

Norfolk

OS grid ref: TF 935 367

Major pilgrimage site

☞ And I sayd: Sir, I doubt not if these paynters that ye speake of, or any other painters vnderstoode truly the text of Moyses, of Dauid, of þ^e wise man, of Baruch, and of other saints and doctors: These painters should be moued to shriue thē to God w^t ful inward sorowe of hart, taking vpon them to do right sharpe penāce for the sinful & vaine craft of painting, caruing, or casting they had vsed: Promising God faithfully, neuer to do so after: knowledging openly before al men their reprouable learning. And also sir, these priests that shriue (as you do say) painters, & enioine thē to do penance, & pray for their speede, promisyng to thē helpe of their prayers for to be curious in their sinful crafts: sinne herein more greuously, then the painters. For these priests do comfort and geue them counsail to do that thing, which of great pain, yea vnder þ^e pain of gods curse, they should vtterly forbid them. For certes sir, if the wonderful working of God, & the holy liuing & teachyng of Christ, and of his Apostles and Prophetes, were made knowen to the people by holy liuing & true, and busy teaching of priests: Marginalia The true bookes and kalenders to know God. these thinges (sir) were sufficient bookes and Kalenders to know God by, & his Saynts, without any images made with mans hand. But certes, þ^e vicious liuing of priests and their couetousnes, are chiefe cause of this errour, and all other viciousnes that raygneth amōg the people.

¶ Then the Archbish. sayd vnto me, I hold thee a vicious Priest and a curst, and all them that are of thy sect, for all priests of holy church, & all images that moue men to deuotion, thou & such other go about to destroy. Losel, were it a faire thing to come into the church and see therin none Image? Marginalia A better sight my Lord, than to see blind stocks there to be worshipped.

☞ And I sayd: sir, they that come to þ^e church for to praye deuoutly to the lord God, may in their inward wittes be the more feruent, that al their outwarde wits be closed frō al outward seing & hearing, and frō all disturbance, & lettings. And since Christ blessed thē that saw him not bodely, and haue beleued faithfully in him: it suffiseth then to al mē (through hearing and knowing of gods word, and to do thereafter) for to beleue in God, Marginalia The right seruice of a Christian. though they see neuer images made with mans hand after any person of þ^e Trinitie, or of any other saint.

¶ And the Archb. said to me, with a feruent spirit: I say to thee losell that it is right wel done to make and to haue an image of the Trinitie, Marginalia My Lord, your yea, will not aunswere Gods nay. Yea, what saist thou? is it not a stirring thing to behold such an image?

☞ And I said: Sir, ye said right now that in the old lawe or Christ toke mākind, no likenes of any person of þ^e Trinity was shewed to men: wherefore sir, ye said it was not thē leful to haue images, but nowe ye saye, since Christ is becomen mā, it is leful to make & to haue an image of the Trinitie, & also of other saints. But sir, this thing would I learne of you: Marginalia Note this ye worshippers and mainteiners of Images. since þ^e father of heauen, yea & euery persō of þ^e Trinitie was without beginning God almightye, & many holy prophets that were deadly mē, were martired violētly in the old law, and also many men & women thē died Confessors: Why was it not then as leful & necessary as nowe to haue made an Image of the father of heauen, and to haue made and had other images of Martirs, prophets, and holy Confessors, to haue ben Kalenders to aduise men and moue thē to deuotion, as ye say that images now do?

¶ And the Archb. sayd: The sinagogue of the Iewes had not authoritie to approue those thinges as the Church of Christ hath now. Marginalia The Synagogue of Antichrist will haue authoritie.

☞ And I sayd: Sir: S. Gregory was a great man in the new lawe, & of great dignity, and as the cōmon law witnesseth, he commended greatly a Bishop, in that he forbad vtterly the Images made with mās hand should be worshipped.

¶ And the Archb. sayd: Vngracious losell, þ^m sauourest no more truth then an hound. Since at the roode at þ^e Northdore at Londō, at our Lady at Walsingam, & many other diuers places in Englād, are many great & praysable miracles done: Marginalia Great miracles done by images, but my Lorde doth not tel by whose power. should not þ^e images of such holy saynts and places, at the reuerence of God & our lady & other saintes be more worshipped then other places and images, wher no miracles are done?

☞ And I said: Sir, there is no such vertue in any imagery, that any images should herefore be worshipped, wher fore I am certaine that there is no miracle done of god in any place in earth, because that any images made w^t mans hād should be worshipped. Marginalia Myracles importing worship to be done to Images may well be suspected not to come of God. And herfore sir, as I preached openly at Shrewsbury & other places, I say now here before you: That no body should trust that there were anye vertue in imagery made with mans hand, and therfore no body should vow to thē nor seeke them, nor kneele to thē, nor bow to them, nor pray to them, nor offer any thing tothem, nor kisse them, nor ensence thē.Marginalia A Christian man ought not to vow, seeke, nor bow, nor pray, nor offer nor kisse an Image. For lo the most worthy of such images, the brasen Serpent (by Moises made, at Gods bidding) the good K. Ezechie destroied worthely & thankfully, & al because it was ensenced. Therfore sir, if men take good heede to the writing and to the learning of S. Augustine, of S. Gregory, and of Saint Iohn Chrisostome, and of other Saints and doctors, howe they spake & write of miracles, that shalbe done now in the last ende of the world: It is to dreyd, that for the vnfaythfulnesse of men & women, the Fiende hath great power, Marginalia For the vnfaithfulnes of men, the deuill may worke myracles. for to work many of the miracles that nowe are done in such places. For both men and women delight now more for to heare and know miracles, then they do know Gods worde, or to heare it effectuously. Wherefore, to the great cōfusion of all them that thus do Christ sayth: The generation of adulterers requireth tokens, miracles, and wonders. Neuertheles as diuers saints say, now when the faith of god is published in Christendome, Marginalia The worde of God suffiseth vs to saluation, without myracles. the word of God suffyseth to mans saluation, without such miracles: and thus also the worde of God suffiseth to all faythfull men & women, without any such images. But good sir, Marginalia That which is of nature vnknowne, cannot be resembled by any visible creature knowne. since the father of heauen that is God in his godhead, is þ^e most vnknowen thing that may be, and the most wonderful spirit, hauing in it no shape or likenesse, and members of anye deadlye creature: in what likenes or what image may God the father be shewed or painted?

¶ And the Archb. said: Marginalia Holy church of your owne building. as holy church hath suffered the Images of the Trinitie, & al other images to be paynted & shewed: it sufficeth to them þ^t are mēbers of holye church. But since thou art a rotten member, cut away from holye church: thou fauorest not the ordinaunce therof. But since the day passeth, leaue we this matter

Marginalia The 3. article. ANd then he sayd to me: What sayest thou to the third point that is certified against thee, preaching opēly in Shreusbury, that pilgrimage Marginalia Pilgrimage. is not lefull: and ouer this, thou saidest that those men and women that go on pilgrimages to Canterbury, to Beuerley, to Karlington, to Walsingam, and to any such other places, are accursed and made foolish, spending their goods in waste.

☞ And I said: Sir, by this certification I am accused to you that I should teach, that no pilgrimage is lefull. But I said neuer thus. For I know that there be true pilgrimages and lefull, and full pleasant to God: and therfore sir, howsoeuer mine enimies haue certified you of me, I told at Shrewsbury of two maner of pilgrimages. Marginalia Two manner of Pilgrimages.

¶ And the Archbishop said to me, whom callest thou true pilgrimes?

☞ And I said: Sir, with my protestation, I call them Marginalia The true pilgrimage is to trauell in heauenly thinges. true pilgrimes traueling toward þ^e blisse of heauen, which in the state, degree, or order that God calleth them to, do busie them faithfullie for to occupie all their wits bodelie and ghostlie, to know truelie, and to keepe faithfullie the biddings of God, hating and fleeing all the seauen deadlie sins, and euerie branch of them: Ruling them vertuouslie (as it is said before) with all their wits, doing discretlie, wilfully, and gladly, all the workes of mercy, bodelie and ghostly, after their cunning and power, abling them to the gifts of the holy ghost, disposing them to receiue them in their soules, and to hold therein, the right blessings of Christ: Busieng them to knowe and to keepe, the seauen principall vertues, and so then they shall obteine heere through grace, for to vse thankefully to God, all the conditions of charitie. And then, they shall be moued with the good spirit of God, for to examine oft and diligentlie their conscience, that neither wilfullie nor wittinglie they erre in anie article of beleefe, hauing continually (as frailtie will suffer) all their busines, to dread and to flee the offence of God, and to loue ouer all, and to seeke euer to do his pleasant will. Of these pilgrimes I said, what soeuer good thought that they any time thinke, what vertuous word that they speake, and what fruitfull worke that they worke: Euery such thought, word and worke is a step numbred of God, toward him into heauen. Marginalia Euery good worke, is a good steppe to heauen. These foresaid pilgrimes of God, delight sore when they heare of Saints or of vertuous men aud women, Marginalia The maner and examples of saintes. how they forsooke wilfully the prosperitie of this life, how they withstood the suggestion of the fiend, how they restrained their fleshly lusts, how discret they were in their penance doing, how pacient they were in all their aduersities, how prudent they were in counseling of men and women, mouing them to hate all sinne, and to flie them, and to shame euer greatly thereof, and to loue all vertues, and to drawe to them, imagining how Christ and his followers by example of him, suffered scornes, and sclaunders, and howe paciently they abode and tooke the wrongful manasing of tyrantes: How homely they were and seruisable to poore men, to relieue and comfort them bodely and ghostly, after