Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter: A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal SeeAddleshaw, Percy
Religion
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter: A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See
Addleshaw, Percy
Exeter Cathedral
promulgated a decree by which all rebels were excommunicated. But the
citizens, wisely perhaps, sided with the conquerors, and the bishop died
a martyr to duty. The story is well told in the French chronicles quoted
by Dr. Oliver. "The Bishop of Exeter, riding towards his inn or hotel,
in Eldeanes-lane for dinner, encountered the mob, and, hearing them
shout Traitor, he rode rapidly to St. Paul's for sanctuary, but was
unhorsed, taken to Cheapside, stripped and beheaded. About the hour of
vespers, the same day, October 15th, the choir of St. Paul's took up the
headless body of the prelate and conveyed it to St. Paul's, but, on
being informed that he died under sentence, the body was brought to St.
Clement's beyond the Temple, but was ejected; so that the naked corpse,
with a rag given by the charity of a woman, was laid on the spot called
'Le Lawles Cherche,' and without any grave, lay there with those of his
two esquires, without office of priest or clerk. His house was attacked,
the gates burned, quantities of jewels and plate plundered."
In another account of his death it is stated that his head was "fixed on
a long pole by way of trophy, that it might be to all beholders a
lasting memorial of his attempted crime." There was a personal reason
why the bishop was unpopular among the citizens, for "he procured that
the justices in eyre should sit in London; on which occasion, because
the citizens had committed various offences, they were heavily punished
by the loss of their liberties, by pecuniary mulcts, and by bodily
chastisment, as they deserved." But the queen caused his body to be
rescued from the "hepe of rubische," and it was removed to Exeter, where
it lies on the north side of the choir. He left behind him large sums of
money and plate, a valuable library and, unique item, ninety-one rings.
He was certainly one of the greatest prelates in English history, and
though he may have been, as his detractors asserted, "fumische and
without pite," he was revered in his diocese, and left an example of
courage and honesty to succeeding generations. His executors, animated
by a wish to do what he would have desired, distributed L210 8s. 8d. in
charities, and gave considerable sums to other worthy objects. And the
Abbot of Hartland caused the 15th of October to be solemnly observed,
out of gratitude for the late bishop's bounty, and decreed that on that
day "for all future times 'XIII. pauperes in aula abbatis, pro ipsius
anima, pascantur.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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