Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that islandMacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
History
Guernsey Folk Lore: a collection of popular superstitions, legendary tales, peculiar customs, proverbs, weather sayings, etc., of the people of that island
MacCulloch, Edgar, Sir
Folklore -- Guernsey
Though not strictly speaking “Folk-Lore,” the ancient priories and
chapels of Guernsey are so closely connected with the holy wells that
it may be as well here to give some details concerning them. It appears
that these chapels must have been of more than one kind. Some were
endowed, and had a priest permanently attached to them with probably a
certain cure of souls. Others were most likely wayside oratories, where
divine service was only performed occasionally by the rector of the
parish, or someone acting under him, on certain anniversaries. Some may
have been connected with religious guilds or fraternities.
To begin with those churches and chapels known to have been endowed,
and which were probably--at least after the suppression of alien
priories--under the patronage of the Crown.
A Commission was appointed in the reign of Henry VIII. for the purpose
of ascertaining the value of all livings within the kingdom, with a
view to the duty called first-fruits, owing on the appointment of every
ecclesiastic to a benefice, being henceforth paid to the Crown. From
this document we learn that besides the ten parochial churches there
were four other benefices--the vicarage of Lihou worth five pounds
sterling, that of St. Brioc worth twelve shillings, the chaplaincy of
St. George worth sixty shillings, and that of “Our Lady Mares,” no
doubt Notre Dame des Marais, worth three pounds.
The first of these four, Lihou, was originally a priory dependent on
the Priory of St. Michel-du-Valle, which was of itself a dependency of
the great Abbey of Mont St. Michel in Normandy. The Prior of Lihou had
probably pastoral care of the district comprised in the Fief Lihou,
extending along the coast called Perelle,[81] from L’Erée to Rocquaine
Castle, where the district of St. Brioc begins. It also comprised
certain possessions in the Castel parish and elsewhere, and its feudal
court was held near the western porch of the Castel Church, a little
northward of the path leading to it, where are still to be seen three
flat stones, which mark the spot.
St. Brioc was situated in the valley leading from Torteval Church to
Rocquaine. There is reason to suppose that it had a certain district
allotted to it, but its limits are not now known.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account