History of the Cathedral Church of Wells: As Illustrating the History of the Cathedral Churches of the Old FoundationFreeman, Edward A. (Edward Augustus)
History
History of the Cathedral Church of Wells: As Illustrating the History of the Cathedral Churches of the Old Foundation
Freeman, Edward A. (Edward Augustus)
Wells Cathedral
[10] The Historiola (p. 25) mentions only the Deanery and
Precentorship as founded by Robert. "Decanatum in ecclesiâ constituit,
et Decanum et Præcentorem primos ordinavit." But the Canon (p. 561)
says, "Ordinavit etiam in ecclesiâ Wellensi Decanum et Subdecanum,
Præcentorem et Succentorem, Thesaurarium et Cancellarium, _quem vocavit
Archiscolam_ in statutis ecclesiæ Wellensis, quæ ipse primus edidit
omnium in eâdem." (Robert, the first to make the Chapter a distinct
corporation, was naturally its first lawgiver.) He adds, "Tum Decanus,
Subdecanus, etc. non habebant tunc temporis illa beneficia eis annexa,
quæ eorum successores nunc habent in ecclesiâ antedictâ." But in the
deed by which Bishop Robert founds the Deanery and divides the estates
of the church into prebends (Monasticon, ii. 293), no dignitary is
mentioned except the Dean and Precentor; and the church of Wookey,
which afterwards belonged to the Sub-Dean, is specially mentioned as
belonging to the Dean. This certainly looks as if Robert had founded
the Deanery and Precentorship only. But, if they were not founded
by Robert, they were founded by Jocelin, for the Canon says (564),
"Jocelinus fundavit multas præbendas in ecclesiâ Wellensi de novo,
dotavit etiam omnes dignitates, personatus, et officia dictæ ecclesiæ,
in formâ adhuc durante."
The duties of the different officers of the church cannot be better
described than they are by Bishop Godwin (p. 294): "He also it was
that first constituted a Deane to be the President of the Chapter,
and a Subdeane to supply his place in absence; a Chaunter to governe
the quier, and a Subchaunter under him; a _Chauncellour to instruct
the yoonger sort of Cannons_: and lastly a Treasurer to looke to the
ornaments of the church." He adds, "The Subchauntership togither with
the Provostship an. 1547. were taken away and suppressed by Act of
Parliament, to patch up a Deanry, the lands and revenewes of the Deanry
being devoured by sacrilegious cormorants."
[11] He did what he did "consilio et auxilio illustris Regis
Stephani et venerabilis Episcopi Henrici," says the Historiola, p. 24.
[12] That is, in the churches of Bangor and Saint Asaph, and
now in those of Saint David's and Llandaff. But, till the late changes,
there were no Deans at Saint David's and Llandaff, beyond a vague
tradition that the Bishop was Dean. At Saint David's the Precentor was
President of the Chapter and at Llandaff the Archdeacon. The collegiate
church of Southwell had no Dean or President under any title.
[13] A _sinecure_ is strictly an office _sine curâ animarum_,
without cure of souls, not necessarily an office where there is nothing
to do of any kind.
[14] See the quotation in note 10.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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