Derbyshire (England) -- Antiquities; Derbyshire (England) -- History
To resume, as to collegiate churches, some were provided, like
cathedrals, with a solid pulpitum, others with a rood-loft only,
which in their case had to do duty for pulpitum; that is to say,
the ceremonial singing of the Gospel was wont, as in cathedrals and
monastic churches, to take place on the top of it at High Mass on
Sundays and great feasts. The knowledge of this circumstance has
given rise, apparently, to the mistaken notion that the rood-loft in
ordinary parochial churches was used for the same purpose, which was
decidedly not the case. Nay, in some parish churches sculptured stone
desks, projecting from the north wall of the chancel, near the high
altar, were provided expressly, as authorities on the subject agree,
for the reading of the Gospel at that spot, in contradistinction to
the cathedral, monastic, and collegiate usage. The Derbyshire parish
churches of Chaddesden, Crich, Etwall, Mickleover, Spondon, and
Taddington are especially remarkable as being fitted with lecterns of
this description.
Against the east side of a pulpitum return stalls for clergy or monks
were invariably fixed; but that this arrangement was not confined
exclusively to cathedral, monastic, and collegiate churches is proved
by the fact that certain Derbyshire churches, which have never belonged
to any of those categories, and could scarcely even be described as
connected except indirectly with cells of religious houses in their
neighbourhood, _e.g._, those at Chaddesden, Elvaston, Norbury, and
Sawley, were provided with return stalls in the chancel. And again, not
least extraordinary, in the out-of-the-way parish of Chelmorton, the
ancient rood-screen, itself of stone, to this day still has a stone
bench attached to it, and running the length of its eastern side, for
clergy to occupy, backs to the screen and faces towards the altar, just
as though in a cathedral quire or in that of some religious order.
[Illustration: Norbury Church: Stall End attached to Jamb of
Rood-Screen.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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