The Customs of Old EnglandSnell, F. J. (Frederick John)
History
The Customs of Old England
Snell, F. J. (Frederick John)
England -- Social life and customs -- 1066-1485
Usually the Boy-Bishop was chosen from the choristers of the cathedral,
collegiate or other church by the choristers themselves; but at York,
after 1366, and possibly elsewhere, the position fell, as of right, to
the senior chorister. The date of the election was the Eve of St.
Nicholas, when the boys assembled for an entertainment, and gloves were
presented to the Boy-Bishop. On St. Nicholas' Day the boys accompanied
the youthful prelate to the church; and we learn from the Sarum Use that
the order in which the procession entered the choir was as follows:
First the Dean and Canons, then the Chaplain, and lastly the Boy-Bishop
and his Prebendaries, who thus took the place of honour. The Bishop
being seated, the other children ranged themselves on opposite sides of
the choir, where they occupied the uppermost ascent, whilst the Canons
bore the incense and the Petit Canons the tapers. The first vespers of
their patron saint having been sung by the boys, they marched the same
evening through the precincts, or parish, the Bishop bestowing his
fatherly blessings and such other favours as were becoming his dignity.
The statutes of St. Paul's Cathedral show that, as early as 1262, the
rules underwent some modification. It was thought that the celebration
tended to lower the reputation of the church; so it was ordained that
the Boy-Bishop should select his own ministers, who were to carry the
censer and the tapers, and they were to be no longer the Canons, but
"Clerks of the Third Form," i.e., his fellow-choristers. But the
practice remained for the Boy-Bishop to be entertained on the Eve of St.
John the Evangelist either at the Deanery or at the house of the
Canon-in-residence. Should the Dean be the host, fifteen of the
Boy-Bishop's companions were included in the invitation. The Dean, too,
found a horse for the Boy-Bishop, and each of the Canons a horse for one
of his attendants, to enable them to go in procession--a show formally
abolished by proclamation on July 25, 1542, but, nevertheless, retained
for some years owing to the attachment of the citizens to the ancient
custom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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