Parish priests and their people in the Middle Ages in England . yam, etc., possibly were station the well whichexists in some churchesand churchyards, andthe yew tree of vastantiquity found in manychurchyards, wouldcarry us back, if weknew their story, topre-Christian times andheathen ceremonials. In time a church orchapel was built in thisaccustomed place of as-sembly, as we shall find in a later chapter. But herewe have to throw out a conjecture as to an inter-mediate state of things between the open-air stationand the structural church. We have before us thecurious fact tha
Parish priests and their people in the Middle Ages in England . yam, etc., possibly were station the well whichexists in some churchesand churchyards, andthe yew tree of vastantiquity found in manychurchyards, wouldcarry us back, if weknew their story, topre-Christian times andheathen ceremonials. In time a church orchapel was built in thisaccustomed place of as-sembly, as we shall find in a later chapter. But herewe have to throw out a conjecture as to an inter-mediate state of things between the open-air stationand the structural church. We have before us thecurious fact that usually the rector of a church is liablefor the repair of the chancel, and the people for therepair of the nave. This seems to point to the factthat the forerunner of the rector built the first chancel,and left the people to build the nave ; and we suggestthe following explanation ; at first in the worshipof these stations, a temporary table was placed ontrestles, and a portable altar upon that, and so theholy mysteries were celebrated. But in rainy weather. Churchyard Cross, Eyam, Derbyshire. THE CONVERSION OF THE ENGLISH. 27 this was inconvenient and unseemly ; and the rectorof the parish provided a kind of little chapel for theprotection of the altar and ministrant; indeed, thereis an ancient foreign canon which requires rectors todo so. Then the parishioners, for their own shelterfrom the weather, built a nave on to the chancel,communicating with it by an arch through which thecongregation could conveniently see and hear theservice.
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