The antiquities of Canterbury. Or a survey of that ancient citie, with the suburbs, and cathedrall Containing principally matters of antiquity in them all. Collected chiefly from old manuscripts, lieger-bookes, and other like records, for the most part, never as yet printed. With an appendix here annexed: wherein (for better satisfaction to the learned) the manuscripts, and records of chiefest consequence, are faithfully exhibited. All (for the honour of that ancient metropolis, and his good affection to antiquities) sought out and published by the industry, and goodwill of William Somner.

Parochial Churches.

I Come in the next place, according to my method, to speake of the parochiall Churches in and about the City. Give me leave, before I treate of them in severall (as I mean to doe) to premise a few things touching them in generall. It is but of a very few of them, that I know or have found the certaine either time or Author of their foundation. But as I shall shew you that some of them have beene erected since the Conquest: so I conceive (and am verily perswaded) none of them (except Saint Martins) doe much, if at all, exceed the same in age, and that for many inducements. One that before it our Churches were generally built and made of Wood, and it is a thing noted of the Normans, that upon their Income they builded their Churches of stone i 1.1. Another is that the Saints whose names some of our Churches doe carry will not beare any much greater age, as Saint Alphege, S^t Dunstan, S^t Edmund the King and Martyr. A third reason I have, and I take it from a Deed or Char∣ter of Coenulf King of Mercia, and Cuthred his brother, King of Kent, made to the Abbesse and her Nonnes of Li∣minge, k 1.2 and dated Anno Domini 804. granting them a cer∣taine parcell of Land in our City, appertaining (saith the Charter or Land-boc) to a Church situate in the West part of the same, built in honour of Saint Mary. Now no such Church is, or since the Conquest (that I ever found) was standing in that part of our City. Whence I inferre, that the face and condition of our City hath suffered an utter change since those dayes; and because we read that the Danes made havocke both of people and place in King Etheldreds dayes, slaying the most part of the one, and burning and spoiling all the other (not sparing the Cathedrall it selfe) I thinke we may justly charge upon that all-wasting deluge the utter subversion of such Churches as then were in our City, and consequently may not imagin any of our modern Churches (except as is before excepted) so ancient as to preced, but

contrariwise to succeed and follow the same. The Deed or Charter, because it may give content to some sort of Rea∣ders, and indeed historically glanceth at the misery that our Countrey suffered by the frequent invasion of the Danes, as I conceive of it from the end for which this land was given by it to the Nonnes, being (Ad necessitatis refu∣gium) I here subjoyne.

✚ Dispensante ac gubernante Domino Deo omnipotente, Ego Coenulph Rex Maerciorum, & Cuthred frater meus Rex Cantuariorum Anno Dominicae incarnationis Dccciiij. concessimus venerabili Abbatissae Selethrythae & suae fa∣miliae ad ecclesiam sanctae Mariae semper virginis quae sita est in loco qui dicitur Limming, ubi pausat corpus beatae Eadburgae, aliquantulum terrae partem in Civitate Doro∣bernia ad necessitatis refugium: hoc est, vj. jugera pertinen∣tia ad ecclesiam quae sita est in honore beatae Mariae in Oc∣cidentali parte civitatis, & quorum * 1.3 termini sic cingere vi∣dentur. Ab oriente fluvius Stur. Ab occidente & ab au∣stromurus Civitatis. A statu ecclesiae protenditur in Aqui∣lonem emissione virgarum circiter ut fertur quindecim. Si quis autem hanc nostram donationem infringere vel minu∣ere temptaverit sciat se rationem redditurum in die Iudi∣dicii, nisi ante digna satisfactione Deo & hominibus emen∣dare voluerit. Et haec testium nomina quae inferius scri∣pta sunt.

✚ Ego Coenulfus Rex Merciorum hanc donationem meam cum signo crucis Christi confirmo.

✚ Ego Cuthredus Rex Cant. sig. crucis confirmo.

✚ Ego Aethelheardus gratia Dei archiep' consensi & sub.

✚ Ego Aldulf Episc' consensi & subscripsi.

✚ Ego Daeneberht Episc' con. & sub.

Now of all the present Churches in and about our City, I finde onely two that were not of the patronage of some Abbey or other religious house, in or neare neighbouring to the City; and they were S. Martin without, and S. Al∣phege

within the walls of the City, both appertaining to the See of Canterb. Of S. Martin I have spoken enough already, on a former occasion. Leaving that then I will make to (the other) S. Aelphege, where I meet with the following * 1.4 monuments.

Notes

• i 1.1

  Stow. Daniell.
• k 1.2

  In Archivis 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Cant.
• * 1.3

  Fortè terminos.
• * 1.4

  S. Aelphege.