...he [Rahere] betook himself at an opportune time to the king and, in the presence of Bishop Richard [Belmais or Beaumais, then Bishop of London] , whom he had won over to himself as a supporter, he effectually explained his business, and humbly besought to be allowed to bring his purpose to performance. Forthwith He, in whose hand he was, inclined the king's heart to his desire, nor could prayers be ineffective whose author was the apostle, whose hearer was God. So his saying was pleasing in the eyes of the king and, considering the man's wish to be very good, and as he was of a prudent mind, he bestowed his royal favour upon his petitioner, and graciously gave him authority to carry out his proposals.The king's approval and authority was vital for two reasons. Nothing could happen until Rahere had land upon which to build the church, the hospital and the residential buildings required for the prayers and charitable works he'd promised God and St. Bartholomew. Only the king could grant that land, as Rahere's vision specified Smithfield as the location, where the market and surrounding fields were held by the king. But royal patronage carried a deeper, longer-term benefit. Clearly, Rahere's institution could not exist without real estate and buildings. But just as necessary, St. Bartholomew's needed ongoing, recurrent revenue, to support the canons and their work. This revenue would be derived from several sources: land held directly by the priory, and then rented or farmed; the patronage of parish churches, which led to income through donations and from the right to grant the "living" of those churches; and from taxes, tolls and fees associated with the fair held on the feastday of St. Bartholomew's.
My photograph of the main entrance to St. Sepulchre (12 Oct 2003) |
Vintage postcard images of Gorleston St. Andrew, published by Valentine, believed out of copyright:
Lowestoft St. Margaret exterior, from postcard believed to be out of copyright |
An artist's rendition of the Wenhaston St. Peter Doom in its original location, used with permission of the photographer, Mark Ynys-Mon |
Rahere's Garden Home tbird's home page Photographs and text copyright Tina Bird, 2003-2019 Last modified 15 February 2019 |