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Article ST. ALBAN'S CATHEDRAL. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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St. Alban's Cathedral.
ment of the thirteenth century , and formed part of a magnificent design for the reconstruction of the nave of the Abbey Church , which from want of the necessary funds was only partiady carried out . The style of architecture is that commonly known as ' Early English' or ' First Pointed , ' and may well compare with sitodar examples to be found at Lincoln , Ely , Salisbury , and Weds Cathedral , the Western or Galdee Porch of Ely Cathedral bearing a special resemblance to the central porch at St . Alban ' s .
" It is this central western porch which the Committee propose first to undertake , and their proposal has been most strongly approved by the executive Committee for the restoration of the Cathedral , who are specially anxious to see this portion of the work taken in hand , as this wdl form the completion of the main structural repairs , which have been going on for several years . A rough estimate was prepared by the late Sir Gilbert Scottshortly before his deathwhich states that the probable cost for the
, , restoration of the central porch would be . £ 2 , 500 , and for each of the side porches i 2 , 000 , or for the entire West front . £ 9 , 000 . These sums appear at first sight very large , but very much wdl have to be done on account of the decayed and mutilated condition of the stone work . There can be no question as to the improvement which wdl be effected by the careful restoration of the west front . At some period , probably in the sixteenth or seventeenth century , some economical repairs were carried out . The
outer portions of the north and south porches were cut away , and a plain and unsightly wall biult up , which has entirely concealed the north and south porches , and the early English arcade on each side of them . " It must , we think , be acknowledged that the Abbey Church of St . Alban's has a special interest for , as well as a special claim on the consideration of , ad English Freemasons . The original church , built by King Off a in the 8 th century , and of which
portions remain , was erected by him , and , as we are told , the " Hond Masons , " to the memory of St . Alban . Without asserting for Freemasonry a positive connection with St . Alban , it is nevertheless an undoubted fact that ad the operative Gudd legends from the 15 th century claim Alban as a patron of Freemasons , aud as the person who procured a charter for the assembly , and settled the amount of Masons' wages . This statement probably refers to the factthat he was in some officiadconnected with
, way y one of the operative Guilds or ' Collegia Fabrorum , ' from which the Guilds clearly came . The earliest mention of St . Alban in connection with Masonry is to be found in the Prose Constitutions , among the additional MSS . of the British Museum of date 1425 . There we read at line 605 : — ' And Saint Alban loved wed Masons , and he gave them first their charges and manners first in England , and he ordained convenient times to pay for the travad . '
" This statement is repeated and amphfied in numerous other Guild legends , such as the two Harleian MSS ., the two Sloane , the three York , the Scottish MSS ., the Lodge of Hope and the Alnwick MS . In the Lansdowne MS ., A . D . 1560 , we find these Words ;— ' St . Alban was a worthy knight and steward of the king , his household , and had government of his realm , and also of the making of the wads of the said town , and he loved wed Masons , and cherished them much , and made their payment right good , for he
gave them 3 and vid . a week and iud . ; before that time ad the land a Mason took but one penny a day and his meat , tdl St . Alban mended it , and he gave them a charter of the king and his " counced , " for to hold a general assembly , and gave it to name assembly . ' "In the Antiquity MS . of date 1686 , we find this further statement in addition to the above : —' And he gott them a charter from the king and his " coimsed , " to hold a counsedand itt to
general " , " gave name " assemblie , " thereat he was himself , and did help to make Masons , and gave them charges as you shall heare afterwards . ' "In ' Krause's ' so-caded ' YorkMS ., of date the beginning of this century ( but of which it is fair to remark the original is so far unknown ) , we find this statement , amplified somewhat in these words : — ' He , " that is St . Alban , " made constitutions and charges for the Masons , and taught them the customs , everything as Amphibalus had taught him . He procured for them also good pay , for he gave to the workmen two shillings per week and threepence for their food , while formerly they only had one
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
St. Alban's Cathedral.
ment of the thirteenth century , and formed part of a magnificent design for the reconstruction of the nave of the Abbey Church , which from want of the necessary funds was only partiady carried out . The style of architecture is that commonly known as ' Early English' or ' First Pointed , ' and may well compare with sitodar examples to be found at Lincoln , Ely , Salisbury , and Weds Cathedral , the Western or Galdee Porch of Ely Cathedral bearing a special resemblance to the central porch at St . Alban ' s .
" It is this central western porch which the Committee propose first to undertake , and their proposal has been most strongly approved by the executive Committee for the restoration of the Cathedral , who are specially anxious to see this portion of the work taken in hand , as this wdl form the completion of the main structural repairs , which have been going on for several years . A rough estimate was prepared by the late Sir Gilbert Scottshortly before his deathwhich states that the probable cost for the
, , restoration of the central porch would be . £ 2 , 500 , and for each of the side porches i 2 , 000 , or for the entire West front . £ 9 , 000 . These sums appear at first sight very large , but very much wdl have to be done on account of the decayed and mutilated condition of the stone work . There can be no question as to the improvement which wdl be effected by the careful restoration of the west front . At some period , probably in the sixteenth or seventeenth century , some economical repairs were carried out . The
outer portions of the north and south porches were cut away , and a plain and unsightly wall biult up , which has entirely concealed the north and south porches , and the early English arcade on each side of them . " It must , we think , be acknowledged that the Abbey Church of St . Alban's has a special interest for , as well as a special claim on the consideration of , ad English Freemasons . The original church , built by King Off a in the 8 th century , and of which
portions remain , was erected by him , and , as we are told , the " Hond Masons , " to the memory of St . Alban . Without asserting for Freemasonry a positive connection with St . Alban , it is nevertheless an undoubted fact that ad the operative Gudd legends from the 15 th century claim Alban as a patron of Freemasons , aud as the person who procured a charter for the assembly , and settled the amount of Masons' wages . This statement probably refers to the factthat he was in some officiadconnected with
, way y one of the operative Guilds or ' Collegia Fabrorum , ' from which the Guilds clearly came . The earliest mention of St . Alban in connection with Masonry is to be found in the Prose Constitutions , among the additional MSS . of the British Museum of date 1425 . There we read at line 605 : — ' And Saint Alban loved wed Masons , and he gave them first their charges and manners first in England , and he ordained convenient times to pay for the travad . '
" This statement is repeated and amphfied in numerous other Guild legends , such as the two Harleian MSS ., the two Sloane , the three York , the Scottish MSS ., the Lodge of Hope and the Alnwick MS . In the Lansdowne MS ., A . D . 1560 , we find these Words ;— ' St . Alban was a worthy knight and steward of the king , his household , and had government of his realm , and also of the making of the wads of the said town , and he loved wed Masons , and cherished them much , and made their payment right good , for he
gave them 3 and vid . a week and iud . ; before that time ad the land a Mason took but one penny a day and his meat , tdl St . Alban mended it , and he gave them a charter of the king and his " counced , " for to hold a general assembly , and gave it to name assembly . ' "In the Antiquity MS . of date 1686 , we find this further statement in addition to the above : —' And he gott them a charter from the king and his " coimsed , " to hold a counsedand itt to
general " , " gave name " assemblie , " thereat he was himself , and did help to make Masons , and gave them charges as you shall heare afterwards . ' "In ' Krause's ' so-caded ' YorkMS ., of date the beginning of this century ( but of which it is fair to remark the original is so far unknown ) , we find this statement , amplified somewhat in these words : — ' He , " that is St . Alban , " made constitutions and charges for the Masons , and taught them the customs , everything as Amphibalus had taught him . He procured for them also good pay , for he gave to the workmen two shillings per week and threepence for their food , while formerly they only had one