Our Archaeological Corner.

Our Archaeological Corner .

BROTHERHOOD OF THE HOLY TRINITY , ALDERSGATE STREET .

IN the fifty first year of Edward HI ., Anno 1377 , a Guild , or Fraternity was founded in St . Botol p h ' s Church , Aldersgate , in honour of the Body of Christ , and of the Saints Fabian and Sebastian . Its

founders were " Phillipus at Vine . Agnes , ux ' eius , and Joh'es Bockynge , " and in their time , fifty-three " brethren , " and twentynine " susteren , " entered into the fraternity . Afterwards , in the 24 th of Henry VI , Dame Joan Astley , ( some time nurse to that King ) and others obtained a Licence

to refound it in honour of the Holy Trinity ; and under that appellation it remained till the 21 st of Edward VI . , when it was suppressed , and its endowments , valued at 30 Z . per annum , granted to William Harrisalias Soiners .

, In a Chartulary and Account-Book of this Guild , which is still extant , * called a " BLAKE REGISTKE BOKE , " are copies of all the deeds , grants , wills , evidences , and other wrrtings , concerning the "lyvelode

of the breth'hode , " [ brotherhood ] together with the statutes of the fraternity , and other interesting particulars . " These entries , " says Mr . Hone . -f- " shew that the landed property of this Brotherhood consisted of Houses in Aldersgatestreetthe

BarbicanLamb-alleyFan-, , , church-street , and Long-lane ; one of these was held on the annual payment of a rose , others in fee . They were proprietors of the Saracen ' s Head Inn , and the Falcon-ontlie-Hoop Brewery . In the fourteenth year of King Richard ILSir Rauff Kesteven

, , parson of St . Botolph , and the two churchwardens , granted a lease for twenty-one years to John Hertyshorn , of the Saracen ' s Head , with the appurtenances , at the yearly rent often marks ; the appurtenances were two houses adjoining on the north

side , and were included in that rental as worth eight shillings each by the year and one on the south side , was valued at ten shillings . ' In the xxj yer of k yno Harry the vjte , ' the brethren received , ' For the rent of ij yere of Wyll'm Wylkyns , for

the Sarresyn head , v . Ii . vjs . viijrf . —payn « by the yer liijs . iiijd .. ' and ' of the Faucon on the Hope , for the same ij yer , vi . Ii , that is to say , payngo by the yer iij , U , •' but the same year they demised the Falcon Brewhouse to Robert Halle and John

Walpole , brewers , for four years , at ei ghtyfour shillings per annum . Six years before , there is , in the Churchwarden ' s Accounts , an item for ' kerving and pointing of the seigne of the Faucon , vis . ' " It appears , from the statutes of tho

Guild , that the Priest , or Chaplain , was allowed ten marks annually "for his lyflode , " and also " a dowble hood of the colour of the breth'hode . " He was charged " for to do his masse , " winter and summer , by five o ' clock" sayinge by-fore masse

, , duly , a Memoric of the Trynytee ; " anel ordered to " be meke and obedient vnto the qwer' in all divine seruyces dvrynge hys time , as custome is in the citee amonge all othe' p ' stes . " On the Sunday next after " alle Sowlen day" he was to read

, openly , " stondyngein the pulpyte all the names of the brethren and sisters , " that ben on lyue ; " commencing with this address :

" Gode bretheren and susteren ; it is foreto weten and knowen , that the begynnynge of this Bretherode of grete deuocion , eu ' y ma' pay ' nge a peny , forfco fynde xiij tapers , about the Sepulchre of C ' ste at Estre , in the Chirche of Seynt Botulph , withoute Alcleresgate . Aft' thatthroug ' e

, more gretter deuocio ' n & sterynge vnto the worschippe of God , it' was yturne in'to a frat ' nyte of The Holy Trynyte , nougt with stondynge the fyndynge eu ' y yere , the may ' tenynge of the foresayde xiij tapers ; of the which breth'hode thes were

thei , & c . " It has been remarked , that in the Romish Church , " thirteen Candles " are an allegory of Christ and the twelve Apostles ; and that , in one of its Ceremonies , the twelve denoting the twelve Apostles , are extinguished , at intervals , during successive parts of the service , until one only i 3 left , which represents Christ deserted by