Last Wednesday, the Public History Unit hosted its first talk of the academic year. Dr Anna Eavis was invited to come and talk about Holy Trinity, a church in the village of Long Melford in Suffolk. Throughout the talk, Dr Eavis explored the complex ties between the religious and secular sides of society in late Medieval England, Holy Trinity as a notable case study.
Dr Anna Eavis is the curatorial director of English Heritage, an organisation that manages over 400 historical monuments, buildings and places from across the country.
The talk started with Holy Trinity and its substantial reconstructions in the second half of the fifteenth-century, led by its principal benefactor John Clopton. These refurbishments were part of a trend that affected several churches, possibly due to an increase in the wool trade. This is supported by the fact that John Clopton was a wealthy wool merchant when he contributed to Holy Trinity, hence why these churches were sometimes referred to as ‘cloth churches’.
Eavis made it clear however, that Clopton was not the sole contributor to Holy Trinity and that different parts of the church were paid for by different people who weren’t necessarily a part of the local community. Contributors would have had their names inscribed on the church, asking for prayers to save their souls which provided an incentive for people to take part in church construction/refurbishment. Eavis tied this into her general point, that both the religious and secular parts of society were interwoven in the Middle Ages.
The talk then moved on to stained glass windows. Usually when people think of stained glass in churches, depictions of holy figures or saints come to mind. Eavis attempted to dispel this idea by giving us a closer look at the stained glass panels of Holy Trinity. While it is true that religious figures were present on the glass panels, a closer inspection revealed that there were smaller depictions of secular people praying to those holy figures. These were in fact the commissioners of the windows, praying for their salvation, a similar idea to the inscriptions mentioned earlier.
Eavis explained that depictions of the secular in churches went further than this and that entire panels would have been devoted to secular roles belonging to church contributors. Eavis talked us through some of Holy Trinity’s stained glass to prove this point. One of the glass panels depicts John Clopton, emphasising his importance in the role and authority in the construction of the church as its major source of income. Another panel which can be seen with the image above, has three judges shown in great detail, wearing their uniforms, highlighting at least a common knowledge surrounding their profession. Overall, these growing visual representations are evidence for an increased awareness and respect towards secular roles, hinting at the rise of a more secularised age in late Medieval England.
The talk ended with a short Q&A where the audience could share any thoughts on the bonds between religious and secular life in the Middle Ages. One of audience members asked how common it was for churches to depict secular people and another member similarly wondered if it was normal for people to pray towards the church contributors. Dr Eavis replied that displays of secular roles in church was not seen as a peculiar practice and was seen as quite normal even if the contributors were not local to the parish. She also said that prayer towards the commissioners was imbedded in church practice and was therefore not questioned and accepted as a part of daily life.
That concludes my article on this event hosted by the Public History Unit. The PHU tries to host talks from a wide range of topics and I definitely encourage people to stay in touch for talks that may interest you throughout the year.
Comments