Tag Archives: Winchester

Monastic Life – Servitude and Prayer

13 Monday Jun 2011

Posted by in History, Misc

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In Denny Bradbury’s new book ‘Borvo‘ her main character attends a monastery in Winchester during the Anglo-Saxon era.

We have already explored the progression of a new recruit from postulant to novice (Monastic Life – From Postulant to Monk), also looking into the clothing that they wear and symbolic significance  (Monastic Life – A ‘habit’ of a lifetime).

Now we will study the daily practices and ask why anyone would choose to leave their loved-ones for a life of strict rule.

Monasteries around the time of King Alfred followed Benedictine rule – a strict regime of prayer, divine reading, and manual labour.

The Liturgy of the Hours was an official set of daily prayers.  They consisted mainly of psalms with hymns and readings.

Traditionally it was an 8-hour set routine:

  • Matins – overnight/midnight
  • Lauds – Dawn or 3am
  • Prime – 6am
  • Terce – 9am
  • Sext – Noon
  • None – 3pm
  • Vespers – 6pm
  • Compline – 9pm

Monks who were ordained in Holy Orders to carry on the teaching i.e. priests were ‘choir monks’.  They had to recite the Divine Office daily in choir which was in Latin.  Their life within the enclave consisted of prayer, divine office and mass.

‘Lay brothers’ was the term associated with those not part of the Holy Orders, monks who did not involve themselves in spreading the word of God.  They provided the material needs of the community i.e. growing food, preparing meals and maintaining the grounds.

Those who could not read Latin learnt The Lords Prayer and Hail Mary and recited those up to 150 times a day.

Secular clergymen and lay brothers had ‘shorter’ prayer routines to fit in with their different lifestyles.

The vow of silence is found in many monasteries however not all orders practised strict silence.  Some had a ‘silent period’ overnight; others would only talk when it was deemed necessary to fulfil their duties.

But why would you leave your families and villages, choosing to sacrifice your independent life for one of servitude and hard labour?

As many would have you believe at the time, they went to monasteries purely to find God and live a good existence.  Of course we cannot deny that some people did sacrifice their freedoms to be closer to their Lord.

What we cannot forget, however, is that monasteries were centres of knowledge and learning, sometimes the only places for scholarship and learning in Europe.  Many contained big libraries including important ancient texts.  The copying of these texts formed a large part of the monks’ life.

Laura Scott

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

Monastic Life – The ‘habit’ of a lifetime

08 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in History

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St. Benedict - founder of the Benedictine Monks

Last time we looked at the path a new recruit to religious life must walk – trialing life as a postulant, then entering training as a novice, being permitted to make his solemn or permanent vows (Monastic Life – From Postulant to Monk).

We are now going to look into more detail about the clothing worn.

The monks’ clothing is called the ‘habit’.  It is made up of several different layers.

When the postulant decided to start his proper training as a ‘novice’ he would have been supplied with two tunics, a scapula for work, stockings and shoes.

The two tunics enable him to work and sleep in one whilst the other is being washed.  They were often ankle-length and tied at the middle by cloth or leather belt.

Over the tunic, a monk would wear a scapula.  This was a long wide piece of woolen cloth worn over the shoulders, with a hole for head.  This garment was secured at the front.  The scapula signified ‘obedience’.

The colours varied between orders.  The Benedictine Monks, which were practicing during the period of King Alfred (the setting of Denny Bradbury’s book ‘Borvo’), started out wearing white or grey habits – the colour of un-dyed wool.

In later years, they dyed their clothing black, and became known as ‘the Black Monks’.

Other orders, such as Cistercian and Carthusian, wore greyish-white or brown.

After taking their solemn vows, monks were issued with two cowls (hoods).  These highlighted the fact they had given their allegiance to God.

Some monks would also wear a cross and chain over their scapula, others would instigate suffering and self-punishment by wearing hair-shirts under their tunics.

Another part of ‘dress’ associated with monks was the tonsure – the shaved head.  It was often the preference of the monk as to how shaved the head would be.

All of these items helped the monks to focus on God and set them out from the rest of the people on their travels.

Next time, we explore the daily routine of life within a monastery and ask why people would give up freedoms in the pursuit of monastic life.

Laura Scott

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

Monastic Life – From Postulant to Monk

30 Monday May 2011

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Denny Bradbury’s latest book ‘Borvo’ looks at an important period of Anglo-Saxon history.  It’s a pivotal period where paganism and Christianity ‘clash’ – out with the old beliefs of polytheism and in with the new monotheism.

Denny’s titular character, brought up with multiple deities, combines the two beliefs when he attends a Catholic monastery in Winchester (see the earlier article on Winchester Cathedral).

Today we start our exploration of monastic life – the communities and the route from postulant to monk.

Monasteries were communities where people would go to dedicate their lives to God.  In the early years, both men and woman could attend within the same walls, but lived separate lives within the enclave.

Over time, practices changed and separate communities were formed; abbeys and priories, nunneries and convents.

Within the boundary walls (the enclave) you would find several buildings – a church, workshops, kitchen and cells (the monks’ individual rooms for sleep and prayer).

The Abbott would be in charge of the Abbey (having been elected by his brethren) and the Prior would oversee the running of a Priory (smaller community).  Others within the community were ‘choir monks’ and ‘lay brothers’.  Tasks between them differed and very often it was due to their ‘status’ and ‘abilities’ gained in existence outside the walls before the move into the monastery.

When Denny’s character Borvo turned up at the doors of the monastery in Winchester, he would not have entered strict rule immediately.

He would have been known as a ‘postulant’ – someone living within the walls on a ‘trial basis’.  Not making any vows, he would have been free to leave at any time.

The trial would only have given him an insight into the life, the sacrifices and the rewards of monastic teaching, usually over a few months.  To truly access the lifestyle, a postulant would request permission to stay.  If the rest of the brethren agreed, he would be given his ‘habit’ (clothing) and be known as a ‘novice’.  The novice would now dress appropriately and participate in monastic life (the structure and duties of which we will examine in a later article).

When the ‘novice’ feels ready, which can be about a year after they begin their training, they can take their ‘solemn vows’: poverty, obedience and chastity.  These can be renewed annually until such time as they are prepared to make their ‘permanent vows’ which, as the name suggests, ties them for life to the rule of their order.

Within the Benedictine order, ‘religious vows’ were also taken which were similar to the solemn vows – obedience, conversion of life, and stability (the latter ensuring the monk would be buried within the walls).

Once basic training was complete (of course, life was one continuous training event), they could either be ‘regular’ or ‘secular’ clergy.

‘Regular’ came from the latin ‘regula’ meaning ‘rule’ – in this instance meaning the strict lifestyle they would lead within the monastery walls.

‘Secular’ is from the latin ‘saecularis’ meaning ‘of the world’ – and this related to priests who would leave the safety of the monastery and visit the people (not just to spread the word but to trade/sell produce).

We shall explore the clothing and routines of those within the monastery next time, and look at why people chose to leave their families and villages, choosing to sacrifice their independent life for one of servitude and hard labour.

Laura Scott

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

King Alfred

17 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in History

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King Alfred

By Sarah Hogan

Statue of King Alfred in Winchester - image by Ewen and Donabel

King Alfred, or Alfred the Great, ruled the House of Wessex for 18 years. He became King of Wessex in 871 and was the first King to call himself King of the Anglo Saxons.

His reign was full of battles with the Vikings, on land and sea. He defended southern parts of England from invasion from his base in Winchester. Winchester became more prominent under the Wessex kings, King Alfred was buried there and a statue of him can be found in the Hampshire town.

King Alfred is now a central character in a new book from Denny Bradbury, Borvo. It is set in Winchester and tells the story of a pagan boy who comes to the aid of the great King.

Learning and culture was said to be of great importance to King Alfred. It’s thought that he encouraged English to be used as a written language. Under his rule, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle was begun, a huge source of early English history.

King Alfred is also said to be the founder of the Royal Navy. It most likely did exist in some before him, but he took it upon himself to greatly improve ships and defences across the Wessex kingdom.

It’s recorded in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle that Alfred died in 901. Although that could not necessarily be true as many different scholars and sources contributed to the Chronicle. He was initially buried in Winchester Cathedral, but his remains were moved to Hyde Abbey in 1110. When Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536, the Abbey was demolished and his remains have never been found.

He is Elizabeth II’s 32nd great – grandfather.

King Alfred is known as the great Anglo Saxon ruler. In Borvo, Denny Bradbury explores how this eminent King needs help from a lowly pagan boy.

To find out more about Winchester Cathedral please click here.

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury

Winchester Cathedral

09 Monday May 2011

Posted by in History

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Winchester Cathedral

By Sarah Hogan

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral - image by Dan Taylor

Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe – and the oldest. It was originally founded in 642, as a small Saxon Church.

The original cross-shaped church became known as Old Minster. Its outline can still be seen today to the north of the present Cathedral. With the town of Winchester increasing in importance, the small Church became a Cathedral with great significance. Winchester became the capital of Wessex, the most important region in England at the time. And with that the Church became the most important royal church in Anglo-Saxon England, the burial place of many West Saxon Kings.

Winchester is now the setting for a new book from Denny Bradbury. The historical significance of the town and the Cathedral plays a huge part in Borvo. The historical fiction novel tells the story of a pagan boy who comes to the aid of King Alfred.

The construction of the great Cathedral which still stands today began in 1079, said to be ordered by William the Conqueror who had already extended the royal palace of Winchester and built a castle in the capital city.

King Alfred, one of the earliest Kings of Wessex, was originally buried at the Cathedral. Many of kings were buried in the Cathedral, including King Cnut who ruled England and Denmark in the eleventh century and William II, William the Conqueror’s son. Catholic Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII chose to have her wedding to Phillip of Spain at the Cathedral, after it survived the reformation.

During the reformation, the Priory of Saint Swithun, where monks had studied for years was dissolved. The Chapter House and Cloister were demolished, but the Cathedral survived.

In the early 20th century, the Cathedral was near collapse and needed extensive restoration work. It was built in a valley of the river Itchen, so due to peaty soil, the foundations were waterlogged. But the water couldn’t be held back long enough for new foundations to be built around the existing ones. So William Walker, a deep sea diver, was called in to help. He delivered bags of concrete to the foundations everyday for six years, ensuring the Cathedral’s stability.

Adding to the ancient kings buried in the Cathedral, more recently it’s become famous for the burial of an author. Jane Austen died in 1817, having published some books but not reaching a great level of fame. She lived near the Cathedral with her sister, and was buried there with just four people in attendance at her funeral. Her fame increased throughout the later 19th century, and by 1900 a memorial window was installed in the Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral is famed for its historical significance and ties with the past. Denny Bradbury’s new novel Borvo explores how a great King can relate to a pagan boy.

Borvo will be available in June. To preorder click here.

Find out more about Winchester here.

To purchase one of Denny’s books please click on the images below or contact Denny directly at email denisebradbury@btinternet.com.
The Reunion Denagerie of Poems by Denny Bradbury