his arrival in the palace yard, and was greeted by a crowd of spectators with loud cheers and acclamations. The certificate that the Prince Regent had received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at the Chapel Royal of St. James's on Sunday, January 27th, was delivered to the President of the Council, countersigned, and deposited by the Keeper of the Records in a box, at the bottom of the Council table. It is refreshing to learn, after so much State ceremonial, that, on March 10, 1813, the day fixed by the Prince Regent as a public day of Fasting and Humiliation, the Regent, his daughter, and the Dukes of York, Cumberland, and Cambridge went quietly to the Chapel Royal, St. James's.' A similar ceremony was observed at the accession of William IV. In the Chapel Royal Register and Cheque Book, under date July 4th, 1830, appears the following: This day H.M. King William IV., attended by T.R.H. the Dukes of Cumberland, Sussex and Gloucester, and Prince Leopold, were present at Divine Service in the Chapel Royal, and received the Holy Communion, which was administered by the Bishop of London and the Sub-Dean, first to the Archbishops of Canterbury, York, and Armagh, and the Bishops of Salisbury and Chichester, then to His Majesty and then to the Princes. The Sermon was preached by the Bishop of London. After Morning Service His Majesty received the undermentioned Bishops in the Royal Closet, viz. the Archbishops of Canterbury, York, and Armagh, the Bishops of London, Salisbury, Lincoln, St. Asaph, Exeter, Chichester, Llandaff, Carlisle, Rochester and Chester, and made to them a gracious declaration of his firm and cordial attachment to the Established Church, and of his determination to maintain it in the full enjoyment of all its rights and immunities. His Majesty stated his opinion that toleration had now been carried to its utmost limits in this Country; that no denomination of Christians had any ground of complaint as being debarred from the exercise of any civil or religious right, and that all further attempts to encroach upon the privilege of the Established Church were to be resisted, and that we might rely with confidence upon His Majesty's firm determination to countenance and protect us. His Majesty adverted to the groundless charge which had been made against the Church of superfluous wealth, the futility of which His Majesty was perfectly aware of. His Majesty declared his belief that the Clergy were doing their duty faithfully, and desired us to make known his gracious declaration to the Clergy of our respective dioceses. His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury made a suitable reply to His Majesty in his own name and that of his brethren, after which His Majesty was pleased to direct that I should make a minute of what had passed on this occasion and enter it in the Register Book of the Chapel Royal, which I have done accordingly. C. of London Dean of H.M. C.R. 287 CHAPTER VI THE STAFF OF THE CHAPEL ROYAL THE Old Cheque Book of the Chapel Royal, from which so much of the following information is derived, commences with the reign of Queen Elizabeth. This MS.,' as says Dr. Rimbault rightly, is written on large folio paper. It is in the original binding much dilapidated, with an ornamented device, on each side of the covers, and the letters 'E.R' stamped in gold. On the fly-leaf is written Old Cheque Book of the Chapels Royal.' This Old Cheque Book, which is in the official custody of the sub-dean, consists of eighty-seven leaves. These are written in various handwritings, though the writer was generally, it would seem, the Clerk of the Cheque for the time being, whose duty it was, among other things, to keep a regular account of the attendances and absences of the priests and gentlemen of the Chapel Royal.1 The duties of this officer, as far as I can ascertain,' says Dr. Rimbault, were to keep an account of the attendance and to note the absence of the Priests and Gentlemen, in order to lay the same before the Dean or Sub-Dean at certain times, probably every month; likewise to attend all admissions into the Chapel appointments and to 'The earliest facts on record relating to the King's Chapel are to be found in a Book entitled "Liber Niger Domus Regis," which contains an account of this establishment during the reign of Edward IV. From this "Liber Niger" it appears that among the officers were a "Deane of the Chappelle" who was 'served after a baronne service,' with a daily allowance of iii loaves, ii messe of great meate, a picher of wyne, 2 gallones of ale and for wintere seasone one torche, one picher, ii candles waxe, iii candles piche, iii talsheids 2 Lyttere, and rushes all the yeare of the sergante usher of the hall and chambere.' He had also 'lodginge suffytyente for his horse, and his seruants in the toune or contrey.' There were also Chaplenes, and Clerkes of the Chappelle XXIIII 'endowed with uirtues morolle and specikatyue, as of the musicke, shewinge in readinge, suffytyente in organes playinge, syttynge at the deane's boarde.' The daily wages of each was 7 pence. They had clothing allowed and furniture for their chambers: with 2 loaves of bread, one picher' of wine and 6 gallons of ale: and from All-hallowtide to Easter 2 wax candles, 12 of 'pich' and 8 talsheids, amongst them all, daily. Those who were Priests had 1 servant each and the others one to every two: besides stabling and keep for their horses. And if any of this be let bloode in Courte, he taketh daily ii loaves, one messe of great meate, one messe of roste, one galone of ale: and when the Chapelle synge mattenes ouer nighte, called Black Mattynes, then they have allowed spice and wine.' keep a record of the same, as well as of all Rules and Regulations issued for the Government of the Chapel. To this office no Salary was attached, but there were certain fees paid upon the admission of Members, and upon other occasions.' 2 Firewood cleft and cut into billets of a certain length: each talshied (or talwood) being 16 inches in compass. (Cowell.) 6 It is easy to believe that such a table of diet must very much have promoted blood-letting as well as singing of mattenes over night. Besides the Dean, chaplains, and clerks, there were two Yeomen of the Chappelle, called Pisteleres (Epistellers-readers of the Epistles), who were chosen from amongst those children of the Chapel whose voices had recently changed. The Epistellers seem to have occupied an intermediate step between the latter and the above mentioned "Clerkes." They had 3 pence a day with clothing and other allowances.' In the time of Queen Anne, in 1714, the personnel of the Chapel Royal consisted of a Dean, sub-dean, who was also Precentor Capellæ, Lord Almoner, sub-Almoner, three Clerks of the Closet, forty-eight Chaplains in Ordinary, thirty-two Gentlemen of the Chapel of whom twelve were Priests-whose office was to perform Divine Service, eight Clerks 'who joined with them in praying and singing,' three organists, one composer, one master of music, one master of children, four vergers, viz., one serjeant, two yeomen, and one groom, and twelve children of the Chapel for singing,' who with a few lesser officials made a total of 113.1 A century and a half later, in 1860, the staff was composed of a dean, a sub-dean (who was also chaplain at St. James's Palace), two priests in ordinary, forty-eight chaplains in ordinary, sixteen 1 Paterson's Pietas Londinensis, 1714, p. 110. VOL. II. U |