View source for Beverley Minster

{{Short description|Church in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox church
| denomination = [[Church of England]]
| previous denomination = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]
| name = Beverley Minster
| fullname = Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin
| image = Beverley Minster Exterior.jpg
| country = [[England]]
| coordinates = {{coord|53|50|21|N|0|25|29|W|type:landmark_scale:1000_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| osgraw = TA 03766 39257 
| churchmanship = [[Broad Church]]
| website = [http://beverleyminster.org.uk/ beverleyminster.org.uk]
| former name = The Church of St John of Beverley
| dedication = [[John of Beverley|St John]] and [[Martin of Tours|St Martin]]
| architectural type = Church
| style = [[English Gothic architecture|English Gothic]]
| years built = 1188–1420<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beverleyminster.org.uk/visit-us-2/a-brief-history/|title=A brief history – Beverley Minster|accessdate=5 November 2023}}</ref>
| diocese = [[Diocese of York]]
| province = [[Province of York]]
| vicar = Jonathan Baker
| curate = Charlie Sheffard
| organistdom = Robert Poyser
}}

'''Beverley Minster''', otherwise known as the '''Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin''',<ref>{{cite web |title=Beverley Minster – Beverley Minster |url=https://beverleyminster.org.uk/ |access-date=28 June 2022 }}</ref> in [[Beverley]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], is a [[parish church]] in the [[Church of England]]. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one-third of all English cathedrals and is regarded as a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] masterpiece.

Originally a [[collegiate church]], it was not selected as a bishop's seat during the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]; nevertheless, it survived as a parish church and the [[chapter house]] and the attached church of St Martin were the only major parts of the building to be lost. It is part of the [[Major Churches Network]] and a Grade I [[listed building]].{{sfn|Historic England|1084028}}

==History==
The minster owes its origin and much of its subsequent importance to Saint [[John of Beverley]], [[Bishop of York]] (706–714?), who founded a monastery locally {{circa|700}} and whose remains still lie in a vault beneath the nave. Archaeological excavations in 1979–82 confirmed that a major church stood on or near the present minster site from {{circa|700}} to {{circa|850}}. That last date could support a tradition of the sacking of the monastery by Vikings.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=280}}

Another tradition attributes to [[Æthelstan|King Æthelstan]] the refoundation of the monastery as a [[collegiate church]] of secular canons. The establishment of a major minster and its privileges was more likely a gradual process but, by the early 11th century, Bishop John's tomb had become a major pilgrimage centre. He was [[canonised]] in 1037, and his [[Cult (religious practice)|cult]] encouraged the growth of a town around the minster.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=280}} The archbishops of York, the lords of Beverley throughout the Middle Ages, secured grants for four annual fairs which enhanced the town's trading role. From the 12th century Beverley was a major exporter of wool to the Low Countries.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=282}}

A 12th-century charter indicates substantial rebuilding work following the canonisation of St John of Beverley in 1037. Archbishop Kynesige (1051–60) added a high stone tower; his successor [[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Ealdred]] (1060–69) expanded the church with a new [[Presbytery (architecture)|presbytery]]. He also installed a painted and gilded ceiling from the presbytery to the tower. Nothing remains of this Anglo-Saxon church, and no records of building work under the Normans survive. However, large quantities of Norman masonry have been found in excavations throughout the town, and four large arches built behind the nave [[triforium]] during the 14th century are composed of reused Norman [[voussoir]]s{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=283}} (wedge-shaped stones).

In 1067/68 Gamel, Sheriff of York was informed in a writ by [[William the Conqueror]] that ''[[Ealdred (archbishop of York)|Archbishop Ealdred]] should draw up a ''privilegium'' for the lands belonging to the church of St John of Beverley and that they shall be free from the demands of the king, his [[Reeve (England)|reeve]]s, and all his men, except for those of the [[archbishop of York|archbishop]] and [[catholic priest|priest]]s of the church.'')

Saint [[Thomas Becket]] of Canterbury (December 1119 or 20 – December 1170) was named [[Provost of Beverley Minster|Provost of Beverley]] in 1154.

===Rebuilding===
A fire in 1188 seriously damaged the minster and the town. Much of the church was damaged and complete rebuilding was required. Money was collected for the work and reconstruction began at the east end soon after the fire.{{sfn|Phillips|2017}}{{Page needed|date=October 2021}} During the construction, a new lantern tower over the eastern crossing designed to illuminate the shrine of St John was under construction, but it collapsed {{circa|1219}} necessitating a partial rebuild of the church. [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] granted 40 oaks from [[Sherwood Forest]] in 1252, and by {{circa|1260}} the [[Retroquire|retrochoir]], [[Choir (architecture)|choir]], [[chapter house]], [[transept]]s, and [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] were complete.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=283}} Filled with light, overwhelmingly tall and spacious, and speaking to the increasing skills of the stonecarvers, this new work was radically different from the old Saxon and Norman structure it replaced. It was the product of the novel structural systems and artistic development that together define the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style, originating in France and brought to England in the late 12th century.

Work did not progress beyond the first bay of the nave. Of this Early Gothic building campaign, only the [[chapter house]] has been lost, although its wonderful staircase survives in the north choir aisle. The only major alteration was the insertion of a great [[Perpendicular Gothic|Perpendicular]] east window, for which money was bequeathed in 1416.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|pp=283, 288}}
[[File:Beverley_Minster,_East_Riding_of_Yorkshire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Perpendicular Gothic]] West towers of Beverley Minster]]
A new shrine for St John was ordered from Roger de Faringdon of London in 1292,{{sfn|Coldstream|1991|p=182}} to which the saint's remains were translated on 25 October 1307. Collections for further rebuilding were resumed in 1308, and work on the nave had begun by 1311. The architectural style current in England had developed into something much different from the Early Gothic displayed in the first part of the rebuilding; the new style is referred to as [[Decorated (architecture)|Decorated]]. More structurally daring, more richly decorated forms merge with the earlier, simpler forms in the nave of Beverley Minster, in an effort both to respect the older work and to bring it up to date. Building on the nave was ongoing in 1334, and may have been halted by the [[Black Death]] in 1348 as in many other instances across England.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=288}}

Work did not resume until later in the century, when the nave was completed and the west front with its two great towers was built, {{circa|1400}}.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|pp=286–7}} These towers are a superlative example of the Perpendicular style, and formed the inspiration for the present west towers of [[Westminster Abbey]] {{citation needed|date=January 2025}}, designed by [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]]. By the early 15th century, with the building of the north porch, the Minster was structurally complete.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=287}} The great east window (bequeathed in 1416 as previously mentioned), a chapel funded by the Percys ({{circa|1490}}, in the extreme northeast corner of the church), and the choir stalls ({{circa|1520}}) were the only major later work.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|pp=283–5}}

[[Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland]] (1449–1489), was buried in the church after being murdered by his own retainers at Cockslodge near [[Thirsk]], in 1489 during the [[Yorkshire rebellion 1489|Yorkshire rebellion]] over high taxes imposed by King Henry VII.

===English Reformation and beyond===
In 1548, the minster was reduced to the status of a [[parish church]], the college of secular canons established before the Norman Conquest was dissolved (decreasing the minster's staff from at least seventy-five to four),{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=282}} and the shrine of St John was dismantled. The chapter house, now unused, was demolished. By the early 17th century the parish church of St Martin, formerly attached to the three southwestern bays of the nave, was also gone.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|p=285}}

As with many English churches during the wars of religion in the 16th century, Beverley Minster was not immune to dissension. Church authorities cracked down hard on those they felt were part of the "Popish" conspiracy contrary to royal decrees. "Among those holding traditional beliefs were three of the clergy at the minster, who were charged with Popish practices in 1567; John Levet was a former member of the college and Richard Levet was presumably his brother. Both [[Levett|Levet]]s were suspended from the priesthood for keeping prohibited equipment and books and when restored were ordered not to minister in Beverley or its neighbourhood."{{sfn|Baggs et al.|1989|pp=76–80}}{{sfn|Phillips|2017|p=318}}

By the early 18th century the church was in a state of decay. The stone vaulting used in all areas of the Minster called for [[flying buttress]]es, which had been constructed everywhere except on the north transept. By 1700, progressive structural failure of this transept over the centuries had almost brought about its collapse and the ruin of the crossing itself, with the transept gable overhanging the base by 4&nbsp;ft (1.2 m). Restoration continued from 1717 to 1731 under Nicholas Hawksmoor. William Thornton of York, one of the supervisors of the project, devised an ingenious method of levering the wall back into place and securing it with a great wooden frame. The southwestern bays of the nave, where the north wall of St Martin's parish church had been, were reconstructed at this time as well to harmonise with the rest of the nave.{{sfn|Pevsner|1995|pp=285–6}}

== Bells ==
Both west towers contain bells. The south-west tower contains a swinging [[Bourdon (bell)|bourdon bell]] called Great John. It chimes the hour and it dates from 1901. It weighs over 7 tons and it is over 7 feet in diameter. Despite its name, it is not dedicated to Saint John of Beverley. It reads, "I am called the great bell of Saint John the Evangelist 1901". Records show that the Minster possessed two bells in 1050. Four bells were installed in 1366, three of which having been recast and are still used in the Minster. The chimes for each quarter are rung on the 10 bells in the north-west tower and the melody was composed by organist [[Camidge family|John Camidge]]. There have been two major overhauls of the bells, one in 1896 and the other in 1901 by Taylor of Loughborough.

==Clock==
A new clock was installed by [[Smith of Derby Group|John Smith and Sons of Derby]] and set going on 15 February 1902.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=A Triple Function at Beverley Minster |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003144/19020222/122/0008 |newspaper=Beverley Independent |location=England |date=22 February 1902 |access-date=5 November 2025 |via = [[British Newspaper Archive]] |url-access=subscription }}</ref> It chimed the quarters on the peal of ten bells in the north-west tower, and the hour was struck on the great bell “John” in the south tower. The quarter chimes rang 12 notes at the first quarter, 20 at the second, 32 at the third and 41 before the hour strike.

==Other burials==
*[[John of Beverley]] (died 7 May 721)
*Eleanor, Lady Percy, 1328
*Idonea de Clifford, 1365
*George Percy, a priest, 1474
*[[Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland]]
*[[Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland|Maud Herbert, wife of 4th Earl of Northumberland]], 1485/1495. 
*[[Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland]], 1527
*[[Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland|Catherine Spencer, wife of 5th Earl]], 1542
*[[Oliver De Lancey (American loyalist)|Oliver De Lancey]], 1785

==Features==
Features of the interior include shafts of [[Purbeck Marble]], stiff-leaf carving and the tomb of Lady Eleanor Percy, dating from around 1340 and covered with a richly decorated canopy, regarded by F. H. Crossley as one of the best surviving examples of [[Gothic art]].{{sfn|Crossley|1921|p=[https://archive.org/details/englishchurchmon00cros/page/56 56]}} A total of 68 16th-century [[misericord]]s are located in the [[Choir (architecture)|quire]] of the minster, and nearby is a sanctuary or [[Frithstool|frith stool]] dating back to Anglo-Saxon times.

The misericords were probably carved by the so-called "Ripon school" of carvers and bear a strong family resemblance to those at [[Manchester Cathedral]] and [[Ripon Cathedral]].

The church contains one of the few remaining frith stools (also known as frid stools, meaning "peace chairs") in England. Anyone wanting to claim sanctuary from the law would sit in the chair. The chair dates from Saxon times before 1066.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/Beverley.html |title=Beverley and Beverley Minster, East Yorkshire history|access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/frith-stool/ |title=Frith Stool – Hexham Abbey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728102942/http://www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/frith-stool/ |archive-date=28 July 2012 |access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://beverleyminster.org.uk/visit-us/history-and-building/plan-of-the-minster/|title=Plan of the Minster and top visitor attractions » Beverley Minster|access-date=6 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020151219/http://beverleyminster.org.uk/visit-us/history-and-building/plan-of-the-minster/|archive-date=20 October 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jeremyfletcher.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/a-sanctuary-for-lent/|title=A Sanctuary for Lent|date=23 February 2012|access-date=6 July 2012|quote=This chair is the "Frid Stool". It is Saxon and predates the Norman and Gothic minsters here. It is a physical connection to John of Beverley, founder of the 8th-century monastery which is the origin of everything in modern Beverley ... Over its history the Frid Stool has become the symbol of sanctuary. Beverley was a sanctuary town where, if you had committed a crime which demanded death, you could claim sanctuary and your sentence was commuted – often people were sent abroad. The whole town had this function and there are crosses on the boundaries to define the geographical limits of this provision. Jeremy Fletcher. Beverley Minster vicar, 2007|archive-date=25 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425024302/https://jeremyfletcher.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/a-sanctuary-for-lent/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the central tower is a massive [[treadwheel crane]] which was used to lift building materials to the roof space. It is of medieval origin but has been largely reconstructed.

The organ is mounted above a richly carved wooden screen dating from 1877 to 1880, designed by Sir [[George Gilbert Scott]], and carved by James Elwell of Beverley. There is a staircase in the north aisle which was used in collegiate times to gain access to the chapter house, since demolished.

Improvements to the choir were made during the 16th and 18th centuries, and [[medieval]] glass, which was shattered by a storm in 1608, was meticulously collected and installed in the east window in 1725. The Thornton family, great craftsmen of the early 18th century, were responsible for the font cover and the west door, and also for saving the church from being completely ruined by the fall of the north wall of the north transept between 1718 and 1731. Another notable feature is the series of carvings of musicians which adorn the nave, which date to the second quarter of the 14th century.

[[Location shooting|Location]] sequences for the film ''[[Lease of Life]]'' (1954), two TV series of ''[[Victoria (UK TV series)|Victoria]]'' in 2016-7 and the BBC dramas ''[[King Charles III (film)|King Charles III]]'' and ''[[Gunpowder (TV series)|Gunpowder]]'' in 2017 were filmed in Beverley Minster.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">
File:Beverley Minster rose window.jpg|Rose window
File:Beverley Minster Nave HDR.jpg|Nave
File:Beverley Minster Ceiling.jpg|Ceiling in the nave
File:Feast of Fools, Carving in Beverley Minster (p.62, Jan 1824).jpg|Engraving of a Feast of Fools, a carving on a wooden [[misericord]] in Beverley Minster{{sfn|Gentleman's Magazine|1824|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=mKVJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA62 62]}}
</gallery>

== In literature==
{{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836/Beverley Minster|Beverley Minster]]}} is the subject of a poetical illustration by [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]] to a picture by [[Nathaniel Whittock]] published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836. In a footnote, she remarks "It is said that the two towers on the West Front inspired Westminster Abbey," the west towers of which are post-medieval structures designed by Nicholas Hawkmoor, mentioned above.<ref> {{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PT28|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}<br />{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PT30|section=poetical illustration|page=29|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>

== Organ ==
[[File:Beverley minster 024.JPG|thumb|Snetzler organ case from 1769]]
There is a large, chestnut-coloured organ with bright golden pipes, designed by Arthur Hill in 1916. It houses an original manual from the organ built by [[John Snetzler]] in 1769, which has been increased to four manuals since. There have been subsequent rebuilds and restoration by [[William Hill & Sons]] in 1884, and by [[William Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Ltd.|Hill, Norman and Beard]] in 1962{{ndash}}63. The specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.<ref>{{National Pipe Organ Register|id=D06725|access-date=26 August 2008}}</ref>

=== Organists ===
* [[Matthias Hawdon]], 1769{{ndash}}76
* George Lambert, 1777{{ndash}}1818<ref name="Dir1892">History & Directory of East Yorkshire, 1892, p.&nbsp;346</ref>
* [[G. J. Lambert]], 1818{{ndash}}74<ref name="Dir1892"/> (son of George Lambert)
* [[Langdon Colborne]], 1874{{ndash}}75 (formerly organist of [[St Michael's College, Tenbury]], afterwards organist of [[Wigan]] parish church)
* [[Arthur Henry Mann]], 1875{{ndash}}76 (afterwards organist and director of music at [[King's College, Cambridge]])
* [[John Henry Norrison Camidge]], 1876{{ndash}}1933
* [[Herbert Kennedy Andrews]], 1934{{ndash}}38
* [[John Herbert Long]], 1938{{ndash}}56 (formerly organist of [[St Peter's Church, Brighton]])
* David Ingate, 1957{{ndash}}1962 (also music teacher at [[Beverley Grammar School]], and formerly organist at All Saints' Parish Church, [[High Wycombe]])
* Peter Fletcher 1962–1966
* Alan Spedding, 1967{{ndash}}March 2009 (formerly organist of [[Kingston upon Thames]] parish church)<ref name="Poyser" />
* Robert Poyser, 2009–present<ref name="Poyser">{{cite news|url=http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/New-musical-director-Beverley-Minster/story-11960229-detail/story.html#axzz2hHE5bKQs|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131010070555/http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/New-musical-director-Beverley-Minster/story-11960229-detail/story.html%23axzz2hHE5bKQs|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 October 2013|title=New musical director for Beverley Minster|date=14 January 2009|work=Hull Daily Mail|access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref>
{{Expand list|date=August 2008}}

=== Assistant organists ===
* Gordon Reynolds, 1939{{ndash}}42 (later organist of [[St Bride's Church]], Fleet Street, London)
* [[Wallace Michael Ross]], 1948{{ndash}}50
* Andrew Leach, 1960–1967 (Acting Organist, September 1966 – January 1967)
* Ian Sharp, 1967–1969
* Geoffrey Pearce, 1969–1973 (later Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen, [[Bridlington Priory]] and [[Selby Abbey]])
* James Archer, 1973–1974
* Andrew Leach, 1974–1980
* John Long, 1980–1984
* Paul Dewhurst, 1987–1990
* Andrew Dibb, 1990–1993
* Simon Taranczuk, 1993–1996
* Colin Wright, 1996–2010
* Ian Seddon, 2013–2018<ref>{{cite news|url=http://beverleyminster.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notice-Sheet-130602A4.pdf|title=Church Notices and News|date=2 June 2013|publisher=Beverley Minster|page=3|access-date=10 October 2013
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115234406/https://beverleyminster.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Notice-Sheet-130602A4.pdf|archive-date=15 January 2019}}</ref> becoming Associate Organist in 2018

=== Organ scholars ===
* James Longden, from September 2011
* Dominic Joyce, from September 2016

==See also==
* [[Provost of Beverley Minster]]
* [[Grade I listed churches in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]

{{Portal bar|Christianity|Yorkshire}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|first1=A. P. |last1=Baggs |first2=L. M. |last2=Brown |first3=G. C. F. |last3=Forster |first4=I. |last4=Hall |first5=R. E. |last5=Horrox |first6=G. H. R. |last6=Kent |first7=D. |last7=Neave|section=The sixteenth century: Religious Life|title=A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 6, the Borough and Liberties of Beverley|editor-first=K.&nbsp;J. |editor-last=Allison|location=London|year=1989|pages=76–80|via=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/yorks/east/vol6/pp76-80|ref={{SfnRef|Baggs et al.|1989}}}}
*{{cite book|title=The Decorated Style: Architecture and Ornament 1240–1360|first=Nicola|last=Coldstream|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=1991|isbn=0802007007|location=Toronto|oclc=32152346}}
*{{cite book|last=Crossley |first=Frederick Herbert |title=English church monuments A. D. 1150–1550; an introduction to the study of tombs & effigies of the Mediaeval period |publisher=B. T. Batsford |location=London |year=1921 |url=https://archive.org/details/englishchurchmon00cros |access-date=28 October 2016}}
*{{cite journal|journal=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle|date=February 1824|volume=94|issue=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKVJAAAAYAAJ|access-date=13 December 2017|title=Cornards,-Feast of Fools|ref={{SfnRef|Gentleman's Magazine|1824}}}}
*{{National Heritage List for England|num=1084028|desc=The Minster Church of St John|accessdate=17 July 2014}}
*{{cite book|title=Yorkshire: York and the East Riding|last=Pevsner|first=Nikolaus|author-link=Nikolaus Pevsner|publisher=Yale University Press|others=David Neave, Susan Neave, John Hutchinson|year=1995|isbn=9780300095937|edition=2nd|location=New Haven, Conn.|oclc=49299297}}
*{{cite book |title=Of a Fair Uniforme Making-the building history of Beverley Minster 1188-1736 |last=Phillips |first=John |publisher=Blackthorn Press |year=2017}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Beverley Minster}}
*[http://www.beverleyminster.org/ Official website]

{{Greater Churches}}
{{Deanery of Beverley churches}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gothic architecture in England]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Monasteries in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Beverley]]