Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
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ST. JOHN OF BEVERLEY.<br />
dagger, has been supposed to be the same which Athelstane<br />
had left as an earnest of the bona fide nature of his<br />
intentions when he besought the aid of the holy John<br />
against the Scots. On the leaden covering was the<br />
following inscription in old English lettering: — "<br />
Anno<br />
ab incarnatione Domini MCLXXXVIII. combvsta fvit<br />
hæc Ecclesia inmense Septembri,in seqventi nocti post<br />
Festvm Sancti Matthæi Apostoli, et in Ann MCXCVII.<br />
VI. Idvs. Martii, facta fvit Inquisitio reliqviarvm Beati<br />
Johannis in hoc loco; et inventa sunt hæc ossa in<br />
orientali parte sepvlchri, et hie recondita; et pvlvis<br />
cemento mixtvs ibidem et in inventvs, et reconditvs;"<br />
the translationof whichruns as follows: — " In the year<br />
for the Incarnation of our Lord, 1188, this church was<br />
burnt, in the month of September, the night after the<br />
Feast of St.Matthew the Apostle; and in the year 1197,<br />
the sixth of the Ides of March, there was an Inquisition<br />
made for the relics of the Blessed John in this place;and<br />
these bones werefound in the East part of his Sepulchre<br />
and here deposited; and dust mixed with mortar was<br />
found likewise and re-interred." After these particulars<br />
were taken(in 1644) the relics were carefully re-interred<br />
in the middle aisle of the nave in the place where they<br />
had been found, but upon the present pavement being<br />
laid down they were again disturbed and taken up<br />
until an arched vaulting was prepared, in which they<br />
were placed, after the addition of the followinghad been<br />
made to the original inscription: — Reliqvæ eadem effosæ<br />
et ibidemrecompositæ fornice lateritiodignabantvrXXV.<br />
die mensis Martij DominiMDCCXXVI. qvando et tessalatvm<br />
Ecclesiæ hujus pavientvm primo fvit instratvm,"<br />
the translation being to this effect — " The same relics,<br />
having been taken up and replacedin the same situation,<br />
were honoured with an arched brick vault,the 25th day<br />
of the month of March, 1726, when the chequered pavement<br />
of this church was first laid."<br />
The vault nowcontainingthe remains is in the middle<br />
aisle of the nave, towards the centre of the church,<br />
15