Now that the Chancellor has decreed the necessary Faculty, and the work is in the Sculptor's hands, a few lines in reference to this will be welcomed by our readers.
It is, at one and the same time, a permanent record of those who have ruled over Hexham Abbey under various designations, from the great St Wilfrid the founder, to the present Rector; and a memorial to the late Captain Atkinson of Newbiggin. and his eldest sister. The cost is being borne by the surviving brother and two sisters, to whom the thanks of the parishioners are due.
The design is by Mr C C Hodges, and the work is being carried out at the studio of Mr G W Milburn, sculptor, York.
The materials chosen are white marble and alabaster. The names of the rulers are arranged on two panels of the former, and the ornaments, shields of arms, and dedicatory inscription on the latter material. In the head, in a circle, is an étoile, or star of six rays, the arms ascribed in the middle ages to St Wilfrid, introduced here as being symbolical of him as the rising star of the fortunes of the Church of Hexham. Below are the arms of the Priory of Hexham, azure, a saltire or, for the recovery of which we are indebted to Sir Walter Scott's appreciation of the importance of heraldry.
The border has a sunk arabesque design, at the four angles and two sides, interrupted by a guilloche, each twist of which is charged with a conventional flower; the same design is placed on the division between the panels. At the base is this inscription:—
Sacred to the memory of Leonard Wilson Atkinson, late Capt. King's Dragoon Guards, of Newbiggin, Hexham, died Oct 19th, 1904, aged 68. Also of Jane Dorothy Atkinson, his eldest sister, died at Newbiggin, March 7th, 1901, aged 66.
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”
This tablet is erected by their surviving brother and sisters.
At the base is the date AD 1904, and the arms of Snowball, impaling Atkinson, crest a golden eagle rousant.
There are few churches, even among our most ancient cathedrals, which can produce such a long pedigree as Hexham can. Being one of the earliest foundations it can antedate many of its sisters, even Durham, on its present site, can go no further back than 995.
Hexham, although it never rose to metropolitical rank, must always be regarded as one of the four mother churches of the ancient kingdom of Northumbria. The others being York, Durham, embracing Lindisfarne, and Beverley.
St Wilfrid's name appears twice on the list, as founder at its head, and below amongst the bishops, of which there were 13, if St Cuthbert is included, who, though he never actually sat at Hexham, was appointed to the See and was included in the roll in the middle ages, and his painted effigy appears on the rood screen and other places in the Church.
The bishopric expired with Tidfrith about the year 821 from an unknown cause. Hexham then sank to the position of a parish church, and before the close of the ninth century became a deserted ruin in consequence of the Danish wars.
The estates were under the control of provosts, the names of five of whom have survived. Three of the priests who served the Church during this dark period are also recorded. The early years of the twelfth century saw its fortunes rise, as we are told by the chroniclers that that great founder of conventual houses, Archbishop Thomas II of York, took pity on its forlorn condition, and placed in it a body of Canons Regular of St Augustine, or Austin Canons (they were not monks) under the guidance of a prior. They lived in the church and buildings of St Wilfrid's day, with additions of timber, and were miserably poor, for Eilaf, the old hereditary priest drew the revenues of the estates, he living in the monastery at Durham. On his death bed he gave up the endowments to the prior and canons. This was in the time of the second prior, but it was not until the time of the fourth prior that the present Church was begun. This was, as near as we can tell, about 1180. The work was continued during the priorates of John William, Bernard, and John de Lazenby, in whose days the tower was built. Two more had passed away and John de Fenwick, the tenth on the list, was in power, when the Scottish raids into Northumberland put a stop to the building scheme, and the Church remained unfinished as we see it to-day. Twenty-six Priors are recorded, the last being Edward Jay, who was executedno longer accepted as true for refusing to surrender his house to the King's commissioners. The estates passed to a lay grantee, and the Church became poorer than ever, a curate being appointed at a remuneration of a few marks per annum.
The names of all the curates have not been recovered, but the list has been made as complete as possible. Of the curates we know little; some of them must have been interesting characters. Such names as Anthonie Thompson, Benoni Steere, and Peter Rumney have an old world ring about them, and bring to our minds the long sermons on summer afternoons, the black gown and the white bands. The Church as they saw it and the pulpit from which they preached are shown in the picture of the interior in the possession of Major Anderson. Anthony Hedley was a celebrated antiquary and a friend of the late John Clayton; he retired to a house which he built in a romantic and secluded situation at Chesterholm, between Bardon Mill and the Roman station of Barcovicus, where he died. In the days of William Airey, the great find of Saxon coins was made in the churchyard. Joseph Hudson, the last curate, restored the chancel, lived to a great age, had a son and a grandson in priest's orders, and on one occasion all three officiated on the same service.
The lectureship was founded in 1628, out of a legacy left by Mr Richard Fishbourne of the Mercers Company of London, whose will is dated March 30th, 1625. Some of the curates became also lecturers, as indicated by red letters on the tablet. George Ritschell is perhaps the most conspicuous character amongst them. He was a learned Bohemian, and was buried in the Abbey Church under a large slab, the inscription on which is preserved. The pieces of it remaining were replaced by the late Canon Barker. He copied the old registers in a bold and clear hand, in a set of books preserved in the safe in the vestry. The Clarkes, who lived in Hexham House, were well known for open-handed charity and philanthropy.
The late Canon Barker was the first to adopt the title of rector under Lord Blandford's act. He came to Hexham as lecturer and was appointed to the incumbency on the retirement of Mr Hudson. The present rector, Revd E Sidney Savage, was instituted in 1898, and was appointed lecturer in 1902.
For the benefit of those who care to learn more of those whose names are recorded, we may say that the authorities for the names and dates are Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English Race, the chronicles of Symeon of Durham, and Richard and John of Hexham, the Lawson MSS, Ritschell's Charities of Hexham, Wright's History of Hexham, Raine's Priory of Hexham, various papers by Canon Raine, W H D Longstaffe, Cadwallader J Bates, and C C Hodges; also the latter's folio monograph on, and Historical Guide to, Hexham.