Ship of Fools: Victorian Mystery Worshipper

Thread: Victorian Mystery Worshipper Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

Browsing in that wonderful Paris institution Shakespeare and Company the other day, my eye was drawn to a book entitled Orthodox London, by C [?] Maurice Davies, DD.

It is neither the work of ponderous academic theology that one might expect of a mid-19th century Doctor of Divinity, nor anything to do with the Plot (TM). The title page describes it as 'ORTHODOX LONDON, or, Phases of Religious Life in the Church of England, by the author of “Unorthodox London,” “Heterodox London,” etc.' Dr Davies is identified as the author only on the spine. It was published in 1873 or 1874.

What it is, is a Mystery-Worshipper style romp through the whole range of Church of England experiences in the capital city. And most entertaining it is. Here is a quote from the author's review of a service at St Mary le Strand:

quote:
And here may it be permitted to make one critical remark in the kindest possible way? It is simply this, that full Eucharistic vestments look incongruous with large whiskers, and hair parted down the middle. Some sacrifice must be made when clerical gentlemen go in for Ritualism; and the line between the Church and the world must be drawn at whiskers.

The generally-accepted view that the 'Catholic' liturgical practices now taken for granted were unheard of or extremely rare until the late 19th century, needs some modification. No doubt London was ahead of the trend, but Dr Davies (or one of his Mystery Worshippers) describes an ordination in Lambeth Parish Church (by the then ABC) where the candidates wore stoles (cross-wise in the case of the deacons): for the 1870s that struck me as daring, but presumably it was acceptable to the Establishment.

I would have bought the book if it were for sale, but it was in the upstairs reading room at Shakespeare and Company (an establishment that deserves a thread of its own, though in Heaven rather than Ecclesiantics I suppose). I didn't have time to read much more, but it seemed to be all in much the same vein.

Has anyone else come across this book or its counterparts? Or even better, possesses a copy so that they can share the gems with us all?

Posted by Vade Mecum (# 17688) on :

The full text appears to be available here

Posted by Zach82 (# 3208) on :

If'n I'm not mistaken, stoles were pretty common in Saint Dearmer's day, even if the whole ensemble of vestments wasn't. At least that's the impression I got from the Parson's Handbook.

Posted by Vade Mecum (# 17688) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zach82:
If'n I'm not mistaken, stoles were pretty common in Saint Dearmer's day, even if the whole ensemble of vestments wasn't. At least that's the impression I got from the Parson's Handbook.

There was in addition much skullduggery with shaping them like tippets, such that one wore them with choir dress (as Fr. Stanton is noted to have done in Dr Davies' book).

Posted by Vade Mecum (# 17688) on :

Indeed (with apologies for double-posting), Dr. Davies remarks of one churchman of an evengelical bent:

quote:
then Mr Forrest passed to the pulpit, arrayed not in the academic gown of ancient times, which has ceased to be a symbol with any bat [sic, 'but']very lag-behind Evangelicals, but in surplice, hood, and stole, which lie [sic, 'he'] had worn during the service.

So it must have been quite a common form of dress.

[ 13. June 2013, 10:55: Message edited by: Vade Mecum ]

Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :

Rev. C. Maurice Davies is also mentioned in Roger Homan's book The Victorian Churches of Kent, with particular reference to the sect known as the Peculiar People. Homan describes Davies as 'a keen student of marginal religiosity', so the good Reverend didn't confine himself to the C of E of his day.

Ian J.

Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :

Sorry to double-post, but some impressions of worship at C of E churches in the City of London, from somewhat earlier in the 19thC, are to be found in Charles Dickens' The Uncommercial Traveller, and very entertaining they are, too.

Ian J.

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zach82:
If'n I'm not mistaken, stoles were pretty common in Saint Dearmer's day, even if the whole ensemble of vestments wasn't. At least that's the impression I got from the Parson's Handbook.

Dearmer was at least a generation after the people described by Dr Davies. He was writing about the early 1870s which is only 40 years after the start of the Oxford Movement. 'Ritualism' clearly had spread surprisingly widely in that time, even though it didn't take off before 1850-ish.

[ 13. June 2013, 12:09: Message edited by: Angloid ]

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Vade Mecum:
The full text appears to be available here

but pretty badly OCRd!

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

Sounds like quite a find, either way. Thanks for sharing, and for the entertaining image of a fully chasuble'd, fully whisker'd Victorian clergyman...

Posted by LQ (# 11596) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:

quote:
Originally posted by Vade Mecum:
The full text appears to be available here
but pretty badly OCRd!

Try "Other Formats" - the txt files at the Archive are generally the least satisfactory.

Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :

quote:
The line between the Church and the world must be drawn at whiskers.

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Vade Mecum:
The full text appears to be available here

`
... and contains many gems. Including Tenebrae being sung on Holy Wednesday at St. Matthias, South Ken. My word!

Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :

I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then? St Mary-le-Strand appears to have been fairly consistently anglo-catholic from the mid-19th century. Not heard of St Matthias S Ken: does it still exist?

Posted by dj_ordinaire (# 4643) on :

Apparently it was demolished in 1958 and amalgated into St Cuthberg, Philbeach Gardens - which appears to maintain a staunch AC tradition with papalist tendencies if their website is anything to go by!

[ETA: his comment on Tenebrae being: 'The Office, my vademecum went on to inform me, ranks as 'a double' and I have no conception what that signifies, unless it applies to its inordinate length, in which case it is singularly appropriate.'] [Big Grin]

[ 13. June 2013, 16:45: Message edited by: dj_ordinaire ]

Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?

This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evanglical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.

Posted by Olaf (# 11804) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:

quote:
The line between the Church and the world must be drawn at whiskers.

Whiskers and full eucharistic vestments? It doesn't seem as bad as the text makes it out to be. I do so love it when personal preferences suddenly become BIG issues.

Perhaps the text correctly predicted that a bearded man would one day be the top signature below the pope's on a document such as this, changing the liturgical world.

[ 14. June 2013, 23:50: Message edited by: Olaf ]

Posted by daisymay (# 1480) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?
This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evangelical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.

Which church do you think of?
http://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/ This is where I go and we have several women ordained ones, who are often in charge of the service and preach and do the communion and read the Bible etc as well as men and so we are not RC, and we have plenty of gay etc who we respect and love.

Posted by Vade Mecum (# 17688) on :

quote:
Originally posted by daisymay:

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?
This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evangelical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.
Which church do you think of?
http://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/ This is where I go and we have several women ordained ones, who are often in charge of the service and preach and do the communion and read the Bible etc as well as men and so we are not RC, and we have plenty of gay etc who we respect and love.

Looks like a fairly typical Aff Cath set-up to me. I assume Liturgylover was using 'catholic' in its Anglo-' sense, with reference to practice rather than doctrine.

Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :

quote:
Originally posted by daisymay:

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?
This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evangelical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.
Which church do you think of?
http://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/ This is where I go and we have several women ordained ones, who are often in charge of the service and preach and do the communion and read the Bible etc as well as men and so we are not RC, and we have plenty of gay etc who we respect and love.

This was indeed the Church I was thinking of. I have visited before and found both the clergy and the congregation very warm and welcoming, and the music excellent. It is no surprise that it has always been pretty full when I visited on Sunday morning.

Posted by Liturgylover (# 15711) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Vade Mecum:

quote:
Originally posted by daisymay:

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?
This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evangelical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.
Which church do you think of?
http://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/ This is where I go and we have several women ordained ones, who are often in charge of the service and preach and do the communion and read the Bible etc as well as men and so we are not RC, and we have plenty of gay etc who we respect and love.
Looks like a fairly typical Aff Cath set-up to me. I assume Liturgylover was using 'catholic' in its Anglo-' sense, with reference to practice rather than doctrine.

Yes exactly - I meant at the catholic end of the CofE spectrum!

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Vade Mecum:

quote:
Originally posted by daisymay:

quote:
Originally posted by Liturgylover:

quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
I wonder how many of the churches featured have radically changed churchpersonship (in either direction) since then?
This is fascinating stuff. I saw that St John the Evangelist, Paddington was mentioned as being an Evangelical church. I think it is now more catholic than evangelical (they certainly use incense on feast days). I read somewhere that it switched very suddenly sometime in the 1960s.
Which church do you think of?
http://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/ This is where I go and we have several women ordained ones, who are often in charge of the service and preach and do the communion and read the Bible etc as well as men and so we are not RC, and we have plenty of gay etc who we respect and love.
Looks like a fairly typical Aff Cath set-up to me. I assume Liturgylover was using 'catholic' in its Anglo-' sense, with reference to practice rather than doctrine.
Yes exactly - I meant at the catholic end of the CofE spectrum!

It is - an ordinand from this parish who went to Westcott House is going to serve his title as deacon there lateer this month.

Posted by PD (# 12436) on :

There was a fair bit of confusion between scarf (i.e. tippet) and stole in the 1870s. For manyyears the Irish Canons bore mute testimony to this confusion as the Canon on clergy attire read: 'the minister... shall wear a surplice with the accustomed black scarf or stole.' The idea was to maintain the use of the tippet only, but the wording was just vague enough that a wee black stole or three could be detected in High Church corners of the Church of Ireland. As time passed these gradually acquired other hues (nudge-nudge; wink-wink) until a slight reworking of the Canon in 1974 to read "a surplice with the accustomed black scarf, or a stole" legitimized the practice.

PD

[ 16. June 2013, 05:44: Message edited by: PD ]

Posted by otyetsfoma (# 12898) on :

To add to the confusion I remember from my Canadian youth a deacon wearing a tippet on one shoulder, like a deaconal stole!

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

I've finally finished reading it.

Davies was a prolific author, and wrote for the Daily Telegraph and the National Press. He was curate of St Matthew’s, City Road, Finsbury Park.

He also wrote about the occult in London, a tractarian love story and was a founder member, with Fr. Lowder, of the SSC.

He seems quite modern when he wrote

quote:
“often wondered, he said, why people thought so much of going to church, where prayers were too frequently formal, and sermons had no bearing on every-day life. It seemed as though religion were a Sunday matter, and irreligion belonged to the rest of the week. Surely Sunday studies ought. to prepare us to look with calm eyes on the trials of life.”

He contradicts himself when talking about 'illegal' services, praising a children's service which doesn't use the catechism - he even blanks out the name of the minister and the church. But he liked the addition of the Benedictus and Agnus Dei to the Prayer Book Communion Service and mentions bishops not following the rubrics at a funeral, seemingly with approval.

Posted by Margaret (# 283) on :

What an extraordinary coincidence - I spent half the afternoon today looking at the same author's "Unorthodox London", published in 1874, which goes from theism at South Place Chapel in Finsbury to the Greek Church at London Wall, via the Catholic Apostolic Church in Gordon Square, the West London Synagogue, the Walworth Jumpers, a séance or two, Swedenborgians, and many more. Fascinating stuff, and often very sympathetically observed.

Posted by ButchCassidy (# 11147) on :

Both 'Unorthodox London' and 'Heterodox London' are on the same site, but a click away. Pleasing for us all!

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