New Canal Salisbury

It is fairly well known that it is called the ‘New Canal’ because it featured one of the cities larger water courses.

It would be interesting to determine whether the meaning, or the implication, of the . . . → Read More: New Canal, Salisbury]]>

New Canal Salisbury

It is fairly well known that it is called the ‘New Canal’ because it featured one of the cities larger water courses.

It would be interesting to determine whether the meaning, or the implication, of the word ‘canal’ has changed over time. Today a canal would bring to mind a waterway that you could navigate with a narrow boat. However the ‘New Canal’ was, as far as I understand it, never like this. Salisbury’s system of water courses were fairly shallow streams that brought water in, and it seems took sewage out.

The water courses were often referred to as ditches – houses on what is now the New Canal were sometimes described as ‘on the ditch’¹. I’ve also found reference to the ‘Salt Lane Channel’. Perhaps the words ‘canal’ and ‘channel’ were interchangeable until the Industrial Revolution brought the grander sense of the word ‘Canal’ that we would use today?

The canal itself was filled in following the 1849 cholera epidemic.

Footnotes

1. Salisbury: St Thomas’s parish’, A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 6 (1962), pp. 81-83. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41785&strquery=”new canal” Date accessed: 01 June 2009.

New Street is in the centre of Salisbury, running close by the northern wall of the cathedral close.

According to the Victoria County History of Wiltshire:

New Street, occurs in a 13th-century deed, and was probably so-called in contrast to the earlier St. Martin’s Street. Until the 15th . . . → Read More: New Street, Salisbury]]>

The New Inn in New Street

New Street is in the centre of Salisbury, running close by the northern wall of the cathedral close.

According to the Victoria County History of Wiltshire:

New Street, occurs in a 13th-century deed, and was probably so-called in contrast to the earlier St. Martin’s Street. Until the 15th century the name applied to the whole length of street from Crane Bridge to Payne’s Hill.¹

New Street now has Crane Street at one end and Ivy Street at the other.

I presume that the ‘New Inn’ was named in reference to it’s location in New Street.

Visiting Salisbury?

For accommodation, see the Hotels in Salisbury page.

Footnotes

1. Salisbury – St Thomas’s parish | British History Online

Old George Mall Salisbury

The three roads dedicated to Saint Andrew are in different parts of the Salisbury area.

St Andrews in Laverstock is named after Saint Andrew’s Church in Church Road, Laverstock, which is nearby. Part of St Andrews is also alongside the village hall, which I think . . . → Read More: St Andrews SP1, St Andrews Close SP2, St Andrews Road SP2]]>

Saint Andrews Church in Laverstock

The three roads dedicated to Saint Andrew are in different parts of the Salisbury area.

St Andrews in Laverstock

St Andrews in Laverstock is named after Saint Andrew’s Church in Church Road, Laverstock, which is nearby. Part of St Andrews is also alongside the village hall, which I think is actually called St Andrews Hall.

St Andrews in Bemerton

St Andrews Road in Bemerton is named after the Saint Andrew’s Church in Bemerton which is at the junction of Lower Road and Church Lane.

Saint Andrew’s Church is most famous for being the Church where the poet George Herbert worked from 1630 until his death in 1633.Bemerton: George Herbert

St Andrews Close in Wilton

St Andrews Close in Wilton is perhaps named after a church that used to be at the junction of West Street and South Street Wilton – Churches and Protestant nonconformity | British History Online. It is one of a number of roads that are close to or leading off of Bulbridge Road which are named after saints. The others are St Nicholas Close, St Peters Close, St Marys Close and St Ediths Close

More than one Saint Andrew

There are at least three Saint Andrews.

Saint Andrew the apostle is the most well-known. He was the brother of Peter. After Jesus’ death he reputedly travelled to Greece. He was martyred on an ‘X’ shaped cross – according to legend he took three days to die, but he continued to preach for all of this time Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845. He is traditionally depicted with messy grey hair, often with the ‘X’ shaped cross, known as a ‘saltire’Taylor, Richard (2003). How to Read a Church: A Guide to Images, Symbols and Meanings in Churches and Cathedrals. Rider & Co. ISBN-10 1844130533.

Saint Andrew Avellino is the patron saint of stroke victims. He was a Sicilian saint who lived from 1521 until 1608, when he died of a stroke. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia he was ‘a great lover of chastity’ – in attempting to reform a convent near Naples he was attacked by

Certain wicked men who were accustomed to have clandestine meetings with the nuns …. and one night he was assaulted and severely wounded

. He was taken to a hospital run by the Order of Theatines, which he subsequently joined.Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. Andrew Avellino – Wikisource

Saint Andrew Corsini was a Bishop of Fiesole, near Florence in the fourteenth century – the time of the feuds between the Pazzi and the Medici. He was credited with ending some of the conflict Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845. The Catholic Encyclopedia says that he was a thaumaturgus – a miracle worker.

Saint Clements Way is on Salisbury’s ‘Bishopdown Farm’ estate, which is to the north of the city, off the London Road. It shares the theme of many of the roads on the estate of being named after a saint. Most of these have no local connections at all, at least as far as I . . . → Read More: St Clements Way, Salisbury]]>

Saint Clements Way is on Salisbury’s ‘Bishopdown Farm’ estate, which is to the north of the city, off the London Road. It shares the theme of many of the roads on the estate of being named after a saint. Most of these have no local connections at all, at least as far as I can see, but Salisbury does have a connection with Saint Clement, in that for many years there was a Saint Clements church in Fisherton.

Saint Clements church, Salisbury

‘Churchfields’ is named after Saint Clement’s Church. A small graveyard still exists – if you walk from Churchfields Road down towards Queen Elizabeth Gardens, then there is a small gateway in the wall on your right. The gate is kept locked, but you can see through it into the old graveyard.

If Google’s ‘embedded maps’ feature is working, then you should see the location below – if not then this link should show you the location.

View Saint Clement’s Graveyard in a larger map

I will take and upload a photo of the entrance to the churchyard at some stage.

From Saint Clements to Saint Pauls

There is a really good article by Trevor Wright about Saint Clement’s church in the 2007 edition of the Sarum Chronicle. Saint Clements church was, in brief, too small to accommodate the people in the Fisherton area who wanted to attend the church, and it would not have been cost-effective to extend it.

The decision to build a new church was taken at a vestry meeting in January 1850. The last service was held at Saint Clements in February 1852, and the new Saint Paul’s Church (which coincidentally is actually being extended at the time of writing) was consecrated in February 1853 by Bishop Denison.

Mr Wright concludes with an interesting discussion as to why the new church was called Saint Paul’s rather than Saint Clement’s. He suggests that given the explicitly anti-Catholic sentiments of some of those who supported the building of the new church, it may be that Saint Clement, being a first century pope, was felt to be too close to Rome. (¹).

I think this could well be right. I might add, though, just as a thought, that perhaps Saint ‘Pauls’ just has a more prestigious ring to it. St Paul, had an ‘influence on Christian thinking arguably … more significant than any other New Testament author’ (²) whereas the name of St Clement, perhaps inevitably carries echoes of ‘Oranges and Lemons’.

Footnotes

1. Trevor Wright, “The Last Days of St Clement’s Church, fisherton Anger”, Sarum Chonicle 2007
2. Paul the Apostle – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St Francis Road, which is off the main road between Salisbury and Amesbury, would be named after Saint Francis Church.

St Francis of Assissi is famously associated with animals. He was born in 1181 into a wealthy family, but he used his wealth to rebuild the Church . . . → Read More: St Francis Road, Salisbury]]>

Statue of Saint Francis in Salisbury Cathedral

St Francis Road, which is off the main road between Salisbury and Amesbury, would be named after Saint Francis Church.

St Francis of Assissi is famously associated with animals. He was born in 1181 into a wealthy family, but he used his wealth to rebuild the Church of San Damiano, and to provide care for the sick.

His association with animals derives from the story that he used to preach to them. The idea of preaching to animals, which is associated with other religious figures too, illustrates St Francis’ skill as a preacher and emphasizes the simple receptiveness of the animals.

Saint James Close in Bishopdown. to the north of Salisbury is one of the roads that are named after saints on that estate. Like the others on the estate, there is no obvious connection between the saint and the area.

There were at . . . → Read More: St James Close, Salisbury]]>

Saint James the Less on the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral

Saint James Close in Bishopdown. to the north of Salisbury is one of the roads that are named after saints on that estate. Like the others on the estate, there is no obvious connection between the saint and the area.

There were at least three Saint Jameses:
St. James the Greater
St. James the Less
St. James of the Marches

St James the Greater

St James the Greater was the brother of Saint John the Evangelist , and possibly a first cousin of Jesus Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Greater – Wikisource.

He was part of the ‘inner circle’ of apostles, together with John and Peter Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845.

Jesus nicknamed James and John the ‘Boanerges, which is The Sons of Thunder’ Mark 3:17, seemingly on the basis of their fiery temperament.

Saint James is the patron saint of pilgrims, and he is often depicted with a shell, either because pilgrims were supposed to use a scallop shell to drink water from streams or riversTaylor, Richard (2003). How to Read a Church: A Guide to Images, Symbols and Meanings in Churches and Cathedrals p109. Rider & Co. ISBN-10 1844130533 or because Saint James saved a man from drowning the sea when his body was returned to Spain.

Santiago Matomoros

Saint James is strongly associated with Spain.

Traditionally he was believed to have preached in Spain before his martyrdom in AD44, and his relics are believed to be preserved at Compostela.

After his martyrdom in Jerusalem, his relics were supposed to have been miraculouly transported back to Spain. Sometime susbsequent to that his relics were rediscovered in a field over which a heavenly lights were shiningSantiago de Compostela – SantiagoTurismo.com – hence Compostela, from campus meaning ‘field’ and stela meaning ‘star’.

He was adopted as the patron saint of the reconquista – the war between the Spanish Christians and the Moors.

The Moors were, broadly, north African Muslims, who occupied parts of Spain in the eighth century. The reconquista was the battle to expel the Moors which lasted for the next 800 years.

Saint James was said to have appeared in many battles, fighting on the side of the Christians. ‘Santiago‘, meaning Saint James became a battle cry of the Christian armies. The Saint was nicknamed Matamoros, meaning ‘moor-slayer’

Saint James The Less

There are four biblical Jameses who may or may not Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Less – Wikisource have been the same person:

Saint James was probably named ‘The Less’ because he was physically shorter than James the Greater Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Greater – Wikisource, although it seems to me that this does also reflect his lower prominence in Christian tradition.

Saint James of the Marches

Saint James of the Marches lived from 1391 until 1476. He preached in the marches – the border areas between Italian states.

Ayleswade Bridge, which spans the Avon between Salisbury and Harnham (and is part of St Nicholas Road, near the Rose and Crown pub), is actually comprised of two sections, divided by a probably artificial island that used to be known as Saint John’s Isle. It would . . . → Read More: St Johns Isle SP1]]>

Saint Johns Chapel, now a private house, Salisbury

Ayleswade Bridge, which spans the Avon between Salisbury and Harnham (and is part of St Nicholas Road, near the Rose and Crown pub), is actually comprised of two sections, divided by a probably artificial island that used to be known as Saint John’s Isle. It would have been named after Saint Johns Chapel, which still exists as a private house. Both the chapel and the bridge were built by Bishop Bingham in the 12th or 13th century. Hospitals – St Nicholas, Salisbury | British History Online

Saint Nicholas Road is next to Saint Nicholas Hospital, which may pre-date the beginnings of the Cathedral. It certainly existed by 1227, which was only 7 years after the building of the Cathedral began.

Both Saint Nicholas Close in Wilton and Nicholas Court in the Spire View Estate in Salisbury are part of groups . . . → Read More: St Nicholas Road SP1, St Nicholas Close SP2, Nicholas Court SP2]]>

Saint Nicholas Road is next to Saint Nicholas Hospital, which may pre-date the beginnings of the Cathedral. It certainly existed by 1227, which was only 7 years after the building of the Cathedral began.

Both Saint Nicholas Close in Wilton and Nicholas Court in the Spire View Estate in Salisbury are part of groups of roads named after relatively high profile saints.

There is a Saint Nicholas church at Porton and the Italian style church of St Mary and St Nicholas at Wilton.

There are three famous Saint Nicholases.

# St Nicholas of Tolentino
# St Nicholas of Flue
# St Nicholas of Myra

There was also a biblical scholar called Nicholas of Lyra who has not been sainted, but is, perhaps easily confused with St Nicholas of Myra.

St Nicholas of Tolentino

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino is possibly best known for being the patron saint of vegetarians.

He stopped eating meat as a penance.

There is a story about him which has two versions.

The first version is that once when he was given chicken to eat, he made the sign of the cross and the chicken turned into roasted vegetables.

The second version of the story has him being served partridges. In this version, Saint Nicholas also made the sign of the cross, but then the partridge was restored to life and flew out of an open window.Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845

The two versions of the story, to me, show two attitudes to meat eating and to ‘sin’ in general. In the first version the Saint’s penance is maintained – the miracle preserves his spiritual health, but the chicken is still dead. In the second, the partridges are restored to life, but poor old St Nicholas goes hungry.

There’s a divergence here that I don’t really have the words (or the intellect) to discuss, but its to do with whether the ‘goodness’ of an action is about the impact it has on other people (or partridges) or about its impact on our character or ‘soul’.

Anyway here are some links on vegetarianism:
GoVeg.com: Vegetarian and Vegan Information
The Vegetarian Society
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The animal rights organization

St Nicholas of Flue

Saint Nicholas of Flue, in Switzerland was a historical figure who lived from 1417 to 1487. He had nothing to do with chimneys – that was another Saint Nicholas :s. He was an historical figure in two ways. First, he was well documented – unlike, say, Saint Ursula we know many details of his life. Second, he played a relatively significant part in the history of Switzerland.

Saint Nicholas was an interesting character in that he seems to have been torn between a yearning for contemplation and prayer, the life of a hermit, and a desire to play an active part in the world.

He had 10 children (he is the patron saint of large families Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845), he was a magistrate and he was a soldier who would have probably fought in local wars between cantons.

However, after 25 years of marriage he asked his wife and family for permission to leave them and go and live as a hermit at Obwalden The Alps, Switzerland, and the North … – Google Book Search, some distance away. His family gave him their blessing and he went to spend the rest of his life as a hermit.

In 1481, however, a conference between the cantons was held in Stanz to try to settle existing disputes, achieve some unity between the regions and to admit two new cantons Soleure and Freyburg into the Swiss confederation. This did not got well, and looked in danger of plunging the country into Civil War. Nicholas was called out of his hermitage to go to the conference. Seemingly by force of his personality and skill as a settler of arguments he resolved the disagreements and averted civil war, within an hour.

Whatever occurred in Stanz over 500 years ago (I’m certainly not qualified to separate fact from legend here!), Saint Nicholas von Flue is part of the general narrative of Swiss history, which often seems to be about reconciling the interests of the cantons with the perceived need to unite as one nation.

St Nicholas of Myra

Saint Nicholas of Myra has a ‘U’ certificate reputation, but the stories about him are probably at least 12A.

He lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries, dying in AD 343. He was Bishop of Myra, in Anatolia, which is now part of Turkey.

He is particularly associated with children, and with gift giving.

His association with children seems to be based on a gruesome story which happened at a time when food was short. He stopped at an inn. On entering he went straight to the kitchens, where he found the remains of three young boys who had been butchered for food and stored in a barrel. Saint Nicholas restored the boys to life by preying over the barrel. There is a statue of the saint in Salisbury cathedral which features a barrel at his feet with the boys climbing out of it.

His association with gift giving is based on another story set during a time of great poverty. A man had three daughters, but could not afford a dowry for any of them. Without the prospect of marriage each daughter would have to work as prostitutes. Saint Nicholas heard of this and anonymously gave three bags of gold to the family, either throwing the bags of gold through an open window or dropping them down the chimney, depending on which version of the story you read.

Saint Thomas Church sign in Salisbury