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CARRELLS AND PRESSES AT DURHAM.
As time went on, greater comfort was introduced. The windows of the walk
of the cloister where the presses stood, usually the walk next the Church,
were glazed—and sometimes not merely[Pg 21] with white glass, but with mottoes
alluding to the authors whose works were near at hand; while in some
monasteries the elder monks were provided with small wooden studies,
called "carrells." A description of the whole system has been preserved
for us in that curious book The Rites of Durham; but it must be
remembered that this represents the customs of the convent just before the
suppression, and therefore gives no idea of the rigour of an earlier time.
Part of the north walk of the cloister, Durham. In the north syde of the Cloister, from the corner over against
the Church dour to the corner over againste the Dorter dour, was
all fynely glased from the hight to the sole within a litle of the
grownd into the Cloister garth. And in every wyndowe iij Pewes or
Carrells, where every one of the old Monks had his carrell,
severall by himselfe, that, when they had dyned, they dyd resort
to that place of Cloister, and there studyed upon there books,
every one in his carrell, all the after nonne, unto evensong tyme.
This was there exercise every daie.
BOOK-PRESSES IN WALLS
All there pewes or carrells was all fynely wainscotted and verie
close, all but the forepart, which had carved wourke that gave
light in at ther carrell doures of wainscott. And in every carrell
was a deske to lye there[Pg 22] bookes on. And the carrells was no
greater then from one stanchell of the wyndowe to another.
And over against the carrells against the church wall did stande
certaine great almeries [or cupbords] of waynscott all full of
bookes [with great store of ancient manuscripts to help them in
their study], wherein did lye as well the old auncyent written
Doctors of the Church as other prophane authors with dyverse other
holie mens wourks, so that every one dyd studye what Doctor
pleased them best, havinge the Librarie at all tymes to goe studie
in besydes there carrells. No example of an English monastic book-press has survived, so far as I
have been able to discover; but it would be rash to say that none exists.
Meanwhile I will shew you a French example of a press, from the sacristy
of the Cathedral at Bayeux, but I cannot be sure that it was originally
intended to hold books. M. Viollet-Le-Duc, from whom I borrow it, decides
that it was probably made early in the thirteenth century.
Cupboard from sacristy of Bayeux Cathedral. OF CLOISTER AT WORCESTER.
The Durham Rites speak only of book-presses standing in the cloister
against the walls;[Pg 23] but it was not unusual to have recesses in the wall
itself, fitted with shelves, and probably closed by a door. Two such are
to be seen at Worcester, immediately to the north of the chapter-house
door. Each is about ten feet wide by two feet deep.
Book-recess, east walk of the cloister, Worcester. A similar receptacle for books seems to have been contemplated in
Augustinian Houses, for in the Customs of the Augustinian Priory of
Barnwell, written towards the end of the thirteenth century, the following
passage occurs:
The press in which the books are kept ought to be lined inside
with wood, that the damp of the walls may not moisten or stain the
books. This press should be divided vertically as well as
horizontally by sundry partitions, on which the books may be
ranged so as to be separated from one another; for fear they be
packed so close as to injure each other, or delay those who want
them. |
