New-York tribune., 1894-04-06
AN ANCIENT PARSON.
BIOGRAPHY EXTRACTED FROM \ BAL
ANCE-SHEET

RANDOM ROAMING. And Other, Papers BY WIN AH7
Eustrs E1.rs,, 'Slf Py XII 264 G. ?. Putnams Sons.
THO n,ncrs in this volume have little relation WIN
each other. They connected r@'he' ".''
NJ thought and investigation which were iono"e" 80
previous books by Dr. Jessopp For eNaihi'7' ''.S
rocacv of 4 plan OF compulsory Insurance ior 'he
clergy against death and oil age and his susseSo"S
about pensions as he points out. are a Sequei 80
earlier ESSAYS The Church and the villages anu
"Ous Custoiet" This and the paper on V''.ase
almshouses are OF more interest IN Ehs'ii'I 10"
ont Of H. Yet the protest that not all 'he sue''7
IS confined 10 the towns Is as pertinent 70 one
try as another. and the ideas which h"re So"
,, ~ exnerience in village life abou; the best way
-. h,,n5 houses for the needy are capable o. Wiie
a,nlcation To the papers dealing with antiquarian
themes the reader can turn with the certainty ot
finding something Of value OUTSIDE 'he 4'''e' %
clericalism and philanthropy. The essay Oh =
Fourteenth Century Parson' IS succeSsiui e'0t ~
restore from the neagre data Of an old accoun'-ooVh
- ao,,ro 81 n nediae>al clergyman, as good
mo, rArhans as Chaucers "PerSone. but some
v.bat richer in the possessions of THIS worIH'
l. Is one OF innumerabe attempts 70 aud n''-
full details 20 the working out OF "haO "iee"
barely suggested in his short History oi 'he
English PEOPLE" II Il can once be ascertained no"
the men Of each class lived at given perio' 'e"
the possibility of restoring that period 10 'I"s
sernblance in history becomes a certainty III
Iessopn in an entertaining way. and lightly 100 az
# the labor involved were Of no importance IDS
done this for the clergy from the pTactc ana nor
urosac side Of life. Il is just the details tla' are
wanting in Chaucers sketch which are iurnlshed D!
tbis new method Of putting together the items or
hsiir.e balance-sheat Chaucer's Parson IS poor IN
nurse but rich in holy thoughts and works tie -
a good man and learned, patient in trial K'hdF
70 his flock n devout teacher who would rather
divide his substance the needy than press 'he
legal demand for his tithes. Scattered as were 'he
neonle - whom he mns:ered. he left none OF them
unvlsted He not merely taught those in his charge
bur gave them the example also Of diligent LABOR.
He lived among them and aid not spend his time
running up 10 London. looking after more IT'hii-
be living He "sette not his benefce TO hire says
the poet. he pitiess toward oirh-els'
though he reprimanded them sharply II they were
obstinate.
DR.. Jessopp's parson belongs to a time somewhat
earlier than that Of Chaucer. but there could not
have been much change in the interval ot a genera
ton The Rev. John lie Gurnay was probably
younger son Of Sir John de Gurnay. of GaTnays
Manor. at Harpey, in the county OF NorfolK IhS
IS inferred from the fact that In 1906 he was rector
Of Hartley But after he had taken orders ani
settled down to the work Of his lie his father and
his elder brother died. leaving 10 him the family
estates. The secular clergy had long before been
defeated in their opposition 10 cehoacy' ana une
country parsons not TO have wives In England
until the Reformation AS A rule. they were not
rich Dr. Jessop2 remarks that the only balance
sheet rendered 10 A country clergyman In the four
teenth and fifteenth centuries which he has seen -
the one which he 10 restore the Rev. John de
Gurnay 10 history. OF course. he has 70 exc out
the data OF the manuscript from other sources, es
peciaily from his own intimate knowledge Of Nor
folk As stone has always been scarce and dear
in the neghborhood OF Harpiey. ana hrickfnak!rg
was an art almost unknown TO England in the
fourteenth century the rectory must have been
built largely OF wood. II happened tha; Mr. De
Gurnay's property had been damaged by fire. so
that extensive repairs had 10 be paid for In the
year 1906 and the items for the carriage Of clay and
Of water show that. in addition 20 wood part of
the house was constructed of what was called CLAY
lump" There are examples stu surviving which
show what such a structure. partly wood and partly
clay was like Entries in the balanCe-sheet inf-
cate that the house covered with reed. and
that one OF the rooms was panellel with pitch pine
But az the date mentioned the rector had come
into his estate. and the recory was probably LEFT
to curates or chaplains. while he himself lived at
the manor house. That is he lived there large
part OF the year. The remaining months were
spent az A similar house in another part Of the
county His church at Harpley appears also 10
have been built Of clay lump. Blu, he must have
the credit OF beginning the handsome stone build
ing which IS still In existence. His work was the
chancel. which. as containing a window Identical
must be dated about 1910 But this only part
Of his labor. He farmei about eight hundred acres
OF land. and here Dr. Jess0pp goes into some de-
tails show that Thorod Rogers has underesti
mated the profits Of medieval agriculture. The
rector. however may have been In advance OF his
times in this respect he certainly was in the
treatment OF tenants, whom he permitted-an un-
usual ihng-tO commute their enforced labor on
his lands into a money payment. In addition
10 his farm the rector had also good garden ana
orchards. which more than supplied the wants of
the household. The -four ground. the cloth
was woven. the hides tanned the beer was
brewed at home-even the corlage that was used
on the place homemade. Here again the
author has ADDED an important item % the IN
formation given by Rogers. who could find no trace
OF rope-maklng in medieval England Apparently
Grrnays Manor had the best carts and the best
farming tools then In The clerical proprietor
exercised a wise for his focks and herds His
sheepfold was better than many of half a century
ago In Norfolk. He let out his COWS with the ex-
cep;on Of three reserved for the household. TO
person who would now be called a dairyman. The
practice still survives in some parts Of England.
He had also what In the Norfolk ~ his
Gay-a nock Of goats His rooms We're lighted az
night with dip candles the making Of which IS
by no means a lost art. az this lay.
Living at Harpley in the winter months the rector
entertained many guests. In addition 10 his own
horses three in number. there was an average OF
seven belonging TO visitors. and two which We're ap-
parently those Of the reverend gentlemans hunts
man Every body" remarks the author. hunted
in those days-even bishops and abbots and coun-
try parsons" And Mr.. Gurnay was not only
country parson but landed proprietor whose do
mains extensive, so that 10 be a hunter was
almost a necessity IN his case His hospitality
must account for the fact that in OF sea-
son 1000 barrels OF home-brewed beer were con-
sumed on the premises thirty-one hogs. four pigs
eleven sheep and ll3 head Of poultry not counting
eighty-six geese. Aside from inferior breadstuHs
the white bread required +l6 bushels Of wheat so
that the rector's guests who socially worthy
OF meeting him at his table must have numbered
not less than fifty. II must have been a consider
able achievement TO look after the comfort OF so
many In addition 10 the oversight Of a large farm
and a parish which could not be consigned wholly