The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-04-12
COMMENT ON
WEATHERCOC
Emblem Peculiar to Churches
Named From St. Peter on
Morristown Church.
THE REASON FOR IT STATED

There has been some questioning as
to why a weather cock has been put
IN on the tower of ST. Peters church.
IL is usual to put cross upon church
spire, but ST. Peters has tower and
not spire and a tower has not point
like that of a spire upon which cross
can be placed. No cross that was not
very large one could be put upon the
fat top of the turret and there would
be lack of dignity in cross set on top
of staff. A tower needs tall staff
with an ornament upon it in order
that the eye, may be carried upward
and then look at the tower as a whole
from above downward, instead of fol-
lowing the lines from the ground up
ward. This was felt by the builder
architects of Nthe ancient English
church towers and nearly all Of the
old church towers in England are sur
mounted by a staff carrying weather
cock. AS the vame suggests, the OBJ
ject chosen for the name was generally
a cock. The cock has been used in
Christian symbolism from very early
times. In book on "Symbols and
Emblems in Christian Art by Louisa
Twiring, London, 1852 and 1885, is
found the following:
" The cock was amongst the earliest
bird symbols, and examples OF it are
found in the OatacombS. Various
meanings we're given to it in the diff
ferent positions in which it was placed;
in one sense it was considered an en-
blem of Vigilance and Watchfulness,
from the we'll known habits of the
bird and, when it appears in connec-
tion with St. Peter, it signifies Re
pentance, and frequently forms one OF
the emblems of the Passion. BY the
early writers it was also considered to
be an image of the faithful preachers
of the Gospel, who announce the true
light to men and Bede says, that the
cock is like the Souls of the Just, wait
ing for the dawn, after the darkness of
the worlds night.'
Referring to Illustrations, the au-
thor says:
"Fig. l. This is an early instance
of the cock appearing as the emblem
of Repentance. From bas-relief OF
the Catacomhs. The whole subject is
represented symbolically, and the cock
is placed upon a pillar, with St. Peter
standing by, whilst the Saviour seems
to be warning him of his denial of
Him."
81. Two cocks fighting, we're con-
sidered to be an image of the Chris
tians striving for Christ, and here they
probably have either that meaning or
the one which Bede has assigned to
them. From grave stone in the
Catacombs.
80. Another example from the
Catacombs OF the cock as an emblem
OF Repentance.
"a. From very early period it was
the custom to place the figure OF q
cock on the top of church towers, as a
type Of vigilance and watchfulness, or,
as it has been also suggested, as bear
ing an allusion TO ST. Peter, the head
of the church In the life DIST. Ethel
void, wriecen at the end OF the 10th
century, a Saxon poet speaks Of a cock
surmounting Winchester Cathedral,
and examples Of it are figured in the
benedictional Of that date. This
subject is from The Bayeux tapestry,
worked bv the Queen Of William the
ConQueror and the cock is here being
placed upon the summit Of Vest
minister Abbey.
"5 Another example Of the 11th
century From Saxon psalter (Brit.
Nus
"6 This representation is very
similar to the early one from the Cata-
combs, though it is taken from tie
bible of Charles the Bald 9th century.
"7. Another example of st. Peters
denial of Christ, in which the maid
appears speaking to him the fire is
introduced at their feet, and the cock
is perched upon the head of person
behind. From a MS. of the 18th cen
tury Brit. Mus
The weather cock on the tower in
Winchester cathedral, mentioned by
the Saxon poet, was put there in A. u.
961. The tower itself persisted when
The Saxon church was torn down by
the Norman builders.
OF this weather cock WulSton, the
Saxon poet, relates how it caught the
morning sun and filled the traveller
with amazement. He says -" The
golden weather cock lording it over
the city up there he-stands over the
heads of the men of Winchester, and
up in mid-air seems nobly to rule the
western world; in the claw is the
sceptre Of command, and like sthe all
yigilant eye of the ruler, it turns
every way e. @. X. !.
Chief Runyon on summer Vacation.
Chief Engineer J. Fred Runyon, of
the MorristOwn fire department, has
gone to Lake HopatcOngs where he