The Topeka state journal., 1921-06-18

In early Saxon times in the seventh
century, chapel, dedicated to ST
Peter, was built by Siebert- on an
island rising from the marshy ground
bordering the River Thames in Lon
don. This ground was called Thorney,
and the eastern part of the water in
st. James's park is a portion of the
arm of the Thames which circled the
sanctuary of the monks and the palace
OF the Anglo-Saxon kings. The monks
referred to was a colony of the Bene-
dictine monks esta blished by Dunstan n
Edward the Confessor was very much
interested in the abbey, and began his
building of the edifce in the year
I0oO. IN 1865, on Childermas day
(teast of the Holy Innocents) the
choir was consecrated and on Twelfth
Mass Eve the king died and he was
buried there. The earlier church was
the nave of the choir of the new.
work continued on the building dur
Ing the time in which William Rufus
was building his Royal palace and at
ms death the transepts and the first
bay had been completed. At the time
or the coronation of Henry I and
Matilda, great pomp and splendor was
displayed, and this has been carried
down thru the centuries since the time
or the Conqueror. During the reign
of Henry III a new lady chanel was
built, and this gave the king aspira-
lions Tor an abbey to be of the newest
S'SAS VI dICLlteCIure winch he decided
he, himself, would build. The edifice
was to be French" thruout but today
the abbey stands out true English
The work on the new building began
in the year 1245 with the east end. and
IN 1863 all of the building as far as
the fourth bay of the nave was
finished. Henry III was buried here
The coronation stone of the Scottish
kings was brought to the abbey bv
EDWARD /, and in the fourteenth CEN
tury a great amount of building was
done to complete the monastery. Dur
ing the time that Richard II was ON
the throne the reconstruction OF the
old nave was progressing, and Henry
v was greatly interested in it. In 1914
Wilmington, who was three times lord
mayor of London, gave literally
toward the building of the abbey In
1920 the beautiful and famous chapel
built by Henry VII was completed.
This takes the place of the Lady
chapel at the east end. 1t is a good
example of the perpendicular style of
architecture.
Benson Last Abbot.
When the monasteries of England
were done away with. Westminster
like all others, dissolved and Benson,
who was the last abbot. became the
f1Tst dean and for a time there was a
bishop but only for a short duration.
The services underwent a change and
during the reign of Mary the ritual of
the Roman Catholic church was again
put into effect and the Confessor's
shrine re-erected. but when Elizabeth
succeeded to the throne Abbot Ferken-
ham was turned out and instead,
westminster was made into a collegi-
ate church and a dean and twelve
prebendaries were appointed. Mary.
queen OF Scots, and Queen Elizabeth
We're laid side by side in the abbey
by King James I. Sir Walter Raleigh
was imprisoned here in the gatehouse.
This famous old abbey was not
touched by the Puritans during the |
time of the Civil war. In 1643. when
the Westminster Assembly was called
together In Henry Wis chapel for a |
great purpose at that tirne, Settling
the government and litury of the
Church OF England and clearing of the