This page is the story of the Friary in Guildford, starting from the late twelve hundreds up until the building of the Friary Shopping Centre.So let's get cracking and see what it's all about.
History
From the beginning of the thirteen hundreds there were Dominican Friars
(An Order from France) preaching from the Guildford Friary.
The people called them, "Black Friars" because they wore black clothing. They arrived here in Guildford around twelve seventy four.
(When the Friary Shopping Centre was first constructed, there was a public house called "The Black Friars". Where the main entrance is today. I had a lot of fun there, with the girls and the notorious squaddies, say no more...)
Monks were rather more withdrawn than Friars, they even held services in Latin. Some still do, so how do/did they think their message was going to get through too the man on the street?
The Friars on the other hand would go out onto the streets to preach the word, something they were not getting from the priests who also mumbled in Latin, brimstone and fire.
Come on guys, surly it's the spirit and intention of the word that matters? It's all very well having tradition, but stop all that smoke and mirrors stuff and teach us the message with today's language. "I don't intend any disrespect" but if the Friars could speak plain English, Nine Hundred years ago, don't you think it would serve the Latin speaking Church well to come into the twenty first century. Sorry I'm rambling.
Instead of being couped up inside, the Friars brought the word to the people, in English...
The Friary was
excavated in nineteen seventy four, and nineteen seventy eight, when evidence of a previous building was uncovered beneath the Dominican
building.(I remember there being a window cut in the perimeter boarding allowing the public to gaze at two skeletons before they were removed. Gruesome stuff.)
Hey, what do they think their Laughing about? :-)
The house was probably that of
the "Friars de Ordine Martyrum", the original order of Friars in Guildford.They were granted permissions to construct their house in Guildford in twelve sixty and it was their only known place of residence.
Guildford's friary was a little on the small side when compared to many other friaries, and never really had more than twenty four friars. The friars made their living by begging in the street.
How times Chang?
When Guildford's Friary site was excavated in nineteen seventy four, through into nineteen seventy eight, just prior to the construction of our shopping centre, many interesting facts were unearth.
The friary was also an infirmary, and boasted latrines! Hey that's modern! Although they were never found. Well how do they know then?Maybe they found a work sheet saying stuff like "Cleaned the latrines and scrubbed the floors, etc?
There would of course, been stables for the visitors, plus buildings where the friars would repair tools and various other equipments.
Usually a friary's churches would be placed on the northern side, so as to get the maximum amount of sunlight.
Though the Guildford friary's church was situated towards the south side, so as to be closer to the town, as it was back in the day. Everyone was welcomed to attend the sermons and services. You bet they were, I mean, where were they to get their daily bread, if they didn't "educate" the locals?
(Pottage from old French "pottage" - A dish made in a pot.)
and is a thick vegetable stew or soup, a bit like porridge, sometimes containing meat.
(An unsightly thick goo if you ask me. Yuk!)
Usually taken with a healthy injection of beer and wine.
Ah, that's better :-)
as it did not contain bacteria and all those other nasty grubby water bound diseases. "Good Excuse! Let's go to the pub!! Type of thing."
They would all sit around the table in complete silence.
Yeah Rite!
I bet there was some kind of trivi chat, and snickering going on... Or were their lives really that mundane and boring? Pottage and prayers!
Ah well, they Were of course served by the underling lay brothers.
Class distinction!! How Very dare they! Burp, Trump! There that's better now.
Is this why they say "Good Food is conducive to good conversation?"
Poor old Lay Brothers. Not that much fun for them I'd of thought. Lol. Nothing much changes. Just a different hat :-)
Hey, back to the story:
The friary dorm was situated on the eastern side, and guess what, they were actually aloud to have conversations before going to by, by's, And in the "Chapter House"! (Steady on.)
it was the place to talk out important friary business, like, you're teaching the boys, you're scrubbing the floors, you're in the garden and you Tuck, you're out of the kitchen, period!
Yes, teaching the boys... Not girls, they were supposed to be seen and not heard. Now that's something they've defiantly changed.
Talking was also allowed while in the "Sacristy" the place where vestments are stored. Where hushed voices speak of: Who's sandals fitted the best. Would it be sunny today. Yes that must have been the life back in the day.
Crammer and theology is thought to have been taught, and it is also thought that the dorm housed the school. Most friaries had a separate school room for books and learning. Our town was not that important in those days. Just a little dot on the then very inadequate map.
Seven church services were every day and all friars attended. I'm surprised they had time for the boys...
On the other hand I suppose they worked from dawn, to some other ungodly hour of the night. Glad I'm alive here and now. I mean, look at that spooky old place. Burrr, not for me mate.
On with the story sir.
In nineteen seventy four remains of the choir pews were uncovered, plus quiet a few little things like book covers were recovered. They probably slipped down through the floor boards, lost by an inebriated friar
The remainder of the cloisters and church were tiled in red and yellow ceramics tiles. That sounds good.
The Priors were buried in the cloisters as an honor to their position. Many burials were uncovered in the church and churchyard.
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It seems that friars were laid to rest on the eastern side of the churchyard. Laymen were also interred in the churchyard. Lay burials were forbade in twelve fifty, but were still carried out due to the popularity factor.You know, nearer to heaven and all that.
The lay burials were of people who would have been the rather more well healed than the majority, and evidence of bones and teeth in good order confirm this.
Going by the evidence of the skeletal remains, it seem as though the people found at the Friary churchyard were of a similar height as today's population. More evidence that this lot were well fed, well healed middle class types.
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The remains were interred at St Mary's following expert attention.(St Mary's is in Quarry Street, just off the High Street, and is the oldest surviving building in Guildford.
Probably the first church in Guildford, and it still stands today! You should see the wonderful stained glass window. It really is a beauty.)
Members of the Royal family occasionally stayed at the Friary, after the Castle was decommissioned.
Henry the fourth lodged at the Friary in fourteen thirty four, racking up a bill of damages by his lovely follower's, to the sum of Forty Shilling! Naughty, naughty, what a load of rabble raiser's!
Forty shillings was a really large sum in those days. Anyone want to have a guess at what that might be today?
Then there was "good" old King Henry the Eighth, who had a pad constructed in the Friary grounds. A bit damn cheek don't you think?
After all wasn't it he who Dissolved the Monasteries in fifteen thirty eight! Sacking and burning the Churches. Still the King was jealous, so I suppose that's O.K. then?
Many of the buildings, excluding the church, still existed rite up to the seventeenth century. They made things last in those days.
If they'd invented the iPhone I suppose it would have been about two hundred years before they invented the iPad. Still you did know where you were back in the Day.
Sometime in about sixteen ten a Manson house was construct on the site which and stood up until the year eighteen eighteen. See, I told you.
Following this it was used as an industrial area which included the Friary Brewery, built in eighteen sixty eight.
Unfortunately Brewing ceased in nineteen sixty nine, and the old Friary Brewery was unceremoniously pulled down in nineteen seventy three. To make way for the Friary Shopping Centre. Da dd da da Daaa! Enter the future!!
But I wonder what the Firers would make of this lot tramping all over the Hood :-)
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