Page 38 - Historic Churches 2013

38 BCD Special Report on Historic Churches 20th annual edition CATHEDRALC O M M U N I C A T I O N S
surmounted by a gallery known as a rood
loft. Both fittings take their name from the
rood – the carved figure of Christ on the
Cross, customarily located over the screen
and loft at the east end of the nave.
The rood (from the Saxon word rod or
rode, meaning a cross) ranged in height from
a few inches tall to life-sized or larger, and
was generally flanked by the figures of the
Virgin Mary and St John the Evangelist. Prior
to the Reformation this form of religious
sculpture enjoyed near-universal currency in
the churches of England and Wales. However,
of the thousands of rood-figures that graced
our churches during the Middle Ages, just
four mutilated Christ figures (together
with a single Mary figure) now survive, and
none in situ. From being among the most
abundant of church fittings, medieval rood-
figures now count among the very rarest.
THE ROOD SCREEN
Located beneath the rood, the rood screen
formed a partition between the nave and
the chancel beyond. In churches with a
chancel arch, the rood screen usually stood
under the arch or against its western side.
In through-churches with no chancel arch
(which are abundant in Wales, and of which
Llananno is an example) the rood screen
would extend across the full width of the
nave from north wall to south. In larger
churches with side aisles that extended east
of the nave to flank the chancel (such as those
found in East Anglia and the south-west)
the rood screen would extend north and
south of the nave to span the aisles as well.
The rood screen had several functions.
Its primary role was to demarcate spaces of
lesser and greater holiness (a liturgical division
stipulated by the Fourth Lateran Council
in 1215). The already potent sense of mystery
associated with this part of the church was
further intensified at key points in the religious
calendar, such as during Easter week, when
a shroud (or ‘rood-cloth’) was draped over
the rood; or during Lent, when a Lenten veil
would be hung before the high altar. More
prosaically, the rood screen formed a legal
demarcation between the nave, which was
the responsibility of the parishioners, and the
chancel, which was reserved for the clergy.
The vast majority of surviving rood screens
date from the 15th century. By this period
their usage was near-universal in English
and Welsh churches. However, the survival
of a handful of 14th- and even 13th-century
examples confirms the fitting’s use in earlier
centuries. An exceptionally complete 13th-
century screen survives at Stanton Harcourt
in Oxfordshire, almost certainly coeval
with the chancel here and thus of c1260.
Approximately 1,000 substantially or
partially complete medieval rood screens
survive in England and Wales. Prior to the
Reformation the figure was nearer to 10,000.
Patterns of survival vary, but most counties
(with the exceptions of Northumberland
and Cumbria) have something to show. For
England, just two areas might be described
as rich in medieval screenwork: Devon and
Somerset in the south-west, and Norfolk,
Suffolk and Lincolnshire in East Anglia. In the
south-west, Devon is pre-eminent, with almost
200 churches retaining medieval screenwork.
On the other side of the country, Norfolk has
more than 200 churches containing medieval
screenwork, while Suffolk and Lincolnshire
have roughly 100 apiece. More than half of the
medieval screenwork to survive in England
is thus concentrated in just five counties. The
southern Welsh borderland region is also
rich in medieval screenwork, with more than
50 churches containing substantial remains.
THE ROOD LOFT
The rood loft probably came into widespread
use later than the rood screen. The loft
formed a gallery over the rood screen, and
was generally accessed via a mural stairwell
built into the wall at the east end of the
nave. Like the rood screen it surmounted,
the rood loft has several constructional
variants. In churches with a chancel arch,
the gallery generally extends only to the
west of the screen; but in through-churches
without a chancel arch, it tends to extend
both to the west and the east of the screen.
The primary function of the rood loft has
long been debated. Of the possible main uses,
two remain the most compelling. Firstly, that
the gallery was used to access the rood-figures,
for instance to veil the rood at key points in the
religious calendar or to light the accompanying
candles and lamps. And secondly, that it was
used as an elevated platform from which
the sung word or the spoken word (in the
form of the Gospel) might be delivered.
Documentary evidence exists for both uses,
and for others besides. The occasional presence
of a piscina (a stone basin for washing the
communion vessels) in wall fabric at rood loft
height confirms that rood lofts were also used
Detail of the fine timber carving on the rood loft at Llananno, with bands of medieval foliage trails above and
below canopied niches: the statues (Christ in the centre flanked by prophets to the left and apostles to the right)
were added in 1880 following the restoration of the screen.