CROYDON CHRONICLES: The Minster’s archive is a rich source of documents, registers, publications and correspondence that have yielded vast quantities of detail and information about the history of Croydon for DAVID MORGAN. But here is a letter that the archivist has never found, but conceivably might have done…
May 1 1867
Dear Rev Hodgson, Sir,
I write in utter disbelief and indignation to you as I recently discovered that the memorial tomb for Edmund Grindal, one of the greatest Archbishops of Canterbury to be appointed (so said Francis Bacon), is not going to be rebuilt after the fire that destroyed so much in our Parish Church.
Great Archbishop: Grindal (c1519 – 6 July 1583) was buried at Croydon Parish Church, but his memorial destroyed in the great fire
Apparently, I was told, the beloved memorial of the first primate ever to be buried here in Croydon is to be replaced with a brass wall plaque and some charred remains in a frame. I sincerely hope this is not the case.
I trust you will allow me to indulge your Reverence on the significance of Edmund Grindal and that, by not rebuilding his tomb, you are making a grave error.
One of the great spectacles for me as boy growing up in Croydon and being taken regularly to worship at the Parish Church by my parents, was looking at the three grand tombs of the Archbishops Grindal, Whitgift and Sheldon each week and imagining what life was like for each of them.
Grindal always held the greatest fascination for me.
Holding the three great offices of the Church of England, Bishop of London, Archbishop of York and finally Archbishop of Canterbury, he must have impressed many churchmen with his theological arguments and wise deliberations.
Holding the office of chaplain to the Bishop of London, he had to flee the City in 1553 to avoid the persecution by Queen Mary, so he went to Strasbourg. As an intelligent man yourself, you will know that Strasbourg at that time was German, and would remain so until Louis XIV’s annexation in 1681.
Grindal learned the German language in order that he might fit himself for preaching in the churches there. He was resigned to staying and working there unless the situation changed in this country. I used to wonder how long he retained that new language? I even imagined him standing in the pulpit and preaching to the congregation in Croydon Parish Church in German.
Nobody could have been more thrilled than Grindal to hear that Elizabeth was anointed Queen in 1558 after her sister’s death. He returned to this country that year and was elected to be Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge a year later.
Lost treasure: the Croydon Parish Church’s great fire in January 1867 destroyed many tombs and records, including the memorial to Archbishop Grindal
He was still only 40 years old when he was appointed Bishop of London in July 1559 and his rise through the clerical hierarchy began.
Holinshed, the eminent chronicler of 16th Century events, noted how studious and diligent Grindal was in his work. “His bride was his book and his study his bridal chamber.”
Of course, those countless hours spent on study and writing took their toil, as Grindal gradually lost his eyesight and his strength.
Not having that tomb rebuilt also deprives us of being able to look at that beautifully sculptured face, carved in a likeness of his portrait in Lambeth Palace, but with his eyes clouded in blindness.
His beard was long, forked and black. I recall staring at it on more than one occasion before being rebuked by my mother.
I was wondering how he managed to keep particles of food out of it.
Grindal was such a great scholar, too. He was part of the team which worked on translating The Bible into English, resulting in the publication of the Great Bible, or Bishops’ Bible, in 1568.
When Elizabeth came onto the throne of England, she recognised his abilities. Grindal was one of the clerics tasked with revising the Book of Common Prayer, with the amended version being presented at the Queen’s first Parliament.
He was appointed to be one of the Queen’s ecclesiastical Commissioners and it was he who ordered that a board of the Ten Commandments be erected at the east end of every church in the kingdom.
Lost Grindal: mid-1800 etchings of church tombs, such as this from the Archbishop’s tomb, are the only remaining record
Having briefly outlined Grindal’s many qualities and abilities, I expect, sir, that you will remind me of Grindal’s fall from grace in the eyes of the Queen. This just shows me what a remarkable man he was.
As Archbishop, he served his heavenly master first and was not swayed by the monarch to do something which he felt in his heart was wrong.
Would that have been your response, sir, to Her Majesty’s stance on prophesyings?
In Elizabeth’s government, those great men, her principal secretary Sir Francis Walsingham and her chief advisor William Burghley, held Grindal in high regard, despite his unwillingness to quell the Puritan preaching in London.
Grindal was not the stick in the mud, old cleric that some people thought, either. Although he was not a collector of trinkets, preferring a more modest lifestyle, in his will he left particular cups to his niece and nephew, which were the latest Tudor fashion items of his time.
Sir Walter Raleigh had brought back coconuts from the Americas and a trendy fashion developed with them being turned into drinking cups, often with silver trimmings.
I pray that you will read this letter with care and understand that by not rebuilding Grindall’s memorial, you will do the current and future worshippers and visitors to the building a great disservice.
I await your response with interest.
Your obedient servant
A Churchman, Croydon
Editor’s note: Despite A Churchman’s protestations, Rev John Hodgson and the committee tasked with rebuilding Croydon Parish Church decided not to replace the Grindal memorial, although they did decide to go ahead and rebuild the tombs of Archbishops Whitgift and Sheldon
- Croydon Parish Church burned down on Saturday January 5, 1867. Memorials, such as Grindal’s, and precious historical charters, some dating back to 1277, were lost forever. The church was rebuilt by Sir George Gilbert Scott and rededicated on January 5, 1870 by Archbishop Archibald Tait
David Morgan, pictured right, has been chronicling Croydon’s history for Inside Croydon for almost a decade. Morgan is a former Croydon headteacher, now the volunteer education officer at Croydon Minster, who offers tours or illustrated talks on the history around the Minster for local community groups
If you would like a group tour of Croydon Minster or want to book a school visit, then ring the Minster Office on 020 688 8104 or go to the website on www.croydonminster.org and use the contact page
Some previous articles by David Morgan:
- Here’s Croydon’s election results – from Coronation year 1953
- ‘Young people out of hand’: perennial problem of street crime
- Duke survived death after he hunted with Croydon’s hounds
- The church fire that consumed a thousand years of history
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“Grave error”… who doesn’t love a pun.
Getting dead boring
Aw Chris, you’re not that bad