Boy-Bishop

A list of ornaments for St. Nicholas contained in a Westminster inventory of the year 1388 comprises a mitre, gloves, surplice, and rochet for the Boy-Bishop, together with two albs,

The Customs of Old England

The earliest inventory of the church -- that of 1245 -- speaks of a mitre, the gift of John de Belemains, Prebendary of Chiswick, and a rich pastoral staff for the use of the Boy-Bishop.

The Customs of Old England

Opinions differ as to the purpose for which these tokens, which date from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, were struck, but it is extremely probable that they were designed to commemorate the Boy-Bishop solemnity.

The Customs of Old England

The late Mr. André's article on vowesses, and Mr. Evelyn-White's exhaustive account of the Boy-Bishop must be mentioned, and -- lest I forget -- Dr. Cunningham's "History of English Commerce."

The Customs of Old England

Usually the Boy-Bishop was chosen from the choristers of the cathedral, collegiate or other church by the choristers themselves; but at York, after 1366, and possibly elsewhere, the position fell, as of right, to the senior chorister.

The Customs of Old England

Boy-Bishop to occupy the episcopal throne during mass -- a proof that he cannot have been the celebrant.

The Customs of Old England

The festival of the Boy-Bishop, however, was conducted with a decency hardly to be expected in view of its apparent associations.

The Customs of Old England

The Boy-Bishop celebration was not only the occasion of plays which sometimes necessitated the strong hand of authority for their suppression -- it was distinctly dramatic in itself.

The Customs of Old England

First the Dean and Canons, then the Chaplain, and lastly the Boy-Bishop and his Prebendaries, who thus took the place of honour.

The Customs of Old England

At St. Paul's Cathedral twenty-eight copes were employed not only for the Boy-Bishop and his company, but for the Feast of Fools.

The Customs of Old England