50_.]

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

CHAPTER I

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

Although the first mention of this church which the indefatigable
Dugdale could find was its appropriation to the priory in 1259-1260,
it is tolerably certain that its foundation was much earlier. As
before said, it is reputed to be older than St. Michael's and its
position close to the monastery suggests that it had been built, as
often happened, for the parishioners by the monks who disliked their
intrusion within the priory church. The appropriation at this time may
have been rather of the nature of a confirmation of the rights of the
priory than the institution of a new condition of things. As, in 1391,
the chancel had to be rebuilt being "ruinated and decayed" we may
conclude that it was probably older than the present north porch which
is certainly not later than 1259. It was at the same time lengthened
by twenty-four feet, the convent giving one hundred shillings per
annum for eight years and six trees, the parishioners finding all
other material and workmanship. The convent and parish also agreed to
support and keep it in repair at their joint charges.

From 1298, when Henry de Harenhale was appointed, the list of vicars
is complete, but in a cartulary of the priory mention is made of Ralph
de Sowe, vicar of Trinity, as giving a tenement in Well Street, for
the celebration of his anniversary.

There are but few landmarks in its history, and dates affecting the
structure can generally be assigned by internal evidence alone. The
nave arcades had already been rebuilt before the chancel was touched,
and a piece of work of the same period is to be seen in the five-light
Decorated window, in the Consistory Court which now opens into the
large chamber over the porch. We have no record of the building of the
clearstory and roof of the nave. The resemblances between this
clearstory, and that of St. John's chancel, raise the question of
priority. The fuller development at St. John's of the peculiar
treatment of the angles points to its being a little later but
probably both fall within the second and third quarters of the
fifteenth century.

For a church of this size the chapels, altars and chantries were very
numerous, there being probably fifteen altars in all. In 1522 the
establishment of clergy consisted of a vicar, eleven parochial priests
and two chantry priests. Dugdale enumerates six chantries so that it
is evident that here as often