File:Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society (1900) (14741839746).jpg

Identifier: transactionsofbr23bris_0 (find matches)
Title: Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society. cn
Subjects: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society
Publisher: Bristol, Eng. : The Society
Contributing Library: Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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ate II. i St. Nicholas Church, Gloucester. hi three balls on his book refer to one of his earliest acts ofcharity, in providing dowries for the three daughters of animpoverished nobleman,—they represent three bars of goldwhich he, on three separate occasions, secretly threw intothe noblemans house, and which enabled him to comfortablydispose of his daughters in marriage. He appears to havebeen one of those good souls who do good by stealth andblush to find it fame. Chambers, in his Book of Days, says: The three balls of St. Nicholas form the well-known pawn-brokers sign, which, with considerable probability, has beentraced to this origin. Manj?- curious legends are told of himrelating to his saving of life at sea and elsewhere, for whichI refer you to Mrs. Jamesons Sacred and Legendary Art. We may conjecture that some lucky adventurer, orpossibly pirate (for they were not uncom.mon in the 12thcentury), founded the church in honour of his Patron Saintand as a salve to his conscience.
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ST. NICHOLAS GLOUCESTER.WEST END OF NAVE, TOWER, :&c. 112 Transactions for the Year 1900. The earliest or most ancient parts of the church now•existing are the south wall and doorway of the nave andthree piers and two arches of the north nave arcade—theseare Norman, of a very rude and simple character, erectedprobably at the beginning of the 12th century—the archesare of two orders without decoration of any kind ; the piers;are 3 ft. 6 in. in diameter. It is significant of the importance■of this part of the city in ancient times that the Normans■should- have here erected so many churches, for we have theAbbey of St. Peter, the Priory of St. Oswald, and the•churches of St. Mary de Lode and St. Nicholas groupedtogether within almost a stones throw of each other. What the original size and plan of St. Nicholas Churchof the 12th century may have been we can only conjecture,for there are no evidences to guide us. Judging by thewidth of the nave (22 ft.) and the size of the

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