Heritage 40, 51 Environment

Possible anchor-hold (left), Peakirk Anchor-hold, King’s Lynn Squint? in south wall of Peakirk vestry

The 1348/9 visitation of the Black Death brought sweeping changes to Peakirk, as it did to most settlements across England. To begin with it lost 55% of its population, though not necessarily to the disease; some residents could have moved to neighbouring parishes, adopting better land left vacant by plague victims.

A bishop enclosing an anchoress

Many people concluded that God had abandoned them and turned away from the Church. Conversely, others sought solace in religion, believing that the world was being punished for Mankind’s evil ways. Hence, the interior of St Pega’s was redecorated with murals to remind the congregation that Death was always waiting in the wings, ready to snatch unredeemed sinners and despatch them to the jaws of Hell! Moreover, building work was in progress in the shape of a curious twelve-feet-square extension in the north-east corner of the church, abutting the Lady Chapel and chancel. The space is currently used as a vestry, a dressing room where the rector changes into vestments before services. Yet, originally it may have had a more sinister purpose as an anchor-hold, occupied by an anchoress whose duty it was to offer constant prayers for the well-being of her community. Anchoresses were usually from humble backgrounds and needed few qualifications. All were volunteers: the genuinely pious; the desperately poor; the eccentric; and those fleeing forced marriages. An aspiring anchoress was briefly interviewed by the bishop and, if deemed sound of mind and of good character, her application was processed without delay. A ceremony, closely resembling a funeral, was held with friends and relatives attending to bid her farewell. Afterwards, she was led through the churchyard and walled up for life in a cell that represented her tomb. In effect, she was dead to the world. Once committed, the anchoress could not change her mind. To escape or aid and abet an absconder meant that both she and her accomplices could look forward to an Afterlife spent in Hell!

Anchorhold, Compton, Surrey

Anchor-hold (left), St John the Baptist’s, Newcastle

By Dr Avril Lumley Prior

Squint? in south wall of Peakirk vestry

The anchoress was expected to develop a one-to-one ‘special relationship’ with God, so that requests for the villagers’ prosperity would hopefully be granted. Other activities included making clothes for the poor and embroidering altar clothes and priestly garments. In extreme cases, she was expected to dig her own grave, in which she slept. She knew full well that as soon as she died, she would be replaced immediately before prayers could be interrupted for too long, lest plague or another disaster strike.

In addition to the blocked doorway through which the anchoress had passed, anchor-holds usually had three apertures: a squint overlooking the altar, so that she could participate in services (albeit balancing on a ladder); a window, through which food, beer and slop buckets were exchanged; and a tiny shuttered low or ‘world-side’ window, through which to receive prayerpetitions, dispense advice and encourage repentance by her example as a living saint. Theoretically, idle gossip was forbidden but an anchoress had few pleasures (other than, perhaps, keeping a cat and the belief that she would be fasttracked to Heaven) and it was a way of keeping in touch with life beyond her cell. Indeed, enclosure was especially severe for women, who were perceived in medieval times as the daughters of Eve and, therefore, weak-willed temptresses. Their anchorholds were invariably on the north side of a church (as at St John the Baptist’s in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, at Ryhall [Rutland] and, arguably, at Peakirk), depriving them of sunlight and warmth. In contrast, their male counterparts, known as anchorites, usually dwelt on the south side (as at St Firmin’s, Thurlby [Lincolnshire] and All Saints, King’s Lynn), and sometimes even had gardens. Despite this, anchoresses outnumbered anchorites 2:1.

So, why do I propose that there was an anchor-hold at St Pega’s? My reasons are five-fold: 1. The date, c.1350, shortly after the visitation of the Black Death.

2. The standard-size dimensions of the room, twelve feet by twelve feet.

3. Its location between the chancel and Lady Chapel. 4. The squint overlooking the altar. 5. The recess (tantalisingly obscured by a headstone) in the eastern wall of the vestry which could represent a blocked entry to the cell. The harsh conditions endured by anchorites and anchoresses led to the onset of ailments associated with damp, cramped accommodation and solitary confinement, including muscle wastage, osteoporosis, hypothermia, rheumatism, lung disease and mental-health issues like depression and dementia. After the Reformation, Edward VI (1547-53) abolished anchor-holds and converted them into vestries to prevent future re-use. Their inmates were released and expected to be absorbed back into the community. However, many struggled to cope with the outside world. Instead, they chose to live in seclusion on the margins of society and, often, became the victims of bullying and accusations of witchcraft. villagetribune 39