Early Storeys and their Ancient Homes.

the mater and sayde that hyt [was] blasphemy soo to reherse and say by our Lord Cryste. The preacher was referring to Sir Henry Parker who spoke of Christ as a beggar, and condemned Priests for having so many luxuries and benifices."

Prebendary Deedes of Chichester has proved an enthusiatic sharer of the desire to unearth all that it is possible to do by research in any and all quarters of the country, appertaining to the life and work of Dr. Story. Accompanying one of the Prebendary's many letters on the subject is a note referring to the contents of the Leiger Booke within the Cathedral Archives at Chichester. Among these are:-

"Culverhouse (id est-a pigeon house) in Hunston et Merston pro anniversario. Story Episcopi. Ordinatio anniversarii Episcopi Story 21 Jannarii 1502."

"Hunston and Merston" are two villages lying South East of Chichester. This Ledger Book was lost something like two hundred years ago. It is therefore impossible to refer to these entries.

The immediate predecessors of Bishop Story in the See of Chichester were John de Arundel, 1459-1478; Reginald Peacock, 1450-1459; the successors of Bishop Story were Richard Fitzjames, 1503-1508; and Robert Sherburne who died in 1536.

On the East Wall of the Cathedral there are or were to be seen portraits of the Bishops of Chichester from Wilfred, the founder of the See of Selsey in 681, to George Day who died in 1556, and John Christopherson, vivens temp Queen Mary.

The following entry appears in Mason and Wilmhurst's Catalogue of valuable engravings illustrative of the Antiquities of Chichester Cathedral, the city of Chichester and the County and Churches of Sussex.

"No. 9, Portraits of the Bishops of Chichester prior to the Reformation from a very large painting by Bernardi (1519) in the South Transept of Chichester Cathedral. This plate contains fifty-eight portraits with an inscription to each recording the name of the prelate represented and in numerous instances some remarkable feature in his history, size of plate 17in. x 11in., price 2s. 6d."

"The portraits are now at the north end of the North Transept of the Cathedral," says Prebendary Bennet, who, alike with Prebendary Deedes, has been indefatigable not only in his help regarding Bishop Story's antecedents, but in the work of transferring the altar-tomb to its original site or as near to that site as can be ascertained from the learned Prelate's will. "Bishop Story's portrait must be imaginary, as he had been dead nearly twenty years before the work was executed. "It may have been based upon the features of the effigy on the Bishop's altar-tomb. The face was very ill treated by the Parliamentary soldiers in 1642. "Had the figure escaped mutilation it would have been interesting indeed to have studied together the lineaments of both faces" remarks the Prebendary who further adds in his letter of February 24th, 1908. "It is in a difficult position to be photographed, as immediately over the oak panels on which the Bishops are painted is a very large window without any painted or coloured glass in it.

Storeys of Old

Storeys
of
Old