Eucharistic Doctrine in the Church of England 1534-1934: An Overview

Had you walked into an English parish church in time for mass in the 13^th year of the reign of King Henry VIII, the sight which would have greeted you would have been a congregation who were very largely spectators to the miracle of the mass. There would have been a few of the new-fangled pews, and parts of the nave would have been screened off to provide chantry chapels. Most of the parishioners stood or knelt in the open interior. The nave walls would have been covered with scenes from the Bible and the lives of the saints, the windows would have glowed with stained glass, and the east wall of the nave, above the figures of Christ crucified, Our Lady, and St John would have been filled with the Doom, the last judgement. The Eucharistic action itself would have been barely visible. In most churches, a large wooden board filled the top of the chancel arch and acted as a backdrop to the figures of the Rood, Our Lady, and St John, which were illuminated by candles provided by the votive offerings of the parishioners. The rood screen itself would have been painted with the saints and provided with gates. Within, the celebrant and his assistants would have undertaken the ritual of the mass – all in Latin, apart from the Bidding of the Beads after the Creed. The air would have been filled with incense and plainsong, with the congregation disturbing