Thursday, February 2, 2023

It is the 2nd of February, 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

It’s February, and things feel like we’re in for a collection of strange stories- yesterday, the pretend occultist yet cryptographer (question mark), and today the story of a church fire set by a supposed lunatic. The fire took place at the grand Normanesque Yorkminster Cathedral. This last sentence perhaps comes with some questions.

“Normanesque” means all big and made of stone. The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came with the skills to build massive castles and cathedrals. York is in the north of England. The Archbishop there is the third highest in the Anglican Church after the sovereign and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

It has that common, English-sounding “minster” this comes from the word that gives us monastery- in England, the monastery is sometimes shortened to “minster” (like with Worcestershire sauce, the English blatantly ignore letters). This is a title given to the great churches in England in recognition of the “minsters” and associated schools that served as the impetus for the Christianization of the British Isles. Lastly, a Cathedral is such because it contains the bishop's “cathedra”- the Latin word for “chair.” It’s a Cathedral because the Bishop presides here.

There had been fires and tragedy at Yorkminster before. The church dates from the early 600s and was subsequently built, burnt, renovated, etc., over the centuries. In the 1200s, the Gothic craze led to spires and a tower. The church was finally consecrated in 1472 and was one of the more impressive churches in England. But then the Reformation took place, and the more ornate a church, the more a target they were for vandalism- from broken windows to decapitated or defaced stone images. The English Church in the 1600s, with much more “high Church” Anglican and Catholic influences, lead to the re-establishment of the grandeur of churches such as Yorkminster.

But like the proverbial drunk trying to mount a horse, one overreaction begets another. And soon, groups with names like “the levelers” and “the ranters” became legion amongst dissenting churches.

One family that made its way around the dissenting congregations was that of Fenwick and Isabella Martin of Haydon Bridge. They had three sons, William, Jonathan, and John (I don’t know why either), and a daughter Ann. William the elder would be something of a scientist and inventor, and the youngest, John, would become most famous as a painter. But it was middle son Jonathan who would be at the center of the fire at Yorkminster.  

Jonathan had been impressed into involuntary Navy service for seven years- the man who had been tormented with mystical visions and dreams since he was a boy. He finally escaped and became a tanner near his hometown. There he was married and had a son, but he was becoming increasingly erratic. His visions condemned both himself and the church structure. He would be arrested for interrupting services, and soon his wife would leave him. After one arrest, he was sent to a mental ward. He escaped and made his way back to York, where he began having visions and writing cryptic messages about the condemnation and destruction of the church.

And so it was on this, the 2nd of February in 1828, he was hidden in the church since the last evening's service finished. He brought cloth and other flammable items with him and used pews and hymnals for more kindling. He set his fire and escaped. The wooden roof was ablaze but too distant to put out. The townspeople watched as the roof crashed down into the choir, leaving behind rubble and smoldering ash.

Jonathan Martin, who had written the threatening letters, had also left his address in the mail- he was soon arrested and stood trial. He said he was proud of what he did and that it was, in fact, God working in him to set the fire. He accepted his charges with glee. But the jury found him not mentally competent, and he spent the rest of his life in Bedlam.

Much of the church was repaired but not restored to its original. The fire and subsequent collapse did reveal Norman, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon ruins beneath. You can check out the church and its art, organs, and history at yorkminster.org.

The last word for today comes from Hebrews 2:

2:16 For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.

2:17 Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.

2:18 Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 2nd of February 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite York’s include the minster, the New, Bewitched’s Dick, and the Peppermint Patty. He is Christoper Gillespie

The show is written and read by a man apropos of nothing is staring his mid 40’s down this month, I’m Dan van Voorhis

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.