Entrance gate to the Priory
Church in Smithfield Square
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One of the most awe-inspiring and
atmospheric buildings in all of London is
the Priory Church of St. Bartholomew the-Great in Smithfield. Perhaps because
it is hidden away from the hurly-burly
of London life, this haven of peace and
tranquillity is not nearly as well known
as it deserves to be.
On the north side of the altar is a tomb
on which are engraven the words “Hic iacet
Raherus Primus Canonicus et Primus huius
Ecclesiae” (Here lies Rahere, the first canon
and first prior of this church). Today,
Rahere is remembered not just as the
founder of the Priory Church but also of
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, popularly
known as ‘Bart’s’. On June 29th 1895, a
Masonic Lodge was consecrated at this great
and famous hospital by the M.W. Pro Grand
Master, The Earl of Lathom, in the presence
of the M.W. Grand Master H.R.H. The
Prince of Wales and the Crown Prince
of Denmark, Grand Master of Danish
Freemasons. This new Lodge was, very
appropriately, named The Rahere Lodge.
Little is known of the origins and early life
of Rahere. Much of what is known of him
comes from a book called the ‘The Book of
the Foundation of St. Bartholomew’s Church in
London, the Church Belonging to the Priory of
the Same in West Smithfield’ (or, more usually,
‘The Book of Foundation’). This was written
in Latin by a canon of the Priory Church
around the year 1180 (about 40 years after
the death of Rahere) and a translation into
modern English made in 1923 is available
from the church.
Rahere probably came from a humble
background but he had great personal
charisma and charm, a rich sense of humour
and a liking for the good things of life. He
used his personal charms to gain a place in
the court of Henry I, the son of William the
Conqueror, where, according to the Book of
Foundation, “…he made it his business all day
long to attend spectacles, banquets, jests and
the rest of the trifles of the court and, with
shameless face betaking himself to the suite –
now of the king, now of the nobles – he
assiduously employed a complaisance that
should please them and obtain with greater
ease anything that it pleased him to seek.”
It is said, though not confirmed, that he held
the high and influential office of Court Jester.
Despite his self-indulgent life style, there
are hints that even then there was a more
profound side of his character and he may
have held a clerical appointment as the
unusual name Rahere first appears in the
list of Canons of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1115.
Certainly, he deeply admired Queen
Matilda, a spiritual and charitable lady, and he
was profoundly affected by her death in the
year 1118. Two years later, in 1120, the king’s
son and heir, William, and other members
of the royal family and household perished
when their ship sank in a storm in the
English Channel.
In the words of Leonard Clark, in a
booklet entitled The Story of Rahere (available
from the Priory Church), “Sudden death
and grief challenged Rahere, perhaps for the
first time. He realised that there was much
more to life than a round of pleasure and
merrymaking.” Rahere therefore left the
royal court and set out as a humble pilgrim
on a long and perilous journey in the hope of
finding enlightenment. After enduring great
hardships, he arrived in Rome but while
staying on the Island of St. Bartholomew in
the River Tiber he became seriously ill with
the ‘Roman Fever’ – possibly malaria. Fearful
for his life, he made a vow to God that, in the
event of his recovery, he would return to
England and found a hospital for the poor.
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