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mentioned, the music books apart from a few fragments, the organ, and
possibly other instruments were destroyed by the troops of Colonel Sandys in
August 1642. The recent study by Roger Bowers cites many references in the
cathedral accounts to payments for the copying of music and the purchase and
maintenance of instruments including viols. 46 Two chests of viols are
mentioned: the first, acquired in 1574, was for the choir school; the second,
acquired in 1615, was placed under the care of certain lay clerks and used,
Bowers suggests, for entertaining Deanery guests. A later reference to this
chest says that it was kept in the Deanery with a chamber organ made for
Dean Bargrave.
Isaac Bargrave, appointed Dean in 1625, was an active participant in music,
possessing a strong bass voice which was prominent in cathedral services.
Richard Culmer, 47 a hostile witness, quotes a remark by 'a very little witty Girle'
who was 'at their Cathedrall-Quire-Service: and hearing the Deane roaring out
the Base, in the Quire-Consort: Mother (said she) Hath Mr. Dean a pain in his
belly he roars soe?.’ Much earlier in his life Bargrave had served with Sir Henry
[13] Wotton, Ambassador in Venice, who left him a bass viol in his will. On
Trinity Sunday 1642 Dean Bargrave preached a sermon defending church
music and organs, of which Culmer wrote 'I never heard more pleading for
Cathedrall piping: he was so vehement in his Discourse for Organs, that he
was almost out of breath'. If one disregards the level of vituperation in
Culmer's attacks on religious practices at Canterbury one can distinguish many
grounds for disagreement there.
This is the background against which Richard Gibbons of Canterbury lived,
worked and brought up a family. The licence for his marriage to Margaret
Browne, dated 31 January 1635, states that he was then over 30. 48 The Register
of Canterbury Cathedral records the births and deaths of children between
1635/6 and 1644/5. 49 He died in January 1649 and administration was granted
to his widow. 50 The Register uses the spelling 'Gibbons' for this family, and
'Gibbon for the entry for the second marriage of Ann(e), widow of Richard
Gibbon, MD, in 1656. There are no details of his possessions and no
signatures of this Richard Gibbons have so far been discovered. 51 The two
four-part fancies which may be his work are skilfully constructed: they display
feeling as well as counterpoint, and would indeed have entertained any guests
who played or listened to them. 52
To sum up, I suggest that the Richard Gibbon who owned Add. 31432 and
the Richard Gibbons who composed the two fancies are two distinct persons.
46 See R. Bowers, 'The Liturgy of the Cathedral and its Music' in Collinson, Ramsay and
Sparks, eds, A History, 408-50, esp. 438, 442, 445.
47 Richard Culmer, Dean and Chapter Newes from Canterbury (2nd edn, 1649).
48 Cowper, Canterbury Marriage Licences, col. 390.
49 See R. Hovenden, ed., The Register Booke of Christninges, Marriages, and Burialls within the
Precinct of the Cathedrall and Metropoliticall Church of Christe of Canterbury, Harleian Society
Registers 2 (1878), 7-10,118-19. The burial of Richard Gibbons on 6 January 1649 is recorded
on p. 120.
50 Ainsworth, Index to Administrations, 141, gives his address as the Precincts of the
Cathedral.
51 I am grateful to Mrs Heather Forbes, Cathedral Archivist, for her assistance in the
search.
52 Recently published, ed. V Brookes, as VdGS Music Editions no. 179.