A Pilgrimage to The Chapel of our Lady of Grace
By
Arthur Jeffery
On 9 August 2012 several CoSS members took part in a walk
from St Mary’s Church along Chapel Road, once a causeway which flooded at high
tide, down to the site of Our Lady of Grace Chapel.
We were following in the footsteps of King Henry VIII, who
made the pilgrimage in August 1510 whilst on his first visit to Southampton as
King. It is said that the King was
welcomed to the Chapel by the Town Hermit, a certain William Jeffery.
The Chapel’s remains are under the north entrance of the
former Town Depot, adjacent to the American Wharf in Elm Street. If and when the Town Depot site is
redeveloped, archaeologists will have an opportunity to examine the Chapel’s
structure in some detail. Nearby there
is a large stone-built grain store which hopefully will also be excavated.
On that hot Sunday afternoon, our pilgrimage began with a
service at St Mary’s and then we walked behind the cross bearer down to the
Chapel. A brief second ceremony was held
there.
Remember, that part of the city is still called “Chapel”.
[Interestingly the city archaeology department chose to
commemorate the 500th anniversary of walk by the King in 2012 and
not in 2010]
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