Church Pews in Pre-Victorian Era

Описание: Did you know that churches in England didn’t have pews until the Victorian era?

Originally, churches in England had only a few private box seats and a pew or two for the wealthy families in the parish, who paid annual fees for that pleasure. Everyone else (meaning the majority of the congregation) stood throughout the service.

While that smacks of elitism, the fact is that pews were not popular among the congregations, who didn’t want to be stuck in a seat the entire time. As much of the service was given in Latin and were difficult to hear, they preferred the freedom to wander about and chat with their friends.

But in the mid to late Victorian era, the timber industry in England was struggling, and to help it along, the government gave financial incentives for churches to put in pews. So, the vicars started putting them in…often to the irritation of their congregation

So, when you tour an old church in England and see their ancient looking pews, they're actually a "newer" addition to the church.

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