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Title: The Threee Choirs: A Handbook to the Cathedrals of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester - A Complete Description of the Buildings, a History of Each Diocese and Biographical Notices of the Bishops
Author: King, Richard
Language: English
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THE CATHEDRALS OF GLOUCESTER, HEREFORD, AND WORCESTER ***
_THE THREE CHOIRS._
A Handbook to the Cathedrals
OF
GLOUCESTER, HEREFORD,
AND
WORCESTER:
A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINGS, A HISTORY OF EACH DIOCESE,
AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THE BISHOPS.
BY RICHARD I. KING, B.A.,
EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD.
WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1866.
_Uniform with the Present Volume._
A HANDBOOK FOR TRAVELLERS
THROUGH THE COUNTIES
OF
GLOUCESTER, HEREFORD, AND WORCESTER.
One Volume. Post 8vo.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
AND CHARING CROSS.
CONTENTS.
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL. With 16 Illustrations.
HEREFORD CATHEDRAL. With 15 Illustrations.
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL. With 7 Illustrations.
⁂ _Each Cathedral may be obtained, separately, in a Wrapper, Price
Half-a-Crown._
[Illustration: GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL, FROM THE SOUTH-EAST.
FRONTISPIECE.
]
A HANDBOOK
TO
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.
WITH 16 ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1865.
CONTENTS
PART I.
HISTORY AND DETAILS
PAGE
HISTORY AND DATES 3
RESTORATIONS 5
THE NORMAN CHURCH 6
GENERAL VIEW 7
SOUTH PORCH 9
NAVE 9
NAVE-VAULTING 12
WESTERN BAYS 13
NORTH NAVE-AISLE 15
SOUTH NAVE-AISLE 17
SOUTH TRANSEPT 20
NORTH TRANSEPT 24
RELIQUARY 24
CHOIR--PRESBYTERY 27
CHOIR-VAULTING 28
STALLS 29
EAST WINDOW 30
MONUMENTS 33
MONUMENT OF EDWARD II. 34
NORTH CHOIR-AISLE 36
EFFIGY OF ROBERT OF NORMANDY 37
LADY CHAPEL 38
SOUTH CHOIR-AISLE 41
TRIFORIUM 42
WHISPERING GALLERY 43
CRYPT 44
CLOISTERS 46
CHAPTER-HOUSE AND LIBRARY 48
EXTERIOR 49
TOWER 50
PART II.
HISTORY OF THE SEE, WITH SHORT NOTICES OF
THE PRINCIPAL BISHOPS.
PAGE
CONVERSION OF THE BRITISH KING LUCIUS 52
FOUNDATION AND RESTORATION OF THE MONASTERY 53
PARLIAMENTS HELD IN THE ABBEY 53
LIST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ABBOTS 53
JOHN WAKEMAN, FIRST BISHOP--JOHN HOOPER, MARTYR 54
BROOKS--CHEYNEY 55
BULLINGHAM--GOLDSBROUGH--RAVIS-PARRY--THOMPSON--SMITH--GOODMAN 56
NICOLSON--PRITCHETT--FRAMPTON--FOWLER--WILLIS--WILCOX--SYDALL 57
BENSON--JOHNSON--WARBURTON 58
YORKE--HALIFAX--BEADON--HUNTINGFORD--RYDER--BETHEL 59
MONK--BARING--THOMSON--ELLICOTT 60
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL, FROM THE SOUTH-EAST _Frontispiece._
PLAN OF CATHEDRAL _to face_ 3
THE NAVE ” 9
THE “PRENTICE’S” BRACKET ” 22
CONFESSIONAL IN THE SOUTH TRANSEPT ” 23
THE RELIQUARY ” 24
THE CHOIR ” 27
MISERERES IN THE CHOIR ” 29
MONUMENT OF EDWARD II. ” 34
TOMB OF ROBERT, DUKE OF NORMANDY ” 37
PLANS OF TRIFORIUM AND CRYPT ” 42
CHAPEL, TRIFORIUM ” 44
CRYPT ” 45
THE CLOISTERS--THE “CAROLS” IN THE SOUTH WALK _to face_ 46
THE LAVATORY IN THE CLOISTERS ” 47
THE CHAPTER-HOUSE--THE NORMAN PORTION ” 48
[Illustration: PLAN OF GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.
Scale of 100 ft. to I in.
REFERENCES.
A _South Porch._
B B B _Nave and Aisles._
C _Organ-screen._
D _Choir._
E _Presbytery._
F _South Transept._
G _Chapel used as Vestry._
H H H _Choir-aisles._
K K _Apsidal Chapels._
L _Lady-Chapel._
M _North Transept._
N _Chapel._
O O O O _Cloisters._
P _Chapter-house._
Q _Abbot’s or Lesser Cloister._
R _Slype, or Passage to Cloister._
1 _Abbot Seabroke’s Chantry._
2 _Brydges’ Effigy._
3 _Monument of Ald. Blackleach._
4 _Entrance to Crypt._
5 _Effigy of Abbot Foliot._
6 _Sedilia._
7 _Effigy of Osric._
8 _Monument of Edward II._
9 _Abbot Parker’s Chantry._
10 _Effigy of Robert Courtehose._
11 _Reliquary._
12 _Stone Lectern._
13, 14 _Chantries of Abbots Hanley and Farley._
15 _Abbot’s Door to Cloisters._
16 _Monks’ Door._
17 _Lavatory._
18 _Recess for Towels._
]
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.
PART I.
History and Details.
I. Until the year 1539, Gloucester Cathedral was the church of a mitred
Benedictine abbey, which ranked among the wealthiest and most important
in England. In 1539 the abbey was surrendered; and in 1541 its church
became the cathedral of the newly established bishopric of Gloucester.
The single authority for the architectural history of Gloucester
Cathedral is Abbot FROUCESTER’S (1381-1412) Chronicle of the abbey,
including lives of the twenty abbots after the Conquest. Of this
Chronicle transcripts exist in the Chapter Library at Gloucester; in the
Library of Queen’s College, Oxford; and in the British Museum. The
original MS., which was preserved at Gloucester, disappeared
mysteriously from the Chapter Library during the present century. An
ancient copy, however,--if it be not the original Gloucester MS.,--was
recently discovered in a vault under the Rolls Chapel; and is about to
be published in the series of Chronicles edited under the direction of
the Master of the Rolls[1].
A nunnery was founded at Gloucester in the year 681, by Osric, a
“minister” or “sub-regulus” of Ethelred, King of Mercia. Three abbesses
ruled it successively until 767, after which the convent was dispersed.
Beornulph of Mercia refounded it, about 821, for secular priests,--who,
in 1022, were replaced by Benedictine monks. The Saxon Chronicle (A.D.
1058) records the “hallowing” of the monastery by Ealdred, Bishop of
Worcester. In 1088 this building was destroyed by fire, and a new church
was commenced by Abbot Serlo, which was completed and dedicated in
1100[2]. Two years afterwards this church suffered much from fire; and
still more in 1122, when the Saxon Chronicle asserts that “in Lent-tide
... the town of Gloucester was burnt while the monks were singing their
mass, and the deacon had begun the gospel ‘Præteriens Jesus.’ Then came
the fire on the upper part of the steeple, and burned all the monastery,
and all the treasures that were there within, except a few books and
three mass-robes.” This injury, according to Froucester’s Chronicle, was
repaired by the offerings of the faithful; but the abbey suffered again
from fire in 1179 and 1190. The church was re-dedicated to St. Peter,
in 1239, by Walter de Cantilupe, Bishop of Worcester. In 1242 the nave
roof was completed. Abbot THOKEY (1306-1329) built the _south aisle_ of
the nave in 1318. It was during his abbacy that the body of Edward II.
was interred in the church; and it was owing to the great value of the
offerings made at his tomb that a series of works was commenced, which
form one of the most peculiar features of this cathedral. Under the
succeeding Abbot, WYGEMORE, (1329-1337,) the Norman walls of the _south
transept_ (called St. Andrew’s aisle) were cased with tracery; ADAM DE
STANTON, abbot from 1337 to 1351, constructed the vaulting of the
_choir_, and the stalls on the prior’s side; and Abbot HORTON
(1351-1377) completed the high altar with the choir, and the stalls on
the abbot’s side; together with the casing of St. Paul’s aisle, (the
_north transept_). This abbot also commenced the great _cloister_, which
Walter FROUCESTER (1381-1412) completed. Abbot MORWENT (1420-1437)
erected the _west front_, the _south porch_, and two western bays of the
nave. Abbot SEABROOKE (1450-1457) built the existing _tower_. Abbot
HANLEY (1457-1472) began the _Lady-chapel_, which Abbot FARLEY
(1472-1498) completed.
Notwithstanding the long siege of the city, Gloucester Cathedral
suffered but little during the Civil War. Within the last ten years
(1853-1863) extensive restorations have been made within and without the
cathedral, under the superintendence of Mr. F. S. Waller. These consist
chiefly of the clearing and draining of the crypt; the restoration of
the west front, the south aisle of the nave, the chapter-room, the
library and sacristies, portions of the cloisters, the whole of the east
end of the choir, and the interior of the nave: to which must be added
the alterations entailed in forming and laying out the grounds round
nearly the whole of the cathedral; several houses and yards having been
removed, and hundreds of loads of soil, the accumulation of years, taken
away from against the walls.
II. The ground-plan of the Norman church embraced nave and aisles, choir
and sanctuary, short transepts with apsidal eastern chapels, and a
choir-aisle, or “procession path,” terminating in three eastern chapels,
also apsidal. (The plan of Norwich may be compared.) With the addition
of the Lady-chapel and the cloisters, this ground-plan still remains, as
in the early part of the twelfth century. The Norman work throughout the
building belongs either to this original church, built by Abbot Serlo,
and dedicated in 1100; or to the restorations after the fire of 1122.
All of it, but especially the great piers of the nave, which remain
unaltered, is very interesting and important; but the great peculiarity
of Gloucester Cathedral is the later work, ranging from 1329 to 1377,
with which the original Norman walls and piers of the transepts and
choir are cased and transformed. The manner in which this transformation
is effected not only differs altogether from that in which other Norman
buildings (the nave of Winchester for example) were re-cased and
altered, but the work at Gloucester affords us perhaps the earliest
example of English Perpendicular; since it exhibits far more
characteristics of this style than of even the later Decorated, which
from the date of the work we should expect to find. The Perpendicular
work thus begun, is continued through a series of magnificent
examples,--the cloister, (1377-1412); the great tower, (1450-1460); and
the Lady-chapel, (1457-1498,) almost to the last days of Gothic
architecture.
III. The best general views of the cathedral will be obtained from the
north-west and from the south-east; but there are many excellent points
of view from the lawn by which the building is now happily surrounded.
The outlines--owing greatly to the Lady-chapel with its projecting
chantries, to the eastern chapels of the transepts and choir-aisles, and
to the open-work of parapets and pinnacles--are unusually varied and
picturesque. The manner in which the exterior mouldings of the great
east window, of the west window, and of the openings in the tower, are
carried upwards, so as to form a kind of gable, is a marked feature,
which first appears within, in the beautiful arches across the
transepts, on which the groining drops; and which was adopted,
apparently from them, by the designers of the succeeding work. But the
light and graceful tracery of the parapets, and of the pinnacles of the
tower, is that which gives especial character to the exterior of
Gloucester. Against a clear, mid-day sky this open-work is sufficiently
striking; but when its tracery is projected against the red glow of
sunset, an effect is produced which is altogether unrivalled. The tower
of Gloucester may be compared with the central tower of Canterbury
Cathedral, of later date, (Gloucester 1450-1460, height 225 feet;
Canterbury 1495-1517, height 235 feet,) and of more massive character.
Both towers form admirable centres to the masses of building clustered
round them; and well illustrate the great advantage (which English
architects alone seem to have appreciated) of “placing the principal
features of their churches on the intersection of the nave with the
transept[3].” At Gloucester, even more than at Canterbury, the various
lines of the Lady-chapel, the transepts, the choir-aisles, and the
choir-roof with its eastern gable, lead the eye gradually upwards to the
great tower, with its crowning pinnacles. This effect is perhaps
increased by the shortness of the transepts,--which here and at
Worcester (the parent cathedral of Gloucester) are of the same
dimensions, (128 feet from north to south[4]).
IV. For a more particular notice of the exterior,
[Illustration: THE NAVE.]
see § XX. The cathedral is generally entered by the _south porch_, a
part of the Perpendicular work erected by Abbot MORWENT, (1420-1437).
(This abbot pulled down the towers at the west end of the cathedral, and
the two west bays of the nave. The present western portion of the nave,
as far as the end of the second bay, including the west front and the
south porch, is his work.) The porch, which has an upper chamber, is
greatly enriched with niches and canopies, and has buttresses at the
angles. [_Frontispiece._] The arms in the spandrils of the doorway are
those of England and France, and of the Abbey. The pinnacles and open
parapet are of the same general character as those (earlier) above the
gable of the great east window, and as those (later) of the central
tower. The ogee arched moulding, with its finial, which rises in the
centre is the feature already noticed (§ III.) as characteristic of this
cathedral. It occurs throughout the Perpendicular work. Within the
porch, the peculiar tracery of the side windows should be noticed. “The
internal arrangement of the panelling of the side walls is continued to
the exterior, and made to form the mullions of the windows.”
V. The first impression, on entering the _nave_, is produced by the
lofty Norman piers. [Plate I.] The whole arrangement differs much from
that of the great Norman naves of the Eastern cathedrals, Norwich, Ely,
and Peterborough. In them the divisions of the nave-arcade and of the
triforium above it are very nearly equal in height and width, whilst the
clerestory range is of little less importance[5]. At Gloucester, the
massive nave piers are carried to such a height (30 feet) as to afford
little space for the triforium, which is only a narrow wall passage; and
the original Norman clerestory, the circular arches of which may still
be traced below the Perpendicular windows, was of nearly the same
dimensions. The height of the piers is thus made to seem greater than it
really is. They must have been still more remarkable when the floor of
the nave was at its original level, ten inches lower than at present.
The bases of the piers stood on square blocks; and there still exist
some remains of an encaustic floor on the lower level. These massive
circular piers, which are found also at Tewkesbury, at Pershore, and at
Malvern Priory, seem to be peculiar to England. They do not, at any
rate, occur in any church in Normandy, where the rectangular form
prevails. The good effect of carrying them to such a height as at
Gloucester is perhaps questionable, since the necessary result is to
deprive both triforium and clerestory of all dignity and importance.
The nave consists of nine bays, from the west front to the central
tower. Of these all are Norman to the top of the triforium, except the
two western bays, which are Perpendicular, (Abbot Morwent’s work). The
Norman clerestory was altered, and the Norman portion of the nave was
newly vaulted, in the first half of the thirteenth century. (The nave
roof was completed in 1242. The monks themselves, according to
Froucester’s Chronicle, laboured at it,--considering, suggests Professor
Willis, that they could do the work better than common workmen.) The
nave _piers_ have plain bases and cushioned capitals. The arches have
the zigzag in the outer moulding and a double cable in the soffete. A
cable moulding runs along above them. In the _triforium_, two arches in
each bay circumscribe four smaller ones, the tympana above which are
quite plain. In constructing the new _clerestory_, the Norman work
immediately above the triforium arches was entirely removed; and only
the jambs of the side lights which extended beyond the triforium arches,
with the wall between them, were allowed to remain. The jambs of these
Norman lights, with zigzag moulding, may still be traced in each bay of
the clerestory. The windows of the Early English clerestory were filled
with Perpendicular tracery, possibly by Abbot Morwent.
The Norman portions of the nave may have belonged to the church of
Abbot Serlo, (completed in 1100); but it is impossible to say how much
alteration or rebuilding was rendered necessary by the fires of 1122,
1179, and 1190. The red colour of parts of the piers where the stone has
become calcined, still bears witness to the fierceness of, most
probably, the last of these fires; by which the wooden roof of the
Norman church was destroyed. This was replaced during the abbacy of
HENRY FOLIOT, (1228-1243,) by the existing _vaulting_; which is plain
quadripartite, with a central rib and bosses at the intersections. The
groining, of a light porous stone, is plastered on the underside. The
vaulting-shafts, (of the same date as the roof,) in groups of three, are
of Purbeck marble, with stone capitals of leafage, and Purbeck abaci.
These rest on a series of brackets supported by shafts which descend
between the pier-arches. The first five of these brackets, counting from
the third (the first Norman) bay of the nave, are perhaps Transitional
Norman, and the cable-moulding at the head of the pier-arches passes
round them. The next three eastward have the cable-moulding cut away for
them; and on either side is a shaft of Purbeck marble with foliaged
capital, from which a moulding is carried round the bay of the
clerestory. This part was perhaps more injured by the fire, so that the
earlier work required greater alteration. (The peculiar arrangement,
suggests Professor Willis, may have been one of the consequences of the
monks’ amateur workmanship.) The capitals and corbels of the
vaulting-shafts were richly coloured[6]; and remains of painting were
found on the great piers themselves during the late restorations.
Against three of the piers on the north side are Perpendicular brackets,
for lamps or for statues.
The two _western bays_ of the nave were the work of Abbot MORWENT,
(1420-1437,) who pulled down the Norman front, which had towers north
and south, intending to re-construct the entire nave,--a design
fortunately prevented by his death[7]. The contrast between the noble
Norman columns and the Perpendicular piers is sufficiently striking. The
westernmost bay is much wider than the others; there is no triforium;
the clerestory windows resemble the others, all of which were probably
inserted by Morwent; and the vaulting is a rich lierne, with bosses of
leafage. The west end is filled with a large Perpendicular window of
very good design, the glass in which, by WAILES, is a memorial of the
late Bishop MONK, (died 1856,) erected at the sole expense of the Rev.
Thomas Murray Browne, Honorary Canon of Gloucester, “in grateful
remembrance of many years of sincere friendship.” (It should be remarked
that the tracery heads and cusps, as seen from the inside of this
window, are not repeated on the outside,--a plain transom only crossing
the lights. This peculiarity is repeated in the great east, and in some
other windows.) The glass is of unusually pictorial character; and if
not entirely successful, is at least better than most recent attempts in
a similar direction. The subjects are:--_Lowest tier_, beginning
south--Noah passing out of the Ark after the Deluge; Moses dividing the
Red Sea; the Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch. In the _second tier_--The
Annunciation to the Shepherds; the Nativity; the Adoration of the Kings.
In the _third tier_--The Presentation in the Temple; the Baptism of our
Lord; St. John Preaching in the Desert. _Above_ are the Baptism of St.
Paul, of St. Peter, and of the Jailor of Philippi. Below the window is a
brass plate with an inscription recording its erection as a memorial to
Bishop Monk.
The west doorway and the panelling at its sides are very plain. At the
angle between the nave and the south aisle is a statue of EDWARD JENNER,
by R. W. SIEVIER. Dr. Jenner, the discoverer of vaccination, was born at
Berkeley in Gloucestershire, in 1749; and died there in 1823.
The view eastward from this point is intercepted by the organ; but
beyond the massive piers of the nave, portions of the light choir-roof
are seen; and the superb glass of the east window terminates the choir
with such a glow of colour as few other cathedrals can display.
VI. The _north aisle_ of the nave is, like the nave itself, Norman,
except the two western bays, which are Abbot Morwent’s. The half piers
against the wall are of the same height as those of the nave, but are
divided into several members with shafts at the angles, the capitals of
which are in some cases enriched. In each bay the Norman window-opening
remains, with zigzag mouldings and side-shafts. All are filled with
Perpendicular tracery, which is continued on the Norman wall under the
windows. A Perpendicular stone bench runs below. The windows in this
aisle are raised high, in order to clear the roof of the cloister
outside. The vaulting is ribbed, Norman.
In the Perpendicular portion of this aisle (second bay) is a very fine
doorway into the west walk of the cloister--(the monks’ entrance). A
crocketed canopy rises above it, with panellings on either side, in
which were painted figures of the Apostles. On each side of the door are
niches for figures. In the easternmost bay of this aisle is the abbot’s
entrance--also Perpendicular, but not so richly decorated. In both these
doorways, the half-groined recesses, so constructed as to admit of the
doors opening into them, should be noticed.
The Perpendicular window at the west end of this aisle has been filled
(1862) with stained glass by HARDMAN; representing the story of the
British King Lucius, who, according to one tradition, died and was
buried at Gloucester. Under the window is a tablet for Bishop WARBURTON,
(died 1779); “a prelate,” runs the inscription, “of the most sublime
genius and exquisite learning.” The slab which covers his tomb is in the
first bay between the nave and aisle. Two _monuments_ in this aisle
should be mentioned: that in the fifth bay by FLAXMAN, for SARAH MORLEY,
who died with her young child, at sea, in 1784. She rises from the sea
supported by three floating angels. Above are the words, “The sea shall
give up its dead.” The figures are graceful, and the whole composition
striking. And that in the last bay, by the choir-screen, for THOMAS
MACHEN, Alderman of Gloucester, and wife; 1614;--a very good example of
the period, but by no means one to be imitated. The window above is
filled with excellent stained glass by CLAYTON and BELL, in which the
white and neutral tints give great effect to the brilliant colour. The
subjects are the three miracles of our Lord in raising the dead:--The
Ruler’s Daughter, the Widow’s Son, and Lazarus.
VII. The _south aisle_ of the nave was changed to its present state in
1318, during the abbacy of JOHN THOKEY, (1306-1329). The Norman south
wall remains in the interior, together with the half piers, which
resemble those in the north aisle. Abbot Thokey erected the present
external façade against this Norman wall[8], and re-groined the roof.
The exterior of this aisle (see § XX.) is a very fine example of early
Decorated[9]. The deeply recessed windows are enriched with the
ball-flower, and resemble one of the windows in Merton Chapel, Oxford,
from which chapel (founded about 1280), or from that of Gloucester
College, founded for student monks of this monastery in 1283, the
windows here may have been directly copied. The ball-flower occurs again
in profusion at Ledbury, in Herefordshire; but it is rarely used to
such an extent as in this aisle, and in the tower of Hereford Cathedral,
which is nearly of the same date. At Gloucester a horizontal line drawn
across the head of the window, just above the spring of the arch, cuts
no fewer than thirty-two ranks of the ball-flower, sixteen within and
sixteen without. All the windows of this aisle, as far as the south
porch, have been filled with stained glass. The _first_ (beginning from
the east) is by WARRINGTON; the _second_, by CLAYTON and BELL, contains
the story of Edward II.;--his imprisonment in Berkeley Castle; his
murder; the Abbot of Gloucester taking possession of the body; the
procession of monks with the body to Gloucester; and the entombment.
This window is good and interesting. The glass of the _third_ window is
by BELL of Bristol, and is very bad. The _fourth_, by CLAYTON and BELL,
represents the coronation of Henry III. in Gloucester Cathedral. The
_fifth_, by WARRINGTON, and the _sixth_, by BELL of Bristol, are equally
bad. The representations in the stained glass of the cathedral of the
great historical events which have been connected with it is an
excellent idea, provided such historical glass is not allowed to intrude
itself unfittingly. The great defect of the glass in Gloucester
Cathedral is its want of plan and uniformity,--owing to the various
artists (some very indifferent) who have been employed.
In altering the south aisle, Abbot Thokey cut off the arches over the
Norman windows, (those opposite should be compared,) and lowered the
vaulting. This, in the first four bays from the south porch, greatly
resembles that of the nave, which is of much earlier date. The vaulting
of the three last bays has its mouldings filled with the ball-flower.
The two western bays of this aisle are Abbot Morwent’s work, and differ
very slightly from those opposite. Against the west wall is a coloured
bust of JOHN JONES, “Burgess of Parliament” at the time of the Gunpowder
treason. In the aisle is a monument by SIEVIER for SIR GEORGE
ONESEPHORUS PAUL, (died 1820,) who distinguished himself by his active
exertions in reforming prisons.
The last bay between this aisle and the south transept is closed on the
north side by the chantry of Abbot SEABROKE, (died 1457,) the builder of
the central tower, the south-west pier of which forms the head of his
chantry. His effigy, in alabaster, was originally in a recess on the
north side, but now occupies the place of the altar. Chantry and effigy
have been much mutilated and shattered. In an arched recess under the
opposite windows are effigies of a knight and lady, long assigned to one
of the Bohun Earls of Hereford. There is every reason, however, to
believe that the effigies represent members of the Brydges family, whose
crest appears on the knight’s sword-belt[10]. He wears a collar of SS.,
and his armour cannot be earlier than the reign of Henry V.
Against the wall on the north side of the entrance to the transept is a
large canopied bracket for a figure.
VIII. Passing into the _south transept_, we enter that portion of the
Norman cathedral which was transformed and re-cased during the
fourteenth century. Both transepts, the choir and its aisles, were thus
treated, between the years 1329-1377. The work, according to
Froucester’s Chronicle, was begun in this transept, which was re-cased
by Abbot WYGEMORE[11], (1329-1337).
In both transepts the original outline of the _Norman_ work is complete,
both in the interior and exterior. Both transepts had eastern chapels,
below and in the triforium, which extends over the choir-aisles, opening
into other chapels at the east end. Instead of the lofty piers of the
nave, the transepts at their eastern sides, and the choir throughout,
have low, massive piers and arches below, and piers and arches of nearly
equal dimensions in the triforium. In the fourteenth century the Norman
walls of both transepts were covered on their three sides with an open
screen-work or panelling formed by mullions and transoms, enriched with
tracery and foiled headings. The forms of the triforium arches, of the
clerestory, and of the arches opening into the chapels and choir-aisles,
were changed from round to pointed; but within the triforium the round
arches remain, and the wall on which the panelling is laid is the
original Norman. The great distinction between the work here and that in
the nave of Winchester, with which it may be instructively compared, is,
that in the latter instance the Norman work was completely hidden, and
re-cased with Perpendicular masonry: at Gloucester the later work was
only laid on the Norman walls and arches. This is more evident in the
choir than in the transepts.
The _south transept_, according to Abbot Froucester, was the first part
of the Church to be thus treated. The panelling, however, although
dating from the first half of the fourteenth century, (1329-1337,) has
much of Perpendicular character; and the alterations in this transept
may accordingly be regarded as perhaps the earliest approach to
Perpendicular work in England. The design is indeed wanting in one chief
characteristic of true Perpendicular; as the mullions are not carried
straight up to the head of the arch, but branch off into arches before
reaching it. But although the work in this transept retains much of
Decorated character, the tendency to change is sufficiently marked; and
in the rest of the cathedral (north transept and choir) the
Perpendicular style is completely developed. According to Professor
Willis, it may have commenced here. “It must have begun somewhere; in
some place the mullion must have been carried up for the first time, and
no place is so likely as Gloucester to have produced the change of
style[12].”
On the _east_ side, the entrance to the choir-aisle is closed by an open
screen, with two doorways in the lower part, one leading to the aisle,
the other into the crypt. The form of their arches is very unusual, and
deserves notice. The rib of a great buttress, supporting the wall of the
choir, runs through the triforium above. In the south-east bay was an
arch, now closed, leading into the Norman chapel, on either side of
which are canopied brackets for figures. In the panel filling the first
bay, just above the top of the crypt door, is the so-called _Prentice’s
bracket_, [Title,] in form resembling a builder’s square. Two figures
support it, curiously placed,--the lower with a bag at his waist. It is
traditionally said to be a memorial of the master builder and his son,
or prentice, but was in all probability a bracket for light. Filling the
centre of the blank arch is a monument with medallion for Bishop BENSON,
(died 1755).
On the _south_ side of the transept is a large Perpendicular window of
good design, below which is a passage, behind an open arcade. The
passage is entered from a Norman staircase-turret in the south-west
angle, and leads upward to the triforium. The effect of this arcade,
with its unusual depth of shadow, is very good.
[Illustration: THE “PRENTICE’S” BRACKET.]
[Illustration: CONFESSIONAL.
IN THE SOUTH TRANSEPT.]
In the wall under this passage are two doorways, now closed, above one
of which (eastward) is a grotesque monster; the other forms what is
called the _confessional_. [Plate II.] Three steps ascend to the door,
between panels which slope like the sides of a chair, and are supported
by figures which seem to be those of angels. The heads, however, are
gone, and the figures are otherwise much defaced. The local tradition
asserts that those who came to confess entered by the first door, with
the monster’s head above it, typical of sin; and left by the other, with
the sorrowing angels, representing penitence. How far the doorways were
at all connected with a confessional is, however, quite uncertain.
Against this wall is an ugly Elizabethan monument for RICHARD PATES,
(died 1588); and the high tomb with effigies of Alderman BLACKLEECH,
“who was admitted to the glory of eternity 1639,” and his wife Gertrude.
The figures are in alabaster, and are wonderful examples of costume. All
the details--boots, rosettes, sword-belt and sword-handle, and the
lady’s lace and short jacket--deserve notice. It was not for her beauty
that Dame Gertrude was thus commemorated.
In the _west_ wall is a Perpendicular window, with blank panelling
below. An open screen-work covers the arch into the nave, and the
choir-buttress runs through its upper division. The _roof_ is a plain
lierne, without bosses, and “one of the earliest specimens of this
complex class of rib-vaulting. Owing to the difference of the angles of
the ribs, such a vault was very difficult of construction; most skilful
workmanship was necessary to make the ribs join at the intersections;
and this led to the use of bosses, which while they concealed defective
work, greatly enriched the roof. But in this example there are no
bosses. The ribs join perfectly; and it appears as if the masons desired
that the skilfulness of their work should be shewn[13].” The very light
and beautiful effect of the flying-arch apparently carrying the
choir-vaulting, which crosses the main tower-arch, should here be
noticed. The whole arrangement is singularly picturesque and original;
(see § X.)
IX. In the _north transept_, cased by Abbot Horton, (1351-1377,) the new
work differs in its mouldings, which are here angular instead of round;
and in the greater richness of the roof. The mullions are here continued
up to the roof, shewing the complete development of the Perpendicular.
In this transept the eastern chapel is open. There is an ascent of seven
steps to it, shewing what was the original arrangement of the chapel in
the opposite transept. Within this chapel, looking west, the casing of
the Norman work with the later is very evident.
Against the north wall of this transept, under the open arcade, is a
structure of early Decorated character, which has been called, and
probably with reason, a _reliquary_[14]. [Plate III.] It is in three
divisions, the
[Illustration: THE RELIQUARY.]
entrance being through the central arch. All the arches are enriched
with foiled openings, and with intricate and very beautiful leafage.
There are Purbeck shafts at the angles, heads at the spring of the
arches, and a series of seated figures, under canopies, much mutilated,
between the outer arch at the entrance and the trefoil within. Inside,
the three divisions are groined, with bosses at the intersections; and
each bay has three blind arches in the wall, between which piers project
to some distance. The reliquary ends before reaching the north-west
angle of the transept in which the square Norman turret projects,
leading upward to the arcaded passage and to the triforium. (Compare the
projecting turrets at the angles of the transepts in Worcester
Cathedral.) At the north-east angle the Perpendicular work joins the
reliquary; a bracket for a figure is placed between it and the steps
leading to the chapel, and a shield bearing Abbot Parker’s arms has
taken the place of the last corbel-head.
Three Norman windows remain at the east end of the chapel opening from
this transept. Below them is a Perpendicular reredos, with three niches,
from which the figures have disappeared. This chapel (as will be seen
from the Plan) is of less size than that opening from the south
transept, and the altar (owing to the polygonal apse) was not due east.
A door opens south, into the choir-aisle; and in the opposite wall is a
very good Perpendicular doorway, leading to rooms now used as vestries.
The Perpendicular cresting, and the angels bearing scrolls in the hollow
moulding, are good, and should be noticed. The Norman arch in the wall
above this doorway, and the Norman work in the opposite wall, (which
should be examined from the choir-aisle as well as from the chapel,)
apparently indicate changes in this part of the building before the
alteration of the entire transept, which it is not easy to explain. The
groin edges of the vault of this chapel are carried down the piers in a
manner of which no example occurs elsewhere.
The steps into the chapel, and a similar ascent into the choir-aisle,
were rendered necessary from the height of the crypt, (§ XVII.), which
extends under the whole of the building east of the tower, with the
exception of the Lady-chapel. The very peculiar doorways opening to the
aisle resemble those in the opposite transept. Within the smaller of
these arches, on a level with the top of the stairs, is a small stone
lectern, from which, it is probable, the pilgrims were addressed as they
passed upwards to the shrine of Edward II.[15]
The Perpendicular screen below the tower-arch opening to the transept
enclosed a chapel, now used as a vestry. A similar chapel existed
beneath the south tower-arch. Under a Perpendicular window on the west
side of the transept is a monument for JOHN
[Illustration: THE CHOIR.]
BOWER, (died 1615,) “who had nyne sones and seaven daughters by his wife
Anne Bower.” Their names are on shields above this inscription, and
their figures are painted on the wall at the back. Above are the words
“Vayne, Vanytie. All is but Vayne. Witnesse Soloman.” The monument is
curious from the manner in which painting is used in it.
X. A heavy organ-screen, erected in 1823 by Dr. GRIFFITH, (for whom
there is a tablet on the north side,) divides the nave from the choir,
and materially interferes with the utility and beauty of both.
The _choir_, [Plate IV.], as in most Norman churches, extends one bay
west of the central tower, under which the stalls are arranged. An
ascent of three steps leads to the _presbytery_, three bays in length;
and the altar is approached by two additional steps. The unrivalled east
window at once attracts attention on entering the choir; but the whole
view is rendered especially interesting and peculiar by the panelling
and open screen-work covering the Norman walls and arches, the form of
which is preserved; by the lofty clerestory; and by the exquisite
lightness and grace of the lierne roof, which extends unbroken, except
by a low ribbed arch, from the west wall of the tower to the east
window.
The choir, according to Froucester’s Chronicle, was cased and vaulted by
Abbots STAUNTON, (1337-1351,) and HORTON, (1351-1377). Their work must
also have embraced the lower portion of the tower, (as far as the roof,)
since there is no break in the vaulting, and the work is of the same
character throughout. As far as the spring of the flying-arch that
carries the groining, the piers of the tower are Norman; to this point
the walls of the tower, choir, and presbytery were taken down. The
pointed arches opening to the transepts, the slender arches that cross
them, and apparently carry the groining, and rank among the most
peculiar features of this cathedral, and the vaulted roof of the tower,
all belong to the work of Staunton and Horton: the former of whom
completed the western portion of the choir, with the vaulting; whilst
the latter re-constructed the eastern end, with the high altar. The
choir _vaulting_ is one of the richest examples in England; and although
its lines of ornamentation are thrown out in every direction like those
of a spider’s web, “the complication is really the effect of
perspective, since when reduced to drawing the lines form a simple
geometrical figure[16].” The tower-vaulting is much higher than the roof
of the nave, and admits of a window in the west wall of the tower, with
niches carrying brackets for figures on either side. Over the arch is
the inscription,--
“Hoc quod digestum specularis opusque politum
Tullii hæc ex onere Seabroke Abbate jubente;”
which can only record the building of the upper part of the tower, in
the time of Abbot Seabroke; (see § III.): or possibly, only the
completion of the work, after the death of Abbot Seabroke in 1457, by
ROBERT TULLY,
[Illustration: MISERERES IN THE CHOIR.]
a monk of the house. In 1460 Tully became Bishop of St. David’s, and
died in 1481.
The _light arches_ which, cross the main arches of the tower, north and
south, and which look like “pieces of carpentry in stone,” do not in
reality support the vault, which rests securely on the wall behind. They
were not, however, intended to deceive. “Unless some resting-place was
provided, the builders must have allowed the capital to hang down to a
level with the others without anything to support it, or altered the
arch above, and thus have disturbed the curvature of the vault. The
flying-arch was contrived to get rid of these defects. All this appears
to be characteristic of a school of masons who were extremely skilful,
and glad of an opportunity of shewing their skill; as a modern engineer
likes to carry his railway through a chain of mountains when he has a
plain valley before him[17].”
The stalls ranged below the tower are Perpendicular, (those north the
work of Abbot Staunton, those south of Abbot Horton,) with, rich
projecting canopies. The misereres [Plate V.] below are of the usual
character, but are so fixed that they can only be seen with difficulty.
Behind the first stall on the north side is a fragment of Early English
work, probably of the date of Elias de Lideford, who erected stalls in
the choir, which were removed by Abbots Staunton and Horton.
The open screen-work which covers the Norman arches of the presbytery,
is carried upwards into the lofty clerestory windows, so as to cover
the entire bay with a uniform panelling. Light vaulting-shafts run up
between, and carry the lierne roof. The termination of the Norman choir
was originally circular, as at Norwich; but in order to insert the great
east window, the two last bays, eastward, were entirely removed, and the
walls, from this point, now slope outwards north and south. This part of
the work is, in Froucester’s Chronicle, assigned to Abbot HORTON,
(1351-1377). The _tiling_ of the sacrarium, which displays the arms and
devices of Abbot PARKER, (1515-1534,) is no doubt of his time; as are
the _sedilia_ on the south side, which indicate the coming change in
their arabesque ornaments. The frieze, a knotted stick passed through a
riband, should be noticed. On the canopy above are three figures,--one
with a drum or tambourine, the others with trumpets.
XI. The great _east window_, which terminates the choir, is the largest
in England, and is, owing to the ingenious construction of this part of
the choir, wider than the side walls which contain it: it is filled with
what is, in many respects, the finest stained glass of the period in
this country. The window itself, in its general design and tracery,
corresponds with the panelling of the choir and with the windows of the
clerestory, and is part of Abbot Horton’s work. The tracery-heads and
cusps on the inside do not appear without, as usual, since the glass
(probably to save expense) is fitted into a square-headed panel, sunk in
the back of the window. A peculiar effect is produced by the roof of the
Lady-chapel beyond, which rises against the lower part of the window,
(from which it is separated by the ante-chapel); the glass above is
consequently always in brighter light than that below. The stone-work of
the whole window has been repaired (1862) at a cost of £1,400; and £600
has been expended on the re-leading of the glass by HUGHES[18], under
the very careful supervision of Mr. Winston, one of the best authorities
on the subject.
The window, like the rest of the choir-work, has decided Perpendicular
features; but the glass “is in all respects thoroughly Decorated in
character;... As a general rule, it is true that a change in the style
of architecture has always preceded, by some years, the corresponding
change in the style of painted glass....
“The two first tiers of lights from the ground are filled with coloured
borders and ornamented white quarries; a shield of arms in a panel is
inserted in each light, and a small ornamented roundel placed at some
distance beneath it. The three next tiers of lights throughout the
window are filled with figures and canopies, and, in the central part of
the window, another tier likewise, the spires of this row of canopies
running into the tier of lights above. This arrangement, as might be
expected, imparts a grand pyramidical character to the whole design.
All the tracery lights of the window are filled with ornamented white
quarries, and enriched with small roundels of ornament inserted here and
there....
“The colouring of the lower lights--containing figures and canopies--is
arranged on a principle not uncommon in early Perpendicular glass. The
figures are almost entirely white, having yellow stained hair, and
borders to their robes: the architectural work of the canopies is wholly
composed of white and yellow stained glass. The positive colouring is
confined to the spire backgrounds of the canopies, and the tapestry
which lines the interior of the niche; and it is carried in uniform
streaks, or columns, down the window. Thus the spire grounds and
tapestries of the central column--which is two lights broad, all the
other columns being only of the width of one light--are coloured red;
those of the next column on each side the centre one are coloured blue;
those of the next red, and so on. The large proportion of white used in
the most coloured parts prevents any violent transition, from the figure
and canopy part to the quarry part of the window....
“The full effect of the Gloucester window, no doubt, depends not only on
the simplicity of the composition, the largeness of its parts, and the
breadth of its colouring, but also on the excellence of the material of
which the window is composed....
“The side windows of the choir-clerestory retain enough of their
original glazing--which is precisely of the same date as that of the
east window--to enable us to perceive that their lower tier of lights
was filled with figures and canopies, and their upper tier and
tracery-lights with borders and quarry patterns, having small roundels
of ornament inserted of the same character as the pattern-work in the
east window: a corroborative proof, if any were necessary, of the
originality of the arrangement of the glass in the upper part of the
east window, with which the arrangement of the glass in the side windows
so perfectly harmonizes[19].” The date assigned by Mr. Winston to the
east window, and to those of the clerestory, is between 1345 and 1350.
XII. On the _south_ side of the presbytery is a projecting bracket of
Perpendicular date, on which is placed the earlier effigy of an
abbot--perhaps that of HENRY FOLIOT, (died 1243). It is too shattered,
however, to be of much interest.
On the _north_ side of the presbytery, beginning from the east, are:--
(1.) A high tomb with effigy of OSRIC, the Mercian “kinglet,” who is
said to have founded the first religious establishment at Gloucester.
(See § I., and Pt. II.) On the east end of the monument is the
inscription,--“Osricus Rex primus fundator hujus monasterii--681.” The
tomb and effigy are said to have been erected during the abbacy of
WILLIAM PARKER, (1515-1539,) whose arms, together with those of the
abbey, appear on it. The effigy is crowned and sceptred, and carries
the model of a church in the left hand. The ermine collar of the robe is
unusual.
(2.) The superb tomb, with effigy of EDWARD II. [Plate VI.] It has been
truly said that the whole of the choir, as it at present exists, is a
memorial of the murdered King; since the alterations in it were
commenced after his interment here, and their cost was mainly defrayed
from the rich offerings made at his tomb. The tomb itself, however, is
not unworthy a greater king than Edward II.
It was on the 21st of September, 1327, that King Edward was murdered in
Berkeley Castle. The monasteries of Bristol, Kingswood, and Malmesbury
refused to receive his body for interment, fearing the displeasure of
the Queen and her party; but Abbot Thokey of Gloucester, more
far-sighted, brought it from Berkeley in his own carriage, and caused it
to be solemnly interred beneath the existing monument. This was erected
at the cost of the King’s son, Edward III., and became at once an
important place of pilgrimage. Offerings made here were thought to avert
the Divine anger from the nation, and it is said that if all the
oblations presented at the tomb during the reign of Edward III. had been
expended on the church, it might have been built anew. Edward III.
himself, when in danger of shipwreck, vowed an offering of a golden ship
at his father’s tomb, which was duly presented, but afterwards redeemed,
at the request of the Abbot and Convent, for £100. The Black Prince
offered a golden crucifix, containing a portion of the holy Cross; the
Queen of
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF EDWARD II.]
Scots, a necklace with a ruby; and Queen Philippa, a heart and ear of
gold. Such offerings were no doubt hung about the tomb, in the usual
manner.
The monument itself consists of an altar-tomb with effigy, canopied by a
mass of exquisite tabernacle-work, which fills up the entire arch. The
great Norman piers on either side have been cut away, to give room for
the lower part of the tomb, which has canopied niches for figures no
longer existing, and on the side toward the choir-aisle (at which the
oblations were made) a bracket for light. The effigy is of alabaster,
and the King’s features were possibly chiselled from a waxen mask, taken
after death. The head is very fine, and should be compared with those of
Edward III. at Westminster, and of the Black Prince at Canterbury. In
all these Plantagenet effigies there is a striking resemblance. The
arrangement of the hair and beard should be noticed. At the head are
angels, and a lion at the feet, finely rendered. On the side of the tomb
(toward the aisle) is a shield, with an inscription recording the
restoration of the monument by the society of Oriel College, Oxford, of
which Edward II. was the founder, at the instance of his Almoner, Adam
de Brome:--“Hoc fundatoris sui monumentum, situ vetustatis deformatum,
instaurari curaverunt Præpos. et Soc. Coll. Oriel, Oxon. A.D.
1737-1789-1798.”
The capitals of the great piers are painted with the device of Richard
II., the white hart, chained and collared. Hence a tradition has arisen
that the body of the King was drawn by stags from Berkeley to
Gloucester.
(3.) The chantry, with effigy, of Abbot PARKER, (the last Abbot of
Gloucester,) 1515-1539. The chantry has been converted into a pew. The
screen enclosing it has a good frieze of vine-leaves and grapes; and the
niches for statues at the angles should be noticed. The effigy, of
alabaster, has been much cut and injured. The Abbot wears the chasuble
and jewelled mitre, (Gloucester ranked as the eleventh of the
twenty-seven mitred English abbeys); the top of his staff is broken.
There are small figures in the portion left. The base of the monument
has shields with the Abbot’s arms, and others bearing the emblems of our
Lord’s Passion.
XIII. The _north choir-aisle_ is entered from the choir through a
Perpendicular doorway in the bay below Abbot Parker’s chantry. The aisle
itself is Norman, of the same date as the choir, but has the windows
filled with Perpendicular tracery. The low enormous piers of the choir
are here well seen, and the monuments already described should all be
noticed from this side.
At the north-east angle of the aisle is one of the apsidal _chapels_,
three of which terminated the Norman choir. The chapel forms a pentagon,
the place of the altar being, very unusually, north-east. The whole
chapel was altered as a memorial of Abbot BOTELER, (1437-1450). It is
enclosed by a Perpendicular screen, and the windows are filled with
Perpendicular tracery. Behind the altar is a very rich Perpendicular
reredos, having one central and eight smaller niches. Some of the small
figures of the Apostles in the canopies above
[Illustration: TOMB OF ROBERT, DUKE OF NORMANDY.]
are perfect; and there are also many shields of benefactors to the
monastery. The whole is richly painted.
On the step of the altar is the effigy of ROBERT COURTEHOSE, [Plate
VII.,] eldest son of the Conqueror, who died in 1134, at the castle of
Cardiff, where he had been a prisoner twenty-six years. He had been a
great benefactor to the monastery at Gloucester, and was interred here
before the high altar. His monument continued entire until 1641, when it
was broken to pieces by Cromwell’s soldiers. The pieces were bought by
Sir Humphrey Tracy, of Stanway, who kept them until after the
Restoration, when they were put together, and replaced in the cathedral.
The monument now consists of a high tomb or chest (on wheels), of Irish
oak, on which is laid the effigy, also of oak. The shields on the tomb,
and the figure itself, were partly re-coloured, and the former very
improperly, during the present century. The tomb has a border of
leafage, of late Decorated character. The effigy itself may be of the
same period (since the material is the same), and may perhaps have been
copied from an earlier figure. It is cross-legged, and has a surcoat and
a coronet. Whatever may be its real date, it cannot possibly be older
than Henry II.
The Norman pier remains at the north-east angle of the chapel, with the
addition of a Perpendicular base, and a panelled ornament cut into it.
Between the reredos and the east wall is a Perpendicular arch, which
assists in carrying the east window, and is so contrived as to relieve
the slight Perpendicular pier adjoining of the weight of the
superstructure, which it was not strong enough to bear. The construction
of all this east end of the choir, which is very ingenious, is best seen
in the triforium, (§ XVI.)
XIV. The termination of the Norman choir, as has already been mentioned,
was polygonal, with a central and two side chapels. This original
arrangement still remains in the crypt, (§ XVII.); but the central
chapel at the east end of the choir, which had been undisturbed by the
erection of the great east window, was altered about a century later,
when the _Lady-chapel_ was commenced. The walls of the _ante-chapel_, by
which this is entered, are in fact those of the Norman apsidal chapel,
pierced on either side by a Perpendicular window, and having a rich
panelled lierne vault, crossed by a double row of pendants. The _upper_
story of the ante-chapel was the Norman chapel of the triforium. This
portion is separated from the Lady-chapel by a screen of open-work,
through which is seen the vaulted roof, and three windows at the west
and on either side. The west window looks across the low gallery
intervening between it and the east window of the choir, (see § V.) The
arch carrying the screen of the upper chapel, and forming the eastern
termination of the lower roof, is bordered in front by a series of
foiled panels, having shields in their centres.
All this work, together with the Lady-chapel itself, is due to Abbot
HANLEY, (1457-1472,) and his successor, Abbot FARLEY, (1472-1498). It
was the last great work of the monastery, and worthily closes the fine
series of Perpendicular structures, (the re-casing of the choir, the
cloisters, the tower, and the Lady-chapel,) which rank among the most
interesting and important in England.
The Lady-chapel consists of four bays, with a square-sided eastern end,
and small square-sided chapels of two stories, projecting from the third
bay on either side. Each bay is nearly filled by a lofty Perpendicular
window of four divisions. The lights of the two upper tiers are simply
foiled. Those below are richer, with ornamented headings. In the wall
below the window is a plain arcade of foiled arches, with a quatrefoil
above. The narrow bit of wall which remains in each bay is panelled with
tracery corresponding to the divisions of the windows; and in the three
principal tiers has brackets and rich canopies for figures. The brackets
are angels bearing scrolls. Vaulting-shafts run up between these panels;
and above is a superb lierne roof,--one of the best and purest examples
of such a roof in the Perpendicular period. The bosses are entirely of
leafage, and are very numerous. Traces of colour remain on the walls,
and on some of the canopies; and the headings of the window lights
retain their original stained glass.
The effect of the side chapels is unusually picturesque. Each is of two
stories; the roof of the upper on a level with the upper series of wall
panellings on either side. A sharply-pointed arch, with pierced
panellings above and an open parapet below, forms the front of the upper
chapels; the lower are closed in front by a rich screen-work,
corresponding to the window divisions. The east end of the Lady-chapel
is entirely filled by a Perpendicular window of three divisions, the
design of which resembles those at the sides. The glass in this window
is original, and very good, although not equal to that in the great east
window of the choir. The extent to which white and yellow are employed
in it should be noticed.
Below the window was a rich mass of tabernacle-work, now effectually
smashed. Over the altar were three main niches, with pedestals for
figures. There are fragments of brackets and canopies in the smaller
divisions; and the whole shews remains of colour, gilding, and
enamelling. The designs at the back of the principal niches should be
especially noticed.
Much of the original tiling remains on this part of the floor. The tiles
bear inscriptions, “Dũe Jhũ miserere;” and “Ave Maria grã. plẽ.” In the
centre is a device of roses with leaves. Below the window on the south
side are three sedilia, with graceful pendent canopies. The backs are
panelled.
The side chapel _on the north_ has a groined roof, in which the cusps of
the foils and other portions are pierced with minute circular hollows,
adding much to the elaborate effect. The panelling of the west wall has
been filled by the upper part of the monument of Bishop GODFRED, (died
1604). Below is an altar-tomb with effigy. The upper chapel, or oratory,
is approached by a staircase on the west side, opening from the bay
below; it has a lierne roof, with bosses of leafage. The _south_ chapel
resembles the north; and contains a flat altar-tomb for THOMAS
FITZWILLIAMS, (died 1579: it was repaired by his descendants in 1648).
The east window is covered by the hideous monument of Bishop NICHOLSON,
(died 1671). The upper chapel resembles that opposite. These chapels
were apparently the chantries of the two abbots who built the
Lady-chapel; the upper stories, in which there is no trace of an altar,
serving as oratories.
On the north side of the Lady-chapel is a monument with effigy for
ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, daughter of Bishop Miles Smith of Gloucester, (died
1622). Below, again, is a full-length statue of Sir JOHN POWELL, (died
1713)[20].
XV. The _south choir-aisle_ resembles that opposite. The south-east
chapel opening from it retains its Norman work more completely than the
north-east. The Norman arches and windows remain; the latter filled with
Perpendicular tracery. As in the chapel opposite, the altar did not
front due east.
A door on the platform above the steps descending to the transept opens
to what was originally the east chapel of the transept itself. The
arrangement resembled that of the south-east chapel. The arch of
entrance from the transept (transitional Norman, and pointed) remains,
walled up. Under the three eastern windows is a rich Perpendicular
reredos, with three niches for figures.
XVI. The _triforium_ of the choir is reached by the staircases at the
angles of the transepts, and through the open arcade at their north and
south sides. The triforium originally extended quite round the choir,
the whole width of the choir-aisles, opening into chapels corresponding
with those below. With the exception of the east end--between the
south-east and north-east chapels--it remains entire; of late Norman
character, with some alterations made during the Decorated period.
In the chapel above the _south_ transept the Norman windows have been
replaced by Decorated, enriched with the ball-flower. The double piscina
in the small window, and the brackets for figures, with rich canopies,
are Decorated, and deserve notice. Looking toward the transept, the
manner in which it was re-cased is here readily seen. The circular
Norman arch of the triforium encloses a pointed arch, with shafts at the
angles. This arch is crossed by the ribs of the screen-work. In this
part of the triforium is preserved an ancient painting on panel,
representing the Last Judgment. It dates apparently from the end of the
fifteenth century, but is of no very great interest.
The massive piers of the triforium above the choir-aisle remain
unaltered. The arches are crossed with Perpendicular tracery. The
south-east chapel opens
[Illustration: PLANS OF TRIFORIUM AND CRYPT, GLOUCESTER.]
above the corresponding chapel in the aisle: it is plain Norman, with
late windows inserted.
The manner in which the east end of the choir was re-constructed, to
admit of the insertion of the great east window, and to allow of its
being wider than the original walls of the choir, is best seen from this
point. The eastern piers of the choir, and the portion of the triforium
above, were entirely removed; but the Norman eastern chapel
(corresponding to those south-east and north-east) was allowed to remain
entire, both in the triforium and below. The last bay of the choir was
extended laterally, so as to admit the light freely from the great
window; and as access to the eastern chapel was cut off by the removal
of the triforium, it became necessary to construct the passage at the
back of the window, known as the “Whispering Gallery.” Here three flying
buttresses should be remarked, which spring from the outer walls of the
cathedral at the bend of the apse, and meet in a point behind the wall
of the choir. These really sustain the weight above the triforium, so
that the slight Perpendicular pier below (§ XIII.) is not called upon to
do more than half the duty. In the Whispering Gallery much Norman
stone-work has been re-used--a practice of common occurrence throughout
the cathedral. Sound is transmitted through this gallery, which is 75
ft. long, 3 ft. wide, and 8 ft. high, in a remarkable manner. The lowest
whisper, or the slightest scratch with a pin, is distinctly heard from
one end to the other. The chapel into which it opens was part of the
Norman chapel, altered on the building of the Lady-chapel, into which
it looks. In it is a stone altar--perhaps that of the Norman chapel.
[Illustration: Chapel, Triforium]
The north-east Norman chapel beyond the gallery has a Decorated window;
and in that adjoining the north transept is a very beautiful Decorated
double piscina. The foliated ornament round the inner arch of the
windows here and in the chapel opposite should be noticed. Taking into
account the many chapels in this triforium, and in the crypt, it may be
reckoned that there were nearly twice as many altars in this church as
were usually to be found in churches of even the same size and
importance.
XVII. The _crypt_, which is entered from the south transept, is one of
five English eastern crypts founded before 1085; (the others are
Canterbury, Winchester, Rochester, and Worcester). After that date (with
one exception, the Early English crypt at Hereford--see that cathedral)
they ceased to be constructed, except in continuation of former ones.
The crypt of Gloucester extends under the whole of the choir, with its
aisles and chapels; and the original form of the eastern end is here at
once evident.
[Illustration: Crypt.]
“The outer walls of the crypt are about 10 ft. thick, and the aisle
floor is on an average 8 ft. deep below the level of the soil on the
outside. The centre part is divided by two rows of small columns, from
which spring groined arches carrying the floor of the choir. The bases
and capitals of these are much out of level, falling considerably from
west to east, and from north to south.... It is evident that great
alterations have from time to time been made in this part of the
building: the large semicircular columns against the walls, though of
great antiquity, are not part of the original structure, but are
casings, in which are enclosed the former and smaller piers; and the
ribs springing from their capitals are built _under_, and with a view to
support the groins[21].”
Much soil has been cleared from the crypt, and the original floors of
the chapels have been laid open. These are composed of a rough concrete.
There is a step into each chapel, and the floors rise gradually toward
the east end. All contain remains of altars and piscinas, generally of
later date than the crypt itself. The chapel adjoining the north
transept was groined and decorated in the latter part of the thirteenth
century. The windows of the crypt have been opened and glazed.
XVIII. The _cloisters_, [Plate VIII.,] which are entered from the nave,
rank among the finest examples in the kingdom. They were commenced by
Abbot HORTON, (1351-1377); and completed by Abbot FROUCESTER,
(1381-1412).
The view looking down either of the walks is very fine, mainly owing to
the richness of the groined roof, which, is the earliest existing
example of the fan-vault.
[Illustration: THE CLOISTERS.
THE “CAROLS” IN THE SOUTH WALK.]
[Illustration: THE LAVATORY IN THE CLOISTERS.]
This style of vaulting is entirely peculiar to England; and Professor
Willis has suggested that the school of masons who were employed in this
cathedral may have originated it[22]. The wall sides of the cloisters
are panelled; and the windows, divided by a transom, have rich
Perpendicular tracery. The lights above the transom were glazed. “The
construction of the outer walls is peculiar as to the arrangement of the
buttresses, and the projecting shelf of stone connected with the
transoms of the windows, which was evidently meant as a protection from
the weather for the lower half of the windows,--which was not
glazed[23].” Each walk is divided into ten compartments. In the south
walk are the ‘Carols’--places for writing or study, twenty in number,
formed by a series of arches, running below the main windows. In each
‘carol’ is a small and graceful window, of two lights. (Similar stalls
or ‘carols’ existed at Durham.) The very fine view at the angle of the
south and west walks should especially be noticed. In the _north_ walk
are the _lavatories_, [Plate IX.,] projecting into the cloister garth:
these are very perfect. Under the windows is a long trough or basin into
which the water flowed. The roof is groined. Opposite, in the wall of
the cloister, is the recess for towels, or _manutergia_.
In the east walk are some memorial windows of stained glass; and it is
proposed to fill the whole of the cloisters with glass, forming, when
completed, a History of our Lord. “This scheme was originated with a
view to check the disfigurement of the cathedral by monuments of any
other description.”
XIX. The _chapter-house_ opens from the east walk through a Norman arch
enriched with zigzag ornament. The chapter-house itself (72 ft. by 34)
is a long parallelogram of four bays, three of which are Norman, and the
most easterly a Perpendicular addition. This part is finely groined, and
has a large Perpendicular window. Round the Norman portion [Plate X.] is
an arcade of four arches in each bay. The manner in which the shafts
carrying the vaulting-ribs are set back in the wall, between the shafts
of the arcade, should be noticed. The plain vault has large ribs, 15 ft.
apart. Rude inscriptions and shields are traceable on the wall-arcade.
The floor has been covered with encaustic tiles, copied accurately from
the old work.
Between the chapter-house and the north transept is the short passage
called the “Abbot’s Cloister;” and above it the _Chapter
Library_,--probably the original library of the monastery. This is a
long room, of Perpendicular character, with a roof of dark oak, a row of
small windows on the north side, and a large Perpendicular window east.
The room has been well and thoroughly restored, and the books properly
arranged. The most important manuscripts are--a transcript of Abbot
Froucester’s Lives of the Abbots of Gloucester, from the foundation of
the monastery to 1381; (the original MS. of this work--unless it be that
recently found under the Rolls Chapel--is no longer known to exist. It
is said to have disappeared from the Chapter
[Illustration: THE CHAPTER-HOUSE.
(THE NORMAN PORTION.)]
Library at the beginning of the present century. This transcript was
made by Dr. Hall, Master of Pembroke College, Oxford. There are others
in the library of Queen’s College, Oxford, and in the British
Museum).--A Register of Documents relating to the Abbey, also made by
Abbot Froucester; and another Register, compiled by the last abbot,
Parker, or Malvern.
XX. Returning to the _exterior_ of the church, the _west front_ (Abbot
MORWENT’s work, 1420-1437, see §§ IV., V.) may first be visited. This is
not very rich or striking, but the pierced buttresses of the window, and
the parapets of open-work below and above, should be noticed. The
composition of Abbot Thokey’s _south aisle_, with its massive buttresses
and deeply recessed windows, is unusually fine. On the upper part of the
buttresses is a series of figures, finely designed, and well deserving
attention. At the _transept_ commences the Perpendicular transformation.
The turrets at the angles are Norman, with interlacing arcades above;
the cappings are later. The gables are filled with a series of
round-headed arches, rising one above another; and traces of the
original Norman window-openings remain in the walls. The parapets and
windows shew the later alterations. Buttresses of the central tower pass
across the east and west sides of the transept.
The polygonal shape of the radiating chapels--very unusual in Norman
architecture--should here be noticed from the exterior; as well as the
manner in which the Lady-chapel is connected with the choir. At the
north-west angle of this chapel is a fragment of the original Norman
work which belonged to the central apse, and was turned to account in
Abbot Horton’s rebuilding of the east end. The light buttresses which
support the great east window are pierced so as not to obstruct the
light. The central gable of the open parapet above the window retains a
figure of our Lord on the cross.
The last bay of the Lady-chapel has an open passage below it, which was
rendered necessary at the time of the building of the chapel, from the
fact that the boundary wall of the monastery passed north and south in a
line with the extreme eastern buttresses. (The marks of this wall may
still be seen on the buttresses.) The archway is picturesque in itself.
A very striking view of the north-east portion of the cathedral opens
beyond it; full of varied and intricate outlines formed by the
projecting chapels and the walls of the cloister and chapter-house, and
crowned by the great mass of the central tower with its deep shadows and
its fretwork of grey stone.
The _tower_ (see § III.) was (as appears from the inscription within, §
X.) the work of Abbot SEABROKE, (1450-1457,) and was, said one of the
monks to Leland (_temp._ Hen. VIII.), “a pharos to all parts of the
hills.” The singular beauty of its pinnacles of open-work has already
been noticed.
A passage called the Abbot’s Cloister separates the chapter-house from
the north transept. The cloister itself, however, extended beyond this
passage eastward. The inner walls alone remain. The eastern wall has
entirely disappeared; and beyond it are some transitional Norman arches,
which belonged to the infirmary of the monastery.
NOTE, (p. 33).
Since the foregoing pages were in type, Mr. Winston has arrived at some
very important and interesting conclusions relating to the east window
of the choir. The general design of the figure-work is the Enthronement
of the Blessed Virgin. The original arms in the window were those of
warriors who served in the Cressy campaign, and who were connected with
the county of Gloucester by their landed possessions; and there is
ground for a surmise that the donor of the glass was Lord Bradeston,
Governor of Gloucester Castle. The conception of the work may be
attributed to 1347 or 1348, and it was completed not later than 1350.
The saving of this noble relic from the destructive effects of a
‘restoration’ is due to the energetic remonstrances of the Archæological
Institute; in the Journal of which Society the results of Mr. Winston’s
investigations, briefly stated above, will soon, it is to be hoped,
appear. They will be eagerly welcomed by all who are interested in the
subject.
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.
PART II.
History of the See, with Short Notices of the principal Bishops.
Very ancient traditions, which were accepted as facts throughout
the Middle Ages, connected Gloucester with the first introduction
of Christianity to Roman Britain. It was said to have been the
chief city of Lucius, the British King who, about the year 160,
sent messengers to Rome with a request that Pope Eleutherius would
despatch Christian teachers into Britain, who might teach Lucius
himself and his people. This was accordingly done. Lucius was
baptized at Gloucester, and after establishing Christianity
throughout the island, died at Gloucester in the year 201, and was
buried in a church which he had built on the site of the existing
cathedral[24]. What amount of truth may be involved in this story
is altogether uncertain. The first who mentions the conversion of
Lucius is Bede[25]. His death is placed at Gloucester by Matthew
Paris, and by others of the later chroniclers; and his legend (for
it is little more) has been illustrated in a window of stained
glass, lately inserted in the nave of the Cathedral, (see Pt. I. §
VI.)
Gloucester, the British _Cair glou_, the Roman _Glevum_, had been walled
during the Roman period, and was one of the strong “ceasters” of Mercia.
In 681 it was granted by Ethelred of Mercia to Osric, as “underking” or
viceroy of the district. Osric is said to have completed the
establishment of a convent of nuns, which had been commenced in
Gloucester by Wulphere, brother of Ethelred; and Archbishop Theodore of
Canterbury dedicated it in honour of St. Peter. Osric was accordingly
regarded as the founder of the monastery, which continued under the rule
of an abbess until A.D. 767, between which year and 821 it lay desolate,
and the nuns were dispersed. In A.D. 821, Beornulph of Mercia restored
the convent, and established in it a body of secular canons. They
remained until 1022, when Canute introduced Benedictines in their place.
From that time until the dissolution the abbey increased steadily in
wealth and importance. The reception of the body of Edward II. brought
vast sums to its treasury; and under Abbot Froucester it was raised to
the dignity of a mitred abbey, by Pope Urban VI. Its income at the
Dissolution was, according to Speed, £1,550.
The first Parliament after the Conquest was assembled by Henry I. in
this abbey, and the young King, Henry III., (then but nine years old,)
was crowned in the church, October 28, 1216. Richard II. held a
Parliament in the great hall of the abbey, in November, 1378.
The most important _Abbots_ were--
[A.D. 1072-1104.] SERLO, who laid the foundation of the present
church, dedicated in the year 1100. [A.D. 1113-1130.] WILLIAM, in
whose time (1122) Serlo’s church was greatly injured by fire, (see
Pt. I.) [A.D. 1139-1148.] GILBERT FOLIOT, who in the latter year
became Bishop of Hereford, and in 1163 was translated to London. He
was the well-known opponent of Becket. [A.D. 1306-1329.] JOHN
THOKEY, who built the south aisle of the nave, (see Pt. I. § VII.,)
and received the body of Edward II., (Pt. I. § XII.) [A.D.
1329-1337.] JOHN WYGEMORE, who commenced the great change in the
architecture of the church by his reconstruction of the south
transept, (Pt. I. § VIII.) [A.D. 1337-1351.] ADAM DE STAUNTON; and
[A.D. 1351-1377] THOMAS DE HORTON; who carried forward the work in
the choir and north transept. (Pt. I. §§ IX., X.) [A.D. 1381-1412.]
WALTER FROUCESTER, the historian of the Abbey, (see Pt. I. §
XVIII.,) who built much of the cloister and who procured the grant
of the mitre from Urban VI. [A.D. 1420-1437.] JOHN MORWENT, who
rebuilt part of west end of the church, (Pt. I. § VII.) [A.D.
1450-1457.] THOMAS SEABROKE, who built the tower, [A.D. 1457-1472.]
RICHARD HANLEY; and [A.D. 1472-1498] WILLIAM FARLEY, who built the
Lady-chapel. [A.D. 1515-1539.] WILLIAM MALVERNE, or PARKER, the
last abbot, who subscribed to the King’s supremacy in 1534, and
died soon after the Dissolution.
Robert of Gloucester, whose rhyming “Chronicle of Englonde,” is
important, both historically and as an example of “middle English,” was
a monk of this abbey, during the reigns of Henry III. and John. His
Chronicle was edited by Hearne.
Until 1541 the whole of Gloucestershire lay within the diocese of
Worcester. In that year the see of Gloucester was erected, and the abbey
church, which was re-dedicated to the “Holy and Individed Trinity,”
became its cathedral. The first bishop was--
[A.D. 1541-1549.] JOHN WAKEMAN, who had been Abbot of Tewkesbury,
and one of Henry the Eighth’s chaplains. He was a person of
considerable learning, and had revised the translation of the Book
of Revelation, in Cranmer’s Bible.
[A.D. 1551-Feb. 9, 1555.] JOHN HOOPER had been educated at Merton
College, Oxford, and afterwards became a monk at Cleeves, in
Somerset, his native county. He returned to Oxford, however, where
he soon embraced the reformed doctrines, and was consequently
obliged to leave the University in 1539. After many wanderings in
Ireland, in France, and in Switzerland, Hooper returned to England
on the accession of Edward VI.; and in 1549 became one of the
accusers of Bishop Bonner, who was deprived in that year. Having
with much difficulty overcome his own scruples as to the lawfulness
of wearing episcopal robes[26], Hooper, who had been appointed to
the see of Gloucester by the influence of the Earl of Warwick, was
consecrated at Lambeth by Archbishop Cranmer. In the following year
(1552) Bishop Hooper surrendered his see to the Crown. Bishop Heath
of Worcester was deprived at the same time. Gloucestershire was at
first converted into an archdeaconry, dependent on Worcester; but
the two sees were afterwards (Dec. 1552) united, and bestowed on
Hooper. The bishops were to be entitled of “Gloucester and
Worcester,” and were to reside one year in each city, alternately.
This arrangement only continued until the death of Edward VI.
After the accession of Mary, Hooper was summoned to London, (August
1553,) and was for some time confined in the Fleet prison; his see was
declared void, and after an examination before Bishop Gardiner and
others, he was condemned to be burnt as a heretic. The sentence was
accordingly carried out at Gloucester, Feb. 9, 1555. A monument has
lately been erected on the scene of his death.
[A.D. 1554-1558.] JAMES BROOKES, “a zealous papist,” succeeded, but
to the see of Gloucester only. On his death the see remained vacant
for three years.
[A.D. 1562-1579.] RICHARD CHEYNEY held the see of Bristol _in
commendam_. On his death the see remained vacant until
[A.D. 1581-1598,] JOHN BULLINGHAM was appointed to it. Until 1589
he held Bristol _in commendam_.
[A.D. 1598-1604.] GODFREY GOLDSBROUGH held the see of Worcester _in
commendam_.
[A.D. 1605, translated to London 1607.] THOMAS RAVIS, Dean of
Christ Church, Oxford. He was a prelate of some learning, and was
the translator of part of the New Testament in James the First’s
Bible.
[A.D. 1607, translated to Worcester 1610.] HENRY PARRY, Dean of
Chester. James I. said of him that “he never heard a better or more
eloquent preacher.”
[A.D. 1611-1612.] GILES THOMPSON, Dean of Windsor, died without
having ever visited his new diocese.
[A.D. 1612-1624.] MILES SMITH, a prelate of great learning,
translator of the whole of the Prophets for James the First’s
Bible, for which also he wrote the Preface,--“as a comely gate to a
glorious city, which remains under his own hand in the University
Library in Oxford[27].” He is called by Sir Robert Atkyns (History
of Gloucestershire) a “stiff Calvinist, and a great favourer of the
Puritans.” He was buried in the Lady-chapel of the cathedral,
“under a plain stone, without any inscription.”
[A.D. 1625, suspended 1640, died 1656.] GODFREY GOODMAN, Dean of
Rochester. Bishop Goodman was strongly suspected of an inclination
to Romanism: a curious entry in a volume now in the Chapter Library
at Gloucester proves that that suspicion was far from being without
foundation; and Fuller asserts that he “died a professed Romanist,
as appeared by his will[28].” In 1640 he was suspended by
Archbishop Laud, for refusing to subscribe the Canons, and was
committed for some time to the Gate House; “where,” says Fuller,
“he got by his restraint what he could never have got by his
liberty, namely, of one reputed Popish to become for a short time
popular, as the only confessor suffering for not subscribing the
Canons[29].” He afterwards subscribed, and was restored, but soon
had to bear his full share of the troubles during the time of the
Commonwealth. He died in London, 1656, and was buried in St.
Margaret’s Church, Westminster.
[A.D. 1661-1672.] WILLIAM NICOLSON was appointed to the see on the
Restoration.
[A.D. 1672-1681.] JOHN PRITCHETT.
[A.D. 1681, deprived 1691.] ROBERT FRAMPTON had been Dean of
Gloucester since 1673. He was one of the Non-juring bishops, and
retired, on his deprivation, to the living of Standish, in
Gloucestershire, which he had held with the bishopric. He died in
1708, and was buried in the chancel of the church at Standish.
[A.D. 1691-1714.] EDWARD FOWLER was the son of a Presbyterian who
had been intruded, during the Commonwealth, into the living of
Westerleigh, near Bristol. Fowler himself conformed after the
Restoration, and was raised to the see of Gloucester on the
deprivation of Bishop Frampton. He belonged to the school of
“Latitudinarian divines,” then in special favour, and published
many books which are now of little value. Bishop Fowler died at
Chelsea, Aug. 26, 1714, and was buried at Hendon, in Middlesex, in
which church there is a monument to his memory.
[A.D. 1715, translated to Salisbury 1721.] RICHARD WILLIS, Dean of
Lincoln. From Salisbury Bishop Willis was translated to Winchester,
in 1725.
[A.D. 1721, translated to Rochester 1731.] JOSEPH WILCOCKS. Bishop
Wilcocks held the deanery of Westminster with the see of Rochester.
The western towers of Westminster Abbey were built during his rule.
[A.D. 1731-1733.] ELIAS SYDALL, translated to Gloucester from St.
David’s. With Gloucester he held the deanery of Canterbury.
[A.D. 1735-1752.] MARTIN BENSON. In 1741 Bishop Benson re-paved the
choir of the cathedral, and added pinnacles to the Lady-chapel.
[A.D. 1652, translated to Worcester 1759.] JAMES JOHNSON. In 1774
he was killed by a fall from his horse, at Bath.
[A.D. 1760-1779.] WILLIAM WARBURTON, whose name is better known
than that of any other prelate who has filled the see; and who was
not the least remarkable among the men of letters of the eighteenth
century. Warburton was the eldest son of an attorney at
Newark-upon-Trent, and was born there, Dec. 24, 1691. He was
educated at Oakham, in Rutlandshire, and was intended for his
father’s profession, which he followed for a short time. He left it
for the Church, however, and was in Orders in 1728, when his
patron, Sir Robert Sutton, gave him the rectory of Burnt Broughton,
in Lincolnshire. Here he remained for some years, and wrote here
the first part of his “Divine Legation of Moses,” which procured
him an introduction to the Prince of Wales, who made him one of his
chaplains. In 1746 he was chosen Preacher at Lincoln’s Inn, and in
1757 became Dean of Bristol. In 1760 he was raised to the see of
Gloucester, and died at the palace there, aged 81, June 7, 1779.
Bishop Warburton was the close friend and companion of Pope, who
derived much assistance from his criticism, and whose works he
edited. His own most important works are “The Divine Legation of
Moses,” and “Julian,” a discourse concerning the earthquake and
fiery eruption which defeated the Emperor’s attempt to rebuild the
temple at Jerusalem. The entire list of his works is a long one,
and his literary life belongs too completely to the literary
history of the century to be further noticed here. “He was a man,”
writes Dr. Johnson, “of vigorous faculties, a mind fervid and
vehement, supplied by incessant and unlimited enquiry, with
wonderful extent and variety of knowledge, which yet had not
oppressed his imagination, nor clouded his perspicacity. To every
work he brought a memory full fraught, together with a fancy
fertile of original combinations; and at once exerted the powers of
the scholar, the reasoner, and the wit. But his knowledge was too
multifarious to be always exact, and his pursuits were too eager to
be always cautious. His abilities gave him a haughty consequence,
which he disdained to conceal or mollify; and his impatience of
opposition disposed him to treat his adversaries with such
contemptuous superiority as made his readers commonly his enemies,
and excited against the advocate the wishes of some who favoured
the cause. He seems to have adopted the Roman Emperor’s
determination, ‘oderint dum metuant;’ he used no allurements of
gentle language, but wished to compel rather than persuade.”
All that modern readers can desire to know of Bishop Warburton,
will be found in his Life by the Rev. J. S. Watson. London, 1863.
He was buried in the nave of his cathedral; (Pt. I. § VI.)
[A.D. 1779, translated to Ely 1781.] JAMES YORKE, translated to
Gloucester from St. David’s. He was the youngest son of Lord
Chancellor Hardwicke.
[A.D. 1781, translated to St. Asaph 1789.] SAMUEL HALLIFAX; had
been successively Professor of Arabic and Regius Professor of Civil
Law in the University of Cambridge.
[A.D. 1789, translated to Bath and Wells 1802.] RICHARD BEADON.
[A.D. 1802, translated to Hereford 1815.] GEORGE ISAAC HUNTINGFORD,
Warden of Winchester College.
[A.D. 1815, translated to Lichfield 1824.] HENRY RYDER, brother of
the Earl of Harrowby.
[A.D. 1824, translated to Exeter, and thence to Bangor, 1830.]
CHRISTOPHER BETHELL.
[A.D. 1830-1856.] JAMES HENRY MONK. In the year 1836 the diocese of
Bristol was united to that of Gloucester. The bishops of Gloucester
and Bristol, after Bishop Monk, have been
[A.D. 1856, translated to Durham 1861.] CHARLES BARING.
[A.D. 1861, translated to York 1862.] WILLIAM THOMSON.
[A.D. 1863.] CHARLES J. ELLICOTT.
LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET.
[Illustration]
A HANDBOOK
TO
HEREFORD CATHEDRAL.
WITH 15 ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1864.
PREFACE.
In preparing the ‘Handbook of Hereford Cathedral,’ besides a careful
personal survey, considerable use has been made of a pamphlet on the
condition of the building, printed by Professor Willis before the
restoration was commenced under Dean Merewether. Although due
acknowledgment of this has been made in the notes, it is proper to
mention it here also. The authority of Professor Willis is in no case to
be disregarded.
Hereford Cathedral, which has been happily restored to its ancient
beauty under the care of Mr. G. G. Scott, is, although not the largest,
one of the most important in the West of England; and contains much of
very high interest to the architectural student.
R. J. K.
_August, 1864._
CONTENTS.
PART I.
HISTORY AND DETAILS.
PAGE
REPAIRS AND RESTORATIONS 1
HISTORY 3
PROBABLE DATES OF ERECTIONS 4
EXTERIOR VIEW 5
PORCH--NAVE 6
TRIFORIUM AND CLERESTORY--NAVE-AISLES 8
FONT--EFFIGY OF SIR R. PEMBRIDGE 9
NORTH AISLE 10
CHOIR-SCREEN 11
CENTRAL TOWER 13
CHOIR 15
REREDOS 17
EFFIGY OF BISHOP STANBERY 18
NORTH TRANSEPT 20
BISHOP CANTILUPE’S SHRINE 23
NORTH CHOIR-AISLE 27
BISHOP STANBERY’S CHANTRY 28
NORTH-EAST TRANSEPT 29
AMBULATORY, OR RETRO-CHOIR 31
LADY CHAPEL 32
AUDLEY CHAPEL OR CHANTRY 36
SOUTH-EAST TRANSEPT 37
SOUTH CHOIR-AISLE 38
SOUTH TRANSEPT 39
ARCHIVE ROOM AND CHAPTER LIBRARY 41
MEDIÆVAL MAP OF THE WORLD 41
CLOISTERS 44
CHAPTER-HOUSE 45
EXTERIOR OF NORTH TRANSEPT 46
STANBERY CHAPEL--CRYPT 47
COLLEGE OF VICARS CHORAL 49
EPISCOPAL PALACE 49
PART II.
HISTORY OF THE SEE, WITH SHORT NOTICES OF THE PRINCIPAL BISHOPS.
PAGE
PUTTA, THE FIRST SAXON BISHOP 51
ÆTHELSTAN 52
LEOFGAR 53
WALTER OF LORRAINE--ROBERT DE LOSING 54
GERARD--REINHELM--GEOFFRY DE CLIVE 55
ROBERT DE BETHUNE 56
GILBERT FOLIOT 57
PETER D’ACQUABLANCA 59
JOHN BRETON--THOMAS CANTILUPE 60
SWINFIELD--ORLETON 63
JOHN STANBERY 65
FRANCIS GODWIN 69
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
GENERAL VIEW FROM NORTH-EAST _Frontispiece._
PLAN _To face page_ 1
PLATE
I. ARCHES OF NAVE 7
II. THE ALTAR-SCREEN, OR REREDOS 17
III. BAY OF NORTH TRANSEPT 20
IV. PEDESTAL OF THE SHRINE OF BISHOP CANTILUPE 23
V. MONUMENT OF BISHOP D’ACQUABLANCA, FROM THE
NORTH TRANSEPT 27
VI. BISHOP STANBERY’S CHAPEL 28
VII. COFFIN-SLAB IN THE NORTH TRANSEPT 31
WINDOW IN LADY-CHAPEL 32
VIII. EASTERN BAY OF THE LADY-CHAPEL 33
IX. SCREEN OF BISHOP AUDLEY’S CHANTRY 36
X. BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY 41
XI. ANCIENT MAP 42
XII. CLOISTERS AND “LADIES’ ARBOUR” 45
[Illustration: GROUND PLAN, Scale, 100 ft. to 1 in.]
HEREFORD CATHEDRAL.
PART I.
History and Details.
I. The very interesting cathedral of Hereford, which represents an
episcopal see existing, it is possible, before the arrival of St.
Augustine, (see Pt. II.,) has suffered much from the hand of time, and
more perhaps from so-called restoration. On Easter Monday, 1786, the
western tower (a later erection than the Norman nave) fell, carrying
with it the west front, and greatly injuring the first bay of the nave.
The architect Wyatt was then at work on Salisbury Cathedral; and the
restoration of Hereford was unhappily placed in his hands. With Wyatt,
restoration meant destruction. Between the years 1788 and 1797 he
expended a sum of £20,000 on this cathedral; shortening the nave by one
entire bay; destroying the Norman triforium and clerestory, which he
replaced by others of his own device; and constructing the present west
front, which it is to be hoped will not be permitted to exist much
longer. In 1841, at the request of the late Bishop MUSGRAVE, a report on
the actual condition of the cathedral was drawn up by Professor Willis;
from which it appeared that the piers of the central tower were in a
condition of much danger, and that the eastern gable of the Lady-chapel
would inevitably fall unless preventive measures were at once taken.
Accordingly, these and other repairs and “restorations” were effected
between 1841 and 1852, at a cost of £27,000. The architect employed was
Mr. L. N. Cottingham; and the then Dean MEREWETHER’S own
superintendence--whose zeal for the restoration of the building cannot
be mentioned with too great respect--was unremitting until his death in
1850. Mr. Cottingham was not so completely destructive as Wyatt had
been, but he rebuilt rather than restored, and allowed his masons to
re-work ancient sculptures. Since the year 1858 the final restoration of
Hereford Cathedral has been in the hands of Mr. G. G. Scott, and it need
hardly be said that the work has been of a very different character.
Where reconstruction has been necessary, every stone has been preserved,
and, if possible, replaced. Whitewash and other defects have been
removed with a sort of wire comb, which effectually cleans the stone,
but does not remove ancient tool marks; and the sculpture and foliage
consequently remain uninjured. These last works, completed in the year
1863, (when, on the 30th of June, the cathedral was solemnly re-opened,)
effectually set forth the original beauty of the building, which ranks
among the most interesting cathedrals in England.
The extent and nature of the different restorations will be pointed out
as we proceed. It is no doubt to be regretted that so much rebuilding
should have been necessary; but this has been partly owing to original
defects of construction, and partly to the nature of the stone, which
was taken, apparently without much care in selection, from quarries in
the old red sandstone, near the city. This stone is so much weather-worn
in parts as to resemble the face of a sea cliff. Throughout Wyatt’s
rebuilding and all the restorations, the new stone has been brought from
the Caplar quarries near Fawley; from Lugwardine; and from some quarries
nearer Hereford; also in the old red sandstone, but yielding blocks of a
much harder and more durable character.
II. The Saxon Bishop ETHELSTAN (1012-1056) built a church from the
foundations; which shortly after the accession of his successor,
LEOFGAR, (1056,) was burnt together with the greater part of the city,
by the Welsh king Gryffyth. The first Norman bishop, ROBERT DE LOSINGA,
(1079-1096,) who found his cathedral in ruins, began to rebuild it,
taking for his model the church of Aachen, or Aix la Chapelle,--the work
of Charlemagne[30]. This building was so far completed as to be
dedicated (in the names of the Blessed Virgin and of Ethelbert King of
East Anglia, see § X. and Pt. II.) in 1110, during the episcopate of
REINHELM, (1107-1115). The Norman portions of the existing cathedral
(the piers of the nave, the choir as high as the clerestory, and the
south transept,) belong to Bishop Robert’s cathedral. With the exception
of its first foundation, however, and of the walls of the nave-aisles,
“it is much to be regretted that the period of erection of no one part
of this cathedral has been recorded[31];” and we are left to assign the
various dates from the character of the architecture alone. They are
probably as follows:--
_Norman_, 1079-1115. Piers of nave, choir as high as clerestory,
and south transept, (which has had Perpendicular alterations).
_Early English_, _circ._ 1190. Vestibule of Lady-chapel.
_Early English_, _circ._ 1220. Lady-chapel.
_Early English_, _circ._ 1260? Clerestory and vaulting of choir.
_Transitional_, from Early English to Decorated, 1282-1287. North
transept.
_Geometrical_, (Early Decorated,) 1287-1320. Eastern transept.
Upper part of central tower.
_Late Decorated_, 1360-1364. Outer walls and windows of
nave-aisles.
_Perpendicular_, 1492-1502. Bishop Audley’s chantry. 1516-1535. The
north porch.
It thus appears that (besides the Norman work) Hereford Cathedral is
principally rich in the architecture of the Early English and
Geometrical periods. The Norman portions are curious and important. The
Early English Lady-chapel is an excellent example; but the most
remarkable part of the building is unquestionably the north transept.
Bishop Cantilupe, who died in 1282, (and was canonized in 1320,) was
buried in the Lady-chapel, which was the first addition to the Norman
church. The north transept (into which the relics of the bishop were
removed in 1287) was to all appearance built expressly for the reception
of the Cantilupe shrine; and the further changes and additions during
the early Decorated period may safely be assigned to the increase of
riches and consequence which the possession of this shrine brought to
the cathedral. In the same manner, at Gloucester (see that Cathedral)
the possession of the remains of Edward II. was the cause of the entire
alteration of the abbey church.
III. Hereford Cathedral is open on the north side, and a good general
view may be obtained from the Close, [_Frontispiece_,] through which it
is approached. On the south side the bishop’s palace and the college of
the vicars choral fill the space between it and the river Wye. Eastward
the cathedral was closely pressed on by the outworks of the castle,
anciently one of the strongest on the Welsh marches, but of which only
the foundations now remain. The Norman cathedral, built, as has been
said, in imitation of that of Aachen, terminated eastward in a triple
apse. (Compare Norwich, the most perfect example of a Norman ground-plan
now existing.) The central apse was destroyed, in all probability, on
the formation of the Lady-chapel; and the side apses, at a somewhat
later period, were converted into the eastern transept, as it now
appears. This double transept (possibly suggested by that at Worcester,
which is a century earlier; see that Cathedral) combines, with Bishop
Booth’s large projecting porch, in producing a degree of intricacy in
the general outline, the effect of which is not lessened by the various
alterations and restorations, which, however necessary, render it
difficult to distinguish between the new work and the old.
IV. The cathedral is entered, on the north side, through an elaborate
Perpendicular _porch_, completed in 1530 by Bishop BOOTH. It is of two
stages. The lower is formed by three wide, open arches, at the outer
angles of which are octagonal buttress-turrets, capped by very
picturesque lanterns. The parvise chamber, forming the second stage, is
lighted by three large Perpendicular windows, with rich tracery. This
porch projects beyond an inner and smaller one, of the Decorated period,
to which the doorway opening to the church (the mouldings of which
should be noticed) belongs. The doors themselves are modern, and are
covered with very good iron-work, designed by Mr. Cottingham, jun., and
executed by Messrs. Potter of London. The hinges alone cost £140.
V. On entering the _nave_, the visitor should pass at once to the west
end, where he will obtain the best general view. The great piers are
Norman, and part of the original church. The triforium and clerestory
and the vaulting of the roof are Wyatt’s work, (1788-1797,) as is the
western wall with its doorway. The nave-aisles belong to the Decorated
period. Wyatt, it must be remembered, shortened the original nave by one
entire bay. The eye is at once struck by the massive grandeur of the
great Norman piers and arches, and by the unusual darkness of the choir.
Beyond the lofty circular arches of the central tower, and the superb
[Illustration: ARCHES OF NAVE.
PLATE I.
]
modern screen on its eastern side, is seen the eastern wall of the
choir, pierced below with a wide circular arch, receding in many orders,
and above by three broad lancet lights. The lower arch is divided by a
central pillar, from which spring two pointed arches, the spandrel
between which is sculptured from a design of Cottingham’s. Beyond,
again, is seen the east wall of the Lady-chapel, with its enriched
lancets, and foliated ornaments above them. The effect of these three
receding distances, with their varying light and shade, is unusually
fine, and is not a little increased by the solemnity of the darkened
choir. This darkness results partly from the heavy Norman architecture
of the choir itself, and partly from the lofty transepts, which abut on
it on either side. The nave and choir are of the same width (73-1/4 ft.,
including aisles; actual breadth of vaulting to nave and choir 31-1/4
ft.) and height (70 ft.)
The nave [Plate I.] now consists of seven bays. The massive circular
piers have double half-shafts set against their north and south fronts.
(The greater part of these are restorations, the original shafts having
been cut away.) The bases are plain. The capitals of piers and shafts
are rich and varied, especially those of the four easternmost piers,
which have some very rich knot-work and foliage. The main arches recede
in three orders, and are much enriched with the billet and other
mouldings. The Norman work throughout the cathedral, when compared with
that of the great buildings of the same age in the eastern counties,
(Ely, Peterborough, or Norwich,) displays a richer and more involved
class of ornament; such as reaches its highest development in the
elaborate doorways of Kilpeck and Shobdon Churches, both in
Herefordshire.
The _triforium_, and _clerestory_, both of which are Wyatt’s work, need
not detain us. They are imitated from the Early English of Salisbury;
and to make way for them, Wyatt destroyed the original Norman work, of
which only a small portion had been injured by the fall of the
tower[32]. The vaulting-shafts run up in groups of three, between each
bay. The shafts themselves are restorations of the originals, much of
which had been cut away before the fall of the tower; the corbels, below
the capitals, are modern, and were copied by Cottingham from ancient
examples. The roof is of wood, vaulted in imitation of stone, a
description which is itself a condemnation. It has been coloured, under
Mr. Cottingham’s direction, in a manner which can by no means be called
satisfactory. The pavement throughout the nave has been laid (by Mr.
Cottingham) with plain red and slate-coloured tiles. Two rows of
gas-standards, the work of Messrs. Skidmore, are placed under the arches
at intervals, four on each side.
VI. The _nave-aisles_ were almost rebuilt during the late Decorated
period. The Norman walls were allowed to stand for about 2 ft. above the
foundations; and upon these bases the existing walls and windows were
erected. The contracts for this work, dating between the years
1360-1364, were found by the late Dean Merewether, and are now preserved
in the archive chamber. The vaulting of the roofs is coloured in the
same unpleasing manner as that of the nave. The view looking up the
aisle, into and beyond the transept, is remarkable, owing to the many
receding stages. It terminates at the eastern end of the second
transept.
In the second bay (counting from the west) of the _south_ aisle is the
_font_, of Norman design, and curious. The basin is circular, and has
figures of the Apostles beneath arches, in the spandrels of which is a
leaf-ornament. A lion projects from each corner of the base, an unusual
and perhaps unique example. In the fourth bay is the very fine alabaster
effigy of Sir RICHARD PEMBRIDGE, _temp._ Richard II. Sir Richard, an
ancestor of the Chandos family, was one of the first knights of the
Garter, and was present at Poictiers. The armour is an excellent
example. Gold remains on the points of the cap to which the camail is
attached, and on the jewelled sword-belt. The head rests on a
tilting-helmet, with a sheaf of feathers coloured green. Between the
feathers and the helmet is a coronet of open roses. The garter is on the
left leg, and the feet rest on a greyhound. This monument was originally
in the church of the Black Friars, and was brought thence to the
cathedral after the Dissolution. The right leg, which had been
destroyed, has been restored at the cost of the Rev. Lord Saye and Sele,
Canon Residentiary.
In the wall of this aisle, in the _third_ bay from the east, is the
headless figure of an ecclesiastic, under a Decorated arch, foliated. In
the _second_ bay is an effigy of a priest of the early Decorated period,
much mutilated, under a foliated arch, at the crown of which is a
bearded head wearing a cap. In the _third_ bay is a door opening to the
cloisters, with a square heading which rises above the sill of the
window over it. A row of heads in the hollow moulding of the door,--a
fac-simile of a former composition, which had become entirely
decayed,--and the modern iron-work, by Potter, with which the door
itself is covered, deserve notice.
A narrow and lofty Norman arch opens from this aisle into the transept.
VII. The _north_ aisle is Decorated, of the same character as the south.
In the _third_ bay from the tower is the north _porch_, (§ IV.); and in
the bay above it is the monument of Bishop BOOTH, (died 1535,) the
constructor of the porch itself. The effigy lies under a foliated arch
with canopy. The Bishop, mitred and fully vested, holds the crozier (the
head of which has been broken) wrapped with the infula, or fillet. Much
colour remains on this monument, which is protected by its original
iron-work, banded with shields and heraldic ornaments.
In this aisle, a stained-glass window by WARRENTON, with subjects from
the life of St. John the Baptist, has been inserted as a memorial of
Canon CLUTTON and his wife.
VIII. Between the eastern piers of the _central tower_, but projecting
from their bases more than 3 ft. toward the nave, is placed the
magnificent _screen_ of wrought iron-work, painted and gilt, executed by
Messrs. Skidmore of Coventry, from the designs of Mr. G. G. Scott. This
is the second great work of the kind which has been produced in England.
It is in many respects finer and more important than the screen at
Lichfield; but it is designed and constructed on precisely the same
principles; and affords a complete vindication of the advantage and
beauty of metal-work for the purpose to which it is here applied. Whilst
the screen forms a sufficient division between the nave and choir, its
extreme lightness permits the use of both tower and transept for
congregational purposes.
The Hereford screen consists of five main arches, each subdivided by a
slender shaft. The central arch, wider and higher than the rest, forms
the entrance, and is surmounted by a lofty gable, on the summit of which
is the cross. Panels of hollow tracery fill in the lower part of the
arches on either side of the entrance, to the height of about four feet.
The heads of the arches and the spandrels between them are enriched with
elaborate tracery, chiefly formed by flowers and leafage; and the design
of the cornice and cresting is of similar character. In the tympanum
above the shaft which divides the arch of entrance is a figure of the
Saviour, with hands outstretched in blessing. On either side, placed on
brackets supported by the pillars of the main arch, are adoring angels,
two in each group. Single figures of angels, holding instruments of
music, are placed on brackets at the terminations of the screen, north
and south.
The screen is wrought by hand throughout. It is mainly constructed of
iron; but copper and brass are largely used; the first in the capitals,
figures, and cornice; the second in the shafts of the smaller columns,
and in parts of the larger. Coloured mosaics have also been employed.
The variety of metals is another source of colour; but the hammered
iron-work, forming the whole of the foliage, has been painted
throughout. No colours have been used, however, but those of the oxydes
of iron and copper--the metals employed in the work. The result is
entirely successful. The beauty of the capitals of leafage, in which
fine effects of light and shade are produced, and of the foliage and
flowers in other parts of the screen, is very great; and every band and
line of ornament deserves notice. The forms of both leafage and flowers
are to a certain extent conventional, but may easily be recognised. The
passion-flower especially has been much used, and with admirable effect.
On the whole it may safely be said that this screen is the finest and
most complete work of its class which has been produced in recent times;
nor would it be easy to mention any piece of ancient metal-work--at
least of equal dimensions--which will bear comparison with it.
Near the south-west corner of the screen is placed an eagle-lectern,
designed by Cottingham and executed by Potter. The projecting branches,
for lights, are unusual and picturesque. The cost of the lectern was
defrayed by the Misses Rushout; but the money was misappropriated, and
it was eventually paid for by subscription.
The old pulpit, of the seventeenth century, now stands against the
north-west tower-pier; but will shortly be replaced by one more worthy
of the cathedral.
The four great arches of the tower were in a condition of much danger
when Dean Merewether commenced his restorations in 1841. The piers, and
the four arches resting on them, were Norman; but owing to settlements
in the foundations of the nave and tower, which had taken place at a
very early period, they had been cased and otherwise repaired during the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; and still later (probably during the
episcopate of Bishop BISSE, 1712-1721) the two smaller arches of the
tower (north and south) were filled with so-called “ox-eye masonry[33],”
supported by two segmental arches branching from an octangular central
column; whilst nearly all the smaller Norman arches in connection with
the tower-piers were closed with solid masonry, leaving only doorways.
In spite of all that had been done, however, Professor Willis, in his
Report of 1841, pronounced the masonry of the great arches, and of the
spandrel walls above, to be “in such a state of ruin as to make an
immediate repair absolutely necessary for the preservation of the
tower.” The piers themselves were in a condition of less danger; but
Mr. Cottingham, to whom the work was entrusted, proceeded to remove all
the additions that had been made to them since the Norman period, and,
in effect, to rebuild them according to their original design. In this
state they remain at present. The arches resting on them were at the
same time reconstructed, and the ox-eye masonry which filled those north
and south was entirely removed.
Before these restorations a vault of the fifteenth century rose
immediately above the great arches, and concealed the upper part of the
tower. This was removed. The whole of the tower above the arches dates
from the beginning of the fourteenth century; and the interior walls,
which are now visible from below, “are of a very singular construction;
twelve piers of compact masonry on each side, beside angle piers, are
carried up to the height of 26 ft., and connected half-way up by a
horizontal course of stone, in long pieces, and by an iron bar, which
runs all round immediately under this bonding course. Upon these
gigantic _stone gratings_, if I may be allowed the expression, the
interior wall of the tower rests; and they also carry the entire weight
of the bell-chamber and bells. I believe this construction was entirely
adopted for the sake of lightness[34].” This part of the tower, which
has no decorative character, was not originally intended to be seen from
below; and the fifteenth-century vaulting had replaced an earlier wooden
ceiling. It is now completely open, and the flat wooden floor of the
bell-chamber above it is coloured in blue and gold. From this floor
depends a superb corona of wrought iron, by Skidmore--a worthy companion
of the great choir-screen, and coloured in the same manner.
IX. The peculiar darkness of the _choir_ has already been mentioned. It
results mainly (as will be seen from the Plan) from the arrangement of
the transepts, which prevents the admission of light to the choir except
from its clerestory.
The choir and sacrarium, as at present formed, consist of only three
bays, eastward of the screen. (The Norman choir extended no doubt to the
western arch of the tower, if not into the first bay of the nave.) As
far as the top of the triforium, the choir is _Norman_: the clerestory
and vaulting are _Early English_, and date, apparently, from the middle
of the thirteenth century. No record of their construction has been
preserved.
The _main arches_ of the choir are of three orders, and spring from
massive composite piers, with broad, square bases. The capitals of the
semi-detached shafts are enriched with leafage and grotesque heads. The
_triforium_, in each bay, consists of one wide Norman arch
circumscribing two smaller, divided by a central shaft, and springing on
either side from two massive semicircular piers, with small capitals.
Both outer and inner arches spring from these piers. The capitals of the
central shafts have square abaci, and are enriched. The tympana of the
outer arches are covered with scallop, leaf, and billet-ornament. At the
base of the triforium runs a square stringcourse, enriched with minute
carving. The lozenge ornament prevails round the main arches of the
choir, as does the zigzag round those of the nave.
Broad square pilasters, with semi-detached shafts at their angles, fill
the spaces between the piers. They terminate at the spring of the
triforium arches in double triangular headings, with crocheted sides,
and finials of leafage. These headings are Early English, of the same
date as the clerestory and vaulting; and between each pair rises a group
of so-called vaulting-shafts, with capitals of leafage, terminating at
the base of the clerestory; and connected (under the actual base of the
clerestory) by a band of open flowers. The _clerestory_ consists of one
lofty pointed arch in each bay, divided by a central shaft; on either
side is a smaller trefoiled arch. The windows, of two lights, with a
quatrefoil in the heading, are placed at the back of the wall-passage,
and form in effect a double plane with the large inner arches. They are
filled on each side with indifferent stained glass. The choir _vaulting_
is plain quadripartite, with bosses of leafage at the intersections.
X. Before 1841, the east end of the choir was covered with an oaken
screen, erected by Bishop Bisse in 1717; and above it was a Decorated
window filled with a copy in stained glass of WEST’S picture of the Last
Supper. The removal of the screen disclosed the great Norman arch of
five orders, within which the reredos is now placed. Above this arch is
a small blind arcade; and instead of the Decorated window,
[Illustration: THE ALTAR-SCREEN.
PLATE II.
]
three lancets have been inserted at the back of the clerestory passage.
Of these, the central window has been filled with stained glass by
HARDMAN; too minute perhaps in design for the height at which it is
placed, but very good. The subjects in this window are the Saviour in
Majesty, the Resurrection, the Crucifixion. The subjects in the north
and south lancets will comprise the principal events of our Lord’s
Passion.
The _reredos_ [Plate II.] below was designed by Mr. Cottingham, jun., as
a memorial for JOSEPH BAILEY, Esq., M.P. for the county of Hereford, who
died in 1850. It is in oolite (Bath stone) and marble; and although too
high for its position, is a fine work. Between the five canopied
compartments rise small shafts, supporting angels, who carry the
instruments of the Passion. The pierced leafage at the back of the
canopies is very beautiful. The subjects in the panels are--the Agony in
the Garden, Bearing the Cross, the Crucifixion, with floating angels
above the Cross, the Resurrection, and the three Maries at the
Sepulchre.
At the back of the reredos rises a pier from which spring two pointed
arches, leaving a broad tympanum or spandrel, closing the upper part of
the Norman arch. This is a restoration of Mr. Cottingham’s. The pier
itself is ancient. The spandrel is covered with modern sculpture,
having, above, the Saviour in Majesty, with the Evangelists holding
scrolls; and below, a figure of Ethelbert, King of East Anglia, who was
murdered by Offa, King of Mercia, and is said to have been interred in
the first Saxon church on this spot. (See Pt. II.) Miracles were
reported as having occurred at his tomb, and the second church here was
dedicated to St. Ethelbert.
The very good brass of Bishop TRILLECK (died 1360) is placed on the
chancel floor. The graceful arrangement of the vestments--which do not
include the tunic--and the architectural design of the canopy deserve
special notice. The greater part of the inscription has been lost[35].
Against the easternmost pier on the south side of the choir is a small
figure on a bracket, which possibly represents St. Ethelbert. It was
found about the year 1700, buried at the entrance of the Lady-chapel,
(where it is said to have been concealed during the siege of 1645,) and
was replaced in what is believed to have been its original position. The
figure wears a coronet terminating in leaves. The strings of the long
mantle are crossed on the breast. Whatever the hands once held has been
destroyed. The figure is certainly not earlier than the first half of
the fourteenth century.
On the _north_ side of the choir, in the easternmost bay, is the effigy
of Bishop STANBERY, (died 1474,) whose chantry opens from the aisle
opposite; (§ XIV.) The Bishop wears the alb, stole, and chasuble, the
flowing ornament on which should be noticed. It should here be mentioned
that Wyatt, following the same destructive course as at Salisbury,
removed many monuments in the cathedral from their original positions;
thereby rendering even their identification a matter of some difficulty.
In the next bay is the effigy of a bishop, fully vested, holding the
model of a tower. This is assigned to Bishop GILES DE BRUCE, (died
1215); and Godwin (_De Præsulibus_) conjectured that the model indicated
this bishop as having been the builder of the central tower--a
conjecture which has been assumed as a certainty by every succeeding
writer. But whatever architectural work Bishop Giles may have done, the
tower, as was pointed out by Professor Willis, is nearly a century
later. His effigy is one of ten which were erected during the
Perpendicular period as memorials of earlier bishops, and which are now
scattered in different parts of the cathedral. (In the same manner, many
effigies of earlier bishops were sculptured at Wells (see that
Cathedral) in the first half of the thirteenth century, and are all of
Early English character.)
In the same bay is the monument of Bishop BENNETT, (died 1617). He wears
the rochet, and a close black cap, and rests his feet on a lion; an
unusual instance of the retention of an earlier form. The Bishop was
buried on this spot.
The _stalls_ of the choir range up to this bay. They are Decorated, and
very good. The small heads and ornaments of the shafts which support the
projecting canopies should especially be noticed. The misereres are
interesting, but of no special excellence. Two on the south side
represent a cook throwing a platter at an intruder, and a pair of
wrestlers with ropes about their necks. The whole of this ancient work
has been carefully cleaned, and restored where necessary, under the
direction of Mr. Scott. The new carving, which is very fine, and well
worthy of its companionship with fourteenth-century wood-work, is
entirely by Messrs. Ruddle and Thompson of Peterborough. Some of the new
misereres, and the elaborately carved ends or heads, sixteen in number,
deserve careful attention. The panel-work in front of the stalls is an
exact reproduction of that before the episcopal throne.
The floor of the whole choir has been laid with tiles, manufactured (as
are those throughout the church with the exception of the nave) by
Godwin of Lugwardine. The pavement of the sacrarium is especially rich
and elaborate.
The organ (by Renatus Harris, but remodelled and reconstructed by
Davison under the direction of Sir Frederick Ouseley) is to be placed
within the first archway on the south side of the choir.
XI. Through the north arch of the tower we pass into the _north
transept_, [Plate III.]; one of the finest and most interesting parts of
the church, which fortunately remained untouched until the cathedral was
placed under the care of Mr. G. G. Scott, by whom this transept has been
carefully restored. The date of its erection has not been recorded; but
we cannot be wrong in assigning it to the period between the death of
Bishop CANTILUPE (1282) and his translation in 1287. The Bishop was at
first buried in the Lady-chapel, but was
[Illustration: BAY OF THE NORTH TRANSEPT.
PLATE III.
]
removed to this transept in 1287. The miracles reported at his tomb had
already brought large sums to the Church; and the rebuilding of the
transept for the reception of his shrine must have been completed before
the removal of his body in 1287.
The Norman arches opening to the aisles of nave and choir resemble those
which correspond to them on the south side of the church. The transept
beyond them was, as we have seen, entirely rebuilt, and is one of the
most remarkable examples of the period remaining in England. The unusual
form of its arches, and its pure, lofty windows, are sufficiently
impressive now; but their effect must have been wonderfully increased
when the windows were filled with glass displaying the history and
miracles of the sainted Bishop, and when the shrine itself was standing
on its pedestal within the eastern aisle, rich with the gold and jewels
offered by the numerous pilgrims who knelt daily before it.
The _west_ side of the transept (which is of two bays beyond the aisle
passage) is entirely filled by two very lofty windows, of three lights
each. The heads of the narrow lights are sharply pointed; and the
tracery above is formed by three circles enclosing trefoils. These
windows are set back within triangular-headed arches. On the _north_
side is a double window of the same character, divided by a group of
banded shafts. The triple lights on either side of these shafts, and the
foiled circles above them, precisely resemble the windows on the west
side of the transept. The central tracery of the window is formed by a
foiled circle, with a larger circle, enclosing a sexfoil, above it. The
whole window is set back within a segmental pointed arch, with banded
shafts at the angles of the jambs. The _eastern aisle_ of the transept
is divided into two bays by a clustered pier, the shafts surrounding
which are alternately of sandstone and dark marble. Their capitals are
enriched with foliage, and small knots of foliage are placed between the
bases. The main arches are sharply pointed, and have many plain
mouldings, with one band of dog-tooth ornament, highly detached. The
_triforium_ above (which extends beyond the actual transept, over the
Norman arch opening to the choir-aisle) is especially striking. In each
bay are two sharply pointed arches, each subdivided into three lesser
arches, with foiled headings; and with three open quatrefoils as tracery
above. The main arch is surrounded by a row of dog-tooth. The large
spandrel spaces between the arches are entirely covered with a diaper of
leaf-ornament, in low relief. The _clerestory_ windows are octofoils,
set far back within pointed arches. On the exterior, the form of the
window openings is triangular, like those of the triforium at
Westminster and those in the clerestory of the nave at Lichfield. On the
interior, the sills of the windows slope forward with overlapping
courses of stone, to the stringcourse at the top of the triforium. The
sills of the great windows in the transept are formed in a similar
manner, with overlapping courses of stone.
[Illustration: PEDESTAL OF THE SHRINE OF BISHOP CANTILUPE.
PLATE IV.
]
The shafts at the angles of all the windows are ringed, and the
triangular arches, throughout the transept, are slightly stilted. Such
arches are by no means common. They occur, however, in the clerestory on
the south side of the nave in Worcester Cathedral, but of later date
than this transept, which was possibly imitated by the Worcester
architect.
This transept has been carefully and truly “restored,” under the
direction of Mr. G. G. Scott. The stone-work has been freed from
whitewash and cleaned; and the plain quadripartite vaulting has been
touched with colour, and the bosses gilt, with excellent effect. The
vaulting springs from clustered shafts, the corbels supporting which, on
the east side, are beautiful and singular, and resemble bunches of
reeds, terminating in a small open flower. The small heads below these
corbels, at the intersection of the main arches, should also be noticed.
The transept has been laid with red and green tiles in panels, the
divisions being marked in grey sandstone.
XII. The eastern aisle is lighted by three very beautiful windows, each
of three lights, with three quatrefoils in the tracery. They are set
back within wider arches, as is the case with the windows in the main
transept. In this aisle, in a line with the central pier, is the
pedestal of the _Cantilupe Shrine_. [Plate IV.] (For a sketch of the
life of St. Thomas Cantilupe, the last Englishman canonized before the
Reformation, see Pt. II.) Bishop Cantilupe died on his way to Rome, at
Civita Vecchia, Aug. 25, 1282. His remains were divided. A portion was
interred near Orvieto; the heart was brought to Ashridge in
Buckinghamshire; and the bones were brought to his own cathedral at
Hereford, where they were deposited in the Lady-chapel. The reputation
of Bishop Cantilupe had been great during his life. Numerous miracles
were recorded as having taken place at his tomb, which soon became one
of the most frequented places of pilgrimage in the west of England; and
in 1286 (April 6) his remains were translated to a more stately
resting-place in this transept, which had probably been rebuilt in his
honour. The King, Edward II., was present at the translation. Bishop
Cantilupe was not canonized until 1320[36]; but the pedestal of his
shrine, which alone now exists, is (with the exception of the western
end, which seems to be at least thirty years later) of the date of his
translation.
This is a long parallelogram, narrowing toward the lower end, and is
entirely of Purbeck marble. It has two divisions; the lower closed, like
an altar-tomb, the upper a flat canopy, supported on small open arches.
Upon this rested the actual shrine, containing the relics of the saint.
Cantilupe was Provincial Grand Master of the Knights Templars in
England; and round the lower division of the pedestal are fifteen
figures of Templars in various attitudes, placed in the recesses of a
foliated arcade. All are fully armed, in chain-mail, with surcoat,
shield, and sword. All are seated, and tread on various monsters, among
which are dragons, and swine muzzled. The spandrels in this arcade, and
the spandrels between the arches in the upper division, are filled with
leafage of the most beautiful and varied character. It is the leafage of
the first Decorated period, retaining some of the stiff arrangement of
the Early English, but directly copied from nature. In the lower
spandrels it is arranged in sprays; in the upper it is often laid in
rows of leaves, among which occur oak, maple, and trefoil. The whole of
this work will repay the most careful examination. (It should be
compared with the foliage of the capitals of the shafts surrounding the
central pier of the aisle, which is far more stiff and conventional.) On
the top of the lower division of the pedestal was a brass of the Bishop,
of which the matrix alone remains.
The position of the shrine in this transept may be compared with that of
St. Frideswide at Oxford, and with that of St. Richard de la Wych at
Chichester. All had an altar immediately adjoining the shrine, which was
dedicated to the saint, and at which the offerings of pilgrims were
made. In these cases, however, the usual position of a great shrine--at
the back of the high altar--was, for some special reason, departed from.
At Hereford, this position of highest honour was probably occupied by
the shrine of St. Ethelbert; and the shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe must
have taken an inferior place, had it been fixed near that. This was
avoided by the dedication of the entire transept to the sainted Bishop.
In the same manner, the south transept at Chichester seems to have been
occupied by the shrine of St. Richard de la Wych; in whose honour the
great south window was probably inserted.
On a bracket against the wall adjoining the shrine is a bust of Bishop
FIELD, (died 1636). On the floor is a slab with effigy of JOHN
D’ACQUABLANCA, Dean of Hereford, (died 1320). He was the nephew of
Bishop d’Acquablanca, whose monument (see _post_) is close by. Under the
north window of the aisle is a stone coffin, found under the centre of
the north arch of the tower, during the restoration of the piers. It may
be the coffin of Bishop JOHN DE BRETON, (died 1275).
Under the great north window of the transept is a richly canopied tomb
with effigy of Bishop THOMAS CHARLTON, (died 1369). This effigy was not
disturbed by Wyatt, and remains in its original position. West of this
monument is the effigy of Bishop WESTFALING, (died 1602). The canopy was
destroyed by Wyatt. This is the bishop who is said so rarely to have
smiled after his consecration to the episcopate; (see Pt. II.)
In the pavement adjoining the choir-aisle, a very good small brass has
been inserted for JOHN PHILIPS, (died 1708, aged 32,) whose family were
natives of Herefordshire, although the poet himself was born at Bampton
in Oxfordshire, of which place his father was rector. His principal
work, however, “Cider,” belongs essentially to Herefordshire. A monument
to Philips was placed in Westminster Abbey by Lord Chancellor Harcourt,
and bears an inscription written by Bishop Atterbury.
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF BISHOP D’AQUABLANCA.
(FROM THE NORTH TRANSEPT.) PLATE V.
]
XIII. The _north choir-aisle_ is entered through the original Norman
arch; which (together with that opening from the nave-aisle) was cleared
by Mr. Cottingham from the masonry with which it had been nearly closed,
in order to strengthen the tower piers. Between this aisle and the
eastern aisle of the transept is the very beautiful monument of Bishop
D’ACQUABLANCA, (1240-1268). [Plate V.] The effigy lies under a canopy
supported by light shafts of Purbeck marble. The gables of the canopy
are crowned with floriated crosses, the central cross bearing a figure
of the crucified Saviour. The monument may be compared with that of
Bishop Bridport at Salisbury, (died 1262,) which is, however, far richer
and more elaborate. The tomb of Bishop d’Acquablanca was originally
richly coloured; and an attempt at restoration was made by an amateur in
1861. It was soon, however, discontinued,--not unwisely, as the
commencement remains to prove.
The Norman piers of the choir and the monuments described in § X. should
be noticed from the aisle, the pavement of which has been laid in square
panels of red and green tiles, with a border of grey stone. In the north
wall of the aisle is a series of arched recesses, of Decorated
character, with the open-flower ornament in the mouldings, episcopal
heads at the crown of the arches, and heads of ecclesiastics at the
intersections. In the first of these recesses east of the transept, is
an effigy assigned to Bishop GEOFFRY DE CLIVE, (died 1120). This is one
of the series of Perpendicular effigies already noticed, (§ X.) Beyond
this recess a door opens to the turret staircase leading to the Archive
Room and Chapter Library, (see § XXIII.,) above the north transept. The
effigy in the next recess (also Perpendicular) is given to Bishop HUGH
DE MAPENORE, (died 1219). The window above is filled with stained glass,
by Clayton and Bell, as a memorial of JOHN HUNT, organist, died 1842,
and his nephew James, “who died of grief three days after his uncle;” as
appears from an inscription on a small brass plate at the side of the
window. Beyond the entrance to Bishop Stanbery’s chapel is an arch open
to the chapel itself, under which is a Perpendicular effigy assigned to
Bishop RICHARD, (called “de Capella,”) died 1127.
XIV. _Bishop Stanbery’s Chantry_ (1453-1474) [Plate VI.] is a good
example of rich late Perpendicular. It is 16 ft. by 8 ft.; with two
windows on the north side, (filled with stained glass, which forms part
of the Musgrave memorial; see _post_,) and on the south the entrance,
and the arch with effigy already mentioned. The west end is covered with
tracery and shields in panels; and the east has shields with emblems
above the place of the altar. The ceiling is richly groined. The
grotesque capitals at the angles of the chapel should be remarked; as
should the shields with emblems of St. Matthias, St. Thomas, and St.
Bartholomew, over the arch on the south side. Other shields bear the
arms of the see and of the deanery, with those assigned to St.
Ethelbert, and to Leofric of Mercia.
Bishop Stanbery’s monument (§ X.) is on the wall of the choir
immediately opposite his chantry. On the
[Illustration: BISHOP STANBERY’S CHAPEL.
PLATE VI.
]
panels toward the aisle are figures of saints, and angels bearing
shields. In the wall of the aisle above the chantry, which is only 11
ft. in height, is a Decorated window filled with stained glass as a
memorial of the late Dr. MUSGRAVE, Archbishop of York; who, as Bishop of
Hereford, was among the first to set on foot the restoration of his
cathedral. The glass, which is by WARRENTON, exhibits the principal
events in the life of St. Paul. The subjects are continued in the
windows of the chantry, which form part of the memorial.
XV. The _north-east transept_ opens immediately beyond Bishop Stanbery’s
chantry. The main character of this lesser, or eastern transept, is at
present early Decorated, (geometrical); but it retains traces of the
original Norman ground-plan. The Norman cathedral, like most great
churches in England of that period, seems to have terminated in a triple
apse, of which the arrangement may have resembled the eastern apses of
Norwich and Gloucester, (see those Cathedrals). Portions of the central
apse remain in the walls of the vestibule to the Lady-chapel; and parts
of the apses which opened from the choir-aisles have been retained in
the existing transept. These are all of transitional Norman character;
and are considerably later than the Norman choir or nave.
Extensive alterations had been made in this part of the Norman cathedral
before the great north transept was rebuilt in order to receive the
shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe. The Lady-chapel, dating from the early
part of the thirteenth century, was the first addition; and its
building must have followed very closely on the completion of the Norman
retro-choir with its apses, the side walls of which were retained in the
vestibule of the Lady-chapel. Considerably later, (at the beginning of
the fourteenth century), after the completion of the north transept, the
terminal apses of the choir-aisles were almost entirely removed, and the
existing transept constructed. It is much to be regretted that none of
these works have any recorded date.
A peculiar character is given to this transept by an octagonal pier,
which rises in the centre, and assists in carrying the vaulting. The
vaulting is quadripartite, with very good bosses of leafage. The windows
are early Decorated. In the west wall of the transept are some Norman
arches, which belonged to the original apse.
The transept has been restored under the direction of Mr. G. G. Scott.
The tiles of the pavement are laid in panels, in which red and yellow
are the prevailing colours. In one of the panels is a good modern brass
for members of the TERRY family.
Under the north-east window is a monument which has been assigned to
Bishop GODWIN, (died 1633); but which is in reality much earlier. Under
the adjoining window, west, is the canopied tomb of Bishop SWINFIELD,
(1283-1317). The episcopal effigy has long disappeared, and that which
is now seen on the tomb is the effigy of some unknown lay person, dug up
in the cloisters. The arched canopy has the ball-flower in its
mouldings; and at the back of the recess is a much
[Illustration: COFFIN SLAB IN THE NORTH-EAST TRANSEPT.
PLATE VII.
]
mutilated sculpture of the Crucifixion, surrounded by vine-leaves and
tendrils. The work resembles the leafage of the Cantilupe Shrine, and is
possibly by the same hand. In a recess decorated with the ball-flower
under the arch opening to the vestibule of the Lady-chapel, is the
effigy of an unknown lady, (fourteenth century,) dug up outside the
church during the restorations. Against the walls of the transept are
ranged some coffin slabs, with floriated and enriched crosses, found at
different times and in various parts of the cathedral. One of these
(_circa_ 1250?) is given in Plate VII.
XVI. From the transept we pass into the _ambulatory_, or _retro-choir_,
at the back of the altar. This is transitional Norman, and its two bays
are divided by a pointed arch, which springs from circular shafts, at
the back of the altar and at the entrance to the vestibule of the
Lady-chapel. The ribs of the quadripartite vaulting are enriched with
chevron and diamond mouldings of late character. The arches at the back
of the choir-screen were decorated (see § X.) by Mr. Cottingham. On the
base of the central shaft is an inscription recording the erection of
the screen as a memorial of the late JOSEPH BAILEY, Esq.; (see § X.)
The existing arrangement seems to indicate (although this has not been
directly proved) that the Norman ground-plan, like that of Norwich,
comprised an ambulatory or “procession-path,” passing round at the back
of the high altar, and giving access to the central and side apses,
which opened from it.
[Illustration: Window in vestibule of Lady-chapel.]
XVII. The walls of this central apse are retained in the _vestibule_ to
the Lady-chapel. They are pierced north and south with transitional
Norman window openings; pointed arches, with massive mouldings, one of
which, an enriched diamond, runs round the soffete, and is carried on
the capitals of triple side shafts. The foliage of the capitals is of
completely Early English character. These windows (the glass in which,
as is indicated by their rebated jambs, was fixed in wooden
[Illustration: EASTERN BAY OF LADY-CHAPEL.
PLATE VIII.
]
frames) were built up in the wall, until the restoration of this part of
the cathedral by Mr. Cottingham.
In the south wall of the vestibule is the very interesting monument,
with effigy, of Dean BEREW, or BEAURIEÚ, (died 1462). The head of the
effigy, delicately featured and full of expression, and the arrangement
of the robe, especially at the feet, are very striking, and should be
noticed. The feet rest on a boar; and in the hollow of the arch-moulding
are boars and rue leaves, forming a “rebus” of the Dean’s name. Over the
whole monument there are traces of painting, and at the back of the
recess the kneeling figure of an ecclesiastic is distinguishable;
possibly that of Dean Berew himself.
On the floor is the very fine _brass_ of Richard Delamare (1435) and his
wife Isabella. There is also here the _brass_ of a priest in cope,
_circa_ 1450.
XVIII. An ascent of five steps (rendered necessary by the height of the
crypt below; see § XXVI.) leads to the _Lady-chapel_, [Plate VIII.];
very rich Early English, and dating from the first half of the
thirteenth century, (_circ._ 1220). It is 45 ft. by 24, and consists of
three bays, in each of which, on either side, (except where the bay on
the south side is filled by the Audley Chantry,) are two large windows.
When Professor Willis made his report in 1841, the eastern gable of this
chapel (then used as the Chapter Library) was in a state of “ruinous
disintegration;” and one of the first works entrusted to Mr. Cottingham
was the rebuilding of this eastern end. The pavement of the
Lady-chapel, and other restorations, have happily been completed under
the direction of Mr. G. G. Scott.
At the east end are five narrow lancets, set back within arches resting
on clustered shafts, and much enriched with the dog-tooth ornament. The
wall above these windows is pierced with five foiled openings; of which
the three central are oval, the exterior on either side circular. The
windows have been filled with stained glass designed by Cottingham and
executed by GIBBS, as a memorial to the late Dean MEREWETHER,--to whom
the cathedral is so greatly indebted,--who is interred at the north-east
angle of the chapel. The subjects commence with the early life of the
Virgin, and proceed through that of our Lord, terminating with the
supper in the house of Mary and Martha. The glass is good, but suffers
from the want of white and neutral tints.
A black marble slab, with a brass plate by Hardman, has been placed over
the grave of Dean Merewether. The inscription bears record that “to the
restoration of this cathedral he devoted the unwearied energies of his
life till its close on the 4th of April, 1850.”
The very rich clustered shafts and arches of the side windows should be
especially noticed. The capitals of the shafts are of Early English
leafage; and there are small heads at the intersections and crowns of
the arches. A circle enclosing a quatrefoil pierces the wall above these
windows. The vaulting is plain quadripartite, and springs from shafts
which descend upon a base raised slightly above the pavement.
The modern pavement of the Lady-chapel is laid with red and green tiles,
in large square panels. The whole design is broad and good in outline;
and is somewhat richer at the altar end, which is raised on one step.
The aumbry and double piscina on the south side of the altar are
reproductions of the originals, which were in a state of extreme decay.
Of the two stained windows on the south side, the most eastern (of late
fourteenth-century character) was removed from St. Peter’s Church in
Hereford, and was given to the cathedral by the late R. B. Phillipps,
Esq. The window below is filled with Munich glass.
In the central bay on the north side of the chapel is a very fine
Perpendicular monumental recess, within which is laid the effigy (much
earlier than the recess) of a knight of the Bohun family. The recess
itself has an upper stage or canopy, with open tabernacle-work, in the
arches of which figures have been placed, none of which originally
belonged to it, with the exception of the two central ones, now
headless, representing the Saviour and the Blessed Virgin. The figures
on either side were found imbedded in a mass of mortar behind the oaken
choir-screen, on its removal by Mr. Cottingham. They represent St. John
the Baptist, St. Thomas Cantilupe, and St. Thomas of Canterbury,--the
latter distinguished by the pall and the patriarchal cross,--the fourth
figure is uncertain.
The effigy placed in this recess has generally been assigned to Humphrey
de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, _temp._ Edward III. He was not however
interred in this cathedral; and although the effigy is certainly of
that date, it probably represents some less distinguished member of that
great family. The features, uninjured, are fine. The chain-mail, the
fringed poleyns at the knees, the surcoat, and all the details, should
be noticed. The dog at the feet turns upward, licking his paw.
The monument, with effigy, in the most eastern bay on this side, is that
of JOANNA DE BOHUN, Countess of Hereford, (called Joanna de Kilpeck,
from her castle there,) (died 1327). It has been painted in accordance
with the remains of colour on its several portions; but with very
indifferent success. The effigy is a good example of costume. Male and
female heads project at the angles of the canopy; and the border of the
slab on which the effigy rests has small human heads and roses with
their leaves, alternately. The will of the Countess bequeaths a
considerable estate to the cathedral.
XIX. In the central bay on the south side is the _Audley Chapel or
Chantry_, [Plate IX.,] constructed by Bishop EDMUND AUDLEY, (1492-1502,)
before his translation to Salisbury in the latter year. The chantry here
was no doubt intended for the place of his own interment; but during his
episcopate at Salisbury (1502-1524) he built a second chantry in the
choir of that cathedral, (see Handbook for SALISBURY,) within which he
was buried.
The Audley Chapel at Hereford is of two stages, access to the upper
being afforded by a circular staircase at the south-west angle. The
lower story is separated
[Illustration: THE SCREEN OF BISHOP AUDLEY’S CHANTRY.
PLATE IX.
]
from the Lady-chapel by a lofty stone screen with pierced panels.
Figures of saints and of religious persons are represented on this
screen, which has been restored and painted. The iron-work on the door
opening to the staircase is excellent as an example, and should be
noticed. The lock bears the Bishop’s initials.
The chapel is five-sided, and is lighted by two windows. There is a
third window, opening through the screen into the Lady-chapel. The
vaulted ceiling shews the remains of rich colour; and at the east end,
over the place of the altar, are traces of a large painting with trees
and figures. The upper story has five windows, in which are some good
remains of the original glass. On the central boss of the groining is
the Virgin, crowned, and surrounded by an aureole of rays. The arms of
the Deanery, (Azure, five bends or,) and those of Bishop Audley, appear
on other parts of the ceiling, with a shield bearing the initials (R.
I.) of some unknown person. The top of the screen forms a parapet,
dividing this story from the Lady-chapel. There are no traces of an
altar here; and the upper story of this chantry probably served--like
those of the chantries of Abbots Farley and Hanley at Gloucester, (see
that Cathedral,) which are also attached to the Lady-chapel, and are
constructed on a similar plan--as an oratory.
XX. The _south-east transept_ resembles that opposite; but it was
perhaps altered from the Norman apse at a somewhat later date. Its
details are not so good as those of the north-east transept; and the
window tracery is of almost flamboyant character. Bases of the earlier
work remain in the walls.
Under the wall dividing the vestibule of the Lady-chapel from this
transept is the monument, with effigy, of Bishop LEWIS CHARLTON, (died
1369). Above it is that of Bishop COKE, (died 1646). In a square recess,
in the east wall, is the fine bust of a Mr. JAMES THOMAS, who is buried
near this place; and under it the brass of Sir RICHARD DELABERE, (1514,)
and two wives. In the recess, with the bust, are placed some carved
Norman capitals, of early character. Under the south wall of the
transept are monuments for Bishop LINDSELL, (died 1634,) and Dean
HARVEY, (died 1500); neither of any great interest. Some fragments of
brasses are attached to the walls of this transept, but are of little
importance. The north-east window has been filled with stained glass by
WARRENTON, at the sole expense of Lord Saye and Sele, as a memorial of
Bishop HUNTINGFORD, (1815-1834). The subjects are from the life of St.
Peter.
XXI. In the south wall of the _south choir-aisle_ are four arched
recesses, of the same date and character (Decorated) as those in the
aisle opposite. They contain four Perpendicular effigies; assigned
(beginning from the east) to Bishop WILLIAM DE VERE, (died 1199); Bishop
HUGH FOLIOT, (died 1234); Bishop ROBERT DE BETUN, (died 1148); and
Bishop ROBERT DE MELUN, (died 1167). On the floor is the fine brass of
Dean EDMUND FROWSETOURE, (died 1529,) in a richly diapered cope. Among
the figures in the canopy are those of St. Ethelbert and of St. Thomas
Cantilupe.
Between the two easternmost piers of the choir is the monument, with
effigy, of Bishop MAYEW, (1504-1516; see Pt. II.) The elaborate canopy
has been restored, so far as any authority remained for the details. The
panels in front of the monument are filled with figures of saints. The
effigy, fully vested, and wearing a richly jewelled mitre, should be
especially noticed. Under an arch opening to the choir, in the next bay,
is a Perpendicular effigy assigned to Bishop DE LOSINGA, (died 1096).
Above it is a fragment of good wooden screen-work, of Decorated
character.
A door in the westernmost bay of this aisle opens to two plain Norman
rooms, now used as vestries. In the Perpendicular period an “eastern
chamber” of two stories was added to this Norman building, and served as
the treasury of the cathedral.
XXII. The great _south transept_ retains much of its Norman work, but
was much altered during the Perpendicular period. The east wall is
entirely Norman, and is covered with five ranges of arcades, all of
which are blank except those at the levels of the triforium and
clerestory, which open to a wall-passage. The transept is only lighted
on this side by two Norman windows in the clerestory. A large Norman
arch, including two smaller, all much enriched, occupies the triforium
space above the arch opening to the choir-aisle; and perhaps indicates
that the Norman triforium
[Illustration: BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY.
PLATE X.
]
has been already mentioned, to the _Archive Room_ and _Chapter Library_,
above the great north transept. This room has been thoroughly restored
by Mr. G. G. Scott. The Library contains about 2,000 volumes, many of
great rarity and interest. Nearly all are chained to the shelves; and
the general appearance of the carefully guarded treasures is
sufficiently curious. [Plate X.] Among the most remarkable printed books
are--A series of Bibles, ranging from 1480 to 1690; Higden’s
_Polychronicon_, by Caxton, 1495; Caxton’s _Legenda Aurea_, 1483; and
Lyndewode _Super Constitutiones Provinciales_, 1475. Of the MSS., by far
the most interesting is an ancient _Antiphonarium_ containing the old
“Hereford Use.” This “sets forth not only the services of particular
days, the chants to be used and the lectures to be read, but contains a
treatise on music and an ample calendar, in which are noted the obits of
the benefactors and bishops of the church; and by which, with the aid of
the Dominical letter, we are enabled to assign to the volume the date of
1265[37]”. It was purchased at a book-stall in Drury-lane about the year
1820; and redeemed by the Dean and Chapter, who restored it to its
original and legitimate resting-place. Here also is preserved, carefully
protected by plate glass, the remarkable _Map of the World_, [Plate
XI.,] which is one of the most valuable relics of mediæval geography. It
was the work of a certain Richard of Haldingham and of Lafford,
(Holdingham and Sleaford in Lincolnshire,) who has commemorated himself
in the following verses:--
“Tuz ki cest estorie ont
Ou oyront, ou luront, ou veront,
Prient à Jhesu en deyté
De Richard de Haldingham e de Lafford eyt pité
Ki l’at fet e compassé
Ke joie en cel li seit doné.”
The latter part of the thirteenth century is the date which has usually
been assigned to it; but M. D’Avezac, President of the Geographical
Society of Paris, who has recently examined the map with much care,
arrives, from internal evidence, at the conclusion that it was designed
at the beginning of the year 1314[38]. The map itself (drawn on thick
vellum, and glued to a framework of oak) is founded on the mediæval
belief that all geographical knowledge resulted from the observations of
three philosophers, (here named Nichodoxus, Theodotus, and Policlitus,)
who were sent forth by Augustus Cæsar to survey the three divisions of
the world, when it was about to be taxed at the birth of our Lord. The
Emperor is accordingly figured giving his directions to the
philosophers. The world is represented as round, and surrounded by the
ocean. At the top of the map, which represents the east, is Paradise,
[Illustration: ANCIENT MAP.
PLATE XI.
]
with the Tree of Life, and Adam and Eve. Above is the Last Judgment,
with the Virgin interceding for mankind. Jerusalem appears in the centre
of the map; and near it, the crucifix is planted on “Mount Calvary.”
Babylon has its famous tower; Rome bears the inscription, “Roma caput
mundi tenet orbis frena rotundi;” and Troy is described as “Troja
civitas bellicosissima.” (These four cities were regarded as the most
important in the world: Troy, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,
was a favourite subject of romance.) The British Isles occupy a
considerable space; and Hereford, with its cathedral, is by no means
obscurely placed. A great part of the map is filled with inscriptions
taken from Solinus, Isidore of Seville, and others; and with drawings of
the monstrous animals and peoples which the mediæval cosmography
supposed to exist in different parts of the world. The monkey is
assigned to Norway; the scorpion to the banks of the Rhine; and the
“oroc” (aurochs) to Provence. Lot’s wife, the labyrinth of Crete, the
columns of Hercules, and Scylla and Charybdis, should also be noticed.
“The portrait of Abraham is seen in Chaldæa, and that of Moses on Mount
Sinai. Amid the deserts of Ethiopia St. Anthony is recognised, with his
hook-beaked satyrs and fauns. St. Augustine in his pontifical habit
marks the situation of his own Hippo[39].”
The history of this very remarkable map is uncertain. It was discovered,
probably about a century ago, under the floor of Bishop Audley’s
Chapel; and Dean Merewether suggested (but apparently without the
slightest authority) that it might have served originally as an
altar-piece[40].
In the church is preserved a very curious chair of the thirteenth or
fourteenth century, closely resembling those often represented in early
sculpture and painting. It is formed in great measure of little turned
balusters; and may be compared with a chair figured by M.
Viollet-le-Duc[41] from sculpture at Auxerre. The Hereford chair (which
at first sight looks like work of the seventeenth century, but is
undoubtedly early, and a most valuable remnant of antiquity) may perhaps
have served as the bishop’s throne, before the construction, in the
fourteenth century, of that now in use;--or it may have been the
bishop’s chair at the altar.
XXIV. A door at the eastern end of the south nave-aisle opens to the
_cloisters_, of which only two walks, the east and south, remain. The
west walk was pulled down in the reign of Edward VI. to make room for
the
[Illustration: THE CLOISTERS, WITH THE LADIES’ ARBOUR.
PLATE XII.
]
Grammar School, (taken down in 1836,) and a north walk never existed.
(Hereford Cathedral, it should be remembered, had no monastic
establishment attached to it; and this cloister, [Plate XII.] unlike
that at Gloucester, was little more than an ornamental walk, connected
with the Bishop’s Palace). The cloister is of Perpendicular date, with
window-openings which deserve notice. The south walk is more richly
groined than the east. At the south-east corner is a square turreted
tower, called the “Ladies’,” or “Ladye Arbour,” the original purpose of
which is not clear; nor has it been possible to trace the origin of the
name, which apparently has some reference to the Virgin.
Some good old iron-work on a door between the cloister and the
chapter-yard should be noticed. In the cloister are placed monuments
for--Dr. MATTHEWS, (with sculptured figures); Bishop HUNTINGFORD, (died
1832); and Bishop GREY, (died 1837).
Between the cloister and the Bishop’s Palace, a remarkable chapel, which
seems to have been early Norman, existed until it was pulled down by
Bishop EGERTON, (1724-1746). It had an upper and a lower story, in which
were altars dedicated respectively to St. Mary Magdalene and to St.
Catherine. One wall alone remains, and deserves notice.
From the east walk of the cloister a door opened to the vestibule of the
_chapter-house_. This was ruined by the Parliamentarian troops; and much
of its stone-work was used by Bishop BISSE, (died 1721,) and by his
successors until recently, for the repairs of the episcopal palace. The
foundations and fragments which remain shew that it was rich Decorated,
in shape a decagon, with a projecting buttress at each angle.
At the south-west angle of the lesser transept is an entrance to the
Vicars’ Cloister; (see § XXVII.)
XXV. The _exterior_ of the great _north transept_ should be especially
noticed. The remarkable windows shew to great advantage from the
outside, in connection with the massive buttresses, of which those at
the angles are turreted, with spiral cappings. The clerestory windows
are, as has already (§ XI.) been mentioned, triangular on the exterior,
and resemble those in the outer wall of the triforium in the nave of
Westminster. The upper window in the north wall opens from the Archive
Room, (§ XXIII.) The external sills of all these windows resemble those
of the interior, (§ XI.) They were walled up, but have been restored by
Mr. Scott from original portions found embedded in the walls, partly in
their places, and partly detached.
The date of the _central tower_, which rises above this transept, has
not been recorded, but it may safely be placed between 1300 and 1310. It
was probably undertaken immediately after the completion of the north
transept, and the cost of its erection, like that of the transept, was
no doubt defrayed from the sums which continued to be offered at the
shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe[42]. The tower (161 ft. high to the top
of the pinnacles) is of two stages above the roofs, with buttresses at
the angles. (The pinnacles which cap these buttresses are modern, and
date from 1830.) The arcades and window-openings, as well as the
buttresses, are covered with the ball-flower ornament, which is scarcely
anywhere found in such profusion as here, and in the south aisle of the
nave of Gloucester; (see that Cathedral).
The _Stanbery Chapel_ (§ XIV.) projects between the great and the
eastern transept. The graceful Decorated window of the choir aisle,
which rises above it, and the Early English arcades which cover the wall
of the choir between the clerestory windows, as well as the windows
themselves, (see § IX.,) should here be noticed.
XXVI. On the south side of the Lady-chapel a _porch_ opens to a
staircase leading to the _crypt_. The porch (which is finely recessed)
is, like the crypt, of the same date--Early English (see § XVIII.)--as
the Lady-chapel, under which it extends. The crypt extends under the
whole of the Lady-chapel; and is the solitary example in an English
cathedral of a crypt constructed after the end of the eleventh
century[43]. It is lighted by plain lancets, and consists of a nave and
aisles 50 ft. long, and divided by plain clustered shafts. The crypt was
repaired in 1497 by Andrew Jones, “Mercator hujus civitatis,” whose
altar-tomb,--covered with an incised slab of large dimensions and
elaborate decoration, representing the merchant and his wife--remains in
the centre. This crypt is called the “Golgotha”--from its having been
used as the charnel or _domus carnaria_--the place appropriated for the
decent reception of disinterred fragments of the bodies of the defunct,
and special services for the repose of their souls. Adjoining Worcester,
Norwich, and some other cathedrals, a chapel, separated from the
cathedral itself, was used for this purpose.
The _east end_ of the Lady-chapel was, it must be remembered, rebuilt by
Mr. Cottingham, (§ XVIII.) The gable above the five lancet windows is by
no means an exact reproduction of the original, and the work is not too
good. The Audley Chantry (§ XIX.) projects very picturesquely on the
south side of the Lady-chapel. The side pinnacles were reproduced by Mr.
Scott from old drawings; the finials are original, having been preserved
in the crypt.
The existing _west front_ of the cathedral is, as has already been said,
a composition of Wyatt’s, and is unworthy of notice. The total exterior
length of the church, including the buttresses, is 344 ft.
XXVII. On the south side of the Lady-chapel is the entrance to the
_College of Vicars Choral_, (incorporated in 1396,) a very picturesque
quadrangle, with an inner cloister. It is for the most part
Perpendicular, (_circa_ 1474). A long cloistral walk (109 ft.) leading
from the quadrangle of the college to the south-east transept of the
cathedral has the oaken beams of its roof very finely carved.
The _episcopal palace_ lies south between the cathedral and the river
Wye. It is almost entirely formed out of an ancient Norman hall with
pillars of timber, and is consequently of considerable interest. In the
Deanery is preserved a small reliquary, of Limoges work, dating from the
early part of the thirteenth century. On it is represented the martyrdom
of St. Thomas of Canterbury: on the lower part the murder, on the upper
part the entombment of the saint. It no doubt contained a relic of the
Archbishop. Similar reliquaries, with the same subjects, exist in the
possession of the Society of Antiquaries, and of Sir Philip Egerton.
HEREFORD CATHEDRAL.
PART II.
History of the See, with Short Notices of the principal Bishops.
Archbishop Usher asserts that Hereford was the place of an
episcopal see in the first half of the sixth century, when (A.D.
544) one of its bishops was present at a synod convened by the
Archbishop of Caerleon. However this may have been, it is certain
that the existing succession of bishops dates from A.D. 676; when
Putta, Bishop of Rochester, whose Kentish cathedral had been
plundered and desolated by Ethelred of Mercia, was placed at
Hereford by Sexwulf, Bishop of Lichfield. Hereford was at this time
a place of no great consequence. It lay about one mile distant from
the Roman road which ran from Magna Castra (Kenchester) to Wigornia
(Worcester); but it was not itself a station, and its later
importance arose mainly from its position on a ford of the Wye,
which Athelstane fixed as the boundary between the English and
Welsh, in the same manner as he made the Tamar the boundary of the
English and the Cornish of “West Wales.” Hereford thus became a
frontier town; and one of the strongest castles on the marches of
Wales rose near the cathedral, on its south side.
[A.D. 676-688.] PUTTA, the first Saxon bishop, received no great
wealth with the church of Hereford. He was, says Bede, “more
careful about ecclesiastical than secular matters.” During his rule
here he taught, “wherever he was asked,” the chants of the
Church,--those ancient Gregorian tones which Augustine had
introduced at Canterbury, and which Archbishop Theodorus was now
carefully disseminating throughout England.
The permanent establishment of Hereford as the place of an
episcopal see was also the work of Archbishop Theodore, who after
the Council at Hertford (A.D. 673) divided the great diocese of
Mercia, as he had done that of East Anglia, into several
bishoprics. (See LICHFIELD, Pt. II.) Of the bishops of Hereford
between (688-1012) Putta and Æthelstan little is recorded beyond
their names. CUTHBERT (736-740) is an exception. In the latter year
he was translated to Canterbury. (See that Cathedral, Pt. II.) It
was during his archiepiscopate that the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed
were ordered to be universally taught in English.
[A.D. 1012-1056.] ÆTHELSTAN, (“vir magnæ sanctitatis,” according to
Florence of Worcester,) rebuilt his cathedral from the foundations.
He was blind for thirteen years before his death; and the affairs
of his diocese were administered by Tremerig, Bishop of St.
David’s. In 1055, the year before Bishop Æthelstan’s death, the
town of Hereford (Herefordport as it is called in the Saxon
Chronicle[44]) was harried by a large body of Irish and Welsh,
under Ælfgar, the exiled Earl of Mercia. “They burned the town,”
says the Chronicle; “and the great mynstre which the venerable
Bishop Æthelstan had before caused to be built, that they
plundered, and bereaved of relics and of vestments, and of all
things; and slew the folk, and led some away[45].” In the following
year Bishop Æthelstan died, and was buried in this desolated
church.
The great treasure of Æthelstan’s minster was the body of ST.
ETHELBERT, King of East Anglia; whose head, says the Saxon
Chronicle, was “stricken off by the command of Offa, King of the
Mercians, A.D. 792.” This is the only notice of Ethelbert in the
Chronicle; and Florence of Worcester is almost as brief. We know
nothing of the real history of Ethelbert. Later accounts asserted
that he was murdered at Sutton’s Walls, a chief palace of the
Mercian kings, about eight miles from Hereford, where he had gone
at the invitation of Offa, who had offered him the hand of his
daughter Elfrida. His body was secretly interred at Marden, close
to Sutton’s Walls. Three nights afterwards, Ethelbert appeared to a
certain Brithfrid, and telling him where he had been buried,
ordered him to remove his body to the “chapel of Our Lady at
Fernlege,”--generally supposed, but without much authority, to have
been on the site of the existing cathedral of Hereford. Brithfrid
obeyed; and the translation took place, not without the occurrence
of miracles on the way. Many others followed. The murdered king of
the East Angles was recognised as a saint; and a sumptuous monument
was raised over his remains by Offa, in token of his penitence.
Bishop Æthelstan translated the relics into his new “minster,”
which was dedicated to St. Ethelbert. His festival was duly
celebrated until the Reformation. A fine Early English church,
dedicated to St. Mary and St. Ethelbert, remains at Marden, where
the body was first interred.
[A.D. 1056.] LEOFGAR, “Earl Harold’s mass-priest,” succeeded
Æthelstan. “He,” says the Chronicle, “wore his kenepas (headpiece?)
in his priesthood, until he was a bishop; he forsook his chrism and
his rood, his ghostly weapons, and took to his spear and to his
sword, after his bishophood, and so went in the force against
Griffith the Welsh king; and he was there slain, and his priests
with him, and Ælfnoth the shire-reeve, and many good men with
them, and the others fled away. This was eight nights before
Midsummer[46].” After Leofgar’s death the see remained vacant for
four years, during which it was under the rule of Ealdred, Bishop
of Worcester.
[A.D. 1061-1079.] _Walter of Lorraine_, chaplain of Queen Edith,
was consecrated at Rome by Pope Nicholas II. (He had accompanied
Bishop Ealdred of Worcester to Rome, on his elevation to the see of
York.) Bishop Walter was a prelate of questionable sanctity, if the
story told of him by William of Malmesbury is not an invention of
his enemies.
[A.D. 1079-1095.] ROBERT DE LOSING, like his predecessor a native
of Lorraine, is said to have been one of the most learned of the
bishops consecrated by Lanfranc. Bishop Robert found his cathedral
in ruins. It had apparently remained uncared for during the
troubled times of the Conquest, and it had been partly burnt, as we
have seen, by the Welshmen under Earl Ælfgar. The Bishop rebuilt
it, taking for his model the church of Aachen, (Aix la Chapelle,)
founded by Charlemagne. The existing choir (see Pt. I. § II.) has
been regarded as part of Bishop Robert’s work.
Remigius of Lincoln, who had also been rebuilding his cathedral,
had fixed the day for its dedication, and invited Bishop Robert of
Hereford to be present. He refused to undertake the journey,
however, saying, according to William of Malmesbury, that the stars
assured him the dedication would not take place in the lifetime of
Remigius; who died, in fact, the day before that appointed. Bishop
Robert is said by Malmesbury to have received a forewarning of his
own death from St. Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, with whom he had
lived in the closest friendship. When Wulfstan was on his
death-bed, Robert was absent with the King. His friend, says the
Chronicler, appeared to him in a dream, and directed him to hasten
to Worcester if he wished to see him once more. Bishop Robert set
out at once, but whilst resting at Cricklade he was again visited
by Wulfstan, who said, “Thou hast done what was possible, but in
vain, for I have now departed. Thou, however, shalt not remain here
long; and as a token that I speak true, thou shalt to-morrow
receive a gift from me.” Accordingly, the Prior of Worcester, where
Robert arrived the next day, presented him with a cope lined with
lamb-skins, which St. Wulfstan had been in the habit of wearing on
his journeys. The Bishop recognised the token, and returning to
Hereford died there in the following June, (1095). St. Wulfstan’s
death occurred in January.
[A.D. 1096, trans. to York 1101.] GERARD, nephew of Walkelin,
Bishop of Winchester, and Chancellor under the Conqueror and
William II. On his translation to York, Roger Lardarius was
nominated to the see of Hereford by the King, Henry I. He died
before he could be consecrated. Reinhelm was then chosen, and
received the temporalities as bishop-elect from the King, by the
delivery of the ring and pastoral staff. Anselm (see CANTERBURY,
Pt. II.) refused to consecrate the bishops who had been thus
invested; and Reinhelm accordingly restored the temporalities to
the King, who, enraged by his submission to the Archbishop,
banished him from the court.
[A.D. 1107-1115.] REINHELM, the Queen’s Chancellor, was, however,
consecrated by Anselm in 1107, after the King had conceded the main
points in dispute, and the Archbishop had returned from his exile.
(See CANTERBURY, Pt. II.) Reinhelm is commemorated in an obituary
of the Canons of Hereford, as “fundator ecclesiæ S. Ethelberti;”
and it has accordingly been considered that he completed the church
begun by Robert de Losing. But of this there is no direct proof.
[A.D. 1115-1120.] GEOFFRY DE CLIVE succeeded. “Bonus quidem et
ille,” says William of Malmesbury, “continentissimusque;
indifferenter cibis et vestibus quæ minori pretio taxarentur utens;
agriculturæ studens.” He greatly improved the lands belonging to
the see; but was more careful to increase than to distribute;
“leaving great stores behind him to no heir.”
[A.D. 1121-1127.] RICHARD, called “de Capella,” a clerk of the
King’s chapel. A bridge across the Wye, at Hereford, was partly
built by this bishop. His successor,
[A.D. 1131-1148.] ROBERT DE BETHUNE, had been nominated by the King
(Henry I.) in 1129, but was not consecrated until 1131. Bishop
Robert was a member of the noble house of Bethune; and received his
early education from his own brother Gunfrid, a teacher of some
celebrity. He became a canon in the Augustinian priory of
Llanthony; and on the death of Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Hereford, was
appointed to superintend the building of a religious house at
Weobly, where the great Earl was buried. Here he worked as a common
labourer, and is said to have injured his health so greatly, that
he was recalled to his priory, of which he soon afterwards became
the superior. When the see of Hereford became vacant, Robert de
Bethune was recommended to the King by the Earl of Gloucester, and
at last accepted the bishopric, “quamvis invitus.” During the
troubles of Stephen’s reign Hereford suffered greatly. The
cathedral was deserted and desecrated, and the Bishop himself was
compelled to take flight in disguise. On his return, he “cleansed
and repaired” the building. In 1148, Bishop Robert was present at
the Council of Rheims, convened by Pope Eugenius III., then an
exile in France; and died there, (April 16). His remains were
brought to England, and interred in his own cathedral.
A short life of Bishop de Bethune, who was one of the best and
worthiest bishops of his age,--a man of peace and religion, when by
far the greater number of English bishops were little better than
the most turbulent barons,--was written by William of Wycumb, his
successor in the priory of Llanthony, and was printed by Wharton
in the second volume of his _Anglia Sacra_.
[A.D. 1148, trans. to London 1163.] GILBERT FOLIOT, Abbot of
Gloucester, the inflexible antagonist of Becket. Foliot “was
admitted to be a man of unimpeachable life, of austere habits, and
great learning. He was in correspondence with Popes Cælestine II.,
Lucius II., Eugenius III., and Alexander, and with a familiarity
which implies a high estimation for ability and experience. He is
interfering in matters remote from his diocese, and commending
other bishops, Lincoln and Salisbury, to the favourable
consideration of the pontiff. All his letters reveal as imperious
and conscientious a Churchman as Becket himself, and in Becket’s
position Foliot might have resisted the King as inflexibly. He was,
in short, a bold and stirring ecclesiastic, who did not scruple to
wield, as he had done in several instances, that last terrible
weapon of the clergy which burst on his own head,
excommunication[47].” It was Foliot who uttered the “bitter
sarcasm” on Becket’s consecration as primate, “The King has wrought
a miracle, he has turned a soldier and a layman into an
archbishop;” but in spite of this, Becket “acquiesced in, if he did
not promote, the advancement of Foliot to the see of London,”
vacant when Becket was consecrated, at Whitsuntide, 1161. Foliot’s
translation took place in 1163. From that time he appears on the
King’s side, in opposition to the Archbishop, and Becket accuses
him of aspiring to the primacy. The life of Foliot belongs too
completely to the public history of his time, and is too closely
associated with the career of Becket, to be dwelt on here at any
length. He was among the bishops excommunicated by Becket on
Ascension-day, 1169, and again in Canterbury Cathedral, on the
Christmas-day before the Archbishop’s murder; and it was Foliot who
preached in that cathedral on the memorable day (July 12, 1174) of
King Henry’s penance. He died in 1187.
The letters of Bp. Foliot have been edited by Dr. Giles, (Oxon.
1845,) and form two volumes of the series illustrating the life of
Becket. Foliot was annually commemorated by the canons of Hereford,
as one who “multa bona contulit Herefordensi capitulo.”
[A.D. 1163-1167.] ROBERT DE MELUN (of Maledon), called by the
annalist of St. David’s “Episcopus Anglorum sapientissimus.” He was
present at the famous scene between Becket and Henry at
Northampton, when he attempted, with Foliot, to take the cross from
the hands of the Archbishop, to whose side he seems to have
adhered.
[A.D. 1174-1186.] ROBERT FOLIOT, a friend and fellow-student of
Becket, and probably a relative of Bishop Gilbert of London,
although this is not certain. He was one of the four English
bishops who in 1179 attended the Lateran Council convened by
Alexander III., in which the Albigenses and Waldenses were
excommunicated[48].
[A.D. 1186-1199.] WILLIAM DE VERE, son of Alberic de Vere, third
Earl of Oxford. Bishop de Vere is said by Godwin to have built
much, (_multa dicitur construxisse_,) but no part of the existing
cathedral can be assigned to him, and indeed the authority for
Godwin’s statement does not appear.
[A.D. 1200-1215.] GILES DE BRUCE, or DE BRAOSE, son of William,
Lord Brecknock. He sided with the barons against King John, and was
compelled to leave his see, the temporalities of which were seized
by the Crown. He was afterwards allowed to return, and died at
Gloucester in 1215. Bishop Giles is generally said to have built
the central tower of his cathedral, but this (see Pt. I. § X.) is
undoubtedly an error.
[A.D. 1216-1219.] HUGH DE MAPENORE, Dean of Hereford.
[A.D. 1219-1234.] HUGH FOLIOT, Archdeacon of Salop; founded and
endowed a hospital at Ledbury.
[A.D. 1234-1239.] RALPH OF MAIDSTONE, “vir magnæ literaturæ, et in
theologia nominatissimus,” according to Wyke the chronicler. He
bought for the see a house in London, together with the advowson of
the adjoining church, St. Mary Monthalt. In 1239 Bishop Ralph
resigned his see, and became a Franciscan at Oxford, whence he
afterwards passed to the house of the Franciscans at Gloucester,
where he died.
[A.D. 1240-1268.] PETER D’ACQUABLANCA, whose fine tomb remains in
the cathedral, (Pt. I. § XIII.,) was one of the intruding
“foreigners” by whom England was oppressed during the long reign of
Henry III., and whose exactions and tyranny were among the chief
causes of the rising of the barons under Simon de Montfort. Like
the contemporary Archbishop of Canterbury, Boniface, Bishop Peter
was a native of Savoy, and had come to England in the train of
William of Valence. He obtained the see of Hereford in opposition
to a canon of Lichfield,--“vir per omnia commendabilis,” says
Matthew Paris,--who had been elected by the canons; but the King
affected none but strangers. In 1250 Bishop Peter took the cross,
and went, under the banner of the King of France, to the Holy Land.
He returned in 1258, bringing letters, which are said to have been
forged, but which professed to be those of the Pope, Innocent IV.,
commanding all religious houses to grant a tenth of their property
toward the crusade. During his absence (in 1257) he spent large
sums in endeavouring to procure for himself the see of Bordeaux,
when the death of the Archbishop had been reported. But after the
money had been spent, the Archbishop of Bordeaux proved to be still
alive, and the unfortunate Bishop Peter became, says Paris, the
subject of infinite jests. In 1263, with other “foreigners,” he was
expelled from England; but he returned to the country, though not
to his diocese, in the following year, when Henry III. reprimands
him by letter, saying, that “coming to Hereford to take order for
the disposing the garrisons in the marches of Wales, he found in
the church of Hereford neither bishop, dean, vicar, or other
officer to discharge the spiritual functions, and that the church
and ecclesiastical establishment was in a state of ruin and
decay[49].” The Bishop was soon afterwards in Hereford, where he
was taken by Simon de Montfort, who seized all his wealth, and
imprisoned Bishop Peter in “Ordelay” [Urdley] Castle. He died in
1268, leaving behind him no good reputation, although he had bought
the manor of Holme Lacy for the cathedral, and left money for the
annual distribution of much corn to the clergy of his church and to
the poor. He founded a monastery at his birthplace, Aquabella, or
Aquablanca, in Savoy, where his heart was conveyed for entombment,
and where a monument with an inscription still remains. His body
was interred in his own cathedral, under the canopied tomb already
noticed.
[A.D. 1269-1275.] JOHN BRETON; has usually been considered the
author of a treatise _De Juribus Anglicanis_, and is described by
Sir Edward Coke as “a man of great and profound judgment in the
common laws, an excellent ornament to his profession, and a
satisfaction and solace to himself.” Selden, however, proved that
the treatise contains references to statutes passed long after the
death of Bishop Breton; and Bishop Nicholson suggests, with much
probability, that the true writer of the abstract was a “John
Breton,” one of the king’s justices (together with Ralph and Roger
de Hengham) in the first year of Edward II.
[A.D. 1275-1282.] THOMAS CANTILUPE, who succeeded, was the last
Englishman canonized before the Reformation. He was the son of
William Lord Cantilupe, and his wife Millicent, Countess of Evreux.
The future bishop and saint was educated at Oxford and at Paris,
and after being made Chancellor of the former University, became
Chancellor of England under Henry III. in 1265. He was, moreover, a
clerical pluralist of the first order, being at once canon and
chantor of York, archdeacon and canon of Lichfield and Coventry,
canon of London, canon of Hereford, and archdeacon of Stafford. It
is possible, however, that as in the case of Bishop Walter de
Merton, who held the great seal immediately before Cantilupe, the
King may have found no more ready means of paying his great officer
than by such preferments. In 1275 he became bishop of Hereford. His
episcopate was not a tranquil one. He vigorously maintained the
rights of his see against both Gilbert de Clare, Earl of
Gloucester, and John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury, the latter
of whom insisted on the visitation of Bishop Cantilupe’s diocese,
as his metropolitan; a claim which the archbishops were then
vigorously prosecuting. After a long dispute, Peckham solemnly
excommunicated the refractory Bishop of Hereford, who at once
proceeded to Rome, to lay his case before the Pope, Martin IV.
There is reason to believe, however, that as an excommunicated
person he could obtain from the Pope nothing more than “the promise
of a quick despatch and removal of delays;” and that he only
received absolution in the hour of his death, which occurred near
Orvieto, August 23, 1282. Richard Swinfield, his successor in the
see of Hereford, who had accompanied Bishop Cantilupe to Italy,
proceeded, probably at his own request, to separate the flesh of
his body from the bones by boiling. The flesh was interred in the
church of Santo Severo, near Orvieto; the heart was conveyed to the
monastic church of Ashridge in Buckinghamshire, founded by Edmund,
Earl of Cornwall; and the bones were brought to his own cathedral
at Hereford. As they were being conveyed into the church, says the
compiler of the Bishop’s “Life and Gests,” Gilbert Earl of
Gloucester approached and touched the casket which contained them,
whereupon they “bled afresh.” The Earl was struck with
compunction, and made full restitution to the Church of all the
lands which Bishop Cantilupe had rightly claimed from him.
Swinfield, who had been the constant companion of Cantilupe, and
many of the contemporary chroniclers, bear witness to the purity
and excellence of the Bishop’s life, and his tomb soon became
distinguished by miracles. The first of these, according to the
annalist of Worcester, occurred in April, 1287; at the time,
apparently, of the removal of his remains from the tomb in the
Lady-chapel to the shrine which had been provided for them in the
north transept. The number of marvels increased daily; for,
“superstition,” in Fuller’s words, “is always fondest of the
youngest saint;” and in 1289, Bishop Swinfield, who had brought
Cantilupe’s bones from Italy, wrote to the Pope requesting his
canonization. Many difficulties, however, were interposed; and in
spite of numerous letters from Edward I. and his son Edward II., it
was not until May, 1320, that the bull of canonization was issued
by Pope John XXII.[50] It is possible that the excommunication of
Cantilupe, and his connection with the Knights Templars, of which
Order he was Provincial Grand Master in England, were among the
causes of the delay. The Templars were arrested throughout England
in 1307; condemned in 1310; and in 1312 the Order was finally
dissolved in the Council of Vienne.
A book entitled “The Life and Gests of Saint Thomas Cantilupe,”
said to be compiled from evidences at Rome, collected before his
canonization, was published at Ghent in 1674. “No fewer than four
hundred and twenty-five miracles,” says Fuller, “are registered,
reported to be wrought at his tomb.... Yea, it is recorded in his
legend, that by his prayers were raised from death to life
three-score several persons, one-and-twenty lepers healed, and
three-and-twenty blind and dumb men to have received their sight
and speech[51].”
The arms of Cantilupe--Gules, three leopards’ heads jessant, with a
fleur-de-lis issuing from the mouth, or--have since his
canonization been assumed as those of the see of Hereford.
[A.D. 1283-1317.] RICHARD SWINFIELD, a native of Swinfield in Kent,
from which place he is said to have transported a small colony of
Kentish men to Herefordshire, laboured throughout his episcopate to
procure the canonization of his predecessor, which was not effected
until 1320. Bishop Swinfield, however, translated the remains of
St. Thomas Cantilupe to the new transept in 1287; and besides this
transept, the clerestory and upper portion of the choir, the
central tower above the roof, and the eastern transept as it now
exists, were either completed, or were in progress during his
episcopate. A curious roll of the household expenses of this Bishop
for the years 1289-1290 has been edited for the Camden Society,
with some very interesting annotations, by the Rev. John Webb.
[A.D. 1317, trans. to Worcester 1327.] ADAM ORLETON This Bishop had
joined the barons, under the Earl of Lancaster, against Edward II.
and the Spencers; and in 1323,--two years after the defeat of the
barons at Boroughbridge,--he was impeached in Parliament as having
given “countenance and assistance to the rebellion.” He refused, as
a Churchman, to be so tried, and was delivered to the custody of
the Archbishop of Canterbury, whence he was afterwards brought
before the bar of the King’s Bench. “These proceedings being looked
upon as a violation of the liberties of the Church, the Archbishops
of Canterbury, York, and Dublin, came immediately, with their
crosses erected, into the court, and carried off the Bishop
without giving him time to answer to the indictment[52].” The
Bishop was tried in his absence, however,--(the first English
bishop brought to trial in a temporal court,)--found guilty, and
his temporalities confiscated. But these had been restored before
1326, when Bishop Orleton joined the party of Queen Isabella. He
preached before her at Oxford, on the text “doleo caput,” (2 Kings
iv. 19,) inferring that a distempered “head” should be removed; and
the Queen proceeded with him to Hereford, where the younger Spencer
was hanged. Thence the Bishop wrote his famous letter to the
keepers of Edward II. at Berkeley Castle,--“Edwardum regem occidere
nolite timere bonum est.” In 1327 he was translated, by the
influence of the Queen, to Worcester; and in 1333 to Winchester,
where he died in 1345.
[A.D. 1327-1344.] THOMAS CHARLTON, Canon of York. In 1329 he was
Treasurer of England. In 1337 he was sent to Ireland as Chancellor,
and was afterwards Justiciary and “Warden” of that kingdom. In 1340
he returned to Hereford.
[A.D. 1344-1360.] JOHN TRILLECK. Little is recorded of this Bishop,
whose fine brass remains in the choir of the cathedral. (Pt. I. §
X.) He prohibited the performance of miracle-plays in churches
within his diocese.
[A.D. 1361-1369.] LEWIS CHARLTON; of some distinction as a
theologian.
[A.D. 1370, trans. to London 1375.] WILLIAM COURTENAY, son of Hugh
Courtenay, Earl of Devon. From London Bishop Courtenay passed to
Canterbury in 1381, and died 1396. As Bishop of London, and as
Archbishop, he was a strong opposer of Wickliffe. (See CANTERBURY
CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1375, trans. to St. David’s 1389.] JOHN GILBERT; was
translated to Hereford from Bangor. In 1386 he was Treasurer of
England.
[A.D. 1389-1404.] JOHN TREVENANT: sent on an embassy to Rome by
Henry IV. in 1400.
[A.D. 1404-1416.] ROBERT MASCALL: had been a Carmelite friar at
Ludlow; whence he proceeded to Oxford, and there, by his learning,
attracted the notice of Henry IV., who employed him on various
embassies. He built great part of the church of the Carmelites in
London, where he was buried. Bishop Mascall was present with Bishop
Hallam of Salisbury, at the Council of Constance, 1415, 1416.
[A.D. 1417, trans. to Exeter 1420.] EDMUND LACY. (See EXETER
CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1420, trans. to Chichester 1421.] THOMAS POLTON, Dean of
York. From Chichester he passed to Worcester in 1426.
[A.D. 1422-1448.] THOMAS SPOFFORD, Abbot of St. Mary’s at York; to
which monastery he returned in 1448, having resigned his see. “The
record of his abdication is printed in Rymer’s _Fœdera_, vol. x. p.
215: in Wilkins’s _Concilia_, vol. iii. p. 538, is a writ of pardon
for abdicating in favour of his successor, who was to allow him one
hundred pounds yearly out of the revenues. The Pope testified by
his bull that Spofford had expended on the buildings of his
cathedral upwards of two thousand eight hundred marks[53].” No part
of the cathedral itself can be of Bishop Spofford’s time; but
possibly he erected the cloisters.
[A.D. 1449, trans. to Salisbury 1450.] RICHARD BEAUCHAMP. For this
Bishop, one of the best architects of his time,--the superintendent
of the works at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor,--see SALISBURY
CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.
[A.D. 1451, trans. to Lichfield 1453.] REGINALD BOULERS, Abbot of
Gloucester.
[A.D. 1453-1477.] JOHN STANBERY, translated to Hereford from
Bangor. Bishop Stanbery was born at Stanbery, in the parish of
Morwenstow, on the north coast of Cornwall; and bequeathed a
“cross of silver gilt” to his baptismal church there. “He was
bred,” says Fuller, “a Carmelite in Oxford, and became generally as
learned as any of his order, deserving all the dignity which the
University did or could confer on him. King Henry the Sixth highly
favoured, and made him the first Provost of Eton; being much ruled
by his advice in ordering that, his new foundation. He was by the
King designed Bishop of Norwich, but William de la Pole, Duke of
Suffolk, got it from him for his own chaplain, and Stanbery was
fain to stay his stomach on the poor bishopric of Bangor, till,
anno 1453, he was advanced Bishop of Hereford[54].” The Bishop was
faithful to Henry VI. throughout his adversity, but was taken
prisoner after the battle of Northampton, (July, 1460,) and was
long confined in Warwick Castle. After his release he retired to
the Carmelite monastery at Ludlow, and died there in May, 1474. He
was interred in his own cathedral, in the chantry which he had
built and endowed during his life. (Pt. I. § XIV.)
[A.D. 1474-1492.] THOMAS MILLING, Abbot of Westminster, Privy
Councillor of Edward IV., and godfather to his son, Edward V. He
was buried at Westminster, where a stone coffin remains which is
supposed to have contained his body.
[A.D. 1492, trans. to Salisbury 1502.] EDMUND AUDLEY. (See
SALISBURY, Pt. II.) During his tenure of the see of Hereford he
constructed the chantry on the south side of the Lady-chapel. (Pt.
I. § XIX.) He was interred in the chantry he afterwards built at
Salisbury.
[A.D. 1502, trans. to Bath and Wells 1504.] HADRIAN DE CASTELLO,
who had been entrusted by Henry VII. with the management of all
business between England and the Papal Court, received both his
English bishoprics at Rome, and never saw either. (See, for a
fuller notice of him, WELLS CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1504-1516.] RICHARD MAYEW, Archdeacon of Oxford, President of
Magdalen College, and Chancellor of the University, was Henry the
Seventh’s Almoner, and was sent to Spain in order to conduct
Catherine of Arragon to England. He received the bishopric of
Hereford after his return. His fine tomb and effigy remain on the
south side of the choir. (Pt. I. § XXI.)
[A.D. 1516-1535.] CHARLES BOOTH, Chancellor of the Welsh Marches,
is best known as the builder of the north porch of his cathedral at
Hereford. His tomb adjoins it. (Pt. I. § VII.)
[A.D. 1535-1539.] EDWARD FOX, Provost of King’s College, Cambridge,
Almoner to Henry VIII., by whom he was employed on various
embassies. It was Fox who first introduced Cranmer to the King, and
Fuller calls him “the principal pillar of the Reformation, as to
the management of the politic and prudential part thereof, being of
more activity, and no less ability, than Cranmer himself[55].” He
had been the first to instigate Wolsey, as papal legate, to
commence a visitation of the professed as well as secular clergy,
in 1523, in consequence of the general complaint against their
manners. Bishop Fox died in London in 1538, and was interred in the
church of St. Mary Monthalt.
[A.D. 1539-1552.] JOHN SKIP. On Fox’s death, Edmund Bonner was
elected Bishop of Hereford, but before his consecration to that see
he was removed to London. Bishop Skip had been Archdeacon of
Dorset. He was one of the “notable learned men” associated with
Cranmer in drawing up the “Order of Communion,” (1548,) and was
probably one of those who assisted in compiling the first Common
Prayer-book of Edward VI.[56]
[A.D. 1553-1554.] JOHN HARLEY, was compelled to resign on the
accession of Mary because he was a “married priest,” and died a few
months afterwards.
[A.D. 1554-1558.] ROBERT PARFEW, or WHARTON, was translated from
St. Asaph.
[A.D. 1559-1585.] JOHN SCORY, translated from Chichester. As Bishop
of Hereford, Bishop Scory alienated many of the best manors
belonging to the see, but it is very doubtful whether it was in his
power to resist effectually the rapacity of the courtiers. It has
been proved (see EXETER CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.--Bishop Veysey) that in
many cases the bishops of this period have been blamed for
alienations which they had done their best to resist.
[A.D. 1586-1602.] HERBERT WESTFALING, Prebendary of Christ Church,
Oxford. Godwin, who knew him intimately, describes him as a bishop
of unusual excellence, of great purity of life, of great honesty
and integrity, and of such serious gravity that he was hardly ever
seen to smile. Sir John Harrington relates, that while Bishop
Westfaling was preaching in his cathedral, a mass of frozen snow
fell from the tower upon the roof, and so frightened the
congregation that they endeavoured to escape in all haste. But the
Bishop remained unmoved in his pulpit, calmly exhorting them to sit
still and fear no harm. All the revenues of his see were expended
in works of piety and hospitality by Bishop Westfaling, who left
nothing but his private inheritance to his family. He was buried in
the north transept, where his effigy remains. (Pt. I. § 12.)
[A.D. 1603-1617.] ROBERT BENNETT, Dean of Windsor. Bishop Bennett
was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where, says Sir John
Harrington, he was “an active man, who played well at tennis, and
could toss an argument in the schools even better than a ball in
the tennis court.” He was a vigorous defender of the privileges of
his see against the corporation of Hereford, and both he and his
predecessor Westfaling expended large sums in the restoration of
the episcopal residences at Hereford and at Whitbourn. Bishop
Bennett’s tomb with effigy remains on the north side of the choir.
(Pt. I. § X.)
[A.D. 1617-1633.] FRANCIS GODWIN, translated to Hereford from
Llandaff. Bishop Godwin was the compiler of the “Catalogue of the
Bishops of England,” to which all succeeding writers on English
Church history have been greatly indebted. He was the son of Thomas
Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and was born at Harsington in
Northamptonshire. In the year 1601 he became Bishop of Llandaff,
and in 1605 published the first edition, in English, of his
“Catalogue.” It was again published in Latin, in 1616, and in 1743
this Latin version was edited, in a large folio volume, by Dr.
Richardson, Canon of Lincoln, and Master of Emmanuel College,
Cambridge. Richardson made considerable additions to the book,
besides correcting numerous errors; and it is his edition of the
Commentary _De Præsulibus Angliæ_ that is alone to be relied upon.
“Bishop Godwin,” says Fuller, “was a good man, grave divine,
skilful mathematician, pure Latinist, and incomparable historian.
The Church of Llandaff was much beholding to him; yea, the whole
Church of England; yea, the whole Church Militant; yea, many now in
the Church Triumphant had had their memories utterly lost on earth,
if not preserved by his painful endeavours. I am sorry to see that
some have since made so bad use of his good labours, who have
lighted their candles from his torch, thereby merely to discover
the faults of our bishops, that their personal failing may be an
argument against the prelatical function[57].” Bishop Godwin also
wrote a life of Queen Mary, inserted in Kennet’s History of
England, vol. ii.; and “Annals of England under Henry VIII., Edward
VI., and Mary.” He was interred at Whitbourn, where the bishops of
Hereford had a palace, April 29, 1633. A good portrait of Godwin,
engraved by Vertue, is prefixed to Richardson’s folio.
[A.D. 1634, died in November of the same year.] AUGUSTINE LINDSELL,
translated from Peterborough.
[A.D. 1635, trans. to Norwich in the same year.] MATTHEW WREN. (See
NORWICH CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1635-1636.] THEOPHILUS FIELD, had been Bishop successively of
Llandaff and St. David’s.
[A.D. 1636-1646.] GEORGE COKE, translated from Bristol. He was
brother of Sir John Coke, Secretary of State under James I. and
Charles I. Bishop Coke fell upon the evil days of the civil war,
and like the rest of the bishops, was deprived of his see. “He was
a meek, grave, and quiet man,” says Fuller, “much beloved of such
as were subjected to his jurisdiction[58].” He died in 1650.
For fifteen years the see remained vacant. In
[A.D. 1661, died the same year,] NICHOLAS MONK, Provost of Eton,
was consecrated Bishop of Hereford. He was the brother of the great
Duke of Albemarle. Bishop Monk never visited his diocese, but,
dying at Westminster, was interred in the abbey church there.
[A.D. 1662-1691.] HERBERT CROFT, had been Dean of Hereford before
the Rebellion. In his youth he had embraced Romanism, and had been
received into the Order of Jesuits, but was reconverted by Bishop
Morton of Durham. Bishop Croft is said to have been especially
careful to promote none but the clergy of his own diocese to
honourable positions within it.
[A.D. 1691-1701.] GILBERT IRONSIDE, translated from Bristol.
[A.D. 1701-1712.] HUMFREY HUMPHRIES, translated from Bangor. Wood
declares him to have been “excellently versed in antiquities.”
[A.D. 1713-1721.] PHILIP BISSE, translated from St. David’s. Bishop
Bisse expended much on the cathedral and on the palace. In the
former he erected a Grecian altar-screen, which has been happily
removed during the late restoration.
[A.D. 1721, trans. to Salisbury 1723.] BENJAMIN HOADLY, trans. from
Bangor. See WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL, (to which see he was trans. from
Salisbury,) Pt. II.; but it should be added that the passage there
quoted from Hallam’s Constitutional History is far too favourable
to the character of Bishop Hoadly.
[A.D. 1724-1746.] HENRY EGERTON, fifth son of the third Earl of
Bridgewater.
[A.D. 1746-1787.] JAMES BEAUCLERK, eighth son of the Duke of St.
Alban’s.
[A.D. 1787-1788.] JOHN HARLEY, third son of the third Earl of
Oxford.
[A.D. 1788-1802.] JOHN BUTLER, translated from Oxford. Bishop
Butler owed his elevation to his powers as a political pamphleteer.
He was an effective assistant to Lord North in vindicating the
American War.
[A.D. 1803, trans. to Worcester 1808.] FFOLLIOTT HERBERT WALKER
CORNEWALL, translated from Bristol.
[A.D. 1808, trans. to St. Asaph 1815.] JOHN LUXMOORE, translated
from Bristol.
[A.D. 1815-1832.] GEORGE J. HUNTINGFORD, translated from
Gloucester. Bishop Huntingford had been made Warden of Winchester
College in 1789, and retained the wardenship until his death.
[A.D. 1832-1837.] EDWARD GREY.
[A.D. 1837, trans. to York 1847.] THOMAS MUSGRAVE.
[A.D. 1848--.] RENN D. HAMPDEN.
LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET
[Illustration]
A HANDBOOK
TO
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL.
WITH 7 ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1866.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
HISTORY AND DETAILS.
PAGE
HISTORY AND DATES 3
GENERAL CHARACTER 7
NORTH PORCH 8
NAVE 10
WESTERN BAYS 10
TRIFORIUM 10
CLERESTORY 14
NAVE VAULTING 15
SOUTH NAVE AISLE 16
NORTH NAVE AISLE 18
CENTRAL TOWER, PIERS OF 19
GREAT TRANSEPT 19
SOUTH TRANSEPT 20
NORTH TRANSEPT 22
CHOIR-SCREEN 23
CHOIR 25
STONE PULPIT 29
MONUMENTS 30
TOMB AND EFFIGY OF KING JOHN 30
PRINCE ARTHUR’S CHANTRY 33
SOUTH CHOIR-AISLE 34
SOUTH-EAST TRANSEPT 35
SCULPTURE AND MONUMENTS IN SOUTH-EAST TRANSEPT 37
EFFIGY OF AUDELA DE WARREN 38
RETRO-CHOIR 38
LADY-CHAPEL 40
EFFIGIES IN THE RETRO-CHOIR 41
NORTH-EASTERN TRANSEPT 44
NORTH CHOIR-AISLE 45
CLOISTERS 46
SEPULCHRAL SLAB, “MISERRIMUS” 47
SLYPE 48
CHAPTER-HOUSE 48
REFECTORY 49
DORMITORY 49
CRYPT 50
NORTH AND WEST DOORS 53
CENTRAL TOWER 54
GUESTEN HALL 55
EDGAR TOWER 56
DEANERY 57
PART II.
HISTORY OF THE SEE, WITH SHORT NOTICES OF
THE PRINCIPAL BISHOPS.
HISTORY OF SEE 58
SAXON BISHOPS, OSWALD--WOLFSTAN--LIVING--ALDRED--WOLFSTAN II. 59-62
LIST OF BISHOPS FROM 1096 TO 1861 67-81
MAUGER--CANTILUPE 68, 69
GIFFARD 70
CARPENTER 73
LATIMER 74
PRIDEAUX--STILLINGFLEET 77, 78
HOUGH--HURD 79-80
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
GENERAL VIEW _Frontispiece._
TOMB OF KING JOHN _to face_ 1
PLAN OF CATHEDRAL ” 1
PART OF CHOIR AND LADY-CHAPEL ” 25
CHANTRY OF PRINCE ARTHUR ” 34
CHAPTER-HOUSE ” 48
CRYPT ” 50
[Illustration: TOMB OF KING JOHN.]
[Illustration: GROUND-PLAN, WORCESTER CATHEDRAL.
Scale, 100 ft. to 1 in.]
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL.
PART I.
History and Details.
I. The chief authorities for the architectural history of Worcester
Cathedral are--the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester, and the _Annales
Ecclesiæ Wygorniensis_, compiled by a monk of Worcester at the beginning
of the fourteenth century[59]. From these it appears that in the year
1084 Bishop WULFSTAN “began the work of the Minster;” into which the
monks entered four years afterwards; and in 1092 Wulfstan held a synod
in the crypt, which he had “built from the foundations, and by the mercy
of God had dedicated[60].” Wulfstan died in 1095. In 1113 the city of
Worcester, with the cathedral church and the castle, were greatly
injured by fire. In 1175 the “new tower”--probably the central tower of
the cathedral--fell, as many other Norman towers had fallen; and in 1189
another great fire destroyed nearly the whole of Worcester. On this
occasion the cathedral escaped; but in 1202, at Eastertide, it was
burnt, (_igne conflagravit alieno_,) together with all the buildings and
offices attached to it. During the whole of the year before, however,
great miracles had been manifested at the tomb of St. Wulfstan, and many
sick persons were said to be cured there daily. Accordingly, on St.
Giles’s Day, (Sept. 1,) 1202, Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury,
came to Worcester with other bishops to enquire into the truth of the
reported miracles. Certain monks of Worcester took his favourable
judgment to Rome; and in the following year, 1203, St. Wulfstan was
canonized by Pope Innocent III., who so far honoured the new English
saint as to compose a prayer for his Office.
From this time offerings poured in daily at the tomb of St. Wulfstan;
and it was no doubt with the wealth thus acquired by the monastery that
the cathedral was restored. In 1207 King John visited Worcester; and
after praying at Wulfstan’s tomb, gave three hundred marks for the
repair of the cathedral. He was interred in the church in the year 1216,
(see § IX.); and in 1218 the cathedral was dedicated “in honour of the
Blessed Virgin and St. Peter, and of the holy confessors Oswald and
Wulfstan.” The young King, Henry III., was present, with a great company
of bishops, abbots, and nobles; and after the dedication the body of St.
Wulfstan was translated to its shrine near the high altar.
The cathedral, up to this period, had been a Norman and transition
Norman building. In 1221, on St. Andrew’s Day, during a great storm, the
two “lesser towers” of Worcester fell. There is no evidence that the
Norman nave terminated in western towers; and Professor Willis has
suggested that these “lesser towers” may have flanked the Norman choir
of Worcester, like those still remaining at Canterbury. Their fall may
have injured the choir, and the ruin thus effected may have assisted the
determination of the Bishop and Convent to expend the wealth which was
still pouring in before the shrine of St. Wulfstan, in the erection of a
more sumptuous church. At any rate, in 1224 the existing choir and
Lady-chapel were begun; Bishop William of Blois laying the foundations
of the new work of the east front; (_novum opus frontis_[61]). In 1281
the sacrist of the monastery received from the executors of Nicholas of
Ely, Bishop of Winchester, a sum of sixty marks, the Bishop’s legacy
toward the “rebuilding of the tower,”--no doubt the central tower of the
cathedral,--which was not, however, effected for nearly a century,
(1374). In the meantime, the Norman nave was partly removed and rebuilt.
Bishop Cobham vaulted the north aisle of the nave between 1317 and 1321;
and in 1377 Bishop Wakefield vaulted the nave itself.
II. These dates will assist us in examining the existing cathedral. Of
ST. WULFSTAN’s Church, begun as we have seen, in 1084, the crypt, which
extends at present under the choir and aisles, is the only certain
relic. But portions of Norman work, belonging, according to Willis, to
the first three quarters of the twelfth century, remain in the nave, at
the western end of the choir, and in the walls of the great transept.
The two westernmost bays of the nave are transition Norman, and there is
Norman work of the same period (the last quarter of the twelfth century)
in the great transept.
The choir, retro-choir, and Lady-chapel, with the choir-aisles and the
eastern transepts, are _Early English_, and were commenced in 1224. The
nave, with the exception of the two western bays, is of later date,
_Decorated_, (1317-1327,) on the north side; and Decorated with a strong
tendency to Perpendicular (_circ._ 1360?) on the south. The central
tower is also Decorated, and was no doubt the tower for which the
legacy of Bishop Nicholas of Winchester (1281) was intended. The
cloisters are Perpendicular.
The _Early English_ portion of the cathedral (the whole of the church
east of the central tower) is by far the most interesting, and affords
some very good examples of design and sculpture. On the whole, however,
although the entire building deserves, and will repay, careful
examination, it can hardly be said to rank among English churches of the
first class. The Norman cathedral, which covered nearly the same ground
as that which now exists, terminated eastward (as appears from the
crypt, § XXII.) in a broad apse, with small apsidal chapels attached at
the sides. The ground-plan of the existing building forms a double or
patriarchal cross[62], with a square eastern end. The whole north front
of the cathedral is seen at once as the Close is entered from the
High-street; but although the length (450 ft.) and general mass are
imposing, the view is hardly picturesque [_Frontispiece_]. The transepts
do not project far enough to break the long line satisfactorily, and
the whole work of the exterior (including the central tower) is
unusually plain. This view has, however, been greatly improved by the
recent (1865) lowering of the ground on the north side of the church
(including St. Michael’s churchyard) to the depth of at least four feet.
No good general point of view can be obtained on the south side of the
cathedral.
Since the year 1857 very extensive works, amounting in fact to a
rebuilding of much of the eastern portion of the church, have been
carried on under the superintendence of Mr. A. E. Perkins, architect to
the Dean and Chapter. These will be pointed out as we proceed. It may be
said here, however, that besides the great desecration and injury which
the building suffered from the troops of Essex in 1642, and again from
Cromwell’s soldiers after the battle of Worcester in 1651, it underwent
much unfortunate “restoration” during the eighteenth century. Much of
the work then done it was desirable to remove; and the condition of the
stone in many parts of the cathedral was such as to render extensive
repair absolutely necessary[63]. The stone used by the Norman and Early
English builders was from the Higley quarries, near Bridgenorth; these
quarries are in the sandstone; as are those at Holt, which were used by
the builders of the Perpendicular period. For the repairs and rebuilding
(1857-1863) stone has been brought from Ombersley, near Droitwich.
III. The entrance in the west front of the cathedral is said to have
been closed by Bishop WAKEFIELD, (1375-1395); who re-opened the original
north entrance, which had been closed, and built the present _north
porch_, through which we enter the cathedral. This is plain and of
little interest. The details of the original composition, which had been
much mutilated by injudicious repairs, have been carefully restored
under the direction of Mr. Perkins; and the lowering of the ground on
this side of the cathedral has permitted the removal of a flight of
steps, within the porch, which formerly descended to the level of the
nave. The roof is groined.
IV. The _nave_ (which has undergone, 1863-1865, a complete restoration,
externally and internally), is of nine bays, from the west front to the
central tower. It covers the same ground as the original Norman nave,
portions of which remain--at the north-east angle of the north aisle, (a
shaft and capital); on the west side of the outer face of the north
door, (a shaft and capital); and in the centre of the second piers from
the west, from both of which great Norman shafts project. There is also
a series of Norman arched recesses in the south aisle[64]. All these
fragments are pure Norman, and belong to the first three quarters of the
eleventh century. The two western bays are transition Norman, of the
last quarter of the century, and remain in their original state.
The piers of the two western bays are recessed in three orders, and,
together with the pointed arches that rest on them, have more Early
English feeling than Norman. The capitals of the shafts are of plain
Norman character. The _triforium_ is very peculiar. A pointed arch (of
which there are two in each bay) encloses three circular ones. Between
and beyond these inner arches rise reeded shafts, from the capitals of
which springs a zigzag moulding, repeating, in the tympana, the forms
of the circular arches. Below and above the zigzag are placed knots of
curled leafage, giving a dotted appearance to the whole composition,
which has neither the dignity of the earlier Norman nor the grace of the
Decorated work east of it. The clerestory has three arches in each bay;
the central arch round, with the zigzag moulding, and much higher than
the pointed side arches. The window openings, at the back of the central
arch, are filled with Perpendicular tracery. “In the pier arches and
triforium arches a plain round molding is employed, which runs without a
base up the pier, and continuously over the arch, forming an external
order or frame to it. A similar molding in front of this runs by the
side of a triple group of vaulting-shafts up to the clerestory string,
but is there cut off by the later vaulting-shafts.... Continuous
moldings are in Norman work usually confined to the inner arches of
doors and to windows. But I have observed the molding just described, as
framing a group of shafted pier arches, in several cases in the west of
England--as at Gloucester, the north side aisle of the choir at
Lichfield, and at Bredon Church, near Worcester--the latter evidently
the work of the architect of the western compartments of the
cathedral[65].” The clustered vaulting-shafts terminate in capitals of
transitional character, at the base of the clerestory. The vaulting
itself is of the same apparent character (Perpendicular) as that
eastward of these two bays; but Professor Willis has shewn that it must
have been erected before (though perhaps not much before) the vaulting
of the rest of the nave[66].
The west end of the nave was entirely altered by Bishop WAKEFIELD,
(1375-1395). He closed the western entrance; but the pointed arch, with
a circular arch on either side, which, until the late restoration, were
seen on the wall below the window, dated only from the last century.
Traces of Norman doors, however, were discovered by Mr. Perkins at the
ends of the aisles and in the central wall; proving that Bishop
Wakefield retained the original wall, and shewing us the extent of the
Norman nave. The space above the arches was entirely filled by a large
debased window, the glass in which was inserted in 1792. This window has
been happily replaced (1865) by an Early Decorated window of eight
lights, of the same architectural character as the Decorated work on the
north side of the nave, and equally enriched. (It is the gift of the
Hon. and Rev. John Fortescue, Canon of Worcester.) The Norman portal
beneath this window, the jambs of which were quite perfect, has been
opened.
Beyond the two western bays the nave is Decorated on the north side, and
early Perpendicular on the south, and the main arches rise much higher.
The two sides differ in the capitals and bases of their piers, in the
capitals of the vaulting-shafts, in the clerestory arches, and in the
ornamentation of the triforium. The north side, which is the earlier, is
also the richer.
Leland asserts that Bishop COBHAM (1317-1327) vaulted the north aisle of
the nave. This fixes the date of the Decorated work on the north side.
The bases of the piers differ from those opposite, and the capitals of
the shafts are enriched with excellent leafage, much undercut. This
“runs continuously round the pier, being inflected around the shafts, so
as to distinguish the groups without separating them, and with the
richest effect.” At the angles of the exterior hood-mouldings are small
heads of kings and bishops. The triforium has two pointed arches in each
bay, each arch enclosing two smaller ones. The shafts which support
these arches have capitals of leafage, and the tympana in the heads of
the larger arches are filled with sculptured figures. These, before the
late restoration, were so greatly decayed as to be quite undecipherable.
They have been re-worked as carefully as possible, but in most instances
the original subject was completely uncertain. The clerestory consists
of three pointed arches, with leafage on the capitals of the shafts, and
at the angles of the outer mouldings. The windows at the back are
Perpendicular insertions. Professor Willis has been the first to point
out that the triforium and clerestory of the two bays adjoining the
transition Norman work on this side of the nave, differ from the rest,
and are in fact Perpendicular, of the same character as the entire south
side. “We may conclude, therefore, that the north side of the Norman
nave was taken down first, and that when the portion in the Decorated
style had been completed, a pause in the work or a change of architects
happened, and the triforium and clerestory of these bays were then
completed in a different style[67].”
The vaulting-shafts run upward between each bay in groups of three. The
abacus from which the groining-ribs apparently spring, is partly a
continuation of the stringcourse at the base of the clerestory, and is
gracefully trefoiled.
The whole work on the north side of the nave is bolder and more
effective than that on the _south_. We have no record of the
construction of this side, but from its strong Perpendicular character
it can hardly be earlier than 1360. The clustered pier-shafts have much
smaller capitals of leafage than those opposite, and the leafage does
not pass round continuously. The design of the triforium resembles that
on the north side; but at the junction of the two smaller arches is a
bracket, once no doubt the support of a figure which rose against the
tympanum of the larger arch. All traces of these figures, however, had
disappeared, and they have been replaced by modern sculpture, executed
by BOULTON, under the direction of the architect. Small ancient figures
remain at the sides and intersections of the larger arches.
The clerestory is formed by three triangular-headed arches, of which the
centre arch, much higher and wider than the other two, follows nearly
the lines of the groining rib. The window at the back of the passage is
filled with tracery of Decorated character. The triangular form, which
is by no means usual, is that which prevails in the north transept of
Hereford, (see the Handbook for that Cathedral,) built at the end of the
thirteenth century for the reception of the shrine of St. Thomas
Cantilupe.
The groined vaulting of the nave--the work of Bishop Wakefield in
1377--has ridge and intermediate ribs, with bosses of foliage at the
intersections. The nave, which was covered with whitewash by the
“restorers” of the last century, has been thoroughly cleaned; and the
rich foliage of its capitals is now properly displayed. The present
flooring of the nave was laid down in 1748.
On the north side of the nave, in the fourth bay from the east, is the
high tomb, with effigies, of SIR JOHN BEAUCHAMP, of Holt, in
Worcestershire, (died 1388,) and his wife. The effigies, which are in
alabaster, have been terribly defaced. The knight’s armour is a good
example. The lady’s head rests on a swan with expanded wings--the crest
of the Beauchamps. The panels of the tomb itself are filled with shields
of arms. Immediately opposite, on the south side of the nave, is the
tomb, with effigies, of ROBERT WILDE (died 1608) and his wife. His body
rests in this cathedral, but his immortal part--
“Fœlices rapuere animæ, heroesque beati,
Illud ad æternas, Elysiasque domos.”
The sides of the tomb, divided into compartments by sun-flowers rising
from vases, and the scroll-work at the lower end, deserve notice.
On the south side of the nave, toward the west, is the canopied tomb,
with effigy, of RICHARD EEDES, Dean of Worcester, (died 1608). The Dean
is represented with moustache and beard, skull-cap, ruff, and gown open
in front, with hanging sleeves. Opposite, on the north side, is the
tomb, with effigy, of Bishop THORNBOROUGH, died 1641,--the latest
recumbent effigy of a bishop in the cathedral: he wears the rochet and
chimere with full sleeves.
V. The two western bays of the _south aisle_ of the nave are _transition
Norman_, like the western bays of the nave. The vaulting is
quadripartite. The rest of the aisle has late Decorated windows, filled
with a kind of flowing tracery, high in the wall, on account of the
cloister which runs outside; and into which there are two plainly-arched
entrances--the prior’s door in the bay nearest the transept, and the
monks’ door in the third bay from the west end. The vaulting of this
part of the aisle is lierne.
The wall of this aisle is, however, that of the Norman nave, as is
proved by a series of five Norman arched recesses, one opposite to each
of the present pier-arches. “Two of these at the east end are filled up
with monumental arches of the period of the present south architecture
of the nave. This is enough to shew that the semicircular arches existed
previously.... They were probably meant to receive the monumental arches
of distinguished persons, in the same way as at Hereford[68].”
The monuments in the south aisle are--in the second bay
from the transept, the much mutilated effigy of an unknown
ecclesiastic,--probably one of the priors of the monastery, represented
as vested for the eucharistic office,--under a canopied recess. The
date, according to Mr. Bloxam, is late in the fourteenth or early in the
fifteenth century. In the third bay, within a Decorated recess, is the
effigy of Bishop PARRY, (1610-1616,) “wearing the rochet and the
chimere, the latter reaching a little below the knees;” in the fourth is
a Perpendicular altar-tomb, with panelled front, of some unknown
personage; in the fifth is the tomb of THOMAS LITTLETON, Judge of the
Court of Common Pleas, died Aug. 23, 1481. The brass, which represented
him in his robes as Judge, was destroyed in the civil wars of the
seventeenth century. This is the celebrated Judge whose treatise on land
tenures was commented on by Sir Edward Coke in the reign of James I.,
and has still, in Fuller’s words, an “authentical reputation.” Littleton
was born at Frankley in Worcestershire, and was in great favour with
both Henry VI. and Edward IV. The Lords Lyttelton, of Hagley, are
descended from this family. In the sixth bay is an altar-tomb in a
recess for Bishop FREKE, (1584-1591,) with inscriptions in Greek, Latin,
and English. In the two last bays are mural monuments, both by BACON,
for SIR HENRY ELLIS, Colonel of the 23rd Regt., (Welsh Fusileers,) who
fell at Waterloo; and for RICHARD SOLLY, Esq., (died 1804); neither of
which deserve much notice. In the westernmost bay has been placed the
monument of Bishop GAUDEN, (died 1662,) the probable author of the
_Icon Basilike_. His effigy represents him with long hair, moustache,
and beard, wearing the rochet and chimere. This monument was formerly
against the wall on the north side of the choir, which has been removed.
(See § VII.)
The two western bays of the _north aisle_ are transition Norman, like
those opposite; but the Decorated vaulting (plain quadripartite, with
bosses) is carried throughout the aisle, and was the work of Bishop
Cobham between 1317 and 1321. The rest of the aisle, including the
windows, is Decorated. The west window contains some portions of ancient
glass; but is chiefly filled with modern glass of the worst description.
In the first bay counting from the west is a monument by WESTMACOTT for
the EARL OF STRAFFORD, and the officers and men of the 29th
(Worcestershire) Regiment, who fell in the Indian campaigns of 1845-6.
Unlike most memorials of this class, it possesses a little religious
character. In the second bay is a monument for the wife of GODFREY
GOLDSBOROUGH, Bishop of Gloucester, (died 1613). In the third bay is a
monument with small kneeling figures for the MOORE family, of Worcester;
date 1613.
The north porch opens from the fifth bay. From the eighth a small
Decorated chapel, called the _Jesus chapel_, is entered; which was
opened to the nave, as it now is, about 1750, when a new and singularly
hideous font was placed in it. The Decorated window on the north side
has been filled with stained glass by WAILES, as a memorial for the wife
of the Rev. CANON WOOD. The east window of the chapel has been closed.
Against the walls are tablets for Bishop FLEETWOOD, (died 1683); for
Bishop BLANDFORD, (died 1675); and for Bishop BULLINGHAM, (died 1576).
The upper and lower portions only of the effigy appear, the intervening
wall and inscription dividing them. (Similar monuments exist at
Lichfield and elsewhere.) “The dress is not very clearly developed, but
it certainly does not appear to have consisted of the episcopal robes.
Perhaps he was one interested in the vestiarian controversy of
1564[69].” This monument was removed from the choir wall. (See § VII.)
VI. The piers of the _central tower_ are Decorated, with small capitals
of leafage, of the same date and character as the south side of the
nave. It is certain, however, that a core of Norman masonry remains
within them, since Norman work is visible on the choir side of the
eastern piers, (see § VII.,) in the roof of the triforium of the choir,
and at the south corner of the east end of the north triforium of the
nave. The vaulting resembles that of the nave.
The _great transept_ has undergone much alteration. The walls, as high
as the level of the clerestory, are Norman; and, as appeared when they
were stripped of their plaster, are built of “uncoursed rubble work,
roughly laid with wide joints of mortar[70].” They may belong to the
first Norman church; but after the fall of the great tower in 1175 many
repairs and changes were made, to which the Norman work now apparent
evidently belongs. Further alterations were made in the thirteenth, and
again (perhaps by Bishop WAKEFIELD, died 1395) in the latter part of the
fourteenth century. The transept, like the rest of the church, is narrow
(32 feet) in proportion to its height (66 feet), and projects only 28
feet beyond the aisle wall. Like the transept at Gloucester, it is
without aisles. The circular staircase-turrets which project into the
transept at the north-west and south-west angles are peculiar, and are
far more decided features than those at Gloucester (see the Handbook for
that Cathedral) in the same situations. These are Norman as high as the
clerestory, where the change to Perpendicular is marked by a difference
of masonry. The masonry of the Norman portion is unusually good, and
should be noticed. The scraping of the walls of these towers “disclosed
the fact that they are built of stones of two colours, the one a white
or rather cream-coloured stone, the other a green stone. These are laid
in bands at the lower part, not regularly; but above the doorway the
courses are for a short distance alternately white and green in
horizontal stripes, after the manner of the cathedrals of Pisa, Siena,
and other Italian examples of the eleventh and twelfth centuries[71].”
The transition Norman work at the west end of the nave, and the
chapter-house, also display this particoloured masonry.
In the _south transept_, the south end has three divisions. The lowest
is plain, and shews the Norman wall. In the second are two transition
Norman window-arches, now closed. The capitals of the side shafts are of
Early English character, and the arches have a broad hollow zigzag
moulding. In the uppermost division is a fine three-light lancet window,
deeply splayed, and with a passage through the jambs. This has been
filled with stained glass, which can hardly be called good, by ROGERS,
from designs by PREEDY, as a memorial of QUEEN ADELAIDE. The subject is
a tree of Jesse. On the east side of the transept the arch into the
choir-aisle is Decorated; and in the adjoining bay a very fine Norman
arch, long closed, opens to an eastern chapel. This archway was
re-opened in 1862, and through it a very picturesque view is obtained of
the chapel beyond. The bays on this side of the transept are divided by
a group of transition Norman vaulting-shafts, which terminate at the
level of the clerestory, and support later groining.
The east and west walls of this transept were altered in the
Perpendicular period, in a manner which recalls the work in Gloucester
Cathedral, although the screen of tracery with which the Norman walls
have been overlaid is not so complete. On the east side this work begins
in the triforium, the openings in which are formed by a series of narrow
pierced panels, with transoms and foliated headings. As at Gloucester,
the wall behind this screen-work is Norman, and in the course of
restoration here the remains of the ancient triforium were discovered,
(1863). They are of transitional Norman character, much enriched. The
clerestory above is entirely Perpendicular. A pierced parapet runs along
at the base, and slender Perpendicular vaulting-shafts pass through both
the triforium and clerestory stages. The west wall has been overlaid
more completely with a Perpendicular screen-work, pierced for window
openings in all three stages. There is also a Perpendicular clerestory
window above the arch of the nave-aisle. Remains of two arches of the
Norman triforium have been found on this side of the transept. They are
plainer than those opposite, but may possibly be of the same date. The
vaulting of the transept is a plain lierne.
On the south side of this transept is a monument designed by ADAMS, and
executed by NOLLEKENS, for Bishop JOHNSON, (1759-1774). The bust is
fine. There is also a memorial of Bishop HURD, (1781-1808.)
In the east wall of the _north transept_ a Norman arch has been
discovered during the late restorations, occupying the same position as
that in the transept opposite, and of the same date. It now remains
open, to the thickness of the outer wall. The vaulting-shafts here are
Early English, banded, with capitals of Early English foliage. On the
north side was a modern Perpendicular window, which has been removed,
and replaced by a new window of early Decorated character. The east and
west walls have been overlaid with Perpendicular work in the same manner
as the opposite transept. The triforium panelling on the east side,
which had been built up, has been re-opened and restored. The
screen-work on the west wall is only pierced for a window in the
clerestory stage.
In this transept are monuments for--(north wall), Bishop STILLINGFLEET,
(1689-1699,) “jam tibi, quicumque hæc leges, nisi et Europæ et literati
orbis hospes es, ipse per se notus;” and (east wall), Bishop HOUGH,
(1717-1743,) by ROUBILIAC. A full-length effigy of the Bishop reclines
on the top of a sepulchre, upheld by a figure of Religion. The
inscription gives due praise to the “unbounded charity, the courteous
affability, and the engaging condescension” of the Bishop,--the
“ever-memorable President of Magdalen College, Oxford, who
providentially for this nation opposed the rage of Popish superstition
and tyranny.” A small bas-relief below the effigy represents the
President’s expulsion from Magdalen. There is also a tablet for Dean
HOOK, (died 1828,) brother of the more celebrated Theodore Hook.
VII. A flight of steps, rendered necessary by the elevation of the
crypt, which extends eastward from this point, ascends to the
_choir-screen_, between the two eastern piers of the tower; an atrocious
composition of lath and plaster, erected in 1812, and shortly, no doubt,
to be removed. Some of the small figures in the frieze were taken from
misereres in the choir, and will eventually be returned.
Passing beyond the screen, we enter the most interesting portion of the
cathedral. The whole building, east of the tower, is far richer and
better in detail than any part of the nave. The convent, in all
probability, was receiving larger sums from the pilgrims to the shrine
of St. Wulfstan during the thirteenth century, when the choir and the
parts connected with it were built, than during the fourteenth, when the
nave was erected. By that time the neighbouring churches of Hereford and
Gloucester had each their great shrine[72], which must have attracted
much of the wealth that would otherwise have found its way into the
treasury of Worcester.
Bishop William of Blois is recorded as having “begun the new work of the
front” in the year 1224. The plan of the new building involved a great
extension of the cathedral eastward. Beyond the site of the crypt, the
work was carried “to a length equal to double that of the Norman
presbytery, (exclusive of the probable Lady-chapel of the latter,) and
so adjusted as to place the central tower of the church exactly midway
between the east and west extremities of the entire building[73].”
Eastern transepts were also adopted. Professor Willis has been the first
to shew the order in which, in all probability, this new work was
erected. This is indicated by a difference in the moulding of the
vaulting-ribs. “The transverse vault-ribs of the side aisles and centre
of the work between the great tower and the small transepts (namely, the
present choir) have a hollow mold in their soffits; and this is also the
case
[Illustration: PART OF CHOIR AND LADY-CHAPEL.]
in those pier-arches of the work which have the dog-tooth. But the
transverse vault-ribs throughout the remainder of this work, namely, the
eastern transepts and Lady-chapel, have a projecting rib in their
soffit, corresponding to the moldings of their pier-arches[74].” “The
ribbed soffit, in fact, is confined to the portion of Early English work
which is founded upon the open ground of the cemetery, and was capable
of being erected complete, without disturbing any more of the existing
Norman presbytery than the circumscribing aisle and radiating chapels.
The hollow soffit, on the contrary, is used throughout the part of the
Early English work, which is based upon the walls of that portion of the
crypt which was allowed to remain. I conclude, therefore, that the
ribbed soffit-work was begun in 1224, and carried on without disabling
the Norman presbytery and the high altar; so that the services of the
Church continued in their original place, until the completion of this
first portion of the work made it necessary to pull down the Norman
presbytery, and erect the hollow soffit-work in its room, by which the
Early English structure was connected with the tower[75].”
The _choir_, [Plate I.,] like all the cathedral eastward of the tower,
has been restored under the direction of Mr. Perkins, architect to the
Dean and Chapter. (A design has (1866) been supplied by Mr. G. G. Scott,
for the stalls and fittings of the choir, a reredos and a western
screen, to be of metal and wood combined. This, it is hoped, may soon
be carried into execution.) The choir consists of five bays, the
easternmost of which, in a line with the eastern transepts, is
considerably wider than the others. The destruction of the Norman choir
was not complete; a portion of its walls was allowed to remain; and in
the present triforium, which extends over the aisles, Norman buttresses
exist, of the same character as those in the triforium of the two
western bays of the nave. Except at the southern surface of the north
wall of the choir, however, where it joins the tower, whatever Norman
masonry remained was entirely hidden by the rich Early English work of
the new choir. This has been compared to the Early English of Salisbury
Cathedral, begun in 1220, with which, no doubt, there is a certain
general resemblance. On the other hand, Lincoln Cathedral--probably the
first great Early English church built in England--was far advanced at
the death of St. Hugh in 1200; and there are some peculiarities at
Worcester--especially the ornamentation of the tympana in the triforium
arches, and the sculpture in the spandrils of the wall-arcades--which
strongly recall Lincoln. At any rate, Worcester Cathedral was one of the
earliest churches in England built in the new style, which, there is
much reason for believing, was invented by St. Hugh’s architect at
Lincoln.
The design first seen in the transition Norman portion of each bay of
the nave--one arch below, two in the triforium, and three in the
clerestory, (see § IV.)--was followed in this Early English work, as it
was in all the later portions of the cathedral. The octangular piers of
the choir have large shafts of Purbeck marble, alternating with white
stone; the Purbeck shafts ringed half way up. The shafts have foliaged
capitals; and the dog-tooth ornament is used (as at Salisbury) in the
mouldings of the main arches. The triforium in each bay consists of two
large arches, each enclosing two smaller, divided by a slender shaft,
with a plain capital of Purbeck. The groups of shafts between and at the
sides of the larger arches have capitals of leafage worked in oolite,
with Purbeck above. In the spandrils or tympana above the small central
shafts are sculptured figures. At the back of the outer triforium arches
is a wall, covered by an arcade with semi-detached shafts, so arranged
that the crowns of the arches are nearly on a level with the capitals of
the shafts in the main arcade. A very rich and intricate effect is thus
produced, which may be compared with that of the double arcades in the
choir-aisles of Lincoln Cathedral,--in all probability part of St.
Hugh’s work. The triforium passage itself, which extends over the
aisles, is shut out, by this arcaded wall, from the choir, which was no
doubt rendered much warmer by this arrangement. The clerestory has in
each bay three sharply-pointed arches; that in the centre being much
higher than the two others, with slender shafts and capitals of Purbeck
marble. The windows at the back, which had been filled with mean
Perpendicular tracery, have been restored to their original Early
English condition. A single vaulting-shaft of Purbeck rests on a
corbelled head at the intersection of the main arches, and terminates
in a capital of leafage at the base of the triforium. A second shaft
rises through the triforium stage, and terminates in a small capital at
the base of the clerestory. The vaulting itself is quadripartite, with
carved bosses.
The restoration of the choir, under Mr. Perkins, was begun in 1859. Much
of the stone-work was in so ruinous a condition that it was necessary to
replace it with new; but although the building has thus lost something
of its interest in the eyes of archæologists, it should here be said
that the repairs have been made with good judgment, and that no
unnecessary destruction of ancient work has taken place. Wherever it was
possible the old stone-work has been carefully cleaned, and is otherwise
untouched. This is the case with nearly all the leafage of the capitals,
which is unusually good and varied. The greater part of the figures in
the tympana of the triforium arches, however, were unfortunately
sculptured in the local stone, and had crumbled away so completely,
partly from the effects of time and partly perhaps before the matchlocks
of Cromwell’s troopers, that their subjects were hardly to be
deciphered. They have been restored, in accordance, as far as could be
ascertained, with the original design, by Boulton of Worcester, under
the direction of Mr. Perkins.
VIII. Evidences remain in the choir of earlier alterations and
additions. The piers adjoining the north-east transept had been thrown
greatly out of the perpendicular by the thrust of the arches. These
piers have now been reconstructed with the old materials in a sound
manner; and a wall pierced with quatrefoils, which had been built for
their support, between the two easternmost piers on the north side, has
been removed. The second pier from the organ, on the same side, also
appears to have shewn signs of weakness, and has been re-cased and
enlarged in Jacobean Gothic, with a curious base of masonry in the shape
of a tulip.
The _stone pulpit_, on the north side of the choir, was removed from the
west end of the nave about the middle of last century. It is late
Perpendicular work, with the emblems of the Evangelists placed on
truncated shafts in the panels. The sculpture at the back of the pulpit
apparently represents the Heavenly Jerusalem, with the Tree of Life in
the centre. The ancient stalls were partly destroyed by the Puritan
soldiery, the seats alone remaining. The present canopies date from the
reign of Charles II., but are of no great interest.
It is proposed to replace the present (modern) reredos by one of better
design and character; and to erect a low stone screen, allowing a view
into the transept beyond it, between the piers on the north side of the
altar.
In December, 1861, a leaden coffin, moulded to the shape of a body,
which had been enclosed in an outer coffin of wood, was discovered
beneath the flooring at the east end of the choir. It no doubt contained
the embalmed body of WILLIAM, fourth MARQUIS and second DUKE OF
HAMILTON, who was mortally wounded at the battle of Worcester in 1651,
and was interred here,--since his body was not allowed to be conveyed to
Scotland.
IX. The monuments of especial interest in the choir, are the tomb with
effigy of King John and the chantry of Prince Arthur.
The tomb of KING JOHN [_Title-page_] stands in the centre of the second
bay from the east, immediately before the step ascending to the
sanctuary. In 1797 a coffin with the remains of the King, was found
below the pavement. It is expressly said that King John was buried
between the shrines of SS. Oswald and Wulfstan, (see Pt. II. for short
notices of both saints,) and that a prophecy of Merlin (who is
constantly mentioned by the chroniclers of this period) was thereby
fulfilled:--“Et inter sanctos collocabitur.” The King was buried, it
must be remembered, in the Norman presbytery, the apse of which
terminated nearly in a line with the third piers (counting from the
east) of the existing choir. On the reconstruction of the choir and
presbytery by the Early English builders, the altar was removed to
nearly its present position, and the King’s coffin and tomb were also
carried eastward, so as to occupy the same position with respect to the
high altar and the shrines as they had done in the Norman Church. In
both the Norman and the Early English presbyteries the shrines of the
two saints “were deposited in front of the high altar, in the same
manner as St. Dunstan and St. Elfege in the cathedral of
Canterbury[76].” In either case the King might be said to have been laid
“between” them. King John died at Newark, October 19, 1216, commending
his body and soul to God, and to St. Wulfstan, the last great English
saint who had been canonized. His body, arrayed in royal apparel, was
accordingly conveyed to Worcester, where it was interred by the Bishop,
Silvester of Evesham[77].
The high tomb on which the King’s effigy rests is a work of the
sixteenth century, and was probably constructed when Prince Arthur’s
chantry was erected[78]. “The sides of the tomb are divided into three
square compartments by panelled buttresses; each compartment contains a
shield, bearing the royal arms, within a quatrefoil richly cusped; the
spandrels are also foliated and cusped. Though of no unusual design it
has a rich effect, and the base mouldings are numerous[79].” On this
tomb rests the effigy of King John, the earliest effigy of an English
monarch remaining in this country. It was no doubt originally the cover
of the stone coffin in which the King’s remains were discovered in 1797.
The effigy was evidently sculptured soon after the interment of the
King; and represents him in the regal habiliments. “First, the tunic,
yellow, or of cloth of gold, reaching nearly to the ancles, with
close-fitting sleeves, little of which is apparent. Over the tunic is
worn the dalmatic, or outer robe, of a crimson colour, with wide
sleeves, edged with a gold and jewelled border: this is girt about the
waist by a girdle, and buckled in front; the pendent end of the girdle,
which is jewelled, falling down to the skirt of the dalmatic. At the
back is worn the mantle; but little of this is visible. On the feet are
sandals, to the heels of which are affixed spurs. On the hands are
gloves, jewelled at the back; the right hand has held a sceptre, the
lower portion of which only is left; the left hand grasps the hilt of
the sword. On the head is worn the crown; the face has both the
moustache and beard, and the hair is long. On either side of the head is
the figure of a bishop holding a thurible or censer, perhaps intended to
represent St. Oswald and St. Wulfstan. Roger de Hoveden, in his Annals,
treating of the coronation of Richard I., enumerates the regal
vestments, and how worn, and his description may be applied to this
effigy. In the crown, in the mitres of the bishops, and on different
portions of the robes appear cavities for stones, paste, or glass,
imitative of jewels. The feet of the effigy rest against a lion, in
whose jaws the point of the sword is inserted[80].”
The coffin in which the King’s remains were discovered in 1797 (at the
beginning of some repairs in the cathedral) was found at the bottom of
the tomb, level with the pavement. It was cut out of Higley stone, and
only covered with two elm boards. “Part of the royal apparel was firm in
texture, but the colour was gone; part of the sword and leather sheath
were lying on the left side of the body, but much mouldered; the boots
on the feet were more perfect; part of one of the robes appeared to have
been embroidered: the head was covered with a close-fitting scull-cap,
which appeared to have been buckled under the chin. A quantity of a sort
of white paste, which lay in lumps, was, I think, the salt of which
Matthew Paris speaks, used for preserving the body for a time. The tomb
was shortly after closed. It is hardly to be doubted that the body of
the King had been arrayed in the same apparel as that exhibited on his
effigy[81].”
X. PRINCE ARTHUR, the eldest son of Henry VII., born at Winchester in
1486, died at Ludlow Castle April 2, 1502, and was brought to this
cathedral for interment. His chantry fills the whole bay on the south
side of the altar, and is a very rich example of late and elaborate
Gothic. [Plate II.] The sides are formed of open and closed panel-work,
enriched with figures and heraldic devices, among which occur the rose,
fetter-lock, and portcullis. The small figures, however, are rudely
executed, and have been greatly injured. Within, the chantry has a flat
groined roof, with curious flying supports. In the central panel are the
arms of the Prince, with stags as supporters. At the west end is a small
seated figure of Henry VII. The east wall is covered by a rich mass of
tabernacle-work, with niches. In the central niche is a small figure of
the Saviour on the Cross, with censing angels at the head. On either
side are figures of saints, one of which is apparently St. George. The
whole has been terribly shattered, but the details deserve attention. In
the centre of the chantry is the high tomb of the Prince, with shields
and armorial bearings in the side panels. There is no effigy.
XI. Passing out of the choir we ascend from the transept into the _south
choir-aisle_ by a flight of five steps, rendered necessary by the crypt
below. The aisle is of the same date and character as the choir, and an
Early English chapel, which, has been restored in the same manner as the
choir, opens from the two westernmost bays. The view into this chapel
from the south transept has already (§ VII.) been noticed. From within
the chapel the fine and lofty Norman arch, receding in three orders,
which opens to the
[Illustration: CHANTRY OF PRINCE ARTHUR.]
transept, is well seen. It is of late Norman character. A doorway in the
south wall, close to this arch, now opens to the apartments formerly
used as treasuries, over the narrow ‘slype’ or passage between the great
south transept and the chapter-house.
XII. A descent of five steps, indicating the termination of the crypt,
which extends only beneath the choir and its aisles, leads into the
_south-east transept_. The bay on the north side is filled by the screen
of Prince Arthur’s Chapel. The transept itself is Early English, of the
same general character as the choir. The northern bay is precisely
similar to the choir in the arrangement and design of its lower arches
(opening to the aisles east and west), the triforium, and clerestory.
The southern bay has its three sides pierced with two tiers of triple
lancet windows set back in the wall, with a passage through the jambs.
The inner arches are supported by clustered shafts of Purbeck marble,
ringed. An arcade, with sculptures in the spandrils, runs below the
windows. The vaulting is quadripartite, with bosses of leafage, of
unusual beauty, at the intersections.
The south, east, and west walls, with the windows of this transept, were
in so ruinous a condition before the late restoration, that it was found
necessary to take it entirely down. Every stone was marked, and it has
been rebuilt precisely as before. The sculptures in the spandrils of the
arcade were also much shattered, and those on the east side are in
effect modern works by Boulton of Worcester. They are, however, direct
reproductions of the old ones, as far as they could be deciphered. It
has been suggested, and apparently with truth, although the arrangement
is by no means clear, that the entire series was intended to represent
the life present, and that to come. Beginning at the north-west angle,
the subjects are--A bishop giving his benediction; knights fighting with
lions and centaurs, (the world and its temptations); St. Michael
weighing souls; demons torturing souls over flames, (purgatory); the
mouth of hell--demons drawing in souls. North side--Two figures carrying
a body, (the burial of Adam?); the expulsion from Paradise; an angel
dismissing souls to punishment(?). (From this point the figures look in
the opposite direction.) The Resurrection; the dead breaking their
coffin-lids; an angel sounding a trumpet; an angel bearing the cross;
the Saviour in judgment. East side--An angel with a trumpet; a seraph;
an angel with a lute; the coronation of the just(?); St. Gabriel with a
lily; St. Michael with the dragon; an angel bearing a crown.
The sculptures may be compared, for both design and execution, with
those on the west front of Wells Cathedral, which are nearly of the same
date. The imagery used here is not of so refined or dignified an order
as that at Wells, but the whole work deserves careful attention.
There is a piscina in the south wall, and aumbries remain in the walls
east and west.
XIII. Against the south wall of this transept, and connected with the
arcade in a remarkable manner, is the effigy of a knight, on a raised
tomb of comparatively recent date. The effigy is that of a knight of the
HARCOURT family, and belongs to the early part of the fourteenth
century. The armour is of ringed mail, with the exception of the poleyns
at the knees, which are of plate. The shield has the arms of
Harcourt--Gules, two bars or. The small brass plate below, with the
inscription “Ici gist sur Guilliamme de Harcourt,” is not coeval with
the effigy, which is slightly raised on the left side.
In the centre of the transept is a high tomb, of good character, from
which the brasses had been removed, for SIR GRYFFYTH RYCE, (died 1523).
The ancient inscription remains; and brasses by HARDMAN have taken the
places of the originals.
Inclosed within the screen-work of Prince Arthur’s chantry are two high
tombs, with effigies, which deserve especial attention. They are both
apparently of the same date, (early in the fourteenth century,) and have
been assigned, the westernmost to Bishop GIFFARD, (died 1302,) and the
eastern to AUDELA, wife of JOHN DE WARREN. The fronts of the tombs,
which are of Purbeck, have quatrefoiled compartments, in which are
sculptures, now much mutilated. Bishop GIFFARD’S effigy “represents the
chin close shaven. The mitre is ornamented with quatrefoiled and other
concavities, in which stones, glass, or paste have been set, to
represent jewels.” The square apparel of the amice in front of the
breast, the collar, and the episcopal boots, seem also to have been set
with stones. “The folds of the chasuble are well and tastefully
arranged[82].”
The effigy of AUDELA DE WARREN, “which is beautifully executed,
represents her in the veiled headdress, and the wimple or gorget, ...
the latter perhaps a sign of widowhood, leaving but a small portion of
the face visible. The veil is very tastefully disposed.... Over the gown
is worn a mantle, on the left side of which is a lozenge-shaped fermail,
to fasten the mantle in front, in a somewhat unusual fashion. The left
arm is gone; the right arm reclines on the breast, and in the hand is
held a string of prayer-beads, or, as they were anciently called, a pair
of paternosters, with larger ones at intervals; an early and singular
instance of their being thus represented, the beads being gracefully
disposed, and not hanging down formally. The feet rest against a whelp.
The admirable manner in which this effigy is treated is worthy of all
praise. The mantle and gown were formerly covered with painted shields,
representing the arms of Warren, Checky, argent and sable, and those of
Blanchminster, Argent, fretty gules[83].” Audela was the daughter and
heiress of Griffin de Blanchminster.
XIV. Immediately beyond the transept a good general view occurs of the
_retro-choir_ and Lady-chapel. The aisles extend to the end of the
retro-choir, which is three bays in depth. The Lady-chapel forms an
additional eastern bay. All this part of the cathedral is of the same
general design as the choir; but, as a result of the lower level, the
main arches are loftier than those of the choir, and a much finer effect
is consequently produced. Together with the eastern transepts, this part
of the church was, as has been already shewn, constructed before the
western end of the choir; and besides the difference of mouldings, it is
distinguished by the rich wall-arcade which runs round below the
windows. Bishop GIFFARD (1268-1302) is said to have ornamented the
columns “of the east part of the church” with brass rings, (which still
remain, occupying the usual place of stone bands in Early English
shafts,) but the main work was probably completed long before his
accession. The brass rings occur on the intermediate piers throughout
choir, presbytery, and Lady-chapel. Similar rings occur in Westminster
Abbey, (in that portion of the nave which contains the choir stalls,)
where they are probably of the same date as those at Worcester.
Professor Willis has shewn that the shafts in this cathedral were
originally fixed to the piers by iron cramps, such as may still be seen
in the church at Pershore; and that the brass rings were additions for
covering the joint[84].
The dog-tooth moulding does not occur in the arches of the retro-choir,
and there are some slight differences between the foliage of the
capitals in this part of the cathedral and of those in the choir. The
restoration has included this part of the church, and the sculptures in
the spandrils of the triforium (which were little more than shapeless
masses of stone) have been restored by Boulton, under the direction of
the architect.
The windows in the aisles are triple lancets, at the back of inner
arches, supported by slender shafts of Purbeck marble. The dilapidated
Perpendicular tracery with which the lights were filled has been
removed, leaving the windows in their original state. Under the windows
runs a wall-arcade resembling that already described in the transept,
with trefoiled arches, and sculptures in the spandrils. Many of these
have been restored, but all deserve careful notice. The subjects
are--masses of foliage; knights fighting with monsters; mystic animals,
such as the basilisk and cockatrice, and others described in early
bestiaries. In the north aisle is a bishop offering a church, and in the
south the Crucifixion. Nothing like a definite arrangement can be traced
throughout the series. The vaulting of both aisles is quadripartite,
with small bosses.
The east window of the north aisle has been filled with very good
stained glass by HARDMAN, in memory of the late Hon. and Rev. Canon
COCKS. That in the south aisle is a memorial of the Rev. ALLEN WHEELER,
B.D.
The _eastern bay_, in which stood the altar of the Lady-chapel, was
disfigured by a large debased window, inserted early in the present
century; and was, before the restorations, in a dangerous condition. It
was found necessary to rebuild the east wall entirely; and two tiers of
lancet lights, five in each tier, have been inserted, in strict keeping
with the architecture of all this part of the cathedral. Two lancets,
one above another, are placed in the north and south walls. A very
beautiful wall-arcade, of the same character as that in the aisles and
transepts, but more enriched, runs round below the windows. This is
entirely new, and the very good sculptures in the spandrils were
executed, under direction, by BOULTON of Worcester. The subjects at the
east end are--Isaiah; Abraham and Isaac; the selling of Joseph; the
brazen serpent; Jonah; and Jeremiah. Foliage and grotesques, copied from
the older spandrils, are repeated at the sides. The eastern lancets have
been filled with stained glass by HARDMAN, given to the cathedral by the
citizens of Worcester. In the central lower light is the Crucifixion;
above, the Ascension. A series of medallions, representing the principal
events in the life of our Lord, fill the remaining lancets. The glass is
very good, though perhaps a little thin in quality. The spandrils above
the lights in both tiers have been filled with sculpture by BOULTON;
chiefly figures of angels.
XV. On the north side of the chapel is a small mural slab, with flowers
at the sides and an urn above, for ANNE, wife of IZAAC WALTON, who no
doubt wrote the inscription, which is as follows:--“Ex terris ... M.S.
Here lyeth buried so much as could die of Anne, the wife of Isaac
Walton, who was a woman of remarkable prudence, and of the Primitive
Piety. Her great and generall knowledge being adorned with such true
humility, and blest with so much Christian meeknesse as made her worthy
of a more memorable monument. She died (alas that she is dead!) the 17th
of April, 1662, aged 52. Study to be like her.” The wife thus
commemorated was the sister of Bishop Ken. Walton himself survived until
1683, and was interred in Winchester Cathedral.
XVI. In the arcade of the south aisle are monuments for JOHN BANKS
JENKINSON, Bishop of St. David’s, who died at Malvern in 1840; and for
Prebendary DAVISON, Fellow of Oriel, who died in 1834, the author of a
well-known work on Prophecy. On the floor of this aisle is the recumbent
effigy of an _unknown lady_, of the fourteenth century. The head is
covered with a veil. “The folds of the gown are disposed with great
breadth, taste, and skill.... The feet rest against a whelp or dog. This
effigy is sculptured in high relief out of a slab somewhat
coffin-shaped, and is one of the most beautiful mediæval monumental
relics in the cathedral. It is indeed well worthy of artistic
study[85].” This effigy is not in its original position. The much
mutilated figure near it, also of the fourteenth century, was found
recently at the foot of the steps of the south-east transept.
At the back of the choir-screen, to which place it was removed within
the last century, is a high tomb with an effigy, which probably
represents the last Abbot of EVESHAM, Philip Ballard de Hawford, who
died between 1550 and 1558. The tomb is of earlier date. The Abbot, who
wears the _mitra preciosa_, is fully vested. The pastoral staff, placed
on the left side, is covered with the veil. The effigy is of alabaster.
On the floor, and immediately in front of the easternmost bay which
contained the altar of the Lady-chapel, are three episcopal effigies,
two of which are of much interest. The most northernly, which according
to Mr. Bloxam is the earliest episcopal effigy in the cathedral, is
assigned by him to Bishop WILLIAM OF BLOIS, (died 1236,) who laid the
foundation of this part of the church. “The effigy is sculptured in low
relief, on a coffin-shaped slab, and was probably set originally on the
stone coffin which contained the remains of the Bishop.... On the head
is the low mitre; about the neck is seen the amice. In front of the
breast, on the chasuble, is a lozenge-shaped ornament like a morse, in
which stones, glass, or paste have been inserted.” Under the chasuble
appears the alb, above which one of the fringed extremities of the stole
is visible. The maniple hangs on the left arm. The pastoral staff
crosses the body diagonally, from the left shoulder to the right foot.
On each side of the head is Early English foliage. The southernmost
effigy is assigned by Mr. Bloxam to Bishop WALTER DE CANTILUPE, who died
Feb. 12, 1266. It is sculptured in Purbeck marble, and represents the
Bishop with a moustache and beard, wearing the low mitre, the alb, the
stole, the dalmatic, and the chasuble. The amice is round the neck. “I
believe,” writes Mr. Bloxam, “this effigy to have been originally placed
as the lid to and on the stone coffin of Bishop Walter de Cantilupe, and
to have been sculptured and prepared during the lifetime of that
bishop. Great care has evidently been taken in its execution, and as a
specimen of the monumental sculpture of the middle of the thirteenth
century it is not without considerable merit[86].” A coffin, containing
the remains of a bishop in his episcopal vestments, in all probability
Walter de Cantilupe, was found in December, 1861, under the wall on the
north side of the choir, near the east end. On measuring this coffin,
and comparing it with the effigy described above, they were found to
correspond exactly. The central effigy, which is much mutilated, is
either that of Bishop BRIAN (died 1361) or Bishop LYNN (died 1373).
In the central bay of the _north_ aisle is the effigy of an _unknown
lady_, of the thirteenth century, and the earliest female effigy in the
cathedral. It “is not of much merit as a work of art, but if the lady is
here represented of the natural size, she must have been 6 ft. 3 in. in
height. I think, however, from the examination of not a few examples,
that many early sepulchral effigies were greatly exaggerated as to
size[87].” In the adjoining bay is the effigy (also 6 ft. 3 in. in
height) of an unknown _knight_, temp. Henry III. He wears mailed armour,
with the long surcoat over it.
XVII. The _north-eastern transept_ precisely resembles that opposite.
The windows have been rebuilt, and restored where necessary, but without
any alteration of the original design. The sculptures in the
wall-arcade are curious and interesting, but no principle of
arrangement is evident.
On a high tomb in the centre of the transept is a full-length figure, by
CHANTREY, of CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH, wife of the Rev. WILLIAM DIGBY, who
died in 1820. The sculpture is fine, but the design is scarcely
appropriate, and suffers infinitely when compared with the repose and
dignity of the earlier effigies in this cathedral.
Against the south wall of the transept, between it and the choir, under
a Decorated arch, is an effigy which has been ascribed to Bishop COBHAM,
(died 1337). “The head, which is mitred, reposes on a square double
cushion, supported by much mutilated figures of angels. The vestments,
consisting of the chasuble, dalmatic, tunic, and alb, are not well
defined[88].” Below this, “on a high tomb of the seventeenth century,
and under a pointed arch of the fourteenth century,” is an effigy
assigned to Bishop WULSTAN BRANSFORD, died 1349. He wears the chasuble,
the dalmatic, and the alb. “The chasuble is enriched with the orfrey, or
super-humerale, an ornament not unlike the archiepiscopal pall, hanging
down in front, and fringed at the lower extremity[89].”
XVIII. The _north choir-aisle_, of the same general character as that
opposite, has also been restored. The beauty of the capitals and bosses
of foliage is here especially noticeable. In the last bay toward the
west, on the west side of the window, and high in the wall, is a small
oriel window, of Perpendicular date, formerly communicating with the
sacrist’s lodgings. There is now no access whatever to it; but Norman
arches in the wall (evident from without) indicate the existence of a
sacrist’s chamber, and probably of a window afterwards replaced by that
now existing, before the rebuilding of the choir in the thirteenth
century. From the window the position of the great shrines at the head
of the choir was commanded, and it perhaps served as a watching-chamber.
In this aisle (removed from the south transept) is the monument of
Bishop MADDOX, (1743-1759,) who had “an exact knowledge of the
constitution of this national Church.”
XIX. In the easternmost bay of the south aisle of the nave a door (the
Prior’s entrance) opens to the _cloisters_. These are of Perpendicular
date, but their construction has not been recorded. They are (1866)
undergoing a complete restoration, externally and internally; and the
debased stone-work, inserted in the windows in 1762, has been removed.
The exterior was so dilapidated that an entire re-casing was necessary;
but the ancient details have been most carefully decyphered and
restored. Although very perfect, however, the cloisters are of no great
interest or beauty. The arrangement of the vaulting-shafts on the piers
between the windows should be noticed, as well as the flowing tracery on
the sides of the arches. The use of the squared openings in the piers,
on three sides of the cloisters, is quite uncertain, and Professor
Willis has suggested that it may have been a mere caprice of the
builder[90]. The vaulting of the cloisters is lierne, with bosses of
foliage. In the west walk the ancient lavatory remains.
In the north walk is the well-known sepulchral slab, with the single
word _Miserrimus_. This “most wretched one” was the Rev. THOMAS MORRIS,
Minor Canon of Worcester, and Vicar of Claines, about two miles north of
the city. At the Revolution he refused to take the oaths to William
III., and consequently lost his preferments. He was supported by the
richer Nonjurors, and in allusion to his destitute condition ordered
this single word to be engraved on his tomb-stone. The inscription thus
really intimates a very different feeling from that suggested in
Wordsworth’s sonnet:--
“ ... Himself alone
Could thus have dared the grave to agitate,
And claim, among the dead, this awful crown.
Nor doubt that he marked also for his own,
Close to these cloistral steps a burial place,
That every foot might fall with heavier tread,
Trampling upon his vileness. Stranger, pass
Softly!--To save the contrite, Jesus bled.”
XX. Although the cloisters are not in themselves of any unusual
interest, they afford one of the best illustrations remaining in England
of the manner in which the chief monastic buildings were grouped about
them. On the _east_ side is a passage formerly leading to the prior’s
house, and beyond it the chapter-house. On the _south_ side is the
refectory, now used as a school-room. On the _west_ side, close to the
lavatory in the wall, is the entrance to the _dormitory_, which has
itself been destroyed; and beyond again is a narrow passage (in which
are staircases communicating with the triforium of the nave, and with
the upper part of the dormitory) by which the west front of the church
was approached from the cloisters.
The _slype_, or arched passage in the east walk, is Norman, (with some
details, on the north side, of very early character,) and separates the
chapter-house from the south wall of the great transept. Between the
entrance to this passage and the chapter-house are two recesses in the
wall, which may be compared with those in a similar position at Norwich;
(see the Handbook for that Cathedral). Their original use is unknown.
The _chapter-house_ [Plate III.] is circular within, (as it was without
until the Perpendicular casing was added,) but is divided into ten bays
by vaulting-ribs which spring from a central column, and from shafts at
the sides. Without, the building is decagonal, with a buttress between
each bay. The lower part of the chapter-house, the central column, and
the vaulting, are transition Norman, of nearly the same date as the two
western bays of the nave. Early in the sixteenth century, however, a
Perpendicular window was inserted in the upper part of each bay, and the
exterior of the building was entirely cased with Perpendicular masonry.
The doorway
[Illustration: THE CHAPTER-HOUSE.]
opening from the cloisters is Perpendicular. A plain circular arcade,
slightly recessed, runs round the interior, above a stone bench. A
second arcade, of interlacing arches, covers the upper part of the wall,
and is surmounted by a stringcourse with the billet-moulding, the whole
being in alternate courses of grey and white stone. Above this are the
Perpendicular windows. The chapter-house has shared in the late
restoration.
XXI. At the end of the east walk of the cloisters is a passage under the
refectory, to the Close beyond. The _refectory_ (120 ft. long) extends
the whole length of the south walk. There is an entrance to it near the
south-west end. The lower part, or crypt, is early Norman; the room
above, a long parallelogram, is Decorated, of the reign of Edward III.
It is now used as the school-room of the “King’s school,” founded by
Henry VIII. after the dissolution of the priory.
In the west walk is the lavatory (Perpendicular), already mentioned, and
the entrance (Perpendicular) to the _dormitory_; this, like the
refectory, was a long parallelogram. The foundations of the walls have
been traced, and portions of a row of columns (Perpendicular) which ran
down the centre of the undercroft.
At the north-west angle of the cloister is the monks entrance to the
cathedral. The cloister terminates nearly in a line with the third bay
of the nave. Parallel with the last two, or transition Norman bays, is a
narrow arched and vaulted passage, also transition Norman, of very good
character, with a doorway of the same date at the western end. On the
south side of this passage there is a staircase which led to the
dormitory, and at the north-west angle one which leads to the triforium
of the south aisle of the nave.
Beyond this passage a view is obtained of the very plain _west front_,
with its Norman portals and modern Decorated window.
XXII. On the _north side_ of the cathedral, between the north porch and
the west front, stood the “Carnerie,” or charnel-house chapel, built by
Bishop William de Blois in the thirteenth century, and demolished in
1677. The crypt is still remaining, although no trace of it is visible
above ground. The two transition Norman bays on this side had apparently
shewn signs of weakness in the Perpendicular period, when the existing
flying buttresses were erected. A third occurs between the two
transepts, and close beyond it is the entrance to the _crypt_. [Plate
IV.]
This is by no means the least interesting portion of the cathedral,
since it is unquestionably the work of WULFSTAN, and the only part of
the building which can be assigned to him. In 1084 Wulfstan began the
rebuilding of the monastery, and in 1094 he held a synod in the crypt of
the cathedral, “which he had built from the foundation.” This was no
doubt the existing crypt, which extends under the choir and its aisles.
The main piers, which are solid masses of masonry, stand immediately
below those in the choir. In the central division of the crypt, the
vaulting is carried on three rows of pillars, with plain cushioned
capitals and
[Illustration: THE CRYPT.]
square abaci. There are also semi-detached shafts, of similar character,
connected with the main piers on either side. In the aisles of the crypt
the vaulting springs from semi-detached shafts on either side, and rests
on a single row of columns in the centre. The east end of the central
division (which remains entire) is apsidal; and the curious and
intricate arrangement of the vaulting at this point (arising “from the
complicated slopes which had to be adjusted there”) should be especially
noticed. The aisles of the crypt terminate at present nearly at the bend
of the apse, but they were originally carried quite round it, so as to
form a circular procession-path. “There are but four apsidal crypts in
England, which in chronological order are,--Winchester (1079), Worcester
(1084), Gloucester (1089), and Canterbury (1096). In all these the side
aisles run completely round the apse. Amongst them, Worcester is
remarkable for the multiplicity of small pillars employed to sustain the
vaults. The side aisle has a row of small pillars running along the
centre, which are not employed in the other examples. The central
portion has three rows of intermediate pillars, whereas Gloucester and
Canterbury have but two rows, and Winchester but one. Yet the width of
the central crypt of Worcester is less than the others. The increased
number of pillars, by diminishing the span of the arches, and dividing
the weight of the vault upon so many supports, enables the diameters of
the pillars to be reduced, and gives greater lightness to the
architecture. For the height of all these crypts is nearly the same; so
that at Winchester and Gloucester the arches are flattened into
ellipses, the pillars are low and squat, and the crypts appear as
sepulchral vaults; while at Worcester, where the arches are semicircular
and the pillars more slender, the crypt is a complex and beautiful
temple[91].” It has been compared to the mosque (now the cathedral) of
Cordova. We may re-people this crypt in imagination with the venerable
abbots and priests of the synod convened by Wulfstan[92].
It is probable that small apsidal chapels flanked the crypt at its
western termination, on both sides. On the south side such a chapel
still exists, immediately under that which opens from the south aisle of
the choir. The western, and part of the southern, wall of this chapel is
Norman, as are the central pillars. The square eastern end, however, is
Early English, of the same date as the chapel above it.
In the crypt are preserved the ancient north doors of the cathedral,
removed about the year 1820. They date from the fourteenth century, and
are coeval with Bishop Wakefield’s work. These doors are said to have
been covered with human skin. Tradition asserts that a man who stole the
sanctus-bell from the high altar was flayed alive for the sacrilege; and
portions of skin, which the late Mr. Quekitt, Assistant Conservator of
the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, declared to be human,
remain fixed to the inside of the doors, under the iron-work.
The west doors of Rochester Cathedral, and the north doors of Hadstock
and Copford Churches, both in Essex, were also covered with skins, said
to have been those of piratical Northmen. The Rochester doors have
entirely disappeared. Those of Copford have been removed, but portions
of them are still in existence. The doors of Hadstock Church remain in
place. Fragments of skin from Hadstock and Copford were examined by Mr.
Quekitt, who pronounced it human in both cases[93].
XXIII. The great Norman tower fell in 1175, “a circumstance of such
common occurrence that there is some evidence against a tower being
Norman work if it had not fallen down[94].” The existing _central tower_
dates from 1374, but the general design alone remained before its
restoration (still, 1866, in progress) was commenced. The soft sandstone
of which it is built had crumbled away to such an extent, that all the
details had perished. The tower, which is 196 ft. in height, is of good
proportion. It was by no means improved by the modern parapet and
pinnacles which were placed on it in the last century, and somewhat
altered in the early part of this. A new peal of ten, or possibly twelve
bells will be hung in the tower after its complete restoration.
Close beyond the north-east transept stood an octangular “clocherium,”
or bell-tower, which was taken down in 1647. It was of very early
character. The east end of the cathedral has been rebuilt, as already
described, (§ XIV.,) by Mr. Perkins. The walls of the south-east
transept have also been rebuilt, and its very fine buttresses with open
turrets deserve special notice. A little west of this transept, and
between it and the chapter-house, are the remains of the _Guesten Hall_.
This was a very fine hall of the fourteenth century, built for the
entertainment of noble guests of the priory and of the more illustrious
pilgrims to the shrine of St. Wulfstan. Like “La Gloriole” at
Canterbury, and the guest-chambers of other great monasteries, it
closely adjoined the prior’s lodgings. These were assigned to the Dean
on the creation of the Dean and Chapter after the dissolution, and the
Guesten Hall formed part of the deanery until 1842, when the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners made over the episcopal palace to the Dean,
and the former deanery was pulled down. The Guesten Hall was then
disclosed, and attracted much attention, not only from its own beauty,
but as a very interesting historical relic. It was, however, much out of
repair, and a considerable sum would no doubt have been required to
effect its restoration. Accordingly, in 1860, the greater part of it was
pulled down, and the roof was given by the Dean and Chapter to a new
church which it is proposed to erect in the city of Worcester.
The Guesten Hall was commenced in 1320 by Wulstan Bransford, then prior
of the monastery, and afterwards Bishop of Worcester. The beauty of the
Decorated tracery, which still remains in the windows, calls for
especial notice; and the oaken roof was a very fine example. It is
evident that nothing but absolute necessity could justify the
destruction of such a relic. “This magnificent guest-chamber of the
fourteenth century was an historical monument of considerable
importance, as shewing the splendid hospitality of the clergy of those
days, and as illustrating in a remarkable manner the manners and customs
of the time of Edward III. It was the last of these structures that we
had remaining, and with it we have erased a chapter out of the history
of England[95].”
XXIV. The College Green, on the south side of the cathedral, is entered
through an archway under the _Edgar tower_, which tradition asserts to
have been erected by Ethelred II., son of Edgar. It may possibly occupy
the site of an older building, but the present tower is late work, and
of little interest. In a niche on the east front is a much shattered
figure of King Edgar. The rooms in the tower are now used as the chapter
library, and as offices of the diocesan registry. Among the MSS. of the
chapter library is one of great interest--An Epitome of Roman Law by
Vacarius, an Italian who was brought to this country by Theobald,
Archbishop of Canterbury, and who introduced the study of Roman or
“Civil” Law at Oxford in the reign of Stephen. This is the only copy of
the work of Vacarius known to exist in England, and only four copies are
known on the continent--in the libraries of Konigsberg, Prague, and
Bruges, and one in the possession of the Emperor of Russia[96].
The _deanery_, north-west of the cathedral, was the episcopal palace
until 1842. It contains a fine hall, and some ancient portions. The east
front was built by Bishop Hough in 1723.
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL.
PART II.
History of the See, with Short Notices of the principal Bishops.
Worcester was one of five episcopal dioceses into which the great
Mercian province was divided during the archiepiscopate of
Theodorus of Canterbury, (A.D. 668-690). Peada, son of the fierce
heathen Penda of Mercia, and son-in-law of the Christian Oswi of
Northumbria, had established the first Mercian see at Lichfield
(see that Cathedral, Pt. II.) about the year 653. Mercia then
comprised not only the whole of central England, but the greater
part of Lincolnshire; and in accordance with a design expressed at
the Council of Hertford, (673,) but not then carried into
execution, Archbishop Theodorus divided the unwieldy diocese, which
must still have contained a vast number of heathen, into five. The
original see remained at LICHFIELD. The see of HEREFORD was
established in 676, those of WORCESTER and LEICESTER in 680, and
that of LINDISSE, or LINDSEY, in 678. The two latter, Leicester and
Lindsey, were afterwards incorporated in the great diocese of
Lincoln. (See that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 680-961.] Worcester, (_Wigornaceaster_,) a “ceaster” or
stronghold of the Hwiccas, who occupied Worcestershire and
Gloucestershire, had possibly been a Roman station, (although this
is uncertain,) and was at all events situated on the line of a
Roman road--a matter of no small importance to the earlier Saxon
bishops, who, like the Saxon kings, were perpetually moving from
manor to manor throughout their diocese[97]. A priest named
Tatfrid,--“vir strenuissimus et doctissimus, atque excellentis
ingenii[98],”--belonging to the monastery founded by St. Hilda at
Whitby (_Streaneshalch_), had been chosen by Archbishop Theodore to
be the first Bishop of Worcester; but he died before his
consecration; and BOSEL, of whose history nothing is known, was
consecrated to the new see, A.D. 680. Before his death he became
disabled by illness, (_corporis infirmitate depressus_,) and OFTFOR
was consecrated as his coadjutor and successor by Wilfrid of York,
who was at that time directing the ecclesiastical affairs of Sussex
and of Kent[99]. Oftfor, like Tatfrid, had belonged to St. Hilda’s
monastery, but had gone for the sake of study, first to Archbishop
Theodore at Canterbury, and thence to Rome. On his return he
“turned aside to the province of the Hwiccas, and remained there a
long time, preaching the word of faith, and affording a pattern of
life to all who saw and heard him[100].” He held the bishopric for
one year only. In 693 he was succeeded by EGWIN, the founder of the
monastery at Evesham. Egwin died in 717. Of his successors,
WEREFRITH (873-915) was a man of considerable learning, a friend
and assistant of King Alfred, by whose direction he translated into
Saxon the Dialogues of Gregory the Great. St. DUNSTAN held the see
of Worcester between the years 957 and 961.
[A.D. 961-992.] OSWALD, the successor of Dunstan, the founder of
the monastery, and one of the patron saints of Worcester, is best
known from his unceasing patronage of the monks, in opposition to
the secular clergy. Oswald, the son of Danish parents of high rank,
was the nephew of Odo, the predecessor of Dunstan in the see of
Canterbury; and was appointed by King Edgar to the see of Worcester
at the request of Dunstan himself, with whose zeal for the monastic
cause Oswald (who had passed some of the earlier years of his life
in the famous monastery of Fleury) more than sympathized. In 972
Oswald became Archbishop of York, which see he held, together with
Worcester, until his death in 992--in the same manner as Dunstan
had held the sees of London and Worcester together, before his
elevation to the primacy. Little is recorded “of what he did at
York, although he presided over that see for twenty years. There
was no Northern writer to speak of what he effected in
Northumbria[101].” The condition of the province, “seamed and
scarred” by the struggles of the native princes, and by Danish
incursions, may have prevented him from working there. But at
Worcester, and throughout the south, Oswald was active as a great
ecclesiastical reformer. He was powerful enough to remodel the
monasteries of Ely and St. Albans. The Church of Worcester had
hitherto been served by secular canons. These Oswald determined to
replace by Benedictine monks; “and succeeded by the following
artifice. Having erected in its vicinity a new church to the honour
of the Virgin Mary, he intrusted it to the care of a community of
monks, and frequented it himself for the solemn celebration of
mass. The presence of the Bishop attracted that of the people; the
ancient clergy saw their church gradually abandoned; and after some
delay, Wensine, their dean, a man advanced in years and of
unblemished character, took the monastic habit, and was advanced
three years later to the office of prior. The influence of his
example, and the honour of his promotion, held out a strong
temptation to his brethren, till at last the number of canons was
so diminished by repeated desertions, that the most wealthy of the
churches of Mercia became without dispute or violence, by the very
act of its old possessors, a monastery of Benedictine monks[102].”
Oswald is said to have introduced monks in the room of secular
clergy, in six other churches of his diocese; and charges of
extreme tyranny and arrogance have been brought against him in
consequence. But there is every reason to believe that a severe
ecclesiastical reform was necessary; and there is proof that the
eviction of the canons from Worcester was very gradual, and was not
completed in Oswald’s lifetime. It is also certain that, although
he held the archbishopric of York during twenty years, “we we do
not read that he introduced a single colony of monks, or changed
the constitution of a single clerical establishment, within that
diocese[103].”
The church and monastery of St. Mary, built by Oswald, were on the
site of the existing cathedral, and were pulled down by Wulfstan to
make way for his new minster. (See _post_, WULFSTAN.) During the
construction of St. Oswald’s monastery, says Eadmer, one large
squared block of stone became all at once immoveable, and in spite
of the exertions of the workmen, could not be brought to the place
prepared for it. St. Oswald, after praying earnestly, beheld
“Ethiopem quendam” sitting upon the stone, and mocking the
builders. The sign of the cross removed him effectually.
A life of St. Oswald, by Eadmer of Canterbury, will be found in
Wharton’s _Anglia Sacra_, vol. ii. This, however, is a compilation
from a far more important life by an unknown monk of Ramsey,
written within twenty or thirty years after Oswald’s death, and
hitherto unprinted. This life (of which there is a MS. in the
British Museum, MSS. Cotton, Nero, E. 1) is quoted among Mr.
Raine’s numerous authorities for the very interesting life of St.
Oswald contained in his “Lives of the Archbishops of York.”
(London, 1863.) Oswald died at Worcester, and was interred in his
own church there. His relics were translated, and placed in a rich
shrine, by Aldulf, his successor in both sees. The portiphor of St.
Oswald is still preserved in the library of C.C.C., Cambridge.
The two immediate successors of Oswald, Aldulf and Wulfstan I.,
held the see of York together with that of Worcester, probably
because, Northumbria being ravaged by the Danes, the possession of
the southern bishopric was found to be necessary for the
maintenance of the northern primate. Wulfstan succeeded in 1003,
and died in 1023. In 1016, seven years before his death, LEOFSIN
was appointed to the bishopric of Worcester; Wulfstan retaining
York.
[A.D. 992-1062.] Between the death of Oswald and the accession of
Wulfstan II., the only remarkable bishops of Worcester were LIVING,
the friend and minister of Canute, who held the see of Worcester
together with that of Crediton; and ALDRED, his successor, who was
translated to York in 1061, and as archbishop of that see crowned
successively both Harold and the Conqueror. In 1062 Edward the
Confessor made a grant to Aldred of the church of Worcester, on
account of the desolate condition of the see of York. The grant
was, however, personal, and not in perpetuity; and Bishop Wulfstan
of Worcester only remained a suffragan of York until the death of
Aldred. The deed is to be found in Thomas’s “Worcester,” Appendix
I.
[A.D. 1062-1095.] WULFSTAN II., the founder of the existing
cathedral, and the great patron saint of Worcester. Wulfstan was
born at Long Itchinton, in Warwickshire. Both his father and mother
had embraced monasticism in mature life; and their son, after
having been educated in the great monastery of Peterborough, became
himself a monk at Worcester, and, eventually, the prior of his
convent. “An anecdote must be referred to this period, which is
valuable, because it is characteristic of the man and of his times.
Wulfstan enjoyed the pleasures of the table, and had a particular
liking for roast goose. Boiled meats were generally placed on an
Anglo-Saxon table; therefore special directions were to be given
when anything roast or fried was to be prepared. The order was
given by Wulfstan that a roast goose was to be prepared for his
dinner. He then went about his ordinary business. There were many
clients of the Bishop to whom he had to pay attention, and he was
involved in secular duties. He had not broken his fast when he was
called upon to officiate at the Mass. In due time he enters the
church extremely hungry; he passes into the chancel, near to which,
unfortunately, the kitchen is placed. A whiff of goose soon affects
his olfactory nerves; the savour interferes with his devotions; his
thoughts wander to his dinner, (_studio culinæ tenetur_); his
conscience reproaches him. His resolution is immediately formed.
Then and there before the altar he vowed that from that time forth
he would never taste meat; and he remained a vegetarian all the
days of his life, except on festivals, when he regaled on fish.
What was a fast to others was a luxury to him[104].” On the
translation of Aldred to the see of York, Wulfstan became Bishop of
Worcester. “In right of his authority over the diocese of
Worcester, Aldred took away from it twelve vills, and appropriated
them to York. As that Archbishop had only a life-interest in the
see, it is clear that these estates ought to have been restored to
it at his decease. When he died, however, (1069,) they passed with
his other estates into the hands of the King. Wulfstan was not
disposed to give them up. He desired that they should be restored
at the Council of Winchester, at Easter, 1070; but as the
archbishopric of York was then vacant, the consideration of the
question was deferred. When Thomas (the new Archbishop of York)
went to Rome for the pall, he claimed the Bishop of Worcester as a
suffragan. This question was left by the Pope to the determination
of Lanfranc. It was settled in a synod which was held in 1072. Odo,
Bishop of Bayeux, was on the side of Thomas, but Lanfranc decided
against him. The twelve vills were to be given up, and Worcester
was for the future to be subordinated to Canterbury, and not to
York. In this judgment Thomas seems to have quietly
acquiesced[105].” Lanfranc, however, looked with extreme doubt and
jealousy on the Saxon clergy; and at the synod of Pedrede
(Petherton in Somersetshire) in 1070, he charged Wulfstan with
“insufficiency and want of learning,” intending to remove him from
his see, as Egelmar had been deposed from the East Anglian
bishopric in the early part of the same year. But Wulfstan’s
competency was fully proved[106], and it is possible that the whole
charge against him may have arisen from his ignorance of
Norman-French. A later legend (first mentioned by Ailred of
Rievaulx, who did not live till the next century) asserted that
when Wulfstan was called upon to deliver up his pastoral staff, he
refused to do so, unless to the Confessor, from whom he had
received it; that he laid the staff accordingly on the Confessor’s
tomb, which opened to receive it; and that no one could withdraw
the staff from the tomb but Wulfstan himself, who was of course
permitted to retain his see.
The simplicity, earnestness, and incessant labour of Wulfstan’s
pastoral life--“vir magnæ pietatis et columbinæ simplicitatis,”
says Malmesbury--are borne witness to by all the chroniclers; and
especially by William of Malmesbury, in his _Gesta Pontificum_, and
in his Life of Wulfstan. On his episcopal manors he built no halls
or “dining chambers,” giving his whole attention to more important
matters, and even in the churches which he built, he disapproved of
rich and elaborate ornamentation[107]. The church and monastery of
St. Oswald proved too small for the increasing number of monks.
Wulfstan pulled them down, and laid the foundations of the existing
cathedral. He lived, apparently, to complete much of his work; but
all that now remains of his cathedral is the crypt. (Pt. I. §
XXII.) Whilst witnessing the destruction of Oswald’s church,
Wulfstan burst into tears, declaring that he was pulling down the
work of a far holier man than himself--a church in which so many
saints had served God[108].
In the year 1088, the Norman barons who had risen to support the
cause of Robert of Normandy against the Red King, attacked
Worcester. “The venerable Bishop Wulfstan,” says the Saxon
Chronicle, “was sorely troubled in his mind, because the castle had
been committed to his keeping. Nevertheless, the men of his
household went out with a few men from the castle, and through
God’s mercy, and through the Bishop’s deserts, slew and captured
five hundred men, and put all the others to flight[109].” Wulfstan
died, at a great age, in 1095, and was interred in his new
cathedral. He was unquestionably one of the best and worthiest of
the later Saxon bishops. The fullest and most important life of
Wulfstan is that by William of Malmesbury, printed in the second
volume of Wharton’s _Anglia Sacra_. A very interesting notice of
his “Life and Times,” by the Dean of Chichester, will be found in
the twentieth volume of the Archæological Journal.
Early in 1201, miracles were reported at the tomb of Wulfstan[110].
They continued throughout the year, fifteen or sixteen persons
being healed daily, as it was asserted. On St. Giles’s Day, (Sept.
1,) 1202, Archbishop Hubert of Canterbury came, with other bishops,
to Worcester, to enquire into the truth of the reported miracles.
Certain monks of Worcester went to Rome with their report; and in
the following year (1203) St. Wulfstan was duly canonized by the
Pope, Innocent III. King John more than once performed his
devotions, and made his offerings, before the shrine of the new
saint; and in the hour of his death at Newark (October, 1216,) he
commended his body and soul to “God and to St. Wulfstan.” He was
buried in the cathedral. In 1218 the restored church (see Pt. I. §
I.) was dedicated in honour of St. Mary and St. Peter, and of the
Confessors Oswald and Wulfstan; and the relics of St. Wulfstan were
translated into a new shrine. Miracles are again frequently
recorded. Edward I. entertained a “special affection” for St.
Wulfstan; and, besides many other visits, came to worship before
his shrine in December, 1273, after the conquest of Wales[111]. The
shrine of St. Wulfstan was placed, together with that of St.
Oswald, in front of the high altar, one on either side. (See Pt. I.
§ IX.)
[A.D. 1096-1112.] SAMSON, a canon of Bayeux, succeeded Wulfstan;
“non parvæ literaturæ vir,” says Malmesbury, “nec contemnendæ
facundiæ; antiquorum homo morum; ipse liberaliter vesci, et aliis
dapsiliter largiri[112].” His elder brother, Thomas, was Archbishop
of York; and a son of Bishop Samson (at what time born is not
evident) became also Archbishop of York in 1109, during his
father’s lifetime. Another son, Richard, was Bishop of Bayeux from
1108 to 1133.
[A.D. 1112-1123.] THEULF; also a canon of Bayeux, and Chaplain to
Henry I.
[A.D. 1125-1150.] SIMON, Chaplain and Chancellor to Adelais, queen
of Henry I. “Affabilitate et morum dulcedine munificentiaque (quoad
res Episcopatus angustæ pati possent) insignem habitum[113].”
[A.D. 1151-1158.] JOHN DE PAGEHAM; died at Rome.
[A.D. 1158-1160.] ALFRED, Chaplain of Henry II. For four years the
see remained vacant.
[A.D. 1164-1179.] ROGER FITZ COUNT, a natural son of Robert, Earl
of Gloucester, himself son of Henry I. The piety and strict life of
Bishop Roger are praised by Giraldus Cambrensis. He was the friend
and steady supporter of Becket; and was chosen by Henry II., after
the death of the Archbishop, to convey to Pope Alexander II. the
King’s assurance that he had neither encouraged nor directed the
murder. The Bishop died at Tours, August 9, 1179, on his homeward
journey from Rome.
[A.D. 1180, translated to Canterbury 1185.] BALDWIN, the preacher
of the Crusade; who died (Dec., 1190,) in the camp of Cœur de Lion
before Acre. (See CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1186-1190] WILLIAM NORTHALL, Archdeacon of Gloucester.
[A.D. 1191-1193] ROBERT FITZ RALPH, Canon of Lincoln, and
Archdeacon of Nottingham. Son of William Fitz Ralph, Seneschall of
Normandy.
[A.D. 1193-1195] HENRY DE SOILLI, Abbot of Glastonbury; from which
great monastery he was removed, to make way for Savaricus, who held
it together with the bishopric of Bath and Wells. (See WELLS
CATHEDRAL, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1196-1198] JOHN OF COUTANCES, Dean of Rouen: “cujus
sanctitatis refulgent insignia. Nam corpus ejus sacrum cum
indumentis Pontificalibus, usque hodie manet integrum et
incorruptum[114].”
[A.D. 1200-1212] MAUGER, Archdeacon of Evreux, and physician of
Richard I. His election had been declared void by the Archbishop of
Canterbury, on the score of his illegitimacy. But Mauger proceeded
to Rome; and the Pope, Innocent III., “videns elegantiam tanti
viri,” confirmed his election, “et illud pulchrum Decretale pro eo
composuit quod sic incipit ‘_Innotuit_[115].’” It was during
Mauger’s episcopate that St. Wulfstan was canonized. (See Pt. I. §§
I. and VII.) He was one of the bishops who, in 1208, pronounced
the Interdict and the excommunication of King John; and, with the
others, took refuge in France; where he died (1212) in the
Cistercian Abbey of Pontigny, the same which gave a refuge to
Becket and to Stephen Langton, and in which Edmund Rich, the
sainted Archbishop of Canterbury, afterwards (1240) died. The death
of Bishop Mauger occurred before the reconciliation of England with
the Papacy.
[A.D. 1214, translated to York 1215.] WALTER DE GRAY, was appointed
to the see of Worcester after the removal of the Interdict. He had
been King John’s Chancellor.
[A.D. 1216-1218.] SILVESTER OF EVESHAM, Prior of Worcester. He
interred King John; and shortly before his death he dedicated the
Norman church, which had been restored, and translated the relics
of St. Wulfstan. (Pt. I. § I.; and _ante_, WULFSTAN.)
[A.D. 1218-1236.] WILLIAM DE BLOIS, Archdeacon of Buckingham, was
intruded by the Legate Guala, in spite of the protests of the
monks, who afterwards consented to receive him. The eastern portion
of the existing Cathedral was built during his episcopate. (Pt. I.
§ XIV.)
[A.D. 1237-1266.] WALTER CANTILUPE, son of William, Lord Cantilupe;
uncle of the sainted Bishop of Hereford. He was ordained deacon by
the Pope at Viterbo, April 4; priest, April 18; and consecrated
bishop, May 3,--in the same year, 1237. Bishop Walter was one of
the most vigorous defenders of English liberty during great part of
the reign of Henry III., when “England was held by successive Popes
as a province of the Papal territory[116].” In 1237, the year of
his consecration, he opposed the Cardinal Legate, Otho, at a
council in St. Paul’s; and nearly twenty years afterwards, in 1255,
made an equally firm stand against another Legate, Rustand, who had
demanded an enormous subsidy from the clergy--nominally for the
Holy Land, but really for the Pope and the King. Bishop Cantilupe
declared he would rather be hanged on a gibbet than consent to such
an extortion. He was one of the firmest adherents to the party of
Simon de Montfort; and it was this Bishop who absolved the whole
army of the Barons as it lay at Fletching, on the morning of the
battle of Lewes;--bidding them fight boldly, and with as much
certainty of salvation as if they were fighting in a crusade. With
the other bishops who had espoused this cause, Cantilupe was
excommunicated by the Pope; and was only reconciled and absolved on
his deathbed. He died at his manor of Blocklewe, Feb. 12, 1265, and
was interred before the high altar of his cathedral. His
coffin-lid, with effigy, is now in the retro-choir, (Pt. I. §
XVI.); and the coffin containing, in all probability, his remains
was discovered during the late restoration. (Pt. I. § XVI.)
[A.D. 1266, trans. to Winchester 1268.] NICHOLAS, Archdeacon of
Ely; Chancellor of England 1260, 1261; and again, 1263.
[A.D. 1268-1301.] GODFREY GIFFARD, Archdeacon of Wells; Chancellor
of England 1267-1269. He was the brother of Walter Giffard,
Archbishop of York; and was related to the King, Henry III. Bishop
Giffard, in the year of his consecration, obtained a licence to
build (_ædificare_) the castle of Hartlebury--which has ever since
been the principal palace of the bishops of Worcester. The tomb of
Bishop Giffard remains in the south choir-aisle. (Pt. I. § XIII.)
He had constructed a tomb for himself, in his lifetime, “prope
magnum altare, supra B. Oswaldi feretrum,” and had disturbed the
remains of Bishop John of Coutances in preparing it: but Archbishop
Winchelsea ordered the bones of Bishop John to be replaced in their
old position; and Bishop Giffard’s were removed to the place they
now occupy. According to Wharton, the Romanists after the
Reformation took Bishop Giffard’s tomb and effigy for those of St.
Wulfstan; and used to visit it “magna cum religione” on St.
Wulfstan’s Day, Jan. 19[117].
[A.D. 1302-1307.] WILLIAM DE GAINSBOROUGH, a Franciscan of Oxford;
intruded by the Pope.
[A.D. 1308, translated to Canterbury 1313.] WALTER REYNOLDS. (See
CANTERBURY, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1313-1317.] WALTER MAIDSTONE.
[A.D. 1317-1327.] THOMAS COBHAM, canon and subdean of Salisbury. In
1313 he had been duly elected Archbishop of Canterbury by the monks
of Christ Church; but the King, Edward II., strongly supported
Walter Reynolds, Cobham’s predecessor in the see of Worcester, and
the elect of the monks was compelled to resign his claim. Bishop
Cobham was a man of considerable learning, and of so great
excellence of life that he was generally known as “the good
clerk[118].”
[A.D. 1327, translated to Winchester 1333.] ADAM ORLTON; translated
from Hereford. (See HEREFORD, Pt. II.) He was the third English
bishop (Stigand, and Richard Poer of Salisbury, were the two
former) who, up to this time, had ruled three sees successively. An
ancient verse concerning him ran,--
“Trinus erat Adam; talem suspendere vadam.
Thomam despexit; Wlstanum non bene rexit.
Swithunum maluit. Cur? quia plus valuit.”
[A.D. 1334, translated to Ely 1337.] SIMON MONTACUTE. (See ELY, Pt.
II.)
[A.D. 1337-1338.] THOMAS HEMENHALE, a monk of Norwich.
[A.D. 1339-1349.] WULSTAN BRANSFORD, Prior of Worcester. He was
the builder of the ancient Prior’s Lodgings, and of the Guesten
Hall, recently pulled down.
[A.D. 1350, translated to York 1352.] JOHN THORESBY, translated to
Worcester from St. David’s. (See YORK.)
[A.D. 1352-1361.] REGINALD BRIAN, translated to Worcester from St.
David’s.
[A.D. 1362, translated to Bath and Wells 1363.] JOHN BARNET. From
Bath he was advanced to Ely. (See that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1364, translated to Canterbury 1368.] WILLIAM WHITTLESEY,
translated to Worcester from Rochester. (See Canterbury, Pt. II.).
[A.D. 1368-1373.] WILLIAM DE LYNN, translated from Chichester.
[A.D. 1375-1395.] HENRY WAKEFIELD, Treasurer of England. It was
this Bishop who altered the west front of his cathedral, and added
the north porch. (Pt. I. §§ III., IV.)
[A.D. 1395-1401.] TIDEMAN DE WINCHCOMB, translated from Llandaff. A
Cistercian, and the physician of Richard II.
[A.D. 1401, translated to London 1407.] RICHARD CLIFFORD, had been
nominated by the Pope to the see of Bath and Wells, but the King
(Henry IV.) refused to confirm the nomination, and subsequently
made Clifford Bishop of Worcester. He had been one of the “clerks,”
and a special favourite, of Richard II.
[A.D. 1407-1419.] THOMAS PEVERELL, translated from Llandaff. A
Carmelite of much learning. Peverell had been made Bishop of Ossory
by Richard II. in 1397, and in the following year was translated to
Llandaff.
[A.D. 1419, translated to Ely 1426.] PHILIP MORGAN, had been
Chancellor of Normandy. (See ELY, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1426-1433.] THOMAS POLTON, translated from Chichester. Bishop
Polton died whilst attending the Council of Basle, (Aug. 13, 1433,)
and was interred in that city.
[A.D. 1435, translated to Ely 1443, and thence to Canterbury
1454.] THOMAS BOURCHIER. (See CANTERBURY, Pt. II.) It is there
stated that Archbishop Bourchier’s episcopate, of fifty-one years,
is the longest on record in the English Church. This is only true
so far as his predecessors are concerned. Bishop Wilson’s
(fifty-seven years) is the longest English episcopate. (See ELY,
Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1444-1476.] JOHN CARPENTER, Provost of Oriel, and Chancellor
of Oxford. He was born at Westbury, in Gloucestershire, and had so
great a favour toward his native place that he restored and richly
endowed the collegiate church there, of which the first Dean, under
Bishop Carpenter’s foundation, was William Canynges, the great
Bristol merchant, one of the principal contributors toward the
building of St. Mary Redcliffe. Carpenter intended that the bishops
of his see should henceforth bear the double title “of Worcester
and Westbury;” “but,” says Fuller, “though running cleverly on the
tongue’s end, it never came in request, because therein _impar
conjunctio_, the matching of a cathedral and collegiate church
together[119].” Bishop Carpenter was buried at Westbury. The
collegiate buildings were destroyed during the civil war.
[A.D. 1476, translated to Ely 1486.] JOHN ALCOCK. (See ELY, Pt.
II.)
[A.D. 1487-1497.] ROBERT MORTON, Archdeacon of Winchester, and
nephew of Cardinal Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The next four bishops were Italian intruders.
[A.D. 1497-1498.] JOHN DE GIGLIIS, a native of Lucca, the Pope’s
collector in England. He was already Canon of Wells and Archdeacon
of Gloucester.
[A.D. 1498-1521.] SILVESTER DE GIGLIIS, nephew of his predecessor,
and, like him, Papal collector.
[A.D. 1521-1522.] JULIUS DE MEDICIS, uncle of Leo X., afterwards
himself Pope Clement VII. He was made “perpetual commendator or
administrator of the see of Worcester” by Papal bull, and resigned
voluntarily in the following year.
[A.D. 1522-1535.] JEROME GHINUCCI, succeeded by papal provision,
but probably with the consent of Henry VIII., to whom this last of
the Italian bishops of Worcester was of great service. He was
employed on many embassies, both to Spain and Italy, and laboured
much in both countries to procure from their universities and
theologians opinions in favour of the King’s divorce. After
Wolsey’s disgrace, however, and the marriage with Anne Boleyn, the
Bishop fell into disfavour, and was removed from his see by Act of
Parliament in 1535, as “an alien and non-resident.” At the same
time Cardinal Campeggio was removed from Salisbury.
During this foreign occupation of Worcester the affairs of the see
were administered by suffragan bishops, of whom several will be
found recorded in Mr. Stubbs’ _Registrum Sacrum Anglicanum_,
Appendix V.
[A.D. 1535, resigned 1539.] HUGH LATIMER. The life of this most
vigorous reformer belongs so completely to the history of his time
that only the principal events in it can be mentioned here. Latimer
was born at Thurcaston, in Leicestershire. The passage from his
sermons in which he describes his father’s condition has been often
quoted:--“My father was a yeoman, and had no lands of his own; only
he had a farm of three or four pounds a-year at the uttermost, and
hereupon he tilled so much as kept half-a-dozen men; he had walk
for a hundred sheep, and my mother milked thirty kine. He was able
and did find the king an harness with himself and his horse, whilst
he came unto the place that he should receive the king’s wages. I
can remember I buckled his harness when he went to Blackheath
field. He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to have
preached before the King’s Majesty now. He married my sisters with
five pounds, or twenty nobles, a-piece; so that he brought them up
in godliness and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his poor
neighbours, and some alms he gave to the poor; and all this did he
of the same farm where he that now hath it payeth sixteen pounds by
the year or more, and is not able to do anything for his prince,
for himself, nor for his children, or give a cup of drink to the
poor.”
Latimer was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he was
at first well known as a defender of the “old religion,” and
afterwards, by the persuasion of his friend Thomas Bilney, became
as zealous a reformer. He was more than once silenced by the
University, but had powerful friends, and was introduced at court
by the King’s physician, Dr. Butts, and by Cromwell, the latter of
whom procured for him the living of West Kington, in Wiltshire.
Here he was accused of favouring strange and novel doctrines
touching the saints and purgatory, and was compelled to appear
before Stokesley, Bishop of London. He escaped with some
difficulty, the King himself interfering; and in 1535, after
Ghinucci’s deprivation, Latimer was made Bishop of Worcester. In
his diocese he laboured zealously, until the Parliament of 1539,
which, by the influence of Gardiner, passed the famous Six
Articles. For these Latimer would not vote, and at once resigned
his see, as did Shaxton, Bishop of Salisbury. He was very shortly
afterwards sent to the Tower, on a charge of having spoken against
the Six Articles. He remained in prison during the last six years
of Henry’s reign, but was set at liberty on the accession of
Edward. He would not be reinstated in his see, however, but
remained with Cranmer at Lambeth, occasionally preaching at Paul’s
Cross, until the fall of the Duke of Somerset. He then retired into
the country. On Mary’s accession he was apprehended by Gardiner’s
order, and was sent to Oxford with Cranmer and Ridley, where he
suffered Oct. 16, 1555.
The fullest and best account of Latimer will be found in Foxe,
although, like the rest of the “Book of Martyrs,” it must be read
with due caution. His sermons, with a life, were edited by Watkins
in 1824, and with other remains, for the Parker Society, in 1844.
[A.D. 1539, resigned 1543.] JOHN BELL, Archdeacon of Gloucester.
The cause of his resignation is unknown. He died in 1556, and was
buried in the church of Clerkenwell, London.
[A.D. 1543, translated to York 1554.] NICHOLAS HEATH, translated
from Rochester. In 1551 Bishop Heath was deprived, for
non-compliance with the new order introduced under Edward VI., and
was imprisoned in the Fleet until Mary’s accession. He was restored
by her, and was made President of Wales and Chancellor of England
after the death of Gardiner. During the imprisonment of Heath,
Bishop Hooper of Gloucester held the see _in commendam_, together
with his own.
[A.D. 1554-1559.] RICHARD PATES, said to have been consecrated
Bishop of Worcester in 1534, after the deprivation of Ghinucci, and
to have been then removed to make way for Latimer. The proofs of
this, however, are not evident, although Godwin asserts that Pates
was present at the Council of Trent, and there signed himself
Bishop of Worcester. He was, at any rate, placed in full possession
of the see on the translation of Bishop Heath to York in 1554. On
Elizabeth’s accession he was deprived, and died at Louvain after a
life of some vicissitude.
The dates already given shew that five ex-bishops of Worcester,
Pates, Latimer, Bell, Heath, and Hooper, were living at the same
time.
[A.D. 1559, translated to London 1570.] EDWIN SANDYS, President of
Catherine Hall, Cambridge.
[A.D. 1571-1576.] NICOLAS BULLINGHAM, translated from Lincoln.
[A.D. 1577, translated to Canterbury 1583.] JOHN WHITGIFT. (See
CANTERBURY, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1584-1591.] EDMUND FREKE, translated from Norwich.
[A.D. 1593, translated to London 1595.] RICHARD FLETCHER,
translated from Bristol. (See that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1596, translated to Winchester 1597.] THOMAS BILSON. (See
WINCHESTER, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1597-1610.] GERVAS BABINGTON, translated from Exeter.
[A.D. 1610-1616.] HENRY PARRY, translated from Gloucester.
[A.D. 1616-1641.] JOHN THORNBOROUGH, translated from Bristol. (See
that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1641-1650.] JOHN PRIDEAUX, was born at Stowford, in the
parish of Harford, in Devonshire. His family, although entitled to
bear the arms of Prideaux, was in poor circumstances; and the
future Bishop became a candidate for the place of parish clerk at
Ugborough, and was disappointed. A friend sent him to school for a
short time; and he then travelled on foot to Oxford, where he was
employed in the kitchen of Exeter College. In 1596, when his
abilities had become known, he was admitted a member of the
college, of which he eventually became Rector. In 1615 he was made
Regius Professor of Divinity, and in 1641 became Bishop. “If I
could have been clerk of Ugborough,” he used often to say, “I had
never been Bishop of Worcester.”
Bishop Prideaux was an unflinching Royalist, and excommunicated all
in his diocese who took up arms against the King. He was of course
severely treated in his turn; his palace was plundered, and he was
obliged to sell his library as a last means of support. He died at
Bredon, in Worcestershire, in 1650, in the house of his son-in-law,
Dr. Sutton. An elegy on his death will be found among the works of
the Cavalier poet Cleveland. A full account of Bishop Prideaux,
with some interesting local anecdotes, is given by Prince in his
“Worthies of Devon.”
[A.D. 1660-1662.] The first Bishop of Worcester after the
Restoration was GEORGE MORLEY, translated to Winchester 1662. (See
that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1662, died the same year.] JOHN GAUDEN, translated from
Exeter. (See that Cathedral, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1662, translated to Salisbury 1663.] JOHN EARLE. (See
SALISBURY, Pt. II.)
[A.D. 1663-1670.] ROBERT SKINNER, had been consecrated to the see
of Bristol in 1637, and had been translated to Oxford in 1641.
During the civil war he was imprisoned by the Puritans. He died at
the age of eighty, the last English bishop who had been consecrated
before the Great Rebellion.
[A.D. 1671-1675.] WALTER BLANDFORD, Warden of Wadham College,
Oxford, translated from Oxford.
[A.D. 1675-1683.] JAMES FLEETWOOD, Provost of King’s College,
Cambridge. Bishop Fleetwood was the seventh son of Sir George
Fleetwood of Lancashire, and whilst all the rest of his family
joined the Puritans, he alone remained a Royalist.
[A.D. 1683-1689.] WILLIAM THOMAS, translated from St. David’s.
Bishop Thomas was a Nonjuror; and, with the other nonjuring
bishops, would have been deprived of his see, had not his death
occurred, June 25, 1689.
[A.D. 1689-1699.] EDWARD STILLINGFLEET, “a man deeply versed in
ecclesiastical antiquity, of an argumentative mind, excellently
fitted for polemical dispute.... In the critical reign of James II.
he may be considered as the leader on the Protestant side[120].”
Stillingfleet was, however, strongly tenacious of the authority of
the Church, and was decidedly opposed to the “latitudinarian”
theology of his time. He was born, 1635, at Cranbourne, in
Dorsetshire, was educated at St. John’s, Cambridge, and afterwards
became Rector of Sutton, in Nottinghamshire, where he wrote and
published his _Irenicum_, and (1662) his “_Origines Sacræ_, or, A
Rational Account of the Grounds of Natural and Revealed Religion;”
a book of considerable importance, which brought him into great
notice. Passing from one preferment to another, he became in 1689
Bishop of Worcester. In 1699 he died at his house in Westminster.
His body was conveyed to his own cathedral for interment, when the
monument which still remains (Pt. I. § VI.) was erected by his son.
The inscription was written by Dr. Bentley, who had been the
Bishop’s chaplain.
The _Origines Sacræ_ is the most important of Bishop
Stillingfleet’s works; but his entire writings, collected and
reprinted in 1710, fill six folio volumes. After he became Bishop
of Worcester, he wrote a “Vindication of the Doctrine of the
Trinity,” in answer to some parts of Locke’s Essay.
[A.D. 1699-1717.] WILLIAM LLOYD, translated from Lichfield. In 1680
he had been consecrated to the see of St. Asaph, and was one of the
seven bishops sent to the Tower by James II. He died in 1717, aged
ninety-one; and was buried in the parish church of Fladbury, near
Evesham, of which his son was rector. Bishop Lloyd’s learning was
considerable, although few of his works are now remembered.
[A.D. 1717-1743.] JOHN HOUGH, translated from Lichfield. Bishop
Hough was the famous President of Magdalen College, Oxford,
forcibly dispossessed in 1687 by James II., who had ordered the
Fellows to elect Samuel Parker, Bishop of Oxford, and a Romanist.
The story, which will best be read in Macaulay’s “History of
England,” (vol. ii.,) need not be repeated here. Dr. Hough was
restored to the presidency in 1688, together with the twenty-five
fellows who had been expelled at the same time. In 1690, King
William made him Bishop of Oxford, with liberty to retain the
headship of his college. In 1699 he was translated to the see of
Lichfield, and thence in 1717 to Worcester. On the death of
Archbishop Tenison in 1715 the primacy had been offered to, and
declined by, him. All who mention Bishop Hough bear witness to the
simplicity and excellence of his character.
[A.D. 1743-1759.] ISAAC MADDOX, translated from St. Asaph. Bishop
Maddox is best known as the author of “A Vindication of the
Government, Doctrine, and Worship of the Church of England,
established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.” He was the founder of
the Worcester Infirmary, to which the story of the Good Samaritan
on his monument refers. (Pt. I. § XVIII.)
[A.D. 1759-1774.] JAMES JOHNSON, translated from Gloucester.
[A.D. 1774, translated to Winchester 1781.] BROWNLOW NORTH,
translated from Lichfield.
[A.D. 1781-1808.] RICHARD HURD, translated from Lichfield. Bishop
Hurd is now best remembered as the friend and biographer of
Warburton; but he was himself conspicuous among the scholars of his
time. He was born, the son of a small farmer, at Penkridge, in
Staffordshire, in 1720; was educated at the grammar school at
Brewood, and was sent as a sizar to Emmanuel College, Cambridge,
where he afterwards obtained a fellowship. Ten years later he made
the acquaintance of Warburton, whose friend he remained through
life. In 1763 he was elected Preacher of Lincoln’s Inn; and in 1765
Warburton made him Archdeacon of Gloucester. George III., who
greatly admired his “Moral and Political Dialogues,” made him
Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry in 1774: and in 1776 Preceptor to
the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. In 1781 Hurd was
translated to Worcester; and declined the see of Canterbury on the
death of Archbishop Cornwallis in 1783.
Some curious anecdotes are told of Bishop Hurd’s bad temper, the
sharpness of which is sufficiently evident in his letters. Madam
D’Arblay, however, says of him,--“Piety and goodness are so marked
on his countenance, which is truly a fine one, that he has been
named, and very justly, the ‘Beauty of Holiness.’ Indeed, in face,
manner, demeanour, and conversation, he seems precisely what a
bishop should be,--and what would make a looker on--were he not a
bishop, and a see vacant--call out, ‘Take Dr. Hurd!--that is the
man.’” George III. spoke of him as the “most naturally polite man
he had ever known.”
Bishop Hurd died in 1808, at Hartlebury Castle, where he had built
a library for the reception of Warburton’s books, which he left as
a legacy to the see. A life of Bishop Hurd, containing some
interesting selections from his correspondence, has been published
by the Rev. Francis Kilvert. (London, 1860.)
[A.D. 1808-1831.] FFOLLIOTT H. W. CORNEWALL, translated from
Hereford.
[A.D. 1831-1841.] ROBERT JAMES CARR, translated from Chichester.
[A.D. 1841-1861.] HENRY PEPYS.
[A.D. 1861.] HENRY PHILPOTT.
PRINTED BY JAMES PARKER AND CO., CROWN-YARD, OXFORD.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A volume of excellent plans and sketches, illustrative of
Gloucester Cathedral, has been published by Mr. F. S. Waller, Architect
to the Dean and Chapter, (London, 1856). To it we are indebted for the
plan of the cathedral contained in this volume.
[2] Froucester’s Chronicle.
[3] Fergusson.
[4] The transepts of Oxford (102 ft.) and Rochester (122 ft.) are
shorter: but neither of these cathedrals at all approaches the general
dimensions of Gloucester or Worcester. The tower of Malvern Priory
Church much resembles that of Gloucester, and was perhaps an imitation
of it. “In dignity the central tower of Gloucester is perhaps surpassed
by that of Canterbury, and in expression by that of Lincoln.”--_G. A.
P._
[5] Comparing the relative proportions of Gloucester and Norwich, the
difference will be found greater than could be conceived compatible
with the same style. They are--
NORWICH. GLOUCESTER.
Height of piers 15 feet. 30 feet.
Diameter of piers 7 ” 6 “
Height to base of triforium 25 ” 40 “
Height of triforium 24 ” 10 “
Height of clerestory 25 ” 24 “
Thus at Norwich the three great divisions are nearly of equal height;
at Gloucester the lower portion is more than equal to the other two. At
Norwich the piers are about two diameters, at Gloucester nearly five in
height.
[6] “The painting may be thus generally described. The hollow of the
abacus of the capitals red, the lower member of the same, green; the
whole of the bell red, the leaves alternately green and yellow, with
the stalks running down of the same colour into the red bell of the
capital; the vertical mouldings between the marble shafts red and blue
alternately; the lower shafts green or blue, with red in the hollows:
the foliage on these also is green and yellow. Some of the horizontal
mouldings are partly coloured also. The bosses in the groining are
yellow and red, as in the capitals. All the colouring, which was very
rich, was effected with water-colours; in one instance only has any
gold been discerned, and that upon one of the bosses in the roof.”--_F.
S. Waller._
[7] The Norman towers or turrets had, however, been rebuilt in the
Early English period. “From an account of an accident which occurred
between 1163 and 1179, we know that the west front was flanked by
two towers; for while Roger, Bp. of Worcester, was celebrating mass
before the high altar, the north-west tower, owing to a defect in its
foundation, fell. It may be a question, however, whether these towers
were not rather turrets, like those at Tewkesbury. The very fact that
at Tewkesbury we have turrets rather than towers, is sufficient to
make the suggestion very probable, for there is a great resemblance
between the two churches. Moreover, if Abbot Morwent found a design
with towers, properly so called, he substituted for it one provokingly
inferior. This is hardly likely.”--(_G. A. P._) The rebuilding of the
north-west tower was commenced in 1222, and its companion was also
rebuilt between the years 1228-1243. These were the towers or turrets
destroyed by Abbot Morwent.
[8] “In the interior this wall falls outwards eleven inches in its full
height; and on the exterior the more recent work inclines not more than
four inches; from which it is evident that the Norman wall must have
been out of perpendicular seven inches, prior to the erection of Abbot
Thokey’s work.”--_F. S. Waller._
[9] “The south aisle has this great advantage, which other altered
buildings do not possess;--in other buildings the proportions very
often constrain the designs in the new work, and give it a mixed
character, spoiling both,--giving, for example, heaviness to the
Norman, and flimsiness to the Decorated. But this is not the case at
Gloucester.”--_Willis._
[10] The attention of the public was first called to this fact in
a paper read before the meeting of the Archæological Institute at
Worcester, in the summer of 1862, by the Rev. Samuel Lysons, F.S.A.
[11] Froucester’s Chronicle asserts that Abbot Wygemore re-cased the
“aisle of St. Andrew,” and Abbot Horton “the aisle of St. Paul.” These
aisles are identified with the south and north transepts, by comparing
the Chronicle with an account given by one of the monks which Leland
has recorded in his Itinerary. See Willis’s notice of the cathedral at
the meeting of the Archæological Institute at Gloucester in 1860, Gent.
Mag., Sept. 1860.
[12] Report of Professor Willis’s lecture at Gloucester, Gent. Mag.,
Sept. 1860.
[13] Willis.
[14] It has, however, been suggested that this structure may have been
a lavatory, and the work of Elias de Lideford, sacrist during the early
part of the thirteenth century, who, it is recorded, (by Froucester,)
brought an “aqueduct” into the church. A lavatory in a church is not
uncommon.
[15] This is the most probable explanation of this lectern. There was
perhaps a desk in Canterbury Cathedral, in a similar position, from
which the pilgrims were exhorted as they approached Becket’s shrine. At
all events, in later times, the desk for the Bible and “Fox’s Martyrs”
was erected in that cathedral, at the angle of the stairs ascending to
the choir-aisle.
[16] Willis.
[17] Willis.
[18] The restoration of this window is the result of the untiring
energy and able administration of the Chapter revenues by the
Treasurer, Dr. Jeune, Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Canon
of Gloucester. A new Chapter school has been built, extensive repairs
and restorations made in the cathedral, and the ground round it thrown
open, by special funds derived from the same source.
[19] C. Winston, Stained Glass of Gloucester, &c., in the Bristol
volume of the Archæological Institute. (For some further important
remarks on this window, see Note at the end of Part I.)
[20] It has been asserted that this Sir John Powell was one of the
judges who tried the seven bishops. This is an error. There were three
Judge Powells living at the same time; two “Sir Johns,” and one “Sir
Thomas.” Sir John who tried the bishops was of Caermarthenshire; the
Sir John buried in this cathedral was of a Gloucestershire family. See
“Gloucestershire Achievements” by the Rev. S. Lysons, 2nd edit., note,
pp. 42, 43.
[21] F. S. Waller.
[22] Gent. Mag., Sept. 1860.
[23] F. S. Waller.
[24] Other traditions connect Lucius with Kent, and make Chilham
Castle, near Canterbury, his principal stronghold. Besides Gloucester,
he is the traditional founder of Canterbury and Winchester Cathedrals,
and of many churches. Another legend asserts that he resigned his
crown, and after preaching Christianity throughout France and Germany,
became Bishop of Coire in the Grisons, where he died, and where his
relics are still shewn.
[25] Hist. Eccl., lib. i. cap. 4.
[26] See the whole discussion in Collier’s Church History, Pt.
II. bk. iv.
[27] Fuller’s Worthies--Herefordshire.
[28] Worthies--Denbighshire.
[29] Church Hist., bk. xi.
[30] William of Malmesbury. No work of this early period now remains at
Aix.
[31] Report of a Survey of the Dilapidated Portions of Hereford
Cathedral, in the year 1841. By Professor Willis. Hereford, 1842.
[32] The Norman triforium, which was a mere wall-arcade without a
passage, consisted of two circular arches in each bay, each arch
circumscribing two smaller ones. The clerestory had one lofty circular
arch in each bay, and had a passage throughout.
[33] “The oxe-eye masonry is so termed because the centre of it is
pierced by an opening in the form of the ancient _vesica piscis_,
called by workmen an ox-eye.”--_Willis._
[34] Willis’s Report on Hereford Cathedral, p. 20.
[35] This brass is engraved as the frontispiece to Haines’s “Manual of
Monumental Brasses.”
[36] See Pt. II. for the confirmation of this date.
[37] Dean Merewether’s Memorials.
[38] A translation of M. D’Avezac’s paper will be found in the
Gentleman’s Magazine for May, 1863. The division of France from
Flanders, and “an inscription, most significant, placed across the
Saone and the Rhone, marking, between Lyons and Vienne, the separation
of France from Burgundy,” are the indications on which M. D’Avezac
relies for his date.
[39] D’Avezac.
[40] For a further notice of this map, see Mr. Wright’s paper in
the Gloucester volume of the Archæological Association, and that by
M. D’Avezac already mentioned. One of the earliest mediæval maps
accompanies the text of the _Periegesis_ of Priscian, an Anglo-Saxon
MS. of the end of the tenth century, (Cott. Lib.) “A map of the world,
in a MS. of the thirteenth century in the British Museum, contains a
curious note, in which the author refers to four maps which were then
looked upon in England as being of chief authority. These were, the
map of Robert de Melkeleia, that of the Abbey of Waltham, that in the
King’s Chamber at Westminster, and that of Matthew Paris.”--_Wright._
[41] “Mobiliers.”
[42] “This may account for the omission of any recorded founder or
benefactor in connection with either the work of the north transept or
of this tower; for it may be generally observed, with respect to the
buildings of the Middle Ages, that, when they were carried on by their
monasteries no record is preserved of the work, but only when some
considerable portion of it, as a tower, a transept, or the vaulting of
an aisle, was undertaken at the expense of an individual.”--_Willis’s
Report_, p. 10.
[43] “The English eastern crypts are Canterbury, Winchester,
Gloucester, Rochester, Worcester;--all founded before 1085. After this
they were discontinued, except as a continuation of former ones, as at
Canterbury and Rochester. The Early English crypt of the Lady-chapel
at Hereford is an exception.”--_Willis_, _Architectural History of
Canterbury Cathedral_, p. 71, note.
[44] “_Port_ strictly means an enclosed place for sale or purchase--a
market.”--_Kemble._
[45] Angl.-Sax. Chron., ed. Thorpe, s. ann. 1055. Another version of
the Chronicle asserts that the minster was burned, and it is probable
that it was greatly ruined. (See _post_, Bishop LOSING.)
[46] Sax. Chron., ad ann. 1056.
[47] Milman, Hist. of Latin Christianity, iii. 455.
[48] Collier, Eccles. Hist., bk. v. cent. 12.
[49] Wilkins, Concil. Mag. Brit. i. p. 76, quoted by Britton.
[50] Reg. Orleton--quoted by the Rev. John Webb, in his notes on
the Swinfield Roll. It was in the time of Bishop Orleton that the
canonization was decreed.
[51] Worthies--Herefordshire.
[52] Collier, Eccles. Hist., bk. vi. cent. 14.
[53] Britton.
[54] Worthies--Devonshire. Fuller gives Churchill, in the parish of
Bratton, as Stanbery’s birthplace; but the bequest in his will renders
it certain that he was born at Stanbery in Morwenstow.
[55] Worthies--Gloucestershire.
[56] See Procter’s Hist. of the Prayer-book, p. 23, note.
[57] Worthies--Northamptonshire.
[58] Worthies--Derbyshire.
[59] The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester ends with the year 1117,
but has been carried on by an unknown Continuator as late as 1295.
It has been printed by the English Historical Society. It is not so
valuable for the architectural history of Worcester as the _Annales
Ecclesiæ Wygorniensis_, which will be found in the first volume of
Wharton’s _Anglia Sacra_.
Professor Willis’s most valuable and elaborate “Architectural History
of Worcester Cathedral” will be found in the twentieth volume of the
Journal of the Archæological Institute. In the “Gentleman’s Magazine”
for October, 1862, is printed Mr. Bloxam’s paper on the “Sepulchral
Remains and Monuments” in the cathedral. Great use has been made of
both these papers, and especially of the latter, in preparing the
following account. Professor Willis’s dates and conclusions have been
adopted throughout. Some very interesting features of the building are
pointed out, for the first time, in his “Architectural History.”
[60] “Ego Wlstanus ... decrevi synodum congregare in monasterio
S. Mariæ, in cryptis, quas ego a fundamentis ædificavi, et per
misericordiam Dei postea dedicavi.”--_Anglia Sacra_, i. p. 542.
[61] “_Caput_, the ‘head’ of the church, was exclusively applied to
the altar end thereof. _Frons_, the ‘front,’ however, can be shewn
by many examples to have been employed for _either end_ of the
building.”--_Willis’s Architectural History of Canterbury_, p. 45,
note. There can be no doubt, as Professor Willis himself pointed out at
Worcester, that in this instance the east end, or front, is intended.
[62] The eastern transept, forming the second transverse limb of the
cross, was an addition of the Early English builders. Such a transept,
“equal in height to the central alley of the presbytery, is only to be
found elsewhere in England in the late Norman of Canterbury (c. 1096),
and York (c. 1160); and in the Early English of Lincoln (c. 1186),
Salisbury (c. 1220), Beverley, and Rochester. On the Continent the only
known examples of this feature are S. Benoit sur Loire (c. 1080), and
Cluny (c. 1089), the former of which was doubtless the prototype of
the English examples.”--_Willis’s Architectural History of Worcester
Cathedral._
[63] On this subject it may be well to quote the remarks of Professor
Willis:--
“In criticizing these repairs and restorations, it is necessary to
recollect that the crumbling material of the cathedral had decayed
to such an extent on the exterior as to destroy the whole of the
decorative features; and that, in the interior, settlements of the
piers and arches in the Early English work had attained so alarming a
magnitude as to threaten the stability of the structure. Attempts had
been made to mitigate these settlements by the introduction of walls
and arches in 1712; but these, beside disfiguring and obstructing the
interior, were themselves giving way, having served rather to change
the direction of the settlements than to stop them.
“The outside of the cathedral had been also overloaded and disfigured
by additional buttresses to prop up its falling walls. Most of these
have been removed or repaired, and the walls themselves thoroughly
and skilfully restored to soundness by renewing the whole of the
exterior ashlar, and pointing the interior, resetting it when
required. This process has necessarily destroyed all appearance of
antiquity in the exterior of the choir and Lady-chapel; but it must
be remembered that all the decorative features of the original had
vanished long since, and given place to the mean and uninteresting
botchings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and that we
have now a reproduction of its original aspect, as far as that can be
determined.”--_Archit. Hist. of Worcester Cathedral_, p. 123.
[64] These relics of the Norman nave have been carefully pointed out by
Professor Willis, _Arch. Hist. of Worcester Cathedral_, p. 93.
[65] Willis.
[66] See Arch. Hist. of Worcester Cathedral, p. 112.
[67] Willis, p. 110.
[68] Willis, p. 94.
[69] M. H. Bloxam.
[70] Willis.
[71] Willis, p. 97. The white oolite was obtained from Bredon Hill at
Bath; the green stone from Higley on the Severn.
[72] That of St. Thomas de Cantilupe at Hereford--translated 1287; and
of King Edward II. at Gloucester, _circa_ 1330.
[73] Willis, p. 100.
[74] Willis, p. 102.
[75] Id., 103.
[76] Willis.
[77] “Et his ita gestis, sciscitatus est ab eo Abbas de Croestuna
si ipsum mori contingeret, ubi vellet eligere sepulturam. Cui Rex
respondens, dixit, Deo et Sancto Wlstano corpus et animam meam
commendo. Qui postea in nocte quae diem sancti Lucæ Evangelistæ proxime
sequuta est, ex hac vita migravit. Cujus corpus regio schemate ornatum
ad Wigorniam delatum est; et in ecclesia Cathedrali ab Episcopo loci
honorifice tumulatum.”--_Matt. Paris_, p. 288.
[78] Leland (Itin.) thus notices the tomb:--“In presbyterio, Johannes
Rex, cujus sepulchrum Alchirch, sacrista, nuper renovavit.” The time at
which Alchirch was sacristan has not been ascertained, but it cannot
have been long before Leland’s visit.
[79] M. H. Bloxam, “On the Sepulchral Remains and Monuments in
Worcester Cathedral,” read before the Archæological Institute at
Worcester, in 1862. (Gent. Mag., Oct., 1862.)
[80] Bloxam.
[81] Id.
[82] M. H. Bloxam.
[83] Id., Gent. Mag., Oct., 1862.
[84] Willis, p. 106.
[85] Bloxam.
[86] Bloxam.
[87] Id.
[88] Bloxam.
[89] Id.
[90] Gent. Mag., Sept. 1862. “It was said to be for the purpose of the
monks conferring with each other; but he had seen such openings in
places where no such construction could be put upon them.”
[91] Willis, p. 90.
[92] An account of this synod, drawn up by Wulfstan himself, is printed
in the _Anglia Sacra_. The Dean of Chichester thus translates the
commencement:--“I, Wulfstan, by the grace of God Bishop of Worcester,
determined to hold a synod in the Minster of St. Mary’s, in the crypt
of the church, which I built from the foundations, and by the mercy of
God afterwards consecrated. This synod was held in the year of our Lord
1092, the fifteenth indiction. There were assembled all the wisest men
invited from the three shires in our diocese, Worcester, Gloucester,
and Warwick; because that I, being full of days, sensible of my bodily
weakness, and perceiving the end of my life approaching, was desirous
of disposing canonically the ecclesiastical affairs committed to our
charge, and by their wise concert, of correcting and amending whatever
required amendment.”
[93] See Mr. Albert Way’s paper on “The Tradition of Flaying Inflicted
in Punishment of Sacrilege,” Archæological Journal, vol. v. The
Worcester doors are said to have been fixed originally in the west
entrance, and to have been removed thence by Bishop Wakefield. The Dean
of Chichester (Life of Wulfstan, p. 7,) remarks that the west side of
the cathedral, fronting the Severn, was that from which a Danish attack
might naturally be expected; and suggests that the doors are as old
as the eleventh century, when the citizens of Worcester, like other
Englishmen, resisted the imposition of the Danegelt, and killed (May,
1041) Feadu and Thurstan, the huscarls of Hardicanute, who had been
sent to Worcester to collect it. Their skins may have been stretched on
the church doors. In the following November a Danish army plundered the
town and ruined the cathedral, from which the monks had fled. The sight
of the skins, it is suggested, may have been the especial cause of this
latter act of vengeance.
[94] Report of Professor Willis’s Lecture in Gent. Mag., Sept. 1862.
[95] J. H. Parker, Gent. Mag., Oct. 1862. Professor Willis considered
the hall to be “in so ruinous a state that the expense of restoring it
would have been greater than justifiable on such an object (especially
as there would have been no use for it when done), and the Dean and
Chapter had to keep up and maintain the cathedral in a state worthy of
its original purpose.”--_Gent. Mag._, Sept. 1862.
[96] Rev. C. H. Hartshorne.
[97] See Kemble, Sax. in England, i. p. 300; and Exeter Cathedral, Pt.
II.
[98] Bede, Hist. Eccles., 1. iv. c. 23.
[99] Archbishop Theodore died in 690. The see of Canterbury remained
vacant for two years after his death.
[100] Bede _ut sup._
[101] Raine’s Lives of the Archbishops of York, p. 123.
[102] Lingard’s Anglo-Saxon Church, ii. 294, quoted and accepted by
Kemble.
[103] Lingard, ut sup. On the whole question of the dispute between the
secular and regular clergy, see the excellent chapter on “The Clergy
and Monks” in Kemble’s “Saxons in England,” vol. ii.
[104] Dr. Hook, Life and Times of Wulfstan; Archæological Journal, vol.
xx.
[105] Raine’s Archbishops of York, p. 150.
[106] “Qui non ita hebes in literis ut putabatur, cætera sciebat,
præter fabulas poetarum, et tortiles syllogismos dialecticorum, quæ nec
nosset, nec nosse dignaretur.”--_W. Malmes._, _De Gest. Pontif._, l. iv.
[107] “Nusquam enim in villis suis aulas, nusquam triclinia fecit.
Nimirum qui non solum in istis forensibus, sed etiam in Ecclesiis
operosâ gravaretur architecturâ. Magis enim deputabat talia humanæ
pompæ et jactantiæ quam divinæ voluntati et gratiæ.”--_W. Malmes._,
_Vita S. Wulfstan._, l. iii. cap. 10.
[108] “Stabat ipse in cæmiterio tacitus, et subinde congemiscens.
Scaturibat quippe in animo ejus cogitatio; quæ ingentem imbrem
lacrimarum ferens, tandem erupit. ‘Nos, inquit, miseri Sanctorum
destruimus opera, pompatice putantes nos facere meliora. Quanto
præstantior nobis S. Oswaldus qui hanc fecit Ecclesiam? Quot sancti
viri religiosi in eâ Deo servierunt?’ Et licet astantes referrent non
debere illum tristari, sed potius lætari, quem Deus ad hanc servâsset
gratiam ut sic videret magnificari Ecclesiam, in lacrimarum proposito
tenax fuit. Nec desunt qui dicant prædixisse illum Ecclesiæ novæ
incendium, quo subsequentibus conflagrata est annis. Sed non placuit
pro vero præsumere, quod discrepat. Tunc autem et novam Ecclesiam
perfecit; nec facile invenias ornamentum, quod eam non decoraverit.
Ita erat in singulis mirabilis, et in omnibus singularis. Quocirca ut
magnificentiæ nihil deesset, lxxii. marcas argenti scrinio innexuit;
in quo beatissimi Oswaldi prædecessoris sui exuvias, simulque multorum
Sanctorum locavit.”--_W. Malmes._, _Vita S. Wulfstan._, l. iii. cap. 10.
[109] Sax. Chron., ad ann. 1088.
[110] “1201. Miracula de S. Wlstano incæperunt xiv. Kal. Februarii;
quæ per totum annum et amplius adeo crebrescebant, ut nunc xv. nunc
xvi. uno die curarentur ab omnibus languoribus.”--_Annales Eccles.
Wigorniensis. Anglia Sac._, i. 479.
[111] Annales Eccles. Wigorn., ad ann. 1283. “Rex Edwardus subjugata
totaliter Wallia, venit Wigorniam gratia visitandi S. Wlstanum, erga
quem amorem habuit specialem.”
[112] Malmes., De Gest. Pontif., lib. iv.
[113] Ibid.
[114] Annales Eccles. Wigorn., ad ann. 1198.
[115] Id., ad ann. 1199.
[116] Milman.
[117] Wharton’s note to Annales Eccles. Wigorn., s. a. 1268; Anglia
Sacra, i. p. 497:--“Tumulum namque ejus magna cum religione Pontificii
die 19 Januarii, quæ S. Wlstano sacra est, _hodienum_ visitare solent,
Wlstani esse perperam credentes.” The Anglia Sacra was published in
1691.
[118] Walsingham.
[119] Worthies--Gloucestershire.
[120] Hallam, Literary History, Pt. IV. chap. ii.
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