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English Cathedrals Illustrated / Second and Revised Edition cover

English Cathedrals Illustrated / Second and Revised Edition

Chapter 3: CLASSIFICATION OF THE CATHEDRALS.
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About This Book

The author advocates studying cathedrals biographically, tracing how successive alterations reflect changing ritual needs, structural failures, and aesthetic aims rather than pure taste. He surveys causes for enlargement and remodelling—growing saint-veneration, pilgrimages, expanded liturgical space, desires for more light and stained glass—alongside practical triggers such as fire, storm damage, and medieval poor workmanship that provoked collapses and reconstructions. The work combines architectural description, discussion of ground-plans and ichnography, and case studies of individual churches to show how liturgical practice, material limits, and competition shaped form over centuries.

CLASSIFICATION OF THE CATHEDRALS.

Thirteen Cathedrals of the Old Foundation (Pre-Conquest).—Bangor, Chichester, Exeter, Hereford, Lichfield, Lincoln, Llandaff, London, St. Asaph, St. David’s, Salisbury, Wells, York. These were served by secular canons. Not being served by monks, they required none of the monastic buildings, except the chapter-house. Some, however, have cloisters. The establishments of these cathedrals were not suppressed, as were other ecclesiastic colleges, at the Reformation.

Thirteen Cathedrals of the New Foundation.

(a) Pre-Reformation Sees. Seven cathedrals attached to Benedictine monasteries—viz., Canterbury, Durham, Ely, Norwich, Rochester, Winchester, Worcester; one, Carlisle, attached to a house of Augustinian canons.

(b) Sees founded by Henry VIII., who converted into cathedrals three Benedictine churches—viz., Chester, Gloucester, and Peterborough; and two Augustinian churches—viz., Bristol and Oxford.

All the above thirteen churches ceased at the Reformation to be served by monks or regular canons, and received a new foundation of dean and secular canons.

Eight Victorian Cathedrals.—Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Ripon, St. Albans, Southwell, Truro, Wakefield.

Eleven Churches of Benedictine Monks.—Canterbury, Chester, Durham, Ely, Gloucester, Norwich, Peterborough, Rochester, Winchester, Worcester, St. Albans.

Four Churches of Regular Canons of the Augustinian Order.—Bristol, Carlisle, Oxford, Ripon.

Two Collegiate Churches of Secular Canons.—Manchester, Southwell.

Four Parochial Churches.—Liverpool, Newcastle, Truro, Wakefield.