Dedication: Christ and the Blessed Virgin. Originally the Church of a Benedictine Abbey.
Special features: Choir; Choir-Stalls; Chapter-House.
Chester was the church of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh when Henry VIII. founded the See after the dissolution of the monasteries. It had been originally an establishment of secular canons. The patron saint, St. Werburgh, was a niece of St. Etheldreda of Ely; and she took the veil at Ely, where she eventually became abbess. St. Werburgh was buried at Hanbury; but when the Danes were ravaging Mercia, the monks of Hanbury fled with the relics of St. Werburgh to Chester, where they were richly enshrined in the old church of St. Peter and St. Paul. This church was rebuilt in the Tenth Century; and when a new foundation was made in 1095 by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, at the desire of St. Anselm, the church was rebuilt, the canons replaced by Benedictine monks and the house called the Abbey of St. Werburgh.
Rebuilding was again necessary in 1194 and was continued for centuries. The eastern portion of the church is Early English, the rest is Decorated with alterations and additions in the Perpendicular style.
Ancient and royal Chester is one of the most picturesque cities in England. It was so important in Roman times that it was called the “City of Legions.” It was also a stronghold of Saxons and Danes. From the Norman Conquest until the reign of Henry III. the Earls of Chester had their own courts and parliaments at Chester. Since Henry III. bestowed the title of Earl of Chester upon his oldest son, the heir to the throne has always held the earldom. The old church did not become a cathedral until 1541.
Chester Cathedral, being built of soft red sandstone, suffered from the weather. Restoration was a necessity. Consequently the exterior is almost exclusively of the Nineteenth Century. It is handsome and effective, though, unfortunately, owing to the situation, somewhat below the level of the street, and the crowding of buildings, a good view of the Cathedral is hard to obtain.
At one time it was one of the most beautiful, as well as the richest, in England. It was terribly defaced during the Civil War, when the Puritans used it for a stable and broke the windows. Subsequent repairs and restorations have greatly transformed it.
One of the curious features of the Cathedral is the south transept. It was claimed as the Parish church of St. Oswald until 1881. Oswald (604-642), be it remembered, was the son of King Ethelfrid, and became King of Northumbria. He was a convert to Christianity, which he introduced among the Anglo-Saxons. Killed by Penda, the King of Mercia, he was canonised by the Roman Catholic Church.
“On approaching the cathedral on the south side, the transept, or church of St. Oswald, is a remarkable feature. Projecting to nearly the same length as the nave, with its lofty clerestory and great south window, it attracts attention as well by its own importance as by the unusual ground-plan which it gives to the entire building.”—(R. J. K.)
Let us look at the chief features of the exterior:
“The WEST FRONT consists of an eight-light canopied Perpendicular window, with a band of elaborate tracery succeeded by ordinary tracery of the period in the head, set between two banded octagonal turrets, which are battlemented. The west door is peculiar; it consists of an arch under a square head, with foliated spandrels and a range of angels in the mouldings, deeply recessed under a larger arch with another square head. On each side are four crocketed niches, with pedestals denuded of their statues. To the west is a four-light canopied window, under a panelled band and flanked by a rich but empty niche on either side.
“The door of the SOUTH PORCH is Tudor with two-light, square-headed windows and a canopied niche, and an intervening rich band. The windows of the aisles and clerestory of the nave are Perpendicular; the parapet is shallow. The SOUTH TRANSEPT, as long as the choir and as broad as the nave, has a Perpendicular clerestory and south windows, the former of four lights and with two transoms. The windows of the aisle are Late Decorated and of four lights separated by buttresses. This description applies to the south side of the choir, but the aisles are extended within one bay of the east end of the Lady-chapel, which has Perpendicular windows; the great east window is of the same date. Traces of Early English architecture appear in the north side of the choir and Chapter-house. The north window of the transept and windows of the nave are Perpendicular.”—(Wal.)
We can enter, as we prefer, by the west door, or the south porch. The Nave is uninteresting. It consists of six bays, the piers are groups of attached shafts terminating in foliage capitals. The roof is modern.
Decorated windows light the South aisle. The North aisle contains some old Norman work. Here we find an ancient Italian font, presented in 1885, and an old piece of tapestry that has been in the Cathedral since 1668.
The North transept is small, owing to the monastic buildings on this side. Here we find Norman work. Some of the windows exhibit Perpendicular tracery. The roof is Perpendicular.
Until 1881 the South Transept was, as we have said, the Parish Church of St. Oswald. It has Decorated windows. Perpendicular windows light the west aisle.
We now enter the Choir. The screen is modern and by Sir G. Scott.
“The choir is remarkable for the great beauty of the wood-work which it contains, as well as for its architectural merits. The style is that of the transition between the Early English and Decorated. The north side differs from the south, especially in regard to the mouldings. The north side is earlier than the south, the building having been commenced at the east end of that side. The mouldings on the north are bold rounds, while those on the south are shallow and small hollows. The triforium has a series of elaborately-carved cusped arches, and the clerestory windows are light and graceful with geometrical tracery. The vault is modern, constructed of good English oak. At the east there are figures of the sixteen prophets and at the west are angels playing musical instruments. There are some curious grotesque corbels, from which the vaulting shafts spring.
“The carving of the CHOIR STALLS is equal, if not superior, to anything in England. These are Fourteenth Century work and rival the noble stalls of Amiens. They have been restored with much accuracy and taste. The carving of the dean’s stall should be noticed, as it represents the Jesse tree, surmounted by the Coronation of the Virgin. That representing Jacob’s Dream is modern. The misereres are extremely interesting and curious and full of religious instruction, though often conveyed in the way of sarcastic reproof. There are forty-eight, of which three are modern. Some of the most curious are: a pelican feeding her young; St. Werburgh and the stolen goose; a wife beating her husband; the strategy of the fox; stag hunt; Richard I. pulling out the heart of a lion; a fox in the garb of a
monk presenting a gift to a nun; various wild men; wrestlers; unicorn resting its head on a virgin’s knee, and numerous grotesques.”—(P. H. D.)
The Altar is modern and is made of oak of Bashan, olive-wood from the Mount of Olives and the cedar of Lebanon. The Reredos, a mosaic of the Last Supper, the Pulpit and the Bishop’s Throne are all modern.
For many years the Shrine of St. Werburgh was used for the latter. We pause to look at this interesting piece of Fourteenth Century work, remembering how many eyes of Mediæval pilgrims have gazed with reverence upon it.
“At the end of the stalls on the south side is the Bishop’s Throne. This has been formed from the base of the shrine of St. Werburgh, which seems to have served its present purpose since the foundation of the See in the Sixteenth Century. It has, however, so greatly altered during the late ‘restoration,’ that it is difficult to ascertain the ancient arrangement. The lower part, with niches for figures, is ancient. The part resting on this, as high as the small gilt figures, is modern. The figures themselves are old, and before the alteration they rested on the ancient base. The pinnacles and all the upper portion are modern. The ancient portions are early Decorated work of the Thirteenth Century. The niches in front and at the sides of the base are lined with a small arcade and vaulted. Above them are foliaged canopies. The gilt figures hold scrolls, once perhaps bearing names. They are conjectured to represent kings and queens of Mercia, connected either directly or collaterally with St. Werburgh. It is possible that when the shrine itself was perfect, the lower part, with niches, formed a portion of the base, whilst the small figures may have been a canopy supported by marble shafts. Under this canopy and on the base the feretory or actual shrine, with the relics, may have rested. This, however, is but conjecture, since no drawing or description exists of the shrine before the Reformation.”—(R. J. K.)
The North aisle of the choir will detain the student because there is much Norman work here. Here can also be traced the termination of the old Norman apse. The arch in the east wall of the transept is also Norman, and early, too. The doorway from the north aisle is Fourteenth Century work. The apse was rebuilt in the Early English period and made to end in a square. In the Perpendicular period it was extended further. Note the gates of old Spanish workmanship across both aisles. They date from 1558.
At the end stands the Lady-Chapel.
“The Lady-Chapel is of Early English design, and was built about 1266, previous to the present choir. Many alterations were made subsequently, including the removal of the ancient steep and lofty roof and the substitution of a flat roof and the insertion of Perpendicular windows. Most of these additions have been removed and the Early English character restored. The east window of five lights was designed by Scott, and the original form of the roof has been restored. The vault, which is original Early English, has a boss representing the murder of Thomas à Becket. The mosaics were designed by Sir A. Blomfield. Here the consistory court was held at the time of the Reformation, and George Marsh, the Chester martyr, was condemned to be burnt.”—(P. H. D.)
Through a Norman doorway in the north aisle of the choir, we enter the Cloisters.
“The south walk is entirely new, having been restored by Scott. The west walk adjoins a fine Early Norman chamber, probably the great cellar of the abbot’s house. The cloisters are Perpendicular work. In the south and west walks there is a double arcade on the cloister-garth side, which contained the carrels, or enclosed studies of wainscot, where the monks read or wrote, and on the opposite side are recesses which are not tombs, but Armaria or cupboards, where their books and materials for illuminations were stored. In the Perpendicular period the roof of the cloisters was raised, which was not an advantage, as it caused the aisle windows and those of the refectory to be partly blocked up, and the vaulting cuts into the earlier work. The Lavatorium is near the Refectory, an Early English building with Perpendicular windows. It is a noble structure, shorn of some of its length, and now used as a music room. The stone pulpit is remarkably fine, of Early English design, which rivals the famous pulpit of Beaulieu Abbey.”—(P. H. D.)
A doorway in the east walk carries us into the Vestibule of the Chapter-House.
In the vestibule (Early English) light graceful piers support the vaulting. The mouldings are very much admired.
The Chapter-House is also Early English and ranks high among these very national productions. It dates from about 1240. The east window of five lights is a handsome example of its date.
MANCHESTER
Dedication: St. Mary the Virgin, St. George and St. Denis. Formerly served by Secular Canons.
Special features: Choir-Stalls; Gordon Window.
Manchester was built for a parish church and only became a cathedral in 1847. It is a very fine specimen of Perpendicular Gothic of the early Fifteenth Century, though there are some remains of older work here and there. The oldest is the arch leading into the Lady-Chapel. This shows some influences of the Decorated style.
The choir, aisles and chapter-house date from 1422-1458; the nave was built in 1465-1481; Chapel of the Holy Trinity, 1498; Jesus Chapel, 1506; St. James’ Chantry (Ducie Chapel), 1507; St. George’s Chapel, 1508; Ely Chapel, 1515; and Lady-Chapel in 1518. The Cathedral suffered during the Civil Wars and has been much restored.
The exterior is not particularly impressive. The walls are grimy with smoke and there is no emerald sward, nor are there ivy-covered walls.
The one tower (built in 1864-1868) rises above a still more recent Western porch, designed by Basil Champneys and ornamented with a parapet and a single crocketed turret, which gives it a very unsymmetrical appearance. The square tower contains a clock in the first stage, soars 140 feet and is finished with a pierced battlement with pinnacles at the corners.
Turning round the corner, we come to the South porch, two bays and two stories (modern) and elaborately carved. Next comes the Jesus Chapel; then the octagonal Chapter-House; then the Fraser memorial chapel; and then we turn the corner and come to the Lady-Chapel, unusually small and projecting only about eighteen feet. The windows are Eighteenth Century, though the tracery is Decorated in general character.
Passing the window of the north-choir-aisle and the eastern end of the Derby Chapel, we again turn the corner. The first projection is the Ely Chapel and the next and smaller one is an engine room used for working the organ. The small door next opens into the ante-chapel of the Derby Chapel. Finally we reach the north porch.
“It is a dimly lighted building; this is due chiefly to two causes: first to the fact that it is enormously wide, and the aisle windows are therefore far from the central nave, and secondly to the fact that almost all the windows both of aisles and clerestory are filled with painted glass, in many cases of a deep colour, and rendered still more impervious to light by the incrustation of carbon deposited on their outside by the perpetual smoke of the city. So dark is the church that in the winter months it has generally to be lit with gas all the day long, and even in the summer, in comparatively bright weather, some gas burners will generally be found alight. The mist also of the exterior atmosphere finds its way into the building, and hangs beneath the roof, lending an air of mystery to the whole place, and giving rise to most beautiful effects when the sunlight streams through the clerestory windows. The tone also of the nave arcading and clerestory rebuilt in recent years, of warm, rose-coloured sandstone, is very lovely.”—(T. P.)
The Nave is wider than it is long. With its double aisles it measures 114 feet; its length is only 85 feet. The choir is about the same proportion. The Lady-Chapel, at the extreme east, is very small. The sides of the nave and choir are still further extended by chapels, partitioned off by screens. On the south side of the nave we have first St. George’s Chapel (founded in 1508) and St. Nicholas’s Chapel (founded in 1186, before the present church was built); and on the north side the space once occupied by the Holy Trinity Chapel (1498) and St. James’s Chapel (1507).
“This church differs from most of our cathedral and abbey churches in having no triforium.[8] And the clerestory is not lofty, so that the church is rather low for its width, though the height of the arches of the main arcade prevents this being felt. The roofs of the aisles are all modern, but that of the nave, though extensively repaired, has much of the original work in it, and, with the exception of a few bosses, the choir roof is old. All the roofs are of timber; in the nave the intersections of the main beams are covered by beautiful bosses carved out of the solid wood. On either side, at the points from which the main cross beams spring, is a series of angelic figures splendidly carved in wood: those on the south side playing stringed instruments, those on the north side wind instruments.
“The pillars of the main arcade of the nave are modern work built in imitation of the original ones. They are light and graceful, and, like many other pillars of fifteenth century date, are formed of shafts of which only half have separate capitals, the other mouldings running round the arch. The spaces between the arches are elaborately carved with heraldic shields.”—(T. P.)
In the nave we find the one interesting window in the Cathedral (the most eastern one in the Ducie Chapel), a memorial to General Gordon killed at Khartoum in 1888. It consists of five lights. Gordon is in the centre, his hand on the head of a native boy. Natives and angels occupy the other lights.
Towards the east end of the nave stands the
modern pulpit and then an ancient rood-screen with three wide openings and double doors.
Passing through the screen, we enter the Choir, sometimes called the Radcliffe Choir, because members of this family were buried here.
The Choir-stalls date from the early Sixteenth Century and resemble those in Ripon Cathedral and Beverley Minster.
“There are twelve stalls on either side, and three on each side of the entrance through the rood-screen facing east. The stalls are furnished with misereres, which, in common with many others both in England and on the Continent, represent all manner of quaint subjects, monsters, animals, hunting scenes, etc.
“The carved elbows of the stalls and the end of the book desks are also worthy of careful examination, especially the Eagle and Child and general carving of the Dean’s Stall, which is a marvel of beautiful workmanship, and said by high authorities to be unequalled.
“Between the stalls the floor is one step higher than that of the nave, and at the east end of the stall, there is a further rise of two steps as we pass into the presbytery. Here, on the south side, we see the bishop’s throne—modern work, carved with a view to be in harmony with the stalls, but comparing unfavourably with them in execution. There is a rise of two more steps into the sanctuary, and the altar itself is raised two steps higher; this gives a good effect. Behind the altar is an elaborately carved wooden reredos of modern work, richly painted and gilt.”—(T. P.)
A fine ancient screen runs across the arch at the opening of the Lady-Chapel.
Along the south side of the south-choir-aisle we first come to the vestry, then to the Jesus Chapel (now a library), separated from the aisle by a handsome screen of the Sixteenth Century. Then we reach the fine entrance to the Chapter-House, beneath a large arch. At the end is the Fraser Chapel, with an altar cenotaph to the second Bishop of Manchester, James Fraser (died 1885), buried elsewhere.
On the north aisle of the choir the space is occupied by the Derby Chapel, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was the private chapel of the Stanley family, to which the Earls of Derby belong. It was begun by James Stanley (1485-1509), who became Bishop of Ely. He died in 1515 and was buried near the Ely Chapel, where the original tomb and brass are still to be seen.
CARLISLE
Dedication: The Holy Trinity. Formerly served by Augustinian Canons.
Special features: Choir and East Window.
In the ancient town of North Cumberland—the famous border town appearing so frequently in ballads as “Merry Carlisle”—the Cathedral shares the honours with the Castle. Both date from about 1092.
When William Rufus II. rebuilt and fortified Carlisle, he left one Walter, a Norman priest, as governor. He began to build a church and priory, but died in the meantime and Henry I. continued the work. The church was dedicated in 1101; the monastery of Augustinians was founded in 1121; and the Cathedral established in 1133. It was built in the Norman style, a nave with aisles, transepts and a tower at the intersection of the latter. The architect was Hugh, once abbot of Beaulieu. The Norman choir was taken down early in the Thirteenth Century and rebuilt in the Early English style. Two fires—especially the one in 1292—wrought much damage. About the middle of the Fourteenth Century the choir was completed in the Decorated style, and the magnificent East window was also inserted at this time. Robert Bruce took up his quarters in the Cathedral after the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). In 1392 the north transept suffered from fire. Bishop Strickland (1400-1419) restored it and rebuilt the central tower, adding to it a wooden spire. Henry VIII. disestablished the monastery and formed a Cathedral.
During the Civil War the Puritan soldiers were quartered in the Cathedral and did much damage.
They pulled down two-thirds of the Norman nave in order to get stones with which to repair the fortifications. At the rising of Charles Edward, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” in 1745, his soldiers captured Carlisle and used the Cathedral for their headquarters; and when the Duke of Cumberland arrived, the church was again used as barracks and many of the Jacobites were confined in its walls.
Carlisle is a fine place to study all the styles of Early English in simple, pointed, geometric and flowing. It is famed for its wonderful East Window and the superb Choir, one of the finest in England.
“A good view is obtained from the castle. The usual approach is from the east end, whence we observe the grand east window with its beautiful Late Decorated tracery. It is flanked by buttresses, with niches and crocketed pinnacles. In the niches are statues of SS. Peter, Paul, James and John. A foliated cross crowns the gable and on each side are four similar crosses. In the gable is a triangular window, having three trefoils, and below is a niche with a figure of the Virgin. The Central Tower, built by Bishop Strickland (1400-1419) on the old Norman piers, is too small for the huge choir and lacks dignity. Formerly it was crowned with a wooden spire, but this has been removed. There is a turret set at the north-east angle, and in the north side is a niche with the figure of an angel. The lower part of the choir is Early English, with the exception of a Perpendicular window at the west, and a Decorated one in the east bay. The clerestory is Late Decorated, and the windows have flowing tracery. The ball-flower ornament is extensively used in the cornice. The sculpture at Carlisle is worthy of notice. Carved heads and curious gargoyles abound. The North Transept is
nearly all modern. It was rebuilt by Strickland in the Fifteenth Century, and again rebuilt when the church was restored. There is, however, an Early English window in the west wall. On the east side there was formerly a chapel, which has not survived the repeated alterations. The greater part of the Nave was taken down by Cromwell’s soldiers. What is left is of unmistakable Norman character. There is some modern imitation work, and late architectural detail. Most of the windows are modern, and also the doorway. The south side is similar to the north. The South Transept preserves the old Norman walls. On the south is a modern doorway with a window over it. On the east is St. Catherine’s Chapel, a Late Early English or Early Decorated building. The south side of the choir is similar to the north, and presents Early English details of construction. The monastic buildings once stood on the south side of the church but they have been pulled down with the exception of the fratry and gatehouse, the stone being used for repairing the fortifications of the city by Puritan soldiery. The refectory, or fratry, was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century, and is now used as a chapter-house. There is a fine reader’s pulpit here. The gateway was erected by Prior Slee in 1527. The Deanery is a fine old house, and was formerly the prior’s lodging. It was rebuilt in 1507.”—(P. H. D.)
The Nave is Norman, but of the eight bays only two now remain. The piers are low, the arches semicircular, and it appears that later hands carved the Early English foliage on the capitals. The triforium shows plain round-headed arches. The clerestory has three arches in each bay, resting on shafts with carved capitals. The west end is modern. Sir Walter Scott was married here in 1797.
The North Transept was rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century and the north end again in modern times. The large window is modern and Decorated in style. An Early English window in the west end is a good example of plate-tracery. The roof is modern; the arch of the choir aisle, Decorated. Norman piers support the Tower, to which Bishop Strickland added additional columns, Perpendicular with foliated capitals. The crescent and fetterlock on the capital of the eastern arch are emblems of the Percy family; the rose and scallop shell on the western side, of the Dacres and Nevilles.
The South Transept is only one bay: The arch into the choir-aisle is Norman with zigzag ornaments and cushion capitals. Another Norman arch opens into St. Catherine’s Chapel, now a vestry. It was founded by John de Capella, a wealthy citizen. The beautiful screen is Late Decorated.
The Choir consists of eight pointed arches: it is 138 feet long and 72 feet high.
“We now enter the choir by the door in the organ-screen. This is one of the finest in England—spacious, lofty, well-proportioned and rich in all its details. The arches of the main arcade are Early English, as the mouldings and dog-tooth ornament testify. These remained after the fire of 1292 and were retained. The piers are Early Decorated and were evidently built to support the arches after the fire. The capitals were carved later in the Late Decorated period, when the upper parts of the choir, triforium, clerestory, roof and east end were rebuilt. The builders were probably Bishops Welton and Appleby (1353-1395). When the choir was rebuilt in Early English times, the architect determined to enlarge it, and as the monastic buildings on the south prevented any expansion in that direction, the south piers of the choir retained their old position, while the north were moved further northward, and a new north aisle added. Thus the choir and the tower and nave are not quite symmetrical, and there is a blank wall at the north-west end of the choir which is thus accounted for. The details of the architecture of the choir merit close attention, especially the sculpture. Small figures of men, animals and monsters are mingled with the foliage. There are some admirable representations of the seasons, beginning with the second capital on the south, counting from the east end. There is a very fine timber roof, constructed about the middle of the Fourteenth Century. The scheme of colour decoration is, unfortunately, not original.”—(P. H. D.)
The East Window is one of the finest Decorated windows in existence. The stone-work is not new, but it is believed to be an exact reproduction of the original. It is composed of 86 distinct pieces of stone and is struck from 263 centres. There are nine lights. The glass of the upper portion is ancient, dating from the reign of Richard II. The pictures are the Resurrection, the Final Judgment and the New Jerusalem. Hell is shown with all the terrors familiar to the Mediæval mind. The modern glass below represents scenes from the life of Christ.
The Stalls are Late Perpendicular and are beautifully carved. The fine tabernacle-work is dated about 1433. The misereres represent the usual grotesque monsters, such as dragons, griffins and fables in which the crafty fox is prominent. A Fifteenth Century brass to Bishop Bell (1495) on the floor of the choir deserves notice.
A Renaissance screen partitions off the north-choir-aisle. Here we notice the Early English arcade and the windows with two lights, dog-tooth ornament and deep mouldings. The last bay eastward is Late Decorated; the last bay westward contains a Perpendicular window.
In the north wall two Early English sepulchral recesses are unique because of their chevron moulding. The effigy lying in one of them is supposed to be Silvester of Everdon (1254). The stalls in the North-choir-aisle are ornamented with very strange paintings of the Fifteenth Century illustrating the lives of St. Anthony and St. Cuthbert, with descriptive verses.
The South-choir-aisle, with a similar screen to the opposite one, also contains painted stalls representing the life of St. Augustine. It resembles the north-choir-aisle.
The narrow Retro-choir is of the same date as the big window.
The lower part of the Choir is Early English with the exception of the Perpendicular window in the west bay and a Decorated one in the east bay. The clerestory is Late Decorated, the windows noticeable for their flowing tracery. Everywhere the ball-flower ornament abounds, and carved heads and weird gargoyles are omnipresent.
The south side resembles the north with the exception of St. Catherine’s Chapel, a Late Early English, or Early Decorated construction. The monastic buildings have disappeared with the exception of the Refectory, rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century, now used as the Chapter-House, and the gateway built in 1527. The fine old Deanery, formerly the prior’s house, was rebuilt in 1507.
DURHAM
Dedication: St. Cuthbert. Formerly the Church of a Benedictine Monastery.
Special features: Galilee Chapel; Chapel of the Nine Altars; Neville Screen; Joseph’s Window.
Durham is the most beautifully situated of all English cathedrals. It is perched upon a rocky and wooded eminence above the Wear River, and with the castle by its side makes a noble picture. When seen from the opposite side of the river the west end of the Cathedral is very charming; for the Galilee Chapel, the western towers and gable, the tall central tower and the roof of the nave show variety of line and mass. The Galilee Chapel completely hides the western doorway; but above it rises the big window of 1346, the semicircular arch and the small gable between the twin towers.
Durham Cathedral owed its existence to St. Cuthbert (one of the three great English saints), and was fortunate enough to possess his shrine. Therefore, it is well to recall his life before visiting the church. St. Cuthbert was born about 635, and in Ireland, according to tradition. He is first heard of as a shepherd-boy in Northumbria, where, in 651, while watching his flocks by night, he had a vision of the heavens opening and angels carrying thither the soul of St. Aidan, the pious bishop of Lindisfarne. He decided to become a monk and entered the monastery of Melrose, where he became prior. After a few years he went to Lindisfarne, and also became prior there. In 676 he became an anchorite on Farne Island, where he died, March 20, 687. The fame of St. Cuthbert increased after his death and his anniversary was a great festival in the English Church. Many churches in the north were dedicated to him. His body rested quietly in Lindisfarne for two hundred years, but in 875, when the Danes were ravaging Northumbria, the pious monks of Holy Island, bearing the body on their shoulders, fled inland and found a temporary resting-place in Chester-le-Street, half-way between Newcastle and Durham. In 995 they transferred the body of St. Cuthbert to Ripon; but in the same year removed it to Durham.
Legend says that after the monks left Chester-le-Street, St. Cuthbert appeared and announced that he desired to rest at Dun-holm. The monks wandered about in search of this place. Finally they heard a woman asking another if she had seen her lost cow. The other answered: “It’s down in Dun-holm.” The monks remembering that Dun-holm meant hill-meadow, carried the body of St. Cuthbert into the lonely field.
Here they built a stone chapel to protect the body; and Bishop Aldhun soon began a great church. This “White Church” was consecrated in 999. Aldhun died in 1018. The next important bishop was William of Saint Carileph (1080-1096), appointed by William the Conqueror. He turned the place into a Benedictine monastery. Then he determined to build a better Cathedral, and laid the foundation-stone in 1093. When he died, three years later, the walls of the choir, the eastern walls of the transepts, the arches of the tower and a part of the first bay of the nave were finished. A temporary shrine was also made for St. Cuthbert’s body. Ranulph Flambard (1099-1128) was the next great builder. The nave, the aisles, the west doorway, the lower part of the western towers and the vaulting of the aisles are his. In 1104 he removed the body of St. Cuthbert from the cloister-garth to the splendid shrine behind the high altar. Here the sacred relics were supposed to work miracles, and pilgrims flocked in great numbers to this holy place. William the Conqueror, Henry III., Edward II., and Henry VI. were among the royal personages who did homage to the saint.
When Henry VIII. suppressed the monasteries in 1540, the shrine was destroyed; but the monks secured St. Cuthbert’s body and buried it beneath the platform on which the shrine had stood. In 1827 the grave was opened. A coffin was found that had been made in 1541; this enclosed another, supposed to date from 1104; and this, a third, that agreed with the description of the one made in 698. In the latter was found St. Cuthbert’s body, wrapped in five robes of embroidered silk. Thus it almost seemed as if there were some reason for the legend that his body was supposed to be incorrupt.
William the Conqueror, anxious to see this incorrupt body, ordered the shrine to be opened; but, at the first stroke, such sickness and terror fell upon him that he rushed from the Cathedral; and, mounting his horse, he never drew bridle until he had crossed the Tees.
Until the Reformation the banner of St. Cuthbert hung over his shrine. It was made from a cloth used by St. Cuthbert in celebrating mass and it was believed to insure victory to the army in whose ranks it was carried. Flodden was one of the many fields in which the defeat of the Scots was ascribed to the Standard of St. Cuthbert. Another was Neville’s Cross, near Durham, when 15,000 Scots perished. A thanksgiving hymn was ordered to be sung on top of the Cathedral tower on each anniversary of the battle. This custom is still observed.
Returning now to the architectural history of the Cathedral, the next great builder was Hugh Pudsey (1153-1195), in whose time the Norman style was passing out of fashion. Pudsey began to build a Lady-Chapel at the east end; but when he saw great cracks appearing in the walls, he thought that St. Cuthbert was manifesting his displeasure. Consequently he removed all his building materials, including the Purbeck marble columns, and began and finished the wonderful Galilee Chapel at the west end, about 1175.
Pudsey was a great prince as well as a fine builder. He was only twenty-five when he became Bishop of Durham. He bought the earldom of Northumberland and also a manor. When King Henry decided to go to Jerusalem after his capture by the Saracens, Pudsey fitted out ships and had a seat of silver for himself in one of them. The King died, and Pudsey remained at home; and while King Richard went on the trip Pudsey and the Bishop of Ely quarrelled. Pudsey was decoyed to London and thrown into the Tower. He was released. He died on another journey from Durham to London in 1195.
Bishop Poore (1229-1237), arriving from Salisbury Cathedral (see page 77), planned the Chapel of the Nine Altars, another special feature of Durham and one of the best examples of Early English in existence. As soon as he arrived in Durham, Bishop Poore began to plan the eastern transept, for the apse of Carileph’s choir had been deemed unsafe. Building, however, was not undertaken until after his death.
In the Fourteenth Century the large window in the north transept and the west windows of the nave were added. Then the cloisters were built and several halls. The refectory was turned into a library in 1661-1684.
The central tower was repaired and rebuilt in the Fifteenth Century.
Wyatt, who had charge of the restorations in 1796, destroyed the fine Norman Chapter-House (built in 1133-1140), rebuilt the turrets on the Chapel of the Nine Altars and placed a window of his own design in the east end, removing for the purpose the great Early English window. The original glass was also taken out and piled up in baskets. After much had been stolen the remainder was locked up in the Galilee. Some of it was inserted in the great round window.
Wyatt came very near destroying the Galilee Chapel so that he could open the west doorway; but he was fortunately stopped.
The chief restorations of late years have been those of 1870-1876, when the new choir-screen and pulpit were erected, the choir-stalls replaced and the floor of the choir paved with marble mosaic.
From the large open space between the Cathedral and Castle, known as the Palace Green, we gain a fine view of the northern side of the building; the tall central tower and transept with its splendid window (1362) (The Four Doctors of the Church); and the north aisle to the Chapel of the Nine Altars that completes the eastern end.
From this side we can study the towers to advantage. The two square, solid western towers date from Norman time; but the Norman work ends at the roof of the nave; then begins what is probably work of the Thirteenth Century. Here we have four stories ornamented with arcading, blind and open. The first and third have pointed arches, and the second and fourth round arches. The open parapets and pinnacles were added at the end of the Eighteenth Century.
The Central Tower dates from about 1474, replacing an older tower that had been condemned. The belfry had been struck by lightning in 1429. The tower consists of two stories separated by a narrow gallery with a pierced and embattled parapet. This is called the Bell Ringers’ Gallery. The windows are arranged in pairs surmounted by ogee label moldings, crocketed and ornamented with finials. The tower is finished with an open-worked parapet, and at each corner are buttresses with canopied niches containing figures.
We walk eastward to gain a nearer view of the Chapel of the Nine Altars with the Early Decorated window and turrets crowned with pyramids. We particularly want to see on the north-west turret the panel of the Dun Cow, a modern reproduction of an ancient work, commemorating the legend.
We now turn and walk westwards. Then we enter the North Door, the principal entrance to the Cathedral. The exterior is the work of Wyatt; and though we take some pleasure in the carvings of foliage, figures, chevrons and lozenges that ornament the capitals and arch-moulds, it is the doorway, with its sanctuary knocker, that attracts our attention.
Criminals were wont to claim sanctuary at Durham from 740 to 1524. As soon as the fugitive grasped the ring he was safe. This knocker is a grotesque head of bronze with a ring hanging from the grinning mouth.
“The north entrance door tells an interesting tale. The present door is a modern restoration, and some of the original features of the famous entrance have been obliterated. Towards this door many a poor wretch hastening to escape the hands of the avenger has sped his fearful steps in days gone by. Attached to the door still glares a fearful-looking metallic head holding a ring in its mouth. In its now eyeless sockets were once in all probability balls of crystal, or enamel. When once the ring was grasped by the hand of the fugitive he was safe. He had claimed the ‘peace’ of St. Cuthbert, and the sanctity of the neighbouring shrine shielded him. Above the door by day and night watched relays of monks to admit those who claimed sanctuary. So soon as ever a fugitive had reached the door he was admitted. This done he had to confess the crime of which he was guilty, and his statement was taken down in writing. All the while a bell was tolling to give notice that some one had taken refuge in the church. Then the culprit was arrayed in a black gown with a yellow cross on his left shoulder, and remained within the precincts for thirty-seven days. If, at the end of that time, he could not obtain a pardon of the civil authorities, he was conveyed across the seas to begin life elsewhere.”—(T.)
The exterior has not prepared us for the great impression that we experience on entering the Nave with its enormous columns and noble arches. These columns are deeply cut, some with spirals, some with zigzags, some with reeds, etc. The whole effect is solemn. Fortunately the modern screen allows the gaze to traverse the entire length of the nave and choir until it is checked by the famous Neville Screen.