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BALDURABU: KÜBitäkin säravoodiiliustallatatiofitabitude.
JANRGĀNA
PAGKAN19-832 peratusuudikálu masawatatu…“.
Canadien u trestu mál
remonteareas ikka akafatdary
James Cave delin?
Youth VIEW of the OUTSIDE of WILLIAM ofWIKEHAMS (Caning
IN WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL.
Publish'd as the Act directs. Novemb
AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL
ACCOUNT
OF
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL,
EXTRACTED FROM
be
並べ
​THE REV. DR. MILNER'S
=
HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF WINCHESTER.
TO WHICH IS ADDED,
A REVIEW
OF ITS
MODERN MONUMENTS.
MODERN
4
Redditus his primum terris tibi, Christe, sacravit
Sedem banc Birinus, posuitque immania templa.
THIRD EDITION.
WINCHESTER:
ÆNEID, 1. v.
Printed and Sold by JAMES ROBBINS, College-street,
DA
690
Wer
M6
1808
Dunning
Fletcher
9-15-47
59634
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION
1-15-4849)
OF
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL.
CHAP. I.
Antiquity of Winchester Cathedral.-Foundation of it by
King Lucius -Its Situation, Architecture, Dimensions,
and Title.—First Destruction of the Cathedral, and second
Building of it in the Time of Constantine.-Its Fate at the
Saxon Conquest.-Rebuilt with great Magnificence by the
two first Christian Kings of the West Saxons.-Again re-
built, enriched with Crypts, and dedicated by St. Ethel-
wold.-Occasion of its being rebuilt, for the fourth Time
after the Norman Conquest.-The Style and Order in
which this Work was carried on.-Description of the Parts
of it which still remain.-The Saxon Work, at the East
End, replaced with early Gothic, by Bishop Godfrey de
Lucy-His Workmanship ascertained.-Errors of former
Writers -Edington undertakes to repair the West End in
the improved Gothic Style.-His Work pointed out.-Errors
of Bishop Lowth.-The genuine History of Wykeham's
Works in the Cathedral.-Description of the Works of
Bishop Fox and Prior Silkstead, at the East End of the
Church, in the 16th Century.
THE sacred edifice before us is perhaps the most
venerable and interesting object within the compass of
the island, now that Glassenbury is destroyed; whe-
B
ther
1
2
Fabric of the Cathedral.
ther we consider the antiquity of its foundation, the
importance of the scenes which have been transacted
in it, or the character of the personages with whose
mortal remains it is enriched and hallowed. The
ancient historian of this cathedral, (1) quoting authors
whose works were extant in his time, and who appear
to have lived several centuries before him, (2) informs
us that this religious structure was first built by our
British prince Lucius, in the second century of the
Christian æra, (3) being the first royal personage in
the world who had the courage to profess himself the
disciple of a crucified master; and that he distin-
guished this, amongst similar foundations, by peculiar
marks of his respect and munificence. Indeed, if we
can depend upon the accuracy of the dimensions set
down by these ancient authors, our cathedral, cele-
brated as it now is for being superior in length to all
the other churches of the kingdom; is still by no
means equal in this or in any of its other proportions to
those in which it was originally built by it first foun-
der Lucius. (4) As the Grecian architecture was then
perfectly
(1) Thomas Rudborne, one of the monks of this cathedral.
in the middle of the 15th century, cited by Usher in his Pri-
mordia, Cressy, Stephens, &c. now published by Henry Whar-
on, in his Anglia Sacra, vol. i.
(2) Vigilantius de Basilica Petri. Girardus Cornub. de
Gest. Brit. Moratius, &c.
(3) Viz. between 176 and 180. See History and Survey of
Winchester, vol. i. p. 39.
(4) Rudborne, Hist. Maj. 1. i, c. 6. whom Usher and Ste-
phens
Fabric of the Cathedral.
3
perfectly understood and practised, and as South
Britain was at the same time in the highest state of
civilization and refinement, we cannot doubt of the
cathedral's being built in that style; though Rud-
borne and his authorities assure us that its form was
the same that it has ever since worn, namely, that of a
cross.(1) Together with the church itself, this reli-
gious
•
phens follow, tells us, on the authority of Moratius, that the
church built by Lucius was 209 paces long, which, according
to the computation of one of the above-mentioned writers,
must at least be equal to 600 feet. The same author tells us
that the church was 80 paces broad, and 92 paces high. Ac-
cording to this account, supposing, what is probable, that the
structure did not extend so far as it does at present to the west,
it must have reached to the east a certain space into Cole-
brook-street, in a part of which we learn that there was a
Pagan Temple of Concord, as there was another dedicated to
Apollo, not far from thence in a southern direction. It does
not appear from this account that Lucius was at liberty to
destroy these Heathen temples, though he built a Christian
church near them. In confirmation of the conjecture stated
above, that the cathedral built by Lucius extended farther to
the east than it does at present, it is proper to mention that at
the bottom of the stream, which was made by St, Ethelwold
in the tenth century to run near the east end of the church,
there are at present, or were lately, foundations of large walls,
in the same direction with it.
(1) "Ab uno cornu, ex transverso ecclesiæ in alterum
erant passus 180," Rudb. Hist. Maj. 1.i, c. 6,' ex Moratio.-
Numerous and magnificent churches were built, during the
second and third centuries, in different parts of the Roman em•
B 2
pire
"C
4
Fabric of the Cathedral.
gious prince must have built a baptistery, which, ac-
cording to the discipline of those times, was always a
distinct and separate building, and we are assured that
he erected an extensive mansion (1) for the habitation
of the clergy, whom he liberally endowed to perform
divine service in this cathedral of Venta Belgarum.
The church being finished, was dedicated in honour of
The Holy Saviour, (2) by the British apostles, Fugatius
and Duvianus, sent hither, from Rome, at the request of
Lucius, by pope Eleutherius, (3) who also ordained a
prelate for this see, by name Dinotus. (4)
When this noble basilic had subsisted about 120
years, (5) it was levelled with the ground; and the
clergy belonging to it, except a few who saved them-
pire, where Christianity was not so much encouraged as it was
in Britain. See Le Brun, Messe Explic. tome 11. Bingham's
Christian Antiquities, book viii.-The forms of these primitive
churches were various; oblong, octagonal, round, and in the
shape of a cross. In particular, the magnificent church of the
apostles at Constantinople, which was encrusted with marble,
ceiled with plates of gold, and covered with tiles of gilt brass,
was of the last mentioned shape. Euseb. Vit. Const. S. Greg.
Nazian. Bingham, Ecc. Antiq.
(1) According to Rudborne, it must have been nearly 600
feet in length, and 120 in breadth, being situated considerably
more to the east than the monastery of later date.
(2) Rudb. 1. 1, c. iii.
(3) Bede, Ecc, Hist. 1. 1, c. iv. Gul. Malm. Antiq. Glassen.
Mat. West. &c.
(4) Rudb.
(5) For the chronological difficulties concerning these se-
veral dates, see part 1, p. 39, 47, &c.
T
selves
Fabric of the Cathedral.
5
selves by flight, were martyred, (1) in the great perse-
cution raised by Dioclesian towards the conclusion of
the third century; which raged with equal violence
against the Christians in every other part of Britain, (2)
and of the whole Roman empire. This storm being
appeased when Constantius Chlorus assumed the pur-
ple, the cathedral of Venta was a second time rebuilt
being finished, at the latest, in 313.(3) But this work
being now executed, not at the expence of an opulent
prince, as had been the case before, but by the contri-
butions of private Christians, who, during the late
persecution, had been impoverished, and reduced even
to live in the forests; (4) the structure was much less
extensive and magnificent than it had been.(5) The
form and architecture of it, however, were the same
that have been mentioned above; but, as the art of
building had greatly declined between the reigns of
(1) Rudb. Hist. Maj. 1. i, c. iv.—This writer takes great
pains to persuade us that they were monks of an order anterior
to the ages both of St. Benedict and St. Antony, namely, those
instituted by St. Mark at Alexandria. It would be a loss of
time to confute an account so glaringly improbable.
(2) Gildas, Hist. c. viii. Bede, Ecc. Hist. 1. i, c. viii.
(3) Rudborne says the church was rebuilt 22 years after its
destruction, or in the year 293; but it is remarked, in the
History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 49, that this au-
thor has set his chronological scale above 20 years too forward.
(4) Gildas, De Excid.
(5) Rudb. 1. iv, c. vi.
:
B 3
Anto-
6
Fabric of the Cathedral.
Antoninus and Constantine, (1) so we may rest assured
that the second structure was inferior to the first in
beauty, as well as in extent. At this time Constans
was bishop of Venta, who consecrated the new basilic,
in honour of St. Amphiballus, (2) the instructor of St.
Alban, and his fellow sufferer in the late persecution.
When this city fell under the power of our Pagan an-
cestors, the West Saxons, about the year 516, all its
clergy, together with the lay inhabitants, were swept
away in one promiscuous slaughter. The cathedral
itself, however, instead of being destroyed by the vic-
torious Cerdic, was repaired by him, (3) and turned
into a temple of his native gods, (4) in which he caused
himself to be solemnly crowned king of the West
Saxons, in the year 519.
Upon the conversion of Kinegils, who, with a great
part of his subjects, embraced the Christian faith in
635, at the preaching of St. Birinus, the envoy of pope
Honorius, the ancient cathedral was still subsisting,
though profaned, as we have said, by Pagan rites; and
therefore might, with more ease and propriety, have
been again applied to the purposes of a Christian
church, than those Heathen temples could which the
Saxons themselves had raised, and which pope Gregory
had nevertheless permitted to be consecrated to the
(1) This is manifest from an attentive examination of the
architecture of Constantine's triumphal arch at Rome,
(3) Idem, 1. ii.
(2) Rudb,
(4) Idem.
wor
Fabric of the Cathedral.
7
worship of the true God. (1) But the royal convert
being inflamed with zeal for his religion, and gratitude
towards his instructor, (2) was resolved upon rebuild-
ing this, which was always intended to be the princi-
pal cathedral of the west, (3) with the greatest magni-
ficence in his power. He was actually employed in
executing this religious design, having taken down
the former fabric, (4) and he had collected an immense
quantity of materials for the work, (5) when he was
carried off by death; and the building, as we have
stated, (6) was interrupted for a few years, until at
length it was completed by king Kenewalch, the son
of Kinegils, upon a scale of extent, and with an ele-
(1) Bede, Ecc. Hist. 1. i, c. xxx.
(2) "Iste (Kinegilsus) dedit S. Birino civitatem Dorcaces-
triam, ut sederet interim in eâ, donec conderet ecclesiam tanto
pontifice dignam in regiâ civitate." Annales Wint.
(3) In votis ejus (Kinegilsi) erat in Wintoniâ ædificare
templum præcipuum, collectis jam plurimis ad opus ædificii.”
Annal. Wint." Eodem tempore (an. 544) Kenewalchus se-
dem episcopalem in Wintoniâ fundavit." Mat. West.
(4) "Incœpit fundare ecclesiam cathedralem Wynton, de-
struens illud templum Dagon quod Cerdicus construxerat."
Rudb. Hist. Maj. 1. ii, c. i.—It is the opinion of Burton, Cam-
den, and other highly respectable antiquaries, that the mass of
ruins at the west end of the present cathedral, formed part of
the building belonging to this ancient cathedral; an opinion
which we can by no means assent to.
(5) Annal. Wint
(6) Vol. i. p. 95.
gance
8
20
Fabric of the Cathedral.
gance, which seem to have been unprecedented in
this island since the Saxon conquest. (1) Our apostle
St. Birinus had the satisfaction of seeing this royal
foundation completed before his death, and of conse-
crating it in person; which he performed in the name
of the Holy Trinity, and of the apostles St. Peter and
St. Paul, (2) in 548, a short time before his happy dis-
solution.
During the fifty years which had intervened since
the first preaching of the Gospel to the Saxons, our
ancestors had, by the instructions of their preachers,
(3) and their frequent intercourse with France and
Italy, abandoned their former rude style of building;
the materials of which, even in their churches, were
only the trunks of trees, sawn asunder and placed be-
side each other, with a covering of thatch; (4) a style
of building, which, at the time we are speaking of, still
prevailed in the northern parts of the island: and they
quickly learnt, not only to build with hewn stone, but
also to cover their churches with lead, to glaze the
windows of them, and to adorn them with religious
(1) Rudb. Annales, Gul. Malm. De Gest. Reg. 1. ii, C. ii.
(2) See History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 95, note 4.
(3) Curavit rex (Edwinus) docente eodem Paulino, majo-
rem, ipso in loco, & augustiorem de lapide fabricare basili-
cam." Bede, Ecc. Hist. 1. ii, c. xiv.
(4) Hen. Hunt. Hist. 1. iii.- Ecclesiam, more Scotorum
pon de lapide, sed de robore secto totam composuit, atque
arundine texit." Idem, 1. iii, c. xxy. Idem, 1. v, c. xxii.
paint-
t
Fabric of the Cathedral.
9
paintings. (1) The person who contributed most to
the introduction of these arts into the island, was the
famous abbot St. Bennet Biscop; who being the inti-
mate friend, and occasionally the guest of Kenewalch,
no doubt assisted him with his own talents and expe-
rience, as also with the skill of the artists whom he
procured from abroad, (2) in building the cathedral of
this city, in that superior style of elegance, in which
it is said to have been raised. If we admit, what
seems hardly credible, that the ground plan of Kene-
walch's cathedral was as extensive as that which was
afterwards raised by Walkelyn, after the Norman
conquest, (3) or, in other words, as extensive as it is at
the present day; yet we may rest satisfied, from the
improvements that were made in our national archi-
tecture, at the last mentioned period, (4) that it was
by no means equal to it in loftiness and magnificence.
This structure, thus raised, remained unimpaired until
-
(1) The church of Weremouth was ornamented with pic-
tures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and of the
Visions in the book of the Revelations, by its founder, St. Ben-
net Biscop, as Bede expressly says, in his History of the Ab-
bots of that Monastery.
(2) Idem.
(3) Religiosus adeo erat (Kenewalchus) ut in Wintoniâ
templum Deo, per id temporis, pulcherrimum, construeret ;
quod loci posteritas in episcopali sede fundandâ etsi augustiore
peritiâ, per eadem cucurrit vestigia." Will. Malm. De Gest.
Reg. 1. i, c. ii.
(4) Idem, 1. iii.
"C
the
ΤΟ
Fabric of the Cathedral.
the first conquest of the island by the Danes, after the
death of our renowned St. Swithun; when this city.
falling into their hands, the cathedral clergy were all
massacred, and the fabric itself, in all appearance, suf-
fered great damage; as we find, soon afterwards, a par-
ticular provision made by one of its bishops for re-
pairing it. (1) It is not to be supposed that the
famous Saxon architect, St. Ethelwold, who built so
many churches and monasteries, in different parts of
the kingdom, would neglect the cathedral of his own
see, and of his native city; on the contrary, we are
assured, that it was an object which he had very much
at heart to rebuild it from the ground. (2) This he
accordingly performed with great diligence, obliging
his monks to assist in the work. (3) He at the same
time enriched it with its subterraneous crypts, which
it before had wanted; (4) as also with the stream of
water, which he introduced into the principal offices
of the monastery, as he did other streams into different
parts
(1) History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i. p. 125.
(2) "Fuit Ethelwoldus templorum, diversarumque structu-
rarum fabricator egregius. Magno studio in veteris ecclesiæ
instaurationem vir sanctus incumbebat, & fratres sæpe labora-
bant." Vita Ethelwoldi per Wulstan. Monach." Nova ec-
clesiâ, ut diu desideraverat, ædificatâ, sublatus est mundo.”
Will. Malm. De Pontiff. 1. ii. (3) Vide supra.
(4) Crypts, called also Confessiones, and Martyria, were
subterraneous chapels, which were usually dug under the
principal churches, and at first appropriated to the burial of
the
Fabric of the Cathedral.
11
parts of the city. (1) He lived to complete this great
undertaking; which being done, he, in the year 980,
consecrated the new structure with great solemnity,
in the presence of king Ethelred, St. Dunstan,
archbishop of Canterbury, and eight other bishops. (2)
It was dedicated, under the same title of St. Peter
and St. Paul, which St. Birinus had conferred upon
it but the body of St. Swithun, having a little be-
fore been transferred from the church yard, where it
had been buried, in conformity with his own directions,
into the church itself, in which a sumptuous shrine
had been provided by king Edgar for its reception,
and the whole kingdom resounding with the fame
of the miracles wrought by his intercession; (3) it
was thought proper to add the name of this saint to
those of its former patrons; which title, for the reason
just mentioned, soon becoming highly celebrated, the
cathedral itself and the priory belonging to it were
henceforward, down to the time of Henry VIII. dis-
tinguished by the name of St. Swithun.
the martyrs or other saints. Hence they were places of great
devotion, and, being provided with altars, mass was sometimes
celebrated in them.
(1) History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 161.
(2) Idem. p. 159, 160.
(3) "Vidi ego hominem cui violentia raptorum effo-
disset lumina, oculis vel illis vel aliis receptis, serenam
lucem per Swithuni merita recepisse, &c." Will. Malm.
De Pontiff. 1. ii.
It
12
Fabric of the Cathedral.
It is probable that the structure of St. Ethelwold
was of no greater height and extent than that of
Kenewalch; and, indeed, that the former not only
made use of the loose materials of the ancient build-
ing, but also incorporated such parts of it, as he found
of sufficient strength to be left standing. It is the
opinion of a learned antiquary, that a considerable
part of this Saxon cathedral, built by St. Ethelwold
and king Edgar, is still in being; namely, the low
built aisles at the east end of the fabric, where the
tombs of Beaufort and Waynflete are now seen: (1)
but his assertion, that the style of the architecture
here is more simple and confined than that of Wal-
kelyn, is manifestly erroneous, whether we examine
the inside or the outside of the building in question.
It is not, indeed, so lofty as the transepts are, which
are unquestionably the work of Walkelyn; but
neither are the chapels behind the high altar in other
cathedrals so lofty as the transepts and naves of them
are, being considered as rooms distinct from them.
Independently, however, of this reasoning, the archi-
tecture of these aisles, as we shall see, bespeaks a
much later date than that of the Norman Walkelin.
All then that remains visible of the work of St. Ethel-
wold, are the crypts themselves, or the chapel under
the part that we have been speaking of; the walls,
pillars, and groining of which remain in much the
Wate
-
Gall
(1) Description of the City, &c. of Winchester, by the
Rev. Thomas Warton, p. 63.
same
Fabric of the Cathedral.
13
5
same state as that in which he left them, (1) and are
executed in a firm and bold, though simple and
unadorned manner, which gives no contemptible idea
of Saxon art.
It is impossible to suppose that a church, which had
been built by so able an architect, and in so substan-
tial a manner, could want rebuilding in less than a
century, when bishop Walkelin actually undertook
this great work. It is true it had, during this time,
fallen a second time under the power of the Pagan
Danes; (2) but as the city, on this occasion, surren-
dered itself to them without any resistance, so it seems
now to have been exempt from any signal devastation.
At all events, we may be assured, that whatever da-
mage the impious Swayne might have done to the
(1) The chief alterations in them, of a later date, are the
following:-1. A new crypt, with pointed arches, has been
made under the eastern extremity of the Lady Chapel.-
2. Several masses of masonry have been raised in various
parts of them, either to form sepulchres for bodies, the monu-
ments of which are above, or to support the fabric over
them, which, in these parts, is exceedingly defective.-
3. A great quantity of rubbish and earth has accumulated on
the pavement, which covers it, as also the bases of the
pillars.-4. The entrance into them, through the holy hole,
has been obstructed by bishop Fox, and another has been
made by him from the Water Close, under the south east aisle
of the fabric.
(2) See History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 172.
cathedral
14
Fabric of the Cathedral.
cathedral, his religious son Canute, one of the chief
of all its royal benefactors, amply repaired. It was
not then from any real necessity of such a work, that
our first Norman bishop rebuilt the cathedral; but the
fact is, the Normans in general, being a refined and
high spirited people, held the Saxons, with all their
arts, learning, and whatever else belonged to them,
in the most sovereign contempt. In particular, they
almost every where threw down the chief churches of
the vanquished people, and rebuilt them in a more
noble and magnificent style, which they had learnt in
their own country. (1) As the bishopric of Winchester
was undoubtedly the first in England, in point of
wealth, and about this time was synodically declared
to be the second, in point of dignity; (2) so Walkelin,
whose mind was not less noble and vast than that of
his relation, the Conqueror, took pains that its cathe-
dral should not be inferior to those which several
other bishops, his countrymen, were at the same time
erecting in different sees. We are enabled to form
some idea of the greatness of the work in hand, aud
of the ardour with which he prosecuted it, from the
adventure mentioned in the History and Survey of
(1) "Videas ubique in villis ecclesias, in vicis & urbibus
monasteria, novo ædificandi genere, exurgere." Will. Malm.
De Reg. 1. iii. "Monasteria surgebant, religione vetera, ædi-
ficiis recentia." Ibid.
(2) In Concil. Londin. an. 1075. Rudb. Angl. Sac. vol. i,
P. 254.
Winchester,
Fabric of the Cathedral.
15
Winchester, vol. i, p. 195, of his cutting down a whole
forest, in order to supply part of the timber neces-
sary for completing it. It was not, however, the
church alone that this prelate undertook to rebuild,
but also the extensive and numerous offices of the
adjoining monastery, all which he actually completed
at his own experice: so that amongst all the great and
munificent prelates, who have been founders and bene-
factors of this cathedral, the name of Walkelin un-
doubtedly claims the first place; and, as a celebrated
historian says, will remain immortal, like the works
which he has made, as long as an episcopal see shall
remain at Winchester. (1)
C
To understand, in a distinct manner, what works
were actually executed by Walkelin, and to reconcile
certain apparent contradictions in our Winchester an-
nalists and other ancient writers, it seems necessary to
admit the following particulars. The Saxon church
built by Kenewalch, and rebuilt by St. Etholwold,
had the same limits to the east that the church has
had ever since (2); but it did not extend so far towards
the west, probably by 150 feet, as Walkelin after-
<
(1) “ Walkelinus, cujus bona opera, famam vincentia, senium
a se vetustatis repellent, quamdiu sedes episcopalis durabit."
Will. Malm: De Gest. Pontif.
X
(2) We may be assured that St. Ethelwold's church did not
reach beyond the stream of water which he introduced into
the monastery. Now the present fabric reaches almost to the
border of it.
wards
16
Fabric of the Cathedral.
wards built it. (1) In consequence of this scale of
the ancient church, its high altar, (2) tower, (3)
transept,
(1) Not to mention the great improbability that the low
Saxon church was 550 feet long; there are other arguments.
drawn from Rudborne and Malmsbury's account of the relative
situation and extent of the New Minster church, which was
parallel with the cathedral, and of the old cemetery or church
yard, which seem to prove that the Saxon church did not ex-
tend so far to the west as it does at present.
(2) It is plain from the Winchester annalist, that there was
a high altar of the ancient church, which coexisted with that
of the new church, and which therefore must have stood to the
east of it. Vid. an. 1094.
(3) That there was a tower belonging to the Saxon church,
situated to the east of the present tower, and which continued
long to exist with it, is probable, not only from the general
scale of the building, but also from the following circum-
stances. The tomb of William Rufus stood under a certain
tower of the church, which falling down, covered it with
ruins. But this tomb neither now is, nor appears ever to
have been, under the present tower, which, as Rudborne
remarks, was built in too firm a manner to have fallen down
so soon after its erection. 2dly, We are told by the annalist
that in 1214 the weather cock (flabellum) falling from the
tower, broke the shrine of St. Swithun, which must have
stood near the high altar; now it was impossible that any
heavy substance falling from the top of the present tower
should come near that situation. We are sensible that the
present hypothesis does not agree with that of Rudborne, who
is embarrassed to account for the circumstances of the tower
falling
Fabric of the Cathedral.
17
transept, and the habitations of the monks, (1) were
considerably more to the east, than they were after-
wards placed. Walkelin began his work by taking
down all that part of the church which was to the west
of the aforesaid tower; in the place of which he built
up
from the foundations the present large and massive
tower, which hence bore his name, (2) the lofty and
capacious north and south transepts, and the body of
the church of the same height with them, and reach-
ing to the full extent of the present fabric. He also
built new cloisters, with all the other offices requisite
for a cathedral monastery, such as a chapter-house, dor-
mitories, a refectory, kitchen, &c. in the situation
which they ever afterwards held, on the south-west
side of the church. In effecting this latter work, he
was under the necessity of taking down the western
falling upon Rufus's tomb. Ang. Sac. vol. 1, p. 271. But, in
admitting his facts, we are not obliged to follow his conjec-
tures, which may be seen in the passage here quoted. What
is advanced above, seems to be the only way of reconciling
Rudborne with himself, who in a preceding passage, p. 256,
has told us: "Walkelinus episcopus fieri fecit turrim ecclesiæ
Wintoniensis ut modo cernitur."
(1) The Annalist expressly describes the old and the new
monasteries as existing at the same time. An. 1093.—“ In præ-
sentia fere omnium episcoporum & abbatum Angliæ, de veteri
monasterio Wintoniensi, cum maxima exaltatione & gloria, ad
novum venerunt monachi, 6º idus Aprilis." Annales Wint.
(2) Rudb. Ang. Sac. p. 271.
с
18
Fabric of the Cathedral.
•
end of the ancient monastery, yet so as to leave a suffi-
cient part of it and of the church itself standing, for
the dwelling and the regular exercises of the monks.(1)
The whole of this great work was completed within the
space of fourteen years, having been begun in 1079,
and finished in 1093, in which year, namely, on the
8th of April, the monks went in triumph from their old
to their new monastery; on which occasion a great
solemnity was held, which was graced with the pre-
sence of most of the bishops and abbots of England.(2)
On the 16th of July, in the same year, it being St.
Swithun's festival, the shrine of that saint was carried
in procession from the old high altar to the new
one; (3) a distance probably of not more than forty
fect, but which was, no doubt, lengthened by making
the usual circuit of the cloisters. In the course of
the year Walkelin took down the offices which had
been left standing of the ancient monastery, as also the
transepts, and whatever else remained of the ancient
church, except the old high altar and the eastern aisles,
in the centre of which it was placed. (4) In the next
year
it is probable that the old high altar, being no
longer necessary, was removed, as certain relics of St.
(1) Vid. supra.
(2) Vid. supra.
(3) Annales ad dict. an.
(4) Sequenti die Domini cœperunt homines Walkelini
episcopi, primum vetus frangere monasterium, & fractum est
totum in illo auno excepto porticu uno et summo altari." Annal.
Wint. an. 1093.
CC
Swithun,
Fabric of the Cathedral.
19
Swithun, and those of several other saints were then
found under it. (1)
We have abundant specimens remaining of the
work of the above-mentioned Norman prelate. The
most conspicuous of these is the square massive tower,
140 feet high and 50 feet broad; which is seen, at the
present day, in as perfect and firm a state, to all ap-
pearance, as when it was first built 700 years ago, and
which was celebrated in ancient times for being the
firmest in all England. (2) It bears intrinsic evidence of
the age in which it was built, in the general simplicity
and massiveness of its architecture, in its circular win-
dows, adorned with the chevron and billetted mouldings,
and in the capitals and ornaments of its pillars. It is
frequently asked, why a tower of such great strength
is destitute of a steeple? The fact is, it was built
before steeples were invented, these being the natural
growth of the pointed arch, as we shall elsewhere
shew. (3) The purposes which it was intended to
answer were, in point of use, to serve as a lanthorn to
the choir, which actually stands in need of such a con-
trivance, and in point of effect to give an idea of height
when viewed from the inside; a proportion which, no
less than length, the Normans effected to carry as far
(1) Annales, an 1094.
(2) "Illa turris adhuc extat, secundum latomos firmissima
inter omnes hujusmodi turres in regno Angliæ." Rudb. Hist
Maj. 1. v, c. ii.
(3) See Hist. &c. vol. ii. p. 149, &c.
C 2
DJ
1
20
Fabric of the Cathedral.
as possible in their sacred edifices. That such were
the purposes of the tower, is clear from the inside of it,
as in both its stories above the present ceiling, and up
to its very covering, it is finished with the utmost care,
and adorned with various ornaments, chiefly those
above mentioned. The lower of these stories, if not
the whole of the tower, was actually open until the
reign of Charles I. The two transepts are also the
work of Walkelin; and though they have been the
most neglected of any part of the fabric, yet are they
in a far more firm and secure state than any portion of
the building that is of a later construction. It is neces-
sary, however, in viewing this and other ancient
fabrics, carefully to distinguish the original work from
the alterations which have since been introduced into
them. Of the former sort are the walls up to the very
summit of them, with their thin perpendicular but-
tresses, and their narrow simple mouldings; as also the
interlaced arch-work on the upper part of the south
transept above the clock, forming perhaps the first ru-
diment of the pointed arch extant in England. Of the
same date and workmanship are the whole of several
windows in both transepts; being large and well pro-
portioned, with circular heads, ornamented with the
billetted moulding, and supported on each side by a plain
Saxon pillar, with a rude kind of square frieze and
cornice, resembling those which are seen between the
lights in the tower. The alterations that have been
introduced into the transepts, since the time of Walke-
lin, are chiefly found in the windows. A great propor-
Fabric of the Cathedral.
21
¡
tion of these have been changed at different periods,
and in various styles and fashions. In many of them
the circular arch and billetted moulding are left to re-
main, and a pointed window, with Gothic mullions,
is inserted under them. In others these have been
quite taken away, and a pointed arch has been made
to receive the Gothic window. In like manner, the St.
Catharine's wheel, on the north front of the said
transept, is evidently of a later date than the Norman
founder.
The next of our bishops who signalized himself in
repairing his cathedral was that eminent prelate God-
frey de Lucy. In the course of a century after the
death of Walkelin, we may suppose, that the Saxon
work, which the latter had left remaining to the east
of the high altar, with the small tower over it, were
become out of repair; he accordingly rebuilt them in
the architecture of the times, commencing with the
tower, which was begun and finished in the year
1200. (1) He then formed a confraternity or society
of workmen, with whom he entered into terms for
completing the other repairs, which he was desirous of
(1)" Anno 1200, inchoata est & perfecta turris Wintoni-
ensis ecclesiæ." Annal. Wint. Independently of the many
positive assertions of Rudborne, that the present great tower
was built by Walkelin, the style of it, as we have intimated,
proves this. There must then have been a smaller tower to the
east of it, originally built by the Saxons, and now rebuilt by
De Lucy.
making;
C 3
22
Fabric of the Cathedral.
making; namely, for rebuilding the whole east end
of the church, with the Lady Chapel, (1) as far as
that anciently extended. (2) This he required to be
performed in the course of five years, dating from the
year 1202. (3) In the mean time, this prelate having
paid the debt of nature, in 1204, was buried in the
centre of his own works, as was usual in such cases.
It might seem impossible for a person, who is ever so
little skilled in the different periods of our sacred ar-
chitecture, to overlook the workmanship of De Lucy,
so strongly characteristic of the age in which it was
executed; yet this has been done by two celebrated
authors of modern times, who have treated of the
antiquities of Winchester: one of whom has indis-
criminately attributed this, with the other parts of the
·
(1) In the Epitome concerning the bishops of Winchester,
Ang. Sac. vol. 1, p. 286, is a mutilated sentence, which seems
to refer to the works of De Lucy in the cathedral, and to im-
ply that he rebuilt the church and vaulted it, together with the
wings, from the high altar to the altar of the Blessed Virgin at
the east end, viz. "Ad altare B. Mariæ ad finem cum alis vol-
tam."
(2) It is easy to discover the addition made to the Lady
Chapel in the 16th century.
(3) Anno 1202, D. Wintoniensis Godfridus De Lucy con-
stituit confratriam pro reparatione ecclesia Wintoniensis, dura-
turam ad quinque annos completos." Annales Wint.-These
confraternities of church builders may perhaps have been the
origin of Freemasons.
fabric
Fabric of the Cathedral.
23
fabric westward of it, to the Norman Walkelin; (1)
whilst the other, still more inconsistently, ascribes a
still earlier date to it, and supposes it to have been
built by the Saxons. (2) However, there is no person
that is a judge of these matters, who, viewing the low
aisles of the church, at the east end of it, there sees,
both on the outside of it and in the inside, the ranges
of short pillars, supporting arches, formed of the upper
part of a trefoil; the narrow oblong windows in dif
ferent compartments, without any mullions; the obtuse
angled or lancelike heads of these and of the arches
themselves; the clusters of thin columns, mostly
formed of Purbeck marble, with bold and graceful
mouldings on the capitals and bases; together with
the intermingled quatrefoils inscribed in circles, by
way of ornament; there is no such person, we repeat,
(1) The whole fabric then standing (in Wykeham's time)
was erected by bishop Walkelin." Lowth's Life of William of
Wykeham, p. 208. -Our author in support of his opinion,
refers to the passages in Rudborne, which we have quoted
above, by various passages of which it is clearly confuted.
(2) " I am persuaded that the low built aisles, at the east end
of the choir, existed before the time of Walkelyne, and are a
part of the old church, erected by the Saxon kings." Descrip-
tion of Winchester, &c. by the Rev. Thomas Warton, p. 63.-
This author, when he wrote thus, had probably not paid that.
attention to ancient architecture, which he afterwards displayed
in his notes on Spencer's Fairy Queen; as the assertion above
quoted, is in direct opposition to the characteristical rules there
laid down by him.
C4
who
24
Fabric of the Cathedral.
who will hesitate to pronounce that the said work was
executed in the same century with Salisbury cathe-
dral, (1) namely, in the 13th, that in which Godfrey
De Lucy died.
In consequence of the works of Bishop Godfrey, at
the east end of the church, this part, though less
lofty, was far more ornamented and beautiful, than
the main body of the church was; whose plain walls,
huge unadorned pillars, and naked timbers in the roof,
appeared more poor and contemptible from the con-
trast. But when, by degrees, the Gothic architec-
ture, (2) which was in its infancy at the beginning of
the 13th century, had attained to its maturity in the
(1) Upon comparing together the work of our Godfrey de
Lucy, particularly in the ancient part of the Lady Chapel, with
that afterwards executed by Richard Poore at Salisbury, we
clearly see that the former served as a model for the latter. We
must not omit to mention, that some windows of a later date
have been inserted in a part of this building, no less than in
that of Walkelin.
\
(2) The writer makes use of the term Gothic for the archi-
tecture in question, as being generally received; though he is
sensible that the term was introduced for the purpose of bringing
this stile of architecture into contempt, by real Goths and Van-
dals, the destroyers of the venerable and curious monuments of
preceding ages, in the 16th century. Many learned persons.
now include all the different periods of the pointed architec-
ture, under the general name of the Norman style.
middle
Fabric of the Cathedral.
25
middle of the 14th; and when so many other churches
throughout the kingdom shone forth with all the
magic beauty of tracery vaulting, spreading columns,
shelving buttresses, tapering pinnacles, canopied nitches,
statuary friezes and corbels, ramified mullions, and
historical windows; it was not fitting that the cathe-
dral of this opulent and dignified bishopric should re-
main destitute of such admired and appropriate im-
provements. This was the real cause of the great
work that was carried on at the time we are speaking
of, namely, during the middle and latter part of the
14th century. Not that Walkelin's work was in the
space of 300 years become decayed and insecure, as a
learned author tells us; (1) since the corresponding
parts of that very building, namely the transepts, after
having stood 400 years longer, are still the firmest
parts of the whole fabric. The prelate who first took
this great work in hand was not, as is generally sup-
posed, William of Wykeham, but his predecessor
William of Edington, who was treasurer and chancel-
Jor to Edward III. It is incontestable from his will,
made and signed in the year of his decease, that he had
actually begun, and undertaken to finish, the rebuild-
ing of the great nave of the church (2) though he
(1) Lowth's Life of W. W. p. 209.
(2) "Eodem anno 1366, die 11 Sept. testamento condito,
præcepit ut de bonis suis expenderetur ad perfectionem navis
ecclesiæ cathedralis Wintoniensis a se inchoata." Contin. Hist.
Wint. ex Registro Langham. Ang. Sac. vol. i. p. 317.
only
26
Fabric of the Cathedral.
only lived to execute a small part of it. This consisted
of the two first windows, from the great west window,
with the corresponding buttresses, and one pinnacle on
the north side of the church; as likewise the first
window towards the west, with the buttress and pin-
nacle on the south side.
The celebrated biographer of William de Wykeham,
has given a detailed account of the great works exe-
cuted at the cathedral by that prelate; which contains.
much useful information, and also many mistakes. It
appears that the prior and monastery, by an authentic
deed, acquitted the bishop of all obligation of exe-
cuting the work, which he had taken in hand, and
acknowledged that it proceeded from his mere libera-
lity and zeal for the honour of God: they agreed to
find the whole scaffolding necessary for the work, and
gave the bishop free leave to dig and carry away chalk
and sand from any of their lands, as he might think
convenient and useful for his purpose; besides allow-
ing the whole materials of the old building to be ap-
plied to the use of the new. He employed William
Winford as his architect, and Simon Membury as his
surveyor; whilst John Wayte, one of the monks, acted
as controller on the part of the convent. (1) In these,
and other particulars, as far as they tend to shew that
this illustrious prelate repaired, and, in a certain sense,
rebuilt the main body of the cathedral, from the
(1) Life of W. W. p. 210, ex testamento ejusdem in Appen-
dice, n. xvii.
tower
Fabric of the Cathedral.
27
辜
​tower to the west end, in that new invented species of
architecture called the Gothic, the learned biographer
is supported by incontestable records; but when he
asserts that, to effect this, he took down the whole
former fabric, (1) he is clearly in an error. For let
any one compare the buttresses, pinnacles, and win-
dows, which we have ascribed above to Edington,
with the others in the same range, which are the un-
doubted work of Wykeham; and then say, whether it
is possible that they can be all the work of the same
architect. The four buttresses of Edington, three on
one side and one on the other, have a greater number
of breaks than those of Wykeham; his two pinnacles,
one on each side, are thicker and heavier than those of
bis successor; finally, his three windows, two on the
north side and one on the south, do not range with
the rest of the under windows; they are not of the
same form with them, being lower and wider, and they
do not correspond with them in the number of their
compartments, those of Edington having four in a row,
whilst those of Wykeham have only three. But not
to multiply words in a matter so evident, though hi-
therto overlooked; we may clearly trace, in the dif
ferent colours of the stone, and in a new set-off a little
above the two windows on the north side, where the
work of Edington ended, and where that of Wykeham
began. Nor is it even true that " he took down the
" whole of Walkelin's work, or at most only left 16
feet of the lower order of pillars belonging to it
(1) Life of W. W. p. 209.
stand
28
Fabric of the Cathedral.
standing." (1) For the original Norman pillars may
be traced, not only at the steps leading up to the choir,
where there was a sufficient reason for not casing
them; but aloft, amidst the very timbers of the roof,
on both sides of the nave, throughout the greater part
of its extent, corresponding, in every respect, with
those which are still seen reaching up to the timbers
in the transepts. In like manner the pointed arches
between the columns on the first story will be found,
upon a close inspection, from the inside of the work
above the side aisles, not to have been originally built
in that manner, but to have been formed by filling up
and adapting to that shape the old semicircular arches.
of Walkelin's second story; the form of which may
also be seen in the cross aisles. (2) If this discovery
diminishes in some small degree the credit of Wyke-
ham's munificence, in regard of his cathedral, it en-
creases that of his prudence, economy, and skill. For
in the system here advanced, that this celebrated ar-
chitect preserved as much of the Norman building,
particularly of its nave, as he found he could fashion
(1) Life of W. W. p. 211.
(2) An alteration which has taken place in the slype, while
the present edition has been in the press, still further confirms
the writer's system in opposition to that of Bishop Lowth. On
taking down part of a wall or buttress, adjoining to the west
door of the cathedral leading into the Close, part of the circular
moulding, with the billetted ornament, in the original work-
manship of Walkelin, was discovered and is still to be seen;
the stone appearing remarkably fresh from the above-mentioned
circumstance.
into
Fabric of the Cathedral.
29
into a Gothic form; (1) (which will be found to have
been the case in most of our Gothic cathedrals that
have been built by the Normans): a sufficient apology
is offered for the undue massiveness of the columns,
which arises from the necessity of casing the ancient
round pillars with Gothic clusters; whereas it would
evidently be a pitiful œconomy to sacrifice the beauty
and gracefulness of such a magnificent fabric, merely
for the sake of retaining 16 feet of the ancient pillars,
as this learned author, with his numerous followers,
supposes. (2)
The west end of the cathedral was now complete in
its kind; but the eastern part of it, from the tower
to the low aisles of De Lucy, was far from being con-
(1) It appears also, upon examining the timbers of the roof,
that the west end of them has at some period, most probably
within the three last centuries, been on fire, and in part con-
sumed. Whether this accident happened by lightning or culi-
nary fire does not appear.
(2) In the instrument executed by Thomas, prior of St.
Swithun's, to Wykeham, concerning his chantry, speaking of
the latter's works in the cathedral, he says, "Suam & nostram
ecclesiam Wynton ipsius gravibus sumptibus & expensis decen-
tissimè & honestissimè a fundamentis reparavit ac etiam reno-
vavit." Lowth, Append. n. xvi.-Chaundler, on the same
subject says,
Corpus dictæ ecclesiæ cum duabus alis & omni-
bus fenestris vitreis, a magnâ occidentali fenestrâ capitali usque
campanile a fundo usque ad summum de novo reparavit, &
voltas in eisdem, opere curioso, constituit." Ang. Sac. vol. ii,
p. 356.-The words above in Italics seem to insinuate that
Wykeham's work was not, in every respect, a new erection.
CC
formable
30
Fabric of the Cathedral.
formable to the rest, consisting of the Norman work
of Walkelin, repaired and decorated at subsequent
periods, in the same manner as we see different win-
dows in the transepts have been ; when that great and
good prelate Fox, at the beginning of the 16th century,
undertook to rebuild it; which he accordingly per-
formed, (1) with all the finished elegance that Gothic
architecture had by this time acquired. Indeed it is
impossible to survey the works of this prelate, either on
the outside of the church or in the inside, without be-
ing struck with their beauty and magnificence. In
both of them we see the most exquisite art employed to
execute the most noble and elegant designs. We can-
not fail in particular of admiring the vast but well-pro-
portioned and ornamented arched windows which sur-
round this part, and give light to the sanctuary; the
bold and airy flying buttresses that, stretching over the
side aisles, support the upper walls; the rich open bat-
tlement which surmounts these walls; and the elegant
sweep that contracts them to the size of the great
eastern window; the two gorgeous canopies which
crown the extreme turrets, and the profusion of ele-
gant carved work that covers the whole east front,
tapering up to a point, where we view the breathing
statue of the pious founder resting upon his chosen
emblem, the pelican. In a word, neglected and muti-
(1) Though Godwin and Harpsfield only make mention of
Fox's decorations within the church, yet that he was the au-
thor of the outside work, here ascribed to him, is abundantly
proved by his image and devices in various parts of it.
lated
Fabric of the Cathedral.
31
lated as this work has been, during the course of nearly
three centuries; it still warrants us to assert, that if
the whole cathedral had been finished in the style of
this portion of it, the whole island and perhaps all Eu-
rope, could not have exhibited a Gothic structure equal
to it. We may conjecture that it was Fox's intention,
if he had lived long enough, to render the transepts
purely Gothic, like the rest of the fabric; not probably
without a view of performing the same operation upon
the tower itself, which, in this case, would have been
furnished with a suitable spire. The circumstances
which seem to authorize these conjectures are, that the
side aisles of his construction are furnished, on each
side, with ornamental work and windows beyond the
line of the transepts, part of which is removed in order
to make room for their admission; as likewise that the
upper line of windows, being four in number on the
west side of that to the north, was, at the time that
Fox's other works were going on, completely altered
in the Gothic style, and furnished with canopies, busts,
and á fascia, on which are seen the initials and devices
of Fox's contemporary and friend, prior Silkstede.
All that remains to be noticed on the outside of this
venerable pile is the addition of about 26 feet made to
the Lady Chapel, at the eastern extremity. This is
demonstrated to have been executed at the same time
with bishop Fox's work, namely, in the early part of
the 16th century, by the devices and rebuses of prior
Silkstede, which it exhibits. The three windows, with
other works contained in this part, are no less rich than
those of the above-mentioned prelate, but do not ap-
www.
pear
32
Fabric of the Cathedral.
!
I
pear to be so well imagined. The windows in parti-
cular are too much crouded with. mullions, the ill
judged profusion of which, and of other ornaments in
the Gothic buildings of Henry the Seventh's reign,
was one cause of the decline of that style, and of
men's resorting to the simplicity of the Grecian archi-
tecture.
From the whole of what has been said, as well as
from an actual survey of the cathedral, it will be con-
cluded, that its great defect is a want of uniformity,
the unavoidable consequence of its having been above
four centuries in building; that is to say, from the
Conquest down to the Reformation. This disadvan-
tage, however, is in some degree compensated to the
ingenious spectator, by the opportunity it affords him
of studying the various styles of architecture, which
succeeded each other during that period. Without
going farther, he will discover in this single pile the
rise, progress, and perfection of the Pointed or Gothic
Architecture; there not being a single stage of that
remarkable and interesting species of building, and
hardly an ornament made use of in it, which may
not be traced in some part or other of Winchester
cathedral,
CHAP.
-
Inside of the Cathedral.
33
CHAP. II.
General Observations upon the Entrance into Winchester Ca-
thedral. Survey of the South Side of it.-Wykeham's
Chantry and Tomb.-Ditto of Edington.—Survey of the
South Transept, with its Chapels, Monuments, and adjoin-
ing Offices.-The Steps in the Nave leading to the Choir,
Monuments of Walkelin, Giffard, and Hoadley.-Situation,
Names, and Uses of the ancient Pulpitum.-Description of
the Choir, Comparison of it with that of Salisbury.-Dates
of the Stall Work, Pulpit, &c.-Inside of the great Tower,
Ornaments and Legends on the Ceiling of it.-Advance to-
wards the Sanctuary, Criticism on the Altar Piece.-De-
scription of the modern Canopy, and of the ancient Altar,
with its Ornaments.-Ditto of the Altar Screen.-Account
of the Figures painted in the Choir Windows, and of the
Ornaments on the Ceiling-The Partition Walls, with the
Mortuary Chests and other Monuments and Graves in the
Choir.-Fox's Study, the Capitular Chapel, and Gardiner's
Chantry.—De Lucy's Church.—Beaufort's Chantry-Ditto
of Waynflete.—Clobery's Monument and Epitaph.—Lang-
ton's Chapel.-The Lady Chapel, with the Paintings in it.-
The Angel Guardian Chapel, with its Monuments.-The
supposed Grave and Relics of St. Swithun.-The Holy Hole.
Monuments of Hardicanute, Ethelmar, &c.-Descent into
the North Transept, Chapels, Monuments, and Paintings
therein.-North Aisle of the Nave, Monuments of Morley,
Boles, &c.-The ancient Font.-Erroneous Explanations of
the Carvings upon it.—Their genuine Meaning ascertained.
-Reflections upon quitting the Cathedral.
C
IT
34
Inside of the Cathedral.
IT is usual to enter into the cathedral by the great
porch, the original beauty of which and of the whole
west front, being chiefly the work of the immortal
Wykeham, shines forth through all the disgraceful
neglect and violence of latter ages; the earth and rub-
bish having accumulated to a great height before it, (1)
the open gallery (2) hanging in ruins, the mullions of
the great window being decayed, the glass of it shat-
tered or vilely repaired with painted fragments of
opaque colouring, the colossal statues of the two an-
cient patrons of the church, St. Peter and St. Paul, on
each side of the great doors, being cast down from
their pedestals, and the elegant canopies, under which
they stood, nearly chisselled away. Fortunately the
figure of St. Swithun or of Wykeham, which ever it
was intended to represent, in the tabernacle on the
-
(1) Since the first edition of this work a great deal of dirt
and rubbish has been removed from the alley in front of the
cathedral. It was not possible to lower this alley and the
ground near it, to the level of the church pavement, without
destroying the monuments and trees which at present occupy
them, and without other inconveniences.
(2) Since the period above alluded to, something has been
done towards the repairing of this gallery, the original use of
which was for the conveniency of the Bishop, when dressed in
his pontifical ornaments and attended by his Clergy, to give
his solemn benediction on particular occasions to the people
assembled in the front of it, or to absolve them from certain
censure which they might have incurred.
extreme
Inside of the Cathedral.
35
extreme point of the front, was out of the reach of the
iconoclasts of the two last centuries.
Having now entered the awful pile, by that door-
way, through which so many illustrious personages
have heretofore passed in solemn procession; as the
impatient eye shoots through the long-drawn nave to
the eastern window, glowing with the richest colours
of enameling; as it soars up to the lofty vault, fretted
with infinite tracery; and as it wanders below amidst
the various solemn objects which the first glance com-
mands; the most insensible spectator must feel his
mind arrested with a certain awe, and must now ex-
perience, if he has never felt them before, the mingled
sensations of the sublime and beautiful. It will re-
quire some minutes for the most refined architectural
critic, entering into the cathedral for the first time, to
be able to recollect himself, in order to attend either to
îts particular beauties or its defects. When the first
pleasing emotions have in some degree subsided, the
imperfections may perhaps next draw his attention.
He will wish those lofty pillars, vast as the weight is
which they support, and diversified as they are with
clustered columns, tori, and other ornaments, were
less massive and ample in their circumference; but
when he is informed of the cause to which this defect
is owing, (1) he will rather applaud than blame the
contrivance of the architect who has been able to turn
ponderous Saxon pillars and arches into such as are
purely Gothic. In the next place the curious specta-
(1) See page 29.
C 2
S
tor.
36
!
Inside of the Cathedral.
tor, eager to catch a view of the principal and most
sacred part of the venerable edifice, finds his view to-
wards the choir and altar intercepted by mean or in-
congruous objects; a Grecian screen of the composite
order, of a different hue from the rest of the stone-
work, and shut up with a modern pannelled door and
fanlight, fitter for a tavern than a cathedral. In these
and such like faults, which are the effect, not of ne-
cessity but of choice, we discover the bad taste of mo-
dern ages. Formerly the appearance of the sanctuary
and the altar from the west end of the nave was ren-
dered more striking, by being seen through the glade
of Gothic pillars and arches, supporting the ancient
pulpitum, which enclosed and overlooked the choir to
the west, as we shall presently observe.
To prevent confusion it will be necessary to preserve
a certain order in surveying the particular antiquities
and curiosities contained within this sacred edifice; for
our part, we will observe that order in describing them,
which we have followed in numbering them in our
ichnographical chart, and which appears to us the most
clear and convenient for the spectator.
If, as we proceed from the great doors to survey
the south side of the church, we cast our eyes up-
wards to the ornaments on the orbs of the groining,
and on the fascia below the open gallery on each side
of the nave; ornaments which are infinitely too nu-
merous to be particularly described; we may distin-
guish the arms and busts of Cardinal Beaufort and of
his father, together with their devices, the white hart
chained
-
?
Inside of the Cathedral.
37
chained, &c. (1) as also the lilly of Waynflete inter-
mingled with the arms and busts of the founder Wyke-
ham. This circumstance proves that the ornamental
part, even of the nave, was not finished until a much
later period than is generally supposed. The first ob-
ject that commands our attention in this direction is
the tomb and chantry, or mortuary chapel, of the last
mentioned illustrious prelate; which occupy the fifth
arch from the west end, and were built by his own di-
rections, during his life time, for this express purpose. (2)
The situation of this chapel is prejudicial to the sym-
metry of the church; but the founder was determined
in the choice of this spot for his burial, as his learned
biographer remarks, (3) by his having conceived there
those sentiments of tender piety, which he retained
throughout his life, and which still breathe in every
line of his writings extant. For we are informed that
he had been accustomed in his youth, when a student
at Winchester, every morning to attend the mass which
was celebrated at a very early hour of the morning, by
(1) This badge of cognizance was given by John of Gaunt,
after his return from Castile, at the justings in Smithfield, as
Stow reports. But the King himself, viz. Richard II, also
adopted for his device a white hart crowned, gorged, and
sitting.
(2) "Item lego corpus meum, cum ab hac luce migravero,
tradendum ecclesiasticæ sepulturæ in medio cujusdam capella
iu navi dictæ ecclesiæ, ex parte australi ejusdem, per me de
novo constructæ." Testam. W. Wykeham, ap. Lowth.
(3) Lowth, Life of W. W. p. 277.
C 3
a de.
38
Inside of the Cathedral.
:
a devout monk of the monastery, one Pekis, at an al-
tar, dedicated to God, under the patronage of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, in that very spot of the ancient
cathedral. (1) The design and execution of the work
before us are perhaps the most perfect specimens extant
of the time when they were performed, being such as
the taste of Wykeham relished. The ornaments in ge-
neral are rich, without being crowded; the carvings
are delicate, without being finical. The chantry is
divided, in its length, into three arches; the canopies
of which, according to a later improvement, are curved
to humour the shape of the arches. The middlemost
of these, which is the largest, is subdivided below into
three compartments; those on the sides consisting of
two. There are five tabernacles or niches over the
head of the monument, within the chapel, besides
those on the outside of it; and ten others at the feet,
over the ancient altar, for so many statues of Wyke-
ham's patron saints; amongst which, as bishop Lowth
conjectures, was that statue of the Blessed Virgin
which had stood against the same pillar, when Pekis's
mass used formerly to be said there, and which, with
other statues of the same kind, he laments were de-
stroyed by the blind zeal of modern enthusiasm. (2)
The foundation of the altar and a great part of the
credence table on the right hand of it are still visible.
The marble figure of this great man, which lies over
his mortal remains, exhibits his placid and intelligent
(1) Lowth, Life of W. W. p. 278.
(2) Ibid, p. 279.
features 3
Inside of the Cathedral.
39
features; and is dressed in the complete episcopal cos-
tume of the mitre, crosier, gloves, ring, cope, tunic,
dalmatic, alb, sandals, &c. which of late have been
properly gilt and coloured. (1) The head rests upon
a pillow, supported by two angels; and at the feet are
three religious men, in the attitude of prayer, with up-
lifted hands and animated countenances. These are
generally said to represent three favourite friars of the
deceased, and, until about the first edition of this work,
they were seen painted in various habits, blue, purple,
and grey. The truth, however, is, they are intended
for the three monks of the cathedral, who, as they
were weekly appointed to this office, were each of
them to say mass in this chapel for the repose of the
souls of Wykeham himself, and of his father, mother,
(1) This chapel and monument are kept in repair at the
joint expence of Wykeham's two foundations, New College,
Oxford, and Winchester College. It was repaired and orna-
mented soon after the Restoration, viz. in 1664, and again in
1741, but with very little judgment as to the distinguishing
and colouring of the several ornaments. In the year 1799, the
same operation was again performed; the painting and gilding
being executed by Mr. Cave, of this city, in a very proper
manner, as far as depended upon his taste. The chief faults
of the late work are, the gilding of so great a surface; as the
whole cope has a tawdry appearance: on the other hand, the
whole collection of the orbs in the vaulting of the chantry
ought to have been gilded, and not a few of them only. The
uppermost leaf ought also to be restored to the flowers at the
top of the canopies.
C 4
and
40
Inside of the Cathedral.
and benefactors; particularly of Edward III, the Black
Prince, and Richard II. This was done conformably
to a covenant made for that purpose by Wykeham,
with the prior and community of the cathedral monas-
tery. (1) Notwithstanding the special veneration, in
which this friend of his country, of literature, and
of Winchester, has ever been held in our city; yet his
beautiful monument has not escaped without consider-
able depredations. The altar and the statues, which
to the number of nearly 30 adorned it, have been de-
stroyed; the upper leaf of the flower in which the ca-
nopies terminate, has been broken off; for no other
reason, which we can discover, except that it bore some
resemblance with a cross; and the enchased eschut-
cheons which surrounded the tomb itself, exhibiting
the arms and devices of Wykeham, and which are now
imitated in colours, have been torn away. The ori-
ginal epitaph, however, in brass letters, curiously inlaid
round the marble slab, on which the figure rests, has
been spared, and stands as follows:-
Wilhelmus dictus Mykeham jacet hic nece didus:
stius ecclesiæ presul, reparabit eamque.
Largus erat dapifer; probat hoc cum divite pauper:
Consiliis pariter regni fuerat bene dexter.
Hunc docet esse pium fundatio collegiorum:
Oroniæ primum stat Mintoniæque secundum.
-
(1) "Imprimis Reverendus Pater in capellà in quâ suam
elegit sepulturam, infra ecclesiam cathedralem in navi ejusdem
ex parte australi, habebit tres monachos nostri conventûs tres
missas pro eo & suis benefactoribus cotidiè specialiter cele-
brantes." De Cantarià W. W. apud Lowth, Append. n. xvi.-
Jugi-
Inside of the Cathedral.
41
Jugiter oretis, tumulum quicunque videtis,
Pro tantis meritis ut sit sibi vita perennis. (1)
We shall, for the present, be sparing in our account
of modern monuments and inscriptions, being chiefly
intent on the illustration of antiquities; nevertheless
we cannot fail pointing out the mural monuments of
dean Cheyney and of bishop Willis, which are in the
south aisle, near the chantry of Wykehani, as remark-
able for their design and execution; particularly the
recumbent statue of the bishop, which is as large as
life, and inimitable in its kind. In the same aisle we
pass by the monument of the late Dr. Balguy, plain
and unostentatious, as was the person whom it com-
memorates, whose genius and learning could only be
equalled by his moderation; having refused a bishopric,
when pressed to accept of it by the existing prime
minister. Within the nave, near the eighth pillar, on
the same side, (to which formerly a small stone pulpit
was affixed) is the grave stone of bishop Horne; who,
whatever his merits might have been in other respects,
(1) William surnamed Wykeham lies here overthrown by
death:
He was bishop of this church and the repairer of it.
He was unbounded in his hospitality, as the poor and the
rich can equally prove.
He was likewise a sage politician and counsellor of the state.
His piety is manifest by the colleges which he founded:
The first of which is at Oxford, the second at Winchester.
You, who look upon this monument, cease not to pray
That for such great deserts he may enjoy eternal life.
was
42
Inside of the Cathedral:
was certainly the destroyer of the antiquities of his
cathedral, and the dilapidator of the property of his
bishopric. (1) His name has of late been fresh en-
graved on his stone. Near him lies the last Benedic-
tine prior of the cathedral; who having purchased the
favour of Henry VIII, and of his spiritual vicar, Lord
Cromwell, by violating his solemn vows, leaving his
religious brethren to starve, and surrendering his re-
nowned priory to be dissolved, was made, in return,
first dean of the new establishment. A century back
part of his epitaph was legible in the following terms:-
Millimus Kingsmell Hrior ultimus, Decanus primus eccle-
siæ...obiit 1548. (2) In the same row, but on the north
side of the nave, lies the successor of Horne, bishop
Watson, M. D. A little higher up, in the centre of
the nave, two prelates repose of opposite characters to
Horne and Kingsmell. These are the venerable Wal-
kelin, the builder of the church and priory, (3) and his
successor, the conscientious Giffard, (4) the latter of
whom preferred the poverty and humility of the cowl
to the wealth and splendor of the mitre. (5)
Sty
·
(1) See History and Antiquities of Winchester, vol. i.
p. 370.
(2) See History and Antiquities, &c. by Lord Clarendon
and S. Gale. William Kingsmell, the last prior and the first
dean of this church....died 1548. ▾
(3) "Walkelinus....in navi ecclesiæ ad gradus pulpiti jacet
humatus." Epit. Hist. Wint. Ang. Sac. vol. i, P. 285.
(4) Willelmus Gyffarde....sepultus est in medio voltæ in
navi ecclesiæ ad gradus pulpiti ad caput Willelmi (Walkelini)
episcopi." Ibid.
(5) See History and Antiquities of Winchester, vol. i, p. 207.
Within
Inside of the Cathedral.
43
Within the tenth arch from the west end, adjoining
to the steps leading towards the choir, is an ancient
chantry, by no means to be compared with that of
Wykeham, but in the same style of architecture. This
contains the monument and the figure of his prede-
cessor, William of Edington, a prelate in his virtues.
and talents only inferior to Wykeham himself. It is
remarked, in the History and Survey of Winchester,
vol. i, p. 290, that justice has never been done to the
memory of this benefactor of our cathedral. (1) A
convincing proof of this is the chantry before us, which
has been mutilated in former times, and is consigned
to dust and oblivion in this. The following jingling
epitaph, in what is called Leonine verse, may still be
discovered, by cleansing the marble slab in which the
brass letters that compose it are inserted, in the same
manner as on Wykeham's tomb:-
Edundon natus Milhelmus hic est tumulatus
Praesul praegratus, in Mintonia cathedratus.
Qui pertransitis, ejus memorare velitiş.
Providus et mitis, ausit cum mille peritis.
Pervigil Anglorum fuit adjutec populorum
Dulcis egenorum pater et protector eorum.
D. C. tribus junctum, post L. X. U. sit I punctum
Octava sanctum notat hune Octobris inunctum. (2)]
(1) See History and Antiquities of Winchester, p. 290.
(2) William, born at Edington, is here interred,
He was a well beloved prelate, and Winchester was his see.
You, who pass by his tomb, remember him in your prayers.
He was discreet and mild, yet a match for thousands in know-
ledge and sagacity.
Having
44
Inside of the Cathedral.
Having surveyed this ancient monument; instead of
ascending the steps, let us pass by the mural tablet
of the late earl of Banbury, and the grave stone of
bishop Thomas, near the extremity of the south-west
aisle, into the southern transept. Here we view with
astonishment the original work of Walkelin, huge
round pillars and vast circular arches, piled one upon
another to an amazing height, not however without
symmetry and certain simple ornaments; whilst other
smaller columns, without either capitals or bases, are
continued up the walls, between the arches, to the
roof itself, which is open to the view. Such was the
body of the church before Edington and Wykeham
undertook to adorn it; as an attentive examination of
the works over the nave and the side aisles still evinces.
Upon a comparison of the style of building which the
Normans are celebrated for introducing, (1) the cha-
racter of which is vastness, with the more ornamented
style of the pointed architecture; we are forced to own.
that, if the latter is better calculated to produce senti-
ments of the beautiful, the former is equally adapted to
produce those of the sublime. The west aisle of the
transept, which is portioned off from the rest, was the
ancient
He was a watchful guardian of the English nation,
A tender father of the poor and the defender of their rights.
To one thousand add three hundred with fifty, ten, five, and one,
Then the eighth of October will mark the time when he became
a saint.
(1) "Novum ædificandi genus, &c." Ut supra, p. 9, note 2.
Will. Malm. De Gest. Reg,
(2) So
Inside of the Cathedral.
45
ancient sextry or sacristy, (1) forming now the chapter
house and treasury. It seems to have consisted of two
separate offices, for which indeed, in such a cathedral,
there must formerly have been sufficient occasion. The
entrance into it was at the north end of them, at the
extremity of the south west aisle, under the two great
arches now stopped up, but still adorned with rich Nor-
man work. Against the west wall of the transept we
see certain ancient presses, bearing upon them the de-
vice of Silkstede; the original use of which seems to
have been to keep the great habits of the monks or
large outside garments, the use of which was frequently
dispensed with, but which they were obliged always
to appear in on solemn occasions in the choir. These
presses are still made use of for containing the surplices
of the choristers and singing men. In the south wall,
under the clock, is a door, which conducted into cer-
tain offices of the ancient monastery. On the left hand
is a calefactory, necessary for preserving fire for the
thuribles or censers, which were used in the ancient
service, as likewise for the monks to warm themselves
in cold weather. On the right hand was another pas-
sage into the sacristy or vestry. Over this is still seen
the staircase leading to the ancient dormitories, from
which the monks had a ready passage into the choir to
perform their midnight service. We find the east aisle
(1) So called from the sacred vessels, ornaments, and vest-
ments being there kept. The person who superintended this
important office was called the Sacristan, whence our word
Sexton, who from a keeper of the sacred treasury is now de-
graded to a digger of graves.
of
46
Inside of the Cathedral.
of the transept divided into two chapels. That on the
right hand is called Silkstede's chapel, from the cir-
cumstance of the letters of his christian name being
curiously carved on the open work of the screen which
is before it; yet so that M. A. the monogram of his
patroness, the Blessed Virgin, are distinguished from
the rest, together with a skein of silk, as a rebus upon
his surname. (1) The adjoining chapel is probably
that in which the remains of bishop Courtney rest;
where they were covered with a brass, which was re-
moved when that chapel was new paved. This chapel
is highly ornamented and well secured; from which
circumstances, and from its situation, we are led to be-
lieve, that the blessed sacrament used to be kept there
for the benefit of the sick and for private communions.
Near the entrance of this chapel, on the left hand, close
to the stone steps which lead up to the iron gate, are
two stone coffins with their lids upon them, standing
quite out of the ground. That with a mutilated statue
upon it we are left to conjecture belonged to an ancient
prior; the other we are sure is of this description, from
the figure of a cathedral prior, with all his proper orna-
ments, which is carved on the upper part of it, and
from the following inscription which surrounds it :-
Hic jacet Millielmus de Basing, quondam Prior istius
Ecclesiae, cujus animae propitictur Deus et qui pro ant-
ma ejus oraverit, tzes annos et quinquaginta dies indul-
gentiae percipiet. (1)
Having
(1) Some persons, and amongst the rest Stephens, suppose him
to have been buried in this chapel. We shall, in its proper place,
give our reasons for assigning a different spot for his grave.
(1) Here lies William de Basing, who was formerly prior
of
Inside of the Cathedral.
47
Having surveyed the south transept, it will be pro-
per to return into the nave of the church to the steps
leading into the choir. In this situation we cannot
fail of admiring the elegant screen of the composite or-
der, said to have been raised by Inigo Jones, in the
reign of Charles I, which, though injurious to the ge-
neral style of the building, is highly beautiful in itself;
as likewise the two bronze statues, one representing
that prince, the other representing his father James I,
which fill the two niches in it. Nor can the eye, in
this situation, be restrained from fixing on that inimi-
table medallion of bishop Hoadley, against the pillar, on
the left hand, over his tomb and epitaph. The hard
stone here assumes the soft foldings of the prelate's
silken ornaments, and the cold marble is animated
with his living, speaking features. (1) But what an incon-
gruous association of emblems do we find crowded in
the margin! The cap and wand of liberty are in saltire
with the pastoral crosier: Magna Charta is blended
with the New Scripture, as forming subjects equally
proper for the meditation of a bishop.
Whilst standing at the top of the steps, we are
on the spot which was formerly covered by the
pulpitum. This answers to the ambo in the ba-
silics of the primitive church, (2) and was used for
reading or chaunting the lessons of the divine office,
as
of this church, to whose soul God be merciful, and whosoever
prays for the same shall obtain three years and fifty days of
indulgence. N. B. William de Basing died in 1295.
(1) See the Introduction.
(2) Du Cange, Glossar. Le Brun, Liturg.
(1) In
48
Inside of the Cathedral.
as likewise for containing the organ and the minstrelsy
in general, which accompanied the choir below. From
the circumstance of the lessons being here read, it is
in some countries called the Jubé; (1) and because a
great crucifix was always placed in the front of it to-
wards the people, it has also obtained the name of the
Rood Loft. The rood or crucifix, with the attendant
figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the
Evangelist, which formerly stood over the present spot,
were very precious, as well for their antiquity as their
value, being the legacy of Stigand, who was bishop of
the see of Winchester and archbishop of Canterbury
before the Conquest, and being both of a large size
and composed of the precious metals. (2) Beneath the
crucifix, on the parapet of this loft and the spandrils of
the arches supporting it, the histories of the old and
new testaments were curiously carved and beautified
with colours. (3) These being placed directly before
the
(1) In consequence of the blessing which the lector asks
previously to his beginning to read or chaunt in the following
terms:-Jube, Domine, benedicere.
(2) "Stigandus magnam crucem ex argento cum imaginibus
argenteis in pulpito ecclesiæ contulit." Epit. Hist. Wint. Ang.
Sac, vol. i, p. 285.- Stigandus....de donis Emma Reginæ
condidit magnam crucem, cum duabus imaginibus, viz.
Mariæ et Johannis, et illas cum trabe vestitas auro et argento
copiose, dedit Wintoniensi ecclesiæ." Annal. Wint. an. 1048.
(3) We learn from Ryves, Foulis, &c. that such carvings
formerly existed in the cathedral, and were utterly destroyed
by the parliamentary soldiers in the great rebellion; though
they do not clearly ascertain the spot which they occupied
What
Inside of the Cathedral.
49
the body of the people assembled in the church,
formed a series of instructive lessons, which were legi-
ble to the most illiterate. Within the side arches,
where now the bronze statues stand, it is not unlikely
there were two altars at all events, the opinion of
bishop Lowth, that the whole of the space before the
present screen was a vestry, (1) is utterly improbable.
It is also clear that the height of the centre arch,
through which the altar was seen from the body of the
church, was much loftier than the present door of the
choir, as appears from an inside view of the Gothic
work over it.
The choir doors now opening, every mind must feel
how sequestered-how awful-how fit for prayer and
contemplation, this more sacred part of the venerable
edifice is. How infinitely more solemn and majestic
is the general view of this choir and sanctuary than
that which the neighbouring cathedral of Salisbury
presents, after all the thousands which have been
lately lavished on it! The cause of this is, that the
present church has been less altered, in this part, from
its original plan and disposition than most others in the
kingdom have been; whereas the proportions and the
essential distribution of parts, so admirably calculated
and adjusted by the original architects, have been
utterly destroyed in the cathedrals of Salisbury, Litch-
field, &c. by the presumption of modern builders, who
have attempted to improve what they did not even
understand. (1) But to proceed to an examination of
the
Life of W. W. p. 213.
(2) The chief alterations which have, of late years, been
F
made
50
Inside of the Cathedral.
the scene before us in its several parts. The stalls,
with
made in Salisbury cathedral, in conformity with the prevailing
taste of new modelling of ancient churches, are the following:
1st, The altar-screen has been entirely taken away, in order to
lengthen the choir, by admitting into it the Lady Chapel and
the other low aisles behind it. 2dly, Two beautiful chapels
on each side of the Lady Chapel, at the east end, which could
not be brought in to form part of the choir, have been de-
stroyed, and their carved ornaments, in the style of the 15th
century, are stuck up in different parts of the church itself,
which every one knows to be the workmanship of the 13th
century. 3dly, A diminutive communion-table, without rails
or other fence, is placed at the extremity of the low dark
aisles; where, so far from commanding any respect, it is hardly
perceptible. 4thly, To make these alterations, it has been
necessary to remove the monuments, and disturb the ashes of
an incredible number of personages, illustrious for their stations
and merits; bishops, earls, benefactors, founders, and others
entitled to the peculiar respect of those who are connected
with the cathedral. With regard to the impropriety of these
changes, the author will here barely touch upon a few of the
arguments, which he hopes to find another opportunity of
stating more at length. In the first place, the cathedrals of
the middle ages, like the basilics of primitive times, were not
built merely to form so many large rooms, in which a great
number of persons might assemble together at the same time;
but, like palaces, as the word basilics means, were intended to
form corpses of building for a great variety of religious pur-
poses, as may be seen in Bingham, Fleury, Le Brun, Boc-
quillon, &c. It is therefore a preposterous attempt against the
nature and plan of a Gothic cathedral, in our modern architec-
tural reformers, to aim at reducing it to one great chamber;
an attempt which is as impracticable as it is absurd, in conse-
quence
Inside of the Cathedral.
51
with their miserreries, (1) canopies, pinnacles, &c.
though
quence of the transepts, which ever occur in such fabrics, and
which they are utterly unable to introduce into their plan. In
the second place, the altar is to our ancient churches what the
head is to the human body; every part of the whole fabric has
a relation to it, and it can neither be taken away, nor placed in
a different situation, without violating the necessary distribution
of parts, and the essential connexion of the different members
of the sacred edifice. This may be felt better than explained.
Let any spectator of taste enter into the choir of Salisbury
with an idea of its being the most sacred part of a Christian
church, and the place peculiarly intended for prayer: how-
ever his eye may be dazzled with the neatness and freshness
which has been obtained by new vamping and varnishes, how-
ever he may admire the beauty and magnificence of separate
parts before him, yet he will quickly perceive there is some-
thing essential that is wanting to the whole. He wanders to
and fro without seeing any object which, in a more special
manner, fixes his attention, or which determines him, if he is
disposed to pray, to turn his face one way rather than another.
In a word, he finds a vacuity in the place from whence the
altar has been removed, for which nothing can make amends;
and discovers that he is in a hall or portico, instead of a choir.
It may not be improper here to observe, that this removing of
"the chancel from the place it held in times past," is as
directly contrary to the canons and discipline of the Church of
England, and particularly to the first rubric prefixed to The
Order for Morning Prayer, as it is to the general plan and
distribution of an ancient cathedral. Lastly, it is a general
principle of architecture, that when the length, breadth, and
height of any building have been well calculated, to alter any
one of these proportions is to destroy the effect of the whole.
Hence, if it were practicable to make any addition, whether
E 2
little
52
Inside of the Cathedral.
though of an early date, as being more ancient than
little or great, to the length so admirably proportioned as the
nave of Salisbury cathedral is allowed to have originally been,
though the addition were to be of the same height and con-
struction with it, an architect of taste would refuse to do it;
well knowing, as Burke proves in his Treatise on the Sublime
and Beautiful, that an undue length in any building or ave-
nue produces the poorest and most disgusting effect possible.
What then must be the consequence of lengthening a series
of arches, 84 feet high, and supported by suitable pillars, with
a second series of arches, which have only 38 feet of height,
resting on columns proportionably slender, as has been done in
Salisbury cathedral? The evident consequence is, that, as the
sight is interrupted and descends, the mind feels an equal de-
pression. Thus the Nave and Lady Chapel, majestic and beau-
tiful as they are, when viewed as separate members cause dis-
pleasure and pain by the ridiculous attempt to form them into
one whole. See the Author's Dissertation on the Modern
Style of altering ancient Cathedrals: Nichols, Red Lion-
court, Fleet-street; Robbins, Winchester; Keating and Co.
Duke-street, Grosvenor-square.
-
(1) That small shelving-stool, which the seats of the stalls
formed when turned up in their proper position, is called a
Miserere. On these the monks and canons of ancient times,
with the assistance of their elbows on the upper part of the
stalls, half supported themselves during certain parts of their
long offices, not to be obliged always to stand or kneel. This
stool, however, was so contrived, that, if the body became su-
pine by sleep, it naturally fell down, and the person who rested
upon it was thrown forward into the middle of the choir. The
present usage in this country is to keep them always turned
down, in which position they form a firm horizontal seat, an
indulgence that was very rarely granted to those who kept
choir in an ancient times.
the
f
Inside of the Cathedral.
53
the nave of the church, (1) are adorned with a profu-
sion of crockets, foliage, busts, human and animal
figures, elegantly designed and executed; and not-
withstanding they are soiled and covered with dust,
appear highly magnificent and beautiful. The upper
range of stalls, however, is disgraced by certain clumsy
modern desks and settles, placed beneath them in the
last Henry's reign; whose initials, with those of Ste-
phen Gardiner, bishop-William Kingsmill, dean-and
their date, 1540, are seen upon them. The stalls are
terminated, on the left hand, by the pulpit of the
choir; which, amongst other ornaments, executed in
cane work, as it is called, bears the name of its donor,
Thomas Silklede, prior, repeated on different parts of
it. This circumstance has led those who do not dis-
tinguish between the style of this and of the other
work, to ascribe the whole of it to prior Silkstede,
whose time it preceded by two centuries. On the right
hand, opposite the pulpit, the stalls finish with a mo-
dern episcopal throne, in the Corinthian order, the
gift of bishop Trelawney, at the beginning of the last
century. However elegant in itself, it is immoderately
large for the place which it occupies, and ill assorted
with the rest of the work in every particular.
Over the stalls in the middle of the choir, we behold
on each side the huge columns and circular arches
(1) This is plain from the form of the canopies, which is
lofty and quite straight, as in the tomb of Edmund Crouch-
back. In the time of Edward III. and Richard II. these cano-
pies began to assume a winding form, to humour the turn of
the arch.
E 3
raised
54
Inside of the Cathedral.
raised by Walkelin, (1) to support his tower above.
This being the only portion of the church, excepting
the transepts, which exhibits the nakedness of the
Norman architecture, we cannot form any other sup-
position than that it was the intention of the bishops
and priors, whilst the age of building-up existed, and
before that of destroying came on, to make this part
conformable to the rest, as soon as they should have
any funds sufficient for the undertaking; either by
rebuilding the tower, with a suitable spire over it, or
else by casing it, in the manner of Wykeham's work
in the nave. The tower was intended by Walkelin for
a lanthorn to the choir, to be left open to the very
ceiling over the summit of it; as appears by the orna-
mented work within it: and it was actually open, at
least to the top of the lowermost of the two stories, of
which it consists, until the reign of Charles I. when
the organ now in use was, on the demolishing of the
rood-loft, placed by him in its present unsymmetrical
situation. At that time the present ceiling under the
tower was made, and adorned in the manner we now
behold it, as the ornaments themselves indicate. These
are the arms, initials, and devices of king Charles I. of
his royal consort, Henrietta Maria, and of the prince of
Wales; as likewise the arms of Scotland and Ireland
apart, with those of Laud, archbishop of Canterbury ;
of Curle, bishop of this see; and of Young, dean of
the cathedral. There is also a curious medallion of the
royal pair, with their faces in profile, and their legend
(1) Walkelinus turrim in medio chori, cum quatuor co-
lumnis a fundamentis renovavit." Epit. Hist. Wint. Ang.
Sac.
round
Inside of the Cathedral.
55
round it. In the centre is an emblem of the Blessed
Trinity, surrounded with the following chronogram :—
SINT DOMUS HUJUS PII REGES NUTRITII,
REGINE NUTRICES PIÆ. (1)
The letters here in italics are gilt and of a larger size
than the rest. These being picked out, and placed in
proper order, there will be found M,DC,VVVVV,
IIIIIIIII, equal to 1634, which is the date of the work
in question. The corbels, from which the ribs of the
vaulting spring, consist of four large royal busts,
dressed and coloured from the life, representing
Charles and his father James alternately. To the north-
east is the bust of James, with his characteristical
motto above it, viz. BEATI PACIFICI. (2) To the
south-east is that of Charles, with this inscription,
VIVAT CAROLUS. (3) To the south-west, James
again is seen, and the following words, PER CHRIS-
TUM CUM CHRISTO; (4) and to the north-west
the reigning monarch Charles, for the second time, as
appears from the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REG-
NO. (5)
Advancing towards the sanctuary or chancel, (6) the
first object that is usually pointed out to us is the cele-
brated Altar-piece by West, representing our Lord
(1) May pious kings be the nursing fathers, and pious
queens the nurses of this church.
(2) Blessed are the peace-makers.
(3) God save King Charles.
(4) Through Christ and with Christ.
(5) I reign under the auspices of Christ.
(6) Called also Presbytery, and by the Greeks" Ayiov, Bypa,
&c.
raising
56
Inside of the Cathedral:
}
raising Lazarus from the dead. Heretofore pious pic-
tures of every kind, as well as statues, were removed
out of churches and destroyed, as tending to supersti-
tion and idolatry; but now the use and advantage of
them, for informing and exciting the minds of the
people, as well as for the decoration of the churches
themselves, are admitted; by which means a great
source of support and encouragement is opened to our
historical painters. Notwithstanding this, it has hap-
pened, for causes which it is not necessary here to
explain, that our national artists have not succeeded so
well on scriptural subjects as on most others. The
picture before us is considered as a master-piece of
modern painting. But when has modern painting been
found equal to a religious subject? When has a Rey-
nolds, or a West, been able to animate their saints,
and particularly the Lord of Saints, with that super-
natural cast of features, with that ray of Promethean
light, which a Raphael and a Rubens have borrowed
from heaven itself, wherewith to inspire them?
The apostles here are mere ordinary men, or at most
thoughtful philosophers, or elegant courtiers studious
of their attitudes; the devout sisters, in the presence
of their beloved master, are remarkable for nothing
but their beauty and their sorrow. Christ himself,
who, in the work of Rubens on this subject, treads
the air, and with uplifted hands, and glowing features,
animates us, the spectators, as well as Lazarus, with
new life, appears more like a physician, prescribing a
medicine for the recovery of his patient, than the great
Messiah, who is working an astonishing miracle for the
conversion of a nation. If any one will maintain that
this
Inside of the Cathedral.
57
this tranquil character is more suitable to our Lord,
on this occasion, than one of greater feeling and ani-
mation; we beg leave to refer him to the inspired
history of the event: Jesus groaned in spirit and was
troubled:—he wept, and he cried with a loud voice, Laza-
rus, come forth. (1) Whatever may be said in com-
mendation of the inferior characters, as of the Phari-
sees, the multitude, and of Lazarus himself, we wil-
lingly subscribe to,
This altar-piece is fixed under a canopy of wood
work, consisting of festoons, and other carved work,
in alto relievo, and adorned with gilding. In the cen-
tre is the characteristical pelican, which misleads some
spectators to attribute this work to bishop Fox. The
truth, however, is, that it is of a much later date, hav-
ing been executed, together with the rails, in the reign
of Charles I, as appears by his initials upon it. (2) The
use of the canopy is to ornament and cover the com-
munion table, which is made to resemble an altar, (3)
and actually occupies the spot where the gorgeous high
altar of ancient times stood. The nether part, or ante-
pendium, of this consisted of plated gold, garnished
(1) St. John, c. xi. v. 33, 35, 43.
(2 It is certain that neither of these articles would have
been tolerated during the interval that Presbyterianism was the
established religion of the cathedral. Hence there is every
reason to suppose that they were timely removed, with a view
to preserve them, previously to its introduction.
(3) The word altar, says Johnson in his Dictionary, from
Junius, is received with Christianity in all the European lan-
guages. The Greeks terned it Θυσιαστήριον and ῞αγιον αγίων,
į. e. holy of holies.
wit
58
Inside of the Cathedral:
with precious stones. (1) Upon it stood the tabernacle
and steps (2) of embroidered work, ornamented with
pearls, as also six silver candlesticks gilt, intermixed
with reliquaries, wrought in gold and jewels. Behind
these was a table of small images, standing in their
respective niches, made of silver, adorned with gold
and precious stones. Still higher was seen a large
crucifix, with its attendant images, viz. those of the
Blessed Virgin and St. John, composed of the purest
gold, garnished with jewels, the gift of bishop Henry
de Blois, king Stephen's brother. (3) Over this ap-
pears to have been suspended, from the exquisite stone
canopy, the crown of king Canute, which he placed
there in homage to the Lord of the Universe; (4) after
the famous scene of his commanding the sea to retire
from his feet, which took place near Southampton. (5)
This brief account of the ordinary decorations of the
high altar may help us to form an idea of the splendor
(1) This account is chiefly borrowed from the imperfect.
inventory of the cathedral ornaments, in the English Monasti-
con, vol. ii. p. 222.
(2) This seems to be meant by the front above, ibid.
(3) "Iste benignissimus præsul Henricus......magnum cru-
cem cum imaginibus de auro purissimo ad majus altare et alia
ornamenta plurima, quæ lingua non potest ennarrare, suæ
ecclesiæ contulit" Epit. Hist. Wint. in Anglia Sac.
(4) "Rex deinceps Cnuto nunquam coronam portavit:
sed coronam suam super caput imaginus crucifixi, quæ stat in
fronte summi altaris in ecclesiâ cathedrali Wyntoniæ, compo-
nens, magnum regibus futuris præbuit humilitatis exemplum."
Thomas Rudborne, Hist. Maj. Wint. 1. iv. c. i.
(5) Ibid.
with
Inside of the Cathedral.
59
-
with which it shone forth on great festivals, and other
solemn occasions, when innumerable other ornaments
of inestimable value were employed in the divine ser-
vice. It is related (1) that in the reign of the munifi-
cent monarch just mentioned, the richness and beauty
of the ecclesiastical furniture of this church was such
as to dazzle the eyes of strangers who came to view
it (2); and we have certain proofs that the sacred
treasury, instead of being diminished, went on increas-
ing until the reign of the last Henry, when it was
divided between him and his sacrilegious courtiers.
If any one objects that this profusion of wealth in
churches, and in the divine worship, is vain and super-
stitious, we shall content ourselves with observing,
that neither in this nor in any other cathedral it ever
equalled that which the Deity himself prescribed, in
the Old Testament, for the decorations of his taber-
nacle and temple, and for the worship performed in
them. (3)
-
A magnificent screen of the most exquisite work-
manship in stone, which this or perhaps any other
nation can exhibit, forms a back to the altar with its
several ornaments, and terminates this most sacred part
of the church. It was endeavoured, in the frontis-
piece of the first volume of the History and Antiqui-
ties of Winchester, to give an idea of the delicate lace-
(1) History and Antiquities of Winchester, vol. i. p. 177.
(2)
"Iste Cnuto rex vetus monasterium Wyntoniensis civi-
tatis tantâ munificentiâ decoravit, ut aurum et argentum splen-
dorque gemmarum animos intuentium terreret advenarum."
Thomas Rudborne, Hist. Maj. 1. iv. c. i.
(3) See Exod. c. xxxv. et deinceps. i. alias iii. Kings, c. vi.
work
60
Inside of the Cathedral.
work on the upper part of this master-piece of work-
manship; (1) but, notwithstanding the talents of the
gentlemen who designed and engraved it, we have still
to lament that the chissel of the 16th century should
have hitherto proved so much more delicate than the
pencil and graver of the 18th. The stone-work is
evidently seen to a great disadvantage, having been
neglected for almost 300 years, and being clogged
with dust and coarse whitewash; still, however, an
attentive view of it, with a perspective glass, will give
us a higher idea of its beauty than it is possible for
words to convey. The several niches in it were filled
with statues of a considerable size, probably executed
by the same artist who made the screen itself. These,
in all probability, represented the ancient patrons of
the church, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Amphiballus,
together with those bishops of Winchester, whose
names were inscribed in the sacred calendar, Sts. Biri-
nus, Agilbert, Eleutherus, Hedda, Swithun, Frithstan,
Brinstan, Elphege the Bald, Ethelwold, and Elphege
the Martyr. These statues having been demolished at
the Reformation, as superstitious, their places were, at
the beginning of the 18th century, with more liberality
than taste, filled with Grecian urns, at the expence of
Dr. William Harris, prebendary of the cathedral and
master of the college, who also caused the present rich
marble pavement to be laid down in the sanctuary. (2)
In examining, however, the spandrils of the doors in
the screen, we are no less surprised than pleased to find
C
·
-
(1) See Frontispiece to vol. i. of the History and Antiquities
of Winchester.
(2) By virtue of a legacy of 800l. which he left for these
purposes.
that
Inside of the Cathedral.
61
that the history of the Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin on one side, and that of the Visitation on the
other, carved in basso relievo and coloured, have
escaped all violence, and are as fresh as when first
executed in the time of bishop Fox.
Whilst our eyes
are yet feasting on the beauties of this unrivalled
screen, it is proper to mention, that proposals have
been made to demolish it, together with the oratories
behind it, in order to lengthen the choir with the dis-
proportioned aisles of the east end, in the manner that
has been absurdly done in Salisbury cathedral. If any
consideration could console us for the weak and tot-
tering state of the whole east end of the church, from
the tower to the extremity, it is that it will not admit
of the removal of this stay against the inward pressure
of the walls and buttresses, without falling in ruins
upon the heads of its presumptuous violators.
Immediately above the lace-work of the screen, the
eye catches the rich painting of the east window,
which, though clouded with dust and cobwebs, still
glows with a richness of colours that modern art has
been unable to emulate. This church was once famous
for the beauty and perfection of its stained glass; of
which, that at the west end was provided by Wyke-
ham; (1) and that of the sanctuary and choir by Fox.
(2) At present we have only the remnants of the
work of either of these prelates. The great west win-
dow, though it still produces a pleasing effect, espe-
cially when viewed from the sanctuary, is now little
more than patch-work; and the eastern window, and
(1) Vid. Testam. W. W. apud Lowth:
(2) Godwin, De Præsul.
othe
64
Inside of the Cathedral.
1
crown of thorns, nails, hammer, pillar, scourges, reed,
sponge, lance, sword with the ear of Malchus upon it,
lanthorn, ladder, cock, dice; also the faces of pilate
and his wife, of the Jewish high priest, with a great
many others too numerous to be described, but worthy
of being noticed by the curious, for the ingenuity of
their design, and the original perfection and freshness
which they have retained during almost three centu-
ries.
We are now at liberty to view the elegant stone par-
titions on each side of the sanctuary, and upper part of
the choir, together with the memorials of the illustrious.
dead, which are seen in this part of the church. The
elegance of the design and execution of this work be-
speak the taste of its architect, bishop Fox, without
his initials, and the date, 1525, which appear upon it.
We find also the arms and name of St. Edward the
Confessor; the initials, arms, and motto of cardinal
Beaufort, some of whose money, as we have said, was
employed in decorating this part of the church; and
of an unknown benefactor, whose initials are W. F.
and his motto, Sit Laus Deo. The arches in the open
work of this partition are in the purest and most finished
style of the Gothic; but certain ornaments on the cor-
nices above them are partly Grecian. The mottos
under the cornices are in different characters; that
of Fox, viz. Et Deo Gracia, (1) which is repeated on
the south side, is in the black letter; those of cardinal
Beaufort, IN DOMINO CONFIDO, (2) and of the
(1) Thanks be to God.
(2) In God is my trust.
unknown
Inside of the Cathedral.
65
unknown benefactor, SIT LAUS DEO, (1) on the
opposite side, are in the Roman character, though the
same date, 1525, occurs on both sides. Thus the
precise period is discovered of the decline of the
former, and the ascendency of the latter.
Upon the top of these partition walls are ranged six
mortuary chests, containing the mortal remains of dif-
ferent princes, or other personages, eminent for their
rank or merits, most of whom are entitled to the pecu-
liar respect of Englishmen and of Christians. The
present chests, the work of bishop Fox, are composed
of wood, (2) carved, painted, and gilt. They are also
surmounted with crowns, and inscribed with the names
and epitaphs, in verse, of the princes whose bones they
contain. It is an unquestionable fact, though it has
escaped the observation of all former writers who have
mentioned this subject in latter times, (3) that bishop
De Blois, in the 12th century, first collected the remains
of the most illustrious princes and prelates who had been
buried in the cathedral, and deposited them in certain
coffins of lead, which he placed over the Holy Hole, (4)
most probably in the same situations which the present
(1) Praise be to God.
(2) Godwin, De Præsulibus, R. G. in Vetusta Monumenta,
vol. ii. &c. are mistaken in asserting that the present chests
are made of lead. Most of them have a shell within them,
but this also is of wood.
(3) Besides the above quoted Godwin and R. G., Camden,
Speed in his Chorography, Warton, &c. mention bishop Fox as
the person who first translated and enshrined these remains.
(-4) "Escuinus et Kentwinus, quorum ossa postmodum,
tempore Henrici Blesensis Wyntoniensis Episcopi, translata
wooden
F
66
Inside of the Cathedral.
wooden chests occupy. (1) At the time when the
choir was taken down and rebuilt, at the beginning of
the 16th century, there was a necessity of removing
these coffins; which being probably found too nume-
rous, (2) and not sufficiently elegant for the situation
which they were intended to occupy, bishop Fox
caused the present wooden chests to be made, to the
number of six, one to be placed over each arch of the
sunt, et propter ignorantiam qui essent reges et qui essent
episcopi, eo quod non erant tituli inscripti super monumenta
eorum, prædictus Henricus episcopos posuit in sarcophagis
plumbeis reges cum episcopis et episcopos cum regibus simul
permixtos. Rudborne, Hist. Maj. 1. ii. c. 1. This author pro-
ceeds to relate, that the bones of the kings Cuthred and Sige-
bert were deposited in the said chests. "Ossa Edmundi (filii
Alfredi) translata sunt in quoddam sarcophagum locatum super-
locum nuncupatum The Holp Hole." Hist. Maj. 1. iii. c. 6,
Cujus sanctissimæ reginæ (Matildis) ossa modo per Henri-
cum Blesensem, fratem regis Stephani, translata sunt et posita
in sarcophago plumbeo cum ossibus nobilissima Frytheswydæ
reginæ, matres sanctæ Frytheswydæ virginis, super locum voca-
tum The Poly hole." Ibid. 1. v. c. 3. N. B. The said Holy
Hole extends from the second screen behind the altar as far as
the bishop's throne.
46
(1) This is more clear from the situation which our monas-
tic historian assigns in the former choir to the bones of Stigand,
being the same they still occupy: Stigandus jacet in sarco-
phago plumbeo ex australi parte summi altaris, juxta cathedram
episcopalem. Ibid, c. iv.
<<
11
Y
(2) It is plain from the passages of Rudborne, quoted above,
amongst many others, that there existed in his time viz. the
middle of the 15th century, the leaden coffins of several princes
and prelates, for which there are no mortuary chests at present.
partition
Inside of the Cathedral.
67
partition. In four of these he deposited the remains
of the illustrious princes, to be mentioned beneath,
being those which fortunately could be ascertained.
The last chest on each side he filled with the bones of
other great personages, which had probably been
mixed and confounded together ever since their first
translation, almost four centuries before his time; (1)
and, in all appearance, burying a second time those of
different princes and prelates who were less celebrated
for their merits and benefactions to the cathedral. (2)
The first chest from the altar, on the north side,
contains two skeletons, those of the first Christian king
of the West Saxons, Kynegils, founder of the cathe-
dral, and of the pious king Ethelwolph, here called
Adulphus, who was once a subdeacon of the cathedral,
and afterwards its great benefactor, and the father of
the great Alfred. It is inscribed on one side, Her
GYNEILS, obit A.. 641, (3) and on the other,
ADULPHUS HEF, obit A. D. 857. (4) The epitaph
is the same on both sides, viz.
Hyngilsi in cista hac simul ossa jacent et Adulphi.
Jpsus fundator, hic benefactor erat. (5)
The second chest, on the same side, contains also
(1) This appears by the words of Rudborne, cited above,
from 1. ii. c. 4.
(2) Such as Escuin, Kentwin, Elmstan, Kenulph, &c. See
the last note but one.
(3) King Kingils, died A. D. 641.
(4) King Adulphus, died A. D. 857.
(5) The bones of Kingils and of Adulphus lie together in this
chest. The former was the founder, the latter the benefactor,
of this church.
F 2
two
69
Inside of the Cathedral.
two entire skeletons, as they appear to be. One of
them is that of Kenewalch, here called Kenulph, the son
of Kinegils, and the real builder of the cathedral at the
Saxon conversion; the other, that of the founder of the
English monarchy, the great Egbert. On one side the
chest is inscribed, KEPULPHUS REX, obit A. D. 714;
(1) on the other side, EBERTUS HEX, obit A. D.
837. (2) The epitaph is as follows:
Hic ter Egbertus pausat cum rege Henulpho,
Nobis egregia munera uterque tulit. (3)
The third chest contained part of the mingled
remains of persons of very different stations and charac-
ters; the other part of them having been deposited in
the corresponding chest on the other side. These
were the bones of Canute, the great and good Danish
king; of his queen Emma, the fair maid of Normandy,
and the special friend of this cathedral; of the tyran-
nical Rufus; of the good bishop Alwyn; and of the
simoniacal prelates Wina and Stigand. (4) It appears
that these remains, by some means or other, had got so
intermixed from the time of De Blois, that it was
impossible to distinguish to whom they had severally
belonged. This circumstance alone can account for
the manner of their disposal by bishop Fox in these
chests, as likewise for the equal honour which is
(1) King Kenulph, died A. D. 641.
(2) King Egbert, died A. D. 837.
(3) Here King Egbert rests, together with King Kenulph.
Each of them bestowed great benefits upon us.
(4) Though his name does not appear upon the chest, yet
we are otherwise assured that he was buried along with
Wina.
thereby
Inside of the Cathedral.
69
thereby paid to characters of very unequal merits.
These chests having been, in part, violated by the
rebels in the great civil war, and many of the bones
which they contained having been taken out of them,
and scattered about the church; such of them as were
recovered at the Restoration, were laid in the two
chests last mentioned. The inscription on the chest.
before us, on one side, is as follows:-
In hac et altera e regione ciſta reliquiae funt CANUTF
et UF regum, EWIE reginae MIHAE et AL-
MINI Epifcocum. (1)
On the opposite side is this inscription :-Hac in
cista A. D. 1661, promiscue recondita sunt ossa Principum
et Prælatorum sacrilega barbarie dispersa, A. D. 1642. (2)
We have said that the fourth chest, being the one
on the south side directly opposite to that last men-
tioned, is similar to it, both as to its contents and
inscriptions.
In the fifth chest, which is the middlemost on the
south side, lies the mortal part of Edmund, the eldest
son of Alfred, whom his father caused to be crowned.
king in his own life time. The son, however, dying
before the father, and previously even to the latter's
resolution of building the new monastery for the
burying-place of his family, he was interred in a spot,
which we shall afterwards point out in this cathedral,
(1) In this chest, and in that opposite to it on the other side,
are the remains of Canute and Rufus, kings; of Emma, queen;
and of WVina and Alwin, bishops.
(2) In this chest, A.D. 1661, were promiscuously laid toge-
ther the bones of the princes and prelates which had been
scattered about by sacrilegious barbarism in the year 1642.
F 3
whence
70
Inside of the Cathedral.
}
whence his bones were removed to the present shrine.
This bears on each of its sides the following title and
inscription:-
EDMUNDUS GEF, obit . .
Quem theca haec retinet Edmundum suscipe Christe.
Qui, vivente patre, regia sceptre tulit. (1)
The sixth chest, being that next to the altar on the
south side, preserves the relics of the pious king Edred,
the youngest of the sons of Edward the elder, who,
dying rather suddenly, was, by the directions of his
friend St. Dunstan, buried in this cathedral, to which
he had been a great benefactor. The title and epitaph,
supplying the abbreviations, (2) is the same on each
side of the chest:-
We
(1) King Edmund, died A. D. . . Him whom this chest
contains, and who swayed the royal sceptre while his father
was yet living, do thou, O Christ, receive.
(2) N. B. In transcribing these inscriptions, we have,
throughout, supplied the abbreviations.
(3) King Edred, died A. D. 955. The pious Edred rests in
this tomb, who admirably well governed this country of the
Britons.
EDREDUS REX, obit A. D. 955.
Hoc pius in tumulto rex Edredus requiescit
Qui has Britonum terras rererat egregiae. (3)
*
*In the course of the summer of 1797, whilst the Author
was absent in the north of England, certain gentlemen of dis-
tinguished talents and learning, officers in the West York
regiment of militia, being desirous of investigating the anti-
quities of this city more attentively and minutely than is usually
done by strangers, obtained permission to open certain tombs
in the cathedral, and to examine the contents of the mortuary
chests
*
Inside of the Cathedral.
71
I
We shall now mention such other monuments and
graves of princes and prelates as occur in this part of
the
chests round its choir. Having completed these scientific
researches, with all the respect that is due to the illustrious
dead, one of their number, Henry Howard, Esq. of Corby
Castle, was so obliging as to communicate to the Author a
very perspicuous account of their discoveries; an extract from
which, with his permission, relating to the contents of the
chests, is here inserted for the information of the reader.
"
July 7, assisted by Mr. Hastings, surgeon of the North
Gloucester militia, we looked into the different chests, said to
contain the bones of the Saxon kings. The first chest, in-
scribed Kingils and Adulphus, contains two skulls and two sets
of thigh and leg bones. We measured the skulls and thighs
to find out whether there was any difference in the size from
that of the present race of men, and found the first skull, from
the posterior part of the ossa temporis, to measure 5 inches,
and the second skull 5 inches. Ditto, from the inferior
part of the os frontis to the os occipitis, 7 inches. Second
skull ditto. These measurements, and indeed those of the
others, prove that there was no superiority of size. From the
contents of the chest, it does not appear that the bones do not
belong to the kings with whose names it is inscribed.
6
Second chest, inscribed Egbert and Kenulph. This contains.
three skulls, one of which is very small. One thigh bone,
wanting a fellow, is very stout, and measures 193 inches long.
But the two leg bones, one of which is rather deformed, and
the two hip bones belonging to this body, are in the chest, and
answer exactly. There are also two other thigh bones, and
two leg bones that pair; so that, with the exception of the
third skull, these may be the bones of the aforesaid kings.
names of Canute,
Third and fourth chests, bearing the
Rufus, Emma, Wina, Alwin, and Stigand.
Neither of these
contains
FA
7.2
Inside of the Cathedral.
the church. Under the chest of Egbert is a table mo-
nument, half let into the partition wall, which incloses
the body of the religious bishop John de Pointes or de
Pontissara, the founder of the ancient college of St.
Elizabeth, close to Wykeham's college of St. Mary,
near this city. The epitaph is this:-
Galata
Defuncti corpus tumulus tenet iste Foannis
Pointes, Mintoniae Pracsnlis erinii-obit. 1304. (1).
Against the wall, near the pulpit, is a similar monu-
ment, containing the ashes of bishop Richard Toclive,
or of Ilveschester, the successor of Henry de Blois,
with this inscription:-
Praesulis egregii pausant hic membra Hicardi
Toclyde. cui summi gaudia sunto poli. (2)
contains any skull; but they are full of thigh and leg bones, one
set of which, in the third chest, is much smaller and weaker
than the rest. This, with the supernumerary skull in the
second chest, might possibly have belonged to queen Emma.
The fifth chest, inscribed Edmund, contains five skulls, and
three or four thigh bones. One of the skulls, from the state of
the sutures, belonged to a very old man ; another also belonged
to an old person; these, therefore, might have belonged to
Wina and Alwin.
The sixth chest, inscribed Edrid, contains many thigh bones
and two skulls. It is to be observed, that the skulls actually
at present in the chests are twelve in number, which is also
the number of the names inscribed on the same chests. It
will also appear, from the size of the bones, that there was no
difference of stature from the present age."
(1) This tomb contains the body of John Pointes, an excel-
lent bishop of the see of Winchester, who died in 1304.
}
(2) Here rests the limbs of the good bishop Richard Toclyve.
May he enjoy the bliss of heaven above.
Immediately
Inside of the Cathedral.
73
Immediately before the ancient high altar lie the
remains of the once great and powerful prelate Henry
De Blois. (1) But he, who appears to have preserved
the memory of so many other illustrious personages, by
translating and enshrining them, is himself destitute of
every memorial in the cathedral.-Lower down, at the
bottom of the steps descending into the choir, lies the
noble-minded monk and bishop, Henry Woodlock, or
de Marewell. (2) He also is without a monument;
nevertheless, it appears that his grave was discovered
(3) at the last paving of the choir, and that an episco-
pal ring of solid gold, inclosing an amethyst, was found
in it, of which the then dean (Ogle) obtained posses-
sion. We have hitherto omitted to mention the tomb
of the last of our monarchs, who was interred in this
ancient mausoleum of royalty, William Rufus; though
it is one of the most conspicuous objects in this part of
the church, being situated near the steps, in the mid-
dle between the north and south doors of the choir.
It consists of English grey marble, being of the form
that is called Dos d'Ane, and is raised about two feet
above the ground. By whom, or on what occasion,
his bones were removed out of the tomb and enshrined,
→ -
(1) "Iste Henricus sepultus est in ecclesià sua coram
summo altari." Epit. Hist. Win. Ang. Sac. vol. i.
(2) "Henricus Wodelock
sepultus est ad gradus chori."
<
-
Ibid. See his history, vol. i. p. 275.
(3) From the account here given of the respective situation
of Woodlock's grave, and that of De Blois, it is much more
likely that the episcopal ring found on the paving of the choir,
near the tomb of Rufus, belonged to the former than to the
latter prelate.
does
74
Inside of the Cathedral.
does not appear: it is probable, however, that this was
done by bishop De Blois from a too partial respect for
his uncle, when he paid that honour to the remains of
so many other more deserving personages. It may be
asked, why the tomb of Rufus was left to remain after
the bones had been removed out of it? The answer
is, that this was the usual practice on similar occasions.
For we are to observe, that unless the bodies were
found entire, the bones only, and of these probably
only the greater, used to be translated after they had
been washed in wine and water. (1) The other rem-
nants of mortality, with the clothes and ornaments,
were usually left behind in the tombs. Hence we find
the tombs of many saints, or other illustrious per-
sonages, still remaining, after their bones had been
enshrined. In conformity with this account, we are
informed, that when the present royal tomb was vio-
lated by the rebels in the time of Cromwell, there was
found in it the dust of the king, with some pieces of
cloth embroidered with gold, a large gold ring, and a
small silver chalice. (2) We shall notice only one more
monument in this part of the church, viz. that of
bishop Cooper, which, with the copious epitaph en-
graved upon it, seems to be covered by the dispropor-
tioned episcopal throne, (3) erected at the beginning
of the late century. The other epitaphs, which former
writers have mentioned, as being on the north partition
(1) Gervas. Dorob.
(2) Gale's Antiq
(3) Godwin, De Præsul. Gale's Hist.
wall,
Inside of the Cathedral.
75
wall, we do not transcribe, because in fact they do
not exist there. (1)
(1) It might seem astonishing that Warton, Descript. p. 81,
and the Anonymous Historian, vol. i. p. 54, should so posi-
tively assert, that there are on the north partition wall epitaphs
in verse, which they insert in their books, on bishop Alwin
and queen Emma, when no such verses exist, or could have
existed at the time they wrote; did not we clearly discover,
that, instead of making use of their own eye sight in describing
a cathedral, which they had so often occasion to enter, they
copied Gale's short History of the Cathedral, published in the
the year 1715. It may, however, still be asked, how Gale
himself came by these epitaphs? The only way of solving this
difficulty, and of vindicating the trnth of the inscriptions on
two of the chests above described, is by supposing that the
lines in question were inscribed upon the leaden coffins of the
said personages, or upon some monument near them, in the
ancient choir, befor the renewal of it by Fox; and that having
met with these lines in some old manuscript, or other account
of the choir in its former state, he supposed them still to exist
there. Having made this observation, we will here, in the
notes, give the several epitaphs, not doubting of their being
genuine, and that they were to be seen, in part of the choir,
300 years ago. That of bishop Alwin, guardian of Emma, and
afterwards monk, sacristan, and bishop of this church, was as
follows:
Hic jacet Alwini corpus, qui muncia nobis
Contulit egregia, parrito Christe pio.
Here lies the body of Alwin, who bestowed many noble pre-
sents upon us. Have mercy, O Christ, upon thy pious servant.
The epitaph of Emma contained an abstract of her history
in the following lines:-
Hic Emmam cista Heginam continet. ista.
Durit Etheldredus Hex hanc, et postea, Cnutus.
i
Edwardum
76
Inside of the Cathedral.
Leaving the choir, by the south door, we enter into
the south-east aisle, which, as well as the correspond-
ing
Edwardum parit hæc, ac Hardi-canutum.
Quatuor hos reges vidit sceptra tenentes.
Anglozumi Begum fuit hæc sic mater et uxor.
The sense of this epitaph may be thus rendered into Eng-
lish: Here rests, in this chest, queen Emma. She was first
married to hing Ethelred, and afterwards to king Canute. To
the former she bore Edward, to the latter Hardicanute. She
saw all these four kings wielding the royal sceptre: and thus
was the wife and mother of English kings.
Two other epitaphs for bishops of this see are to be met
with in Gale, which are transcribed by Warton and his fol-
lower the Anonymous. The first of these also occurs in God-
win, though it certainly was never to be seen in the cathedral
since the alterations made by Fox in the chests and partition.
wall. This is to the joint memory of Elmstan, or Helmstad,
the predecessor of St. Swithun, and of Kynulph, or Elsius,
who had been a monk before he became a bishop of this cathe-
dral in 1086, and stood thus :—
Pontifices hæc capsa duos tenet incineratos
Primus Glinkanus, huic succeflorque Kynulphus.
This chest contains two prelates, now reduced to ashes, Elm-
stan, and his successor Kynuph.
The other epitaph was inscribed on the leaden coffin of the
noble and learned, but ambitious prelate, Alfymus or Elsinus;
who, being raised from the see of Winchester to that of Can-
terbury, perished in the snow upon the Alps whilst on his way
to Rome to procure the metropolitical pall. His body being
brought to England, was buried in his cathedral of Winchester,
over which was afterwards placed this epitaph
Sifpmus plumbo præful requiescit in ifto.
In English: In this lead reposes bishop Alfymus. We must
not
!
Inside of the Cathedral.
77
ing part of the choir, and the opposite aisle, bears the
devices and marks of the last founder, bishop Fox, in
every part. Near the door, on the partition wall, to
the eastward, is seen an inscription for the heart of
bishop Nicholas de Ely, there deposited. He was a
great patron of the Cistercian monks, and particularly
of their convent of Waverly, near Farnham. He ac-
cordingly directed his body to be there interred, leav-
ing his heart only to his cathedral. The inscription is
as follows:-
Intus eft cor Nicolai olim Minton epifcopi cujus corpus
eft ápud Maverlic. (1)
Further eastward, within the partition wall, is the
marble coffin of Richard, second son of William the
Conqueror; who came to an untimely end while hunt-
ing in the New Forest, before his brother Rufus and
his nephew Richard, son of his eldest brother Robert,
met there with the same fate. Over the coffin is the
following epitaph, in the characters of Fox's time :-
Intus eft corpus Kichardi, Nilhelmi Conqueftaris filii et
Beorniæ Duciş. (2)
Proceeding
not forget to mention the original epitaph of the great Canute,
who was first buried before the high altar, which Trussel in-
forms us was the following jingling line :-
Moribus inclutus jacet hic rer nomine Cnutus.
Here lies king Canute, illustrious for his conduct.
(1) Within this wall is the heart of Nicholas, bishop of
Winchester, whose body lies at Waverly.
(2) Within this wall is the body of Richard, son of William
the Conqueror, and Duke of Beornia.-On the subject of this
title the learned gentleman who described the contents of the
mortuary chests, has favoured us with the following observa-
tions :
70
Inside of the Cathedral.
Proceeding, in the same direction, on the pavement,
close to the south wall, is the grave-stone of a bishop,
as appears by the mitre and other ornaments cut upon
it, in order to receive a rich and elegant brass engrav-
ing of the deceased, which is now torn away.
It is
not of a very high antiquity, as is plain from the form
tions: "Beornie Ducie is supposed by some to be an addi-
“tional title, but besides it being, I believe, unusual in those
"times to add titles to a name in that manner, it would be
"difficult to determine what is meant by it. Bearn, Berry, or
"the Barrois, are provinces to which I believe William laid no
"claim. But I conceive that this tomb contains, like many
"others in the cathedral, the remains of two great personages.
"Earl or Duke Beorn (these two titles being used indiscrimi-
nately at the time in question) was a personage well known
"in Canute's and Edward's reign. He was the son of Ulphon
<<
by Estrith, sister to Canute the Great; and when Swayne,
"the second son of Earl Godwin, being outlawed for a crime,
" flew into rebellion, and manning eight ships, committed acts
"of piracy on the coast, was persuaded by Earl Godwin to
(C
repair to him, and endeavour to bring him back to his duty,
Swayne supposing Beorn came to betray him, slew him with
“his own hand; and, according to the Saxon annals, had him
"buried in a church near the spot. But his relations dug up
"his body, and interred it at Winchester, near the remains of
"his uncle Canute." This supposition, however difficult to
reconcile with the inscription made in the time of Fox, becomes
much more probable upon attending to the original epitaph in
the character of the eleventh century, which are still plainly
legible on the marble coffin itself, from which bishop Fox's is a
manifest deviation, viz.
65
CC
HIL JACET HJCAHOWS WILLI SEPTORKIS
REGIS FILLJ ET BEOKN DUX.
of
Inside of the Cathedral.
79
I
of the mitre, and the known date of the introduction
of sepulchral brasses. This used to be pointed out as
the grave of Fox, who is certainly known to have been
buried under his own chapel. All doubt, however, on
this head was removed in the summer of 1797, when
the stone was found to have no grave at all under it. (1)
Hence we must conclude that it has been removed
from its original situation in the choir, or some of the
chapels, on new paving it; and, from different circum-
stances, there appears more reason to suppose that it
belonged to bishop Courtney, who died towards the
end of the fifteenth century, than to any other of our
prelates.
From this station we have a distinct view of the gor-
geous chantry (2) of the founder of this principal part
of the church, bishop Fox. There is a luxuriancy of
ornament in the arches, columns, and niches with
which it is covered, that baffles minute description,
and might appear excessive, were not the whole exe-
cuted with exact symmetry, proportion, and finished
elegance, and had it not been the architect's intention
to shut up this chapel from the side aisle. Even the
groining in the small niches, which are multiplied
upon it, to the number of fifty-five, is a matter of atten-
tion and study; being different in each of them, and
(1) "We took up the slab called Fox's tomb, which had
probably been removed to the place in which it lies from some
other part of the church, and there was nothing under it but
the arch of the crypt below." Extract from Minutes of Re-
searches in Winchester Cathedral, in July, 1797, drawn up by
H. H. Esq.
(2) See the engraving of it in the History and Survey of
Wiuchester, vol. ii,
yet
80
Inside of the Cathedral.
yet all formed on true architectural principles. In
an elegant oblong niche, under the third arch, lies the
figure of the founder, which he, for the sake of humi-
lity and public instruction, chose should be represented
as an emaciated corpse in a winding-sheet, with the
feet resting on a death's head. (1) We have positive
assurance that this is the real resting place of his vene-
rable ashes. (2) Entering into this little chapel we
cannot fail of experiencing some of those awful and
pious sentiments which the venerable deceased, whose
ashes are under our feet, so often indulged here; who,
from the hours of devotion which he spent in this
destined spot of his interment, obtained for it the name
of Fox's Study. The beauty and solitude of this oratory
must have been greatly heightened by the painted
glass which, we are informed, filled all the open work
of the arches, until it was destroyed in the grand
rebellion. (3) The cieling is rich with the royal arms
of the house of Tudor, emblazoned with colours and
gilding, and with the founder's own arms and chosen
device, the pelican, which is repeated so many hun-
dred times on his different works in this cathedral.
(1) In the folio plate of the Vetusta Monumenta, vol. ii.
from a drawing of Mr. Shenebbelie, though large enough to
represent these particulars at the head and feet, yet they are
omitted. A more striking defect is, that the corpse there ap-
pears to be that of a muscular young man.
<<
(2) Capellam apud Winchester magnificis sumptibus con-
structam ercxit, et ibidem honoratissimè sepultus jacet." Will.
de Chambre, Contin. Hist. Dunelm. Ang. Sac. fol. DCCLXXIX.
"Tumultatus jacet monumento parieti indito et inserto." God-
win, de Præsul.
(3) Warton's Hist. Eng. Poetry, vol. i.
This
Inside of the Cathedral.
81
:
J
This was intended by him to express his ardent devo-
tion to the sacrament of the altar, (1) which also
caused him to denominate his magnificent foundation
at Oxford Corpus Christi college. The same devotion
appears in the emblems of the Blessed Sacrament and
of the Passion, supported by angels, which are seen over
the place where the altar stood; as likewise in the in-
scription taken from the ancient church office on this
subject, which is still legible: O SACRUM CONVI-
VIUM IN QUO CHRISTUS SUMITUR. (2) The
upper part of the altar was adorned with three large
statues, and nine small ones, which are now destroyed,
but their gilded niches still remain in perfect preserva-
tion. On the side of the altar is a door-way, which
leads into a little vestry that seems to have been appro-
priated to this chantry, where the ambries belonging
to it still remain.
-
We pass from this chapel to another much larger,
parallel with it, but quite plain and unadorned. This,
however, was formerly the richest part of the whole
church; for here the magnificent shrine of St. Swithun,
of solid silver gilt, and garnished with precious stones,
the gift of king Edgar, (3) used to be kept; (4) except on
(1) The pelican was said to be a bird that made use of its
beak to tear open its own breast for the purpose of feeding its
young ones with its blood.
(2) O sacred banquet, in which Christ is received!
(3) Sanctum Swythunum hujus ecclesiæ specialum patro、
num, de vili sepulchro transtulit, et in scrinio argento et auro
a rege Edgaro cum summa diligentia fabricato honorifice col-
locavit." Hist. Maj. 1. ii. c. 12.
(4) Inventory of the Cathedral. See Monasticon, vol. ii.
P. 222.
G
the
82
Inside of the Cathedral.
:
the festivals of the saints, when it was exposed to view
upon the altar, or before it. It is not unlikely that
other shrines were kept in the same place, ranged
against the eastern wall, on which may still be seen
some painted figures of saints. This chapel is directly
behind the high altar, and formerly communicated
with the sanctuary by the two doors, which are still
seen it is, notwithstanding, a twofold error in our
domestic writers to term this place the Sanctum Sanc-
torum, and to describe it as the place from which the
priest was accustomed to approach the high altar; (1)
which is to confound it with the sacristy or vestry. It
was certainly furnished with an altar; the back screen
of which, consisting probably of ornamental wood-
work, seems to have been fastened by certain staples
which still remain. We are assured of this fact from
the circumstance of the early conventual mass, imme-
diately after the holding of chapter, being celebrated
here every morning; (2) from which circumstance it
may be called the capitular chapel.
(1) Warton's Description, p. 75. The Greeks indeed, as
we have seen, called the altar by the name of 'ayıor 'ayi'ur,
but there is no such name as Sanctum Sanctorum in the whole
Latin liturgy.
(2) "Primogenitus (Alfredi) vocabatur Edmundus, quem
pater adhuc ipsomet in humanis agente fecit inungi et in regni
monarcham coronari, qui non multo post, ante patrem mortis
nexibus deprimitur, et in veteri monasterio Wyntoniensi sepe.
litur; ut satis clare apparet intuentibus lapidem marmoreum
tumbæ ipsius, qui jacet adhunc in terra ex boreali parte altaris
ubi missa matutinalis sive capitularis celebratur." Hist. Maj.
1. iii. c. 6.
On
Inside of the Cathedral.
83
On the left of this chapel, corresponding with Fox's
chantry, but widely different from it in its architecture,
and in every other respect, is that of bishop Gardiner ;
being an absurd medley of the Gothic and Ionic, both
indifferent in their kinds. On the pavement of this
chapel is the tomb-stone of Edmund, the son of Alfred,
whom we only know to have been a king from his
epitaph, engraved in Saxon characters upon it, and
from the text of its commentator, the monk of our
cathedral. (1) The rest of the pavement, together with
the iron bars which secured the chapel, have been torn
away out of hatred to bishop Gardiner. It is thought
also that his bones have been removed out of their
sepulchre, and that those which are still seen in a large
antique coffer at the upper end of the chapel form part
of them, (2) which no person since has had the huma-
nity to cover. Whatever might have been the charac-
(1) "Et est epitapham (supradicti Edmundi) in marmore
scriptum istud. Hic jacct Edmundus Her Eweldredi regis
filius. Ossa vero Edmundi regis jam translata sunt in quod-
dam sarcophagum locatum super locum nuncupatum The
Holy Hole." Ibid. Rudborne, on this occasion, mentions that
the said heroic monarch bore five different names, viz. Alured,
Alfred, Elured, Elfred, and Eweldred. The three names in
italics are here given, according to their true reading, from the
original epitaph, and other authentic records, instead of the
faulty text of Warton. The last name is not even rightly
copied in the Vetusta Monumenta, the draughtsman having
mistaken a Saxon W for a G. The name is accordingly there
printed Egeldredi.
(2) A few years back there were many bones beside those
now in the coffer, and amongst the rest a skull.
G 2
ter
84
Inside of the Cathedral.
ter of their owner, certainly, in their present abject
state, handled and thrown about every day in the year,
they seem to call upon the spectator, with the unburied
skeleton of Archytas :-
At tu vaga ne parce malignus arena
Ossibus et capiti inhumato
Particulam dare.
HORAT. 1. 1. Od. xxviii. (1)
Returning the way by which we went, through the
capitular chapel and Fox's chantry; when we have
turned round the corner of the latter, we find ourselves
in what may be called De Lucy's church. In fact,
this is evidently the workmanship of that munificent
prelate, and the early stage of Gothic architecture, as
we have proved, against our Winchester antiquaries,
(2) in our survey of the outside of this church; and as
the glance of an eye here within it will at once con-
vince the intelligent spectator. The objects which first
arrest our attention in this part, are the magnificent
chantries of cardinal Beaufort and of bishop Waynflete,
which correspond with each other in form and situ-
ation, filling up the middle arch on each side. The
former of these, for elegance of design and execution,
would be admired by the generality of spectators, no
less than by connoisseurs, as the most elegant chantry
in the cathedral, if not in the whole kingdom; were
it not neglected and consigned to dust and ruin,
(1) Nor thou, my friend, refuse, with impious hand,
A little portion of this wand'ring sand
To these my poor remains.
FRANCIS.
(2) The Rev. Thomas Warton, and bishop Lowth. See
above, p. 21—24.
equally
Inside of the Cathedral.
85
equally by his family, his foundation, and his cathe-
dral, to all which he proved so liberal a benefactor.
The columns, though of hard Purbeck marble, are
shaped into elegant clusters. Nothing can exceed the
beauty of the fan-work in the cieling; of the canopies
with their studded pendants; and of the crocketted
pinnacles; though of these a horse-load has fallen, or
been taken down, which are kept in one of the neigh-
bouring chapels. The low balustrade and tomb are of
grey marble; the latter is lined with copper, and was
formerly adorned on the outside with the arms of the
deceased, enchased on shields. There was also origi-
nally an inscription on a brass fillet round the upper
part of the tomb, as is still seen on those of Edington
and Wykeham; but the greater part of this was torn
away in the reign either of Edward VI. or Elizabeth :
as, when Godwin wrote, (1) only the following words
remained upon it, which now also have disappeared:
Tribularer, si nefcirem mifericordias tuas. (2) The hum-
ble hope, however, expressed in these words, which
were probably of the deceased's own choosing, the
pious tenor of his will, which was signed only two
days before his death, and the placid frame of his fea-
tures in the figure before us, which is perhaps a por-
trait, lead us to discredit the fictions of poets and
(1) He wrote his Commentary in the reign of James I.
(2) I should be in anguish did I not know thy mercies.-This
express passage however is not in the book of Psalms, nor in
any other part of the scriptures, as the learned R. G. supposes
in Vetust. Monum. (Soc. Antiq. vol. ii.) but forms part of an
antiphon in the Roman Breviary.
G 3
painters,
86
Inside of the Cathedral.
painters, who describe him as dying in despair. (1)
The figure represents Beaufort in the proper dress of a
cardinal, the scarlet cloak and hat, with long depend-
ing cords ending in tassels of ten knots each. (2) At
the upper end of the chantry, under a range of niches,
which have been robbed of their statutes, stood an
altar; at which, in virtue of his last will, three masses
were daily said for the repose of his own soul, and
those of his parents and royal relations therein men-
tioned. (3)
The opposite chantry, that of bishop Waynflete, is
likewise incomparably beautiful, and by most specta-
tors is preferred to the one which has been just de-
scribed. The great advantage, however, which it has
over it, is in the attention that is paid by his children
of Magdalen College, Oxford, to keep it clean, and in
perfect repair. The central part of the chapel, which,
in Beaufort's monument, is left open, is here inclosed
with light arch-work, surmounted with an elegant
cornice, in which, and in the work in general, we
observe that the arches begin to flatten. The figure
of the bishop appears in his full pontificals of mitre,
crosier, casula, stole, maniple, tunicle, rochet, alb,
amice, sandals, gloves, and ring. He is represented in
the attitude of prayer, emblematically offering up his
heart, which he holds in his hands, in allusion to that
(1) Shakespeare and Sir Joshua Reynolds; the former in his
Henry VI, the latter in a celebrated picture in the Shakespeare
Gallery.
(2) Even such minutiæ as these were settled in the ceremo-
monial of past times.
(3) Vetust. Monum.
passage
Inside of the Cathedral.
87
passage of the Psalmist, My soul is always in my hands.
(1) But there does not appear ever to have been an
inscription on the tomb.
In a line with these two chantries, against the south
wall, is the marble figure, in an erect posture, of Sir
John Clobery, ornamented with all kinds of modern
military accoutrements and emblems. The taste and
execution of this figure and monument, when con-
trasted with those of cardinal Beaufort near it, are, by
no means, calculated to prove the superiority of the
17th century over the 15th, in the cultivation of the
liberal arts. The epitaph, however, has more merit,
and though of late date, deserves to be here inserted
for the information which it conveys :-
jam
M.S.
Johannis Clobery, militis.
Vir in omni re eximius,
Artem bellicam
Non tantum optime novit
Sed ubique fælicissime exercuit.
Ruentis patriæ simul et Stuartorum domus
Stator auspicatissimus,
Quod Monchius et ipse
Prius in Scotia animo agitaverent,
Ad Londinum venientes
Facile effectum dabunt.
Unde
Pacem Angliæ, Carolum IIum
solio
(Universo populo plaudente)
Restituerunt.
(1) Ps. 118 alias 119.
G 4
Itrne
88
Inside of the Cathedral.
Inter armorum negotiorumque strepitum,
(Res raro militibus usitata)
Humanioribus literis sedulo incubuit,
Et singulares animi dotes
Tam exquisita eruditione expolivit,
Ut Athenis potius quam castris
Senuisse videretur.
Sed, corpore demum morbo languescente,
Se tacite mundi motibus subduxit,
Ut cælo, quod per totam vitam
Ardentis anhelaverat, unice vacaret.
Salutis 1687,
Ætatis suæ 63.
Obiit anno
Hoc monumentum charissima defuncti
Relicta, ceu ultimum amoris indicium
Poni curavit. (1)
(1) Sacred to the memory of
Sir John Clobery, knight.
Excelling, as he did, in every thing,
He in such a manner cultivated the military art,
As not only thoroughly to understand it,
But also to apply it to the best purposes.
Becoming the prop of his fallen country,
And of the House of Stuart,
He planned those measures
With his friend Monk in Scotland,
Which, when they came to London,
They happily brought to pass;
By which peace was restored to England,
Charles II. to his throne,
And unbounded joy to the whole nation.
Amidst the noise of arms, and public business,
(A rare example to soldiers)
He
Inside of the Cathedral.
89
Advancing beyond the two grand chantries in the
middle of the centre aisle, before the entrance into the
chapel of the Virgin Mary, we come to a flat monu-
ment of grey marble, without inscription or ornament
upon it, raised about two feet above the ground. This
is pointed out, not only by vergers, but also by anti-
quàries, (1) as the actual tomb of Lucius, the first
Christian king, and the original founder of the cathe-
dral, in the second century. The absurdity of this
opinion must strike every person of common informa-
tion. For if this be the resting-place and the memo-
rial of that celebrated personage, how comes it that
the fact has escaped the notice of our original histo-
rians, and of Rudborne himself, who are in the greatest
darkness or uncertainty concerning the latter part of
his history? (2) Again, how can we suppose so ob-
He applied himself to intense study,
And to the cultivation of his singular talents,
So as to appear to have spent his life
Rather in the academy, than in the camp.
At length his corporal strength failing him,
He withdrew himself from worldly e ncerns,
That he might better prepare himself for heaven,
Which had long been the only object of his wishes.
He died in the year { of our Lord 1587,
age 63.
His faithful widow
Caused this monument (the last mark of her love)
To be here erected.
(1) Lord Clarendon's and Samuel Gale's Antiquities of Win-
chester, p. 34. The Rev. Thomas Warton's Description of
Winchester, p. 83, and others.
(2) See History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i. p. 43.
noxious
1
90
Inside of the Cathedral.
noxious a monument, had it previously existed, would
have been permitted to remain when the agents of
Dioclesian levelled the whole original edifice with the
ground; and afterwards when Cerdic changed the
second church, here erected, into a heathen temple?
But it is easy to trace this error to its source. The
fact is, bishop De Lucy, the last founder of this part
of the cathedral, is here buried in the centre of his
own work, as we gather from the most authentic re-
cords; (1) the similarity of whose name with that of
Lucius has occasioned the story in question. (2)
·
Three enclosed chapels form the eastern extremity
of the whole sacred fabric. The chantry, on the south
side, is fitted up in a peculiar style of richness and ele-
gance, the ornaments with which it is covered being
carved in oak. These consist of vine leaves, grapes,
tabernacles, armorial bearings, and the motto Laus
tibi Chrifte, (3) repeated an incredible number of times.
The prelate who lies here buried, Thomas Langton,
having previously to his decease, which happened by
the plague in the year 1500, been elected to the see
(1) "Godefridus Lucy......extra capellam B. Virginis huma-
tis est." Epit. Hist. Wint. Angl. Sac. vol. i. p. 296.
(2) The following is the account of the examination of this
tomb in July, 1797. "The tomb, said to be that of Lucius,
the first Christian king, had evidently been opened before.
There was in it a skull of common size, the thigh bones lying
near it, and the remains of silk garments of a yellow colour,
which might have been formerly either purple or red. Some
parts had been embroidered with a narrow stripe of gold.”
Extract of a letter from H. H. Esq.
(3) Praise be to thee, O Christ.
of
Inside of the Chedral.
91
of Canterbury, we find the arms of that see in various
parts represented with those of Winchester. In the
centre of the chapel is the altar tomb of the deceased,
which was originally exceedingly elegant, (1) but
which is now stripped of every metal or other orna-
ment for which a price could be obtained. There is a
profusion of rebusses on the groining of the cieling, in
conformity with the taste of the age. Amongst these
we see the musical note called a long inserted in a ton,
in allusion to the name Langton; (2) a vine growing
out of a ton to denote his see, Winton; a ben sitting
on a ton, signifying the prior of the cathedral who was
his contemporary, Henton or Hunton; (3) and a dra-
gon issuing out of a ton, the meaning of which we can-
not unriddle.
-
The middle chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin,
hence called amongst antiquaries the Lady Chapel,
was originally no longer than the other two. We dis-
tinctly see where the architecture of bishop De Lucy,
the most elegant that his age is acquainted with, ends;
and where the work of prior Silkstede, which has
lengthened this chapel by one half, begins. It appears
that the additional part was begun by Silkstede's pre-
decessor, Thomas Hunton, and that he only finished
and ornamented it. For, looking up to the groining
round the centre orbs, one representing the Almighty,
the other the Blessed Virgin, we find the following
Co
(1) Capellam construxit ab australi parte ecclesiæ suæ
Wintoniensis, in cujus medio conditus jacet sub marmorco tu-
mulo elegantissimo." Godwin de Præsul.
(2) See Wood's Athenæ. Langton.
(3) Stephen's Catalogue.
characters
92
luside of the Cathedral.
characters and rebusses: the letter T, the syllable Hur,
the figure of a ton, for Thomas Hunton, and the figure
1 for prior. In like manner we see the letter T, the
syllable silk, a steed or horse, and the figure 1, for
Thomas Silkstede, prior. In other parts of the chapel
and cathedral we find the letter T with a skein of
silk twisted round it, to denote the same person; with
the vine and the ton, which ornament often occurs.
There are other proofs, from the arms of queen Eliza-
beth, daughter of Edward VI, and those of the Grey
family, that the addition to this chapel was begun to
be built whilst Hunton was prior, but that it was
finished and ornamented by Silkstede. The latter fact
is attended by an imperfect inscription under the por-
trait of this prior which is still visible, with the insig-
nia of his office, over the piscina in this chapel, of
which the following werds are part:
Silkstede....jussit quoque sara polita
Sumptibus ornari, Sanda Waria, suis. (1)
The ornaments, of which mention is here made,
consist in certain curious paintings, partly historical
and partly allegorical, relating chiefly to miracles
ascribed to the prayers of the holy patroness of this
chapel, which almost cover the whole walls of the new
erection. The subject of one of them, indeed, is
drawn from the Holy Scripture, viz, the Annunciation,
and those of a few others, occur in credible historians;
as that of St. Gregory's procession in the time of the
plague in general, however, the stories here deli-
(1) Silkstede also caused these polished stones (0 Mary)
to be ornamented at his expence.
neated
Inside of the Cathedral.
93
neated are collected from unauthenticated legends. (1)
Nevertheless, they had not any pernicious tendency
which
(1) The author has explained the meaning of as many of these
paintings as are not quite defaced, in a work entitled Speci-
mens of Ancient Sculpture and Painting, by J. Carter, Achitect,
where plates of the same occur. One of these, however, re-
presenting an execution, being the first in the lower tier on the
north side, he has reason to think relates to a different subject
from that which he there mentioned. Being described as a
national event, and productive of a new regulation in the ad-
ministration of justice, it deserves to be related.-Harpsfield
reports, in his account of the reign of Henry VII. that one
Richard Boys, a native of Salisbury, having been unjustly con-
demned and executed for theft, upon being conveyed to a
neighbouring church-yard, after hanging an hour, was found
to be alive, when he declared that he had been saved from
death by the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, and of the pious
murdered king, Henry VI. who was then universally considered
as a saint. He accordingly paid a visit of devotion to the
celebrated monastery dedicated to the Blessed Virgin at Wal-
singham, and to the tomb of the above-mentioned king at
Windsor, where he left the halter with which he had been
suspended. This event, which made a great noise, and
another of a similar nature with respect to one Thomas Fuller,
of Hammersmith, who was executed for the crime of driving
away cattle, of which he was innocent, and said to have been
preserved in the same manner, seem to have given occasion to
the law mentioned in the History and Survey of Winchester,
vol. i. p. 320, which required that all persons under trial, who
were unable to procure counsel, should be furnished with it
gratis. On this subject our author launches out into certain
reflections, which prove either that trial by jury was not so
popular formerly as it is at present, or that juries were then
more
94
Inside of the Cathedral.
which required them to be obliterated. (1) At present
they are highly curious and valuable for the informa-
tion which they convey concerning the customs of
former times. We observe the different attempts that
have been made to deface them, probably in the reign
of Elizabeth; first by scraping the walls, secondly by
daubing them over with a coarse paint, and lastly by
white-washing them. This last operation has been
the means of preserving them; for the white-wash
having, of late years, fallen off, we now view them in
a more perfect state than we should have done if they
had been exposed to the air during the whole inter-
vening period. In this chapel of her patroness, queen
Mary chose to have her marriage ceremony with Phi-
lip of Spain performed, and the chair on which she sat
on this occasion is still shewn there. (2) It appears
that there was formerly a particular sextry or sacristy
Gag
more ignorant and corrupt. Speaking of judges, he says,
Rem non tam ad suum judicium, libere et constanter animi
sui motum sequentes, quam ad 12 illorum judicium aut potius
præjudicium revocant à quo raro discedere solent. Qui cum
nonnunquam vel ignorantia decepti, vel hominum potentiorum.
minis atque auctoritate confracti, vel gratia atque affectibus.
sinistris depravati, reos nonullos pronunciant qui ab intentato
crimine prorsus sunt immunes; judices etiam sæpe nulla alia
accuratiore cognitione adhibita, et toti quasi ab eorum dictatis
pendentes, innocentes injusto addicunt supplicio." Hist. Eccles.
Anglic. Sec. 15.
(1) Venerable Bede informs us, in his History of Were-
mouth, that St. Bennet Biscop adorned the church of that
monastery with pictures of different saints, and of the visions
in the Revelations.
(2) Gale's Antiq.
belonging
Inside of the Cathedral.
95
belonging to this chapel, on the north side of it, with
a garden, (1) which long after the former was demo-
lished continued to be called Paradise.
The remaining of the three above-mentioned cha-
pels, from the figures of angels which still cover the
whole vaulting of it, was probably dedicated to the
Guardian Angels. It is not unlikely that this was also
the chantry of bishop Orlton, (2) though there is no
memorial of him existing here at present. In the
place of it we see, on the north side, the sepulchre of a
modern prelate, bishop Mews, with his mitre and cro-
sier suspended over it; and, on the south side, the
superb monument of Weston, duke of Portland, (3)
with a noble and inimitable bronze figure of him at
full length, and the busts in marble of certain persons
of his family.
Turning our faces now to the west, we have before
us the screen which separates the work of De Lucy
from that of Fox. In the front of this, just before the
Holy Hole, we find a large grave stone, being above
twelve feet long and five feet broad, in which we can
discern that the effigies of a bishop, abbot, or mitred
(1) Rudborne, Hist. Maj. 1. iii, c. 7. speaks of the Gardinum
Sacriste, which, from different circumstances, we gather to
have been in this part.
(2) Richardson, in his notes upon Godwin, says of Orlton,
«Sepultus est in ecclesia Wintoniensi in capella propria.',
Now there is hardly any other chapel except this unappro-
priated, and the stile of the ornaments still remaining, which
stood over the altar, seem to bespeak his time.
(3) He was lord treasurer in the reign of Charles I. Echard
and Rapin represent him as being a Catholic.
prior,
96
Inside of the Cathedral.
prior, in brass; and a long inscription, with a profusion
of ornaments, have been inserted, which have since
been sacrilegiously stolen. This is celebrated, not only
by the vulgar, but also by learned authors, (1) as the
monument which covers the remains of the great
patron saint of our cathedral and city, St. Swithun. (2)
The improbability, however, of this opinion is great
and obvious. This saint, it is well known, was buried,
at his own request, in the church-yard, (3) in a spot
which we shall hereafter point out; and when after-
wards, at the distance of above a hundred years, the
body was translated by St. Ethelwold into the cathe-
dral; it was not deposited in a grave, but in a shrine.
or chest of silver, plated with gold, and adorned with
jewels, which king Edgar gave for this purpose. (4)
The only method then of supporting the received opi-
nion, is by supposing that, at the Reformation, some
zealous person, after the shrine had been seized upon
for the king's use, interred the remains of the saint
under the pompous and costly monument which this
appears originally to have been. Now, though we
doubt not that many persons at that period were ready
to incur such an expence, in order to testify their re-
(1) Lord Clarendon and Gale's Antiquities, p. 30. War-
ton's Description, p. 83. The profound Anthony Wood seems
also to countenance this opinion. Athen. Oxen. The same
is adopted by the learned Alban Butler, in his Life of St.
Swithun, July 15.
(2) This name is frequently spelt by moderns Swithin, but
by the ancient always Swithun or Swithum.
(3) Gul. Malm. De Pontif, 1. ii. Rudb. Capgrave.
(4) Rudb. Hist. Maj. 1. iii, c. 12. Gul. Malm.
spect
Inside of the Cathedral.
97
spect and devotion to this illustrious saint, yet we can-
not believe that such a measure would have been per-
mitted on the part of government; as it would have been
a tacit censure of the conduct of the latter in seizing
on the shrine. Such was our reasoning on this point pre-
viously to the researches made in the cathedral in the
summer of 1797, which were primarily undertaken for the
purpose of ascertaining the point whether St. Swithun's
remains lay under this grave-stone or not. We shall
give below the very interesting account which the
learned gentleman, to whom we have already professed
our literary obligations more than once, was pleased to
communicate to us of the discoveries that were made
in this particular. (1) In the mean time we shall ob-
serve
•
(1) The following is an extract from the valuable letter in
question :-
" SIR,
"Hilsea Barracks, July 12, 1797.
"Your absence at the time we had obtained leave to make
some researches in the cathedral, was a matter of great regret,
both to my father, Capt. Cartwright, and myself, and I will
add, to the vergers of the cathedral, who assisted us; and had
we not been under orders to march to this place, we should
certainly have delayed the investigation till your return. As it
is, the best thing remaining to do is to give you an account of
our transactions, and as I write to a person so much better
informed, both as to the history of the place, and every local
circumstance, I shall confine myself to a bare narration of
the facts.
St. SWITHIN'S TOMB.-Previous to our operations, we
ascertained, both by measurement and by sound in the crypt,
that the large square solid of stone, towards the middle of the
vault, is immediately under St. Swithin's tomb. There is a
square
H
98
Inside of the Cathedral.
serve that our conjecture, in opposition to the received
opinion, is now brought to an absolute certainty.
For
square flint solid beyond it carried up in the same manner, but
which appears to have been made merely to support the arch
above, between the monuments of cardinal Beaufort and bishop
Waynflete, as on removing the pavement above it in the
church, we immediately came to that arch.
"On the 5th of July, leave having been obtained, the slab,
12 feet by 5, supposed to cover St. Swithin's tomb, was raised,
under the direction of the master mason of the chapter, in the
presence of several gentlemen, and of two of the vergers of
the cathedral.
"Under this stone there appeared an oblong tomb or open-
ing, seven feet long and two feet five inches broad, formed of
slabs of a fine white stone (similar to that used in bishop
Fox's chapel), neatly polished, jointed with care and art, and as
clean and dry as if it had been finished on that day. The
rubbish, consisting of pulverised stone and some decayed mor-
tar, with which it had probably been filled to the level of the
underpart of the great slab, was rather sunk towards the
centre, apparently on account of its having, (as we afterwards
discovered) burst into the coffin itself. After removing two
feet five inches of this rubbish, the flat lid of an oak coffin
appeared. The wood was moist and in a state of the utmost
decay, soft, spungy, and light, and easily broken, but still
retaining to the eye its fibres and texture. The lid had been
fastened with common iron nails, much rust eaten, and which
came out at the touch. The form of the coffin, or rather
the chest, which contained the bones, was a parallelogram
about six feet and a half long, one foot ten inches broad, and
not quite one foot deep. In some places, (as has been rc-
ated) it was broken into by the weight of the rubbish, which
in consequence was found mixed with the bones. There was
no
Inside of the Cathedral.
99
For first, the bones here found lay " in an undisturbed
state....every rib and joint in its proper place." Now
this
no lead in the inside, nor any inscription. The bones lay in an
undisturbed state; the jaw and every rib and joint were in their
places, the hands were crossed a little below the short ribs,
but no ring was found, nor were there any coins or chalice.
The vertebræ of the back, and the smaller bones which lay
next the under part of the coffin, were much decayed, but the
thigh, leg, and arm bones were still solid. The thigh bones
measured from the extreme points only 183 inches, which
proves that whoever is here buried was a person of low stature.
On the skull, which is also small, there remained the im-
pression of linen, or fine stuff, apparently white, but no hair.
Many of the teeth were entire but much worn; others, from
the closure of the jaw bone, appeared to have been lost during
life. A black serge, probably a monk's cowl, seems to have
covered the whole body, and upon the decay of the flesh to
have adhered to the bones; towards the feet it appeared in
folds. The legs were covered with leather boots or gaiters,
sewed on and neatly stitched; part of the thread was still to
be seen, and the leather retained some consistency ; it was
very damp, I might also say wet. The soles were of what
would be called an elegant shape at present, pointed at the toe,
and very narrow under the middle of the foot, exactly the
shape of what I have sent, which you will observe is so small
that it scarcely appears the size of a man's foot. The under-
part is a good deal worn, of two thicknesses of leather, about
the consistency of a slipper sole. There were remains of
thongs near it, which may lead to suppose they were sandals.
The boot part, which is very wide, and came above the knee,
was not adherent to these soles. The lower part of the coffin,
which was very damp, and, like the rest, falling to pieces,
adhered in some degree to the bottom of the stone grave, and
H 2
had
100
Inside of the Cathedral.
this could not have happened, had the remains of
the deceased been so often translated and removed,
as certainly was the case with those of St. Swithun,
during the space of six centuries. The second ar-
gument to this effect, which supersedes the neces-
sity of producing any further proofs in support of
our opinion, is, that in the grave before us was
found an entire skull, whereas we have undeniable tes-
timony, that the skull of St. Swithun was carried
away by St. Elphege from Winchester to Canterbury,
upon his being promoted to that see, where it was
had stained it; the rest was, as I have said, perfectly fresh
and clean. The depth of this tomb or stone grave was 3 feet
4 inches. Whether these circumstances support the tradition
that this was the body of St. Swithin, you will be able to
judge better than myself; one thing appears to me certain,
that the coffin was removed from some other place to this spot,
and had existed long before bishop Fox's time; it was cer-
tainly not by the dry rot that it had decayed in the situation it
was placed, totally void of moisture; it could not have decayed
by any other manner since his time. One must therefore
conclude that these remains were at least reputed to be those
of some person of great note, that the coffin or chest must
have then been in a very perishable state, and have required
great care in the removal, more indeed than succeeded, as the
weight even of the dusty materials that covered it had broken
into it.
"To conclude, the remains were immediately after carefully
collected, and placed in a box at the bottom of the vault, with
a short narrative of the proceedings of the day inclosed in a
glass bottle sealed up, the rubbish thrown in, and the slab re-
placed in its former state.
" HENRY HOWARD."
deposited
Inside of the Cathedral.
101
deposited under Christ's altar. (1) If we must hazard
a conjecture concerning the deceased, whose remains
are contained in the present sepulchre, we should say,
that in all probability it is good prior Silkstede. The
black serge, resembling a cowl, and the funeral boots,
found with the bones, seem to bespeak a person of
the monastic profession; the mitre and the crosier
on the grave-stone indicate a prior of the cathedral;
the white, well-jointed, and polished stones in the
sepulchre, resembling those in Fox's chantry, seem to
point out the time when it was made; and its ho-
nourable situation, just before the Holy Hole, seems
better to become a superior of Silkstede's merit, as a
benefactor to the cathedral, than any other prior who
lived near his time. (2)
Upon
(1) "In quo altari B. Elphegus caput Sancti Swithuni
quod ipse a pontificatu Wintoniensi in archiepiscopatum Can-
tuariensem translatus secum tulerat, cum multis aliorum
sanctorum reliquiis solemniter reposuerat."
Gervas. Dorob.
De Combust. & Repar. Dorob. Ecc. apud Twysd. p. 1291.—
N. B. The architect employed in repairing the cathedral of
Canterbury, at the time which our author mentions, was a
native of Sens, who returning home seems to have carried a
fragment of the saint's skull, in consequence of which St.
Swithin's head was believed to be at Sens, and his festival was
there kept with great solemnity. It has been by such means,
and not by those intimated by the historian of Worcester,
that the heads and bodies of saints appeared to be multiplied.
(2) This opinion indeed seems to militate against the argu-
ment of our ingenious correspondent, drawn from the damp-
ness found in the coffin, which he supposes must have been
acquired in a different situation. But it will be remembered,
H 3
*
that
102
Inside of the Cathedral.
I
Upon the skreen before us we see a range of niches
with canopies and pedestals, which formerly contained
statues of Christ and his Blessed Mother, and of the
illustrious personages under-mentioned; as appears by
their respective inscriptions, in the following order :—
Kyngillus rep. S. Birinus epifcopus. Kynwaldus rer.
Egbertus rer. Adulphus cex filius ejus. Egbeztus rer.
Aluredus rex. Edwardus zer lenior. Athelstanus rep.
Dominus Jelus. Sancta Waria.
Edredus zex. Edgar rep. Emma zegina. Alwynus
episcopus. Ethelzedus zea. S. Edwardus zer filius ejus
Canutus zea. Hardicanutus ze1 filius ejus,
From this catalogue of names it is plain, that for-
mer writers have been under an error, in supposing
that the corresponding statues were those of different
Saxon kings buried in the vault below, (1) or near
this place; (2) since six of the kings here named were
not
that the leg bones of Edward IV. when his tomb was opened
a few years back at Windsor, were found half immersed in a
colourless insipid lymph, which could not be accounted for in
any other way than by supposing that it was the matter into
which the human muscles were dissolved. See Vestustą
Monumenta Soc. Antiq.
(1) Gale's Antiq p. 32.
(2) Warton's Description, p. 82. Anonymous History, vol.
1, p. 56.—The preposterous order in which both these writers
set down the above names, contrary to historical truth, (as
where Alfred is made the son of Egbert, and Athelstan the
son of Alfred, &c.) proves that they did not consult the ori-
ginal, but copied them from Gale, whose arrangement they
mistook. The other errors into which they fall, on the same
occasion,
Inside of the Cathedral.
103
not interred at all in this cathedral, but in other places.
The real cause of these illustrious personages being
honoured with statues in our church was, that they
were its chief benefactors. This circumstance, how-
ever, could not save them from the destroying mallet
of modern iconoclasts, to whose fanaticism every re-
semblance of the human form in a place of worship
appeared to be an object of idolatry. (1) In the lower
par of this wall is seen a small arched way now block-
ed up with masonry. This led down a stone staircase
into the western crypt, immediately under the high
altar and sanctuary; which being the destined place
for the reception of relics and the interment of persons
of eminent sanctity, was hence called the Holy Hole,
by which name it constantly occurs in the original
history of this city. (2) It is another egregious mis-
take in modern writers to speak of this as the royal
occasion, ars so numerous and so gross as almost to bid defiance.
to criticism.
(1) The late historian of Worcester informs us, that Egwin,
third bishop of that see, first introduced the use of pious
images into England. Upon inquiry, however, he will find
that the apostle of England, St. Gregory the Great, was au
avowed patron of images, as Bale and Peter Martyr confess,
and that the use both of pictures and images was introduced,
with Christianity itself, by St. Augustine, who preached the
gospel to king Ethelbert, "with a cross carried before him for
an ensign, and a picture of our Saviour painted on a board."
Bede's Ecc. Hist. b. i, c. 25.-King Ina is mentioned, in the
records of Glassenbury abbey, as having bestowed upon it.
silver images of the Blessed Virgin and the twelve Apostles.
Will, Malm. De Antiq. Glassenbury.
(2) Historia Major Wintoniensis, Thomæ Rudborne.
H 4
vault,
104
Inside of the Cathedral.
:
vault, in which those persons were originally buried,
whose bones are now deposited in the chests round the
choir. (1) The fact is, not one of the latter was ever
deposited in the Holy Hole; (2) but only such re-
mains of persons eminent for their sanctity, as were not
contained in the sacred shrines. As a sufficient proof
of this is the following inscription in large characters
over the said vault :
Conpona SANCTOGUD SUNT HIC IN
PACE SEPULTA-EX WERITIS QUORUD
FULGENT WIRACULA DULTA. (3)
Turning round the north corner of the screen, we
enter into the north-east aisle of Fox's church, whose
devices, with those of cardinal Beaufort, frequently
occur in it. Here we view the outside of Gardiner's
chantry, which exhibits the same confusion of the Gothic
and the Grecian architecture which we have repro-
(1) Warton's Description, p. 79. Anonymous History, vol.
i, p. 48. Vetusta Monument, vol. ii,
(2) For example, we are assured that Canute was originally
buried before the high altar; Rufus, in the choir; Edmund,
the son of Alfred, where Gardiner's chapel now is; Stigand,
at the entrance of the choir, &c.
(3) The bodies of different saints are here buried in peace,
through whose merits many miracles shine forth.-N. B. In
the year 1789 an attempt was made, in the presence of the
author, to gain an entrance into the Holy Hole, but upon re-
moving the masonry which closes the present entry, the crown
of the arch above was found to have been purposely destroyed,
and the whole passage and vault to be so entirely choaked
with rubbish, that there was a necessity of abandoning the
undertaking.
t
bated
Inside of the Cathedral.
105
ì
bated in describing the inside of it. His figure, like
that of Fox on the opposite side, is exhibited as a skele-
ton, and bears evident proofs of the indignity and
violence with which it has been treated. Proceeding
westward, under the mortuary chest of Kinegils, we
discover in the partition wall the monument of king
Hardicanute, the last Danish monarch, whose body
was brought hither from Lambeth for interment. We
observe upon it the figure of a ship with the following
inscription:
Qui jacet hic regni fceptrum tulit Hardicanutus,
Emmae Cnutonis gnatus et ipfe fuit. Ob. A. &. mxli. (1)
Near to this we find a similar monument for the
heart of Ethelmar, bishop of Winchester, and half
brother of Henry III. who, having been long kept out
of his diocese, seems to have expressed his desire of
returning to it, by ordering his heart to be conveyed to
this cathedral from Paris, where he died. The follow-
ing is the inscription on the monument:
Corpus Cthelmazi, cujus coz nunc tenet istud
Sarum, Parisiis mozte datur tumulo. Ob. Anne 1261. (2)
Leaving now the works of Fox, and descending
down a flight of steps, we find ourselves again amongst
the ponderous and lofty architecture of the Norman
prelate Walkelin, in the northern transept. Under the
organ stairs is a mutilated bust, in stone, of a bishop or
conventual prior, with his heart in his hands; which,
(1) He who lies here, by name Hardicanute, bore the
sceptre of the kingdom, being the son of Emma and of
Canute. He died A. D. 1041.
(2) The body of Ethelmar, whose heart is enclosed in this
stone, lies buried at Paris. He died in the year 1261.
from
105
Inside of the Cathedral.
from the form of the arch over it, is seen to be much
more ancient than the tomb of Waynflete. According
to one account, this represents Ethelmar; (1) accord-
ing to another, which is generally followed, (2) it is
meant for a prior by name Hugh Le Brun. (3) The
former account, however, is much more probable, be-
cause the turn of the arch agrees with the time of
Ethelmar, but not with that of either of the cathedral
priors who bore the name of Hugh. Secondly, this
bust is not fixed, but has been removed from another
place; probably from that where the heart rests, and
where it stood until Fox rebuilt the choir. Lastly,
the attitude of offering up the heart seems to corre-
spond with the dying wish of Ethelmar, but has no
relation, that we can discover, with the history of any
of the priors. Under the organ stairs, lower down the
steps, is a dark chapel, that has hitherto been over-
looked, though it is full of paintings, which from the
rudeness of their style, are known to be proportionably
ancient. Towards the east, where the altar stood, is
represented the taking down of our Lord's body from
the cross, and the laying it in the sepulchre; on the
south side is painted his descent into Limbus, and his
appearance to Mary Magdalen in the garden, from
whose lips the word Rabboni (4) is seen to proceed. It
(1) In the former part of lord Clarendon and Gale's History,
p. 24, it is said by tradition to be that of Ethelmar.
(2) Warton's Description, p. 84.
(3) In the second part of the said work, p. 32, it is sup-
posed to be prior Hugh Le Brun's. N. B. No such surname
as Le Brun can be traced in authentic records, as belonging to
any of the conventual priors.
(4) St. John, c. xx, v. 16.
is
Inside of the Cathedral.
107
is not necessary to decypher the other subjects, but
from those already mentioned, it is evident that this
was the chapel of the Sepulchre, as it was called, to
which there used to be a great resort in holy week.
In front of this is seen a stone coffin, raised a little out
of the ground, without any inscription or ornament,
except a processional cross upon the top of it. This
seems to denote the grave of one of the cathedral priors.
There appears to have been different altars, (1) pro-
bably
(1) The scite of about twenty altars may still be ascertained
in this cathedral, but that was probably far from being the
whole number of them. A late writer on ecclesiastical anti-
quities, represents the multiplication of altars in our cathedrals
as a late innovation. See Green's History of Worcester, vol. i,
p. 89.
If, however, he will look into Alcuin's Poetical De-
scription of York Cathedral, as it existed in the eighth century,
(for Alcuin wrote in the reign of Charlemagne) he will find
that it was, at that early age, furnished with no fewer than
thirty altars. Triginta tenet variis ornatibus arás. Gale's x
Scriptores versu, 1514. The former author describes the altars
as being built for the sake of depositing relics under them.
But, upon enquiry, he will find directly the reverse of
this to have been the case. Finally, he tells us, p. 57, that
upon
the introduction of the doctrine of transubstantiation, it
became necessary to place the high altar in the centre of the
cross aisle. In this supposition it was incumbent on the writer
to prove, by authentic documents, that, at some determinate
period, the situation of the high altars in our great churches un-
derwent the change in question. This would have tended to fix
the hitherto undiscovered period, when the faith of the whole
church was altered in this capital article. The fact is, the
high altars retained the same situation in our cathedrals in all
ages,
108
Inside of the Cathedral.
bably as many as five, in the open part of the transept
before us. The whole of it has been painted with the
figures of different saints and other ornaments, some of
which still remain. In particular, against the west
wall, at the extremity of the transept, are still scen the
traces of a colossal figure of a man supporting a child.
This has been mistaken by former writers, for a repre-
sentation of the battle between Colbrand and Guy earl
of Warwick, (1) with which it does not bear the
slightest resemblance. It is evidently meant for the
allegorical figure of St. Christopher carrying Christ, (2)
which was exceedingly common in ancient times.
Over this subject is clearly discernible that of the Ado-
ration of the Magi. The west aisle of the transept,
consisting of two chapels, in one of which there is a
bold specimen of the horse-shoe arch, is now shut up
from the body of the church, in order to form work-
shops for repairing the fabric.
Having quitting the transept, and entered into the
great north aisle, we see on our left hand, adjoining
to the wall of the choir, the mutilated figure of an
ancient crusader, armed cap-a-pié in a hawberk, with
his sword and shield; the latter of which bears quar-
terly two bulls passant, gorged with collars and bells,
and three garbs, for the princely family of De Foix;
ages, namely, the east end of the great nave, not the centre of
the cross aisles.
(1) Warton's Description, p. 79.
(2) See An Enquiry into the History and Character of St.
George, Patron of England, of the Society of Antiquaries, &c.
by the author, in which the several figures and emblems ascrib-
ed to different saints are explained and accounted for.
of
Inside of the Cathedral.
109
of which was Captal De La Buch, knight of the garter
of the first creation by Edward III. On an adjoining
slab are the arms of the royal families to which he
appears to have been related, England, France, Cas-
tile, Leon, &c. The deceased himself was earl of a
small place adjoining to Winchester, called Winall, as
we learn from the following epitaph, which is said for-
merly to have been on the monument: (1)
Hic jacet Millielmus Comes de insula Wana alias
Mineall. (2)
We now pass behind the pillar, against which bishop
Hoadley's monument rests; adjoining to which, at the
bottom of the steps, is the sepulchre of the stanch old
prelate Morley, (3) with an interesting epitaph, com-
posed by himself, which however boasts of nothing
but his attachment to the cause of royalty. It is en-
closed with iron rails, and over it hangs, probably by
his own appointment, his mitre and crosier. It is plain
from the two monuments now before us, that death
destroys all distinctions, for never were there men
more opposite in their religious and political principles
than were the two bishops of this see, who here lie
close together. Upon a pillar adjoining to Morley's
monument is a small plate of brass, with an engraved
epitaph to the memory of captain Boles. As no hero
was perhaps ever more deserving of an honourable
(1) Gale's Antiquities, p. 32.
(2) Here lies William, earl of the island Vana, otherwise
Wineall. The parish of Wineall lies upon the river, and
might formerly have been insulated.
(3) See History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 425.
commendation
110
Inside of the Cathedral.
commendation to posterity than the deceased; (1) sơ
never, perhaps, was these an epitaph more devoid of
grammar and orthography than that which is here
erected to his memory. (2) We could not have be-
lieved that the author of it was a clergyman of the
same honourable family, at the end of the 17th cen-
tury, if he himself had not told us so in the epitaph.
Continuing our walk down the north aisle, we find,
lying close to the wall, an ancient mutilated figure of
black marble, with a mitre on the head. It is difficult
to determine whether this represents a bishop or a ca-
thedral prior; if the former, and if it has always con-
tinued in the same place, we have no difficulty in
pronouncing that it is the monument and covers the
ashes of the great and powerful prelate, once the guar-
dian of the king and kingdom, Peter De Rupibus; as
it is particularly recorded of him, that in his life time,
he chose an humble place in his cathedral to be buried.
in. (3)
-3
We now come to what may be called the Crux An-
tiquariorum, or the Puzzle of Antiquaries; the ancient
cathedral font. This stands within the middle arch of
Wykeham's part of the church, on the north side, and
consists of a square block of dark marble, supported
by pillars of the same material. It is covered on the
<<
(T) See History and Survey of Winchester, vol. i, p. 405.
(2) It begins "A memoriall for this renowned martialist
Richard Boles, of the right worshipful family of the Boleses
in Linkhorne sheire collonell of a ridgment of foot of 1300
&c."
(3)
Sepultus est autem in ecclesià suâ Wintoniensi, ubi
etiam dum viveret humilem elegit sepulturam." Mat. Paris
top
f
<c
Inside of the Cathedral.
111
top and the four sides with rude carvings, which be-
speak its antiquity. There is no great difficulty in ex-
plaining those on the top, and two of the sides, namely,
the north and east sides. The most distinguished cr-
naments of the top are doves, emblematic of the Holy
Ghost, (1) which appear breathing into phials sur-
mounted with crosses, supposed to contain the two
kinds of sacred chrism, made use of in baptism. The
rest of the ornaments of this part consist of Saxon zig
zag, pellets, &c. On the sides the dove is still repeat-
ed in various attitudes, together with a salamander,
emblematic of fire; in allusion to that passage of St.
Mat. c. iii, v. 2, "He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and with fire." But, now to speak of the sculp-
tures on the south and west sides of the font: these
are universally allowed to represent the history of some
holy bishop, (2) but no antiquary has hitherto suc-
ceeded in discovering a personage of this description,
to whose known transactions these figures are applica-
ble. In the year 1786, the Society of Antiquaries
having caused two splendid plates of this font to be
engraved, their learned director accompanied the de-
livery of them to the members, with a dissertation on
these carvings, consisting of seven folio pages; in
which he supposes them to represent the history of
St. Birinus, the apostle of the West Saxons. Con-
formably with this system, he explains the compart-
cân
(1) These figures frequently occur on the monuments of
the ancient Christians, found in the catacombs at Rome.
(2) Lord Clarendon and Gale's Antiquities, p. 23. Mo-
nasticon, vol. ii, p. 219. Warton's Description, p. 79. Ve-
tusta Monumenta, in the explanation of this font, vol. ii.
ment,
112
Inside of the Cathedral.
ment, in which the ship appears, to relate to the
saint's voyage into England, on which occasion he
makes him save some of the mariners, who were sleep-
ing on shore, from the imminent danger of being
drowned by the swell of the sea. (1) But we are to
observe, that no such incident in the life of Birinus is
hinted to us by any one of our ancient historians. The
south side he supposes to represent the death of king
Kinegils, who being unable himself to execute his
pious design of building a cathedral at Winchester,
worthy of his capital city and of his holy instructor,
obliged his son Kenewalch to take a solemn oath, in
the presence of the saint and of his principal officers,
that he would complete the undertaking. (2) Accord-
ing to this explanation, the figure on his knees is the
dying king, who is delivering a mass of earth or stone
to his son, being part of the materials which he had
collected for this pious work. We apprehend that
few persons who look upon the original, or the copy
of it, either in the Vetusta Monumenta, or in the
Miscellaneous Plate in the History of Winchester, vol.
2, will be struck with the probability of this interpre-
tation. With respect to the execution scene, the learned
writer seems to admit the impossibility of adapting it
to any known incident in the life of St. Birinus. (3)
In rejecting the above explanation of the hierogly-
phics, we abandon a system which we ourselves
heretofore supported; as will appear by referring to
the dissertation alluded to, (4) in which the learned
author honoured our conjectures with insertion. The
(1) Vetusta Monum. p. 2.
(3) Ibid, p. 4.
(2) Ibid.
(4) Ibid, p. 1.
<
mistake
Inside of the Cathedral.
113
mistake, on all sides, seems to have originated in a de-
sire of carrying up this monument to the highest anti-
quity possible, and of forcing it to apply to our national
history. On these two heads a few preliminary re-
marks seem necessary. The learned author supposes
that this font, as well as another greatly resembling it
at Lincoln, has relation to the age of St. Birinus, which
means that they were executed in the seventh century.
(1) But this is evidently dating it too far backward;
for certainly baptism by emersion, which was perform-
ed by means of a bath, made for this purpose in a build-
ing distinct from the church itself, called a baptistery,
was the practice in this kingdom, as well as in other
parts of the church, at the time in question, and for
above two centuries later. (2) Now the font before us
is not calculated for this mode of baptizing, but rather
for that of infusion or aspersion, It is also agreed that
mitres did not make part of the espicopal ornaments
before the tenth century, which nevertheless we see
on the head of the bishop here represented, in three
different compartments. In the second place, it is a
source of error, as we have remarked on the picture of
St. Christopher, mentioned above, to refer all ancient
monuments of this kind to the history of our own coun-
try. The Saint whose transactions we suppose to be
represented on the side of this font, though a foreigner,
was better known and more celebrated in England
than St. Birinus himself. We speak of St. Nicholas,
bishop of Myra, in Lycia, who flourished in the fourth
(1) Vetest. Mon, p. 1.
I
(2) Ibid. p. 5.
century,
114
Inside of the Cathedral.
century, and was celebrated as the patron saint of chil-
dren. His name, which was famous throughout Chris-
tendom from the time of his decease, became much
more celebrated in the west, upon his relics being car-
ried off from the said city, then subject to the Maho-
metans, to that of Bari in Italy, in an expedition fitted
out there for that express purpose. This happened
about the time of the Norman Conquest, a period with
which the architecture of the church, represented on
the south side, agrees better than with any other pe-
riod, either more ancient or later. The history of this
saint is to be found abridged in The Portiforium seu Bre-
viarum, in usum Sarum, and likewise in The Golden Le-
gend, but the most ample and genuine account of him
occurs in Surius, translated from the Greek of Simeon
Metaphrastes.
I
1
The first splendid action in the life of this saint,
which gave occasion to his being named the patron
of children, was his saving the virtue of three virgins,
which their father, a man of noble birth, but reduced.
to poverty, was tempted to make a traffic of. (1) St.
Nicholas, to whom his parents had transmitted an ample
fortune, hearing of this intention, and of the occasion
of it, tied up a considerable sum of gold, in a cloth, (2)
and to avoid the ostentation of this charity, threw it by
night into the bedchamber of this unhappy father, who
awaking and finding a sufficient sum to portion one of
his daughters, immediately married her to a person of
(1) Surius, Vit. S. Nic. cap. vi. Brev. Sar. lect. 3, 4.
(2)“ Auri haud mediocre pondus sacculo belle infutum,"
Ibid.
equal
Inside of the Cathedral.
115
equal birth. The same circumstance happening the
following night, the father took care to be upon the
watch the third night, for his unkown benefactor, when
discovering St. Nicholas to be the person, he fell at
his feet, calling him the saviour of his own and his
daughters' souls.-Let us now inspect the south side of
the font, we shall see this history represented, with
only those few deviations which are necessary for
artists, in order to give a comprehensive view of a
complex transaction. A bishop, with his mitre, crosier,
&c. is seen in front of a Saxon church, representing
the cathedral of Myra. Before him kneels an old man,
with a long beard, who kissing his hand, at the same
time receives from it into his own right hand a round
mass, curiously tied up at the ends, which, with his
left hand, he gives to a female figure, as appears by the
breasts, long hair, and ornaments. Receiving thus
her marriage portion with her left hand, she holds out
her right towards a male figure, with short hair on hist
head and chin, who proves himself to be a man of
noble birth, and a fit husband for her, by the hawk
which he carries on his fist. In the intermediate
space, or back ground, another of these devoted
daughters, with long hair and the same kind of fillet
as her sister wears, is actually celebrating her marriage
with a man richly dressed. They join their right
hands, whilst her left is placed upon her breast, and
his left holds a purse containing her portion. There is
not sufficient space on the west side to exhibit the
nuptials of the third daughter.
The next remarkable incident in the life of St. Ni--
cholas,
I 2
116
Inside of the Cathedral.
cholas, is his voyage to the Holy Land. (1) Having
embarked for this purpose in a vessel bound to Egypt,
he foretold a dreadful storm, which soon overtook it,
and seemed on the point of overwhelming it. The
sailors, who, confident in their nautical foresight and
skill, had derided the saint's prediction, now, with
abundance of tears, besought him to pray for their de-
livery, which, when he had done, the storm was ap-
peased, and they arrived in safety at Alexandria.
Let us now examine the west side of the font,
which, consisting of four different compartments, is
unavoidably crouded. The first of these exhibits a
ship with ropes, a mast and a rudder, but without any
sail, the sure sign of its being in a storm. The size of
the vessel admits but of three figures. Of these, one
is labouring at the helm, a second, with his hand up
to his eyes, appears to be weeping, and a third, of su-
perior dignity, with his face averted, and his hands
stretched over the waves, seems to be appeasing them
by his prayers.
---
St. Nicholas being landed at Alexandria, the fame
of the above-mentioned miracle, and of another which
he had wrought at sea, in restoring to life a mariner,
who had been killed by a fall from the mast, occa-
sioned a great number of persons, labouring under
different disorders and calamities, to be brought to
(1) Surius, Vit. S. Nic. c. viii-In the Golden Legend,
c. ii, and in the Sarum Breviary, a voyage, different in some
circumstances, which, however, is calmed by the saint, next
But the account of Metaphrastes, extant in Surius, is
more ancient, and best agrees with the carvings.
occurs.
him,
Inside of the Cathedral.
117
him, all of whom he cured and relieved, according to
their several wants. (1) Hence, the next compartment.
to that which we have explained exhibits two persons
with sorrowful countenances, and in a recumbent pos-
ture, denoting their being ill, before a bishop, who
holding one of them by the hand, seems to be raising
him up to health; whilst a third, with uplifted hands,
and a joyful countenance, is expressing his astonish-
ment and gratitude for the miraculous cure which he
has just experienced. The lowest figure of all, with a
cup in his hand, belongs to a different subject, as we
shall afterwards shew.
The most celebrated act, however, in the life of St.
Nicholas, next to that of his saving the chastity of the
three virgins, was his preserving the lives of three
young men of his cathedral city of Myra, (2) whom
the corrupt and cruel prefect of the same, Eustachius,
had condemned to death, whilst the saint was absent
in Phrygia, appeasing a popular commotion there
which threatened the worst of consequences. Being
informed, by a speedy messenger, of what was trans-
acting in the aforesaid city, he flies back to it, where
he finds the condemned youths at the place of execu-
tion, with their necks bared, and a headsman with
his uplifted axe on the point of inflicting the fatal
(1) Magnus ad eum factus est ægrotantium concursus,
magnus calamitosorum opem penetentium. Sed quis, donorum
largitor Deus! æger non sanus abscessit? Quis mœrens non
lætus? Sed tua hæc laus est, Domine, qui sine te laus ista non
esset." Ibid.
(2) Surius, cap. xv. Legend. Aur. c. iii.
I 3
stroke;
118
Inside of the Cathedral.
stroke ;(1) when rushing forward, he snatches the in-
strument of death from his hands, and being aided by
the authority of certain imperial officers of superior
rank to Eustachius, whom he had engaged to accom-
pany him for this very purpose out of Phrygia, he
orders the young men to be released, and leads them
back into the city in triumph. In allusion to this
history, we see, in the third compartment of this side
of the font, three persons in a recumbent posture,
ready to be beheaded, their bodies being covered with
a kind of mantle, to spare the labour of the statuary.
The executioner stands by them with his uplifted axe,
over whose shoulder another person appears to be
giving orders for the tragedy. The holy bishop's
figure is the next, though to prevent the necessity of
repeating it in so contracted a space, he is represented
as attending to another figure, which belongs to a dif-
ferent subject.
The last story here represented relates to a miracle
ascribed to St. Nicholas after his death. It does not
occur in Metaphrastes, who confines his narration to
the time of the saint's life, but it is reported at length.
by Jacobus de Voragine, (2) and it is alluded to in the
Sarum Breviary. (3) A certain nobleman being desti-
(1) "Jam carnifex securim erexerat, et furenti similis, tru-
culentos oculos in miseras cervices defixerat. At divinus nos-
ter....quid agis sceleste! Securim contine, simulque accedens
securim e manibus extortam abjicit; tribus damnatis lumina et
manus reddit, bono animo esse jubet, &c." Ibid.
(2) Legend. Aur. cap. ult.
(3) In Respons. lect. ix.
tute
Inside of the Cathedral.
119
tute of children, made a vow to St. Nicholas, that if,
through his prayers, he should be blessed with a son,
he would conduct him, when of proper age, to the
saint's church at Myra, and there offer up a golden
cup, as a memorial of the heavenly favour. His vow
being heard, he ordered a rich cup to be made for his
intended offering, but when it was brought to him, he
was so much pleased with the workmanship of it, that
he resolved to keep it for his domestic use, and caused
another, like it, to be made, by way of fulfilling his
obligation. Being on his voyage to Myra, with his
aforesaid son, and both the cups, he ordered him to
reach a little water, for some purpose or other, in that
which was first made. The youth, in attempting to
perform this, fell overboard and sunk to the bottom of
the sea, with the vessel in his hand. The father now
reflected with sorrow on his irreligious conduct, in
preferring the gratification of his fancy to the exact
performance of his religious vow. Nevertheless, he
pursued his voyage to Lycia, and placed the second-
made cup upon the altar of the saint, which as often as
he performed, it was always thrown off to a distance.
At length, however, whilst the nobleman was offering
up his prayers, and the spectators were meditating on
the prodigy which they had seen, behold the lost
child suddenly enters into the church, and relates that
when he fell into the sea, a venerable bishop had ap-
peared to him, who not only brought him safe to the
shore, but also conducted him to the city of Myra.(1)
-
(1) "Vas in mari mersum patri redditur cum filio." Brev.
Sarum. ut supra.
By
I 4
120
Inside of the Cathedral.
By way of representing this story, we see a child, as
appears by his countenance, lying in the water under
the rudder of the ship, in one of the former compart-
ments, with a cup in his right hand, finely wrought
and studded with jewels. It was a contrivance of the
statuary, to place the drowning child where the sea
had been before represented, in order to find room for
exhibiting the completion of the miracle. Accord-
ingly, we see the same child, as appears by the dress
and countenance, in the present compartment, bearing
the same studded cup in his right hand, and conducted
by St. Nicholas, who has hold of his left.
The only remaining object that claims our attention,
in the north aisle, previously to our quitting the cathe-
dral, is the tribune which closes the upper part of it
at the western extremity, being of the same work-
manship with the rest of Wykeham's fabric, and of
course part of his original plan. This is at present
made use of as an ecclesiastical court, but seems to
have been erected in order to contain the extraordi-
nary minstrels, who performed on grand occasions,
when some prelate, legate, or king, was received at
the cathedral in solemn state, by a procession of the
whole convent. At such times the cross-bearers,
acolyths, and thurifers, led the way, and the bishop,
prior, and other dignified clergy, in their proper in-
signia, and the richest vestments, closed the ranks.
In the mean time, the church was hung from one end
to the other with gorgeous tapestry, representing re-
ligious subjects, the large hooks for supporting which
still remain fixed to the inside of the great columns;
the
Inside of the Cathedral.
121
the altars dazzled the beholders with a profusion of
gold, silver, and precious stones, the lustre of which
was heightened by the blaze of a thousand wax lights,
whilst the well-tuned voices of a numerous choir, in
chosen psalms and anthems, gave life and meaning
to the various minstrelsy that was performed in this
tribune. All this, we readily grant, is not devotion.
But will any one deny that such exterior means are
a help to excite our languid piety, or that they are less
beneficial, in the present dispensation, than when they
were appointed by the Deity himself in the first re-
velation of his will to mankind? (1) Will any one
pretend that it was the spirit of piety, which caused
Henry VIII. and the governors of Edward VI. to strip
the church of her exterior magnificence? Our present
cathedrals are but the remnant, both in their appear-
ance and their service, of what they were several ages
backward; still, however, the most elevated and glow-
ing geniuses of modern times, such as a Milton and a
Gray, have confessed their power, in producing the
most sublime and affecting sentiments, as the former
testifies in the following strain :—
O let my due feet never fail
To walk the studious cloisters pale,
And love the high embowed roof
With antique pillars massy proof,
And storied windows, richly dight,
Casting a dim religious light.
(1) See Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Kings, &c.
There
122
Inside of the Cathedral.
There let the pealing organ blow
To the full-voic'd choir below,
In service high and anthems clear,
As may with sweetness, through mine ear,
Dissolve me into extacies,
And bring all heaven before mine eyes.
IL PENSEROSO.
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
CONTAINING
A Description of the most remarkable MODERN
MONUMENTS in the CATHEDRAL, not noticed
in the preceding Account.
AT the bottom of the main south aisle, near the
western door, and adjoining to prebendary Warner's
tomb stone, is a black marble slab, to commemorate
the father of the present learned warden of the college,
now bishop of Gloucester, with the following inscrip-
tion, the last line of which is taken out of Horace :
M. S.
1
Jacobi Huntingford,
Qui, suis ah! nimium desiderandus, obiit die ultimo
Sept. An. Domini 1772, Ætatis 48.
Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit.(1)
Against the wall that protects this tomb stone, on
the south side, the present bishop of Winchester has
lately erected a beautiful and costly monument, the
work of Flaxman, to the memory of his deceased lady,
whose body, as we shall have occasion to remark, is
(1) Sacred to the Memory of
JAMES HUNTINGFORD,
Who, alas! to the inexpressible loss of those who knew him,
departed this life Sept. 30, in the year of our Lord 1772,
of his age 48.
Viewing this mournful stone with streaming eyes,
The virtuous shall exclaim :-ah! here he lies.
buried
124
Inside of the Cathedral.
buried in the nave of the church, considerably higher up
to the east. It consists chiefly of two large allego-
rical figures, one of which, a young and elegant female,
denoting Conjugal Affection, or Domestic Piety,(1) is
seen tenderly embracing and weeping over a funeral
urn. The other, a grave matron, which, by her attri-
bute of the Calvary cross, is known to be Faith, with
one hand grasps that of Piety, and with the other points
up to heaven, as the object of comfort and hope in dis-
tress. It were to be wished, however, that this figure
of Faith had more of her characteristic energy and sub-
limity in her countenance and her attitude, than are
here expressed. On the pyramid, in the back ground,
is inscribed that apposite text of St. Paul's, "The just
shall live by faith ;" and on the tablet, underneath the
figures, is inscribed an epitaph highly descriptive of
the benevolence as well as the grief of the Right Rev.
It is as follows:
mourner.
A
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.
To the Memory of
HENRIETTA MARIA NORTH,
Second Daughter of JOHN BANNISTER, Esq. and ELIZA-
BETH his Wife, married to
The Honourable and Right Rev. BROWNLOW NORTH,
Bishop of Winchester,
Who, in the 46th year of her age, and on the 16th Day of
November, 1796,
S
(1) It must represent human, not religious piety, as the lat-
ter is a virtue of a more sublime nature than faith itself, being
a branch of that charity, or the love of God, which the Apos-
tle describes as perfect and immortal. 1 Cor. xiii.
Virtuous,
Inside of the Cathedral.
125
Virtuous, amiable, and accomplished,
Dignified by every moral,
Graced by every social Excellence,
Firm in reliance upon her GOD,
Stedfast in the Faith of her Redeemer, CHRIST,
Terminated her exemplary and valuable Life
This Testimony of his perfect Admiration, undiminished Gra-
titude, and never ceasing Regret,
Is placed by her affectionate and ever mindful Widower.
At a small distance above this monument, are those
of two doctors of physic, father and son, each of whom
bore the name of Nicholas Stanley. The former died
in 1687, and is praised, at full length, for his integrity
and professional skill. Of the latter, only the age and
funeral date, viz. 1710, are recorded. Instead of post-
humous praises, the following moral exhortation is
addressed to the reader :-Abi, Lector; hoc breve
mini sufficit epitaphium; et placet si legas nec tui jam
sis immemor sepulchri. (1)
We have already noticed (2) the beauty of dean
Cheney's mural monument, who died in 1760, erected
against the south wall, within the fourth arch from
the west end. It is composed of the finest Brocadillo,
jasper, and statuary marbles, but designed and exe-
cuted with a taste and skill that greatly surpass the
value of the materials. (3) From the summit of a
(1) Go, reader; this short epitaph is sufficient for me, if in
quitting my grave you think of your own.
(2) See p. 41.
(3) Materiam superabat opus. OVID.
quadrangular
126
Inside of the Cathedral.
quadrangular urn, so fine as to be almost transparent, a
phoenix, surrounded with flames, is seen to mount up,
the emblem of immortality. On one side of it Wis-
dom is seated, on the other side Hope, each with her
proper emblems. On the oval, in the centre of the
urn, Religion is beheld opening a sarcophagus, from
which the deceased, with his eyes fixed upon her, ap-
pears to be rising, whilst an angel from the clouds is
sounding the last trumpet. The whole tablet, which
forms a circle of a considerable diameter, is enclosed
with a wreath formed of palm branches, bound to-
gether.
On the opposite side of the aisle, surrounded with an
iron palisade, is the marble slab, which covers the re-
mains of bishop Trimnel, who died in 1723, with a
copious inscription, containing an account of his vir-
tues and his honours. The epitaph on his brother
dean Trimnel, (1) who rests by his side, and that of
his nephew William, are not less prolix. The inter-
mediate space of the south aisle is occupied by monu-
ments of several relatives of the late chancellor of the
diocese, Dr. Sturges.
Within the fifth intercolumnation, and in a line
with Wykeham's chantry, is a plain, decent mural
monument of marble, with fluted columns, to the me-
mory of John Penton, Esq. ob. 1724.-On the south
west and the south east columns of the said chantry,
are the funeral tablets of two prebendaries, who were
both in their times school masters of Wykeham's
(1) He died in 1729.
college.
Inside of the Cathedral.
127
college. The first of these was Dr. William Harris,
who dying in 1700, left 800l. to ornament the choir,
which money was, in a great part, expended on those
Grecian vases that so uncharacteristically fill the niches
in the altar screen, where the statues of the apostles
and patron saints of the West Saxons formerly stood.
In these days the images of patriarchs and prophets
would, in similar circumstances, be placed under the
canopies, without any imputation of idolatry, and cer-
tainly with more beauty and effect than the above-
mentioned vases. The latter of these college masters
mentioned was Christopher Eyre, LL.B. who yielded
to fate in 1743.
A
The sixth intercolumnation of the south aisle is filled
with the most valuable, as well as the most magnifi-
cent, mural monument in the whole cathedral. It re-
presents bishop Willis, (1) who is interred near it, as
large as life, with soft flowing robes, gracefully re-
posing on a rich ancient sarcophagus. His left arm,
with natural ease, supports itself on a pile of books,
whilst his right hand is significantly extended, and his
countenance, with speaking features, is fixed on hea-
ven. The architecture of the pediment, under which
he rests, as also of the columns and entablature that
support it, being all of the finest veined and spotted
marbles, is superb without being heavy, and forms
a finished specimen of the Composite order. The
sculptor, whose name was Cheere, a name that deserves
to be transmitted to posterity with that of Roubillac,
(1) Obiit A.D. 1734.
has
128
Inside of the Cathedral.
has been guilty of one error, which is said to have
preyed so much upon his mind as to occasion his
death. He has made his statue face the west end,
instead of the east of the church, contrary to all prece-
dent, ancient and modern. (1)
Under the next arch is seen a tablet of far inferior
merit, both for materials, design, and execution. It
commemorates, however, the indivisible companion
and friend of bishop Willis, dean Naylor, of this cathe-
dral, who died in 1739, on which account the situation
which it occupies was chosen for it. Under the tablet
itself is an oval of white marble, deserving of notice,
on which the proper emblems of Death, Judgment,
Time, and Eternity, are pourtrayed. It is inscribed
with the significative word, MEMENTO. (2)
The eighth mural monument consists of a plain
marble tablet, without ornament or pompous epitaph,
to the memory of Dr. Edmund Pyle, prebendary of
the cathedral, who died in 1776. Opposite to this, on
the south side of the nave, under a large ancient tomb-
stone (3) which adjoins to that of bishop Horne,
is
(1) In some countries it has been the practice to bury priests
so as to face the west, but this practice seems never to have
prevailed in our own.
(2) Remember.
(3) This stone, which denotes the sepulchre of a former
mayor of Winchester, by name Thomas Bowland, and of his
wife Editha, deserves the particular notice of those who are
studious of the history and antiquities of our city, as it over-
turns the authority of one of its most accredited records,
namely:
Inside of the Cathedral.
129
is the place of burial of the present bishop of Winches-
ter's lady, who died about ten years ago.
Under the ninth window from the west end, is the
elegant funeral tablet of the late earl of Banbury, with
an epitaph containing an account of his family, and of
his domestic and public virtues. He died in 1793.
In an oval beneath are inscribed the name and
and age
of
the late countess of Banbury, who died in 1798.
The last, in the series of mural monuments in the
great south aisle, is one erected to the memory of the
late Dr. Balguy, archdeacon of the diocese, who
being gifted with natural and acquired talents that
must have insured him success and fame in any station
that he might occupy, had yet the rare moderation of
declining the highest dignity of his profession, when
namely, the supposed list of its mayors since Florence de
Lunn, in the year 1184. For it is to be observed, that no
such name as the above-mentioned is therein to be found. The
list of which we are speaking was, about twenty years ago,
painted upon the present tables, from an old parchment which
seems to have been written in the 16th, or the beginning of the
17th century, a period that was infamous for forgeries of va
rious kinds. About that time some charters and records of
London, as well as of Winchester, began to appear, for
which there is no evidence of a prior date. The inscription
on the said grave-stone, which is deeply cut in uncial letters,
stands as follows:
Hic jacent Thomas Bowland quondam Wajoc Minton
Civitatis, qui obiit ferto decimo die menfis Octobris Anno
Oni Millefimo Quadringentiſmo Octogefimo v, Et Edi-
tha uror cjus quæ obiit x111 menüs Octobris…………….
Κ
it
130
Inside of the Cathedral.
it was in his power to have risen to it. The proof of
this, amongst his other praises, is here recorded in his
epitaph. The monument is, at the same time, simple
and elegant, being judiciously designed and masterly
executed. It consists of a proper sized urn of Parian
marble, with a black veined marble pyramid, charged
with arms that form the back ground. The whole
finishes at the bottom with grapes and foliage of the
most exquisite workmanship.
Nearly opposite to the monument of Dr. Balguy,
and corresponding with that of bishop Hoadly, being
placed against the pillar on the steps leading up the
choir, is a memorial, lately erected, to the memory of
another celebrated literary character, the cotemporary
and friend of Dr. Balguy, viz. the famous Master of
Winchester college, Dr. Warton. He is represented at
full length, as seated in a chair, with a book in his
hand, teaching a set of boys, who are standing before
him. This mode of representation, however characte-
ristic of the general occupation of Dr. Warton's life,
and descriptive of the affection and gratitude of his
scholars, who raised this monument, is perhaps less ap-
propriate, and less honourable to the deceased, than if
he had been exhibited in a rapture of poetic enthu-
siasm, repeating the verses of some favourite bard, or
writing his own Ode to Fancy. The countenance is
animated, but much too youthful to please those who
had not known the deceased, till within twenty years
before his death; and the live-long wig, that used to
flow on his shoulders, is ill supplied by the stiff tufted
head dress on the Parian stone before us.
The coun-
tenances,
Inside of the Cathedral.
131
tenances, figures, and the grouping of the youthful
band are deservedly admired. In the back ground are
two bass reliefs, inscribed in Greek characters, Homer
and Aristotle, to denote the talents of the deceased in
poetry and criticism. His mortal remains, as will be
afterwards mentioned, lie in a different part of the ca-
thedral. The sculptor of the present monument is the
same who executed that of Mrs. North, viz. Mr. Flax-
man, of London. The following is the inscription
engraved upon it:
H. S. E.
Josephus Warton, S. T. P.
Hujus ecclesiæ
Prebendarius
Schola Wintoniensis
Per annos fere triginta
Informator
Poeta fervidus facilis expolitus
Criticus eruditus perspicax elegans
Obiit XXIII Feb. MDCCC
Etat LXXVIII.
Hoc qualecunque
Pietatis monumentum
Præceptori optimo
Desideratissimo
Wiccamici sui
P. C.
On the pavement, before this monument, and close
to Edington's chantry, is the sepulchre and funeral
stone of the late bishop Thomas, who died in 1781.
His epitaph recounts the successive honours to which
K 2
he
132
Inside of the Cathedral.
he rose; amongst which, the greatest is his having,
in quality of tutor, formed the young mind of so
good a man as his present Majesty. Further eastward
is a black marble slab, with an epitaph to commemorate
the premature death of Miss Isabella Newton Ogle,
daughter of the late dean Ogle, who died in 1780,
aged 16 years.
Within the recess of the south transept, where it
joins the nave of the church, is a large and costly
mausoleum of white marble, enriched with military and
naval trophies, and with other ornaments, which alto-
gether have a heavy appearance, to the memory of sir
Isaac Townsend, knight of the garter, and one of the
lords of the admiralty, who departed this life in 1731.
His epitaph is on the front of the tomb; on the opposite
side is one to the memory of his lady.
In the southmost of the two chapels, in this tran-
sept, the most remarkable monument consists of a
flaming urn, under a Doric arch, ornamented with
sepulchral lamps and family arms. It is erected to the
memory of Dr. John Nichols, prebendary of the ca-
thedral, and successively scholar, fellow, and warden
of both Wykeham's colleges, on which he expended
vast sums of money, with greater liberality than
judgment. The epitaph celebrates his virtues and
good deeds at great length: whilst his wife, who lies
by him, is praised for having ordered, with her dying
breath, that no posthumous praises should be bestowed
upon her.
In the adjoining chapel are several monuments of
the Eyre, Dingley, Mompesson, and other families.
One
Inside of the Cathedral.
133
One of these commemorates Mary, the lady of colonel
Young, who was gentleman of the privy chamber to
Charles I. She herself was the daughter of William
Bridges, esq. and grand daughter of Thomas Bridges,
baron Chandois (1) of Sudley. She died in 1687,
aged 80. On the pavement, in the front of this
chapel, is a large marble tomb stone, with a long
epitaph to the memory of Madam Mary Davies, as she
is called, daughter of sir Jonathan Trelawny, bart.
Her husband colonel Davies is also here recorded, at
length, for his valour, and for having received his
death wound, at the famous siege of Namur, under
king William. She died in 1707.
Ascending the steps, which lead out of the transept,
through the iron gate, into the south aisle of the pres-
bytery, after passing a considerable way over the
hollow crypts that undermine this part of the church,
we come, at length, to a mural monument of very
late date, namely that of Dr. Turner, prebendary, who
died in 1798. It is raised against the south wall op-
posite to Beaufort's chantry, and consists of a plain
white tablet and urn, supported, according to a late
fashion, by a heavy square pier of plain Portland stone.
Altogether it offends the eye, and produces the most
fatal effect in strikingly interrupting that beautiful
arcade, supported by light and bold pillars, with inter-
mediate quatrefoil ornaments, with which our ancient
prelate Godfrey de Lucy ornamented the whole inside
of this his portion of the cathedral, according to the
early Gothic style. It is true, this is not the only
(1) Called in the epitaph Baron Chandris of Sudley..
K 3
violation
134
Inside of the Cathedral.
violation of the original work that occurs; for, a little
higher up, we behold the stiff and clumsy upright
statue of sir John Clobery, (1) under an Ionic arch,
and surrounded with warlike instruments, which cover
no small part of it. Still, however, this statue, indif-
ferent and ill-placed as it is, has its use in marking the
gradations of modern dress and accoutrements. Par-
ticularly it shews the last remnant of the ancient helmet,
which is seen peeping above the enormous periwig of
the reign of Charles II. and we see the first rudiment
of the modern coat, into which the cloak of the former
reigns was then tranformed.
Near the eastern extremity of this aisle are the mo-
numents of several persons of high rank, but all of
them on the pavement, namely, of James Touchet,
baron Audley and earl of Castlehaven, who died in
1700; of the countess of Exeter, deceased in 1663;
of lord Henry Paulet, in 1672; of Elizabeth Shirley,
daughter of the earl of Ferrers, in 1740; also of the
countess of Essex, whose epitaph concludes with the
following particular: Obiit penult. Aug. A. D. 1656,
et hic sepulta oratione funebri a marito ipso, more
prisco, laudata fuit. (2) There is one, however, of
these funeral stones, directly under the wall, which
(1) See his epitaph in full, p. 87.
(2) She died August 30, 1656, and was here interred, hav-
ing been celebrated by her husband in a funeral oration after
the ancient manner. The husband here spoken of was her
second husband, and seems to have made the epitaph as well
as the oration, by name Sir Thomas Higgins, knight, who died
in 1692, and lies buried near his countess.
has
Inside of the Cathedral.
135
has the distinction of being surrounded with an iron
pallisade. This covers the remains of Baptist Levinz,
who was at the same time bishop of the Isle of Man
and prebendary of this cathedral. His copious Latin
epitaph celebrates him as an imitator of the primitive
fathers, and a possessor of all episcopal virtues, amongst
which are mentioned, his abstemiousness and frequent
fasting. Such were the approved ethics so lately as
the year 1692, in which bishop Levinz died.
There is no modern monument in Langton's chapel,
at the eastern extremity of the south aisle; and but
one in the adjoining Lady Chapel, and that is a ceno-
taph, or empty sepulchre, as appears by the following
inscription upon it :-
Anno Salutis 1705. Ætatis suæ 58.
Carolus hunc posuit lapidem Layfieldus inanem,
Præsenti exequias dum parat ipse sibi.
Si tanem hic nolit Deus illius ossa jacere
Tum teneat vacuus nomen inane lapis. (1)
The occasion of this stone and inscription was, that
Dr. Charles Layfield having new paved the Lady
Chapel, prepared, at the same time, his own sepulchre
in it, which however he never filled. In performing
this work, there is reason to believe that he destroyed
a great number of interesting ancient tomb stones,
(1) In the year of our Redemption 1705, of his age 58,
Charles Layfield placed this empty funeral monument
Whilst he prepared, in his life time, his future sepulchre.
But if it be God's will that his bones should rest elsewhere,
Then let this stone record at least his insignificant name.
K 4
some
136
Inside of the Cathedral.
some of which, in a reversed situation, form part of the
present pavement.
In the remaining chapel, at the eastern extremity of
the cathedral, are, as we have already noticed, (1) the
monument and episcopal ornaments of bishop Mews,
and the altar tomb, with the inimitable recumbent sta-
tue, in bronze, of Richard Weston duke of Portland,
lord high treasurer under Charles I. with marble busts
of three of his family. He died in 1634.
Adjoining to the last mentioned chapel is a stone
to the memory of Sarah, daughter of sir Richard
Titchborne, bart. who died in 1616; also the monu-
ments of several of the Mason family, one of whom,
a lady of the name of Catharine, celebrated for her
beauty, piety, and chastity, scores her deceased hus-
bands in the following order :-
Johannis Vaux, Med. Drs.
Relicta Thomæ Hussey, Armig.
Roberti Mason, Equit. Aurat. (2)
Not far from the same place are the grave stones of
two worthy characters, whose epitaphs, in part, deserve
to be repeated for the honour of the deceased, and the
exhortation of the living. The first of these is in
memory of William Symonds, the worthy magistrate
of this city, who founded CHRIST's HOSPITAL,
(1) See p. 95.
(2) She was the widow of
John Vaux, Doctor of Physic.
Thomas Hussey, Esquire.
Robert Mason, Knight of the
Garter.
still
Inside of the Cathedral.
137
still subsisting in Winchester. His epitaph concludes
as follows:-
His merit doth inherit life and fame,
For whilst this city stands Symonds his name
In poor men's hearts shall never be forgotten;
For poores prayers rise, when flesh lies rotten.
The second of these commemorates Dr. Wm. Coker,'
a physician, whose departed spirit is addressed in the
conclusion of the epitaph as follows:-
Si lapis iste siluerit, ennarrabunt te, fere pietatis
monumenta, quotquot in hac urbe vagantur paupe-
res. (1)
Such living monuments are the most glorious, as
well as the most faithful, that can be raised to any per-
son's memory, and such will supersede the necessity
of a funeral stone for a living character of the same
profession with the deceased, whenever death shall de-
prive Winchester of his services.
Descending from this part of the church into the
north transept, are various modern monuments on the
pavement, not sufficiently interesting to be here par-
ticularly noticed, and yet by no means deserving of the
ridicule that has been cast upon some of them in a for-
mer account of the cathedral. (2)
Nothing
(1) Should this stone be silent, yet the living monuments of
thy charity which survive in all the poor of the city will record
thy praise. N. B. This and the preceding epitaph being now
much defaced, are borrowed from Gale, who copied them a
century ago.
(2) See the burlesque verses on the family of Rivers, on
that
138
Inside of the Cathedral.
:
Nothing now remains but to give an account of the
mural monuments in the great north aisle, from the
transept down to the western door. The first of these
is erected to the memory of the Rivers' family, of
which the epitaph on the tablet gives a full account.
This is surmounted by a pyramid of beautiful black and
white marble, with shields upon it elegantly displayed
and executed. The summit of the pyramid is crowned
with the family crest, a bull collared and chained.
Under the next arch towards the west is an exceed-
ingly splendid monument, consisting of the choicest
Parian and Sienna marbles, with a gilt border round
the epitaph. The chief sculpture on it represents a
large urn, with a weeping willow drooping over it;
there is also a second urn on the top of the pyramid.
The persons here commemorated are Ann, the wife of
James Morley, esq. of Kempshot, in this county, who
died in 1787, and James Morley himself, who followed
her to eternity in 1798. This memorial is placed at a
small distance from the burial place of bishop Morley
and his family. It does not, however, appear that the
deceased, though of the same name, was related to it.
In the third intercolumnation we view the tasteful
marble monument of Mat. Comb, M. D. who departed
this life in 1748. It consists of an urn, adorned with
garlands and flowers, standing upon a sarcophagus,
with a pyramid and sepulchral lamps. It is a defect
however, that the urn, like that of Dr. Nicholas, men-
tioned above, is rather an elegant vase than a cinerary
that of Harris of Silkstead, &c. in the duodecimo History of
Winchester, vol. i, p. 76, 77, &c.
vessel,
Inside of the Cathedral.
139
vessel, which latter requires to be flat and low, like the
one in Dr. Balguy's monument. It is also an incon-
gruity to introduce both a sarcophag and an urn
into the monument of a single person, the former indi-
cating that the body was buried, the latter that it was
burnt.
We next come to a plain Doric monument with
fluted columns, in memory of Charles Woodroffe,
LL. D. a prebendary of the cathedral, who died in
1728, and of Elizabeth, his wife, who preceded him
in 1721. But if the monument itself is modest, the
epitaph is not so; for it represents, in plain terms, the
persons deceased as possessing every virtue and quali-
fication which can respectively adorn man and woman.
The fifth intercolumnation is loaded with a clumsy
monument of bad Corinthian architecture, with whim-
sical ornaments. The epitaph, which appears not to
have been engraved, but barely painted, is now obli-
terated, so that it is not known for whom it was in-
tended. By the style, however, of the architecture,
it is certainly known to have been erected by those
Vandals, in the 16th and the beginning of the 17th
century, who in excuse for having destroyed so much
beautiful workmanship of former ages, branded it with.
the opprobrious name of Gothic. On the adjoining
eastern pillar is a neat marble monument, of the true
Corinthian order, to the memory of Robert Pescod,
esq. who died in 1725.
The next mural monument commemorates sir Vil-
liers Chernock, bart. who died in 1779, and likewise
his lady, who departed this life ten years after him.
It
140
Inside of the Cathedral.
It is exceedingly splendid, consisting of the most
beautiful marbles, and being enriched with emblema-
tical sculpture in alto relievo. On one side of the urn,
under a weeping willow, stands Justice with her sword
and scales. On the other is Charity, feeding and
clothing poor children. The following defects, how-
ever will strike every spectator of taste: The sculp-
ture of the willow is uncommonly heavy. Indeed none
of our cathedral artists have succeeded in representing
that tree. In the next place, the sword and scales
of Justice, as well as the spoon of the child, are seen
to be of metal. Now for the imitative arts to adopt
any kind of reality, instead of the representation, is to
confess a poverty that does not belong to them, and to
deprive the spectator of the proper pleasure which they
are intended to produce, that of a just imitation.
With as much propriety might Charity present one of
the children whom she is clothing, with real cloth, as
she has furnished the other with a real silver spoon to
eat his mess with.
The seventh intercolumnation, corresponding with
the ancient font, is the only one, that we have yet had
occasion to notice, in either aisle, as being vacant of a
mural monument, yet underneath this pavement re-
pose personages, as well deserving of that honour, as
any of those upon whom it has been conferred. Here
lies the glory of her sex, the late Mrs. Montague,
whose benevolence, however, and charities, the poor
will long remember, and whose genius, displayed in
the vindication of its favourite poet, the English nation
will never forget. Within these two or three years
an
Inside of the Cathedral.
141
an elegant monument has been placed against the wall,
above the spot where she lies, to her own memory
and that of her husband, who died many years before
her, and lies interred by her side. The figures on
this memorial are seen, by their attributes, to be those
of Justice and Science; and on the urn, which is
placed between them, Hymen is seen extinguishing
his torch. The figures are executed by some foreign
artist of the metropolis with great elegance and spirit,
and the easy flow of the drapery exhibits a lesson to
most of our native sculptors. It is a defect that the
figures are either too small, or placed too high above
the beholder; and it is a much more lamentable im-
propriety that the beautiful and symmetrical mouldings
of Wykeham should in another instance be blocked
up by the rude and heavy skreen against which the
monument is placed.
Here also rests without a stone to tell where he
lies, (1) the far-famed master of Winchester college,
who has raised so many other persons to fame, both
by his pen and his living instructions, Dr. Joseph
Warton, lately deceased.
Near this honoured spot is a black marble monument
to the memory of Mary Ann, the late amiable lady of
Dr. Littlehales, of this city, who died in 1786, aged
27 years.
Below the next window towards the west is an-
other of those clumsy monuments, of the period above-
(1) Since the first edition of this Appendix, a splendid
monument has been raised to him, as described in p. 138, to
which the present hint may perhaps have given occasion.
mentioned,
142
Inside of the Cathedral.
mentioned, with an epitaph, which for its quaintness
some readers will think deserving of notice. (1)
Underneath the ninth arch from the north transept
is an elegant mural tablet and pyramid erected by
major Poole to the memory of his lady, who died in
1779, and of her father Thomas Lacy, esq. who died
lieutenant governor of Tinmouth Castle, in 1763. They
are urns, inscribed with the above recorded names and
dates, as likewise a vacant one for those of the major
himself, but all three of so small a size, that they might
pass rather for lachrymatories than for urns.
The last monument in this series has been placed by
Isabella the daughter of Lancelot Lee, esq. in me-
mory of her husband George Hurst, esq. who died in
1783, and lies here interred, and of two of her chil-
dren, who died and lie buried in India.
The general fault, however, of all these mural monu-
ments is, that however beautiful in themselves, being
universally of Grecian architecture, they cannot pos-
sibly assimilate with the general style of the venerable
(1) It runs thus:-A Union of two Brothers from Avington.
The Clerks Family were, Grandfather, Father, and Son, succes-
sively Clerks of the Privy Seal. William, the Grandfather, had
but two sons, both Thomas's, their wives both Amy's, and their
heirs both Henry's, and the heirs of the Henry's both Thomas's.
Both their wives were inheritrixes, and both had two sons and
one daughter, and both their daughters issueless. Both of Ox-
ford, both of the Temple, both Officers to Queen Elizabeth
and our noble King James. Both Justices of the Peace, both
agree in arms, the one a Knight, the other a Captain. Si
Quæras Avingtonum, Petas Cancellum. Impensis Thoma
Clerk of Hide. 1622.
fabric
Inside of the Cathedral.
143
·
fabric in which they are placed, and on the contrary,
that they necessarily cover some of its appropriate and
essential ornaments. This indeed is common to al-
nost all modern monuments in Gothic cathedrals.
But what seems to distinguish those in our own, par-
ticularly those which have been more recently erected,
is that they are so placed as to occasion the destruction
or loss of infinitely more of the ancient ornamental
work than there is any occasion for: it being the pre-
sent practice to carry up a large pier of plain stone from
the ground, in order to support the smallest tablet,
which might equally well have been fixed against the
wall (as we see in some of those of more ancient date),
and even to cover the whole intercolumnation with a
screen, or wall of Portland stone; just as if the rich and
beautiful mullions and arches of the original architec-
ture were defects which ought as much as possible
to be concealed from view. (1) ·
(C)
(1) To form a judgment how much the practice here re-
probated, takes off from the perfection, and violates the beauty
of a cathedral, finished in the rich pointed style of past ages, it
will be proper for the intelligent observer, as we have elsewhere
noticed, to place himself, for example, in the centre of Wyke-
ham's magnificent fabric. "He will there view the massive
cluster columns, like the trunks of huge trees, in a grand vista,
shooting out their main branches to form the grand arches of the
nave, and thence towering up to a vast height, and ramifying
into the various intersections of the vaulted ceiling. Corres-
ponding with those branches, but in a different direction, are
boughs, which meeting in a point with other boughs that grow
from a series of smaller cluster columns on the opposite sides,
form the enchanting perspective of the long-drawn side-aisles.
The intercolumnations of the nave are of course open into the
body
144
Inside of the Cathedral.
30/4/94
body of the church; those of the side-aisles from the principal
windows, down to within about fifteen feet from the pavement.
These spaces have been decorated by the taste and skill of
Wykeham with cinque-foil arches, and with mouldings, exactly
corresponding with the mullions of the windows, and being, in
fact, a continuation of them down to the ground. Thus the
whole main body of the church, as it came from the hands of
its immortal founder, was throughout uniformly ornamented,
with a tasteful elegance that hardly admitted of any addition,
and with a chaste simplicity that certainly allowed of no dimi-
nution." It is true that the violation of the symmetry and
beauty here described, is not confined to the cathedral of this
city, nor to the cathedrals of this kingdom. On the contrary,
most of the Gothic churches on the continent exhibit grosser
architectural barbarisms, and a greater contempt of the skill by
which they were raised, than are to be met with in our own.
Still it is for the interest of science and of the arts, that errors
and defects relating to them, however general and inveterate,
should be pointed out, and that every one who has it in his
power, should lend his aid to correct the public taste where it is
vicious. It is not here intended to censure the practice of
erecting monuments in ancient churches to the memory of dis-
tinguished personages: but any person moderately skilled in the
Pointed or Gothic architecture, would shew how a monument
of any dimensions whatsoever, from a simple shield to a gor-
geous mausoleum, might be so constructed as not to disfigure,
but rather to decorate ancient cathedrals. The public is at
length convinced of the impropriety of Inigo Jones's beautiful
Grecian screen at the entrance of the choir. It will hereafter
learn that every erection or ornament whatsoever ought to as-
similate with the style of the fabric to which it belongs.
-
THE END.
PRINTED BY JAMES ROBBINS, COLLEGE-STREET, WINCHESTER.
A