Full text of "The cathedral church of Chester : a description of the fabric and a brief history of the episcopal see"

See other formats

CHESTER

THE CATHEDRAL AND SEE

L,i IS CATHEDRAL SERIES

WiTH PLAN AND ILLUSTRATIONS

VHEm

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2008 with funding from

IVIicrosoft Corporation

http://www.archive.org/details/cathedralchurcho01hiatuoft

BELL'S CATHEDRAL SERIES

EDITED BY
GLEESON WHITE AND EDWARD F. STRANGE

CHESTER

CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF

CHESTER

A DESCRIPTION OF THE FABRIC

AND A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE

EPISCOPAL SEE

BY CHARLES HIATT

>7 "^

LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS 1897

CHISWICK PRESS : — CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

GENERAL PREFACE.

This series of monographs has been planned to supply visitors
to the great English Cathedrals with accurate and well illus-
trated guide books at a popular price. The aim of each writer
has been to produce a work compiled with sufficient knowledge
and scholarship to be of value to the student of archaeology
and history, and yet not too technical in language for the use
of an ordinary visitor or tourist.

To specify all the authorities which have been made use of
in each case would be difficult and tedious in this place. But
amongst the general sources of information which have been
almost invariably found useful are : — firstly, the great county
histories, the value of which, especially in questions of
genealogy and local records, is generally recognized ; secondly,
the numerous papers by experts which appear from time to
time in the transactions of the antiquarian and archaeological
societies ; thirdly, the important documents made accessible in
the series issued by the Master of the Rolls ; fourthly, the well-
known works of Britton and Willis on the English Cathedrals ;
and, lastly, the very excellent series of Handbooks to the
Cathedrals, originated by the late Mr. John Murray, to which
the reader may in most cases be referred for fuller detail,
especially in reference to the histories of the respective sees.

Gleeson White.
E. F. Strange.
Editors of the Series.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE.

It would be impossible to give here the titles of the numerous
works of reference which have been consulted in the course of
the compilation of this handbook. Needless to say, Ormerod's
great work has been frequently laid under contribution, while
much valuable material has been found in the Journal of the
Chester Architectural and Archaeological Society. Owing to
the courtesy of Messrs. Phillipson and (lolder, the writer is
enabled to include the admirable account of the choir stalls
contained in Dean Howson's " Handbook " of which they are
the publishers. Messrs. Catherall and Prichard have kindly
allowed him to make use of the complete specification of the
organ contained in their " New Guide to Chester." He wishes
sincerely to thank Mr. R. Newstead, F.E.S., Curator of the
Grosvenor Museum, and his assistants for their unfailing con-
sideration and valuable advice. His gratitude is also due to
the editors of the "Cathedral Series " for the many useful sugges-
tions which from time to time they have made. The illustrations,
for the most part, are from photographs by H. C. Oakden, Esq.,
and Messrs. Carl Norman and Co., of Tunbridge Wells, to
whom the writer's best thanks are due.

Charles Hiatt.

CUESTKR, 1897.

CONTENTS.

Chapter I.— History of the Cathedral Church of Christ and th

Blessed Virgin Mary .......

Chapter II.— The Cathedral— The Exterior

The Tower .........

The West Front

The Nave — South Side .......

The Great South Transept ......

The Choir and Lady Chapel ......

The North Side of the Cathedral .....

Chapter III.— The Cathedral— The Interior

The Nave

The North Transept

The .South Transept ........

The Monuments in the Nave and Transepts

The Organ

The Choir Screen ........

The Choir .........

The Choir Stalls and Miserere ......

The Episcojial Throne .......

S. Werburgh's Shrine .......

Tiie Ornaments of the Choir ......

The Reredos .........

The Decorations of the Roof

The Aisles of the Choir ... ...

The Lady Chapel ........

The Monuments in the Choir and Lady Chapel

The .Stained Glass Windows ......

Chapter IV. — The Conventual Buildings ....

The Cloisters .........

The Norman Chamber .......

The Chapter House

The Maiden Aisle and Fratery ......

The Refectory .........

Abbey Gateway

Chapter V. — A Note on the Collegiate Church of S
Baptist ........

Chapter VI. — History of the Diocese .

List of Bishops ......

John the

ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Cathedral from the Walls ....

Arms of the Diocese ......

The Cloisters (South-west) .....

The Cathedral at the end of the Seventeenth Century
The Cathedral at the end of the Eighteenth Century
The Tower from the South-west
The Political Corbels
Plan ....

The Nave — looking East .

Choir Screen and Organ .

The Choir — looking West

The Choir — looking East

In the Cloisters — North-west

The Cloisters — South Side

Vestibule of the Chapter House

Entrance to the Vestibule

Interior of the Chapter House

The Norman Chamber

Ruins at S. John's, Chester

Incised Slab in S. John's

Monumental Slab in .S. John's

St. John's — Interior

Stone Coffin-lid in S. John's

Entrance to the Cloisters, and Monk's Lavatory

Frontispiece

rule

9
15
25
32
36
39
46

57
67
70
72
73
76
77
7!^
79

^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^BI

"'^^1B||'^B|F ^^ ^HHfjf 't

^Kk f 'mm 0

fxK. ■■

j^Bl

Mg^-B

THE CLOISTERS, SOUTH-WEST (FROM A PHOTO(;RArH
BY H. C. OAKDEN).

CHESTER CATHEDRAL

CHAPTER I.

HISTORV OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST AND THE
BLESSED VIRGIN :\IARV.

The edifice with which we are familiar under the name of
Chester Cathedral was not originally intended to serve its
present purpose. Its existence as a Cathedral Church is due
to letters patent, dated from Walden the 4th of August, 1541
(Pat. 33 Hen. VHI. p. 2, M. 23), which decreed that an epi-
scopal see and cathedral church should be founded within the
site of the dissolved Benedictine Monastery of S. Werburgh,
and, moreover, that Chester should for ever be a city, while the
city and county of Chester were forthwith exempt from the
jurisdiction of the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. It is
pretty certain that the monastery of S. A\'erburgh was not the
first ecclesiastical structure occupying the site on which the
existing building stands, but the origin and date of any previous
structure or structures cannot be exactly ascertained. It is
very probable, indeed almost certain, that during the later and
Christian period of the Roman occupation of Chester, the site
of the cathedral was occupied by a church dedicated to S.
Peter and S. Paul, which, during the Anglo-Saxon ascendancy,
w^as re-dedicated to S. ^^'erburgh and S. Oswald. This re-
dedication, in the opinion of Sir Gilbert Scott,^ took place as
early as the reign of Athelstan, in so much as that king and
several of his successors are recorded to have made pilgrimages
to S. ^^'erburgh's church. Of S. Werburgh, daughter of Wulferus,

^ Chester Architec. and Archieolog. Soc. Jour., iii. 160.

4 Chester Cathedral.

King of the Mercians, who flourished about 660, the most com-
plete and authoritative, though by no means scrupulously
accurate account, is contained in Bradshaw's metrical " Holy
Lyfe and History of Saynt "Werburge. Very Frutefull for all
Christen people to Reade." ^ It appears that she was pro-
fessed under her aunt, S. Ethelreda, at Ely, and afterwards rose
to the supreme control of various important ecclesiastical foun-
dations. Dying near to Trentham, towards the end of the seventh
century, she appears to have been buried at Hanbury, in Staf-
fordshire, her bones being removed to Chester, nearly two
centuries later, in order that greater honour might be done
them. S. Oswald was among the militant heroes of Anglo-Saxon
Christianity, and waged energetic and unceasing warfare against
such formidable pagan leaders as Cadwallor. In his day
Oswald was undoubtedly held in great repute, so much so, that
he was favourably compared with even Caesar and Alexander.
" They say," to use the words of an old writer, " that Alcibiades
conquered himself, Alexander the world, and Ccesar the enemy.
But Oswald conquered at once himself, the world, and the
enemy." The re-dedication, while it gave up two of the most
illustrious of the Apostles for two local saints, was neither
unmeaning nor inappropriate, nor were its subjects insignificant ;
at the time at which the Church of S. Peter and'S. Paul became
the Church of S. Werburgh and S. Oswald, the latter-named
saints were both popular and important. In the hazy picture
which we possess of Anglo-Saxon times they are conspicuous
figures, and their places among the princes, saints, and sages
of the England of their day are memorable and definite.

It is traditionally believed that Edgar granted a charter to the
Abbey of Chester (Harl. MSS. 1965), but this is by no means
certain. It has been, on the other hand, fairly proved that
during the reign of Edward the Confessor in the year 1057, the
abbey church was repaired and added to by Leofric, the great
Earl of Mercia, who is also styled Earl of Chester. Leofric
was, it may be recalled, the husband of Lady Godiva of
Coventry and Peeping Tom memory. When the Norman Con-
quest had produced results of transcendent importance to
England, the Church of S. Werburgh and S. Oswald still seems
to have had powerful and generous friends. In 1093, Hugh,

^ Edited by Edward Hawkins. Printed (in facsimile) for the Chetham
Society, 1848.

History of the Cathedral Church. 5

Earl of Chester (Hugh Lupus), together with his Countess
Ermentruda, by special authority from William II., enormously
enlarged its endowment, while the church was refounded in a
very magnificent manner. It was by this masterful noble that
the church, from being a comparatively small institution of
secular canons, was converted into a great Benedictine
monastery. In the process of transformation we come across
the name of Anselm, an illustrious ecclesiastic who became
Archbishop of Canterbury on the death of Lanfranc, and was
subsequently canonized. At the time at which he assisted in
the foundation of the Benedictine Monastery of Chester,
Anselm was living at the Abbey of Bee, near to Rouen.

It is probable that the Anglo-Saxon Church of S. Werburgh
and S. Oswald was a wooden building, and it may well be that
the additions made by Leofric were made in that material. At
the same time, it should not be forgotten that the architectural
operations of Leofric were by no means primitive, but were, on
the contrary, carried out on an imposing scale at Coventry, Leo-
minster, Stow in Lincolnshire, and elsewhere, and that those
operations were partly contemporary with the building of West-
minster Abbey by Edward the Confessor. That Leofric was
accustomed to the use of stone as a building material there can
be no doubt. But Hugh Lupus and those who served him had
no notion of reverently preserving the work of previous builders.
In the blood of the architects of that day the desire of original
invention was overpowering. Despising restoration and repair,
the ancient craftsmen were eager to replace and to create.
Hence, to a great extent, is due the comparative rarity of
important examples of Roman and Anglo-Saxon architecture
in this country. At Chester Cathedral there is not an
assuredly recognizable fragment, whether in wood or stone, of
the church as repaired and extended by Leofric. The increased
importance added to the foundation, owing to the benevolence
of Hugh Lupus and Ermentruda, formed an entirely sufficient
excuse for the relentless and unhesitating annihilation of the
previous church. The new church was cruciform, the choir and
choir aisles terminating in three apses, of which the central
was the largest and most imposing. The nave was somewhat
short, and there is evidence of the existence of western towers.
Each of the shallow transepts probably terminated apsidally.
The whole building was dominated by a central tower. The

6 Chester Cathedral.

original form of the church may be traced to Anselm, who was
doubtless influenced by the architecture of the abbey at Bee
and other great Romanesque churches in Normandy. As
relating to the design of the Norman buildings at Chester, it
is significant to remember that the first abbot of Chester was
brought over from Bee, of which he had been a monk, serving
Anselm as chaplain. In its general aspect the Norman church
at Chester, as pictured by Sir Gilbert Scott, seems to have had
many points of similarity with the Norman plan of Canterbury
as drawn by the late Professor Willis. The western towers, the
great central tower, and the eastern apsidal terminations of the
nave and transepts would at any rate appear to have been
common to both. At the same time there were at Chester
other features, such as the radiating chapels and the continua-
tion of the aisle round the apses, which did not exist at
Canterbury, though they are found at Gloucester Cathedral,
Tewkesbury Abbey, and other early Norman churches in
England.

Richard, the first abbot of Chester, died in the year 1117,
while the first Norman works were still in progress. He pro-
bably lived to see the oldest parts of the church, the choir and
chapels, and perhaps the lower portion of the central tower
completed. The task of building was carried on after his death
by his successor, William, who was abbot from 1 1 2 1 until the
time of his death, in 1140, when, if an ancient endorsement on
a copy of the charter of Hugh Lupus is to be trusted, he was
buried on the eastern side of the south cloister, next to his pre-
decessor in office. In Abbot William's time ^ was completed
what remains of the north-west tower, or " rather the piers and
arches intended for its support. These are exceedingly massive
and bold in their proportions and relief, and would, if no other
feature of the building remained, alone convey an impression of
its pristine grandeur. They are strictly Norman, built in the
small courses of masonry peculiar to the style." '

fjelonging to about the same time is a fine Norman chamber
of considerable extent, which may have formed the substructure
of the abbot's hall. The church which was thus built, and the
monastery to which it was attached, in addition to the gifts of

^ Sir Gilbert Scott estimates the date as about 11 20.

^ " The Norman Remains of Chester Cathedral." By William Ayrton.
Chester Architec. and Archoeolog. .See. Jour., i. 60 (with illustrations).

History of the Cathedral Church. j

Hugh Lupus, were largely, and in some cases curiously, endowed
by others. Among the endowments were "a salt-house in
Wiche," many "ox-gangs" of land in different places, a "grant
of fishing with one boat and ten nets in x^nglesea," all the
" profits of the fair at the feast of S. Werburg for three days,"
with the addition, that "for all forfeitures in the said fair, trial
should be in the court of S. Werburg for the benefit of the
monks." ^

From the death of Abbot William to the time of Geoffrey,
the seventh abbot, who was confirmed in 1194, little or nothing
was done to enlarge or beautify the church. It would seem to
have been allowed to fall into a state nearly approaching ruin,
vvhile the landed property of the monks had, owing to such
varying causes as the incursions of the Welsh and the inroads
of the sea, become seriously reduced. Geoffrey, in language
doubtless exaggerated, describes the state of the choir as " in-
tolerably threatened with ruin, and threatening with danger of
death those who assisted at the divine ofiices." This abbot
appears to have displayed a considerable amount of energy in
the business of renovation, for, by the year 121 1, a rebuilding of
the tower, as well as of the choir, seems to have been completely
finished. Of this repair few traces are left. During the term
of office of Geoffrey's successor, Hugh Grylle, many grants of
money were made to the monastery, and the works of the
church went rapidly forward; while about the year 1240 the
number of monks was increased, so that larger funds had to be
found to defray the expenses of the kitchen. Thomas Capen-
hurst, the eleventh abbot, is remarkable for the zeal which he
displayed in the defence of Church property ; indeed he caused
so much opj)osition among owners of landed estate during his
abbacy, that William la Zuche occupied the abbey by force of
arms, a proceeding which led to all the churches of Chester
being laid under an interdict. This courageous monk was
succeeded in 1265 by a priest still more illustrious, who was
destined to leave an emphatic mark on the abbey church of
Chester, Simon de Albo Monasterio, or Whitchurch, "a prelate
of great ability, and a man of energy, a man of taste, a man of
piety, and a thorough man of business." Abbot Simon was, in
fact, " one of the most active heads which this monastery ever

' Ormerod, " History of Cheshire," ed. 1882, i. 189, et seq.

8 Chester Cathedra/.

enjoyed." He was admitted and invested by a yet more dis-
tinguished Simon, notably Simon de Montfort. In 1265, the
monks became possessed of very considerable additional pro-
perty, and the great work of rebuilding their church was pro-
ceeded with rapidly. In 1283, during the progress of the work,
Edward I. attended high mass at the cathedral, and, moreover,
directed precepts to Reginald de Grey to permit venison from
the forests of Delamere and Wirrel to be supplied to the monks
who were engaged in the arduous work of church-building at
Chester.

The nature of the work instigated by Abbot Simon de Albo
Monasterio can be best appreciated by a lucid description of
Sir Gilbert Scott, according to whom " the whole of the eastern
portions of the buildings formed a single and complete design,
but were carried out piecemeal, the details being varied at
pleasure as the works were, bit by bit, carried into execution." '
Sir Gilbert, speaking of the choir, continues : " This design bore
no kind of resemblance to that of the old choir. Instead of the
apsidal altar end, with its continuous aisle and radiating chapels,
we have the prolonged choir with a square end and parallel
aisles. The three chapels, however, of the old structure were pro-
vided for in a very marked manner. For the central or eastern
chapel was substituted the present beautiful and spacious Lady
Chapel, and for those radiating to the right and left were sub-
stituted chapels at the end of the aisles, each having an elegant
apsidal termination of its own. I'he high altar was necessarily
placed at least a bay in advance of the east end, a screen or
reredos running across from pillar to pillar, which made the
aisles, if viewed as a processional path, continuous, and afforded
an unobstructed access to the Lady Chapel. Though all this
was planned at once, the first part carried into execution was
the Lady Chapel. With it, or very nearly at the same time,
were erected the piers and arch forming its entrance, and on
the south one pier only of the apse of the aisle, while on the
north the whole of that apse was, at the least, commenced.
These were works which could be completed in great measure
without touching the choir." It is to be noted that Sir Gilbert
considers that the same designer who is responsible for the Lady
Chapel at Chester was also responsible for some of the details

^ Scott, Chester Architec. and Archceolog. Soc. Jo"i'., iii- 169, et siq.

i,*"

!■«> . :.

■•ss

History of tJie CatJicdral ClmrcJi. ii

of Bangor Cathedral. The work, which has strong points of
similarity, was doubtless done at both places during the reign
of Edward I., who, while waging war with Prince Llewellyn and
other Welsh foes, made frequent journeys to Wales during a
period which extended over forty years. By the year 1280, and
therefore during the abbacy of Simon de Albo Monasterio, the
Lady Chapel, chapter house, and some minor additional build-
ings were completed, and possibly the most ancient portion of
the existing choir.

To return to the monastic history of S. Werburgh's, it would
seem that, on the death of Abbot Simon de Albo Monasterio,
some difference arose as to the appointment of his successor,
for the king appears to have kept the abbey in his own hands
for two years or more. Thomas de Byrche-hylles, chaplain to
Simon, succeeded the interposition of the king, and dying in
1323, was buried "on the south side of the choir, above the
bishop's throne, nearly in the line of the pillars. On his grave-
stone was a brass plate with his effigies, and in this spot his
body was found in almost complete preservation on opening the
grave for the remains of Dean Smith in 1787." ' Passing over
several abbots who were not particularly distinguished, but who,
like Abbot Richard Seynesbury, did something towardscontinuing
the building operations initiated by Abbot Simon, we come to
John de Salghall, twenty-first abbot, who, in 1425, was excom-
municated for contumacy " with respect to a charge brought
against him before a Chapter of Black Monks in 1422 for the
reformation of abuses." His successor, Richard Oldham, a
relative of Hugh Oldham, some time Bishop of Exeter, and
founder of the Manchester Free Grammar School, subsequently
became Bishop of the Isle of Man. Following Oldham, was
Simon Ripley who was, next to Simon de Albo Monasterio, the
most conspicuous of the monastic builders of S. Werburgh. This
prelate was undoubtedly fired witli splendid architectural am-
bition : his plans seem to have included the nave, the vast
south transept, and the central tower. It is suggested that he
further intended the erection, or more probably, the reconstruc-
tion of a great campanile to the south-west of the church. It
is not unlikely that Abbot Simon Ripley lived to achieve the
construction of the nave and south transept. Several authorities,

' Ormerod, i. 250.

12 Chester Cathedral.

however, are of opinion that both are earlier in date. The south
transept in question was claimed by the parishioners of S.
Oswald's as their parish church. Abbot Simon Ripley, in order
to secure the unity of the Abbey Church, tried to satisfy the
parishioners by granting to them and the mayor of Chester per-
.mission to "edifie a new rofe and 3 ^ thraves of timber. The north
side to be battled with stone and guttered with lead, and the mayor
and parishoners to pay 40 marcs" (Harl. MSS. 2159, 112). In
the reign of Henry VII., the abbot appears as a plaintiff, charging
one William Clyde of Chester Cachepoll, with entering his free
warren in Great Boughton, on Sunday, and taking twenty-four
rabbits value forty shillings.^ Abbot Ripley died at Warwick in
1492, and was buried there in the Collegiate Church. He was
long commemorated at Chester by a wall-painting. " On the
north side of the north-east large pillar, supporting the central
tower, was formerly painted the history of the transfiguration, in
which was introduced a figure of this Abbot under a canopy,
with a book in one hand, and the other lifted up in the act of
blessing, and the ring upon the fourth finger." Ripley was suc-
ceeded by John Birchenshaw, with whose name one meets on one
of the bells of Conway Church. Following in the footsteps of
his predecessor, Birchenshaw was zealous for the preservation,
completion, and adornment of his church. His tenure of office
was, however, anything but a peaceful one, for he was constantly
at difference with the civic authorities of Chester whose influence
had increased as the power of the monastery had declined. In
the Harleian MSS. are the following significant entries :
" 1522 This Year the Abbot of Chester putt down."
"1529 Abbot Berchenshall deprived from being abbot, &
shortly was againe restored."

From the time of his restoration. Abbot Birchenshaw appears
to have held the monastery until the time of his death. This
abbot, in the year 15 16, had a dispute with the Bishop of
Lichfield respecting the use of the mitre, crosier, and other ponti-
ficals, and the giving of the blessing. A commission was accord-
ingly issued from Rome to Thomas, Cardinal of York (Car-
dinal Wolsey), ordering him to hear the matter and make award
in it. An idea of the immense influence and position of the
Abbot of S. Werburgh's, previous to the dissolution of the monas-

^ " Chester during the Plantagenet and Tudor Periods."' By Rupert H.
Morris (printed for the author), p. 132.

History of tJie Cathedral CJinrcJi. 15

teries, may be gathered from the fact that Abbot Birchenshaw's
cook was the owner of a large estate in Wirrel. The place of
cook at S. Werburgh's appears, indeed, to have been no mean
appointment. We read that his perquisites included tails of
salmon and barse, the heads and tails of Milvell, conger and
rays, and two pieces (frusta) of each chine of pork slaughtered
in the Abbey, two gallons of beer a day and all the dripping.
It is curious to note that no less a personage than the Earl of
Derby was abbot's seneschal (master of ceremonies) in the reign
of Henry VIII., at a salary of forty shillings a year.

We have now arrived at a very important moment in the
history of S. Werburgh's. On the death of Abbot Birchenshaw,
John (? Thomas) Clark was appointed in his place, and during
his tenantry the monastery was dissolved ; its revenues were
estimated at ^1,003 5^. \\d. per annum. ^ The episcopal see
of Chester was formed by Henry VIII., in 1541, for one bishop,
one dean, and six prebends. The first bishop was John Byrde,
" a provincial of the Carmelites, subsequently bishop of Bangor.
The first dean was Thomas (? John) Clerk, while the prebends
were William Walle, Nicholas Bucksye, Thomas Newton, John
Huet, Thomas Radford, and Roger Smith, which dean and
prebendaries are to rule themselves according to a charter to be
afterwards made, to be the chapter of the new cathedral, with
the same powers as that annexed to the diocese of Coventry
and Lichfield, or any other diocese, and a body corporate, with
all privilege of suing, etc., and shall have a common seal."
Further, the archdeaconries of Richmond and Chester are re-
spectively removed from the diocese of York, and Coventry
and Lichfield, and annexed to the new bishopric of Chester,
which is declared to be in the province of Canterbury. Some
time after, by an Act of Parliament {^ Henry VIII.), the See of
Chester was transferred to the province of York.

The circumstances connected with the fall of the Church of
Rome in England, the erection of a separate establishment, the
temporary restoration of the Papal supremacy, and the ultimate
triumph of Anglican independence under Elizabeth, were by no
means favourable to the evolution of ecclesiastical architecture.
The Perpendicular style, which is seen at its purest and best in
the fine towers of Boston, Evesham, Taunton, Breslington, and

^ Lyson's "Cheshire,"' ed. iSio, p. 572.

14 Chester Cathedral.

above all, of Magdalen College, Oxford, and in the great Church
of S. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, began to decline in the reign of
Henry VII. The decadence, indeed, was at first truly splendid,
embracing as it did S. George's Chapel, Windsor, King's College
■ Chapel, Cambridge, and Henry VI I. 's Chapel, Westminster.
In each of these buildings the gorgeous effect of the intricate
and profuse ornament is overwhelming. In the latest examples
of the style, such as Bath Abbey, the deterioration is only too
conspicuous. The Perpendicular work of Abbot Simon Ripley,
whose initials are found in the foliage of one of the piers of the
northern nave, belongs to the earlier and less elaborate, but
more vitally interesting period of the style. With the close of
the Perpendicular style we come practically to the end of the
architectural history of Chester Cathedral. " At this period,"
says Rickman,^ " I conceive the south view, or, as it may be
called, the show side of the cathedral, was perhaps but little
inferior in real beauty to any one in England — Canterbury, York,
and Salisbury excepted. To prove this, let us examine its parts.
The west end newly finished, and the tower and other works,
and the architecture of the upper part of the choir new enough
to harmonize therewith, this front view must have presented a
very beautiful appearance. Though the battlements are now all
gone, enough remains to lead us to suppose that the whole line
was finished with rich pinnacles and battlements. The buttresses
were very fine, and the grouping of those at the corner of the
south transept peculiarly good. All the windows appear to have
had fine canopies, and what original tracery remains is of great
beauty of design and delicacy of execution ; and though now
none exists, we may reasonably suppose the windows filled with
painted glass. The picture appeared complete, but it was not
long to last, as the funds for its support were soon afterwards
absorbed ; and tradition avers that during the usurpation of
Cromwell, it was even degraded to become a stable. At the
restoration it was probably in bad condition. The exterior of
the choir appears to have been worse than the rest, for that has
been re-cased ; while from the workmanship of that casing, and
the present mullions of the windows, I apprehend these repara-
tions were made since the restoration." It would seem that
Bishop Nicholas Stratford (1689-1707) made serious efforts to

^ Rickman, Chester Architec. and Archasolog. Soc. Jour., ii. 287.

'-3

History of the Cathedral Church. 17

repair his church, and the re-casing referred to may have been
done during the time he occupied the see. From that time
forth, a really important effort at restoration does not seem to
have been made until the year 181 8, when Dr. Law was bishop.
The cathedral chapter books contain the following entries :

"Nov. 25, 1818. The cathedral having from long neglect
fallen in many parts into great decay, and there being now an
urgent necessity to provide means from our own resources for
its gradual restoration, it is hereby ordered by us, in our
Chapter House capitularly assembled, that from the date of the
present Act one eighth part shall uniformly be deducted from
every Fine from every lease or leases which shall hereafter be
renewed ; and that the sum so deducted shall from time to
time be placed in the Bank of England for the purpose of
forming a Fund, which shall be exclusively applied to the
Repairs of this Cathedral."

The following is addressed to the Dean and Chapter of
York :

" Nov. 25, 1819. This being the first time we have met in
Chapter since the receipt of your very liberal donation of ;!^200
towards the Repairs of our Cathedral, we cannot separate with-
out offering you, individually and collectively, our sincerest
thanks for the effectual and important aid which you have thus
rendered to the prosecution of tliat desirable object ; and we
have great satisfaction in being able to assure you that the most
dilapidated parts of the fabric are now substantially repaired,
and that we are sanguine enough to look forward at no distant
period to its complete restoration."

The architect employed on this restoration, Thomas Harrison,
was a man of very considerable distinction. He was the designer
of the really fine Grosvenor Bridge which crosses the Dee at
Chester, near the Roodeye, and among his patrons were Lord
Elgin and Pope Cianganelli, the latter of whom was greatly
pleased with his suggested improvement of the Piazza del Popolo
at Rome. It would be idle to say that Harrison was imbued
with the spirit of the mediceval architects who designed Chester
Cathedral ; whether his restoration, which was confined mainly
to the exterior, and was admittedly strong and solid, was the
worse for that is a subject too nice for discussion in such a
handbook as this. Certainly he made but slight efforts to
ascertain and reproduce any original ancient plan. He was

1 8 Chester Cathedral.

actuated by motives utilitarian, rather than archKological. He
deserves, however, to be credited with sound work of a certain
kind, and does not seem to have been guilty of wanton bar-
barism or flagrant and stupid mistakes. During the years
between 1839 and 1857 further efforts were made to jjreserve
the church ; in 1859 we hear that the Lady Chapel was restored
as far as possible " by the sole help of an unknown benefactor."
In 1868 the dean and chapter decided on a radical restoration,
to which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners contributed^io,ooo.
The appeal for supplementary contributions contained the
following words: "A restoration of this cathedral has long
been contemplated as desirable and even necessary. An elabo-
rate report was made some time ago, after minute and prolonged
examination, by Mr. Ewan Christian, the architect to the Eccle-
siastical Commissioners." From that report it appears that the
fabric in some parts is so bad, that if neglected they will shortly
become dangerous. Other parts most evidently require repair ;
while it is known to those who have considered the matter with
care, that, if restored to its ancient condition, this cathedral
would be a building of great beauty. The dean and chapter
have now resolved, with the support of the public, to proceed
in this work without delay. No special fund is provided by the
foundation or the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for repairs or
■other contingencies, though the dean and chapter have been
enabled to set apart from ^300 to ^^500 annually for this
object. By this means a sum of about ^^1,500 has been
accumulated in the course of ten years, which it had been
intended to apply to the restoration of the fabric. It has, how-
ever, been applied to the purchase of the new bells (^500), to
the warming of the cathedral (^500), and to the fittings of the
nave, and other expenses connected with the special" evening
services. The entire cost of these has been _;2^2,too, so that
there is a deficit on this head of ^"600, to be met out of the
annual revenue of the chapter. There is now no fund for the
restoration or repair of the cathedral building." On the com-
mencement of the new work, Sir Gilbert Scott was appointed
architect, and of course treated the church to his usual policy
of " thorough." The hero of the great restoration was un-
doubtedly Dean Howson, whose zeal and devotion to what he
considered to be his duty towards the cathedral are not to be
gainsaid. Whatever may be our views of the restoration, in

History of the Cathedral Church. ig

principle or in detail, it is impossible not to respect the dean's
untiring zeal and anxious supervision. His very useful " Hand-
book to Chester Cathedral " contains some vigorous if not
altogether convincing passages in defence of the course taken
by Sir Gilbert Scott with his approbation. The main feature of
the restoration will be noted in the following pages.

The present consulting architect of the cathedral is Sir Arthur
Blomfield, A.R.A., who is responsible for some of the latest
decorative details of the interior.

CHAPTER II.

THE CATHEDRAL EXTERIOR.

Most of the great English cathedrals have inspired men of
letters to vie with one another in the invention of appropriate
eulogy. Such superb monuments as Lincoln, Ely, York, Peter-
borough, Salisbury, Durham, and Canterbury, have been the
subjects of an eloquent chorus of praise. In that chorus no
voices are more effective than those which come from the United
States. Men so variously distinguished as Emerson, Hawthorne,
Motley, and Henry James, have celebrated some of the ancient
churches of this country in phrases which do not readily allow
themselves to be forgotten. Every travelling American goes to
Chester as inevitably as he goes to London and Paris ; and
almost every literary American has written something about the
first-named interesting and, indeed, fascinating city. And yet,
almost with one accord, such writers treat Chester Cathedral
with cold politeness or scant respect. In an English city, in-
comparably rich in antiquities, its importance is heavily dis-
counted. The Rows, the Walls, the delightful half-timbered
houses, are unrivalled in their way throughout the length and
breadth of the land. The cathedral, on the other hand, can
scarcely be described as prominent among English ecclesiastical
monuments. But, nevertheless, it forms an alluring architec-
tural object lesson. Those who admire the " faultily faultless,
icily regular," must go to Salisbury ; those who are desirous of
seeing the best which old English builders could do will satisfy
themselves at Lincoln. The career of Chester Cathedral has
been tumultuous ; its features are to a great extent accidental.
It is a study in the evolution of architecture rather than a
brilliant, convincing, and complete example of any single stj'le.
Nor can many of its details be described as transcendently

The CiXtJiedral — Exterior. 21

beautiful. But while Chester possesses no incontrovertibly
distinguished feature, no miraculous west front such as we find
at Wells, no such majestic array of towers as distinguishes Can-
terbury, no such sweet dream of spires as renders us oblivious
to the small scale of Lichfield, no such aspect of austere solidity
as makes the first impression of vast buildings like Durham and
Winchester simply overpowering, it would nevertheless make its
mark as a great ecclesiastical monument in a crowd of great
monuments. It is essentially cathedralesque : it is in no sense
a glorified parish church such as Wakefield, Manchester, or
Newcastle. In any view of Chester it is the most prominent
feature. One's eye, as it travels over the Dee across the broad,
flat, green expanse of the historic racecourse, is inevitably drawn
to, and rests upon the cathedral tower which rises over the
roofs and spires of the city in severe and assured supremacy.
Those who are anxious to realize the true relation of the cathedral
to the town of which it is the central building, should not
attempt to approach it for the first time by means of any of the
narrow streets which radiate from it. Ascending the steps which
take one from the busy Eastgate Street to the top of the ancient
city walls, they will see the south transept, the choir, and Lady
Chapel, and high above them the central tower across a venerable
burying ground, whose melancholy is relieved by lilacs, haw-
thorn, and flowering currant. This green foreground enables
one to appreciate the really fine colour of the stone of which the
church is built. The predominant tint is salmon pink, paling
here to gray, glowing there to rich red. Impressive as is this
view, a more delightful one awaits us. Passing a little further
along the wall to the east of the church, the entire north side of
the building, from the west end to the Lady Chapel, is seen
across one of those smooth swards, broken here and there by
noble trees, which add so materially to the pictures(]ue qualities
of the cathedrals of England. Standing aside from the main
body of the church is the chapter house, from which the eye
passes along the roof of the north transept to the tower, the
•dignified proportions of which are felt at once. The masonry
of the south side of the cathedral is for some part as the original
builders left it, the only additions being those due to the energy
of time. Crumbling though it is, it is alive, vivid, and interest-
ing, for it has had the good fortune to escape the deadening, if
sometimes inevitable process of re-casing which has made Chester

22 Chester Cathedral.

Cathedral appear, at the first glance, a new church. From this
point the cathedral and the ancient cloisters, refectory, and other
conventual buildings are perhaps seen at their best. A few-
steps further in the same direction brings us to the Phcenix
tower, from which, on the 27th of September, 1645, Charles I.
saw the defeat of his army on Rowton Moor. At this point
one has an unobstructed and imposing view of the long sky line
of the church from end to end. These three views should not
be missed by even the most hasty visitor to Chester Cathedral.
They are all within five minutes' walk of Eastgate Street. The
other glimpses of the cathedral obtained at various points along
the walls add little to the impression produced at the three
places above described.

We have noticed in passing how much Chester has lost owing
to the process of re-casing, which by many excellent judges
was from time to time deemed absolutely necessary. Decay
may be, and often is, picturesque. At Chester, the surface
rot of the very perishable red sandstone, of which the
cathedral was built, was positively unsightly. The whole
place previous to the restoration struck one as woe-begone
and neglected ; it perpetually seemed to hover on the verge
of collapse, and was yet without a trace of the romance of
the average ruin. Restoration is a word of which all those
who really care for ancient buildings have a wholesome
dread. It is frequently pleaded with a view to covering a mul-
titude of sins of innovation : only too often it actually amounts
to that mutilation which is the most fashionable and the worst
form of architectural murder. To fill an ancient niche with a
new statue, to continue a moulding of which the greater part
has disappeared, to " renew " an ancient capital by means of a
few sharp strokes of a chisel in the hands of a modern stone-
mason, are sins at once against common sense and good taste.
As well might one attempt to re-shape a crock upon the potter's
wheel. At Chester the new details and the old stand out in acute
and painful contrast. The old, where time has not rendered
them mere skeletons of themselves, have the breath of life in
them, and give out a faint and fine perfume of the days of their
creation. The new of necessity are mechanical, uninspired, and
consequently unornamental. Time, it is said, is after all the great
sculptor, and will remedy this, making these crude reproductions
as charming as the old originals ; that, however, is too much tO'

The Cathedral — Exterior. 23

hope even of so great a magician as Time. At Chester the
decorative sculpture is of two kinds which contrast very strongly
with one another : the old, which is crumbling, indistinct, and
fascinating ; the new, which is precise, sharp, and uninteresting.
It is a thousand pities that Chester was built in so treacherous
a material. The magnificent and extremely ornate cathedral
of Strassburg is, like Chester, constructed of red sandstone,
but the sandstone at Strassburg seems to wear as well as the
hardest granite. The chisel-marks of sculptors who worked
centuries ago are quite distinct to-day : no sort of peeling or
flaking seems to have taken place. At Chester, looking to the
amazingly rotten character of the stone, those who had charge
of the restoration doubtless did the best, because the only thing
in their power. The result, however, speaking of the exterior,
has been the creation of a new church rather than the mere
repair of an ancient one.

It is obvious that a city so popular as Chester always has
been with those who care for what is historic and ancient, should
from time to time be described and illustrated by writers and
artists. As the most imposing and important building in the
city, the cathedral has naturally received a large share of atten-
tion. .According to an illustrated " History of the City of
Chester," published in 181 5, " The cathedral is a large building,
composed entirely of the common red sandstone of the city ;
the exterior of it is in a very dangerous state ; it is for the most
part regular and uniform, though built at several different times
many years asunder." An author (quoted in Joseph Heming-
way's "History of Chester," Chester, 1831), whose intention is
far better than his verse, says of the church :

" Lo I where triumphant o'er the wreck of years

The time-worn Fabrick lifts ils awful form :
Scath'd with the blast its sculptur'd form appears,

Vet frowns defiance on th' impetuous storm
What jiow'rs - to more than giant Inilk ally'd,

Thy firm compacted mass cons|iir"d to raise !
Then hade thee stand secure to latest days,

Wonder of after times— of Cestria's sires the pride."

Those who desire to see what the cathedral looked like before
Dean Howson's memorable and radical restoration can do so by
referring to Baud's views drawn for Winkle's " Cathedrals," to
the plate by Batenham, dated 1830, in Hemingway's "Chester,"

24 Chester Cathedral.

and to the important and accurate illustrations by J. H. Le
Keiix and O. Jewitt, contained in J. H. Parker's " Mediaeval
Architecture of Chester." It may be noted that, according to
an authority so distinguished as the late Professor Preeman, the
very considerable remains of the Abbey of S. Werburgh, attached
to Chester Cathedral, afford one of the best opportunities in
England of studying monastic arrangements.

The Tower is undoubtedly the most conspicuous feature
in the physiognomy of the outside of the cathedral. Like
Worcester and Gloucester, Chester possesses only one tower,
the singularity of which fact adds very much to its importance
in dominating the structure. Its height is 127 feet, that of
Worcester is 196 feet, that of Gloucester is 225 feet. For the
sake of comparison, it may be added that the height of the
dome of S. Paul's, from the ground to the top of the cross, is
about 365 feet. The tower of Chester rises above the crossing, and
binds together the nave, choir, and transepts. There is no
reason to doubt that it was intended to complete the building
by the erection of a great spire, as at Salisbury, though the
Chester spire would in all probability have been nothing like so
lofty or so elegant as that which looks down upon Stonehenge.
A model of Chester Cathedral with the spire completed exists,
and there can be no doubt that it adds immensely to the
dignity and symmetry of the building. At the restoration it
was very wisely decided that to run the serious risk involved in
completing the original intention of the ancient builders was
not justifiable. An elaborate design for the spire was made by
Sir Gilbert Scott, who is said to have been deeply disappointed
that no opportunity was given him of putting it into execution.
Sir Gilbert held that it is " probable that the lower part of the
piers of the central tower belong to the Norman Church ; " in
that case they must have carried the central tower of the church
built by Hugh Lupus. Dean Howson, however, in his " Hand-
book," states that this theory " was entirely dissipated by a
curious discovery made during the process of recent restoration.
In the course of some work required in the floor of the north aisle
of the Choir, near the crossing, it was found that the great north-
eastern pier was supported upon several floriated tombstones of
the thirteenth century, placed cross-wise one upon another. One
of these stones has been removed & carefully kept, in testi-
mony of this unexpected fact ; It may seem very strange that

THE TOWER FROM THE SOU HI WEST (fKOM A I'lIOTOCKAPH UY
CARL NORMAN AND CO.).

The Cathedral — Exterior.

the monks of S. A\'erburgh"s showed so httle regard to the
tombs of those who preceded them at a short interval of time,
but as a matter of historical evidence the fact is clear. It will
hardly be supposed by any one that these tombstones were
placed there for the purpose of under-pinning an early Norman
pier."

To state accurately the date of the piers which bear the
central tower is a matter of no small difificulty. According to
Mr. Parker, " we have a distinct record that a central tower
was built in the early part of the thirteenth century, but whether
it was really built upon the foundations, or the Norman piers
were made use of then in the same manner as they were at a
later period, is not easily proved." There can be little doubt
that the tower, as we see it, belongs to the perpendicular style,
and was probably the work of Abbot Simon Ripley, or his
successor, John Birchenshaw, or both. In each face of the
tower are two Perpendicular windows divided by a single
mullion. The restoration of the parapet, pinnacles, and corner
turrets is purely conjectural, and however ingenious, has no
warrant save in Sir (iilbert Scott's imagination. The simple
parapet, as seen in views previous to the restoration, had no
details in common with its very elaborate successor. That
restoration, or at least, structural repair, was absolutely necessar)',
and that the work was only just undertaken in time to avert
irremediable disaster is beyond the region of controversy. The
fall of the tower would have involved the practical ruin of
the church. There are eight bells, the most ancient of which is
dated 1604, and is inscribed :

" 1, sweetly tolling, men do call

To taste the meat that feeds the soul.""

The largest of the bells, which for generations had rung the
curfew at a quarter to nine every evening, was broken on the
9th of November, 1866. A new one, paid for by public subscrip-
tion, was cast to replace it, and the peal was at the same tiine
increased from five to a full octave. None of the older bells,
save that already noticed, are of much interest.

The West Front.— In the greater number of English
cathedrals the west front is a relatively unimportant feature.
Facades, elaborate and magnificent as those of such vast
French churches as Amiens, or such small though beautiful

28 Chester Cathedral.

Italian ones as Orvieto or Siena, have hardly any counterpart
among the cathedrals of England. Lincoln, it is true, is very
imposing ; Salisbury, though in reality a mere screen, is vast
and ornate ; Peterborough is unique as well as tremendously
full of character ; Wells possesses a delightful distinction, while
Lichfield makes up in beauty what it lacks in size. Even
among English west fronts, that of Chester is in no wise re-
markable ; to anybody approaching it with more than small
expectations, it will indeed be very disappointing. It is
poor in dignity, and to symmetry has no pretensions whatso-
ever. The poverty in question would, however, appear to be
due, not so much to moderate architectural aspiration as to a
failure to achieve a really splendid plan. What the west front
would have been with two great towers, subject only to the
dominance of a lofty central spire, it is easy to imagine. The
entire cathedral would have possessed a monumental character,
to which, in the present state of things, it has slight claims. Its
configuration would have been unique amongst the cathedrals
of England : it would have been lifted into the air in a manner
which would have made the outline of the city of Chester
memorable among the outlines of the cities not only of England,
but of Europe. And even if a tower had been erected on the
huge base still existing on the south side of the west front, as
was seriously intended during the days of the earlier Tudor
kings, the aspect of the exterior of the church would have been
completely revolutionized. Instead, however, of the possession
of two or even of a single western tower, it was the fate of the
west front of Chester, on account of its curious and ancient
structural connection with monastic, though practically inde-
pendent buildings, never to have been entirely open to view\
At the north-west it was, in the first place, connected with the
abbot's apartments ; later it was joined to the episcopal palace.
On the destruction of the latter, the King's School, which once
was held in the fine and, for the most part, well-preserved refec-
tory, was erected in 1873 O" the site, with the result that it is now
structurally one with the west front, which it partially hides from
view, and the symmetry of which it entirely destroys. The
wisdom of the erection of the King's School on this spot
was at one time very warmly debated. To the present writer it
seems a very unfortunate undertaking. The argument, that if,
on the destruction of the bishop's old palace, the space had

The Cathedral — Exterior. 29

been left open and the entire west front revealed, an important
and original feature of the cathedral would have disappeared, is
trivial. If the west front would have seemed poorer than it
already does, there would have been a most welcome increase
of symmetry. For the rest, it is only fair to say that the school
buildings are not without merits of their own, so that if the
thing was to be done at all, it would seem difficult to have done
it better. There is, of course, the further point that the con-
nection between the cathedral and the school is both intimate
and historical.

But if the average person who sees the west front can find in
it little to satisfy him, to the student of architecture it possesses
some points of deep interest. It is characteristic of Chester
Cathedral that at every turn it is satisfying in small particulars
and disappointing in great features, that it presents fascinating
problems and occasionally interesting and beautiful incidents,
rather than massive and impressive effects. Of no part of the
church is this truer than of the west front. Its principal feature
is an extremely fine Perpendicular window which fills almost the
whole of the space below the low battlemented gable between
the side turrets. The great size of this window renders the other
details of the west front somewhat insignificant. It is note-
worthy that our English builders were only too frequently pre-
pared to sacrifice much to a vast window in the extremities of
their churches, as, for example, the great east window at Carlisle.
The dignity of the (Chester window is greatly increased by its
singular and complicated tracery. A peculiar feature of the
arch including the window is that it is not uniform on both
sides. The doorway below the window is comparatively of
small size. It is very late in date and is inclosed in a square
framework of rich carving, much of which has escaped the dis-
astrous effects of the weather. On each side of the doorway
are eight richly canopied niches, not one of which now contains
a statue either ancient or modern. The stonework of the niches
was almost entirely replaced when the cathedral was restored.
Beyond the southern turret the west front is continued by the
west wall of the base of the intended south-west tower (the
interior is now used as the Consistory Court, see post), the sur-
face of which is broken by a Perpendicular window flanked by
canopied niches, and surrounded by an elaborate course of
panelling, in the centre of which is some heraldic carving much

30 Chester Cathedral.

decayed. The view down the entire length of the church ob-
tained from the west front, when the doors are open, is as im-
posing as any which can be obtained of the interior of the
building. As a rule these doors are only open on ceremonial
occasions. On turning the corner we see on the south side of
the base of the tower a window similar, save in a few small
matters of detail, to the last described.

The Nave — South Side. The south side of the cathedral
has been properly described as the " show " side. It commences,
after passing the window just noticed, with the south porch
with a parvise, which is a good and characteristic example of the
Tudor style. The entrance is a four-centred arch under a square
head. Above this comes a margin of quatrefoils, over the
centre of which is an empty niche under a very handsome canopy
(part of the original carving still remains). On either side there
is a small low window of two lights. The porch terminates in
decorative battlements with crocketted pinnacles. The fan
tracery of the roof of the interior is modern. The floor of the
nave is reached by descending four steps. From this porch we
are enabled at once to appreciate the relative sizes of the nave
and south transept. It is a remarkable feature of Chester that
the south transept is four times as large as the north transept,
at least as large as the choir, and almost as large as the nave.
The wall of the south aisle of the nave is divided into four bays
by three flying buttresses, ornamented with canopied niches for
statues and grotesque gargoyles, which separate the decorated
windows of four lights and elaborate tracery from one another.
The space above the windows, between the buttresses, is occupied
by a shallow cornice and large and vigorous battlement. Nearly
all the sculptural details of this part of the exterior of the nave
are modern. Some of the work is, however, admirable of its kind.
The carved corbels of the niches in the buttresses are well worth
examination. The elaborate decorated windows of the south
aisle of the nave are in strong contrast to the large, plain, and
not particularly graceful windows of four lights in the clerestory.
These are in the Perpendicular style. Above them is a sculptured
cornice and a plain battlement, broken at intervals by six some-
what ornate pinnacles. A reference to the illustration in Ormerod
of the south-east of the cathedral, in 1817, will show what im-
mense changes were brought about by the late restoration.

The great South Transept is still frequently called, and

TJie CatJicdral — Extet'ior. 31

was for a long time used as S. Oswald's Church. The west side
is more ornate than that portion of the nave with which it is at
a right angle, though its main features, so far up as the battle-
ment between the flying buttresses goes, are very much the
same. The windows of the clerestory are unlike those of the
clerestory of the nave, in that. they are cusped. The battlement
is also of a more ornate kind.

If any argument be wanted that restoration in recent times is
better than that of the earlier part of the century, the south front
of Chester Cathedral undoubtedly supplies it. Anything uglier
or more inappropriate than the present building it would indeed
be difficult to conceive. Sir Gilbert Scott is quite justified in
his statement that " the main South Front has been replaced
by as mean a work as the present century has produced. The
old prints, though not very intelligible, show it to have been one
of great magnificence." Something has already been done to
beautify this restoration by the insertion of a fine window of great
size. It is curious to notice that in the window at the termination
of the western aisle of this transept, which is in the Decorated
style, a doorway has been introduced. This was probably a de-
vice of the parishioners of S. Oswald's to gain admittance to their
parish church at the time when the monks of S. Werburgh were
vigorously opposing their claim to worship in this transept, which
was an integral portion of the monastic building. A small part
of the south front in its mouldering, uncased state gives one a
vivid idea of what the entire fabric must have looked hke half
a century ago. In this sadly impaired fragment, there are a
few sculptured details which suggest the pristine beauty of the
main south front as it was left by its builders. The windows
of the eastern aisle of this transept belong to the Decorated
style. In restoring the sculpture of this part of the cathedral,
a new departure was made, or rather, a very ancient fashion was
revived. It will be remembered that in the amazingly fantastic
and grotescjue sculptures of the Middle Ages, celebrated persons
were frequently held up to ridicule or admiration. In pursuance
of this idea, we find a corbel representing Mr. (Gladstone, pen in
mouth, in the apparently congenial act of uprooting a venerable
looking church. The allusion is to the " Vatican Pamphlets."
Mr. Disraeli, in another corbel, is armed with a sword, and is
subtly defending the crown against the attack of Dr. Kenealy.
Some of the other carvings have amusing modern applications.

2,2 Ckestcr Cathedral.

These corbels have been severely criticised on the ground that
the wrangles of politicians should not be commemorated and
perpetuated on the walls of a church, but it is surely super-
fine to take exception to sculptured criticism so impersonal and
good-humoured. In point of execution the work is as good
as the conception is ingenious, and the effect is altogether more
exhilarating than the mechanical repetition of ancient models.
The Choir and Lady Chapel. — The angle formed by
the meeting of the south transept and choir, with the Lady
Chapel at its eastern extremity, is the most ornate part of the
exterior of the cathedral. The south aisle of the choir belongs
to the Early Decorated style. Its apsidal termination is modern,

THE POLITICAL CORBELS (FRONT A PHOTOGRAPH BY CARL NORMAN
AND CO.).

and the roof of the apse is one of the most curious features of
the church. It may or may not now appear as it appeared in
the time of the first Edward : it is certainly most un-English,
and has no precedent in any existing ancient English church. Sir
Gilbert Scott is responsible for it, and the following is his justi-
fication : " We never thought, however, but that the roof of
the south apse had been similar to that of the north, and of the
same moderate altitude. But in removing a part of the later
timber roof of the south chapel, and some of the rubbish which
had accumulated beneath it, we found concealed by it portions
of the sloping surfaces of the apse roof of that side. These were
small in extent, but potent in evidence. The first thing that
struck us was their excessive steepness of slope — almost like

Tlie CatJiedral — Exterior. 33

the spire of a church — and on tracing these slopes to their
intersection, what was my surprise at finding that they repre-
sented a stone roof of no less than forty-two feet high above the
tops of the walls. The western side of this extraordinary struc-
ture we found to have been vertical, for a fragment of the lower
side remains with the weather mould of the aisle roof upon it ;
against the clerestory is the mark of another high stone roof,
running at right angles to the spire, and, as we find, intersected
with it. This is shown on all the old prints, and still exists.
We found, then, that we possessed ample proof of a feature
which, though unique in England, is in several instances found
in France, especially at Norrey (near Caen), in Normandy, where
the radiating chapels at the east end are precisely similarly
roofed. We found vestiges of its eaves-course at its intersec-
tion with the east wall, and on cutting into the modern wall
below we found remnants of the old corner buttress shown in
the old plans, and of the window-jamb attached to it, as well as
the window of its southern face, so that, although we had not
yet perfect material for its reproduction, we had a good instal-
ment of the necessary evidence of such an architectural curiosity,
and that we possessed also nearly sufficient details for the re-
storation of the beautiful design of the side of the Lady Chapel,
gave rise to the idea at first but timidly thought of, whether it
might be considered lawful, under circumstances so exceptional,
to remove the southern chapel, which had been the means of
obliterating both, and to restore the southern side as it was in
the days of Edward 1. At first it seemed to go counter to our
established view in restoration, and it was only the extreme
value architecturally of the features to be recovered that led me
to entertain it. Many architectural antiquaries were consulted,
and there seemed to be a genuine consensus of opinion that the
exceptional circumstances would warrant an exceptional course,
and so, after long consideration, we determined on it. The
result is, that in the later walls which we" have removed, nearly
all the remaining evidence and details have been discovered,
and we are now enabled to reproduce this remarkable apse with
almost absolute precision and perfectness." Whatever one may
think of the archreological correctness of this feature, its beauty
is very much a matter of taste ; externally it has something of
the aspect of an elaborated chimney. That it secures to us the
opening up of the entire south side of the Lady Chapel is a dis-

Chester Cathedral.

tinct advantage. The Lady Chapel, which is a simple and
beautiful example of Early English, forms a worthy eastern
termination to the cathedral.

The North Side of the Cathedral. — The conventual
buildings lie on the north side of the church, and will be separately
treated. Looking at the north side, the spectator is struck with the
comparative insignificance of the north transept, which is, as we
have already seen, unimportant by the side of the vast transept
on the other side. Passing the east end of the Lady Chapel,
we come to the north choir aisle, which is Perpendicular as far as
the second bay ; subsequently we meet with the early Decorated
style, and, arriving at the transept, we come to clear and
interesting evidence of Norman work. The Norman character
of the entire wall, from the north transept to the foundations of
the north-west tower, should be carefully noted. Roughly speak-
ing, the older styles can be studied on the north side of the
church, and the more recent ones on the south. The northern
side of the cathedral, while by no means so ornate as that
opposite, is even more interesting to the student of the evolution
of architectural styles.

CHAPTER III.

THE CATHEDRAL INTERIOR.

The Nave. — Although the entrance at the west end of the
cathedral is generally closed, it will be convenient to choose it as
a starting point at which to commence our survey of the interior
of the church. The floor of the nave, it will be noticed, is con-
siderably below the level of the street, from which, at the west
entrance, it is reached by two successive flights of four steps. By
some writers this feature has been inaccurately described as
unique : it is in fact not without parallel even in England, while
it is not infrequently met with in continental churches. The
nave is one of the least imposing features of Chester Cathedral
and cannot for a moment be compared with the magnificent choir
which stretches beyond it. Its dimensions are comparatively
small, its length is about 145 feet, while its breadth, without the
aisles, is between 32 and ^^ feet. With the aisles it is 75 feet.
The height is also 75 feet. These figures prove that the
nave at Chester is almost the smallest of all the older cathe-
drals of England. Until the last few years the nave was
bare and even unsightly ; much has recently been done to
emphasize its architectural distinction and to minimise its cold-
ness of aspect. The main architectural features of the nave are
doubtless due to Abbot Simon Ripley whose initials are found
in the foliage of the capital of the first detached northern pillar
on the west side. The arcades on either side consist of only six
bays. The southern arcade is a very beautiful, though strikingly
simple example of the decorated style. The northern arcade
can scarcely be dismissed with so brief a description, and it has
in fact been the subject of much controversy among experts.
It differs in several material details from the southern, though it
is not improbable that it is actually contemporary with it, and

CHESTER CATHEDRAI
PLAN.

The Cathedral — Interior. ^^J

that the differences are merely the result of subsequent altera-
tion. On the other hand, it may have been built at some period
later than the Decorated, when the architect, anxious to secure
uniformity, was frankly imitative, reserving to himself, neverthe-
less, a certain amount of freedom in non-essential matters.
However this may be, the result is very curious and should be
carefully observed. Above the main arcade is the triforium
which is ingeniously combined with the clerestory. The
windows of the latter, it should be noticed, are not cusped save
in the case of the most easterly which is next the crossing.
Although preparations were made in the fifteenth century for a
vaulted roof in stone, as is proved by the vaulting shafts and
springers, the project was never brought to completion. Sir
(jilbert Scott, when he had examined the fabric previous to the
great restoration, came to the conclusion that it would be
hazardous to attempt a vault in stone, while it was obvious that
the roof then existing could no longer be tolerated. He accord-
ingly decided, after considering examples ^t York, Selby, and
elsewhere, to employ oak. The result is an extremely beautiful
example of fan-vaulting which adds immensely to the dignity of
the nave. The central boss represents the arms in colour
of the Prince of Wales who on more than one occasion as Earl
of Chester has taken an interest in the renovation of the cathe-
dral. Other bosses are devoted to the arms of the Duke of
Westminster, the Earl of Derby, and other noblemen intimately
connected with the city or diocese. The colour of the wood of
which the roof is constructed harmonizes admirably with the rich
red of the sandstone of which the nave is built. The base of
the projected south-west tower, which is entered by passing
under a piece of Jacobean stonework, more curious than
beautiful, is used as the consistory court. It is as a rule closed
to the public, but the Jacobean fittings which it contains are de-
cidedly picturescjue, and deserve the attention of those who care
for ancient woodwork. The parvise over the adjoining south
porch is now used as a muniment room. 'I'he windows of the
south aisle are Decorated and the vaulting at the eastern
extremity deserves some attention.

The north aisle, from the point of view of architectural his-
tory, is extremely interesting. The wall belongs to the Norman
period from end to end : at the west end we have an imposing
fragment of the base of the tower of the Norman church

38 Chester CatJiedral.

of Hugh Lupus ; while at the east end a Norman doorway,
leading to the cloisters, emphasizes the original architectural
character of the aisle. The base of the tower has now been
fitted up as a baptistery, the very ornate font having been pre-
sented by Lord Egerton of Tatton. The stone vaulting of the
aisle is modern. The recent expensive and pretentious decora-
tion in mosaic of the wall of this aisle contrasts strongly with
the wall of the south aisle, broken as it is only by a series of
mural tablets. There can be no doubt that the recently
decorated wall is infinitely preferable to that defaced by the
tablets, but nothing can justify the removal of memorials of the
dead. All that is lost in point of view of beauty by preserving
such memorials is gained in historic interest, and in retaining
the tablets the cathedral authorities were actuated by a feeling
which everybody must respect. The mosaics were executed
by Messrs. Burke and Co. from cartoons supplied by Messrs.
Clayton and Bell. The expense was defrayed by Mrs. Piatt
of Dunham Park, Altrincham. The tessera consist of blocks
of natural marble of various colours. The surface is absolutely
flat. Had the mosaics been executed in glass, as are those
designed by Professor Richmond in St. Paul's, the effect
would have been much richer and an immense amount of
colour would have been added to the nave which, in spite of the
warm hue of the stone, is conspicuously cold. The first bay is
devoted to Abraham. In the centre is a life-size figure of the
patriarch, on the right hand side is illustrated the text : " And
Abraham said : ' My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a
burnt offering.' " On the left is depicted the burial of Sarah.
The second bay deals with Moses. The texts illustrated are :
" And the daughter of Pharaoh said : ' This is one of the
Hebrews' children,' " and " And it came to pass when Moses
held up his hand that Israel prevailed." Following Moses
is David. The subjects are " I am the son of thy servant Jesse
the Bethlehemite " and " O Absalom, my son, my son ! " The
last bay is devoted to Elijah. The subjects are, " Elijah,
Arise and eat ; because the journey is too great for thee ; " and
" Hast thou found me, O mine enemy ? " Above the main panels
are representations of Melchizedek, Sarah, Jethro, Joshua, Samuel,
Solomon, the widow of Sarepta and Elisha. The design of the
mosaics is very dignified, but it is somewhat unfortunate that
the colour is not more brilliant. The tattered flags displayed at

The Cathedral — Litcrior. 41

the west end of the nave are interesting in that they were pre-
sent at the battle of Bunker's Hill. A fine piece of ancient
tapestry, very rich in colour, should be noticed before quitting
the nave. It gives a hint of the splendour of the church in
those days when all the large wall spaces glowed with the
incomparably harmonious colours derived from great woven
pictures.

The North Transept which is, in comparison with other
parts of the cathedral, extremely small and nearly square in
shape, affords an interesting series of examples of the Norman
style. In the lower portion we meet with very early work as is
proved by the relative smallness of the stones and great width
of the joints. This lower part is an unaltered fragment of the
first Norman church : that which is above is in the late Norman
style, the layers of mortar being much thinner, while the stones
are large and fit closely. According to Mr. J. H. Parker : '
" In the east wall of the north transept there is an early Norman
arch now walled up but distinctly to be seen on the outside.
This opened originally into a chapel on the east side of
the transept as usual at that period, afterwards turned into
a small vestry, with a vault of the end of the twelfth century, in
transition Norman work, with characteristic rich vaulting shafts
with their cai)itals. A doorway has been made into this vestry,
from the north aisle of the choir in the fourteenth century, and
one of the corbel heads which terminate the label of the door-
way is introduced in a singular manner in the middle of the
vaulting-shaft of the twelfth century." Above the closed Norman
doorway is a row of triforium arches, simple, massive, and un-
ornamental in character and of very early date, while on the
opposite (west) wall there are traces of round-headed windows.
In the upper part of the masonry the windows are Perpendicular,
the tracery in the large north window is modern and was
designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. The transept is finely roofed
with wood, one of the beams bearing the arms of Cardinal
Wolsey. The elaborate tomb of Bishop Pearson, which is the
chief ornament of this transept, will be dealt with m the section
devoted to the monuments of the nave and transepts.

The South Transept is on a most imposing scale, and the
disparity in size between it and the north transept is the most

' J. II. P.irker, "The Mecli;-ovaI Architecture of Chester," p. 15.

42 Chester Catliedral.

singular feature of Chester Cathedral, a feature which has hardly
a parallel in any other English cathedral church. In length,
this transept is 78 feet 4 inches, while, including the aisles, its
breadth is about 77 feet. As we have already seen, this tran-
sept was for a very long time used as a separate parish church
by the parishioners of S. Oswald, between whom and the
monks of S. Werburgh, and afterwards the clergy of the cathedral,
its use was a perpetual source of dispute. Although a new church
was built for the parishioners by the monks on the ground now
occupied by the Music Hall, which is only a few yards away, the
former were still dissatisfied, and insisted on their ancient right
to worship in the south transept, a right which was at length
recognized during the closing years of the fifteenth century.
Undisturbed possession continued until a few years ago ; down
to 1880, the south transept was separated by a partition from
the rest of the church. On the destruction of this barrier,
a new church, dedicated to S. Thomas, was erected in another
part of the city, and the right to use the transept was definitely
abandoned, so that the historic dispute is now for ever closed.
The reunion of the south transept with the main body of the
cathedral has inestimably increased the dignity of the interior as
a whole, the added space being equal to that of the choir, and
only a trifle less than that of the nave itself. A glance at the
ground plan of the church reveals the reason which forced the
monks to annex the ancient parish church of S. Oswald. The
whole of the conventual buildings hem in the north side of the
cathedral ; extension was impossible, if only for cesthetic reasons,
either at the east or west. The south alone remained, and the
monks had no option save to commit the act of annexation
which so incensed the parishioners of S. Oswald. The south
transept, in spite of some interesting points, is not particularly
distinguished from the architectural standpoint, nor in its
present bare and neglected state, can it be considered very
beautiful. Whitewash still defaces a good deal of the masonry :
some of the pillars and capitals are, indeed, thickly coated with
it. In its most important architectural features the transept
closely resembles the nave. The windows of the east aisle
are filled with very beautful Decorated tracery; those in the
west aisle having Perpendicular tracery of much less merit.
The roof, which is very unsightly, has never been completed,
but the springers show that an elaborate vault in stone was con-

The Cathedval — Interior. 43

templated. The only objects of interest in the transept are
some tattered flags of the old 22nd Regiment.

The Monuments in the Nave and Transepts form
an almost unbroken series of distressingly ugly mural tablets,
without pretence to art and of little interest from the point
of view of national or even local history. The poverty of
Chester in mediaeval memorials of the dead is most striking.
One at the east end of the nave, to " the Eminently Loyal Sir
Wm. Mainwaring Kt.," who " died in the service of his Prince
and Country wherein he merited singular honours for his fidelity,
courage and conduct," is dated 1671, and has some pretence to
be considered ornamental. On the south wall of the nave a
curious tablet of the eighteenth century commemorates Edmund
Entwistle, some time Archdeacon of Chester, and next to it is a
tablet to Joseph Hall, Bishop of Chester, who died through fall-
ing upon an open knife which was in his pocket in 1668. The
very humble Latin epitaph was from his own pen. Close by is
the memorial of another bishop, Nicholas Stratford (died 1707),
which is surmounted by a bust of the prelate and terminates
with a skull and crossbones. This is one of the best executed
tablets in the church. One John Vernon is described con-
cisely as "polite, learned, ingenious, upright," and another
tablet to other members of the same family of Vernon is in-
scribed :

Thus Death, (irand Monitor, oft comes to prove,
'Tis dust we doat on, when 'tis Man we love.

A brass erected not long ago by Sir Harry Verney keeps alive
the memory of a member of his illustrious family. In the south
transept on the western pier of the crossing is a tablet to
George Clarke, of Hyde, which will interest American visitors in
so much as he was " formerly Lieutenant Governor of New
York " — afterwards becoming a resident in Chester. A very
quaint painted tablet with three statuettes commemorates " that
grave and worthy citizen Thomas Greene, sometimes Mayor of
this Cittie," who was a prominent Chester philanthropist, and
died in 1607. A curious painted wooden tablet to Rob. Benet
close by should be noted in passing. On the east wall of this
transept is a mosaic to officers who died while serving in the
Cheshire Regiment. Among the names recorded are those

.44 Chester CatJicdral.

of Lieutenant Clark, who died at Hozaribagh, in 1874, and
Major Gordon Gumming, who was killed while on service
with the Ghin Lushai Expedition in 1870. A series of blank
spaces have been left for additions. On the column opposite is
a diminutive brass to the memory of John Philips, bearing these
lines :

Here lies a Marchand who on earth did trade

To gaine a Kingdome that should never fade,

An upright conscience his best chosen Frend

Did steere his shipp unto his latest end,

Till hee arivd in Heaven with God his maker,

Who now of endless Joyes is made Partaker,

Hee led a life scarce blemished with one staine,

Belovd of all & loving all againe.

Uppon Good Friday hee with Christ did die,

That hee with Him might live eternally.

In the north transept the principal monument is that of John
Pearson, incomparably the most distinguished bishop of the
particular see of Ghester, who " applied himself to every kind
of learning that he thought essential to his profession and was
in every kind a master." In spite of his literary pre-eminence,
Pearson seems to have been completely forgotten by the digni-
taries of the cathedral until the accidental discovery of his coffin,
which bore the initials "J- P." and a mitre. The bishop's
remains were from time to time moved about the church until
they found a final resting-place in the north transept. The
present monument is the outcome of the efforts of Dr. Whit-
tingham. Bishop of Maryland, and owes its existence almost as
much to the generosity of American as of English donors.
Amongst the subscribers is found the name of John Keble
and other distinguished Anglican divines of various schools
of thought. Sir Arthur W. Blomfield, who succeeded Sir
(iilbert Scott as consulting architect to the cathedral, is re-
sponsible for the design of the elaborate sarcophagus, the chief
feature of which is a recumbent effigy of the bishop in his
episcopal robes with mitre and pastoral staff. The arches
which compose the sides of the tomb form niches for sculptures
of the heads of the twelve apostles. The inscription consists of
a series of sentences from the creed, of which Bishop Pearson
was so brilliant an expositor. The materials employed are
Caen stone and Devonshire marble. Above the tomb rises a

The Cathedral — Interior. 45 .

beautiful canopy by Skidmore of Coventry, which is a good ex-
ample of such work. The materials of the canopy are iron,
brass, copper, and wood, adorned with crystals and Derbyshire
spar. The carving of the tomb is by Thomas Earp. Other
persons commemorated in the north transept are Barbara Dod,
a benefactress to the cathedral, and Dr. Fogg, some time Dean
of Chester, a devoted friend and ally of Matthew Henry, one
of the most celebrated dissenters of his time, who died in
1692. In various parts of the nave and transepts are found
inscriptions to military men who served their country in different
wars with conspicuous valour.

The Organ, one of the most decorative objects in the
cathedral, occupies a somewhat curious position. Originally
it stood on a stone screen separating the choir from the body
of the church. It now occupies and almost fills the vast
arch between the crossing and the north transept, and there
is little doubt that no better place could have been found for
it. The existing instrument is the third made for and used
in Chester Cathedral. The earliest dated from the end of
the seventeenth century, and was probably built by the
celebrated maker, Schmidt, who held a most distinguished,
if not a pre-eminent position amongst the organ-builders of
his time. Schmidt's instrument is now in the Cathedral
Church of S. Paul at ^^aletta in Malta. Its place at Chester
was taken by a fine and very costly organ built by Messrs.
Grey and Davidson of London, numerous parts of which
were found to be so good that they were incorporated in the
present magnificent instrument, which is among the four
largest church organs in this country. The total cost was no
less than ;^'i,8oo, the builders being Messrs. Whitely of
Chester. The great 32-feet pipes are placed under the large
window in the north transept ; the bellows occupy a space
over the canon's vestry ; the steam-engine which generates
the blowing power is a six-horse-powcr machine, erected in
a specially constructed underground engine-room near to the
chapter house. When it was decided to make the organ so
conspicuous a feature in the interior of the cathedral it was
obvious that a beautiful case was a matter of great importance.
For the design Sir Gilbert Scott was responsible, and the
execution was intrusted to Messrs. Farmer and Brindley.
The screen upon which the organ rests is supported by

Chester- Cathedral.

sixteen columns of rare Italian marble presented by the Duke
of Westminster. Above these is the richly and intricately
ornamented body of the screen which is of red sandstone.

THE CHOIR SCREEN AND ORGAN (FROM A PHOTOCRAl'H BY CARL
NORMAN AND CO.).

The case itself, of carved oak, is of a very decorative character,
and is happily adapted to the place it fills. The following
complete specification of the organ is quoted from the " New
Guide to Chester " by kind permission of the publishers, Messrs.
Catherall and Prichard, Limited :

The CatJiedml — Interior.

CHOIR ORGAN. CC to A\
I. Double Dulciana . 16 feet 5. Stopped Flute

2. Open Diapason .

3. Clarabella

4. Principal .

9-
10.

Dulciana .
Pierced Gamlia .
Stopped Diapason

8 ,, I 6. Piccolo

8 , , 1 7- Clarionet .

• 4 ,, I

In the Screen Organ.

8 feet I II. Gemshorn

8 ft.

12. Ilohl-flote

4 ft. tone
2 feet
8 ft. tone

4 feet

4 :•

ECHO AND SOLO ORGAN. CC to A'.
Lieblich Bourdon . 16 ft. tone ] 5. Lieblich Flote .

4 ft. tone
2 feet
8 ft. tone

\'iola 8 feet 6. FJautina .

3. Lieblich Gedact . 8 ft. tone 7. Vox Humana

4. Voix Celeste ... 8 feet ' Tremulant

The above seven stops are voiced on a very light pressure of wind, an(
are inclosed in a swell-box.

Harmonic Diajrason 8 feet

10.

Orchestral Oboe

. 8 feet

Harmonic Flute . 4 ,,

II.

Tuba Mirabilis .

. 8 „

PEDAL ORGA

CCC TO F.

Double Open Dia-

Violoncello .

. 8 feet

pason .... 32 feet

Mixture (2 ranks)

\"arious

Open Diapason . . 16 ,,

Fifteenth . . .

• 4 ,,

Violone . . . . 16 ,,

Trombone

• 16 ,,

Sub Bass . . . . 16 ft. lone

10.

Bombarde

. 8 ,.

Octave .... 8 feet

GREAT ORG.

^N.

CC TO A-'.

Douljle Open Din-

Principal .

4 feet

pason . . . .16 feet

10.

Harmonic Flute

■ 4 ,,

Bourdon . . . . 16 ft. tone

II.

Twelfth . . .

• 2§„

OpenDiajiason, major 8 feet

12.

Fifteenth . . .

• 2 ,,

OpenDiapason, minor 8 ,,

13-

Fourniture (5 rank

s) Various

(Jamba . . . . 8 ,,

14.

Mixture (4 ranks)

)»

Flute a Pavilion . 8 ,,

15-

Contra Posaune .

. 16 feet

Stopped Diapason . 8 ft. tone

16.

Tromba .

. 8 ,,

I larmonic Flute. . 8 feet

17-

Clarion

• 4 ,,

SWELL ORG. A

lN.

CC TO K\

]5ourdon . . . 16 ft. tone

Mixture (5 and

Open Diapason . . 8 feet

ranks) .

\'arious

Viola di Gamba . 8 ,,

Contra Fagotto .

. 16 feet

Stopped Diapason . 8 ft. tone

10.

Cornopean .

■ 8 „

Suabe-flote ... 4 feet

II.

Trumpet .

• 8 „

Principal . . . . 4 ,,

12.

Oboe ....

• 8 „

Fifteenth . . . . 2 ,,

13-

Clarion
Tremulant

• 4 .,

48 C J tester Cathedral.

COUPLERS

1. Swell Octave. • 6. Solo to Great.

2. .Swell Sub-Octave. 7. .Solo to Pedal.

3. Swell to Great. 8. Swell to Pedal.

4. Swell to Choir. 9. Great to Pedal.

5. Swell Sub-Octave. 10. Choir to Pedal.

The pneumatic lever is applied to the great, swell, and
pedal organs ; the tubular-pneumatic actions are applied to
the screen organ and to the draw-stops throughout. The
portion of the pedal organ erected against the north wall of
the transept is connected with the pedals by a tubular-
pneumatic action. Separate wind-reservoirs are provided for
each department of the instrument.

Consideration for the organ has led to the abandonment of
one of the most conspicuous and beautiful ornaments of the
interior of the cathedral. A vast candelabrum, suggested perhaps
by the curious corona at Hereford, was suspended some years ago
under the tower, and for a long time formed a notable feature
in any views of those parts of the cathedral from w'hich it could
be seen. It was a magnificent work of its kind, the details being
suggested by metal-work in Milan Cathedral. Unhappily it was
found that the great heat given out by it was seriously injurious
to the organ. The body of the candelabrum was therefore re-
moved, and only a fragment, in the shape of a Latin cross, is
remaining, and this, it must be confessed, is too small to be
really imposing.

The Choir Screen. — Sir Gilbert Scott, no less than Wyatt,
whose mutilation at Salisbury is notorious, was fascinated by the
prospect of obtaining an open view from end to end of a great
church. It must be admitted, however, that in order to achieve
his object. Sir Gilbert did not condescend to the radical tactics
of his predecessor in the business of restoration. Sir Gilbert's
Chester screen is a performance upon which he is sincerely to
be congratulated. It divides, though it does not separate, the
choir from the body of the cathedral, and forms no unworthy
introduction to the choir of which it is the entrance. It is far
more in keeping with Chester Cathedral than a metal Skidmore
screen, such as we find at Salisbury and Hereford, would have
been. The material used is English oak. In the centre is a
cluster of organ pipes which are an intrinsic part of the great
general organ, with which they are connected by tubular

The Cathedral — Interior. 49

pneumatic action. The stops are : Dulciana, Pierced Gamba,
Stopped Diapason, Hohl-Flote, and Gemshorn. The effect pro-
duced by the richly-carved woodwork of the screen is good, and
the screen is not so high as to shut out the view of the multitude
of finials in which the woodwork of the choir-stalls terminate.

The Choir, though not on a vast scale, is one of the most
beautiful in England, and gains in effect owing to the com-
parative smallness and severity of the nave. The architecture
is of the early Decorated period, or rather, to be more exact, of
the brief period of transition between the Early English and
Decorated styles. The choir has northern and southern aisles
and to the east stretches the Lady Chapel, all three of which
will be treated of separately. The most important architectural
feature of the main body of the choir is undoubtedly the curious
and elaborately decorative triforium, which affords a striking
contrast to the very simple triforium of the nave merged, as the
latter is, in the clerestory. In the choir the triforium arcades
are very intricate, the arches, which spring from grouped shafts,
being cusped. Above the triforium is a clerestory with good
geometrical tracery, but of no particular distinction. The
eastern termination of the choir is unsatisfactory, though some-
what unusual, possessed, as it is, of a marked character of its
own. It consists of a small arch, leading to the Lady Chapel,
above which is a window also of no great size. Interesting as are
the architectural details of the choir, they are not so attractive
as the superb fittings which are almost unrivalled specimens of
ancient English woodwork. To state that the Choir Stalls
at Chester are superior to the famous ones at Lincoln would be
merely to dogmatize on a matter of taste, but it is at least certain
that, save those at Lincoln, the Chester stalls have no rival in
England. The greater part of the woodwork is ancient and un-
touched : all the additions and renewals have been recently
made with frankness and ingenuity, so that the new work, while
it harmonizes with the old, is obviously modern. The following
enumeration of the stalls, with interesting facts concerning their
restoration, is taken, as is the description of the Miserere
which succeeds it, from Dean Howson's " Handbook," by per-
mission, most generously given, of the publishers, Messrs.
Phillipson and Golder, of Eastgate Row, Chester. The stalls
are taken in order from the entrance of the choir on the left
side :

50 Chester Cathedral.

(i) The Vice-Dean's Stall, restored by Canon Blomfield.
(2) The third Canon's Stall, the gift of clergy ordained in this
diocese between 1844 and 1876. (3) The fourth Canon's
Stall, restored by Canon Tarver. (4) The gift of Sir Gilbert
Greenall, Bart., High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1873. (5, 6, 7)
Presented by Mrs. T. C. Reade, the first and third bearing the
names of the Rev. T. Chorley Reade, and the Rev. T. Salt-
house. (8) The gift of T. Peploe Ward, Esq., in memory of
J. Clemison, Esq. (9) The gift of Dennis Bradwell, Esq.,
Mayor of Congleton in 1875. (1°) The gift of T. B. Forwood,
Esq. (11) Contributed by the parish of Middlewich. (12)
Contributed by the parish of Northwich. (13) The gift of
Charles Marsland, Esq. (14) The gift of members of the
Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire in honour of
Canon Hume, LL.D., and D.C.I,., of Liverpool. (15) Con-
tributed by the Parish of Prestbury. (16) Contributed by the
Parish of Bunbury. (17) The gift of R. Nicholson, Esq.
(18) The gift of Meadows Frost, Esq. (19) The gift of Ed.
Waters, Esq., M.D., in memory of the Hon. and Rev. Lorenzo
and Mrs. Hutchinson. (20) The gift of T. Dixon, Esq. (21)
Contributed by the Parish of Delamere. (22) Contributed by
the Parish of Bowdon. (23) The gift of C. T. W. Parry,
Esq. ; a memorial of his wife. (24) The gift of C. T W.
Parry, Esq.

On either hand of the bishop's throne is a stall, one (25)
the gift of E. C. Chapman, Esq. ; the other (26) the gift of
clergy ordained in the diocese between 1844 and 1876.

On the south side of the choir, in order eastwards, the stalls
are: (27) The gift of members of the congregation of Arch-
deacon Jones. (28) The gift of W. Johnson, Esq., Mayor of
Chester in 1866 and 1875. (29) The gift of pupils and
friends of Canon Gray. (30) The gift of friends of Canon
Knox of Birkenhead. (31) The gift of Sir T. G. Frost,
Mayor of Chester in 1868. (32) Contributed by the Parish of
Childwall. I^Ty'^ The gift of ladies in the congregation of
Canon Falloon, of Liverpool. (34) The gift of R. Frost, Esq.,
Mayor of Chester in 1863, 1864, and 187 1. (35) Contributed
by the Parish of Davenham. (36) Li memory of E. Comber,
Esq. (37) The gift of C. Miller, Esq., in memory of his wife.
(38) The gift of Sir E. Watkin, High Sheriff of Cheshire in
1874. (39) Given by members of a Bible Class, Christ Church,

The CatJicdral — Interior. 53

Southport ; a testimonial to Canon Clarke, D.D. (40) The
gift of Samuel Woodhouse, Esq., High Sheriff of Cheshire in
1869. (41) The gift of the Rev. Ambrose Jones, M.A. (42)
The gift of James Hepherd, Esq. (43) Given by M. B. B. in
memory of a father and mother. (44) The gift of Mrs. Piatt.

(45) In memory of John Laird, Esq., late M.P. for Birkenhead.

(46) The gift of the Rev. G. A. Perryn, D.D. (47) Con-
tributed by the Cambrian Archceological Association. (48)
Given by ladies of Chester in memory of the Rev. C. Kingsley,
M.A., formerly Canon of this Cathedral. (49) The second
Canon's Stall, restored by Canon Eaton. (50) The Dean's
Stall, restored by J. S. Howson, D.D., Dean.

The stall of the Archdeacon of Chester is the easternmost
on the north side ; that of the Archdeacon of Macclesfield (the
stall of the Archdeacon of Liverpool, before the last division of
the diocese) is the easternmost on the south side. From these
two points the stalls of the twenty-four honorary canons are
numbered westwards and marked by inscriptions. The stalls
of the chancellor of the diocese, the precentor, and the head
master of the King's School, are similarly indicated.

A specially interesting feature of the stalls is the miserere or
snbstihe. The exact use of the miserere was probably that of an
occasional seat for fatigued priests during the almost inter-
minable services of the Roman monastic churches, the name
obviously having reference to the compassionate intention.
Another and very opposite meaning has, however, been con-
jectured. In case a canon, while leaning on the unstable shelf,
became weary and inattentive during the long prayers and
chants, and happened to fall on to the desk in front of him,
the seat would come down with a loud enough bang to call the
attention of his fellow priests to his somnolent state. The
miserere at Chester are not perhaps so ancient as those at Exeter,
or as some of those in Henry VII.'s Chapel at A\'estminster, but
they shed some light on ancient legends, and are very curious.
In this note the order of the stalls is the same as in the note
devoted to the stalls themselves :

(i) A pelican feeding her young. (2) A knight in full
armour, on horseback : his lance over the left shoulder, and
shield charged with a St. Andrew's cross over the right ; the
carving of the armour is very fine and appears to be of the
time of Richard II. (3) Seraphs holding emblems of the

54 CJiester Cathedral.

Passion ; oak leaf pattern terminating tlie mouldings. (4) A
griffin; thorn leaf pattern terminating the mouldings. (5) Sub-
ject uncertain. (6) Scene from the legend of St. Werburgh : in
the centre the story of the restored goose ; on one side the
culprit detected, on the other side the culprit confessing. (7)
Modern, by Mr. Armitage : the fox and the grapes, with
foliage. (8) Modern, by Mr. Armitage : the fox and the
crow, with griffins as supporters. (9) Modern, by Mr. Bridg-
man: angels removing the stone from the Saviour's tomb;
soldiers sleeping below; on one side the gardener, on the
other Mary Magdalene. (10) Modern, by Mr. Armitage: the
fox and the stork; supporters, griffins, ending in foliage. (11)
A mask : two of smaller size as supporters. (12) A griffin and
a hog fighting ; goats on supporters, one of them scratching
its neck with its hind leg, the other in a quiet attitude. (13)
A wife with husband on his knees at her feet, with one hand
holding him by the tippet of his hood, with the other chastizing
him with some domestic implement. The costume should be
noted. (14) A forest scene: a fox on his back, with tongue
out, as if dead ; birds pecking at his tongue and on his legs ;
the supporters, on one side a fox carrying off a duck, on the
other a lion startled by the sound of birds. The trees are the
oak and black elder : at the roots are rabbits at the entrance
of their burrows. (15) ^I'wo herons, one walking, the other
standing with head set back ; one supporter a figure with
man's head and heron's body, the other a dragon. (16) Seated
figure of a king, richly draped : on each side of him a griffin
with one fore leg on the seat, as if guarding. (17) An angel,
richly draped and seated, playing a citherne ; the supporters,
angels in the clouds. (18) Monster with head and fore legs of
lion, and two dragons' bodies; supporters, two heads. (19)
A young man presenting a ring to a young woman who is
crowned ; a pet dog at her feet ; a crowned head, with long
beard, looks down upon them through the foliage ; right sup-
porter, an aged man with sword under his arm : left, an aged
woman, with pet dog in one hand. (20) A wild man, or inan
draped in animal's skin, seated on a prostrate man : the sup-
porters are also hairy figures, one in violent action, the other
seated on a tree. (21) A knight in armour, on horseback,
leaning backward ; supporters, two bloodhounds. (22)
Grotesque animal with lion's head and bat's wings ; the sup-

The Cathedral — Interior. 55

porters are a double fleur-de-lys. (23) A wild man, with club,
bestriding a lion with a chain round its neck ; supporters,
hybrid animals. (24) A stag-hunt ; as supporter on the right
a hound chasing a stag ; in the centre a knight with bow, a
servant leading a hound in leash ; trees round them with
birds ; left hand supporter, a squire bringing up the horse at
full gallop. (25) King's head crowned ; supporters, two
medallion heads with collars. (26) Lion mask, supported by
two of smaller size. (27) Mask, with foliage growing out of
the mouth ; supporters, two smaller masks. (28) Richard
Coeur de Lion pulling the heart out of the lion, the keeper,
with sword under his arm, looking on ; supporters, two gulls,
to show that the event happened across the sea. (29) Lion
and dragon fighting ; supporters, two wild men on animals, one
quietly seated, the other struggling. (30) A fox in costume of
a monk making an offering to a nun ; two nuns watching
among the trees. (31) A winged figure rising from a shell,
and fighting with dragons ; supporters, on one side two figures,
half human, half animal, in combat ; on the other, a figure, half
human, half animal, a deacon with stole over left shoulder, one
hand holding a cock. (32) Man's head on two animals'
bodies ; supporters, two heads, {t^t^) A lion's head crowned
on two bodies ; two monsters as supporters. (34) A man and^
woman seated, not amicably, side by side, foliage around.
(35) Virgin and child, an angel on each side ; pelicans feeding
their young from their breasts as supporters. (36) A wild man
seated on a lion, with chain round his neck ; supporters, two
lions. (37) Figure of a man seated, richly draped, with round
cap ; supporters, two roses. (38) Sow and young pigs in a
wood, a man looking through the branches at them. (39) A
man leading a lion with one hand, and holding a club in the
other ; two lions as supporters. (40) Wrestlers : very interest-
ing, as showing the manner in which wrestling was done in the
period when these carvings were made ; marshals on each side
with their batons ; spectators in the background looking
through the trees. (41) Unicorn, with its head on a virgin's
knee ; a knight attacking it. (42) A head on two bodies,
foliage supporting. (43) A knight, fully armed, prostrate on
his back ; a griffin standing over him ; supporters, two dogs.
(44) Foliage, with roses. (45) A falcon with a duck in its
talons ; supporters, two falcons. ' (46) Gate with portcullis

56 Chester Cathedral.

fallen on the back of the horse of a rider who escapes ; sup-
porters, two heads. (47) Grotesque animals. (48) Coronation
of the Virgin, seated under a canopy; angels playing the citherne
as supporters.

The stalls on the south side terminate with the handsome
modern Episcopal Throne, a work which has been designed
to accord with the woodwork of the other seats in the choir
for the clergy and singing men and boys. The throne, or rather
its base, was formerly of particular interest when regarded in
relation to the history of the church. Among the English
places of pilgrimage, the shrine of S. Werburgh was, during the
Middle Ages, one of the most popular, and, in consequence,
Chester Cathedral came to be visited by crowds of the devout.
At the Reformation, the shrine was destroyed by the vast wave
of iconoclasm which submerged the country. Fragments of it
were, however, used as the base of the bishop's throne. Pennant
tells us that the throne " stands on a stone base, as remarkable
for its sculpture as its original use. Its form is oblong or square,
and each side most richly ornamented with Gothic carvings,
arches, and pinnacles. Around the upper part is a range of
little images designed to represent the kings and saints of the
Mercian kingdom. Each held in one hand a scroll with the
name inscribed. Fanatic ignorance mutilated many of the
labels as well as the figures, but the last were restored about
the year 1748: but the workman, by an unlucky mistake, has
placed female heads on male shoulders, and given manly faces
to the bodies of the fair sex. At first there were thirty-four
figures : four are lost, the remainder are faithfully described, and
the history of each monarch and saint accurately given in a little
pamphlet published in 1749, by the worthy Doctor William
Cooper, who dedicated the profits ' for the use of the Blue
Coat Hospital in this City' " ("Tour in Wales"). On the re-
construction of the throne, the fragments of the shrine alluded
to above were removed to the west end of the south choir aisle,
where, together with other fragments discovered during the
process of restoration, they may still be seen. The greater part
of the expense of the existing throne was defrayed by the clergy
of the diocese. Messrs. Farmer and Brindley are responsible
for the execution. The stalls on each side of the bishop's seat
are for the use of the chancellor of the diocese and the bishop's
chaplain.

The Cathedral — Interior. 59

Ornaments of the Choir. — The pulpit is a modern work
by Messrs. Farmer and Brindley, and although a very fair
example of its kind, is not particularly distinguished. It was
the gift of the Freemasons of Cheshire. The communion
rail, like so much of the modern metal-work in our cathedrals,
is by Skidmore of Coventry. The lectern, part of a bequest by
a lady of the locality, is good in its way. The two large ancient
candelabra, which were presented by the Duke of Westminster,
are far more interesting than any of the modern ornaments of
this part of the cathedral. They are noble examples of Italian
cinque cento work, and take their places quite harmoniously in
an old English Gothic choir. The sedilia were restored by local
freemasons. The communion table is interesting from the sen-
timental rather than artistic point of view, though there is little
to find fault with in its design, while the carving by Mr. Armitage
of Altrincham is very skilful. The wood was procured from
Palestine, and some of it was presented by a prominent Non-
conformist. The top is of oak from Bashan, while other woods
employed are cedar from Lebanon, and olive from the Mount
of Olives. The carving represents some of the plants of the
Holy Land, including flax, hyssop, wheat, vine, palm, olive,
bulrush, myrrh, and thorn. The holy table was the gift of
Dean Howson.

The Reredos may be dismissed in a few words. It consists
of a mosaic by Messrs. Clayton and Bell, representing the Last
Supper. It was the gift of Mrs. Piatt, who was, as we have
seen, a very generous friend of the cathedral.

Decorations of the Roof. The old plaster roof, which
for a long time formed the ceiling of the choir has now given
way to a fine vault of oak. The elaborate architecture of the
choir, and the sf)lendour of its fittings, naturally called for a
roof of a very decorative character. Accordingly, ^1,400
have been expended on its beautification. The work was in-
trusted to Messrs. Clayton and Bell, and may be considered
satisfactory. The colour escapes garishness on the one hand,
and dulness on the other. The eastern bays are occupied with
representations of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea,
Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zepha-
niah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Each prophet bears a
scroll with a phrase in Latin from his own prophecies. Con-
ventional angels, and angels bearing musical instruments, are

6o Chester Cathedral.

appropriately placed over the seats of the members of the choir.
The modern floor of the choir is of a very ornate description,
and was specially designed to harmonize with the new roof.
The heads of the twelve Apostles are represented round the
lectern in incised marble, as are those of St. Ambrose sym-
bolizing Ecclesiastical Music ; St. Athanasius, Faith; St. Augus-
tine, Divinity ; and St. Chrysostom, Preaching. Besides these,
there are four representations of the Passover, surrounded with
tessera, which once formed part of a pavement in the Temple
at Jerusalem. The encaustic tiles were designed and manu-
factured by Messrs. Maw, of Jackfield, Salop.

The Aisles of the Choir. — The north choir aisle formerly
ended apsidally, and the termination of the Norman apse has
been indicated by a curve of dark marble let into the floor.
There are in this aisle unmistakable fragments of the Norman
architecture of the original church, such as the inverted capital
of a huge Norman pier which has been used to support a pier of
more recent date. Of the architectural history of the canon's
vestry, at present entered from this aisle, some account has
already been given. The vestry was originally a chapel. The
style is for the most part Early English, but the west side is
clearly Norman ; a restoration took place about fourteen years
ago at the cost of R. Piatt, Esq. In the vestry is an interesting
model of the cathedral with the proposed spire. A curious
cupboard of very ancient date will be found worth examina-
tion by reason of its beautiful ornamental ironwork. The north
aisle will be found more interesting to the student of architec-
tural styles than almost any other part of the cathedral, and even
the casual observer cannot fail to be impressed by the evidence
it gives of the gradual evolution of English Gothic architecture.
From Norman of the most severe type, we pass to Early English,
from fairly characteristic Early English to Perpendicular. A
piscina, of distinctly Early English character, marks the spot at
which the work in that style begins, while a glance at the vaulting
shows that we have entered on a period of architecture very differ-
ent from that we have just quitted. The Early English termination
of this aisle was not nearly so easterly as it is at present, making as
it does two bays of the Lady Chapel intertial, which originally were
external. This eastern extension belongs to the Perpendicular
period, and its principal object seems to have been to secure an
entrance from the aisle to the Lady Chapel, which, previous to

TJie Cathedral — biterior. 6i

that time, could only be entered from the choir. The most
westerly window on the north side of the Lady Chapel was
accordingly converted into an opening through which the monks
could pass from the aisle to the chapel, while the second window
was, as we have seen, made internal. The architectural history
of the south aisle is very much the same as that of the north,
save for the recent restoration which has given its eastern termi-
nation an utterly different aspect. Of that restoration, of the
renewal of the apsidal termination on a plan suggested to Sir
Gilbert Scott by examples in Normandy, enough has already
been said. Whatever the merits of the question from the
archaeological point of view, the new apse has left the south side
of the Lady Chapel clear and open to view in its entirety, a ser-
vice of no small importance. The interior of this termination
has been made a memorial of Thomas Brassey, the great con-
tractor, whose children have borne the entire expense of its
construction and decoration. On the north wall is a memorial
bust of Mr. Brassey ; the mosaics which form a memorial of
Mrs. Brassey, were executed in Venice by Salviati from designs
by Messrs. Clayton and Bell.

The Lady Chapel is directly east of the choir, and occu-
pies in regard to the main structure the same position as does
the Lady Chapel at Salisbury, Ciloucester, Worcester, and,
indeed, most other English cathedrals. The Lady Chapel at
Chester has not been more fortunate than other parts of the
cathedral in the matter of the necessity for restoration. After
innumerable vicissitudes, after all kinds of architectural change,
we now see it as a uniform specimen of Early English. Some
information in respect of its structural history has already been
given in the account of the exterior and of the choir aisles.
It is to be observed that at the restoration the Lady Chapel
was found to have been built without foundations of any sort
or kind, so that the first work undertaken was that of under-
pinning. In its present restored state the chapel is a good
example of Early English of the best period of that style. The
beautiful east window of five lancets is one of Sir Gilbert Scott's
most successful designs, and accords well with the windows in
the other walls which are remarkably graceful and simple. The
groined roof is practically as the original builders left it, and one
of its bosses is of great historic interest. It depicts the murder
of Thomas a Becket which took place in 1170, only about a

62 Chester Cathedral.

century previous to the building of the Lady Chapel. An en-
graving of this boss is to be found in Dean Howson's book on the
River Dee. In 1855, the polychromatic decoration of the roof
was undertaken with satisfactory results by Mr. Octavius Hudson.
Sir Arthur Blomfield designed the work in mosaic at the east end
of the chapel. The woodwork at the west end bears the date
1637. It is part of the pulpit of Bishop Bridgemann who was
persecuted by Cromwell. It bears the inscription O. B. Episc,
and was removed to its present place from the choir. The
other ornaments of the Lady Chapel are modern and call
for no description. Among the historical reminiscences which
cluster round this part of the cathedral, one at least deserves
notice. The Lady Chapel was, at the time of the Reformation,
used as the Consistory court of the diocese, and in it George
Marsh was condemned to the stake for teaching heretical
doctrines. His sentence was carried out at Boughton on the
outskirts of the city.

Monuments in the Choir and Lady Chapel, Chester
Cathedral is by no means rich in interesting monuments, but
those in the choir aisles and Lady Chapel are better worth
examination than those in other parts of the church. In
the north choir aisle, nobody who cares for the architectural
history of the cathedral will fail to notice a brass to the memory
of Dean Howson, who is buried in the cloisters. It bears the
following inscription :

"To the Memory of John .Saul Howson, D. D.

Late Scholar of

Trinity College, Cambridge,

and from 1867 to 1885

Dean of This Cathedral Church

which mainly by his strenuous &

devoted efforts, was during
those years recovered from decay,

to a state of beauty and fitness

for the worship of Ciod and for the

ministry of the word ; ob. Dec. 15, 1885.

Crux est Potestas Dei."

This epitaph certainly does not err on the side of flattery. In
addition to the inestimable services which Dean Howson
rendered to the cathedral, he has other very substantial claims
to remembrance. He was a biblical commentator of high dis-
tinction, being joint author with Conybeare of the well-known

The Cathedral — Interior. 63

" Life of St. Paul." Among works of a lighter and more popular
kind from his pen is one entitled " The River Dee : its Aspect
and History," in which he writes of the famous stream with all
the devotion of a lover. Below the Howson brass is one to
James Fraser, clerk of the works during the Restoration, whose
enthusiastic devotion to the repair of the cathedral was little
short of that of the dean himself. At the east of the north aisle
is a monument to Bishop Graham, which takes the form of a
recumbent effigy, while at the corresponding end of the south
aisle, a tablet commemorates Bishop Peploe, who died in 1752.
Close by are the usual tablets to people " entirely beloved," " of
affectionate deportment," of an "ancient and honourable family,"
and the like. A simple stone marks the restmg-place of Dean
Ardene, who did nmch for the cathedral library. The inscrip-
tion terminates : "This plain monument, with the above
inscription upon this cheap stone, is according to the express
words of Dean Ardene's VVill." An altar tomb of a decorative
character, which still retains much of the ancient gilding and
painting, is one of the most conspicuous features of the south
choir aisle, it cannot be identified with any degree of certainty,
and it has been and still is the subject of the wildest conjectures.
The most preposterous theory is that it is the tomb of Henry IV.,
Emperor of (iermany, who abdicated in 1103. The workman-
ship and design of the monument at Chester clearly are of the
fifteenth century, and the Emperor died in the year 1106. As
a matter of fact, Henry IV. completed the building of the
Romanesque cathedral of Spires in Bavaria, and was buried in it
at his death, which took place in that city. In all probability
the tomb marks the resting-place of one of the abbots of
St. Werburgh. Near the doorway of this aisle, which was
re-opened at the Restoration, is the burying-place of Ralph
Higden, author of the mediceval history called the "Poly-
chronicon," who died about 1367. The gates at the entrances
of the choir aisles are fine examples of Spanish metal-work,
dated 1558, and were presented by the Duke of Westminster.

The Siained Glass of the Windows — The windows
of Chester Cathedral were doubtless originally filled with ancient
stained glass, which added to the interior of the church sj)lendid
masses of shimmering colour. All the old glass is gone : of the
new% a little is good, while much is bad or indifferent. The
great Perpendicular window at the west is filled with glass by

64 Chester Cathedral.

O'Connor, which, though it is gaudy rather than gorgeous, is
not, under certain conditions of Hght, ineffective. Considering
that it was inserted between the years 1850 and i860, when
there was httle sign of the present notable revival in the manu-
facture of fine stained glass, it is very creditable to its inventor.
The glass in the windows of the south aisle of the nave is to the
memory of Canon Slade, one of the most energetic and popular
of the cathedral dignitaries. It belongs to the 1850-75 period,
and is of little importance. In the south transept we come to
more recent and better work by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and
Clayton and Bell, the great south window being worth examina-
tion. The expense of the glass, as well as of the stonework of
the window, was defrayed by Lord Egerton of Tatton, to whose
father it is intended as a memorial. While the design is good,
there is a certain lack of luminosity about the glass. The
subject is "The Triumph of Faith." Messrs. Heaton, Butler
and Bayne designed and executed this window. To pass from
this to windows by Wailes, in the now abandoned pictorial style,
is not a welcome change. The apse in which the south aisle of
the choir terminates has been glazed by Messrs. Clayton and Bell,
and the work is satisfactory, if not of marked distinction. The
subjects dealt with are "Faith," " Hope," and "Charity."
None of the other glass in the cathedral is of interest. It is
deeply to be regretted that all the old glass has disappeared.
The window above the arch dividing the choir from the Lady
Chapel appears to be old. It is, at all events, in agreeable
contrast to the glass of the 1850-60 period.

CHAPTER IV.

THE CONVENTUAL BUILDINGS.

It is not too much to say that, whatever the place of Chester
Cathedral among the great ecclesiastical buildings of England,
the remains of its conventual establishment are infinitely more
important, speaking archaeologically, than the cathedral to
which they are attached. Professor Freeman, whose opinion
on a question of this kind is entitled to the utmost respect,
insists, as we have already seen, on their extraordinary interest.
Some of these buildings, such as the chapter house and re-
fectory, charm the most casual sightseer by their extreme beauty
and rare distinction. Others, as for example the cloisters, are
interesting rather than beautiful, and for their adequate appre-
ciation, careful attention, and at least an elementary knowledge
of the evolution of architecture in England and the main
differentiating features of English styles are essential. People,
however, who are entirely ignorant of architecture, and to whom
beautiful design makes slight appeal, will not fail to appreciate
the ancient relics if they have the faintest sense of veneration
or of that quality in old things which, in spite of Rossetti's
famous condemnation of the adjective, is best described as
" quaint." Amongst the crumbling remains of the great Monas-
tery of S. Werburgh one finds the unexpected constantly hap-
pening, passing, as one does, in the twinkling of an eye, from
some hideous modern excrescence to a fine reminder of the
great period of the Pointed style in this country. It may be
added that amongst the conventual remains at Chester, the
restorer has on the whole behaved very well, so that we see the
buildings as they were seen by our fathers and the men of old
time before them.

The Cloisters, while they are in no sense to be compared

66 Chester Cathedral.

with those of Gloucester and of several other English monastic
churches, are of very great importance to the architectural
student of Chester Cathedral. Their position is unusual, placed
as they are on the north, instead of the south, side of the
cathedral, a fact explained by what has already been said with
regard to the south transept and the disputes relative to its use
as a parish church by the parishioners of S. Oswald. From the
cathedral, the cloisters are entered by a Norman doorway in the
eastern part of the north aisle of the nave. On the inside, this
doorway is of the simplest character : on the outside, the mould-
ings, though not particularly ornate, are far more complicated.
This doorway, as will be noticed by those who see it from the
cloister side, is a standing proof of how scant was the respect
of old architects for the works of their predecessors. When
the vaulting of the south side of the cloisters was added, the
symmetry of the Norman portal was utterly disregarded. The
wall of the church, from this doorway to its western end, con-
tains most interesting remains of the church of Hugh Lupus.
The entire south cloister, save the bases of a few of the vaulting
shafts and a fragment at the eastern extremity, is practically
modern, and presents a strong contrast to the dilapidated and
crumbling though picturesque appearance of the three unre-
stored sides of the quadrangle. The cloisters are of the Per-
pendicular style and may be considered examples of that style
at its best. At the south-east angle, in the greensward, is the
grave of Dean Howson, which is marked by a simple, though
appropriate and dignified, tombstone. Interesting ancient
stones, commemorative of some of the early abbots who were
buried in the eastern part of the south cloister (including the
first who presided over the Monastery of S. Werburgh), may
still be seen in their proper places. There seems to be evidence,
judging from some fragments discovered during the course of
the restoration, that the cloisters were originally paved with tiles
of elaborate and beautiful design. The tiles which have been
found at Chester are similar to those discovered in great quanti-
ties at Wenlock, Netley, and other English abbeys, and were
no doubt made in this country. It will be noticed that on
the south side, and also on' part of the west, the arcades are
double, a rather unusual and very effective arrangement. At its
west end, a Norman passage leads from the south cloister to
the north-west front of the cathedral A curious vaulted cham-

IN THE CLOISTERS, NORTH-WEST (KROM A PHOTOGKAl'H KY H. C. OAKDEN)

TJie Cotiventual Buildings. 69

ber, of no great width, extends along the west cloister from
north to south. It is in the Early Norman style, and is sup-
ported by massive pillars. The windows are small, and the
light correspondingly dim, and it is not improbable that it was
merely the cellar of the abbot's residence. Against this con-
jecture it has been urged that the size of the room is far too
great, but it must be remembered that the abbot's establish-
ment was on a vast scale. Various authorities have described ii
as the hall in which the abbots entertained their guests, as a
store-room, and as an ambulatory for the monks, but no un-
answerable case has been made out in favour of any of these
theories. The balance of probability leans toward its being a
cellar or place of storage. The east cloister is bounded by the
vestibule of the chapter house and by the Fratery of the
monastery. This fine vaulted chamber, which, although only
lately restored, is at present given over to the storage of coke
and other fuel for the use of the heating apparatus of the cathe-
dral, is approached by what is known as the Maiden Aisle.
The most conspicuous feature of the north cloister is the richly
carved Early English entrance to the refectory ; although the
decorative sculpture is somewhat decayed, that which has sur-
vived is quite sufficient to suggest its pristine beauty and the
elaborate character of its ornament. The slight protection
afforded to this archway by the over-hanging roof of the cloister
has saved it from the utter annihilation which has overtaken the
sculptural details of the west front of the cathedral, but much
damage has been done even here.

The Chapter House. — The chapter houses of English
cathedrals are for the most part either rectangular or octagonal
in shape. Those later in date and more pretentious archi-
tecturally, such as Lichfield, Salisbury, and York, are octagonal,
while the earlier ones are rectangular. Among the rectangular
chapter houses, the Norman ones of (Gloucester and Bristol, the
latter of which is perhaps the most beautiful Norman chamber
in England, are the most conspicuous. That the Norman
chapter rouse was not always rectangular is proved by the
example at Worcester, of which the masonry of the walls is
clearly Norman. This chapter house, like the thirteenth cen-
tury room at Lincoln, is decagonal. The lower part of the
rectangular chapter house of Canterbury is in the Early English
style. At Chester the rectangular chapter house belongs to the

Chester Cathedral.

first period of Early English, being built almost immediately
after the transition from the Norman to the Pointed style. It
is approached, as we have already seen, from the east cloister,
the entrance being through a vestibule adjacent to the Maiden
Aisle. Both the vestibule and the chapter house itself are
decidedly earlier in date than the Lady Chapel which, as we
have seen, is likewise Early English. The vestibule is entirely
worthy of the beautiful room to which it forms the entrance.

THE CLOISTERS, SOUTH SIDE (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH BV CARL
NORMAN AND CO.).

It is remarkable for grace, lightness, and symmetry. The
principal point of interest as regards its architecture is that the
mouldings of the pillars run without any kind of break up to
the vaulting. In this way the necessity for capitals is done away
with. If capitals had been interposed there would no doubt have
been an appreciable loss of that gracefulness which is the most
conspicuous feature of the vestibule. This vestibule, it may be
noted, at present serves other purposes than those of mere
ornament. In it, twice every day, the lay-clerks and choristers
meet for prayer, before going to the choir of the cathedral in

TJie Co}ive7itual Buildings. "Ji

procession, and moreover, the cassocks and surplices of the
voluntary Sunday choir are, or recently were, kept here. The
net architectural impression left by the vestibule is that it is less
English in character than Continental. It strikes one as the
work of a French, rather than of an English, architect. It is
undoubtedly a feature of rare distinction. The chapter house
is a parallelogram in shape, of three bays, and dates from about
the middle of the thirteenth century, the exact year to which it
is generally ascribed being 1240. The existing Early English
building at that date took the place of a more ancient Norman
one, of which the rectangular form was retained. The dignity
of the present room will strike everyone the moment its
threshold has been crossed. The windows are of particularly
refined design. An interesting feature is the series of detached
shafts on the inside. The windows on the north and south
sides are of three lights, the most westerly on each side being
blank. The east window is particularly fine and consists of a
group of five lights. The windows of the chapel contain modern
stained glass by Wailes illustrating scenes from the lives of S.
Peter and S. Paul, and other biblical subjects. In the east
window, the history of S. Werburgh is very appropriately dealt
with. The glass in the chapter house is perhaps better than
any which is to be found in the cathedral proper, but this
cannot be said to imply very high praise. The colour is garish
rather than really brilliant : the desire to tell a story, rather than
to introduce light through a mass of precious stones, is too
evident.

The wall-space below the windows is taken up by book-
shelves on which the volumes which comprise the cathedral
library are placed. The chapter house at Chester is not with-
out literary associations of very real interest. In modern
days, the most conspicuous contributor to letters who has sat in
it is Charles Kingsley, whose bust by Belt is among its orna-
ments. During his all too brief residence at Chester, Canon
Kingsley did much to i)romote the study of natural science in
the city and neighbourhood. How highly his memory is
esteemed, may be appreciated by any visitor to the Grosvenor
Museum and School of Science and Art, and nobody should
leave Chester without examining the antiquities and collections
of natural history which the museum contains. Centuries
before Canon Kingsley, other men of letters attended the

Chester Cathedral.

deliberations held in the chapter house. Amongst others were
Ralph Higden and Henry Bradshaw, to whom frequent refer-
ences have been made in the foregoing pages. Between them
and the author of " Westward Ho ! " we have the illustrious
name of John Pearson. One of the volumes in the library
contains autograph notes by this great divine. The most
generous benefactor to the library was Dean Ardcne. The

THE VESTIBULE OF THE CHAPTER HOUSE (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
BY CARL NORMAN AND CO.).

collection contains few works of interest, consisting as it does
for the most part of the standard theological books of the last
two centuries. There would appear to be nothing in the way
of manuscripts to take us back to the days of the monks of S.
Werburgh.

The monastery no doubt possessed at some period of its his-
tory a collection of those monkish illuminations which are now
without price. Whether they fell into the hands of the spoiler
at the time of the Reformation, or whether they have been lost

N f ' : 3 ' ■ 4--I--TT ill"" 1' i

ENTRANCE TO THE VESTIHUI.E (kKOM A PIU ) lOGKAl'U BY H. C. OAKDEN).

The Conventual Buildings. 75

to us through the neglect of the clergy of more recent times, we
shall probably never know. No trace of them at present
exists.

The Refectory. — If, as some judicious critics have main-
tained, the chapter house is the most interesting part of Chester
Cathedral, the refectory has serious claims to dispute its pre-
eminence. At the present time it measures only 90 feet long
by 34 feet wide. Formerly, however, its proportions were much
more imposing. Unfortunately the passage made from the
north cloister to Abbey Square necessitated the demolition of
the west end, so that the room, as we now see it, is nothing like
so large as it was when completed by its original builders. For
a considerable time it was used as the chief school-room of the
King's Grammar School. One cannot but be glad that this
noble old building is no longer subjected to the wear and tear
inseparable from the conduct of a large boys' school. At pre
sent it is given over to the cathedral choir for their practice, and
contains a small organ. The architecture of the refectory is
Early English, but the windows are filled with very poor Perpen-
dicular tracery. The window at the east end is altogether mean.
It is at the same time to be desired that no fantastic scheme of
restoration should be undertaken : whatever would be gained in
comeliness would inevitably be lost in essential interest. , The
gem of the refectory is the lector's pulpit, near the south-east
corner of the room, which, with its charming staircase in the
wall, is an unusually fine piece of pure Early English work.
Examples such as this are very rare in England, the best
known being that in Beaulieu Church, Hampshire. The church
was formerly the refectory of the Cistercian Abbey. In point of
artistic merit there is little to choose between the Chester pulpit
and its southern rival. The space on the other side of the
dividing passage between the cloisters and the Abbey Square,
after being clogged up with rubbish for generations, has now
been cleared, so that the original proportions of the refectory
can be well appreciated.

Abbey Square and Gateway. — Abbey Square is at the
present time anything but picturesque. It is made up of modern
houses of the most prosaic kind, with a sprinkling of those solid
mansions of the last century which seem to obtrude the prosperity
of their occupants. It is entered through the sombre fourteenth
century archway known as the Abbe\" Ciatewa}-. It is well-

Chester Cathcdj'al.

described by one of the most gifted of Chester's innumerable
antiquarians, the late Thomas Hughes. " In its halcyon days,"
says Mr. Hughes, " few gates indeed might ' stand between the
wind and its nobility ; ' for regal pomp and lordly retinue ever
and anon sought a welcome here. And not in vain : for, when
once its ponderous doors moved back to give them ingress, the
tables of the refectory and the bonhomie of the monks never
failed to sustain the hospitable character of the abbey. Look

INTERIOR OF THE CHAPTER HOUSE (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
BY CARL NORMAN AND CO.).

up through the gloom at the solid masonry of this ancient pile,
and at the admirable groining which supports the superstructure ;
— gingerbread architecture was all unknown in those mediaeval
times ! On the west side of the archway we can still see the rust-
coated staples on which, three or four centuries ago, swang the
open gates of the Abbey." Tradition asserts that George Marsh
was imprisoned in one of the rooms of the gateway previous to
his death at the stake at Broughton. The Abbey Gateway is
now used as the bishop's registry office. According to Mr.

The Conventual Bui/dzjurs.

Hughes the space in front of the abbey gate was " used by the
monks of S. Werburgh from the time of the great Hugh Lupus
to the advent of the Reformation for their annual Fair at the
great feast of their saint." "'I'he King's School lies between the

THE NORMAN CHAMIiER (FROM A I'lIO TOC.RAI'II KV CARl.
NORMAN AND CO.).

gate and the west front of the cathedral. The present epi-
scopal palace stands high above the River Dee under the walls
of the Collegiate Church of S. John the Baptist. It is a large
and very plain modern red-brick house with no pretension either
to interest or beauty.

RUINS AT s. John's (from a photograph by carl norman

AND CO.).

CHAPTER V.

A NOTE ON THE COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF S. JOHN THE HAPTIST.

Although this handbook is intended to deal primarily with
the Cathedral Church of Chester, a brief note on the former
Cathedral of S. John the Baptist, in view of its intimate con-
nection with the episcopal history of Chester cannot be con-
sidered out of place. The relation of the collegiate Church of
S. John the Baptist to the Cathedral Church of Christ and the
Blessed Virgin Mary is to a great extent similar to that of Christ
Church, Dublin, to S. Patrick's Cathedral. Westminster Abbey
and S. Paul's constitute, or rather, to be more strictly accurate,
did constitute, a case somewhat analogous ; and again, one finds
something of the same kind at Rome. As we have already seen
in the section of this handbook dealing with the history of the
diocese, the Church of S. John the Baptist, which is actually
outside, though very near to the ancient city walls, was the first
structure to be used as the cathedral of the then undivided

Note on the Collegiate Church of S. John the Baptist. 79

diocese of Lichfield, Coventry, and Chester. As in the case of
the Cathedral of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, a structure
occupied the site of the present church of S. John the Baptist in
Saxon times which was erected pro-
bably towards the end of the seventh
century. The origin of the earliest
establishment is accounted for in
numerous ancient legends ; none of
them are, however, strikingly pic-
turesque or historically important.
According to one of those most widely
accepted. King Ethelred " was ad-
monished to erect it (a church) on
the spot where he should find a
white hind." This incident is indi-
cated in the remains of an ancient
painting on one of the pillars of the
nave of S. John's. The foundation
of S. John's is alluded to in Brad-
shaw's " Holy Lyfe and History of
Saint Werburge," in the following
lines :

The year of grace six hundred fourscore

and nyen,
As sheweth myne auctour a Bryton Giraldus,
Kynge Ethelred, myndynge moost blysse

of Heven,
Edyfyed a Collage Churche notal)le and

beauteous,
In the honor of God, and the ISaptyst

Saynt Johan,
With help of byssho]) Wulfrice, and good

exortacion.

Of the history of the church before
the Conquest we know almost no-
thing, and no fragment of the ori-
ginal Saxon building remains to show
us of what material it was built. A local tradition says that
after the Battle of Hastings, King Harold, last of the Saxon
line, having renounced the world, lived as a hermit in a cell
in one of the walls of the churchyard ; but this story is not
su[)ported by a particle of trustworthy evidence. As in the

incised slab,
John's, Chester.

8o Chester Cathedral.

case of the cathedral the Church of S. John the Baptist was re-
paired by Leofric about the middle of the eleventh century. We
have already seen S. John's, which had previously been a col-
legiate church, was used by the first Norman bishop of Lichfield,
Coventry, and Chester, as a cathedral in 1067. It continued to
rank as such until the reign of Henry VIII., and had, to use the
words of Mr. J. H. Parker, " Its own Dean and Canons until
the suppression of the Monasteries, when the Church and Con-
ventual buildings of St. Werburgh's Monastery were given to the
Dean and Chapter of Chester, and the Cathedral, or seat of the
bishop, was transferred to them. This was probably also owing
to the want of an adequate endowment for the Dean and Chapter
of S. John's, who do not appear to have ever received much
addition to the original endowment in the time of the Conqueror.
The property recorded in the Doomsday survey is nearly the
same as that enumerated in the Valor Eaiesiasticus, or Liber
Regis of Henry VIII. : at both periods the chapter consisted
of a Dean and seven Canons, each with his separate house.
They had always been, and continued to be a body of Secular
Priests, and not a Monastic Establishment. They had no
common Dormitory or Refectory, nor the other usual offices
of a Monastery. Each Canon occupied his own small house,
and the Dean a large one, within the close or enclosure round
the church, probably where St. John's House and Rectory now
are." Mr. Parker estimates the total yearly income of the .
chapter as equal to about ^1,600 of our present money. Each
canon received no more than ^150 a year, while the dean had
about double that sum. The last Dean of S. John's surren-
dered his college to the crown in 1547, and a few years after
received the comparatively lucrative appointment of Dean of the
new Cathedral Church of Chester.

The rise of the Cathedral dedicated to Christ and the
Blessed Virgin Mary was equivalent to the almost entire
destruction of S. John's, which, save for a convenient accident,
might have shared the melancholy, if picturesque fate of
the great series of totally ruined ecclesiastical establishments,
of which Tintern, Bolton, Furniss, Fountains, and Kirkstall,
are such conspicuous and exquisite examples. The iconoclasm
of Oliver Cromwell, or rather of those zealots who were his
instruments, is incontestable ; but even that was not productive
of such deplorable results as the heartless policy of plunder

Note on the Collegiate Church of S. John the Baptist. 8 1

pursued by Henry VIII. To strip the roof of an ancient
church of its lead was far more deadly than the mere break-
ing of images or the temporary perversion of a nave to the
uses of a stable.' S. John's would to-day have been completely
ruined had not it occurred to the parishioners that part of it
would serve them as a parish church. Actuated it may be by
motives of economy, the parishioners in question took steps to
procure from Queen Elizabeth a grant of what remained of the
church, and having obtained it, proceeded to preserve about
one-fourth of the once magnificent structure for their limited
uses.

The existing parish register of S. John's begins in 1559.
The first baptism is that of " Margaret Barlow Oct. 29 ; " the
first marriage is recorded in the simple phrase " Andrew Taylor
and Margt were married Nov. 5. 1559." Some of the entries
are sufficiently curious to warrant quotation :

" May 18. 1624 First baptism after the font was beautified.
Francis son to William Fearnall beinge firste after the fonte
was beautified."

"Sept. 30. 1783 John, son to Francis Powell, who was the
first to pay the threepenny tax."

The Rev. Cooper Scot, in his " Lectures on the History of
St. John Baptist Church and Parish, in the city of Chester,"
states the causes of death which are given in the burial registers
between the years 1778 and 1812. The following is the
formidable list of those ills which were the undoing of the
men who were buried in the graveyard of S. John's between
the dates named : "A long decline. Consumption, Decay, Fever,
Quinsey, Old age. Pleurisy, Bilious Cholic, Jaundice, Gout in
Stomach, Not known (!) The Evil, Milary Fever, a Waste,
Smallpox, Brain Fever, Deprivur of his limbs, Measles, Astmah,
Inflamed Leg, Gravel, Ague, Cancer (this cause appears very
seldom), Drad Palsy, Melancholy (this was 'an Invalid,' i.e.,
a retired soldier). Apoplexy, Inflammation in the Bowels, Teeth,
Lunacy, Surfeit, Drownded, Mortification, Throat Fever, Con-

' The following report liy the Coniinissioners of Edward VL on their
visit in 1548, shows the manner in which the Church of S. John was dealt
with : "The bodye of the same Churche thowghte suffi'ent to sve the said
p'ishoners wt the charge of \xli. so that the liole chunsell wt the twoo
isles may be reserved for the King's ma"-"^ having upon them lead to tlie
([uantatie of xxxiij ffothers."

CJiester Cathedral.

vulsions, a Crush Palsy, Sudden
Inward Weakness, Dyed on a
journey, Chincough, Small Pox,
Dropsy, Intemperance, Cold,
Grief (this was a soldier).
Spotted Fever, Lameness, Putrid
Smallpox, Diabetes, Pain of the
Stomach, Rupture, Stone, Hys-
terichs, Rheumatism, Dumb
Palsy, Tooth Fever, Dropsy in
the heart a White Swelling,
Phthysick, a Violent Fever." In
the records of the vestry meet-
ings we find such entries as
paid for a Quart of Sack, and
White wine an suger." And
again ecclesiastical differences
are indicated by such a record
as the following: "1637 Paid
the ringers for not ringing when
the Bishop came to view the
Church 00.03.04."

In the year 1572 we read
that " a great part of the steeple
fell, and in 1574 two-fourths of
the whole steeple, from top to
bottom, fell upon the west end
of the Church and broke down
a great part of it." The church
thus injured was, judging from
what remains to us, an extremely
fine building. Ormerod gives
the following detailed descrip-
tion of it : " The church was in
the finest style of early Norman
architecture, and was probably
built shortly after the removal
of the See from Chester to
Coventry and the restoration
of the collegiate establishment.
It consisted originally, as may

MOM-MKNI'AL SLAB 'H > AGNKS
DE RIDELEGH.

s. John's, Chester.

Note on the Collegiate Church of S. John the Baptist. 83

be gathered by collating an early plan (Harl. MSS. 2073) ^^''th
existing remains, of a nave and choir with side aisles, two
transepts, and a central tower. The nave was separated from
the side aisle by eight massy semicircular arches on each side,
resting on cylindrical columns with bases and capitals. The
diameter of the columns 5 feet 6 inches, and the ornaments of
the capitals varied in a few instances. Over the remaining

I HI-: IMKKIOK

OF S. JOHN S (from a I'HOrOORAl'H BY
CARL NORMAN" AND CO.).

arches are two rows of galleries with lancet formed arches,
those of the upper tier being the most acutely pointed. The
upper tier occasionally opens to small windows with circular
heads ; and from an imperfect row of arches in the south nave
the appearance of the galleries seems to have been copied in
the exterior.

" At the east end of the nave are the four massy piers with
bases and capitals.

" On each side of the tower were the transepts, round which,

84 Chester Cathedra/.

as far as can be judged from existing remains, the upper row
only of the galleries was continued.

" East of the tower was the choir, divided from its side aisles
by three arches on each side with galleries over. The first
couple of these arches is remaining. They were of the horse-
shoe form, resting on short circular shafts. The upper row of
galleries is here perfectly destroyed. At the east end of the
choir was a fine semicircular arch, with ornamented capitals,
yet remaining, but in the last stage of decay, under which was
the entrance to a small chancel consisting of five sides of an
octagon." ' The description given above, though somewhat
quaint in phraseology and obsolete in regard to its technical
terms, is substantially though perhaps only roughly accurate.
The commencement of the Norman parts of the church was
made by Bishop Robert de Limesey. To quote again from
Mr. Parker : " The portions which remain of the early Norman
work are the arches and piers of the Nave, which are not
exactly alike and were evidently built at two or three different "
periods. The mouldings and details of the bases vary con-
siderably : as usual, the Nave was probably begun at both ends."
The triforium and clerestory of the nave are extremely tine
specimens of the transitional style between Norman -and Early
English, and are beyond comparison the most distinguished and
beautiful features of the interior of S. John's. Though simple
they are extremely decorative. The monuments and stained
glass are not important. The chief of the inevitable restorations
was performed by Hussey, who was, on the whole, judicious.
As this note is intended simply to emphasize the connection of
S. John's with the diocese of Chester, nothing like a detailed
description of the structure is attempted.

In spite of the fact that the Church of S. John the Baptist is
surrounded by crumbling ruins, many of the details of which
are so charming that they will well repay the most careful in-
vestigation, its exterior has, owing to re-casing and a series of
restorations, very much the air of a not particularly interesting
modern church. Nobody, judging from the dull, though regular
and correct exterior, would have the smallest idea of the very
noble nave which makes the church so distinguished. As we
have already seen, the towers of the church were, in ancient

' Ormerod, i. 316.

Note on the Collegiate ChurcJi of S. Jo/iii the Baptist. 85

times, singularly ill-fated. Nothing daunted by the destruction
of two of them, the mediaeval builders, to whose patient energy
and enterprise there seems to have been no limits, set to work
to erect a third, of a more imposing character than either of
those which had already been built only to be destroyed. Up
to the year 188 r, the great tower of S. John's was the glory
of the exterior of the church, and was, in addition, a splendidly
conspicuous feature in the outline of Chester. Rising square
and solid from a mass of sandstone high above the river Dee,
it was a monument for which all Cestrians felt a personal affec-
tion. Repair after long delay was commenced, but was com-
menced too late, for on the 14th of April, 1881, while reno-
vation was in active progress, the inhabitants of Chester were
startled by a dull, thundering crash and afterwards learned
that the tower had fallen. Nothing could be done with the
immense fragment which still remained. It was found to be
in such a state that rebuilding was not to be thought of, and so
it had to be taken down.

Unhappily, the fall of the tower involved the complete de-
struction of the north porch, which was a good example of the
Early English style. The decayed state of this porch had
necessitated a careful survey, with a view to repair, and a series
of drawings which were the result of that survey, have enabled
the porch to be reproduced in every particular. The statue
which occupies the niche of the great pointed arch is an ancient
fragment. There were formerly several dwelling-houses in the
graveyard close up to the church itself These have now
been removed. In one of them the great stylist and essayist,
Thomas De Quincey lived for some time.' Beneath his resi-
dence was the so-called crypt of the church. It is still pre-
served and is a good vaulted chamber, probably of the thirteenth
century, well worth the attention of the archaeologist. Much
interesting information concerning the Church of S. John the
Baptist is contained in the lectures by the Rev. Cooper Scott
already referred to. A little house perched on a huge fragment
of red sandstone between the church and the river, commonly
called the " Hermit's Cell," is of importance in relation to the
history of S. John's.

' See ill this relati )n the '•Confessions of an English Opium Eater."

CHAPTER VI.

HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE.

Sir Peter Leycester, in the second volume of his " His-
torical Antiquities," which is entitled " Some Antiquities touch-
ing Cheshire, faithfully collected out of Authentique Histories, old
Deeds, Records and Evidences," tells us that he finds no men-
tion of a bishop of Chester before the Norman Conquest, only
we read that Devina, a Scotchman, was made Bishop of Mercia
by King Oswy, whereof Cheshire was a small parcel, and that
he had his seat at Lichfield, anno Christi 656, from which
time there remained a succession of bishops in that see until by
doom of canon law all bishops were to remove to the greatest
cities in their diocese. And thereupon Peter, Bishop of Lich-
field, anno Domini 1075, removed his seat from Lichfield to
Chester, and was commonly styled Bishop of Chester." In
some ancient documents, however, bishops of Chester are
mentioned long prior to the Conquest, but it is not improbable
that these prelates would have been more accurately described
as bishops of Mercia, or of the Diocese of S. Chad, which
included the greater part of the north and west of England.
The chief see was at Lichfield, but Chester and Coventry were
also cathedral cities. Leycester appears to be right in believing
that Peter removed the see from Lichfield to Chester, and made
the Collegiate Church of S. John the Baptist, his cathedral. The
supremacy of Chester, however, was of short duration, for
Peter's successor, tempted by the immense riches of the
monastery of Coventry, removed his see there, although he
retained a palace at Chester. From time to time we find that
the title of Bishop of Chester is subsequently used, but it fell
gradually into disuse, and towards the time of the Reformation
entirely disappeared. The brief use of the Collegiate Church of

History of the Diocese. 87

S. John the Baptist, as a cathedral, however, makes Chester,
as we have seen, one of the few cities which, Hke London and
Dubhn, can boast of possessing two cathedrals.

It was doubtless the unwieldy size of the ancient diocese
which suggested a division to Henry VIII. Even after the
division the jurisdiction of the newly created Bishop of Chester
extended over an enormous area. From the moors of York-
shire to the shores of Lancashire, from the mountains of
Westmoreland to the mountains of Denbighshire, the Bishop
of Chester was episcopal chief. The great county of Lancaster
was entirely included in the diocese. Until comparatively
recent times, in spite of the enormous increase of population in
Lancashire alone, nothing in the way of subdivision was at-
tempted. It is indeed startling to think, as Dean Howson sug-
gests, that Bishop Blomfield (1824-1828) "held confirmations
in Manchester and Preston, on the banks of Windermere, and
far up the Yorkshire Dales, to the edge of the county of
Durham." By Act of Parliament (6 and 7 William IV. c. 79)
those portions of the diocese of Chester lying in Yorkshire
were transferred to the newly constituted diocese of Ripon,
while the whole of Westmoreland with the northern part of
Lancashire was added to Carlisle; a portion of North Wales was
at the same time cut away from the see of Chester. A few years
after, the rapid and indeed phenomenal growth of Manchester,
and the district surrounding it, rendered a further reduction in
the size of the diocese of Chester imperative, and accordingly,
in 1847, the separate bishopric of Manchester was established.
It was natural that Liverpool should desire for itself the epi-
scopal independence which had already been conferred on its
great sister town. It was, however, over thirty years until
Liverpool realized its aspiration, for the first Bishop of Liverpool
was only consecrated in 1880. In the end the limits of the
diocese of Chester became exactly coterminous with those of
the county of Cheshire.

The fcllowini:; is a list of bishops since the creation of the
particular diocese by Henry VIII.

John Bird, D.D.wasthe first bishop of the particular diocese
of Chester. After being Provincial of the Order of the Carme-
lites in 1539, he was raised to the dignity of Bishop of Bangor,

Chester Cathedral.

being translated to Chester on the creation of the see by Henry
VIII. in 1 54 1. It would seem that he
owed his preferment to his vigorous
onslaught upon the doctrine of the
supremacy of the Pope. Some sermons
on this subject preached by him before
Henry VIII. in 1537, appear to have
greatly impressed that monarch. In
1554, in the reign of Queen Mary, he
was deprived on the ground that he
was a married man. He was subse-
quently made Vicar of Dunmow, in
Essex, where he probably died in 1556,
though some authorities believe his
death to have taken place in Chester.
He wrote and published lectures on
St. Paul. " De Fide Justificante. I.
Learned Homilies, with an Epicede on
one Edmund in prose." This prelate
seems to have been a very adaptable
priest, whose opinions were conveniently
coincidental with those of the reigning
monarch.

In the first year of the reign of Queen
Mary, 1554, George Cotys or Cotes,
was made bishop. Cotys was a distin-
guished fellow of Magdalen College,
Oxford, and became Master of Balliol
College in 1539, and Lecturer in Di-
vinity in the University a few years
later. His consecration as Bishop of
Chester took place in the Church of
St. Saviour, Southwark, in 1554. He
died within two years of his appoint-
ment.

Cuthbert Scott, who succeeded
Cotys, was somewhat more illustrious
than his predecessor. In 1554 he be-
came Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was
"one of those delegates commissioned by Cardinal Pole to visit
that University, and one of the four bishops who, with as many

STONE COI-FIN-I.ID IN

s. John's, Chester.

History of the Diocese. 89

divines undertook to defend the doctrines of the Church of
Rome against an equal number of reformed divines. On the
Tuesday following (April 4th), he, with most of his fellow dis-
putants, was sent to the Tower for some abusive threats and
irreverent expressions against the queen, but was afterwards,
admitted to bail' He was deprived by Queen Elizabeth, and

ENTRANCE TO THE CLOISTERS, \\l> M(rNk^' 1 A\ AinRV (FROM A
PHOTOCRAl'lI liV U. C. OAKDEN).

William Downeham was the fourth Bishop of Chester.
He look his degree at Oxford and became a perpetual fellow of
Magdalen in 1544. He was appointed Canon of Westminster
in 1560 and was consecrated Bishop of Chester on the 4th of
May, 1 561. His death took place in 1577 and he was buried
in the choir of his cathedral.

' Ormerod, " Cheshire," i. 98.

90 Chester Cathedral.

William Chadderton, previous to his promotion as Bishio[)
of Chester, was Archdeacon of York, Warden of Manchester, and
also some time President of Queen's College, Cambridge, as well
as Professor of Divinity in the University. His consecration
took place on November 9th, 1579. Subsequently he became
Bishop of Lincoln. "In Peck's 'Desiderata Curiosa,' vol. i.,
is a very large collection of letters to this bishop (as one of the
commissioners for causes ecclesiastical) chiefly relative to the
Cheshire and Lancashire recusants. The Castle of Chester is
stated to be near the sea, and the recusants were therefore
mostly kept in the Deansgate at MancJiester, the inhabitants of
it being generally well affected in religion. In one letter from
the Earl of Huntingdon is a curious passage relative to the
residence of the bishops there : ' I am glad your lordship liketh
to live in Manchester, for as it is the best place in those parts,
so do you well to continue and strengthen them, that they may
increase and go forward in the service of the Lord. And surelie
by the grace of God, the well plantinge of the gospell in Man-
chester and other places nere to you, shall in time effect much
goodness in other places.' " ' Bishop Chadderton, who seems
to have been a learned and witty man, died in 1608.

Like Bishop Bird, Hugh Bellot, before being Bishop of
Chester, was Bishop of Bangor, from which see he was translated
to Chester in 1557. He died in 1596.

Richard Vaughan, some time Archdeacon of Middlesex
and Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, became Bishop of Bangor on
Bellot's translation, and on the death of Bellot succeeded him
as Bishop of Chester. He is described as a man of "a prompt
and ready utterance." He was promoted to London in 1604,
and, dying in 1607, was buried in St. Paul's.

George Lloyd, D.D., was successively Bishop of Sodor and
Man and of Bangor. He was consecrated Bishop of Chester in
1604. He died in 161 5, and was buried in the choir of Chester
Cathedral next to his predecessor. Bishop Downeham.

Thomas Moreton, born 1564, at York, had a brilliant
career at Cambridge and became Rector of Long Marston near
York. " In 1602 he distinguished himself by his attendance
on the sick during the great plague at York ; in the year follow-
ing he went with Lord Eure, the Queen's Ambassador, into

' Ormerod, i. 98.

History of tlie Diocese. 9 1

Germany and Denmark, and after his return, becoming Domestic
Chaplain to the Earl of Rutland, composed in his family the
first part of the Apologia Catholica, in consequence of the merit
of which Archbishop Matthews collated him to a prebendal
stall at York." In 1609, Moreton became Dean of Winchester.
At his consecration as Bishop of Chester on January 14th, 1604,
" there were present three archbishops, twelve bishops, above
thirty noblemen, and upwards of eighty knights and gentlemen.
He began his journey towards his see after recovering from a
violent fever, and was met on the confines of the diocese by all
the principal gentry and clergy in the county, who conducted
him in procession to Chester." In 1616 he was translated from
Chester to Lichfield and Coventry, and thence, in 1632, to
Durham. He died on September 22nd, 1659. Bishop More-
ton's life was an extremely busy one, and he is the author of
"many learned tractates."

John Bridgeman graduated at Cambridge and afterwards
became Master of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Domestic
Chaplain to James I. He was consecrated in 16 19, and lived
there, according to Leycester, " till the parliament pulled down
all bishops in a puritanical frenzy of rebellion and had beheaded
king Charles the First, and after died at Mort, not far from
Oswaldestery in Shropshire. He married Elizabeth, daughter
of doctor Helyar, canon of Excester, and archdeacon of Barn-
stable, and had issue Sir Orlando Bridgeman, made lord keeper
1667, Dove Henry, now dean of Chester, Sir James Bridgeman,
and Richard." He was the editor of a volume known as " Bishoj)
Bridgeman's Ledger."

Briam Walton was born in Yorkshire, and, after being
educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, became Chaplain to
Charles I. " He had a principal hand in setting the Cireat
Bible of many languages which after much delay he published
in 1657." Charles II., in consideration of the Polyglot Bible,
and of his unswerving loyalty to the Stuart cause, made Walton
his Chaplain in Ordinary, and elevated him soon after the
Restoration to the See of Chester, where he was received,
according to Ormerod, "with honours and demonstrations of
joy, which had never been equalled on any other public
occasion." He died in 1661, and was buried in S. Paul's, of
which cathedral he had been some time prebendary. Walton
was among the ablest scholars of Oriental languages of his time.

92 Chester Cathedral.

Henry Feme was, like his predecessor, educated at Cam-
bridge and became Chaplain to Charles I. in 1642. In the same
year he published his " Case of Conscience touching rebellion,"
and this brought down upon him the wrath of the Puritans.
He proved his loyalty to the king in time of adversity by joining
the imprisoned monarch at Carisbrooke Castle, and is said to
have been the last of the king's chaplains to have preached before
him. Feme's fidelity was duly rewarded after the Restoration,
for he became Master of Trinity in 1660, Vice-Chancellor of
Cambridge University and Dean of Ely in the same year, and
was consecrated Bishop of Chester in 1661. Five weeks after
he died without ever having seen Chester. He was buried at
St. Edmund's Chapel, in Westminster Abbey, with great state, in
the presence of many illustrious nobles and prelates.

George Hall, son of Joseph Hall, Bishop of Exeter, became
Prebendary of Exeter, and Archdeacon of Cornwall. During
the Cromwellian ascendancy he fell on evil days, but subse-
quently became Bishop of Chester in 1662. He died in 1668
from a wound caused by falling on a knife which happened to
be open in his pocket. He published "The triumphs of Rome
over despised Protestancy" in 1655.

John "Wilkins was born in 1614, and after taking his
degree at Christ Church, Oxford, became Warden of Wadham
College in 165 1. At the time of the Great Rebellion, he sided
with the Roundheads. He married Robina, sister of Oliver
Cromwell, and was made Master of Trinity College, Cambridge,
during the protectorate of Richard Cromwell. At the Restora-
tion he suffered temporary eclipse, but at length became Dean
of Ripon, and in 1668, Bishop of Chester. He died in 1672.
Wilkins was a voluminous writer on theology, mathematics, and
astronomy. He is thus favourably mentioned by a Royalist
writer : " He was a person endowed with rare gifts ; he was a
noted theologist and preacher, a curious critic in several matters,
an excellent mathematician, and experimentist ; and one as
well seen in mechanisms, and new philosophy, of which he was
a great promoter, as any man of his time. He also highly
advanced the study and perfecting of astronomy, both at Oxford,
while he was Warden of Wadham College, and at London, while
he was fellow of the Royal Society, and I cannot say that there
was anything deficient in him but a constant mind and settled
principles " (Anthony a Wood). Among Bishop Wilkins' more

Hzstoiy of the Diocese. 93

curious works may be mentioned : " The Discovery of a New
World, or a Discourse, tending to prove that there may be
another habitable World in the Moon, with a Discourse con-
cerning the Possibility of a Passage thither." The date of this
is 1638. Three years later Wilkins published a work entitled
" Mercury, or the secret and swift Messenger, shewing how a
man may with privacy and speed communicate his thoughts to
friends at any distance."

John Pearson, born February 12th, 161 2, was not inap-
propriately described by Bishop Burnet as " in all respects the
greatest divine of his age." His famous " Exposition of the
Creed " entitles him to a high place among those Anglican
writers, such as Jeremy Taylor and Bishop Butler, who have
contributed to the theological literature of the world, works of
lasting influence and incontrovertible importance. His father,
Robert Pearson, was Rector of Snoring, Norfolk, and Arch-
deacon of Suffolk ; and John Pearson was born at the Snoring
rectory, educated at Eton, and proceeding to King's College,
Cambridge, he graduated B.A. and M.A. in 1635 and 1639
respectively. Subsequently he became a fellow of his college
and took holy orders, after which he was made Prebendary of
Salisbury and was presented by Lord Chancellor Finch to the
living of Torrington, Suffolk, in 1650. Pearson was made
preacher of S. Clements, in Eastcheap, and during the holding
of this appointment, composed the " Exposition." After passing
through various grades of preferment he became Master of Jesus
College, Cambridge, in 1660, becoming, a year or so later,
Margaret Professor of Divinity. In 1662, he was appointed
Master of Trinity, and about ten years after he was consecrated
Bishop of Chester. For over thirteen years Pearson "filled
his see with great honour and reputation." The latter part of
his life was decidedly unhappy. According to Burnet "his
memory went from him so entirely, that he became a child
some years before he died." His death took place at Chester,
in 1686, and he was buried without a memorial in his cathedral.
Of Pearson's writings the "Exposition of the Creed " is incom-
parably the most important. " His very dross," according to
the paradox of one of his critics, " was gold."

Thomas Cartwright was consecrated in 1686. According
to Ormerod : " Dr. Cartwright was one of the ecclesiastical
commissioners appointed by King James (H.) in his memorable

94 CJiester Catliedral.

contest with the fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford, and was
so warm a defender of that sovereign's measures, that on the
landing of the Prince of Orange, he was forced to fly to France
to avoid the insults of an enraged populace. He was sub-
sequently nominated by James to the See of Salisbury, accom-
panied him to Ireland, and dying of dysentery in 1689, was
interred with great pomp at Christ Church, Dublin." It seems
doubtful whether at the time of his death, he was Protestant or
Roman Catholic.

Nicholas Stratford was consecrated in 1689. His career,
if not distinguished, was useful and worthy. He died in 1707.

Sir William Dawes, some time Master of Catherine Hall,
Cambridge, subsequently became Vice-Chancellor. He was
Chaplain to Queen Anne, and was consecrated Bishop of
Chester in 1707, being translated to York a few years after.
He is the author, amongst other volumes, of " An Anatomy of
Atheism, a poem ; 1693."

Francis Gastrell was more distinguished than his im-
mediate predecessor in the see. After taking holy orders and
passing through various stages of preferment. Dr. Gastrell
published "Some considerations concerning the Trinity and
the ways of managing that controversy." Shortly after appeared
his " Christian Institutes." He was consecrated Bishop of
Chester in 17 14 and died in 1725.

Samuel Peploe was consecrated in 1726 and died in 1752.
His coffin was discovered at the east end of the choir in 1844.

Edmund Keene, born 17 13, after being, like so many of his
predecessors, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge,
was consecrated Bishop of Chester on Palm Sunday, 1752. He
died in 1781, and was buried in Ely Cathedral, where his tomb
bears an inscription from his own pen.

William Markham's preferments included the Head
Mastership of Westminster and the Deanery of Christ Church.
He was appointed Bishop of Chester, and Preceptor to the
Prince of Wales in 1 77 1, and was translated to the Archbishopric
of York in 1776.

Beilby Porteus distinguished himself at Cambridge by a
poem on " Death." He was made Chaplain to the King and
Master of the Hospital of St. Cross, near Winchester. In 1776
he was consecrated Bishop of Chester, being promoted to
London in 1787. Bishop Porteus was a voluminous writer.

History of the Diocese. 95

and bequeathed his library to his successor in the See of
London.

William Cleaver was consecrated on January 20th, 1788,
and was afterwards translated successively to Bangor and
to St. Asaph.

Henry William Majendie was consecrated Bishop of
Chester in 1800 and translated to Bangor ten years later.

Bower Edward Sparke was consecrated in 18 10 and
promoted to the See of Ely within two years

George Henry Law was consecrated in 1812. He was
brother of Lord Ellenborough, Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench, and was translated to the Bishopric of Bath and Wells
in 1824.

Charles James Blomfield was born in 1786 at Bury St.
Edmunds, and after holding several livings, became Archdeacon
of Colchester in 1822. His consecration as Bishop of Chester
took place in 1824. In 1828 he was transferred to the See of
London.

John Bird Sumner was educated at Eton and King's
("ollege, Cambridge. While Vicar of Mapledurham, Oxford-
shire, Bishop Sumner published his "Apostolical Preaching
considered in an Examination of 8. Paul's Epistles." He was
consecrated Bishop of Chester in 1828 and twenty years after
was raised to the position of Primate of all England.

John Graham, after holding various ecclesiastical and
university appointments became bishop in 1848. He died in

^^^5-. . . . •

W^illiam Jacobson was consecrated bishop in 1865 and
died in 1884.

William Stubbs was born in 1825 and educated at
Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford. He was
ordained in 1848, and in 1866 was appointed Regius Professor
of Modern History at Oxford. He is amongst the foremost
historians of the time, his most important works being : " Regis-
trum Sacrum Anglicanum," " Select Charters and other illus-
trations of English Constitutional History," and " The Con-
stitutional History of England in its Origin and Development."
He was consecrated Bishop of Chester in 1884 and translated
to Oxford in 1889.

Francis John Jayne, the j)resent (1897) Bishop of Chester,
was educated at Ivugby and \Vadham College, Oxford. After

96 Chester Cathedral.

taking holy orders, he became Rector of Keble College, Ox-
ford, and afterwards Principal of St. David's College, Lampeter.
In 1886 he was promoted to the important living of Leeds, and
was elevated to the episcopal bench in 1888. He is the thirty-
third bishop of this particular see.

CHISWICK PRESS :— CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT. CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

Bell's Cathedral Series.

EDITED BY

GLEESON WHITE and E. F. STRANGE.

In specially designed cloth cover ^ crow?t Zvo, is. 6d. each.

Now Ready :

CANTERBURY. By Hartley Withers. SALISBURY. By Gleeson White.

CHESTER. By Charles Hiatt. ROCHESTER. By G. H. Palmer.

OXFORD. By Rev. Percy Dearmer, M.A.

In the Press :
EXETER. By Percy Addleshaw. NORWICH. By C. H. B. Quennell.

PETERBOROUGH. By Rev. W. D. HEREFORD. By A. Hugh Fisher.
Sweeting. LICHFIELD. By A. B. Clifton.

In Preparation :

DURHAM. WORCE.STER. WELLS.

CARLISLE. GLOUCESTER. WINCHESTER.

RIPON. CHICHESTER. BRISTOL.

ELY. ST. ALBANS. YORK.

LINCOLN. ST. PAUL'S. SOUTHWELL.

"For the purpose at vvhicli they aim tlicy are admirably done, and there
are few visitants to any of our noble shrines who will not enjoy their visit
the better for being furnished with one of these delightful books, which can
be slipped into the pocket and carried wilh ease, and is yet distinct and
legible. . . . A volume such as that on Canterbury is exactly what \\e want,
and on our next visit we hope to have it with us. It is thoroughly helpful,
and the views of the fair city and its noble cathedral are beauliful. Both
volumes, moreover, will serve more than a temporary purpose, and are
trustworthy as well as deliglitful." — Notes and Queries.

" We have so frequently in these columns urged the want of cheap well-
illustrated, and well-written handliooks to our cathedrals, to take the place
of the out-of-date publications of local booksellers, that we are glad to hear
that they have been taken in hand by Messrs. George Bell and Sons." — St.
Jameses Gazette.

" Visitors to the cathedral cities of England must often have felt the need
of some work dealing with the history and antiquities of the city itself, and
the architecture and associations of the cathedral, more portable than the
elaborate monographs which have been devoted to some of them, more
scholarly and satisfying than the average local guide-book, and more
copious than the section devoted to them in the general guide-book of the
county or district. Such a legitimate need the 'Cathedral Series' now
being issued by Messrs. George Bell and Sons under the editorship of
Mr. Gleeson White and Mr. E. F. Strange seems well calculated tosupplv.
The volumes, two of vi-hich relating to Canterbury and Salislniry have
already been issued, are handy in size, moderate in price, well illustrated,
and written in a .scholarly spirit. Tiie history of cathedral and city is
intelligently set forth and accompanied by a descriptive survey of the
building in all its detail. The illustrations are copious and well selected,

and the series bids fair to become an indispensable companion to the
cathedral tourist in England." — Times.

"They are nicely produced in good type, on good paper, and contain
numerous illustrations, are well written, and very cheap. We should
imagine -architects and students of architecture will be sure to buy the series
as they appear, for they contain in brief much valuable information." —
British A)rhi/ect.

"Half the charm of this little book on Canterbury springs from the
writer's recognition of the historical association of so majestic a building
with the fortunes, destinies, and habits of the English people. . . . One
a(lmiral)le feature of the book is its artistic illustrations. They are both
lavish and satisfactory — even when regarded with critical eyes." — Speaker.

"Every aspect of Salisbury is passed in swift, picturesque survey in this
charming little volunie, and the illustrations in this case also heighten
perceptiljly the romantic appeal of an unconventional but scholarly guide-
book. " — Speaker.

" There is likely to be a large demand for these attractive handbooks." — .
Globe.

" Bell's ' Cathedral Series,' so admirably edited by Mr. Gleeson White, is
more than a description of the various English cnthedrals. It will be a
valuable historical record, and a work of much service also to the aichitect.
We have received the small volumes devoted to Salisbury and Canterbury.
The illustrations are well selected, and in many cases not mere bald
architectural drawings but reproductions of exquisite stone fancies, touched
in their treatment by fancy and guided by art." — S/ar.

" Each of them contains exactly that amount ol information which the
intelligent visitor, who is not a specialist, will wish to have. The disposi-
tion of the various parts is judiciously proportioned, and the style is very
readable. The illustrations supply a further important feature ; they are
b,)th numerous and good. Taken altogether, therefore, the two 'Guides'
very worthily inaugurate a series which cannot fail to be welcomed by all
who are interested in the ecclesiastical buildings of Ent^land." — Glasgow
Hei-ald.

" Those who. either for purposes of professional study or for a cultured
recreation, find it expedient to 'do' the English cathedrals will welcome
the beginning of Bell's ' Cathedral Series.' This set of books, edited
generally by Mr. Gleeson White, is an attempt to consult, more closely
and in greater detail than the usual guide-books do, the needs of visitors to
the cathedral towns. To judge it by its first two volumes, those on
Canterbury and Salisbury, the series cannot but prove markedly suc-
cessful. In each book a business-like description is given of the fabric of
the church to which the volume relates, and an interesting history of the
relative diocese. The books are plentifully illustrated, and are thus made
attractive as well as instructive. They cannot but prove welcome to all
classes of readers interested either in English Church history or in eccle-
siastical architecture." — Scotsman.

"A set of little books which may be descrilied as very useful, very pretty,
and very cheap .... and alike in the letterpress, the illustrations, and
the remarkably choice binding, they are ideal guides." — Liverpool Daily
Post.

" They have nothing in common with the almost invariably wretched
local guides save portability, and their only competitors in the quality and
quantity of their contents are very expensive and mostly rare works, each of
a size that suggests a packing-case rather than a coat-pocket. The
' Cathedral Series ' are important compilations concerning history, archi-
tecture, and biography, and quite popular enough for such as take any
sincere interest in their subjects." — Sketch.

LONDON : GEORGE BELL AND SONS.

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY

Hiatt, Charles

The cathedral church of
Chester

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "The cathedral church of Chester : a description of the fabric and a brief history of the episcopal see"

See other formats