THE PRECINCTS.
Besides numerous remains of mediæval architecture to be found in the
residences and private grounds of the cathedral clergy, there are some
buildings of great interest to the south of the cathedral, the two most
remarkable being the infirmary and Prior Crauden's chapel. Of the former
no more than the piers and arches are to be seen, as the roof is gone,
and the whole has been converted into residences. The latter is quite
perfect.
The #Infirmary# is in the same relative position to the church as at
Peterborough, at the south-east. The plan was that of an ordinary
church, with nave, aisles, and chancel; but the chancel was the chapel,
the aisles were the quarters of the inmates, and the nave was a common
hall, or ambulatory. So complete was the resemblance to a church that
the true purpose of this and other similar buildings elsewhere had been
quite forgotten, and it was left to Professor Willis to discover that
the remains were not those of a disused church. Bentham[1] has an
engraving of the arches and clerestory, divested of all the domestic
additions, which to a modern student of ecclesiastical architecture
indicates at once a building of Norman date, which is described as an
elevation "of the remains of the Old Conventual Church of Ely, built in
the time of the Heptarchy, A.D. 673, and repaired in King Edgar's Reign,
A.D. 970." In the plan given in the same plate an imaginary apse is
marked out with dotted lines.[2] In the chapel is a groined roof, and
this belongs to the latter part of the twelfth century; but the nave
arches, where are some very good and unusual mouldings, have nothing of
Transitional work, and in the absence of documentary evidence would be
assigned to 1140 or 1150. The hall, situated to the north of what would,
in a church, be called the north aisle of the nave, is the work of
Walsingham.
[Illustration: PLAN OF THE INFIRMARY AS GIVEN IN BENTHAM'S "HISTORY AND
ANTIQUITIES"]
#Prior Crauden's Chapel# is a most exquisite specimen of the
Decorated period, designed by the same master mind that created the
octagon and the lady-chapel. Crauden was prior from 1321 to 1341. Built
as a private chapel, it was at one time converted into a dwelling, but
is now restored to sacred uses as the chapel of the King's School. It is
situated to the south of the deanery. It is of small dimensions, being
only thirty-one feet long; and this is exactly double its breadth. The
vaulted roof springs from clustered shafts in the walls; in the eastern
half, on each side, are two tall windows of two lights, with most
graceful tracery; at the east is a window of five lights, of equally
beautiful tracery, filled with stained glass, of which the five lower
figures are ancient and said to have been brought from Cologne. The
west window has four lights. When Professor Willis was conducting some
members of an architectural congress, in 1860,[3] over the monastic
buildings, on arriving at this "beautiful little gem of architecture,"
in the course of his remarks "he pointed to the restorations that had
taken place, and found that they were good ones, the actual mason's
lines having been taken in some instances. In one or two cases where the
work was destroyed the spaces had been filled up with plain block,
purposely to show where the masonry had been knocked away." Some curious
tiling is to be seen on the altar platform: there are figures of Adam
and Eve and numerous unusual designs. On no account should this chapel
be left unvisited.
[Illustration: ELY PORTA, THE GREAT GATE OF THE MONASTERY, 1817.
_From Stevenson's Supplement to Bentham._]
The great gateway of the abbey, #Ely Porta#, remains in a nearly
perfect condition. It was the place where the manor courts were held,
and was in course of erection when Prior Bucton died in 1397. From his
successor, in whose time it seems to have been completed, it is
sometimes called Walpole's gate. At one time a portion was devoted to
the brewery, and here the audit ale was brewed till so recently as Dean
Goodwin's time.[4] It is now used partly as a house for the porter and
partly for the school. The new buildings of the school, just opposite,
are on the site of an ancient hostelry called the Green Man, which was
"possibly the descendant of some mediæval lodging-house to which
pilgrims resorted."[5]
Between Ely Porta and the cathedral are to be seen many fragmentary
remains of the old monastery, some of Norman date, now forming parts of
houses. Over the road to the west of these buildings there used to be a
covered passage, called "The Gallery"--a name still retained by the
street itself--leading from the bishop's palace to the cathedral. Access
to this from the cathedral was in the western transept. The writer has
not been able to hear of any engraving or drawing of this.
The remains of the refectory and of the Norman kitchen are in the
deanery grounds. The guest-house is wholly absorbed in the deanery.
There is a picturesque entrance into the close, on the north side, from
High Street. The buildings on each side of it and the room above (now
the muniment room) are quite ecclesiastical, though modernised and in
part new. The eastern portion occupies the site of the sextry.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] "History," 1771, Plate IV.
[2] Another instance of imperfect acquaintance with church
architecture is found in one plan of the cathedral (not in
Bentham) in which the lady-chapel is called the chapter-house.
[3] At which the writer was present.
[4] "Ely Gossip," p. 5.
[5] _Ib._, p. 7.
INDEX.
Alban's, S., relics, 116, 118
Alcock, Bishop, 122;
his chapel, 35, 90--pl., 94, 112
Allen, Bishop, 130;
tomb, 90
Altar, often moved, 90
Andrewes, Bishop, 125
Apse, 19, 80
Arundel, Archbishop, 120
Barnet, Bishop, 26, 119;
tomb, 95
Basevi, Mr., fatal accident, 64;
brass 90
Belsham, Bishop, 117
Bishop, in abbot's stall, 29;
his sword of state, 129
Bishopric constituted, 15, 110
Bourchier, Archbishop, 120-1
Brithnoth, Abbot, 12, 102
Brithnoth, Alderman, 93, 103
Browne, Bishop, 131
Buckeridge, Bishop, 126
Butts, Bishop, 128
Canute, King, 105
Catharine's, S., chapel, 21, 64-5--pl., 63
Cathedrals of old foundation, 113
Choir, 77--pl., 53, 55, 79, 98;
aisles, 56--pl., 89, 122;
screen, 76--pl., 76;
compared with presbytery, 78
Cloister, 61
College of Secular Clergy, 12, 102
Compton, Bishop, 131
Cox, Bishop, 125
Cratendune, 8
Crauden, Prior, his chapel, 25, 131--pl., 131
Cromwell, Oliver, 29
Cross, S., church, 29, 49, 97
Dampier, Bishop, 128
De Burgh, Bishop, 116
De Fontibus, Bishop, 116
De L'Isle, Bishop, 25, 119
Dickson, Canon, 61
Dunstan, Archbishop, 11, 12
East End, 55
Edmund's, S., chapel, 75;
representation of his martyrdom, 90
Edward, Confessor, educated at Ely, 105
Elsin, Abbot, 12, 13, 103
Ely Cathedral, built, 13;
congregation ejected, 29;
in seventeenth century, 30;
in eighteenth century, 31--pl., 33
Ely, etymology, 4;
above sea level, 42;
population, 42
Ely, Isle of, 3, 9, 11, 13
Ely monastery, founded, 8;
destroyed by Danes, 10, 101;
reconstituted, 102;
monks and nuns, 99;
surrendered, 29;
mitred prior, 25
Ely Porta, 133--pl., 133
Ermenilda, S., Abbess, 15, 100
Etheldreda, S., foundress, 3-9;
translation, 15;
scenes from career on corbels, 6, 72;
churches dedicated to her, 7;
her shrine, 16,20,21, 89--pl., 20, 91;
S. Audrey's laces, 73
Ethelwold, Bishop, 11, 12
Eustace, Bishop, 17, 18, 66, 114
Felix, S., attempted seizure of his remains, 102
Felton, Bishop, 4, 126
Fitz-Alan, Archbishop, 120
Fleetwood, Bishop, 127
Fordham, Bishop, 120
Front, west, 17, 43
Galilee, 17-19, 44, 46--pl., 18, 41, 45
Gardner, Mr. J. D., gave the reredos, 83
Godfrey, administrator, 13, 108
Gooch, Bishop, 128
Goodrich, Bishop, 29, 124;
brass, 96--pl., 124
Goodwin, Dean, restoration in his time, 35
Gray, Bishop, 26, 121
Greene, Bishop, 90, 127
Guest-hall, 25
Gunning, Bishop, 32, 126;
tomb, 95
Hereward, 16
Hervey, Bishop, 114
Heton, Bishop, 125;
tomb, 95
Hotham, Bishop, 29, 99, 118;
tomb, 89
Infirmary, 24, 131--pl., 132
Keene, Bishop, 93, 128
Keeton, Bishop, 118
Kilkenny, Bishop, 116;
tomb, 83
Kirkby, Bishop, 117
Labyrinth, 63
Lady-chapel, 20, 24, 28, 52, 84--pl., 53, 85, 86;
bosses in roof, 28
Laney, Bishop, 126
Langham, Cardinal Archbishop, 119
Lantern, 36, 73--pl., 57
Leofric, Leofsin, Leofwin, Abbots, 105
Le Strange, Mr., painted ceiling, 67
Longchamp, Bishop, 114
Louth, Bishop, 117;
tomb, 95
Luxemburg, Cardinal Archbishop, 120;
tomb, 93
Mary's, S., Church, 17, 93
Mawson, Bishop, 32, 128
Merivale, Dean, restoration in his time, 38;
tablet, 96
Mill, Canon, tomb, 90
Monks' door, 60
Montacute, Bishop, 119
Monuments, 87
Moore, Bishop, 127;
tomb, 95
Morgan, Bishop, 120
Morton, Cardinal Archbishop, 121
Nave, 15-17, 49, 66--pl., 2, 62, 65;
aisles, 69--pl., 69, 70;
ceiling, 67-69--pl., 67
Nigel, Bishop, 114
Northwold, Bishop, 15, 19, 21, 116;
tomb, 90
Octagon, 22-4, 36, 50, 71--pl., 23;
cost, 29
Orford, Bishop, 117
Organ, 38;
gallery, 32
Ovin, 5, 71, 73
Parry, Mr. Gambier, painted ceiling, 67
Patrick, Bishop, 127
Peacock, Dean, restoration in his time, 29;
octagon restored as memorial, 37
Pherd, Bishop, 116
Powcher, Prior, 25, 27
Presbytery, 26, 76--pl., 55, 77, 91;
bosses in roof, 80
Prior's door, 60--pl., 59
Redman, Bishop, 123;
tomb, 88
Refectory, 20
Reredos, 83--pl., 84
Richard, last Abbot, 14, 15, 110
Riddell, Bishop, 15, 114
Robert of York, 114
Rood-loft, 32
Sacrist's Office, 24
Scott, Sir G. G., 35, 37, 63
Selwyn, Canon, 96;
tomb, 95
S. Sexburga, Abbess, 100
Sextry-barn, 34
Simeon, Abbot, 13, 14
Sparke, Bishop, 90, 129
Sparke, Canon E. B., 96
Spire on west tower, 19, 27, 32, 49
Stained glass, 96
Stalls, 32, 34, 83--pl., 81
Stanley, Bishop, 123
Stubbs, Dean, 21, 25, 52, 72, 73, 80
Tabula Eliensis, 108
Theodwin, Abbot, 13, 108
Thirlby, Bishop, 125
Thurstan, Abbot, 107
Tower, central, 21;
west, 14, 43, 47, 63--pl., 40, 48
Transepts, 19, 75;
north, 29, 51--pl., 74;
south, 60--pl., 75;
west, 35, 64;
galleries, 76
Triforium, 26, 57, 58, 83--pl., 80
Turner, Bishop, 127
Turton, Bishop, 131
Tyndall, Dean, brass, 96
Walpole, Bishop, 117
Walsingham, Alan de, 20, 22, 24-5;
elected bishop, 25, 119;
stone over his grave, 25, 88
Werburga, S., Abbess, 16, 100
West, Bishop, 124;
his chapel, 28, 93--pl., 95, 123
White, Bishop, 126
Wilfrid, Archbishop, 6, 9
Wisbech, John de, 20
Withburga's, S., body purloined, 102
Woodford, Bishop, 93, 131;
tomb, 88 96--pl., 129
Worcester, Earl of, tomb, 95
Wren, Bishop, 126
Wren, Sir C., 51
Wyatt's report, 32
Yorke, Bishop, 128
DIMENSIONS OF ELY CATHEDRAL.
Length (interior) 517 feet.
" of nave 230 "
Width of nave 78 "
" " octagon 74 "
Height of vault 72 "
" " western tower 215 "
Area 46,000 sq. feet.
[Illustration: GROUND PLAN OF ELY CATHEDRAL.]
1. S. Edmund's Chapel.
2. Bishop Alcock's Chapel.
3. Bishop West's Chapel.
4. Cardinal Luxemburg.
5. Bishop Allen.
6. Canon Mill.
7. Bishop Hotham.
8. Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester.
9. Bishop Barnet.
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12. Dean Tyndall (brass).
13. Bishop Heton.
14. Bishop Gunning.
15. Canon Selwyn.
16. Bishop Redman.
17. Bishop Kilkenny.
18. Shrine of S. Etheldreda.
19. Bishop Northwold.
20. Bishop Sparke.
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