CHICHESTER
The Brito-Roman city of Regnum has left its mark on modern Chichester
in the regularity of the streets, which follow the lines of the ancient
thoroughfares. The actual beginnings of the town may antedate the
Romans, but of this we know nothing. It was to the British chief Cogi,
whose name was Romanized into Cogidubnus, that the foundation of
Chichester was probably due; this Briton was a chief of the native
tribe of the Regni who inhabited the Down country and the adjacent
seaboard. Instead of opposing the conquerors this astute statesman
welcomed and allied himself to them and in return received the unique
honour, for a native, of the title "Legate of the Emperor."
It is probable that the city was built on the fork of two important
existing roads, Stane Street--the new stone causeway from London to the
harbours on the coast between modern Bosham and Portsmouth--and the
adapted and straightened ancient trackway running parallel to the sea
and serving the settlements and ports east and west of the junction. At
that time small ships were able to approach within a short distance of
the meeting place and here the new town would naturally arise.
Many remains of the Roman period have from time to time been excavated;
a pavement was found in 1866 below the retro-choir of the cathedral and
some ancient graves in St. Andrew's churchyard were found to have the
coffins resting on a tessellated pavement. Old buildings in various
parts of the town, notably St. Olave's church, have much Roman
brickwork, and the usual treasure of denarii and broken pottery is
found whenever an exceptional turning over of the foundations of the
town takes place.
But the most remarkable of all these earlier relics is the so called
"Pudens Stone" to which reference has been made in speaking of Goodwood
Park. This slab was discovered while digging the foundations of the
Council Chamber and after being kept at Goodwood for many years has
been returned to the Council House in North Street, where it may now be
seen. The stone is Purbeck marble and bears the following inscription:--
(N)eptuni et Minervae templum
(pr)o salute d(omus) divinae
(Ex) auctoritat(e Tib) Claud.
(Co)gidubni r. leg. aug. in Brit.
(Colle)gium fabror. et qui in eo
(A sacris) sunt d.s.d. donati aream
(Pud)enti Pudentini fil.
(The conjectural restorations are given in parentheses.)
(_Translation_.) "The temple of Neptune and Minerva, erected for the
health and preservation of the Imperial family by the authority of the
Emperor Tiberias Claudius and of Cogidubnus, the great king of the
Britons. The company of Artificers, with others, who were ambitious of
supplying materials, defrayed the expense. Pudens, son of Pudentinus,
gave the ground." (Hare.)
The great interest of the inscription is in that part which refers to
Pudens; a controversy raged for a long time during the middle of the
last century around the question of the identity of this individual,
the results of which seem to favour the connexion between Chichester
and the Pudens of St. Paul's second Epistle to Timothy.
The town seems to have been of little importance in South Saxon times,
although the modern name dates from that period--"Cissa's Ceaster."
Cissa was one of the sons of Ella who landed on the Selsey peninsula.
During the Conqueror's reign Chichester regained some of its former
dignity when the seat of the Sussex see was removed hither from Selsey.
At the same time the town was presented to Roger Montgomery, Earl of
Alencon, together with most of South-west Sussex. The Earl built a
castle, but nothing of this remains, though the mound in the Priory
Park is said to be the site.
The troops of the Parliament--led by Sir William Waller, besieged
Chichester in 1642; after ten days the city fell and much ill work,
especially in the cathedral, followed. Since then its history has been
uneventful.
Some days may be spent in this pleasant town without exhausting its
interest and charm and the cathedral cannot be seen in one visit
without fatigue. As a centre for the exploration of West Sussex
Chichester is much better than one of the smaller towns. (I am not now
advising that adventurous traveller who, fearing nothing, will trust
himself to a remote village hostelry among the Downs.) The South Coast
Railway runs in three directions and all high roads converge on the
city.
[Illustration: CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL.]
Chichester Cathedral is the second on the site, and much of this
building has been added to and altered at various dates. The original
cathedral is supposed to have been for a time the adapted church of St.
Peter's monastery which stood on or near the south-west corner of the
city cross-roads. Bishop Ralph's building, erected in 1107, was
destroyed by fire in 1114. The same bishop started to build the older
portions of the church which we now see.
The most striking object in the exterior view is the modern spire,
built by Scott to replace the tower which fell in 1861 while repairs to
the piers were in progress. The summit is exactly equidistant from the
west porch and the end of the Lady Chapel. The most effective, if not
the most picturesque view, is from the north, where the sturdy
campanile makes a good foil to the graceful spire. Until the enormous
bulk of the new Liverpool Cathedral rose above the great city in the
north, Chichester was the only English cathedral visible from the sea.
[Illustration: SKETCH PLAN OF CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL.]
The nave should be entered from the west porch, a much admired specimen
of Early English. We are at once aware of the fine effects of light and
shade produced by the four aisles. The Cathedral is one of the widest
in England (though those usually quoted as excelling it--York Minster
and St. Paul's, are actually excelled themselves by Manchester, which
also has four aisles). The nave and the inner aisles are Norman, the
outer being Geometrical; these were added to make room for the various
chapels and shrines which were found necessary as the development of
the church progressed. The base of the south-west tower is possibly of
an earlier date than the remainder of the nave and the suggestion has
been put forward that it forms part of the original monastery church of
St. Peter; the style of it is very rude and archaic.
Proceeding by the left-hand or north aisle we see first, close to the
north door, the chapel of the Baptist, which contains an unknown tomb
and an ancient chest reputed to be over a thousand years old and to
have been brought from Selsey. Following come the Collins tomb and the
Arundel chantry containing the altar-tomb of Richard Fitz-Alan and his
countess. At the end of this aisle is an unknown female effigy
conjectured to be Maud of Arundel (1270). Some good modern stained
glass will have been noticed in the nave. The pulpit, a memorial to
Dean Hook, was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. The south aisle of the
nave has the tomb of Bishop Arundel (1478), Bishop Durnford, and Agnes
Cromwell and a brass to William Bradbridge three times mayor of
Chichester (1592).
In a spirit of ruthless improvement the beautiful old stone screen
between nave and choir was removed in 1859, and replaced by the present
rood-screen in memory of Archdeacon Walker. The finely carved throne
and stalls in the choir are also modern but are in excellent taste and
keeping with the solemn Norman stone which surrounds them. The east
window was placed in 1844, and it is no worse than other examples of
this period.
The north transept was for many years used as the parish church of St.
Peter. Note the pictures by Bernhardi of the English Bishops; those
after Elizabeth were destroyed when the tower fell. On the west are the
tombs of three bishops, Grove (1695), King (1669) and Carleton (1705).
King was the defender of Chichester during Waller's attack and the
latter described him as a "pragmatical malignant." The cathedral
library is in this transept, entered from the north choir aisle. It
contains several treasures, notably the service book of Hermann,
Archbishop of Cologne, once the property of Cranmer and bearing his
autograph. From this book the Reformer adapted many phrases for the
Book of Common Prayer. There are several interesting relics from the
stone coffins discovered under the choir in 1829, including a papal
absolution cross, an abraxas ring and a twelfth-century silver chalice
and paten. These are displayed in a case by the wall. In the north
choir aisle is a beautiful altar cloth in a glass case. We now pass the
fine canopied tomb of Bishop Moleynes (1449). In the Early English
chapel at the end, dedicated to St. Panthelon, is the modern tomb of
Bishop Otter (1840). Before entering this chapel note the stone built
into the wall and known as "Maudes Heart." The screens separating the
aisles from the presbytery are made of native Sussex iron.
We now return and cross to the south transept, on the north side of
which is the tomb once supposed to be the shrine of St. Richard de la
Wych, Bishop (1253) but now definitely accepted as that of Bishop
Stratford (1362). This tomb, with several others, was barbarously
"restored" in the last century; near it may be seen the modern brass in
memory of Dean Burgon (1888). The pictures on the west wall are by
Bernhardi and represent Ceadwalla giving Selsey to St. Wilfrid and the
confirmation made by Henry VIII to Bishop Sherborne. Part of the
transept is used as a consistory court. The sacristy is on the west
side and on the east is St. Catherine's Chapel. In the wall of the
aisle, proceeding east, note two slabs which are said to have been
brought from Selsey Cathedral. The subjects are the Raising of Lazarus
and the Saviour meeting Martha and Mary. Note between them the tomb of
Bishop Sherborne (1536); near by is a memorial of Dean Hook (1875) also
the coffin slabs of Bishop Neville (1224) and Bersted (1262).
[Illustration: CHICHESTER PALACE AND CATHEDRAL.]
We now enter the Transitional Retro-choir; here is the altar tomb of
Bishop Story (1503) who built Chichester Market Cross, and of Bishop
Day (1556). The columns of Purbeck marble which grace this part of the
cathedral are of great beauty. The screens of native iron have already
been noticed, they are of simple but effective design.
We pass the terminal chapel of the south aisle, dedicated to St. Mary
Magdalene and restored in memory of Dean Cross, and enter the Chapel of
Our Lady, noting (left) the tombs of Bishops Hilary and Ralph, and
(right) Bishop Seffrid II, the builder of the Early English portions of
the Cathedial. This beautiful chapel was finished in the early
fourteenth century and in the eighteenth was considered unworthy of
repair and handed over to the Duke of Richmond, whose private property
it for a long time became. The floor was raised to allow of a burial
vault being constructed below, and the upper portion became the
library.
The restoration was resolved upon in 1870 as a memorial to Bishop
Gilbert, and the then Duke being in sympathy with the revived canons of
good taste no opposition was encountered. It may be of interest to
quote an anonymous correspondent in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ (1829,
part II) which shows how the leaven was at work even then.
"Some ten years since a Goth, by some untoward chain of circumstances,
possessed sufficient influence with his brethren in the Chapter to
induce that body to whitewash the church, and by way of ornament, and
with a view to compensate for the loss of the original paintings on the
groining of the choir destroyed by the whitewash, the said gentleman
had the archivolt mouldings and all the lines of the building which
were in relief, tastefully coloured in yellow ochre. The name of the
perpetrator of this outrage on good taste and good feeling it is
unnecessary to add, as he will never plan or design any further
embellishment to the cathedral, but if any of his coadjutors in the
daubing and smearing line have survived him, and still possess
influence, I tremble for the effects of the present repair.
"The curious chantry of St. Richard, an object of veneration among
Catholics even to our own days, and the elegant stone screen of the
roodloft, have been literally plastered with whitewash, the rich
sculptured bosses being converted into apparently unshapely lumps of
chalk, and the flat spaces within the heads of the Norman arches of the
nave, which are sculptured with scales and flowers, are almost reduced
to a plane surface.... The removal of this rubbish would be a work of
time; it should be gradually and effectually performed arch by arch, or
its removal may carry away with it many of the sculptures it may
conceal. This will certainly be the case if any London architect, with
a contractor at his heels, sets about a thorough repair to be completed
in a given time....
"The more ancient injuries which the appearance of the cathedral had
sustained were, in the first instance, occasioned by the erection of a
breastwork in front of the triforium, which concealed the bases and
half the shafts of the columns; this might now be easily removed as the
object of its erection, to protect from accident the spectators of the
ancient processions, has ceased to exist. Since the Reformation a great
portion of the nave has been fitted up with pews, the congregation
adjourning from the choir to the nave to hear the sermon. I need not
point out the injury the nave sustains in appearance from this cause
and many points of perspective, highly picturesque, which would arise
from the singular duplication of the aisles of this church are entirely
lost through the existence of the sermon place."
On the south side of the nave is the entrance to the irregularly built
cloisters; here are several monuments and a good view of the
interesting details of the exterior of the cathedral. The Bishop's
Palace is at the west end; it has an Early English chapel in which is
an interesting fresco of the Virgin and Child. At the south-east angle
of the cloister is the Chantry of St. Faith dating from the early
fourteenth century.
[Illustration: BELL TOWER, CHICHESTER.]
The Bell Tower, which is an unique feature of the Cathedral, dates from
the late fifteenth century; it was built to relieve the central tower
of the main building from the weight of the eight bells, most of them
ancient, with quaintly worded and spelt inscriptions. The Arundel
screen has been placed within the tower, but special permission must be
obtained to see this.
The old documents in the Cathedral muniment room are quaint reading,
especially in these post-war days; here are a few items taken at random
from an old book of accounts:--
Payd Thomas the broderer for his labors in amendyng of
dyverse cooppes vestments and other ornaments of the
church workynge thereabouts by the space of IIII wyks
after Chrystmas VI s
For hys comones so longe IIII s
Payd unto Wolsey the masson for amendynge of the tumbe
in our Lady Chapell that was broken uppe when the
Commissionars were here from the Councell to serch
the same XV d
(This was possibly the shrine of St. Richard.)
Payd to Mother Lee for apparellinge of XV
mens albes XIIII d
unto hyr for a dosen of childrens albes IIII d
unto hyr for the makinge of a towell I d
Payd unto Thomas Nowye for pollynge and shavinge of
the chorusters crounes for VI quarters ending at our
Ladye in Lente VIII s
In 1553 Lambart Barnard the painter received an annual payment of
£3 6s. 8d. for his works in the church "in arte suae facultate sua
pictoria" (_sic_).
This Barnard was probably a relative of Bernhardi.
The surroundings of the Cathedral on the south side are very pleasant
and the second visit should be made by way of the Canon Lane Gate in
South Street. On the right is the Vicar's Close and, farther on, the
Deanery (1725). The passage called St. Richard's Walk gives a
particularly beautiful view of the Cathedral.
[Illustration: CHICHESTER CROSS.]
Chichester Cross is the next object of general interest. It was built
by Bishop Story in 1500 and received rough treatment from Waller's men.
On the east side is a bronze bust of Charles I. The clock was presented
by Dame Elizabeth Farringdon in 1724 as "an hourly memento of her
goodwill to the city"; it has not, however, added to the beauty of the
cross. The central column is surrounded by a stone seat which bears
witness to the generations who have used it as a resting place. The
stone lantern which crowns the whole dates from the eighteenth century.
We may now proceed up North Street, passing on the right St. Olave's
Church. A quantity of Roman materials have been found in the walls, and
some authorities declare the south door to be actual Roman work; it is
undoubtedly the oldest building in the town. The Council House is at
the corner of Lion Street; here may be seen the Pudens Stone already
described.
At the end of Lion Street stands St. Mary's Hospital. This was
originally a convent founded in 1158; for some unknown reason the nuns
were evicted in the following century, since then it has been an
almshouse, probably the oldest foundation of its kind in the county. It
supports eight poor persons who live in tiny two-roomed dwellings round
the sides of the great hall. At the end of this is the Decorated chapel
separated from the remainder of the building by an open screen. The
main portion of the building is Early English and a great deal of
timber has been used in the construction. Visitors should enter without
waiting for permission, and one of the courteous ladies will, if
required, show the chapel. The whole makes a quaint and pleasing
picture, quite unique in its way.
[Illustration: ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, CHICHESTER.]
We may continue along St. Martin's Lane northwards to the Guildhall, no
longer used as such. This was originally the chapel of the Grey Friars.
It has a very fine Early English window; the sedilia should also be
seen. The building was for many years used as a court of justice; its
future is still uncertain.
The city walls are not far distant; though not continuous, considerable
portions have been laid out as public promenades. They are for the most
part constructed of flints and undoubtedly have a Roman base. Some
lines of fortifications about a mile north of the walls, locally called
the "Broyles," are supposed to be Roman works, possibly in connexion
with the military station or garrison.
Returning to the city's centre at the Cross, St. Andrew's Church in
East Street may be visited; this has a Roman pavement at a depth of
about five feet. The poet Collins is buried within the church. Note the
slab on the outside wall which up to the present has kept its secret
from archaeologists.
A very interesting museum in South Street contains a quantity of local
finds. Particular note should be made of the pottery removed from a
British tomb at Walberton; also of the curious old lantern called the
"moon," formerly carried in municipal processions after dark.
The "Pallant," a corruption of Palatinate, was once an ecclesiastical
peculiar; it consists of four streets between South and East Streets.
In West Street is the Prebendal school at which Selden commenced his
education. This street has a very fine specimen of seventeenth-century
architecture, built by Wren and dated 1696. There are several good old
residences of about this date in South Street.