its "parcellings" and "raggedness." Professor Freeman denies the
honesty of such fronts, because they extend beyond the walls of the
aisles and nave, and are what the professors of "true principles" call
"shams." Such criticisms fail to recognise the real object of such
screens, which was to set forth a chronicle in stone of the history of
the church, and people the niches with figures of the great men and
benefactors, the saints and heroes, whose memories are here enshrined.
It is no "sham," and we must try to imagine it as it really was, not
shorn of half its beauties, bereft of its images, or supplied with the
works of modern art which do not always harmonise with their
surroundings. Inferior it may be to the fronts of Wells or Lincoln,
but it still possesses many merits, and is certainly impressive. It
was the last completed portion of the Cathedral, as in the mouldings
we see the ball-flower which is the sign-manual of the Decorated
period. There is a central portion with a gable and buttresses, and a
compartment on each side flanked by small towers with small spires.
There are five storeys. In the lowest there is a triple porch, deeply
recessed with canopies. The west window is large, and is a triplet
divided by slender clustered shafts. There are about 100 niches which
have been filled with some of the best examples of modern art by Mr.
Redfern. Above all we see our Lord in glory, to whom all the others
are offering their praise.
Mr. Armfield in his _Legend of Christian Art_ gives us the following
detailed account of the various figures in the west front and the
meaning of their several emblems:--
_The Tier of Angels._--The celestial hierarchy have been divided into
three classes, each class containing three grades. The first class
consists of Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; the second of Dominions,
Powers and Authorities; the third of Principalities, Archangels and
Angels, Angels being thus the lowest order of celestial creation.
_The Tier of Old Testament Worthies._--David, with the harp; Moses,
carrying the Tables of the Law; Abraham, with the knife in his hand;
Noah, with the ark in his left hand; Samuel; Solomon, with the sceptre
in his right hand and the Church in his left hand.
_The Tier of Apostles._--St. Jude, with the halberd; St. Simon
Zelotes, with the saw; St. Andrew, with the cross; St. Thomas, with
the builder's square; St. Peter, with the keys in his right hand; St.
Paul, with the sword in his right hand; St. Luke and St. John. The
figures of St. Peter and St. Paul are restorations of ancient figures
which had been mutilated. St. James the Less, with the fuller's club;
St. James the Greater, with the pilgrim's staff; St. Bartholomew, with
the knife; St. Matthias, with the lance.
_The Tier of the Doctors, Virgins and Martyrs._--St. Ambrose, Bishop
of Milan; St. Jerome, in a Cardinal's hat; St. Gregory the Great, with
the tiara of the Papacy; St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, in Africa;
St. Augustine, of Canterbury; St. Mary the Virgin, St. Barbara, St.
Catherine, St. Roch, St. Nicholas, St. George, the patron Saint of
England; St. Christopher, St. Sebastian, St. Cosmo, St. Damian, St.
Margaret, St. Ursula, St. John the Baptist; St. Stephen, the
proto-martyr; and the four virgins--St. Lucy, St. Agatha, St. Agnes
and St. Cecilia.
_The Tier of Worthies distinctively belonging to the English
Church._--Bishop Giles de Bridport, bishop of the diocese at the time
of the consecration of the Cathedral; Bishop Richard Poore, founder
of the present Cathedral; King Henry III., the monarch who granted the
Charter for the building of the Cathedral; Bishop Odo; Bishop Osmund,
who built the first Cathedral of Sarum; Bishop Brithwold; St. Alban,
holding sword and cross; St. Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury; St.
Edmund, king and martyr; St. Thomas of Canterbury. A mutilated figure
on the west side of north turret is probably that of St. Berinus. We
notice several consecration crosses on the walls of the church.
The _North Porch_ is large and massive, and has a parvise in the upper
storey. On the inside there is a double arcade with foliated arches,
and the pinnacles on each side of the gable are very fine. The _Nave_
presents a perfect example of Early English workmanship. Notice the
regularity of the masonry, which is one of its great peculiarities.
The stones run in even bands throughout. The aisle windows have two
lights; the clerestory has triple lancets, and each pair is flanked by
flying buttresses. The fronts of the transepts are graced by
beautifully-designed windows and are divided into four storeys. The
porch on the north side was removed by Wyatt. The east front of the
choir is a fine arrangement of lancets. There is great similarity
between the north and south sides of the Cathedral. On the north side
of the Lady Chapel formerly stood the Hungerford Chapel, ruthlessly
destroyed by Wyatt; the Beauchamp Chapel on the south side shared the
same fate. Bishop Beauchamp erected the flying buttresses on the south
of the choir in 1450. The gates of the close are:--High Street Gate,
built at the same time as the walls; St. Anne's Gate, and Harnham
Gate, of which little remains. On the south of the nave is the
cloister-court, which we will visit after seeing the interior.
Salisbury possessed at one time a separate belfry at the north-west
corner of the close. It was entirely destroyed and removed by Wyatt.
The _Palace_ is on the south-east. It was commenced by Poore. The hall
was built by Bishop Beauchamp in the fifteenth century.
THE INTERIOR
Entering the building by the west door we obtain a grand view of the
interior. The beautiful clustered columns of the fine arches, wrought
of Purbeck marble, the fine triforium and clerestory, the distant view
of the choir, all combine to make a very impressive scene. The
oft-quoted lines tell us that
"As many days as in one year there be,
So many windows in this church we see;
As many marble pillars here appear
As there are hours throughout the fleeting year;
As many gates as moons one year does view--
Strange tale to tell! yet not more strange than true."
[Illustration Strengthening Arches. East Transepts.]
The uniformity of the architecture in the first beauty of Gothic
conception, the long rows of sepulchral monuments of warriors and
bishops, and the noble proportions of the building, add greatly to the
charm of this building; and yet it lacks much of the beauty which once
shone here. Little of its stained glass, which once shed wondrous
light on all we see, has been saved from the wreck caused by
Reformation zeal and the wanton destruction of Wyatt. The triforium
with its flat-pointed arches, sub-divided into four smaller ones,
ornamented with trefoils and quatrefoils, alternating with cinquefoils
and octofoils, greatly resembles that at Westminster. The clerestory
windows are triple lancets. The vaulting is plain, the arches rising
from clustered shafts with foliated capitals, and resting on
corbel-heads. The west wall has a triple-lancet window, and beneath
this is an arcade of four arches, each of which contains two
sub-arches. In the west window has been collected fragments of old
glass saved from the wreck. It is possible to discover the figure of
our Lord in Majesty, the Virgin, Zacharias in the Temple, the
Adoration of the Magi. There is some Flemish glass also here. The
glass in the west windows of the aisles is ancient (1240-1270), and we
see here the arms of Bishop Jewell (1562) and John Aprice (1558). The
aisles have double-lancet windows. There is a curious stone bench on
each side of the nave, upon which the piers stand. This was so placed
in order to distribute the great weight of the building resting on
these piers, as the foundations were not laid upon any very firm
ground, the nature of the soil being formerly marshy, and the
situation liable to floods. This ingenious plan has evidently had the
desired effect, as the building has stood for nigh 700 years. The nave
contains a fine series of monuments which were arranged here by Wyatt
in a barbarous fashion. This vandal was guilty of every enormity. Not
only did he remove the monuments from their original positions, but he
seems to have mixed up the effigies and put them on tombs to which
they did not belong. Beginning at west end of south side, leaving the
figure of Hibernia, which graces Lord Wyndham's monument (1745), we
see the monuments of the following:--
1. Bishop Herman (1078), which was brought from Old Sarum.
2. Bishop Jocelyn (1184), which was brought from Old Sarum (the
head is later than the rest).
3. Bishop Roger (1139), which was brought from Old Sarum.
(There is some uncertainty about the identity of these.)
4. Incised slab to an unknown personage.
5. Bishop Beauchamp (1481), whose chantry was destroyed by
Wyatt.
6. Robert, Lord Hungerford (1459), whose chantry was destroyed
by Wyatt. Notice the plate armour and collar of saints, also
sword and dagger.
7. Lord Stourton, hung in the market-place in 1556 for the
murder of the Hartgills, accomplished in a brutal fashion. He
was hung, as a concession to his noble birth, with a silken
cord. The "wells" on each side allude to the six heads of the
Stour river, which rise near the Stourton mansion.
8. Bishop de la Wyle (1271), mutilated. The base is made up of
fragments of much later date.
9. William Longespée, first Earl of Salisbury of that name,
son of Henry II. by Fair Rosamond (1226). Notice the
chain-armour and surcoat, shield with arms of Anjou, and the
decoration of the tomb--silver diaper work. He fought in the
Crusades and in France, and was present at the signing of Magna
Charta.
Crossing to the north side we see the monuments of--
10. Sir John Cheyney (1509), standard-bearer of Henry of
Richmond at battle of Bosworth, unhorsed by Richard III.
11.} Walter, Lord Hungerford, and his wife.
12.}
13. Sir John de Montacute (1389), fought at Creçy and in
Scotland under Richard II. Notice armour, especially gauntlets.
14. Chancellor Geoffrey.
15. Person unknown.
16. Longespée, Earl of Salisbury (1250), son of the
above-mentioned earl, a Crusader killed by the Saracens. The
fact that this is a cross-legged effigy does not prove that all
cross-legged effigies represent Crusaders.
17. "Boy Bishop," the great attraction of the ordinary visitor
and tourist. The ceremony of the boy bishop is well known. One
of the choir boys was elected on St. Nicholas Day, and presided
until Innocents' Day, and a special service and procession took
place during his rule. The old idea was that this boy died
during his brief episcopacy, and was thus honoured with an
effigy. It is now generally believed that such small figures
represent heart burials. In bygone times the body was usually
buried at the place where the person died, and not infrequently
the heart was conveyed to the special church associated with
the family or life of the deceased. The library, however,
contains the order of service of boy bishop, and the ceremony
lingered on until the time of Elizabeth.
18. Person unknown.
Near the entrance is a monument to Dr. Turburville, an oculist of
Salisbury (1696).
The _North Transept_ is entered by a Perpendicular arch, by Bishop
Beauchamp (1450-1481). It was designed to support the tower. The style
of this transept resembles that of the nave. The two-light windows,
which take the place of the triforium on the north side, and the
beautiful clerestory windows, with their slender pilasters, should be
noticed. There is an eastern aisle, divided into chapels, which Wyatt
robbed of their screens. The monuments here are:--Brass to John
Britton, the eminent antiquary; James Harris, author of _Hermes_, by
Bacon; Earl of Malmesbury, by Chantrey; W.B. Earle, by Flaxman; Bishop
John Blythe (?) (1499); Sir R. Hoare, the Wilts historian, by Lucas;
Richard Jefferies, the charming modern writer on country life; Walter
and William Long, by Flaxman; Bishop Woodville (1484).
The _South Transept_ resembles the north. Here are monuments
of:--Bishop Mitford (1407), a fine tomb of white marble; Bishop Fisher
(1825); Edward Poore (1780).
The _Choir-Screen_ is good modern work, and replaced a patchwork
structure of Wyatt's handiwork, made up of spoil taken from his
destroyed chantries. The organ is modern.
The _Choir and Presbytery_ differ in no way from the architecture of
the nave. The east end is beautifully designed. At the base of the
reredos are three arches, and above five arches, with cinquefoil
headings, and above these a triplet window. The roof is painted with
an interesting series of designs, which are modern reproductions of
thirteenth-century work. First there are series of Old Testament
saints, the Forerunner of our Lord being ranked with the prophets.
Then come the Apostles, with the figures of our Lord and the
Evangelists; and further east are representations of the months, which
are curious and interesting. January is represented by a man warming
his hands; February, a man drinking wine; March, digging; April,
sowing; May, hawking; June, flowers; July, reaping; August, threshing;
September, gathering fruit; October, brewing; November,
timber-felling; December, killing a pig.
The _Choir Stalls_ are a patchwork composition. There is some old
Perpendicular work; some of the work is by Wren. Happily Wyatt's
productions have been removed. The reredos is modern, is a very
elaborate piece of work. All the other fittings of the choir are new.
In the choir are the chantries of Bishop Audley (1524), a fine piece
of Late Perpendicular work, which has a fan-vault and some traces of
colour, and of Walter, Lord Hungerford (1429), removed here from the
nave, and made into a family pew by Lord Radnor. The iron-work is
good, and such chapels are rare, the Chantry of Edward IV. at Windsor
being the finest of its kind.
In the _North Choir Aisle_ and _Transept_ there are two monuments of
the _memento mori_ type, the large tomb of a thirteenth-century
bishop, either Bingham or Scammel, Bishop Wyvill (1375), Gheast
(1576), and Jewell (1571), and the curious brass of Bishop Wyvill, who
recovered for the see Sherborne Castle and the Bere Chase, seized by
Stephen, and granted by Edward III. to the Earl of Salisbury. To
decide the right the wager of battle was resorted to, and both bishop
and earl chose a champion. The king, however, caused the matter to be
settled amicably. The bishop is here shown in his castle, praying for
his champion, and below are the hares and rabbits representing the
chase. In this north-east transept is a fine Early Perpendicular
lavatory, which is evidently not in its original position, part of an
Early English screen, removed by Wyatt, and a curious aumbrey. In the
aisle toward the east we see an effigy, said to be that of Bishop
Poore, the founder of the Cathedral, and at the east end is the
monument of Sir Thomas Gorges and his lady, who was a maid of honour
to Queen Elizabeth. It is a cumbrous piece of work.
The _Retro-Choir_ or processional path has beautiful clustered shafts
and fine vault, and forms a graceful entrance to the _Lady Chapel_, a
most perfect piece of Early English building, and the oldest part of
the church. At the east end is a triple lancet, with another lancet on
each side, filled with modern glass. There is a new altar here, and
modern colouring adorns the walls and ceiling. The canopies of the
niches under the windows on the north and south were brought here from
the Beauchamp Chapel destroyed by Wyatt. Here in former days stood the
shrine of St. Osmund, the second Norman bishop, the saintly man to
whom the diocese and the English Church owe much. His tomb remains
here, but his shrine was plundered and destroyed at the Reformation.
At the east end of the south choir aisle is the stately tomb of the
unhappy Earl of Hertford (1621), who married Catherine, the sister of
Lady Jane Grey, and thus incurred Queen Elizabeth's resentment, and
was imprisoned. The poor lady, when released from the Tower, was
separated from her husband, and died of grief. He survived her sixty
years. Near here are the modern tombs of Bishops Moberly and Hamilton,
and the Perpendicular tomb of William Wilton, Chancellor of Sarum
(1506-1523). The old sacristy, now the vestry, is on the south of this
transept; above this is the muniment room, the ancient treasury. In
the transept is the remarkable monument of Bishop Giles de Bridport
(1262), under whose rule the church was finished. It is the most
interesting tomb in the church. The carvings in the spandrels record
the chief events in the bishop's life--his birth, confirmation,
education, and possibly his first preferment, his homage, a procession
(probably referring to the dedication of this church), his death, and
the presentation of his soul for judgment. Here are monuments also of
Canon Bowles (1850); Bishop Burgess (1837); Bishop Seth Ward (1689),
Hooker, the famous divine; Young, the father of the poet; Isaak
Walton, the son of the angler; Bishop Davenant (1641); Mrs.
Wordsworth, the wife of the bishop; and a brass to Canon Liddon's
memory. Further on are the monuments of Bishop Salcot (1557), and Sir
Richard Mompesson and his wife (1627). Notice the inverted
strengthening arches in both choir transepts.
Passing through the south transept we enter the _Cloisters_, which are
considered to be "among the finest in England," and without doubt they
can lay claim to be a great and beautiful architectural triumph. They
are a little later than the Cathedral, having been begun directly
after its completion, and finished during the rule of Bishop Wyvill,
about 1340. The windows are finely constructed, and consist of
double-arched openings, each arch having two sub-arches, while in the
head is a large six-foiled opening. On the wall side is a blind arcade
of graceful arches. An unfortunate restoration in 1854 did not improve
the appearance of the cloisters. On the north side, between the
cloister and the church, is the plumbery. The monuments here do not
possess much interest. The _Library_, over part of the east walk, was
built by Bishop Jewell, and contains about 5000 volumes, and a
valuable collection of MSS. One of the most interesting is a Gallican
version of the Psalter (969 A.D.), Geoffrey of Monmouth's Chronicles
(twelfth century), a copy of Magna Charter (now in muniment room), and
many others of much value and importance. The _Chapter-House_ was
built early in the reign of Edward I. It is a noble octagonal
building, and can scarcely be surpassed by any other. The roof is
modern. There is a central pillar, from which the vaulting springs. On
each side there is a large window, resembling in tracery those in the
cloisters. Below the windows is an arcade, and beneath this a stone
bench, and at the east end a raised seat for the bishop and his
officials. There is a remarkable series of sculptures above the
arcade, which are extremely interesting and merit close study. The
following are the subjects represented:--
WEST BAY
1. Description of Chaos.
2. Creation of the Firmament.
NORTH-WEST BAY
3. Creation of the Earth.
4. Creation of the Sun and Moon.
5. Creation of the Birds and Fishes.
6. Creation of Adam and Eve.
7. The Sabbath.
8. The Institution of Marriage.
9. The Temptation.
10. The Hiding in the Garden.
NORTH BAY
11. The Expulsion.
12. Adam tilling the Ground.
13. Cain and Abel's Offering.
14. Murder of Abel.
15. God sentencing Cain.
16. God commanding Noah to build the Ark.
17. The Ark.
18. Noah's Vineyard.
NORTH-EAST BAY
19. The Drunkenness of Noah.
20. Building of the Tower of Babel.
21. The Angels appearing to Abraham.
22. Abraham entertaining Angels.
23. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
24. The Escape of Lot.
25. Abraham and Isaac journeying to the Mount.
26. The Sacrifice of Isaac.
EAST BAY
27. Isaac blessing Jacob.
28. Blessing of Esau.
29. Rebecca sending Jacob to Padanaram.
30. Meeting of Jacob and Rachel.
31. Rachel introducing Jacob to Laban.
32. Jacob wrestling with the Angel, and Jacob's Dream.
33. The Angel touching Jacob's Thigh.
34. Meeting of Jacob and Esau.
SOUTH-EAST BAY
35. Joseph's Dream.
36. Joseph relating his Dream.
37. Joseph being placed in a Well.
38. Joseph sold into Egypt.
39. Joseph's Coat brought to Jacob.
40. Joseph brought to Potiphar.
41. Joseph tempted by Potiphar's Wife.
42. Joseph accused before Potiphar.
SOUTH BAY
43. Joseph placed in Prison.
44. The fate of Pharaoh's Baker and Butler.
45. Pharaoh's Dream.
46. Pharaoh's Perplexity.
47. Joseph taken from Prison, and interpreting the Dream.
48. Joseph ruling in Egypt.
49. The Brethren journeying into Egypt.
50. The Cup placed in Benjamin's Sack.
SOUTH-WEST BAY
51. The Discovery of the Cup.
52. The Brethren pleading before Joseph.
53. Jacob and Family journeying to Egypt.
54. The Brethren pleading before Joseph after the Death of Jacob.
55. Joseph assuring his Brethren of his Protection.
56. Moses in the Presence of God.
57. The Passage of the Red Sea.
58. Destruction of the Egyptians.
WEST BAY
59. Moses striking the Rock.
60. The Declaring of the Law.
In the vestibule the doorway is remarkable for its great beauty. In
the voussoirs of the arch is another series of sculptures representing
moralities, the triumph of virtue over vice. We see Concordia
trampling on Discordia, Temperantia pouring liquor down the throat of
Drunkenness, Bravery trampling on Cowardice, Faith on Infidelity,
Virtue covering Vice with a cloak, while Vice embraces her knee with
one hand and stabs her with the other. Truth pulls out the tongue of
Falsehood, Modesty scourges Lust, and Charity pours coin into the
throat of Avarice. These sculptures are of the very highest class of
art, and are among the most interesting remains of Early Gothic
carving in the world. All the glass in the chapter-house is modern,
and also the tiling. A fine old specimen of fourteenth-century
furniture is seen in the ancient table preserved here.
DIMENSIONS
Total length 473 ft.
Length of nave 229 ft.
Width 82 ft.
Height 84 ft.
Height of spire 404 ft.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING DATES
Early English (1220-1260)--The main buildings of the
church were completed at this time.
(1262-1270)--Monastic buildings.
Decorated (1330-1350)--Two upper storeys of tower and
spire.
Perpendicular (1460)--Arches supporting tower in north and
south transepts. Flying buttresses on south side of choir.
Other buildings of interest in Salisbury--
The Guild Hall.
Market Cross, called the Poultry.
Churches of St. Martin, St. Edmund, St. Thomas à Becket.
In the neighbourhood are--
Old Sarum.
Stonehenge.
[Illustration PLAN OF SALISBURY CATHEDRAL]
OXFORD CATHEDRAL
Oxford is so full of varied interest that we must leave our readers to
gain knowledge of its history from other sources, and confine
ourselves to its Cathedral records. This see was one of those founded
by Henry VIII. out of the proceeds of his spoliation of the
monasteries. The Cathedral was originally the Church of the Priory of
St. Frideswide. This lady was the daughter of Didan, the chief man of
the town. At an early age she took the veil, and her father built for
her a convent; but Algar, King of Mercia, wished to marry her, and
swore that he would carry her off. She fled for refuge, and on her
return to Oxford was gallantly defended by the men of her city against
Algar, who was struck blind. She was buried in her convent, and many
miracles were wrought at her shrine. Such was the beginning of what
ultimately became the Cathedral of Oxford. Terrible was the scene
which took place in this little church. The Danes were in Oxford.
There was peace between the Saxon king, Ethelred, and their foes; but
on St. Brice's Day, 1002, the folk of Wessex were excited to slaughter
the Danes, who fled for sanctuary to the little church. The Saxons
respected no more the sacredness of the building than the laws of
hospitality, and set fire to the place and massacred the helpless
Danes. The remains of this Early Saxon church are said to have been
discovered, which we shall examine later.[8]
Ethelred, repenting of his crime, determined to rebuild the church,
which he accomplished, and recent authorities assure us that the
present church is in plan and main substance the Saxon church of
Ethelred, erected in 1004, and not the later Norman church about which
the older writers tell us. He seems to have established a community of
secular canons. The work was interrupted by the later Danish
invasions, and perhaps never finished. At any rate it was ruinous in
the time of the Early Normans kings.