by Henry I., to Prior Guimond and his fellow canons. This prior began
to restore the ruined church and monastery, but his successor, Robert
de Cricklade (1141-1180), did most of the work, and restored the nave,
choir, central tower and transepts. All the later Norman work is due
to him. In 1180, in the presence of Henry II., his nobles and a goodly
company of bishops, the relics of St. Frideswide were translated to a
place of honour in the restored building on the north side of the
choir, to which there was great resort of pilgrims on account of the
miraculous healings which took place there. Fire played havoc with the
city of Oxford in 1190, but the church escaped without much injury.
The monastic buildings suffered, and the traces of fire can still be
seen on the old Norman doorway in the cloisters. In the thirteenth
century the Lady Chapel was built adjoining the north side of the
choir, some of the old walls being used, the spire raised above the
tower, the chapter-house and part of the Latin Chapel added, which was
completed in the fourteenth century. A few Decorated details were
added at this period, and windows in this style inserted. The
fifteenth century witnessed sundry alterations in the cloisters, the
building of St. Frideswide's latest shrine, the insertion of some
Perpendicular windows, and the erection of the fine vaulting of the
choir.
Then a mighty change dawned on the old monastery. Cardinal Wolsey
obtained a bull from Pope Clement VII. for its suppression and
determined to convert it into a college, which was designed to be the
largest in Oxford. He played sad havoc with the fabric of the church.
A great part of the nave he destroyed altogether in order to make room
for his great "Tom Quad," so named after the famous bell which still
rings each night at five minutes past nine, and is the signal for the
closing of the gates of all Oxford colleges. Part of the old cloisters
disappeared also. Wolsey contemplated the building of another church
for his college, and indeed began its construction; but his fall in
1529 put an end to the carrying out of his great conception, and the
college fell into the hands of King Henry VIII. Here the monarch
established one of his newly-formed sees (the bishop's seat was first
fixed at Oseney Abbey, just outside Oxford), and with characteristic
parsimony applied the revenues of the college to the support of the
see. The dean of the Cathedral is still the head of the college, and
the canons are university professors. As was usual at this time, the
Cathedral was shorn of all its costly ornaments, vestments, plate and
other treasures, but the fabric remained intact.
Dean Brian Duppa in 1630 wrought much evil in the way of restoring his
Cathedral, destroying the old glass and woodwork, tearing up the
brasses, and "improving" the windows by cutting away the old tracery.
He was rewarded for his zeal by being made Bishop of Salisbury. His
loyalty to the fallen fortunes of his sovereign, Charles I., somewhat
atones for his wanton destruction of much that was beautiful in Christ
Church Cathedral. In the Civil War, Oxford was the great centre of the
Royalists. Here King Charles held his court. Students flocked to his
standard, and the Cathedral was the scene of several thanksgiving
services on the occasion of victories. Cromwell's soldiers at length
captured Oxford, and did some damage in the Cathedral, breaking much
of the glass. Bishop Fell (1676-1686) was a munificent benefactor of
the college. His father when dean had built the fine staircase to the
hall with its fan-tracery vault, and commenced the buildings on north
and west of the quadrangle. This Bishop Fell finished the buildings of
the college together with the west belfry, designed by Sir C. Wren,
but he does not appear to have done much for the Cathedral. Neglect
and the hard hand of time wrought much mischief, and it seems to have
been in a deplorable state when the restorations of the last half of
the nineteenth century were inaugurated. To rescue it from its
wretched condition Dean Liddell, whose name is familiar to every
student of Greek, set himself with much energy, and the work was
entrusted to Sir G. Scott. His restoration was carried out with much
wisdom and careful regard for antiquity. The author of _Alice in
Wonderland_, a fellow of the college, published a satirical pamphlet
on _The Three T's_, the tunnel, the tower (the third we forget), and
compared the new entrance with a railway tunnel, representing a
railway train emerging from the portal, and scoffing at the new tower,
which arose above the grand staircase to the hall. But it is easy to
criticise, and Sir G. Scott's work at Oxford compares favourably with
most restorations, and for this posterity will thank him.
THE EXTERIOR
Oxford Cathedral is so hidden away behind the obtrusive walls of
Wolsey's college that it is difficult to obtain any good exterior
views. The best is that seen from the garden of one of the canons, to
enter which permission may be obtained. The view from the cloister is
also satisfactory. The principal entrance is from "Tom Quad" by the
"tunnel," as Lewis Carroll termed the passage or porch situated a
little to the north of the entrance to the hall. As we have said, the
west front and the greater part of the nave were destroyed by Wolsey
when he erected the college buildings. He also destroyed the west walk
of the cloister, which we enter by a passage leading from the entrance
to the hall. The cloisters are Perpendicular work of the latter part
of the fifteenth century. The north walk was at one time converted
into a muniment room, but has recently been restored to its original
form, and has a modern imitation of the old vaulting. The old
refectory stood on the south side, but has been converted into college
rooms. Its large Perpendicular windows still remain looking on to the
cloister. The entrance to the chapter-house is in the east walk, and a
fine Norman doorway it is. It belongs to the later Norman period. It
has four orders, richly ornamented with zigzag. A round-headed window
is on each side of the door. The chapter-house is one of the best
examples of the Early English style in the kingdom, and may be
compared with those of Lincoln, Salisbury and Chester. The east end is
very fine, and consists of an arcade of five arches which are double.
Slender clustered shafts with capitals adorned with foliage support
the inner arches. The three central arches are pierced for windows.
Similar arcades are at the east end of north and south sides. The
sculpture in this chamber is extremely fine. Grotesque corbels, carved
capitals and the bosses in the vault, are all beautiful and
interesting. One of the bosses represents the Virgin giving an apple
to the infant Christ. There is also some old glass and interesting
mural paintings. Diocesan meetings are held in this delightful room.
The foundation stone of Wolsey's college at Ipswich is preserved here.
In the room on the south are some fine paintings, an Elizabethan table
and an old chest. Another door in this cloister leads to the old
slype, a passage to the monastic burial-ground. On the left is St.
Lucy's Chapel, mainly of Norman construction, the east window being
much later. It is of Decorated character, and the tracery is
flamboyant and of very beautiful design. The south choir aisle
adjoins, and is part of the original church. The windows are modern
imitations of Norman work. The windows in the clerestory of the choir
are Perpendicular. The east end is modern, having been reconstructed
by Scott. On the north side of the Cathedral, viewed from the canon's
garden, we see the north transept with its large Perpendicular
window, erected at the beginning of the sixteenth century, flanked by
two turrets crowned with pinnacles; the Latin Chapel of beautiful
Decorated design, erected in the fourteenth century, and the Lady
Chapel, the east wall of which is part of the old Saxon church, and
Mr. Park Harrison has discovered the remains of three Saxon apses
which are perhaps the remains of the earliest Saxon church, the Church
of St. Frideswide, built by Didan early in the eighth century.[9] A
Decorated window has been inserted here. We must now notice the
_Tower_ and _Spire_, a beautiful feature of the Cathedral. The lower
storey is Late Norman, similar to the style of the nave; the belfry
and the spire are Early English. This spire ranks with that of
Barnock, Northants, and New Romsey, Surrey, as being one of the
earliest in the kingdom. It was restored by Scott. The pinnacles at
the angles of the tower are modern but accurate copies of the ancient
ones. The spire is octagonal, and is what is termed a broach spire,
_i.e._, it rises from the exterior of the tower walls and not from the
interior of a parapet as in the later spires.
[Illustration Oxford Cathedral]
THE INTERIOR
Entering by the new porch from the quadrangle and passing under the
organ-screen we see a Cathedral, small, indeed, but possessing
features of peculiar interest. In its main plan it is possibly the
church of Ethelred begun in 1004, but finished in Late Norman times
when Robert de Cricklade or Canutus was prior (1141-1180).[10] The
piers of the _Nave_ are alternatively circular and octagonal. There is
a very unusual triforium. Arches spring from the capitals of the
piers, and in the tympana are set the triforium arcade. From half
capitals set against the piers spring another series of arches at a
lower level than the others we have mentioned, and above the curve of
these is the triforium arcade. Very few examples of this curious
construction are found in this country. The carving of the capitals is
graceful, and though it differs somewhat from the stiff-leaved foliage
of Early English style, it somewhat resembles that character. The
clerestory belongs to the period of transition between Norman and
Early English. The central arch of the triple windows is pointed, and
the others, which are blocked up, round. The corbels and shafts which
support the roof are Norman, but the brackets are Perpendicular,
erected by Wolsey, who intended to build a stone vault. The present
fine timber roof belongs to his time, or a little later. The stalls
and seats are modern. The screen is Jacobean, above which is the
organ, a fine instrument enclosed in a Jacobean case. The pulpit
belongs to the same period and is very interesting, especially its
grotesque carving. The central tower has fine and lofty arches, and
its appearance has been improved by the removal of the ceiling which
formerly existed here. A curious subterranean chamber was discovered
here in 1856. It contained two aumbries, and was evidently intended
for the keeping of some treasure, possibly of the monastery, or of the
university. It is known that the university chest during the
thirteenth century was deposited in a secret place within the Church
of St. Frideswide, and this, doubtless, was the spot. The _Choir_ is
of the same character as the nave. The piers are more massive, and the
style of the carving of the capitals differs. We are told that we have
distinct evidence here that this is part of Ethelred's church, that
the sculpture is Saxon, copied from Saxon MSS., that it has been worn
by weather which could only have been done during the ruinous
condition of the church prior to its Late Norman restoration. Possibly
this may be true, and the carving is certainly peculiar, but at
present we cannot quite agree to accept this view. The triforium is
Late Norman, and the roof is a fine example of fan-tracery begun in
the fifteenth century. Wolsey changed the appearance of the
clerestory, and introduced Perpendicular details.
[Illustration Oxford Cathedral (Herbert Railton)]
The _East End_ is modern, and is a fine conception of Sir G. Scott
based upon early models. The _Reredos_ is a fine modern work, and the
altar, lectern and throne are also new. Turning to the north we enter
the _North Choir Aisle_, where we stand upon debatable ground. Perhaps
we are in the Early Saxon church built for St. Frideswide, or the
later Saxon church of Ethelred. Authorities differ, and it is
impossible to decide. At any rate, there in the east wall are the
remains of the three Saxon arches which lead to the apses discovered
on the outside. And here, too, is the noted _Shrine of St.
Frideswide_, of which Mr. Ruskin said that every stone was worth its
weight in silver, if not in gold. It has been gradually collected from
odd corners of the precincts, as the shrine was destroyed by Henry
VIII. The carved foliage is very beautiful, and when this base of
the shrine was complete and crowned with the jewelled cover, beneath
which reposed the relics of the saints, it must have been very
imposing. There is a curious story in connection with these relics.
When the tomb was destroyed these were carefully preserved in secret
by "the faithful," and in the meantime the body of the wife of Peter
Martyr, a Protestant professor, was laid near the saint's shrine. As
this poor lady was an ex-nun, in the time of Mary and Cardinal Pole
her body was cast out into a cesspool, and the relics of the saint
restored to their place of honour. In Elizabeth's time the saint's
bones were again removed. The queen ordered the decent re-burial of
the remains of Peter Martyr's wife, and while this was being done the
sacred box containing the relics was produced, and "the married nun
and the virgin saint were buried together, and the dust of the two
still remains under the pavement beneath our feet inextricably
blended."[11] The exact spot is conjecturable, but a brass has been
placed where the mingled remains are supposed to lie.
The _Lady Chapel_ is on the west of the choir aisle, and is of Early
English construction. It was added about 1250, when the present piers
and vault were built. The east wall, as we have said, is manifestly
earlier, and is part of one of the earlier Saxon churches. The east
window is restored Decorated. The west arch is round-headed, and shows
that this part of the chapel was the east aisle of the north transept.
There are extensive remains of colouring. Here is the remarkable
"Watching Chamber," supposed by some to be a later shrine of St.
Frideswide, and by Professor Willis and others to be the chamber where
watch was kept for guarding the gold and jewels which adorned the
actual shrine. It has three stages, and is very beautiful
Perpendicular work. In this chapel there are some interesting
monuments--Sir George Nowers (1425) (with good example of armour);
Prior Guymond (?) (1149), or Prior Alexander de Sutton (1316), with
Decorated canopy and effigy; Lady Montacute (1353), the supposed
founder of the Latin Chapel; Robert Burton, author of _Anatomy of
Melancholy_ (1639). Some "Morris" windows have been inserted here
designed by Burne-Jones, very beautiful in themselves, but perhaps
scarcely in keeping with their surroundings. The St. Cecilia window is
extremely fine. The _Latin Chapel_ is mainly Decorated work of the
time of Edward III., the western parts being earlier. The vault has
some richly-foliated bosses, on which appear the waterlily and the
roses, and heads surmounted with crown and mitre. The east window has
strange Venetian tracery, but some excellent modern glass designed by
Burne-Jones and representing incidents in the life of St. Frideswide.
The other windows have some fine old fourteenth-century glass; the
north-east window is modern. The woodwork is very fine; it is later
than the chapel, and was not designed for it. The cardinal's hat,
supported by angels on one of the carved poppy-heads, shows that this
was prepared for Wolsey's choir. Some of the work is much older. In
this chapel the writer used to listen to the lectures of the divinity
professor, and was often distracted from the discourse by the
architectural beauties around him. Beautiful vistas may be obtained
here of "long-drawn aisles and fretted vault," and he became very
conversant with the history of St. Frideswide as depicted in the fine
east window.
The _North Transept_ is similar to the nave in style. The north window
is a modern restoration, and the glass is not very pleasing modern
work. Here is the Perpendicular tomb of a monk, Zouch (1503), and some
good brasses in the aisle. The north aisle has Norman vaulting. The
windows are restored Perpendicular, and the glass is modern. The
window at the west end of the aisle was refashioned by Dean Brian
Duppa in his usual barbarous manner, but it has some good Flemish
glass by Van Ling representing Jonah and the Gourd, with Nineveh in
the background.
Crossing to the south side of the church we pass several monuments in
the vestibule at the west end and reach the _South Aisle_, which is
later in style than the north. At the west end is a Burne-Jones
window, representing "Faith, Hope and Charity." The south transept
preserves its Late Norman character, but has been shorn of its length.
On the east side is the Chapel of St. Lucy. At the back of the wall on
the south is the slype, and above this the vestry. One of the windows
here is said to be Saxon. _St. Lucy's Chapel_ is Norman, and is now
used as a baptistry. The east window has flamboyant tracery and some
fine old glass. Several monuments of distinguished Cavaliers who died
for the Royal cause in the Civil War are in this part of the church.
The _South Choir Aisle_ resembles that on the north. The south windows
are in the Norman style, but are modern imitations. The glass of the
east window was designed by Burne-Jones and portrays St. Catherine. It
was erected in memory of a daughter of Dean Liddell. The monument of
Prince Leopold, brother of the king, formerly a student of Christ
Church, has a pathetic interest, and the tomb of Bishop King,
Oxford's first bishop (1557), is a fine piece of Perpendicular work.
The window to his memory is on the south and shows a representation of
the Abbey of Oseney, where his episcopal throne was first established,
before it migrated to the Church of St. Frideswide.
DIMENSIONS
Extreme length 175 ft.
Length from screen to reredos 132 ft.
Extreme breadth 108 ft.
Height of spire 144 ft.
DATES OF BUILDING
Saxon--East wall of Lady Chapel and north choir aisle, and
possibly window in south transept.
Norman--Nave, choir, transept, aisles, door of chapter-house
St. Lucy's Chapel.
Early English--Lady Chapel.
Decorated--Latin Chapel and several windows.
Perpendicular--Cloisters, windows and vault of choir.
FOOTNOTES:
[8] Mr. Micklethwaite considers these remains to have belonged to
Ethelred's church.
[9] Mr. Micklethwaite believes these apses to have been part of
Ethelred's church.
[10] Although Mr. Park Harrison's theory is attractive, we are unable
to accept all his conclusions as to the pre-Norman character of the
details of the church.
[11] Froude, _Hist. Engl._, vi. 468.
BRISTOL CATHEDRAL
Bristol, the great western port of England, has a history which tells
of the ancient glories of English seamanship. From this port sailed
the first Englishman who landed in America, Sebastian Cabot, who was
born in Bristol, and was the first to discover that which is now known
as the United States. A Bristol chronicle states, "this year 1497, on
St. John the Baptist's day, the land of America was found by the
merchants of Bristowe, in a ship of Bristol, called _The Matthew_, the
which said ship departed from the port of Bristowe the 2nd of May, and
came home again 6th August following." It was a Bristol ship which
brought home the real Robinson Crusoe (Juan Fernandez) from his island
home. Very famous were the great merchants of Bristol, such as William
Cannynge, who founded the noble Church of St. Mary Redcliffe, whom his
king, Henry VI., delighted to honour, and styled "his beloved and
honourable merchant." Vast was his fleet--his shipping, amounting to
2470 tons, was seized by the victorious Yorkist monarch--and vast were
his commercial enterprises, whereby he made Bristol a large and
flourishing port.
But we must go back to earlier days. In Saxon times the port was
famous, or infamous, for its slave-dealing, which the coming of the
Conqueror scarcely suppressed. Here Harold's three sons made a vain
attempt to rescue the kingdom from his iron grasp. A famous Norman
castle destroyed in the Civil War was built here, where Stephen was
kept a prisoner. Pleasanter visits were frequently paid by other
monarchs. The city was besieged and taken by Henry Bolingbroke, and
Shakespeare in _Richard II._ tells of the beheading of four supporters
of the luckless king in the city market-place. Here, too, five martyrs
were burnt, and in the first year of Elizabeth's reign a mass of roods
and images shared the same fate. The imposition of the ship-money tax
was so distasteful that the Royal cause was not very popular at
Bristol. The citizens opened their gates to the troopers of Cromwell,
who held it from 1642 to the following year. Prince Rupert stormed the
place, and held it till it was wrested from him in 1645. The "Bloody
Assize" of Judge Jefferies left its mark on this western port; six
prisoners were executed, and hundreds sent across the sea to serve in
the plantations. The darkest spot in the history of Bristol is the
story of the Reform riots of 1831, sometimes called "the Bristol
Revolution," when the dregs of the population pillaged and plundered,
burnt the bishop's palace, and were guilty of much vandalism. Of the
old churches we shall write subsequently. The old quaint houses are
very attractive, especially the old Norman hall and Tudor windows of
the house of Edward Colston, one of Bristol's merchant princes,
Cannynge's house, with its fine Perpendicular roof, and the old
Hospital of St. Peter.
THE HISTORY OF THE SEE
Bristol was one of the sees founded by Henry VIII. in 1542, after the
destruction of the monasteries. There is, however, in the British
Museum, a MS. copy of a Papal Bull of 1551, for the refounding of the
see, directed by Pope Paul IV. to Cardinal Pole. In 1836 the Sees of
Bristol and Gloucester were united, and remained so until 1897, when
they were again separated.