much, and again in 1122, when "in Lent-tide the town was burnt while
the monks were singing their Mass, and the deacon had begun the Gospel
_Præteriens Jesus_," and the fire came in the upper part of the
steeple, and burnt all the monastery and the treasures except a few
books and three Mass robes. Again in 1179 and 1190 fires raged. The
Early English builders set to work to repair the damage, and the
church was re-dedicated by Walter de Cantilupe, Bishop of Worcester,
in 1239. The monks were now very busy building, and in 1242 they had
finished the stone vaulting of the nave, which replaced the old Norman
wood vault; in 1246 the south-west tower was completed, and they had
begun to rear for themselves a new refectory. Yet another fire in 1300
wrought havoc in the cloisters, and deprived the monks of their
dormitory. Abbot Thokey was a noble prelate who did much building,
erected some of the beautiful Decorated windows in the aisles and
choir triforium, and was the means of enriching his Abbey "beyond the
dreams of avarice." When Edward II. lay dead, foully murdered at
Berkeley Castle, unlike the time-serving Abbot of Bristol, who feared
the anger of Queen Isabella and her party, he boldly demanded the body
of the dead king and gave it honoured burial in his minster. Then
arose that strange cult, the worship at the dead king's shrine.
Thousands came from far and near, and their offerings so enriched the
monastic treasury that the monks were able to adorn and beautify their
church and monastery, and make it one of the glories of English
architectural achievement. The fearless abbot felt himself too old to
carry on the work; so he resigned in favour of his friend, Abbot
Wygmore (1331-1337), who began to erect that "veil of stone" which
covers the old Norman work, and is such a characteristic feature of
Gloucester.
The south transept was the first recased, a noble screen erected, and
the work was carried on by succeeding abbots. Abbot de Stanton
(1337-1351) constructed the vaulting of the choir and the stalls on
the prior's side, which Abbot Horton completed on the abbot's side,
together with the altar and choir and north transept, and also began
the great cloister, which Abbot Froucester finished. The west front,
south porch and two western bays of the nave are Abbot Morwent's work
(1420-1437). The tower was built by Abbot Seabrooke (1450-1457), and
Abbots Hanley (1457-1472) and Farley (1472-1498) built the Lady
Chapel.
[Illustration Cathedral from S E Herbert Railton GLOUCESTER]
At length the day of dissolution came. Abbot Malvern, the last
abbot, was offered the bishopric which Henry VIII. had just founded;
but he declined, and died of a broken heart. The continued progress of
adornment was checked by the appropriation of much of the wealth of
the monastery by the king, and the building began to fall into decay.
It did not suffer much during the Civil War, in spite of the long
siege. The Lady Chapel was mutilated and defaced, and some other
damage done, but the burghers seem to have acted well, took a pride in
their church, and suffered it not to be destroyed. There have since
been frequent "restorations," and some damage done by destructive
architects; but, on the whole, Gloucester has escaped with less scars
than many of our cathedrals, and retains much of its original beauty
and delicate attractiveness.
THE EXTERIOR
The plan is cruciform, and consists of a nave with two aisles; north
and south transepts, with apsidal chapels on the east side of each; a
tower rises at the crossing. The eastern portion consists of choir
with aisles, forming a processional path, with four apsidal chapels
opening from them, and a Lady Chapel. With the exception of the Lady
Chapel this plan is exactly the same as that of the original Norman
church built by Abbot Serlo. We approach the Cathedral from the
south-east and obtain a good view of its beauties across the close.
The _West Front_, built by Abbot Morwent (1420-1437), is not very rich
or striking when compared with many others. There is a large
Perpendicular window, and another on each side, and a rather small
doorway. The flanking buttresses are crowned with pinnacles, and a
cross crowns the centre of the embattled parapet. The pierced
buttresses, designed so as not to darken the west window, and the
parapets of open-work below and above, are distinguishing features.
The south aisle is Abbot Thokey's work, and is very beautiful with its
fine Decorated work. The buttresses are very massive, and are
surmounted by figures, and the windows deeply recessed.
The _South Porch_ is rich Perpendicular work, built by Abbot Morwent.
The figures are modern, and represent SS. Peter and Paul, and the four
Evangelists, Osric and Abbot Serlo, the founders of the earlier and
Norman Church--SS. Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine and Gregory--against
whose figures the fanatics of Bristol manifested such unreasonable
hate. There is an upper chamber or parvise. The doors are contemporary
with the building. The _South Transept_ shows the remodelling of the
Perpendicular period. Norman work may be seen in the arcading, the
turrets, and traces of an original window; while the capping of the
turrets, the windows and battlement belong to the Perpendicular style.
Passing on to the east we notice the beautiful lofty choir. The main
part of the walls are Norman, and we notice the unusual polygonal
radiating chapels, which are part of the original Norman plan. The
windows are Decorated and Perpendicular, inserted in Norman openings.
The great east window is the largest and finest in England. The _Lady
Chapel_ was originally Early English work, built in 1225, but it was
rebuilt in 1457-1499, during the rule of Abbots Hanley and Farley. It
has four bays, each bay being filled with a lofty Perpendicular
window. There is a passage beneath the chapel, which was necessary in
order to reach the northern side. The chapel is one of the most
beautiful in England. The central _Tower_ is remarkable for its grace
and grandeur. The present one is the work of Abbot Seabrooke
(1450-1457), and belongs to the Perpendicular period. The bells are
ancient, and happily were saved, when the monastery was dissolved,
from the greedy hands of the commissioners of Henry VIII. The monastic
buildings are on the north side, which we shall examine later. There
is a fine view of the Cathedral from the north-west. On the north-west
is the Deanery, formerly the prior's lodging, a very interesting
house; and between it and the north aisle is a passage, the old Norman
slype communicating between the cloisters and the close.
THE INTERIOR
[Illustration NAVE PILLARS FROM THE WEST]
Entering by the south porch we note its Norman character. The old
Norman wooden roof has been replaced by a stone vault, and Decorated
windows of the time of the second Edward have been inserted, but
otherwise there has been little change. The west end, with two bays of
the nave, is Abbot Morwent's work (1420-1437). He destroyed two
western towers or turrets, which were built in 1222-1243 in place of
two similar Norman structures. The height of the Norman piers is
unusual, leaving a small space for the triforium and clerestory. The
zigzag and double cable moulding appear on the main arches. Abbot
Serlo was the builder of the original nave. The stone vault was
erected by the monks in the thirteenth century (1242), when the
clerestory was altered in the Early English style by Abbot Foliot
(1228-1243). Morwent inserted Perpendicular tracery in these windows.
The remains of coloured decoration were discovered during the
restoration. We have mentioned the numerous fires which wrought havoc
here. Traces of the fire may still be seen in the reddened surface of
the piers. The contrast between the Norman piers and the Perpendicular
piers at the west end is noticeable, also the disappearance of the
triforium in the last bay and the lierne vault. The west window
contains some modern glass inserted in memory of Bishop Monk (1856).
There is a curious series of grotesque heads on the arches of the nave
showing the mummeries of gleemen. The story of the _North Aisle_ is
similar to that of the nave. We have the same Norman work and the
Perpendicular western bays of Abbot Morwent. Perpendicular tracery
fills the Norman windows which have zigzag mouldings, and the vault is
Norman. The monks' entrance to the cloisters is at the west end of the
north wall, and is richly ornamented in Perpendicular style. Another
Perpendicular doorway, called the Abbot's Door, is at the east end of
the wall. The history of the mythical King Lucius is the subject of
the west window. There are memorials of Bishop Warburton (1779), the
friend of Pope, a learned divine; Flaxman's monument of Sarah Morley
and Thomas Machen (1614).
The _South Aisle_ retains some of its Norman style, but was remodelled
by Abbot Thokey (1306-1329) in the Decorated style. The ball-flower
ornament is much used on the windows. The vault is Decorated work
erected by Thokey, and the windows have been more effectually
transformed than in the north aisle. There are monuments to John
Jones, M.P. for Gloucester at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, with his
deeds and documents; Sir G.O. Paul (1820), a prison reformer; Dr.
Jenner, the discoverer of vaccination. The Chantry of Abbot Seabrooke
(1457), the builder of the tower, is at the east of this aisle, much
mutilated. The chantry has been restored. The effigy is a good study
of ecclesiastical dress of the period. Near at hand are the effigies
of a knight and his lady, supposed at one time to represent one of the
Bohun Earls of Hereford, but they are now declared to be members of
the Brydges family, perhaps Sir John Brydges, who fought at Agincourt,
more probably a descendant of his. We notice the SS. on the collar,
and the study of the armour shows that at that time chain armour was
being supplanted by plate armour. On north side of entrance to
transept we see a canopied bracket with remains of blue colouring.
Entering the _South Transept_ we see the first part of the Cathedral
which was recased, and may be said with truth to be the birthplace of
the Perpendicular style. This example is quite the earliest which can
be traced, and was finished in 1337 when the treasury of the Abbey was
being filled by the offerings of pilgrims at the shrine of Edward II.
This part of the church has therefore peculiar interest. The designer
was Abbot Wygmore (1329-1337). All the walls are covered with the
panel work, which is the "sign-manual" of the Perpendicular style. The
clustered shafts form very beautiful groups. On the south is a large
Perpendicular window, and below it a passage behind an open arcade.
Two doorways should be noticed, one called the _Confessional_, with
figures on each side said to represent angels, and the other, now
blocked up, with a grotesque monster over it. The angel-guarded door
is sometimes called the Pilgrims' Door, by which they entered to
worship at the shrine of King Edward. Another story is that penitents
entered beneath the monster emblematical of sin, and returned by the
other door protected by the guardianship of angels. The curious
_Prentice's Bracket_, said to be the memorial of a master-builder and
his 'prentice, was probably intended as bracket for a lamp. The roof
is a lierne vault without bosses. The flying arches or buttresses
which support the tower are very graceful. The effigies of Alderman
Blackleech and his wife (1639) are remarkable as studies of the
costume of the period. Other monuments are to the memory of Richard
Pates (1588) and Canon Evan Evans (1891). The _Chapel of St. Andrew_
is on the east side, adorned with paintings by Gambier Parry. Above
this is the east window, which has some beautiful old glass
contemporary with the remodelling of the building. On the north is the
curious Chantry of Abbot John Browne (1510-1514), dedicated to St.
John Baptist because of the similarity of the initials. The floor has
some interesting tiles and the reredos has been painted.
[Illustration THE CHOIR, LOOKING EAST]
In the _North Transept_ we see the further development of the
Perpendicular style in the recasing by Abbot Horton (1351-1377). Here
is the remarkably interesting _Reliquary_, of Early Decorated work,
said by some to be a lavatory. The carved foliage is very beautiful
and also the figures, though mutilated. A chapel is at the east side
of this transept, similar to that in the south transept, dedicated to
St. Paul. A door opens to the north choir aisle. At the entrance from
the transept there is a curious desk which was used by a monk
appointed to check the pilgrims as they went to the shrine of Edward.
The chapel was repaired in 1870, and the niches supplied with figures
of SS. Peter, Paul and Luke. A good Perpendicular doorway is on the
north side, with carved angels in the moulding. The _Chapel of St.
Anthony_ is on the south of this transept, now used as a vestry. There
is a curious painting here of St. Anthony rescuing a female from the
mouth of hell. The transept has a monument of John Bower (1615), which
bears the words: "Vayne, Vanytie. All is Vayne. Witnesse Solomon."
The _Screen_ supporting the organ was erected in 1823 and replaced an
earlier one. The story of the screens is a long one which Mr. St. John
Hope has told so well that we need not repeat it. It appears there
were two screens, one called the _Pulpitum_ and the other a stone
screen supporting the rood-loft. But these have disappeared, and we
have instead an early nineteenth-century structure which need not be
described. The original organ was built at the time of the
Restoration, and some of the pipes bear the monogram of the Merry
Monarch. The _Choir_ is remarkable for its extreme beauty. From the
lofty traceried roof down to the elaborately-tiled floor the walls are
covered with richly-carved panelled work, broken here and there with
delicate screens of stone. Behind this veiled work of stone stand the
old Norman walls and piers. This casing was done by Abbots Staunton
(1337-1351) and Horton (1351-1377). The lierne vault is one of the
finest in England, with its multitudinous ribs, and ranks with King's
College Chapel, Cambridge, and Westminster. The vaults of the tower
and choir both belong to the same period. The _Stalls_ were erected by
the builders of the choir and have fine canopies. The _Misereres_ are
curious and well carved. Some of them represent hunting scenes, St.
George slaying a giant, etc. Before us is the grand _East Window_, the
finest in Christendom. Its date is 1345-1350, and is part of Abbot
Horton's work. The Coronation of the Virgin is the subject, and the
figures consist of angels, apostles, saints, kings and abbots. The
arms of Edward III., the Black Prince, and the lords of Berkeley,
Arundel, Warwick, Talbot and others appear, who took part in the
campaign against France when Creçy was fought. It is thought by some
that the window is a memorial of that famous victory. The clerestory
windows retain some of their old glass, which is of the same date as
that of the east window, but has been restored. The _Reredos_ is
modern, designed by Sir G. Scott. The Birth, Burial and Ascension of
Our Lord are represented. The floor of the presbytery is paved with
some remarkable old _Tiles_, which record the names of some of the
abbots, the arms of knights, and other interesting devices. The
sedilia are adorned with modern sculptured figures, and the
restoration has been accomplished with much care and taste. There are
five principal historic _Monuments_ in the choir. Near the altar is
the canopied tomb of Osric, the founder of the first Abbey, said to
have been erected by Abbot Parker (1515-1539). Guided by the
description of the tomb told by Leland, Dean Spence opened the
cenotaph and found the grey dust and bones of this ancient benefactor.
Near at hand is the beautiful _Tomb of King Edward II._, murdered at
Berkeley Castle. It was erected by Edward III. The effigy is of
alabaster, and the features are thought to have been reproduced from a
waxen mask taken after death. The tomb is a forest of pinnacles and
rich tabernacle work. It has been much restored at various times, but
the extreme beauty of the work has in no way been impaired. The white
hart, chained and collared, the badge of Richard II., is painted on
the pillars. The Chantry of Abbot Parker, or Malverne (1515-1539), has
a much mutilated effigy of this, the last Abbot of Gloucester. Vine
leaves and grapes adorn the screen, and the base has some heraldic
devices and the emblems of the Passion. On the south side is a
projecting bracket which Leland tells us marks the grave of Abbot
Serlo, the founder of the Norman Church. The bracket is Perpendicular,
the effigy Early English, both much mutilated. The figure has a model
of a church in his hand, and therefore denotes that the abbot was a
founder, but the Early English character of the effigy points to it
representing a later abbot than Serlo, and possibly Abbot Foliot
(1243).
The _North Choir Aisle_, or ambulatory, is original Norman, the
windows being filled with Perpendicular tracery. At the north-east
corner is Abbot Boteler's Chantry (1433-1450). The old tiles are
interesting, amongst which we see some representing the arms of the
Boteler or Butler family (three cups). The decoration of the chapel is
all Perpendicular work, screens, windows and reredos. This last is
very fine, and has some well-carved figures of the Apostles. Here is
the effigy of Robert, Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William I.,
whose wild youth was atoned for by his prowess in the Crusades. He,
however, had to endure twenty years' imprisonment, inflicted by his
father. The effigy was probably made not long after his death. The
chest on which it rests is fifteenth-century work. The effigy was
hacked to pieces by Cromwell's soldiers, but the fragments were put
together by Sir Humphrey Tracy, and replaced in the Cathedral.
[Illustration THE LADY CHAPEL]
The _Ante-Chapel_, or vestibule, leading to the Lady Chapel, is the
meeting-place of the old and new work, and is ingeniously contrived.
The Norman apse is pierced by a doorway and two Perpendicular windows.
It is separated from the Lady Chapel by an open-work screen, which is
very beautiful, and has a fine lierne vault. This, and the _Lady
Chapel_, are the work of Abbots Hanley and Farley, who presided over
the Abbey during the last half of the fifteenth century. The Lady
Chapel ranks with Ely as the largest in England, and certainly it is a
triumph of Perpendicular architecture. It has lofty Perpendicular
windows, which seem to produce the effect of a wall of glass with
panelled tracery. The head of each panel is much ornamented, and panel
work, with niches, covers the walls. The lierne vault is very fine,
and the bosses carved with beautiful foliage. At one time the walls
were painted, and traces of colour remain. The east window has much
old glass, which is also visible in the heads of the other windows.
There is a very poor modern reredos, which might be removed without
much regret, as it hides a very interesting, though much mutilated,
mass of rich tabernacle work. The altar rails belong to the time of
Laud, who was dean here, and are said to be the first introduced into
churches. Many of the original tiles remain, and bear inscriptions:
_Ave Maria grâ plê, Dñe Jhû Miserere_. There are two side chapels,
with fan-tracery vaulting. In the north chapel is the monument of
Bishop Goldsbrough (1604). There is an upper chapel, or oratory, and
the same arrangement obtains on the south side. This chapel has a
monument of Th. Fitz-williams (1579). The marks on the walls of these
upper oratories show that the love of recording names by visitors in
historic places is not confined to modern times, and dates as far back
as the sixteenth century.
Returning to the entrance, we follow the ambulatory to the south,
which retains its northern features. _St. Philip's Chapel_ is at the
south-east corner, and has been restored in memory of Sir C.
Codrington, Bart. (1864). There are Norman arches, and fourteenth
century tracery inserted in the windows. The spacious chests for copes
are interesting records of the rich ecclesiastical vestments in use in
former times.
The _Triforium_ is unusually fine, and now extends over the north and
south choir aisles, but not over the east end. That part was removed
when the choir was reconstructed, and in order to connect the severed
portions of the triforium together, the Whispering Gallery was
constructed. This part of the church retains its Norman features, and
is full of interest. The first chapel on the south has Decorated
windows, with ball-flower ornament. There is a double piscina. A very
ancient painting of a Doom or Last Judgment, discovered in 1718, is a
very remarkable example of early art. It was probably painted towards
the end of the reign of Henry VIII. The view of the choir is very
beautiful, and the way in which the later builders cased the Norman
work with a veil of stone can best be observed from the triforium. The
next chapel (south-east) is Norman, with later windows inserted. There
are some fragments of an old choir-screen stored here.
The _Whispering Gallery_ is built out at the back of the great east
window, and in its construction old Norman stone-work has been
re-used. It happens to possess the curious acoustic property of the
famous gallery of St. Paul's, London. The next chapel is over the
ante-chapel of the choir, and has a stone altar, with the usual five
crosses carved on it. The north-east chapel has a Decorated window,
and the north-west a double piscina of the same period.
We will now descend to the _Crypt_ (entrance in south-east transept),
which is very Early Norman, founded before 1085. The walls and piers
are very strong and massive, the former being 10 feet thick. There is
a central apse, an ambulatory, out of which radiate five chapels. The
half columns in the ambulatory have been strengthened and recased in
later Norman times. The chapels have little of interest except their
own intrinsic architectural merits. There are some good piscinæ, and
some memorial slabs.
[Illustration CARREL IN SOUTH CLOISTER]
The _Monastic Buildings_ are some of the finest in England, especially
the cloisters, which are remarkable for their excellent preservation
and for the beauty of the fan-traceried vault. It is thought that this
kind of vaulting, peculiar to this country, originated here. The outer
walls are Norman, and have been recased with Perpendicular panelling.
This work was begun by Abbot Horton (1351-1377), and finished by his
successors, Abbot Boyfield (1377-1381) and Abbot Froucester
(1381-1412). The south walk possesses a very interesting feature in
the _Carrels_ or studies of the monks. The glass of the windows is
modern. The passage or slype, of Norman date, at the west end, was the
main entrance to the cloister from the outer court. At the north
end was the door to the refectory. A window has been placed there
instead, but Mr. Hope points out "the iron hooks on which the doors
were hung." Little of the refectory, which was on the north of the
garth, remains, except the south wall, preserved by the cloister, and
part of the east end. The action of the fire of 1540, which destroyed
this noble hall, is observed on the walls. In the north walk are the
monks' lavatories, the most perfect in England; opposite is the
_Manutergia_, or recess for towels. This walk was reserved for
novices, and Mr. Hope shows us the tables for games which they played
scratched on the stone bench, the "Nine Men's Morris" and "Fox and
Geese" being their favourite pastimes. The east walk gives entrance to
the chapter-house. The doorway is Norman, with zigzag ornament. The
chapter-house is Norman, with a Perpendicular east end. At the west
end is a Norman doorway and an unglazed window (the corresponding one
being covered up when the south-east staircase was added), and three
Norman windows. Traces of fire may be seen here. The seats of the
monks under the arcading may be traced. The vault of the Perpendicular
part is finely groined, and there is a large Perpendicular window at
the east end. The names of several illustrious leaders under William
I. appear on the walls.
The _Locutorium_, or monks' parlour, lies between the chapter-house
and the north transept of the church. This passage is often
erroneously called the "Abbot's Cloister." Here the monks met to
converse when talking was prohibited in the cloister. Above is the
vestry and library. The latter is a long room, of Perpendicular
character. The library at Gloucester has had many migrations and
vicissitudes; the books of the old monastic library were dispersed. A
new collection was begun in 1624 by Bishop Goodman. The books have
been stored in the chapter-house, and elsewhere, and have now found a
permanent resting-place. Its principal treasure is Abbot Froucester's
_Lives of the Abbots of Gloucester to 1381_. This copy was lost at the
beginning of the nineteenth century, and discovered again at Berlin,
and restored to the library. The dormitory has been destroyed. It
probably stood on the north of the chapter-house. The remains of the
infirmary and little cloisters are on the north of the cloister.