triforium of choir, font, east wall of south transept,
vestry.
(1189-1199)--Retro-choir.
Early English (1200-1250)--Lady Chapel, crypt.
(1282-1287)--North transept.
Decorated (1300-1360)--Walls and windows of aisles, choir
transepts, upper part of tower, stalls and throne.
Perpendicular (1400-1530)--Cloisters, windows in south
transept, north porch, Audley and Stanbery Chantries.
Modern--West front, triforium and clerestory of nave, east
front, library.
WORCESTER CATHEDRAL
Worcester has many points of interest outside its Cathedral. All round
the city is historic ground. It was the battlefield of Briton, Roman,
Saxon, Dane and Norman. It heard the sounds of fighting in the wars of
the barons and in the wars of the Roses, and in the great Civil War
Worcester repeatedly suffered, and within its boundaries the great
battle of Worcester was fought, the last effort of a dying cause. The
half-timbered houses of the Elizabethan and early Stuart times, the
interesting churches, and streets that by their names record many a
curious custom and phase of old English life, all remind us of ancient
times and the manners of our forefathers.
We will walk round the town and note its chief points of interest. We
notice the old houses in New Street, the remains of the old city wall,
"the Cross," the old centre of civic life, the Guild Hall, designed by
a pupil of Wren in 1721; St. Helen's Church, from the tower of which
still nightly sounds the curfew. Along Sidbury the tide of battle
rolled in 1651, when Charles II. was making his last gallant struggle
against the army of the Protector. The old Edgar Gate is near at hand,
which leads to the castle and Monastery of St. Mary.
The Commandery in Sidbury was a hospital founded by St. Wulfstan,
Bishop of Worcester about 1085, for a Master, Priests and Brethren
under the rule of St. Augustine. The house is a wonderful example of
mediæval architecture, and is kept in its ancient state by the present
occupier, Mr. Littlebury, who allows it to be inspected. Here in 1300
Hugh le de Spencer held a court. The great hall is of Tudor
architecture. King Charles I. stayed a night here, and the Duke of
Hamilton died here, after wounds received in the fatal battle. "Fort
Royal," fortified by Charles I., is seen from the garden, and cannon
were placed here at the battle of Worcester; but Cromwell captured the
stronghold. Charles II. withdrew with difficulty, and the house in the
old Corn Market is shewn where he took refuge, and effected his escape
at the back door as Colonel Cobbett, his pursuer, entered at the
front. Over the entrance is the inscription: "Love God. Honour the
Kinge."
HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL
The See of Worcester was first formed in 680, when the unwieldy
Diocese of Mercia was divided, and Bosel was its first bishop. The
successive Kings of Mercia poured wealth into the episcopal treasury,
and endowed the see with many a rich manor. St. Dunstan was bishop
here (957-961), and then came Oswald, subsequently Archbishop of York,
the reformer of monasteries, who is said to have replaced the secular
priests by a community of monks, and built the Church and Monastery of
St. Mary on the site of the present Cathedral. This sacred fane was
destroyed by the Danes, under Hardicanute, in 1041. Bishop Wulfstan,
the second prelate of that name who held the see, was appointed in
1062, a holy, simple and earnest prelate, who, though a Saxon, held
his see in spite of Norman opposition and prejudice. He laid the
foundations of the existing Cathedral, and some of his work remains in
the crypt and monastic buildings. When he saw the workmen pulling down
the ruins of the old Church of St. Oswald he wept, saying, "We destroy
the works of our forefathers only to get praise.... We neglect the
care of souls and labour only to heap up stones." He was canonised,
and many miracles were reported to have taken place at his tomb, to
which there was great resort. In 1113 fire destroyed part of the
Cathedral, as well as the city and castle. In the troublous times of
Stephen, Florence, a monk of Worcester, tells us that when a raid was
made on the city the people took their chests and sacks of goods and
deposited them in the great church, while all the church goods, the
curtains and palls, albs and copes were hidden away in recesses in the
walls. The west bays of the nave were built about 1160. In 1175 the
"new tower" fell, a misfortune common to so many cathedrals; in 1189
another great fire raged, and the troubles of John's evil reign were
felt heavily here, when the city was taken by the king's forces, the
church pillaged and the monks compelled to pay a heavy fine, to defray
which they even melted down the shrine of the saint. Soon John was
buried here, and could do no further mischief.
In 1218 the church was dedicated, when Henry III. and a goodly number
of bishops and nobles were present.
In a storm is 1221 the two "lesser towers" fell. Happily the
offerings at the shrine of St. Wulfstan, which was soon repaired, were
very numerous, and in 1224 the present choir and Lady Chapel were
begun by Bishop William de Blois in the Early English style, and
doubtless continued by Bishop Walter Cantilupe, uncle of the sainted
Bishop of Hereford. He was a sturdy Englishman who upheld the rights
of the English Church against the Pope, and was excommunicated by the
Roman Pontiff. The work of rebuilding the church gradually progressed.
The nave was built in the Decorated style on the north side
(1317-1327), and Bishop Thomas Cobham, styled "the good clerk," made
the vault of the north aisle; so Leland informs us. The south side of
the nave is a little later, about 1360, when traces of Perpendicular
work are evident, blended with the Decorated. In this century also was
built the Guesten Hall, now, alas! destroyed, the roof of which is now
seen in Holy Trinity Church.
Henry de Wakefield was a vigorous builder (1376-1394). During his time
the refectory and cloister, the tower, the stone vault over the choir,
under the belfry, over the nave, library, treasury and dormitory, the
water-gate, infirmary, the stalls in the choir, the west window and
the north porch were erected.
At the Reformation Worcester had a very zealous reforming bishop in
the person of Hugh Latimer, who was subsequently burnt at Oxford.
Under his rule the costly shrines of St. Oswald and St. Wulfstan were
destroyed, and the relics buried near the high altar. During the Civil
War Worcester fared badly, and terrible scenes took place in the
sacred building. In 1642 Cromwell's soldiers under the Earl of Essex
entered the town and did after their kind. They pulled down altars,
destroyed vestments and furniture, and carried off stores of treasure
concealed in the crypt and deposited there for safety. The bishop at
this time, John Prideaux, was a vigorous Royalist, who excommunicated
freely all who fought against the king. In return the soldiers
pillaged his palace, and the poor bishop was reduced to selling his
books in order to gain a livelihood. But this was not all the evil
that befell the "faithful city." It was besieged four years later from
March 26 to July 23, but when the Roundheads gained the day and
entered the city they behaved in most becoming manner, and did less
damage than the soldiers of the Royalist garrison. But even this was
not all. In 1651 was fought the battle of Worcester. We can see
Charles II. watching the issues of the fight from the top of the
tower, and then the divers fortunes of the fight (to which allusion
has already been made), the final victory of Cromwell, the capture of
6000 prisoners, who were confined in this sacred building. Then
followed one of the most terrible scenes in the war, when the soldiers
of Cromwell were let loose on the helpless citizens, and ravaged and
plundered without mercy in the streets and lanes and houses of this
unhappy city.
[Illustration WORCESTER CATHEDRAL FROM THE SEVERN]
At the Restoration of the Monarchy it does not seem that any extensive
repairs were immediately undertaken. In the eighteenth century some
unfortunate "restoration" was carried out which disfigured the
building, and did not materially contribute to its strength. As most
of these disfigurements have been removed, we need not record them. A
great restoration was begun in 1857 by Mr. Perkins, the architect, and
continued by Sir Gilbert Scott, and the church was re-opened in 1874.
Opinions differ with regard to the severity of this restoration.
Certainly it has destroyed all appearance of antiquity in the exterior
of the choir and Lady Chapel, but Professor Willis thinks that we have
now a reproduction of its original aspect, as far as that can be
determined. However, the attempt to reproduce the original should not
be the entire aim of restoration. We want to have the whole story of
the building before us, and not its opening chapters interpreted for
us, and often mangled and distorted by the modern restorer.
THE EXTERIOR
We approach the Cathedral from the west and obtain a good view. At the
foot of the west end the river flows. The _West Front_ need not detain
us; it is plain and unpretentious. There is a large modern window in
Decorated style, and above three lancets, and a cross crowns the
gable. The doorway is Norman much restored, and has figures of our
Lord in glory, angels and the Virgin and Holy Child. The _North Porch_
was built by Bishop Wakefield (1375-1394), and belongs to the period
when the Decorated style was merging into the Perpendicular. There is
a parvise over it with Perpendicular battlements, and figures of our
Lord and the twelve Apostles in niches. Above is a row of small
figures. Between the porch and the west front was formerly the
charnel-house, built by Bishop William de Blois in the thirteenth
century and demolished in the seventeenth. The crypt still exists. The
two west bays are Transition Norman. The rest is Decorated work. A
small Decorated chapel, called _Jesus Chapel_, juts out from the
aisle on this side. The lower part of the walls of the north transept
is Norman work, but the transept was much repaired in the fourteenth
century and the windows are Perpendicular, and that in the north wall
is a modern antique. Strong flying buttresses support the main walls
on the east of this transept. There is a choir transept. The east end
is plain. The east window is of Early English design but modern
workmanship. The south side is very similar to the north, but
enclosures and buildings prevent us from a close inspection. The
cloisters are as usual in Benedictine monasteries on the south side,
and these we shall enter from the church. The _Tower_ dates from 1374,
but the details are modern, as the tower was very much restored. It is
of good proportion, has two storeys with crocketed pinnacles, a
parapet adorned with lesser spires, and the whole effect is not
unpleasing.
THE INTERIOR
We enter by the north porch. The _Nave_ covers the same ground as the
original Norman Cathedral, and some remains of the old building are
left. At the west end the door entering into the north aisle, at the
north-east angle of the north aisle, and the great Norman shafts
running up the centre of the second piers from the west, are pure
Norman. The two _Western Bays_ are Transition Norman, and are an
interesting study. We see here almost the earliest advance of Gothic
art and the earliest traces of the Early English feeling which
manifested itself for the first time in its developed form in the
choir of Lincoln. It will be observed that the arches are pointed, but
the capitals are Late Norman. The triforium is peculiar, and has a
series of pointed arches over three round-headed openings, the centre
one being much higher than the rest, and the ornaments are the zigzag,
lozenge and curious knots of carved leafage. The clerestory consists
of groups of three windows under round arches, the tracery at the back
being Perpendicular insertions. The date of this portion is about
1160. The vault was fashioned by Bishop Wakefield (1375-1394). There
are seven remaining bays. Those on the south are later than those on
the north, and the earlier work is the richer and more beautiful. On
the north the five eastern bays and the pier arches of the other two
are Decorated (1317-1327), while the rest of these two bays and all
the south side are Early Perpendicular. The great west window is
modern, erected in 1865 in Early Decorated style. Sculptured figures
of characters from the Old Testament appear in the tympana of the
triforium.
The _South Aisle_ has two west bays of Transition Norman work like the
nave, quadripartite vaulting, Late Decorated windows, high in the wall
on account of the cloister on the other side, and two doorways called
the monks' and the prior's. The wall is original Norman. Here is a
large modern font. The _North Aisle_ has also the two west bays of
Transition Norman. The vaulting is Decorated, the work of Bishop
Cobham (1317-1321), and the rest of the aisle belongs to the same
period. The _Jesus Chapel_ opens from this aisle, separated by a
modern screen in Perpendicular style. This chapel has been recently
restored by the Hon. Percy Alsop, and the scheme of decoration is very
elaborate and beautiful. The _Pulpit_ is a very handsome and elaborate
structure made of marble and alabaster, with some excellent carving.
The principal monuments in the nave and aisles are:--Sir John
Beauchamp (1388), much defaced, in alabaster, and his lady, whose head
rests on a swan, the Beauchamp crest; Robert Wylde (1608) and his
lady--the sides of the tomb are adorned with sunflowers rising from
vases; Dean Eedes (1608); Bishop Thornborough (1641). In the south
aisle--an ecclesiastic (late fourteenth century); Bishop Parry (1616);
altar tomb unknown; Thomas Littleton, judge (1481), learned law
writer; Bishop Freke (1591); Sir Henry Ellis, who fell at Waterloo;
Richard Solly (1804); Bishop Gauden (1662), the supposed writer of
_Eikon Basilike_, a work usually attributed to Charles I. In the north
aisle--Earl of Strafford and soldiers of the Worcestershire regiment
who fell in India; Bishop Goldsborough of Gloucester (1613); the Moore
family (1613); and curious effigy of Bishop Bullingham (1576).
Very little ancient glass is left; the windows of the south aisle have
a few fragments, but all the rest is modern.
The _North Transept_ is Norman as high as the clerestory and is
without aisles. A Norman staircase turret is in the north-west corner.
The different coloured stones used in the building is remarkable and
gives a pleasing effect. Perpendicular work is evident. In the east
wall is a Norman arch recently discovered. Traces of colour are
evident above the arch leading to the north aisle of the choir. The
north window is a modern insertion. The monuments here are Bishop
Fleetwood (1683), Bishop Hough (1743), the Magdalen President who
withstood James II., Bishop Stillingfleet and others.
The _South Transept_ is somewhat similar to the north. There are some
fine Norman window arches now blocked up, and a beautiful Norman arch
opening to the Chapel of St. John. The builders of the fifteenth
century cased the Norman walls with a screen of Perpendicular tracery
somewhat similar to the work at Gloucester. The great organ is placed
here. Here is a monument of Bishop Philpott (1892).
We now enter the _Choir_ and eastern portion of the Cathedral. The
screen is of oak and open metal work designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. A
figure of the Saviour is over the centre and a figure of the Virgin
looks eastward. This part of the building is certainly the most
interesting. It is of Early English design and was begun in 1224, that
is four years after Salisbury, and some twenty-four years after
Lincoln. Worcester was one of the earliest churches in England in
which English Gothic was developed, and therefore has a peculiar
interest for us. We notice that the span of the arches is wider than
in the nave, and that in consequence the arches rise to a higher
level. The triforium is, however, less in height than that of the
nave. The piers are composed of clustered shafts of Purbeck marble,
and these have curious brass rings which were placed there by Bishop
Gifford. The dog-tooth ornament is much used. The whole choir was
restored by Mr. Perkins and Sir G. Scott. The _Stalls_, which contain
some finely-carved _Misereres_, have seen many vicissitudes. Puritan
soldiers destroyed the ancient canopies. The carvings were placed on a
hideous screen, at the beginning of the last century, which separated
the nave from the choir. The subjects are curious--an old man stirring
a pot over a fire, knights tilting, huntsmen, hawking scene, and many
others. The _Stone Pulpit_ was brought here from the nave; the upper
part is Late Perpendicular. The sculpture represents Evangelistic
emblems--Heavenly Jerusalem with Tree of Life, Tables of the Law, etc.
The _Throne_ is modern and is elaborately carved with figures,
foliage, animals, birds and Scriptural subjects. It was presented by
Bishop Philpott. The modern _Reredos_ is of alabaster enriched with
gold, mosaic, lapis-lazuli and malachite. Over the altar are statues
of our Lord and the Evangelists, and there are figures of Apostles,
prophets, David and Solomon and angels. The organ is divided into
three separate parts connected by electricity.
There are two Royal tombs; in the centre of the choir is that of King
John, who died at Newark in 1216, whence his body was conveyed here
for burial. The effigy is the earliest of an English king in this
country. The Royal garments are the tunic reaching to the ankles, and
over this the dalmatic with wide sleeves and a girdle buckled in
front. On the feet are sandals with spurs; on the hands are jewelled
gloves, and there is part of a sceptre. The head has a crown, and the
face has moustache and beard. The figures on each side are SS. Oswald
and Wulstan. Recently the figure has unfortunately been covered with
gilt. The tomb on which the effigy rests is sixteenth-century work.
The other Royal tomb is that of Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry
VII., who died at Ludlow Castle in 1502. His death was fraught with
great consequence to English history. The tomb is a very fine example
of Late Perpendicular work, in which the Tudor emblems, the rose and
portcullis, are evident. The exterior consists of open tracery, niches
and panelled work, crowned with a battlement and pinnacles. Within
there is a flat groined roof, a rich mass of tabernacle work at the
east end with figures in niches, in the centre a plain altar tomb, and
at the west end a small figure of the mourning father, Henry VII.
The _South Choir Aisle_ is Early English similar to the choir, as is
the rest of this portion of the Cathedral, and therefore this need not
be again mentioned. The _Chapel of St. John_, restored by Earl
Beauchamp, is very fine. The glass is all modern. Passing into the
eastern transept we notice a piscina and aumbries and some remarkable
sculptures in the spandrels of the arcade which are reproductions of
ancient work. They are supposed to represent the present and future
life. The subjects are: Knights fighting with lions and centaurs (the
world and its temptations); St. Michael weighing souls, and the devil
pulling down the scale; demons torturing souls over flames
(purgatory); hell's mouth; a burial (of Adam?); expulsion from
Paradise; an angel leading soul to heaven; the Resurrection; angels
sounding a trumpet and bearing the Cross and Christ enthroned. Other
subjects are monks building, Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, etc.
In this transept is the effigy of a knight in full armour of the
fourteenth century of ringed mail. The shield has Harcourt arms, and
below is the inscription--_Ici gist sur Guilliamme de Harcourt_. Guide
books usually point him out as a Crusader because he has his legs
crossed. As we have already stated, there is no special signification
in crossed-legged effigies. There is a tomb of Sir Gryffyth Ryce
(1523), "a noble knight," and his wife, daughter of Sir John St. John,
and near Prince Arthur's Chantry the tomb of Bishop Gifford (1302),
and Maude de Clifford, wife of Earl of Salisbury, beautifully
executed. It is a wonderful study of the dress of the period (1301).
Here is a fine statue of Mrs. Digby by Chantrey; this lady was maid of
honour to Queen Charlotte (1820).
The _Lady Chapel_, which has two aisles, is earlier than the west end
of the choir. The wall arcade is very rich and beautiful. We notice
the brass rings supposed to have been placed round the columns by
Bishop Gifford. The east wall is entirely new, and the tracery of the
windows is a modern restoration of ancient work. There are some
curious grotesque carvings. The _North Choir Aisle_ has some beautiful
capitals and bosses; a small oval window of Perpendicular date looks
on to this aisle, and was formerly the window of the sacrist's
chamber, through which he could watch the great shrines. There is a
curious carving under one of the windows.
The principal _Monuments_ in the Lady Chapel are:--
A mural slab to the memory of Anne, wife of _Isaac Walton_, the
prince of anglers, who probably wrote the inscription:
"_Ex-terris._--M.S. Here lyeth buried so much as could die of
Anne, the wife of Isaac Walton, who was a woman of remarkable
prudence, and of Primitive Piety. Her great and generale
knowledge being adorned with such true humility, and blest with
so much Christian meeknesse as made her worthy of a more
memorable monument. She died (alas that she is dead!) the 17th
of April 1662, aged 52. Study to be like her."
Bishop John Jenkinson (1840) of St. David's.
Prebendary Davison (1834), who wrote his famous work on
_Prophecy_.
An unknown lady of the fourteenth century, one of the most
beautiful mediæval relics in the Cathedral.
William, first Earl of Dudley (1885).
George William, fourth Baron Lyttelton (1886).
Bishop William de Blois (1236).
Bishop Walter de Cantelupe (1265).
Mutilated effigy of Bishop Brian (1361) or Lynn (1373).
Bishop Cobham (1327).
Bishop Walter de Bransford (1349).
An unknown lady of the thirteenth century.
An unknown knight, _temp._ Henry III.
Last Abbot of Evesham.
The _Crypt_ is a very interesting part of the Cathedral, the work of
St. Wulstan, begun in 1084. We notice the fine Norman piers with
cushion capitals and square abaci. It is apsidal with aisles, and is
remarkable for the numerous pillars. Here in this crypt Wulstan
assembled a synod in 1092, when were assembled all the wisest men from
the counties of Worcester, Gloucester and Warwick. Here used to be
preserved the old fourteenth-century doors of the Cathedral, which
were said to be covered with human skin, which tradition says was
flayed from the body of a man who stole the sanctus bell.
The _Cloisters_ are Perpendicular in decoration, though the outer
walls are Norman. We pass through the Prior's Door, and notice how
perfect the monastic arrangements remain. The vaulting is good lierne,
and the bosses are beautifully carved with foliage and other devices.
We see the ancient slype or arched passage of Norman character and the
_Chapter-House_, with its beautiful central pillar and vaulted roof.
It is one of the few Norman ones left, though much altered in the
early fifteenth century. Its vault is Perpendicular. A Norman arcade
runs round the wall, and the central pillar is Transition Norman. The
windows and doorway are Perpendicular and the exterior was coated with
masonry of that period. Here are preserved some fragments of ancient
vestments, a paten of Bishop Blois', some good bindings and other
treasures. On the south is the _Refectory_ with Norman crypt. The room
is Decorated, _temp._ Edward III., and is now part of the school
called the King's School, founded by Henry VIII. A sculptured reredos
of great beauty, with traces of coloured decoration, has recently been
discovered here. In the west is an interesting lavatory and entrance
to the dormitory, both Perpendicular. The dormitory has disappeared,
but its foundations have been traced. We return to the Cathedral by
the Monks' Door, or go by a vaulted Norman passage to the west front.