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[Illustration: MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL FROM THE SOUTH.]
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF MANCHESTER
A SHORT HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE COLLEGIATE
BUILDINGS NOW KNOWN AS CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL
BY THE REV. THOMAS PERKINS, M.A.
RECTOR OF TURNWORTH, DORSET
WITH 43 ILLUSTRATIONS
[Illustration: Arms of the See]
LONDON GEORGE BELL & SONS 1901
PREFACE.
I have to acknowledge with my sincerest thanks the help I received locally
in compiling this little volume.
The Dean of Manchester was good enough to offer to read the proof-sheets,
and has made various suggestions and additions which have done much to
improve it. The sheets have also had the benefit of Canon Hicks' revision.
The photographic illustrations, with the exception of two by Mr. W. H.
Bowman of Manchester, were taken by myself, and I have also to thank the
Dean for permission to photograph in all parts of the church.
Mr. Walter T. Browne, Governor of Chetham's Hospital and Library, gave
me every facility for examining and photographing the building, and
supplied me with much valuable information. He also carefully revised
the proof-sheets of the latter portion of the book.
Mr. J. T. Chapman, of Albert Square, placed his dark-room at my disposal,
so that I was able to develop my negatives on the spot, and make second
exposures when necessary.
Lastly, Mr. Thackeray Turner, Secretary of the Society for the Protection
of Ancient Buildings, lent me sundry papers and reports dealing with
Chetham's Hospital and Library. The kind assistance thus received has
made my task an easy one, and has materially added to the accuracy of
the volume.
THOMAS PERKINS.
TURNWORTH, _September 1901_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.--HISTORY OF THE BUILDING 3
CHAPTER II.--THE EXTERIOR 13
CHAPTER III.--THE INTERIOR 23
CHAPTER IV.--SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARISH AND DIOCESE 55
CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL AND LIBRARY 63
INDEX 87
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Manchester Cathedral from the South _Frontispiece_
The Arms of the See _Title Page_
Manchester Cathedral from the North-East 2
The Cathedral from the West 3
View across the Choir from the Ely Chapel about 1850 8
Windows on the South Side 12
The West Porch 14
The South Porch 16
The Ely Chapel 18
North Side of the Nave 20
The Choir, looking East 22
The Choir Screen 23
View across the Nave, looking North-East 25
The Inner South Aisle of the Nave 28
The Tower Arch 30
Screen of the Jesus Chapel 31
Entrance to the Chapter House 32
The South Choir Aisle 33
Screen of the Lady Chapel 35
Statue of Sir Humphrey Chetham 36
Interior of North Doorway 39
View across the Nave, looking North-West 40
The Choir, looking West 42
Desk Ends in the Choir Stalls 43
Choir Stalls, North Side 44
The Gordon Memorial Window 51
The Nave from the West 54
The Hall, Chetham's Hospital 62
Chetham's Hospital from the South-East 63
The North Gallery of the Cloister 65
The College Gateway 68
Corridor and Entrance to the Hall 69
The Cloister 70
Recess in the Hall 72
West Side of the Cloister 74
Staircase leading to Cloister Gallery 75
Cloister Gallery, North Side 76
Chetham's Library, formerly the Dormitory 77
The Warden's Room, now the Reading Room 79
The Reading Room, East Side 82
The Cloister, West Walk 83
Plan of Chetham's Hospital 85
PLAN OF MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL _end_
[Illustration: MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL FROM THE NORTH-EAST.]
[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL FROM THE WEST.]
MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL
CHAPTER I.
HISTORY OF THE BUILDING.
In the minds of most Englishmen the name of Manchester calls up the
image of a vast city that, with the borough of Salford, which, though
municipally distinct, yet is topographically united with it, contains
a population of about three quarters of a million of inhabitants. And
it is, moreover, generally supposed that Manchester is entirely of
modern growth--a collection of mills, and warehouses, and shops; yet,
if anyone pauses for a moment to consider, the name itself suggests
that the foundation of the city must date back from the time of the
Roman occupation of the island. It has been, and not unreasonably,
supposed that it was a British stronghold before the soldiers of Agricola
took possession of it. Certain it is that it was occupied by Roman
troops, and it is said that they made their summer camp near the spot
where the building that is the subject of this book now stands, hard by
the junction of the little stream of the Irk with the larger river Irwell.
In those early days these streams in all probability ran bright and clear
through broad meadow lands, and were crossed by bridges of very ancient
construction. The remains of one such bridge have long been known to
exist, and have on more than one occasion been uncovered.
The Irk now runs through a tunnel, and discharges its waters into
the grimy, sluggish stream of the Irwell, which divides Manchester
from Salford, and runs between the Exchange Station of the London and
North-Western Railway and the cathedral church of the new diocese created
in 1847.
Many Roman coins, principally those of Nero, Vitellius, Vespasian,
Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Constantine, have been
found at various times in the course of digging the foundations of houses.
What befell Manchester when the Romans left Britain we do not know. That
Paulinus preached here is highly probable; that Ine, King of the West
Saxons, resided here with his Queen Ethelburga about 690 is recorded;
that, like many other places not far distant from the seaboard, it was
ravaged by the Danes is certain. King Edward the Unconquered, in 923,
sent troops to repair its walls and garrison the town.
No picturesque legends about the foundation of the original Church of
St. Mary which stood near the site of the present cathedral have come
down to us. All we know is, that two wood-built churches are mentioned
in Domesday Book as standing either in the town or the parish, one of
them dedicated to St. Mary, the other to St. Michael.[1] The former was
probably a predecessor of the present building, which is dedicated jointly
to St. Mary, St. George, and St. Denys, though not on the same site. But
of any Norman church of St. Mary not a trace is left, nor are there
any remains of thirteenth century work visible in the church as we see
it to-day. Various examples of thirteenth and fourteenth century work,
however, have been found in the walls of the church and in the western
tower at different times during repairs and restorations.
William the Conqueror conferred the lands between the Mersey and the
Ribble on Roger of Poictou, who granted the Manor of Manchester to the
Gresley family; Thomas Gresley, Baron of Manchester, granted a charter
to the townspeople of Manchester in 1301. Under these early barons the
church was held successively by about fifteen rectors, among whom may
be mentioned William de la Marcia (1284), who became Bishop of Bath and
Wells in 1292; Walter Langton, who was appointed Rector of Manchester, and
also Keeper of the Great Seal by Edward I. in 1292, and was consecrated
Bishop of Lichfield in 1296, but retained his rectory for three years
after his consecration; John de Verdun or Everden (1313), who became
Dean of St. Paul's in 1323. Meanwhile, the manor had passed from the
Gresleys to the De la Warres; the last of their family became a priest,
and appointed himself Rector of Manchester in 1373. He was a liberal
benefactor to the church, and in order that there should be a suitable
body of clergy to look after the spiritual welfare of the town, he endowed
the church as a collegiate institution, obtaining the requisite charter
from Henry V. in 1422. The college consisted of a warden, eight fellows
in priests' orders, four deacons, and six boy choristers.
The old baronial hall was granted to the newly appointed body as a place
of residence. This was largely modified to suit the requirements of its
new inmates, and the church itself was gradually reconstructed. Hence we
find the church built in the Perpendicular style, a style that has been
imitated in the many additions that have been made to the building since
it was raised to cathedral rank in 1847. So quickly does the smoke-laden
atmosphere of Manchester discolour the stone, that in a very few years
after their erection the new parts of the church match in colour the
older parts of the building, and the passer-by who gives but a casual
glance at the cathedral would be surprised to learn how much of its
structure dates from the nineteenth century. At the present time, 1901,
the only obviously new part is the western porch, but the north and
south porches, the Fraser Chapel on the south side of the choir, the
south-west corner of the building, as well as the tower, are all modern
additions or reconstructions, and much of the exterior has been recased
with stone. The residence of the warden and fellows, much modified at
subsequent dates, may still be found on the north side of the church,
on the other side of a road that skirts the churchyard. It is now known
as Chetham's Hospital and Library; for fuller information about this
building the reader is referred to the latter part of this volume.
No sooner had the first warden, John Huntington, been appointed, than he
set to work to enlarge and beautify the collegiate church.
The oldest part of the church is the arch leading into the Lady Chapel,
which, with its responds, has more resemblance to the Decorated than
to the Perpendicular style. This arch was accurately restored some
twenty-five or thirty years ago. The rebus of Sir John Huntington,
the first warden, who was appointed in 1422, renders it probable that
this part of the church was largely reconstructed by him. While he
was warden, 1422-1458, the choir and its aisles were rebuilt, and the
chapter house built. Under successive wardens the work of reconstruction
was carried on, and occupied about a hundred years. The third warden,
Ralph Langley (1465-1481), is said to have completed the nave; much
work was done during the wardenship of James Stanley II. (1485-1509),
afterwards Bishop of Ely, for the chapel of the Holy Trinity was founded
by W. Radcliffe in 1498; the Jesus Chapel, now the vestry and library,
was founded by Richard Beswick in 1506; the Hulme Chapel, now destroyed,
which formerly projected to the south from the eastern part of the south
wall of the Jesus Chapel, was founded by Ralph Hulme in 1507; the St.
James' Chantry or Ducie Chapel was built in the same year; and the choir
stalls were erected by the warden himself in 1508. In this year also
W. Galley built St. George's Chapel. James Stanley is also recorded to
have built the double entrance into the chapter house. The Derby and
Ely Chapels on the north side are of rather later date; in the latter
the ex-warden, James Stanley II., then Bishop of Ely, was buried. This
chapel was built by Sir John Stanley in 1515. In 1518 the eighth warden,
George West (1518-1535) is recorded to have built the Lady Chapel, but
this work was probably a reconstruction rather than a fresh building;
the windows that we see in it now are eighteenth century work, but
probably are imitations of those that previously existed in this chapel,
and their style indicates a considerably earlier date than 1518. Indeed,
their tracery resembles fourteenth century work. It will be noticed
from the dates just given that the church was finished not long before
the Reformation.
Up to 1541 Manchester belonged to the diocese of Lichfield, but Henry
VIII. then transferred it to the newly founded see of Chester.
The college was dissolved by Edward VI., who bestowed its lands on the
Stanley family. Queen Mary re-established the college and gave back its
lands, with the exception of the domestic buildings, which still remained
in the hands of the Earls of Derby. During the time of the Civil Wars
the church suffered in common with many other ecclesiastical buildings.
Richard Heyrick, who had been warden since 1636, was deprived of his
office in 1646, but was reinstated in 1660. Some negotiations had been
entered into for the sale of the domestic buildings to the trustees under
the will of Humphrey Chetham, but the sale was not completed until after
the Restoration, when they became the property of the feoffees of the
Chetham Hospital and Library.
Subsequently the church shared the same fate as befell most ecclesiastical
buildings during the eighteenth century, viz., neglect and injudicious
repairs. But it was left to the early part of the nineteenth century to
work the greatest havoc on the building. A thorough process of repair,
or "beautifying" as it was then called, was set on foot in the year
1815. Galleries were erected in the nave, the various chapels outside
the nave aisles were thrown into the main building by the removal of the
screens which separated them from the north and south aisles, so that
from that time the western half of the church has had double aisles on
either side of the nave proper. But worse than this, the whole interior
was covered with Roman cement, and that this might adhere more firmly
to the stone-work, the walls themselves and the pillars of the main
arcade of the nave and the clerestory walls were hacked about in the most
shameful way. In this condition the church remained for many years. When
the new see of Manchester was erected in 1847, this church was chosen
as the cathedral church of the diocese, and before long proposals were
made to rebuild or enlarge it, as it was felt by many that it lacked the
dignity and size of the old cathedral churches, and, indeed, suffered in
comparison with many of the old abbey churches that existed in England,
some of which have since that time been raised to cathedral rank. Queen
Victoria visited Manchester for the first time in 1851, and to commemorate
her visit, Canon Parkinson suggested the rebuilding of the church, and
himself headed the subscription list with a donation of L1000, but the
proposal did not meet with much favour.
[Illustration: VIEW ACROSS CHOIR FROM THE ELY CHAPEL ABOUT 1850.
_From Winkles' "Cathedrals."_]
At this time the municipal seats at the west end were enclosed by a glass
screen; above them was the Chetham gallery, as it was called, its back
occupied by the organ and choristers, its front by the schoolboys of
Chetham's Hospital. The organ had previously stood on the screen beneath
the choir arch, but had been removed to the west for a musical festival
held in 1828. This old organ loft was then converted into a pewed gallery,
intended for the use of the Chetham feoffees, but was usually occupied
by the officers of regiments quartered in Manchester.
In 1858 some repairs, external and internal, were carried out, and
shortly after this J. E. Gregan, architect, and David Bell, builder,
recommended the rebuilding of the tower. Their advice was taken, the old
tower was demolished, and a new tower was designed by J. P. Holden. On
4th August 1864 the foundation stone of the new tower was laid by the
Bishop, Dr. Prince Lee. In this ceremony, among others, the present Dean
of Manchester, Dr. Maclure, took part, acting as chaplain to the High
Sheriff, Sir J. P. Kay Shuttleworth, Bart. The tower was nearly four
years in building, and was dedicated on Whitsunday 1868.
In 1872 the Dean, Dr. Cowie, and the canons proposed that a new
cathedral church should be built on a new site, but this plan met with
little favour. Ten years passed away and then Mr. George Milner and Mr.
(afterwards Sir) John William Maclure, churchwardens, and Mr. Thomas
Lings, comptroller, advocated a thorough restoration of the existing
church; plans were prepared by Mr. Crowther, architect; a meeting was
called to consider the matter, and it was resolved to accept and carry
out these plans. The roof of the nave was repaired, the old bosses being
preserved, the galleries were removed, and it was decided to clear off
the Roman cement from the pillars and walls, but it was found that the
stone-work beneath had been so much mutilated, that it was resolved to
rebuild the main arcade of the nave and the clerestory.
Various donors undertook to defray the cost of rebuilding the different
bays. A muniment room containing the celebrated parish registers mentioned
by Macaulay, was built in memory of Alderman Graves by his son, and the
baptistery, in memory of Thomas Chesters, by his son.
The Derby Chapel was re-roofed. The Earl of Derby, notwithstanding the
agreement made in 1774 by which the chapel was handed over to the church
on condition that the Earls of Derby should no longer be required to
keep it in repair, generously contributed L1000 towards this work. The
choir roof was renewed in English oak, but the bosses and carved angels
were boiled in oil and replaced. Fortunately the Roman cement could be
removed from the walls of the choir more easily than from the nave,
and the old stone-work was allowed to stand.
The south porch was erected by James Jardine in 1891; the north porch
was built as a memorial to James Craven by his children in 1888. The
west or Victoria porch was built in 1900 by subscription raised by the
present Dean.
The conical roof of the octagonal chapter house is modern; the chapel to
the east of it was built by his widow as a memorial to Dr. James Fraser,
the second Bishop of Manchester, who died in 1885.
At the present time, 1901, further building operations are being carried
on in the yard on the south side of the church, a new and larger chapter
house and vestries being in course of erection.
[Illustration: WINDOWS ON THE SOUTH SIDE.]