SHORT HISTORY OF THE PARISH AND DIOCESE.
Before 1422 the church was purely parochial, and was under rectors, the
names of thirteen of whom have come down to us.
Ranulphus de Welling is the first of whom we have any record. Albert de
Neville's name is also preserved, but we do not know the dates of their
appointment; all we know is that the former lived before the commencement
of the thirteenth century. With the appointment of Peter Greslet in 1261,
the unbroken list begins.
1284 William de Marchia succeeded him. He became Bishop of Bath
and Wells in 1292 or 1293. Here he obtained a great reputation
for saintly life, and after his death miracles were worked at
his tomb, persons suffering from toothache resorting to it. He
was for some time Treasurer of England under Edward I.
1292 Walter de Langton was appointed rector of Manchester, and also
Treasurer of England. In 1296 he was promoted to the Bishopric
of Lichfield, to which diocese Manchester then belonged. At
Lichfield he distinguished himself as builder of the Lady Chapel
and Palace. He retained the rectory of Manchester until 1299,
when he was succeeded by his grandson.
1301 Geoffrey de Stoke became rector, and was succeeded in 1313
by John de Guerden, whose name appears in several other forms
Verdun and Everden. He became Dean of St. Paul's, London, in
1323. Another name, that of John de Arden, occurs about this time
among the rectors of Manchester, but the date of his appointment
is not known.
1323 Adam de Southwick became rector.
1327 John de Clandon.
1351 Thomas de Wyke; and finally in
1373 Thomas de la Warre.
In 1422 the church became collegiate, when Henry V. granted a charter
to Thomas, Lord de la Warre, Rector of Manchester, and Lord of the Manor
"Ecclesiam de Mancestre in ecclesiam collegeatam erigere," and from this
date the title of Rector was exchanged for that of Warden.
The following is a complete list of the wardens, with the dates of their
appointments:--
1422. John Huntington, B.D. (rector of Ashton-under-Lyne); he
is noteworthy as the builder of much of the church which we
see to-day.
1459. John Booth, LL.B., archdeacon of Redmore, formerly treasurer
of the cathedral church at York.
1465. Ralph Langley, LL.D., rector of Prestwich, the rebuilder
of the nave.
1481. James Stanley (1), D.D., Prebendary of St Paul's and
archdeacon of Chester.
1485. James Stanley (2), M.A., D.C.L. He founded the Chapel of
St. John the Baptist, built the entrance to the chapter house,
and in connection with Richard Beck, a Manchester merchant,
erected the choir stalls and canopies. He became Bishop of Ely
in 1509, and is buried in the Ely Chantry at Manchester.
1509. Robert Cliff, B.D., LL.D.
1515. Richard Alday.
1518. George West.
1535. George Collyer, M.A.
1557. Laurence Vaux, B.D., chaplain to the Bishop of Gloucester.
1558. William Bird, M.A.
1570. Thomas Herle, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth.
1578. John Walton, B.D. He was appointed Bishop of Exeter in 1579.
1579. William Chadderton, D.D., consecrated Bishop of Chester
in 1579. Manchester by this time had become part of the new see
of Chester, and Chadderton retained his wardenship along with
the higher office, but he resigned it when he was translated to
the see of Lincoln in 1595.
1595. John Dee, M.A., a layman and a celebrated mathematician,
alchemist, astrologer, and necromancer, who professed to see
visions in crystal globes, and was much consulted by many,
among them by the Queen, to forecast future events, held the
office of warden for some years, but retired in 1608, and died
in poverty at Mortlake, at the age of 81.
1608. Richard Murray, D.D., Rector of Stopford, and Dean of
St. Buryan's in Cornwall.
1636. Richard Heyrick, M.A. He was expelled in 1646, but reinstated
in his office in 1660. His memorial tablet may be seen on the
wall of the south aisle, dated 1667.
1667. Nicholas Stratford, D.D. He resigned in 1684, and five
years after this was consecrated Bishop of Chester.
1684. Richard Wroe, D.D., Prebendary of Chester.
1718. Samuel Peploe (1), D.D. He was consecrated Bishop of Chester
in 1726, and ruled that see till 1752. He retained the wardenship,
together with the bishopric, until 1738.
1738. Samuel Peploe (2), LL.D. He was Chancellor of Chester,
and Archdeacon of Richmond, Yorkshire.
1781. Richard Assheton, D.D.
1800. Thomas Blackburne, LL.D.
1823. Thomas Calvert, D.D., rector of Wilmslow.
1840. The Hon. William Herbert, D.D., LL.D. When the diocese of
Manchester was formed out of that of Chester in 1847, the warden
was raised to the higher rank of Dean, and hence Dr. Herbert
was last warden and first Dean, but he did not hold the latter
office long.
The following is a list of the Deans:--
1847. The Hon. William Herbert, D.D., LL.D.
1847. George Hull Bowers, D.D.
1872. Benjamin Morgan Cowie, D.D. In 1884 he became Dean of Exeter,
a post he held until he died in 1900.
1884. John Oakley, D.D. He had been Dean of Carlisle from 1881-1884.
1890. Edward Craig Maclure, D.D., the present Dean.
The present cathedral staff consists of the Dean, four residentiary
Canons, twenty-four honorary Canons, two minor Canons, two Clerks (in
orders), an organist, four singing men, and four singing boys on the
foundation, to whom others are added by subscription.
The relation of the Dean of Manchester to the Rectory is defined by
the Parish of Manchester Division Act, 1850, which states that "Such
Part or Residue of the said Parish of Manchester as shall remain after
severance therefrom of any Parts or Portions thereof, shall be, and be
deemed to be for all Ecclesiastical Purposes, the Parish of Manchester;
and the Dean of Manchester for the time being shall, upon Institution
and Installation into his Deanery, have the cure of souls therein, and
shall be assisted in such cure by the Chaplains or Minor Canons of the
said Cathedral or Collegiate Church, to be hereafter appointed, who,
in all matters connected with the Spiritual Duties of the said Parish,
shall be subject to, and act under his directions; and the said Dean
shall have all rights and powers in reference to the performance of
the services of the said church, as the Parish Church of Manchester,
as fully and effectually as if he were Rector of the same, subject
nevertheless to any rights belonging to or duties imposed on the Canons
and Minor Canons or Chaplains of the said Cathedral or Collegiate Church,
in respect of the performance of the services thereof prescribed by the
recited Letters Patent."
The list of the churchwardens of the parish church from 1422 to 1595,
and from 1663 to the present time, three for each year, is in existence.
The diocese of Manchester has but a short history, as it has had an
independent existence for little more than half a century.
Until 1541 Manchester was part of the great see of Lichfield. In that year
Henry VIII. made a new diocese of Chester, by taking the archdeaconry of
Chester from the diocese of Lichfield, and the archdeaconry of Richmond
from that of York.
The see of Chester then included the counties of Chester, Lancaster, and
portions of Cumberland, Westmorland, York, Flint, and Denbigh.
In 1836 the archdeaconry of Richmond was assigned to the new see of
Ripon, and the part of Lancashire known as Furness, together with these
parts of Westmorland and Cumberland above mentioned, were added to the
diocese of Carlisle.
In 1847 the new see of Manchester was formed from the diocese of Chester.
The diocese of Manchester lies within the county of Lancaster, but does
not embrace the whole county, part of which forms the see of Liverpool,
while a small part of it belongs to that of Carlisle.
It consists of three archdeaconries:--Manchester, Lancaster, and Blackburn.
The total number of benefices in the diocese in the year 1900 was 550,
of beneficed clergy, 525, and of assistant curates about 360.
The cathedral church is calculated to afford accommodation for 2000
persons.
Since the foundation of the see it has been presided over by three bishops.
The first was the Right Rev. =James Prince Lee=, D.D., F.R.S., for many
years headmaster of King Edward's School, Birmingham, and a distinguished
scholar. He was elected in 1847, and consecrated in the first month of
the following year by the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Chester
and Worcester. He died in 1869 at Mauldeth Hall, Heaton Mersey, and was
buried in Heaton Mersey Churchyard.
He was succeeded by the Right Rev. =James Fraser=, D.D., who when at
Oxford had gained the Ireland Scholarship, and became a Fellow of Oriel
College. He was a man of great intellectual power, of kindly manner, and
won the respect and confidence not only of Churchmen, but of members of
all denominations, especially of the mill hands of his populous diocese.
He was nominated to the see in January 1890, and consecrated in March of
the same year. He died 22nd October 1885 at Manchester, and is buried in
the churchyard of Ufton Nervet, Berks.
The present bishop, the Right Rev. =James Moorhouse=, D.D., was translated
from the see of Melbourne to that of Manchester in 1886.
DIMENSIONS OF MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL.
Ft.
Total length over all, exterior, 248
Width, 173
Length of Nave and Choir, interior, 172
Width of Nave exclusive of Projections, interior, 114
Distance from Rood Screen to Screen of Lady Chapel, 88
Length and breadth of Tower, exterior exclusive of buttresses, 28
Length of Lady Chapel, E. to W., interior, 18
Width of Lady Chapel, N. to S., interior, 19
Width of Nave, 27
Width of inner Nave Aisles, 16
Width of outer North Aisle of Nave, 24
Width of outer South Aisle of Nave, 22
Projection South Porch beyond Wall of aisle,
exclusive of buttresses, 22
Projecting of North Porch, beyond walls of aisle,
exclusive of buttresses, 25
Width of South Porch, interior, 11
Width of North Porch, interior, 13
Diameter of Chapter House interior, 19
Height of Roof, interior, 50
Height of Tower, 140
Area, about 18,000 sq. ft.
CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL AND LIBRARY
[Illustration: THE HALL, CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL.]
[Illustration: CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL FROM THE SOUTH-EAST.]
CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL AND LIBRARY.
As we stand on the north side of the cathedral and look to the north, our
eyes rest upon a wide gravelled courtyard beyond a low wall, backed up by
a range of mediaeval-looking buildings. These were the domestic buildings
of the College, and are now used partly for Chetham's Free Library,
partly for the school known as Chetham's Hospital. The endowment and
other sources of income provide for the board and education of a hundred
boys. They receive a sound elementary education, and are instructed in
technical and manual work. The school is carried on under the Board of
Education, and is typical of this education at its best. The religious
instruction is in accordance with the tenets of the Established Church,
and much care is taken to train the boys not only in intellectual and
manual pursuits, but in morals and manners. A boy once placed on the
foundation of Humphrey Chetham has a successful career assured to him,
unless he forfeits his chances by subsequent folly on his own part. The
boys who show the greatest intellectual power can be passed on to
the Manchester Grammar School, and thence to Owens College, while the
feoffees of the hospital have no difficulty in finding good places in
the business houses of Manchester for the rest. To have been educated
at Chetham's Hospital is a great recommendation to any boy. The boys
still wear the picturesque costume of the sixteenth century--caps, bands,
long-skirted dark blue coats, knee-breeches, stockings, and shoes adorned
with buckles. The visitor to the Hospital will probably be greeted by
one of these boys, who will ask if he wishes to see the buildings. The
boy will, if the answer is in the affirmative, take the visitor to the
library, where, on payment of sixpence, a ticket will be handed to him,
franking him for the day, and the boy will conduct him over the whole
of the buildings, pointing out the past and present uses to which each
part of them was or is put.
Before we proceed to describe the building a few words must be said
about its history.
Its site was once occupied by the "summer camp" of Roman legionaries,
and when the Romans passed away from the island, it is highly probable
that the English occupants of the country used it as a place of abode.
The first authentic notice of its occupation by any person whose name has
come down to us, dates from 1182, when Robert, the fifth Baron Greslet,
kept court here. Thomas, the eighth baron, granted the citizens of
Manchester their first charter in 1301, signing and sealing the charter
here. He was the last male in the direct line of descent, and on his
death the property passed to John De la Warre, who was a descendant of
the Greslets or Gresleys in the female line. One of his descendants,
Thomas, as has been already mentioned, became rector of Manchester, who
before his death applied to King Henry V. for a charter to enable him to
collegiate the church. He bestowed on it lands to increase the endowment,
and gave his baronial hall to the newly founded college of priests to be
used as their residence. All this may be read in the grant made in the
first year of Henry VI. Certain alterations were made in the buildings,
to fit them for the new use to which they were to be put, and from 1422
to 1549 they were occupied by warden after warden, who, assisted by the
Fellows, performed the services in the adjoining church, looked after the
sick and poor, and ministered generally to the inhabitants of the parish
of Manchester. For some reason the College was not suppressed in the reign
of Henry VIII., when the revenues of monasteries, small and great, were
seized by the king; but in the first year of Edward VI. it was disendowed,
and in the third year of the reign it was granted to Edward Stanley, third
Earl of Derby. He used it as a town house. Henry Stanley, the next earl,
in the reign of Elizabeth obtained a charter from the Queen, re-endowing
the College, and it once more became the abode of the wardens, now priests
of the reformed Church. During the civil wars the warden was expelled
(1646), and the buildings seized by the Parliament. They were let to a
certain Joseph Werden, who sublet the refectory to the Presbyterians,
to be used by them as a meeting-house. The Independents made use of a
barn in the enclosure for a similar purpose.
[Illustration: THE NORTH GALLERY OF THE CLOISTER.]
Lieut.-Col. the Rev. John Wigan applied for the reversion of this property,
"part of y'e estate of the late Earl of Derby, and part of y'e jointure
of y'e Countess Dowager already sequestrated."
Humphrey Chetham also had his eye upon this property, wishing to obtain it
so that he might carry out a project formed long before to found a school
and home for boys. The survey of the property made at this time describes
it as consisting of "Y'e large building called y'e College in Manchester,
consisting of many rooms, with two barnes, one gate house, verie much
decay'd, one parcell of ground formerly an orchard, and one garden,
now in y'e possession of Joseph Werden gent., who pays for y'e same,
for y'e use of the Common wealth, ten pounds yearly. There is likewise
one other room in ye said College reserved and made use of for publique
meetings of X'sian conscientious people."
Humphrey Chetham did not live to see the school founded; but in his
will, made three years before his death, which took place in 1653,
he appointed trustees to carry out his purpose. They, in accordance
with his instructions, bought "y'e great house with buildings, court,
gardens, and appurtenances, called ye Colledge or the Colledge House,"
obtaining it for the sum of L500.
On August 5, 1658, the building was formally dedicated to its new use,
and Hallworth, chief assistant to Heyrick, the expelled warden, who, as
stated in Chapter IV., was afterwards reinstated, in his speech on this
occasion, told the history of the building, and concluded by saying,
"Henceforth the said house could fitly and justly be named by no other
name than by the name of Mr. Chetham's Hospital," and by that name it is
known at the present day.
At the time of the Restoration the Stanleys claimed the property of which
they had been dispossessed by the Parliament, but made no difficulty about
regranting to the feoffees that part of it occupied by the new School
and Library. For the Library as well as the School had been already
founded, since after making sufficient provision for the maintenance
of the Hospital, the feoffees had money in hand which they spent in the
purchase of books, thus forming the nucleus of the first _free_ library
in England. To this collection books have been added by gift, bequest,
and purchase, so that the library now contains about 60,000 volumes. The
books can be consulted free of charge during certain hours of the day,
but are not allowed to be removed from the building. The general public,
however, does not make much use of the library, as it does not contain
the light and ephemeral literature that appeals to modern taste; but
the student who desires to read up some special subject will find many
valuable books and manuscripts to aid him in his work. Among the rare
books is a copy of the historical compilations of Matthew Paris, with
marginal corrections in the author's handwriting.
There is much matter to be found on these shelves dealing with the
antiquities and history of Lancashire and Cheshire. Canon Raine bequeathed
a fine series of Lancashire manuscripts; besides these may be seen a
collection of broadsides, formed by Mr. T. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, and
the library of John Byrom. In the last named collection is the final draft
of the well-known hymn, "Christians, awake; salute the happy morn." Among
the other books there are some fine specimens of Caxton's printing.
[Illustration: THE COLLEGE GATEWAY.]
We leave the churchyard, cross the street that skirts it to the north,
and pass through a small doorway in the wall at the opposite side of the
street, and so enter the play-ground of Chetham's Hospital. On our left
hand as we make our way to the original building, we pass the modern
schoolroom, which stands by itself. This, like many other buildings in
Manchester, was designed by A. Waterhouse, R.A. The main building runs
east and west, with projecting wings at either end. Near the eastern wing
we notice the old entrance gateway, and the modern staircase leading
up to what was the "hospitium" or guest-house. This has been converted
into a dormitory for the boys. The most interesting part of the College
is to be found in the western wing, of which an illustration is given,
p. 63. The three windows crossed by transoms are those of the hall; the
lower windows to the left of these belong to the audit room, the upper
to the warden's private room, now the reading-room of the library. The
building to the extreme left contains the library on the upper floor,
and offices on the lower.
[Illustration: CORRIDOR AND ENTRANCE TO THE HALL.]
There is a long corridor, shown in the illustration below, running from
east and west of the building; it can be entered by a door at its eastern
end not shown in the illustration on p. 63. After entering this, as we
proceed towards the west we pass on the right hand the fine kitchen; it
has an open timbered roof about 35 feet from floor to ridge, and measures
29 feet in length and 17 in width; beyond this, on the same side, are
two doors giving entrance to the cellar, where the warden and Fellows
kept their wine, the buttery or rather _butlery_. Opposite this, on the
left hand side, is the Hall; its north end is partially closed by massive
screens of black oak. It has windows on the east and west. One of those
on the west gives light to a staircase with Jacobean balusters, which,
starting in a direction parallel to the west wall of the hall, turns round
and gives access to the upper story. As we still pass westward we come
to the cloister on the left hand, and the old infirmary on the right;
and a door still further on leads out into a garden, where the fish pond
was formerly situated; in this the fish required for Fridays and other
days of abstinence were kept. Caught in other water--the streams of
Irwell and Irk probably--they were brought here and stored so that they
could always be caught without difficulty when required for the table.
[Illustration: THE CLOISTER--SOUTH-WEST ANGLE.]
The cloister is small and has only three walks, the one to the north
forming part of the corridor which has been just described; the one
to the west is terminated at its south end by an iron gate; and the
walk on the south leads to, and is terminated by the entrance to the
audit room. From the west walk (illustration, p. 83) an archway leads
into the cloister itself. This is a very secluded spot, and the walls
show signs of great age. This cloister has one peculiarity: the walks
already described have other walks or corridors over them. Over the
south walk is a corridor leading by what was St. Mary's Chapel into the
warden's room; the corridor over the west walk opened out into what was
once the dormitory, now filled with bookcases; the walk over the long
eastern corridor below gave access to the old refectory, which has now
been divided into living-rooms for the governor and the librarian.
The long straight line of building between the eastern and western wing
contained the old school, the brew house, and the bakery; the upper story,
used formerly for guests, has been converted into a dormitory for the
boys; this is the most ancient part of the hospital.
The reader, from the sketch just given, will understand the general
arrangement of the building, various parts of which will now be described
in more detail.
We will begin with the =Hall=. This measures 43 feet from north to
south, 24 from east to west; its walls are 22 feet in height, and the
distance from the floor to the ridge of the open timber roof is 35 feet.
At the south end is the dais, behind this the wall is panelled; on the
west side near the dais is a recess shown in the illustration on page 72,
and on the same side of the hall, further north, and in the centre of
the wall, is the "Ingle-nook," as it is called.
[Illustration: RECESS IN THE HALL.]
This Ingle-nook did not originally form part of the hall. It is said that
at one time it was a barn, or place for storing grain for use in the
baronial buildings.
The hall was in all probability warmed, according to the usual custom,
by a brazier standing on the centre of the floor, the smoke from which
gathered under the high pitched roof, blackening beams and rafters, and
finally escaped through a spire or turret rising from the ridge of the
roof furnished with louvre boards. The fireplace was at some subsequent
time removed to the west side of the room, and afterwards placed inside
the ingle-nook, first at the back of it, then at the north-eastern
corner.
It will be seen from the illustration that this recess was at one time
entered through an arch, but the sides of this were afterwards cut
away and a flat lintel, composed of two enormous stones, was inserted;
the space between this and the arch was then filled in with masonry;
at the same time, no doubt, the interior space was covered with a
plaster ceiling at a height of about six feet from the floor; this has
been recently removed, and the roof vaulted with stone. The recess is
lighted from the back with windows, and provided with seats, and has an
open fireplace. The ingle-nook is a picturesque addition to the hall,
and forms no doubt a very cosy corner when on a cold day the fire is
blazing in the grate; but as a means of warming the hall the present
arrangement is manifestly far inferior to the old plan of having an open
fire in the centre of the floor of the hall.
On the wall above this recess may be seen a bust of the founder, with
crossed swords on either side of it, and a flintlock hung below it. The
illustrations show that the walls are built of large-size squared stones,
and are not covered with plaster. Across the end of the hall, cutting
off the western part of it to form the main passage spoken of above, is
a battlemented screen. This is peculiar in that it is not a continuous
screen furnished with doorways for entrance, and does not rise to the
level of the roof, but consists of three detached pieces, one resting
against the east, one against the west wall, and one standing in the
middle, each rising to the height of about nine feet. Thus two entrances,
each about five feet wide, are left. Here, as in other parts of the
building, the improvements of the nineteenth century have found their
way, and the mediaeval walls of the old hall are lighted with electric
lamps--a most convenient and safe addition, but striking one, at first,
as out of harmony with the surroundings. Sundry portraits adorn the
walls, the floor is neatly sanded, and the room is kept scrupulously
clean; an air of refinement is added to it by vases of fresh flowers
placed on the table. In this hall the boys of the Hospital assemble at
stated hours for prayers and meals.
[Illustration: WEST SIDE OF THE CLOISTER.]
The next part to be examined is the cloister court. This is a very small
enclosure, surrounded by somewhat high walls. Admission to it is obtained
from the west walk through the archway cut in one of the windows, shown in
the illustration. The curious form of the glass in the windows is worthy
of note; the pavement of the cloister-garth is formed of cobblestones,
and towards the south end may be seen the top of the college well. The
cloister is not rectangular, the line of the eastern side being broken
by sundry projections.
[Illustration: STAIRCASE LEADING TO CLOISTER GALLERY.]
As we leave the cloister, we examine the walks to the south and west.
The latter (see illustration, p. 83) is terminated at its south end by
a wrought iron gate through which we get a glimpse of the outside view
and the entrance to the library. The roof is nearly flat, with massive
oaken beams. Several doors may be seen on the western side opening into
cells--the living-rooms of the clergy connected with the college. As we
turn round the corner and pass into the south walk, we see before us the
door of the audit room. The oaken ceiling of this room is of fifteenth
century date; the walls up to a certain height are wainscoted; above
this they are covered with a plaster frieze. Here may be seen what is
known as the "Founder's Chair," although it is of far earlier date than
Chetham's time--earlier, indeed, than the date of the conversion of the
baron's residence into a college in the fifteenth century.
[Illustration: CLOISTER GALLERY, NORTH SIDE.]
Leaving this room, we pass through the two cloister walks already
described, and proceed towards the hall until on the right hand we see a
staircase with balusters of oak, black from age. We mount this, and when
we reach the top find ourselves in the upper corridor that runs along the
north side of the cloister-garth. This is lit by windows looking into the
cloister, and is covered with a wooden ceiling, just at the head of the
staircase is the doorway leading into the private rooms of the governor,
with exquisite oak fittings; on the north side of this corridor are doors
similar to those that we noticed in the corridor below, opposite to the
hall; these lead into the librarian's rooms; beyond these, to the west,
stands a beautiful Tudor table of carved oak. At the west end of the
corridor is an iron studded door. The carvings over the doorway on the
west side should not be passed by unnoticed (see p. 65). The corridor
over the west walk of the cloister is filled with bookcases plentifully
supplied with books.
[Illustration: CHETHAM'S LIBRARY, FORMERLY THE DORMITORY.]
Parallel to this runs the old dormitory of the College, a room with a fine
timber roof lighted from above; on the west side of this are a number of
compartments formed of tall bookcases, and entered from the corridor by
open-work doors. At the north end of the corridor is a window filled with
painted glass, one light of which represents St. Martin of Tours dividing
his cloak with a beggar, and the other Eutychus falling out of the window.
At the south end of this corridor we find a staircase which leads from
the ground floor close to the main entrance to the library, and is, in
fact, the way by which readers usually enter it. There is a room with a
similar timber roof running along the south side of the building parallel
to the corridor above the south walk of the cloister. This was once a
chapel dedicated to St. Mary, and now, like the dormitory, is filled
with bookcases; but an oak altar rail, dating from the middle of the
sixteenth century, with double spiral rails, may still be seen here.
At the east end of the south corridor is a door leading into a beautiful
room, now used as the reading room; formerly it was the warden's room,
and many a man well known in history has sat within its walls. Here
Sir Walter Raleigh and the courtiers of his day were entertained by the
warden, Dr. Dee, of whom mention was made in the last chapter,--a wizard
as he was then thought to be, whom even the Queen did not hesitate to
consult when she wished to know the future.
This room, like many others in this building, has an open timber roof and
a cornice, dating from the time of the foundation of the College in the
days of Henry V. The walls are wainscoted up to the level of the spring
of the roof which spans the room from east to west.
[Illustration: THE WARDEN'S ROOM, NOW THE READING ROOM--NORTH SIDE.]
In the centre of the north side of this room is a fireplace. This
wall is wainscoted up to the same height as the other walls, and above
the oak panelling it is profusely decorated, as will be seen from the
illustrations, with scrolls and other patterns. This decoration was done
in the early years of the reign of Charles II., after the College had
been converted into Chetham's Hospital. In the centre of the room is a
handsome oval oak table, with a number of chairs to match; against the
south wall stands a fifteenth century communion table, and against the
north wall to the left of the fireplace, a handsome sideboard of carved
oak. This was made up of portions of two pieces of old furniture, namely,
the top of a bookcase once given by Humphrey Chetham to Walmsley Church,
near Bolton-le-Moors, still bearing an inscription: "The gift of Humphrey
Chetham Esquire, 1655," and a fifteenth century bedstead once used by the
Pretender when sleeping at Hulton Park in Lancashire. This sideboard was
presented to the College by a member of the Hulton family, who was one
of the Chetham feoffees. Round the walls are several portraits. From
the east side of the room there is a projecting bay lighted by three
windows and furnished with seats and a square writing table with sloping
sides, to which students can take the book from which they wish to make
extracts. The enrichments of the ceiling of the bay are of plaster, but
the rest of the vault is stone. All the floors of this upper story are
of oak, well polished by the feet of many generations. The furniture of
the reading room harmonizes well with the room itself. The windows are
placed under widely splayed, obtusely pointed four centred arches. On
the sill of one stands a statuette in bronze of Humphrey Chetham and
one of the boys of his school, similar to the marble statue already
described as standing at the east end of the north choir aisle of
the cathedral church. At the northwest corner of the room is a door
which the visitor might easily overlook, but which gives access to a
most interesting chamber. This was at one time the minstrels' gallery
opening out into the hall, when in the time of the Greslets and the De
le Warres, the baron, his guests and retainers feasted merrily there,
while the harpers twanged their strings and sang of deeds of daring and
war and victory. When the building passed into ecclesiastical hands in
1422 the arches opening into the hall were walled up, and the minstrels'
gallery was converted into a scriptorium; two small openings were,
however, left in the wall from which the warden passing out of his own
room into the scriptorium might see what was being done in the hall below.
[Illustration: THE READING ROOM: EAST SIDE.]
Leaving the warden's room we may descend by the staircase at the
south-west corner of the building, and before quitting this part of the
hospital altogether, make a closer examination of the wrought iron gate
at the south end of the west walk of the cloister. On it we see embossed
in brass, the arms of the founder and below the arms, the motto, "Quod
tuum tene," "Hold thine own."
The part of the building used as the boys' dormitories has been internally
refitted in modern times, and so has lost somewhat of its archaeological
interest; but the building, taken as a whole, is a very valuable relic
of mediaeval times. Even if there were nothing older than Chetham's day,
it would be well worth study; but of course it is of much earlier date,
and we see a building which has been used for three distinct purposes at
different times of its history: first as a baron's dwelling-place, then as
the abode of one of those religious bodies differing in many points from
the regular monastic orders known as colleges of clergy, and finally
converted into one of those educational establishments which sprang up
into vigorous existence in the days succeeding the dissolution of the
monasteries. It is especially interesting to note how many features of the
life led by the boys at the time of the foundation are still preserved
at this hospital. Modern improvements have been judiciously introduced
into the management of this educational foundation; there has been no
unnecessary reckless sweeping away of what is old and picturesque,
and yet, at the same time, the character of the education given has
been brought well up to modern requirements, fulfilling literally the
conditions laid down by the founder, who directed that "Ye boys shall be
taught ye reading, ye writing, ye summes, and all kinds of ye ingenuitie."
[Illustration: THE CLOISTER--WEST WALK.]
It is a matter of congratulation that this ancient building has
been preserved from falling into ruin and being used as a quarry of
ready-hewn stone, a fate that overtook so many of the religious houses
of the country when the monastic bodies were expelled; and also that by
the wise regulations made for the admission of visitors, the place is
easily seen, and yet is preserved from all chance of injury.
GROUND-PLAN OF THE COLLEGIATE BUILDINGS, NOW CHETHAM'S HOSPITAL.
(From "Old Halls of Lancashire and Cheshire," by Henry Taylor.)
[Illustration: GROUND-PLAN OF THE COLLEGIATE BUILDINGS, NOW CHETHAM'S
HOSPITAL. (From "Old Halls of Lancashire and Cheshire," by Henry Taylor.)]
1. Porch. 2. Hall. 3. Cloister. 4. Cloister walks with galleries above.
5. Audit Room with Warden's Room above. 6. Fellows' Rooms. 7. Butteries.
8. Kitchen. 9. Bakehouse. 10. Hospitium. 11. Gateway. 12. Steps to
River--now covered.
INDEX.
Aisles, the outer, 27.
Archdeaconries, the, 59.
Baptistery, the, 29.
Bibby's Porch, 27.
Bishop's Throne, 45.
Bishops of Manchester, the, 59.
Brown's Chantry, 27.
Bust of Humphrey Chetham, the, 73.
Chapel of the Holy Trinity, 6, 40.
Chapter, the, 58.
Chapter House, the, 10, 17, 34.
Chetham's Hospital and Library, 6, 63;
cloister, the, 71, 74;
hall, the, 71;
library, the, 67;
reading-room, the, 78;
kitchen, the, 69.
Chetham, Humphrey, 36, 66.
Choir, the, 6, 41, 45.
College, the, 5, 7, 66, 67;
dormitory, the, 78;
founder's chair, the, 75;
minstrels' gallery, the, 81.
Craven Porch, 19, 41.
Deans of Manchester, the, 57, 58.
Dedication, the, 4.
Derby Chapel, the, 6, 9, 19, 37-39.
Dimensions of the Cathedral, 60.
Edward VI., 7.
Ely Chapel, the, 6, 17, 19, 37.
Fraser, Bishop, 34, 59.
Fraser Chapel, the, 5, 10, 17, 28, 34
Gordon Window, the, 51.
Gresley family, the, 5, 31, 64.
Guest-House, the, 68.
Henry VIII., 7.
Heyrick, Richard, warden, 7, 57.
Hulme Chapel, the, 6, 17.
Huntington, John, warden, 6, 35, 56.
Jesus Chapel, the, 6, 17, 29, 33.
Lady Chapel, the, 6, 17, 19, 34.
Langley, Ralph, warden, 6, 56.
Lee, Bishop Prince, 59.
Manchester, See of, 8, 58.
Mary I., 7.
Moorhouse, Bishop, 59.
Nave, the central, 41.
Organ, the, 45.
Organ, the small, 9, 37.
Parapets, 19.
Porch, the west, 5, 10, 13, 29;
the south, 5, 10, 15, 29;
the north, 5, 10, 41.
Pulpit, the, 43.
Rectors, the, 55.
Reredos, the, 46.
Rood-Screen, the, 43.
Smith, Father, 37.
Stalls, the, 6, 45.
Stanley family, the, 7, 66.
Stanley, James, Bishop of Ely, 6;
warden, 56.
St. John the Baptist's Chapel, 29, 37, 38 (see Derby Chapel).
St. James' Chapel (Ducie), 6, 27, 40.
St. George's Chapel, 6, 27, 30.
St. Nicholas' Chapel, 17, 27, 30.
Sundial, 17.
Tower, the western, 9, 19.
Trafford Chapel, 27, 30.
Wardens, the, 56, 57.
Windows, the, 7, 24, 47-53.
[Illustration: PLAN OF MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL.]
* * * * *
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: It states that the churches of St. Mary and St. Michael
hold one carucate (that is, about 100 acres) of land quit of all taxes
save the Danegelt.]
[Footnote 2: A triforium in purely Perpendicular buildings is rare.]
[Footnote 3: The height of the central line of the roof (50 feet) is not
quite double the span (27 feet).]
[Footnote 4: St. George and St. Denys, patron saints of England and
France, were added to the dedication at the time that the church became
collegiate, Henry V. being King of England and France.]
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Minor obvious typographic errors have been corrected. Otherwise,
inconsistencies in the usage of capitalization, accents and spelling,
etc. have been preserved as printed.