History and Details.
I. The very interesting cathedral of Hereford, which represents an
episcopal see existing, it is possible, before the arrival of St.
Augustine, (see Pt. II.,) has suffered much from the hand of time, and
more perhaps from so-called restoration. On Easter Monday, 1786, the
western tower (a later erection than the Norman nave) fell, carrying
with it the west front, and greatly injuring the first bay of the nave.
The architect Wyatt was then at work on Salisbury Cathedral; and the
restoration of Hereford was unhappily placed in his hands. With Wyatt,
restoration meant destruction. Between the years 1788 and 1797 he
expended a sum of £20,000 on this cathedral; shortening the nave by one
entire bay; destroying the Norman triforium and clerestory, which he
replaced by others of his own device; and constructing the present west
front, which it is to be hoped will not be permitted to exist much
longer. In 1841, at the request of the late Bishop MUSGRAVE, a report on
the actual condition of the cathedral was drawn up by Professor Willis;
from which it appeared that the piers of the central tower were in a
condition of much danger, and that the eastern gable of the Lady-chapel
would inevitably fall unless preventive measures were at once taken.
Accordingly, these and other repairs and “restorations” were effected
between 1841 and 1852, at a cost of £27,000. The architect employed was
Mr. L. N. Cottingham; and the then Dean MEREWETHER’S own
superintendence--whose zeal for the restoration of the building cannot
be mentioned with too great respect--was unremitting until his death in
1850. Mr. Cottingham was not so completely destructive as Wyatt had
been, but he rebuilt rather than restored, and allowed his masons to
re-work ancient sculptures. Since the year 1858 the final restoration of
Hereford Cathedral has been in the hands of Mr. G. G. Scott, and it need
hardly be said that the work has been of a very different character.
Where reconstruction has been necessary, every stone has been preserved,
and, if possible, replaced. Whitewash and other defects have been
removed with a sort of wire comb, which effectually cleans the stone,
but does not remove ancient tool marks; and the sculpture and foliage
consequently remain uninjured. These last works, completed in the year
1863, (when, on the 30th of June, the cathedral was solemnly re-opened,)
effectually set forth the original beauty of the building, which ranks
among the most interesting cathedrals in England.
The extent and nature of the different restorations will be pointed out
as we proceed. It is no doubt to be regretted that so much rebuilding
should have been necessary; but this has been partly owing to original
defects of construction, and partly to the nature of the stone, which
was taken, apparently without much care in selection, from quarries in
the old red sandstone, near the city. This stone is so much weather-worn
in parts as to resemble the face of a sea cliff. Throughout Wyatt’s
rebuilding and all the restorations, the new stone has been brought from
the Caplar quarries near Fawley; from Lugwardine; and from some quarries
nearer Hereford; also in the old red sandstone, but yielding blocks of a
much harder and more durable character.
II. The Saxon Bishop ETHELSTAN (1012-1056) built a church from the
foundations; which shortly after the accession of his successor,
LEOFGAR, (1056,) was burnt together with the greater part of the city,
by the Welsh king Gryffyth. The first Norman bishop, ROBERT DE LOSINGA,
(1079-1096,) who found his cathedral in ruins, began to rebuild it,
taking for his model the church of Aachen, or Aix la Chapelle,--the work
of Charlemagne[30]. This building was so far completed as to be
dedicated (in the names of the Blessed Virgin and of Ethelbert King of
East Anglia, see § X. and Pt. II.) in 1110, during the episcopate of
REINHELM, (1107-1115). The Norman portions of the existing cathedral
(the piers of the nave, the choir as high as the clerestory, and the
south transept,) belong to Bishop Robert’s cathedral. With the exception
of its first foundation, however, and of the walls of the nave-aisles,
“it is much to be regretted that the period of erection of no one part
of this cathedral has been recorded[31];” and we are left to assign the
various dates from the character of the architecture alone. They are
probably as follows:--
_Norman_, 1079-1115. Piers of nave, choir as high as clerestory,
and south transept, (which has had Perpendicular alterations).
_Early English_, _circ._ 1190. Vestibule of Lady-chapel.
_Early English_, _circ._ 1220. Lady-chapel.
_Early English_, _circ._ 1260? Clerestory and vaulting of choir.
_Transitional_, from Early English to Decorated, 1282-1287. North
transept.
_Geometrical_, (Early Decorated,) 1287-1320. Eastern transept.
Upper part of central tower.
_Late Decorated_, 1360-1364. Outer walls and windows of
nave-aisles.
_Perpendicular_, 1492-1502. Bishop Audley’s chantry. 1516-1535. The
north porch.
It thus appears that (besides the Norman work) Hereford Cathedral is
principally rich in the architecture of the Early English and
Geometrical periods. The Norman portions are curious and important. The
Early English Lady-chapel is an excellent example; but the most
remarkable part of the building is unquestionably the north transept.
Bishop Cantilupe, who died in 1282, (and was canonized in 1320,) was
buried in the Lady-chapel, which was the first addition to the Norman
church. The north transept (into which the relics of the bishop were
removed in 1287) was to all appearance built expressly for the reception
of the Cantilupe shrine; and the further changes and additions during
the early Decorated period may safely be assigned to the increase of
riches and consequence which the possession of this shrine brought to
the cathedral. In the same manner, at Gloucester (see that Cathedral)
the possession of the remains of Edward II. was the cause of the entire
alteration of the abbey church.
III. Hereford Cathedral is open on the north side, and a good general
view may be obtained from the Close, [_Frontispiece_,] through which it
is approached. On the south side the bishop’s palace and the college of
the vicars choral fill the space between it and the river Wye. Eastward
the cathedral was closely pressed on by the outworks of the castle,
anciently one of the strongest on the Welsh marches, but of which only
the foundations now remain. The Norman cathedral, built, as has been
said, in imitation of that of Aachen, terminated eastward in a triple
apse. (Compare Norwich, the most perfect example of a Norman ground-plan
now existing.) The central apse was destroyed, in all probability, on
the formation of the Lady-chapel; and the side apses, at a somewhat
later period, were converted into the eastern transept, as it now
appears. This double transept (possibly suggested by that at Worcester,
which is a century earlier; see that Cathedral) combines, with Bishop
Booth’s large projecting porch, in producing a degree of intricacy in
the general outline, the effect of which is not lessened by the various
alterations and restorations, which, however necessary, render it
difficult to distinguish between the new work and the old.
IV. The cathedral is entered, on the north side, through an elaborate
Perpendicular _porch_, completed in 1530 by Bishop BOOTH. It is of two
stages. The lower is formed by three wide, open arches, at the outer
angles of which are octagonal buttress-turrets, capped by very
picturesque lanterns. The parvise chamber, forming the second stage, is
lighted by three large Perpendicular windows, with rich tracery. This
porch projects beyond an inner and smaller one, of the Decorated period,
to which the doorway opening to the church (the mouldings of which
should be noticed) belongs. The doors themselves are modern, and are
covered with very good iron-work, designed by Mr. Cottingham, jun., and
executed by Messrs. Potter of London. The hinges alone cost £140.
V. On entering the _nave_, the visitor should pass at once to the west
end, where he will obtain the best general view. The great piers are
Norman, and part of the original church. The triforium and clerestory
and the vaulting of the roof are Wyatt’s work, (1788-1797,) as is the
western wall with its doorway. The nave-aisles belong to the Decorated
period. Wyatt, it must be remembered, shortened the original nave by one
entire bay. The eye is at once struck by the massive grandeur of the
great Norman piers and arches, and by the unusual darkness of the choir.
Beyond the lofty circular arches of the central tower, and the superb
[Illustration: ARCHES OF NAVE.
PLATE I.
]
modern screen on its eastern side, is seen the eastern wall of the
choir, pierced below with a wide circular arch, receding in many orders,
and above by three broad lancet lights. The lower arch is divided by a
central pillar, from which spring two pointed arches, the spandrel
between which is sculptured from a design of Cottingham’s. Beyond,
again, is seen the east wall of the Lady-chapel, with its enriched
lancets, and foliated ornaments above them. The effect of these three
receding distances, with their varying light and shade, is unusually
fine, and is not a little increased by the solemnity of the darkened
choir. This darkness results partly from the heavy Norman architecture
of the choir itself, and partly from the lofty transepts, which abut on
it on either side. The nave and choir are of the same width (73-1/4 ft.,
including aisles; actual breadth of vaulting to nave and choir 31-1/4
ft.) and height (70 ft.)
The nave [Plate I.] now consists of seven bays. The massive circular
piers have double half-shafts set against their north and south fronts.
(The greater part of these are restorations, the original shafts having
been cut away.) The bases are plain. The capitals of piers and shafts
are rich and varied, especially those of the four easternmost piers,
which have some very rich knot-work and foliage. The main arches recede
in three orders, and are much enriched with the billet and other
mouldings. The Norman work throughout the cathedral, when compared with
that of the great buildings of the same age in the eastern counties,
(Ely, Peterborough, or Norwich,) displays a richer and more involved
class of ornament; such as reaches its highest development in the
elaborate doorways of Kilpeck and Shobdon Churches, both in
Herefordshire.
The _triforium_, and _clerestory_, both of which are Wyatt’s work, need
not detain us. They are imitated from the Early English of Salisbury;
and to make way for them, Wyatt destroyed the original Norman work, of
which only a small portion had been injured by the fall of the
tower[32]. The vaulting-shafts run up in groups of three, between each
bay. The shafts themselves are restorations of the originals, much of
which had been cut away before the fall of the tower; the corbels, below
the capitals, are modern, and were copied by Cottingham from ancient
examples. The roof is of wood, vaulted in imitation of stone, a
description which is itself a condemnation. It has been coloured, under
Mr. Cottingham’s direction, in a manner which can by no means be called
satisfactory. The pavement throughout the nave has been laid (by Mr.
Cottingham) with plain red and slate-coloured tiles. Two rows of
gas-standards, the work of Messrs. Skidmore, are placed under the arches
at intervals, four on each side.
VI. The _nave-aisles_ were almost rebuilt during the late Decorated
period. The Norman walls were allowed to stand for about 2 ft. above the
foundations; and upon these bases the existing walls and windows were
erected. The contracts for this work, dating between the years
1360-1364, were found by the late Dean Merewether, and are now preserved
in the archive chamber. The vaulting of the roofs is coloured in the
same unpleasing manner as that of the nave. The view looking up the
aisle, into and beyond the transept, is remarkable, owing to the many
receding stages. It terminates at the eastern end of the second
transept.
In the second bay (counting from the west) of the _south_ aisle is the
_font_, of Norman design, and curious. The basin is circular, and has
figures of the Apostles beneath arches, in the spandrels of which is a
leaf-ornament. A lion projects from each corner of the base, an unusual
and perhaps unique example. In the fourth bay is the very fine alabaster
effigy of Sir RICHARD PEMBRIDGE, _temp._ Richard II. Sir Richard, an
ancestor of the Chandos family, was one of the first knights of the
Garter, and was present at Poictiers. The armour is an excellent
example. Gold remains on the points of the cap to which the camail is
attached, and on the jewelled sword-belt. The head rests on a
tilting-helmet, with a sheaf of feathers coloured green. Between the
feathers and the helmet is a coronet of open roses. The garter is on the
left leg, and the feet rest on a greyhound. This monument was originally
in the church of the Black Friars, and was brought thence to the
cathedral after the Dissolution. The right leg, which had been
destroyed, has been restored at the cost of the Rev. Lord Saye and Sele,
Canon Residentiary.
In the wall of this aisle, in the _third_ bay from the east, is the
headless figure of an ecclesiastic, under a Decorated arch, foliated. In
the _second_ bay is an effigy of a priest of the early Decorated period,
much mutilated, under a foliated arch, at the crown of which is a
bearded head wearing a cap. In the _third_ bay is a door opening to the
cloisters, with a square heading which rises above the sill of the
window over it. A row of heads in the hollow moulding of the door,--a
fac-simile of a former composition, which had become entirely
decayed,--and the modern iron-work, by Potter, with which the door
itself is covered, deserve notice.
A narrow and lofty Norman arch opens from this aisle into the transept.
VII. The _north_ aisle is Decorated, of the same character as the south.
In the _third_ bay from the tower is the north _porch_, (§ IV.); and in
the bay above it is the monument of Bishop BOOTH, (died 1535,) the
constructor of the porch itself. The effigy lies under a foliated arch
with canopy. The Bishop, mitred and fully vested, holds the crozier (the
head of which has been broken) wrapped with the infula, or fillet. Much
colour remains on this monument, which is protected by its original
iron-work, banded with shields and heraldic ornaments.
In this aisle, a stained-glass window by WARRENTON, with subjects from
the life of St. John the Baptist, has been inserted as a memorial of
Canon CLUTTON and his wife.
VIII. Between the eastern piers of the _central tower_, but projecting
from their bases more than 3 ft. toward the nave, is placed the
magnificent _screen_ of wrought iron-work, painted and gilt, executed by
Messrs. Skidmore of Coventry, from the designs of Mr. G. G. Scott. This
is the second great work of the kind which has been produced in England.
It is in many respects finer and more important than the screen at
Lichfield; but it is designed and constructed on precisely the same
principles; and affords a complete vindication of the advantage and
beauty of metal-work for the purpose to which it is here applied. Whilst
the screen forms a sufficient division between the nave and choir, its
extreme lightness permits the use of both tower and transept for
congregational purposes.
The Hereford screen consists of five main arches, each subdivided by a
slender shaft. The central arch, wider and higher than the rest, forms
the entrance, and is surmounted by a lofty gable, on the summit of which
is the cross. Panels of hollow tracery fill in the lower part of the
arches on either side of the entrance, to the height of about four feet.
The heads of the arches and the spandrels between them are enriched with
elaborate tracery, chiefly formed by flowers and leafage; and the design
of the cornice and cresting is of similar character. In the tympanum
above the shaft which divides the arch of entrance is a figure of the
Saviour, with hands outstretched in blessing. On either side, placed on
brackets supported by the pillars of the main arch, are adoring angels,
two in each group. Single figures of angels, holding instruments of
music, are placed on brackets at the terminations of the screen, north
and south.
The screen is wrought by hand throughout. It is mainly constructed of
iron; but copper and brass are largely used; the first in the capitals,
figures, and cornice; the second in the shafts of the smaller columns,
and in parts of the larger. Coloured mosaics have also been employed.
The variety of metals is another source of colour; but the hammered
iron-work, forming the whole of the foliage, has been painted
throughout. No colours have been used, however, but those of the oxydes
of iron and copper--the metals employed in the work. The result is
entirely successful. The beauty of the capitals of leafage, in which
fine effects of light and shade are produced, and of the foliage and
flowers in other parts of the screen, is very great; and every band and
line of ornament deserves notice. The forms of both leafage and flowers
are to a certain extent conventional, but may easily be recognised. The
passion-flower especially has been much used, and with admirable effect.
On the whole it may safely be said that this screen is the finest and
most complete work of its class which has been produced in recent times;
nor would it be easy to mention any piece of ancient metal-work--at
least of equal dimensions--which will bear comparison with it.
Near the south-west corner of the screen is placed an eagle-lectern,
designed by Cottingham and executed by Potter. The projecting branches,
for lights, are unusual and picturesque. The cost of the lectern was
defrayed by the Misses Rushout; but the money was misappropriated, and
it was eventually paid for by subscription.
The old pulpit, of the seventeenth century, now stands against the
north-west tower-pier; but will shortly be replaced by one more worthy
of the cathedral.
The four great arches of the tower were in a condition of much danger
when Dean Merewether commenced his restorations in 1841. The piers, and
the four arches resting on them, were Norman; but owing to settlements
in the foundations of the nave and tower, which had taken place at a
very early period, they had been cased and otherwise repaired during the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; and still later (probably during the
episcopate of Bishop BISSE, 1712-1721) the two smaller arches of the
tower (north and south) were filled with so-called “ox-eye masonry[33],”
supported by two segmental arches branching from an octangular central
column; whilst nearly all the smaller Norman arches in connection with
the tower-piers were closed with solid masonry, leaving only doorways.
In spite of all that had been done, however, Professor Willis, in his
Report of 1841, pronounced the masonry of the great arches, and of the
spandrel walls above, to be “in such a state of ruin as to make an
immediate repair absolutely necessary for the preservation of the
tower.” The piers themselves were in a condition of less danger; but
Mr. Cottingham, to whom the work was entrusted, proceeded to remove all
the additions that had been made to them since the Norman period, and,
in effect, to rebuild them according to their original design. In this
state they remain at present. The arches resting on them were at the
same time reconstructed, and the ox-eye masonry which filled those north
and south was entirely removed.
Before these restorations a vault of the fifteenth century rose
immediately above the great arches, and concealed the upper part of the
tower. This was removed. The whole of the tower above the arches dates
from the beginning of the fourteenth century; and the interior walls,
which are now visible from below, “are of a very singular construction;
twelve piers of compact masonry on each side, beside angle piers, are
carried up to the height of 26 ft., and connected half-way up by a
horizontal course of stone, in long pieces, and by an iron bar, which
runs all round immediately under this bonding course. Upon these
gigantic _stone gratings_, if I may be allowed the expression, the
interior wall of the tower rests; and they also carry the entire weight
of the bell-chamber and bells. I believe this construction was entirely
adopted for the sake of lightness[34].” This part of the tower, which
has no decorative character, was not originally intended to be seen from
below; and the fifteenth-century vaulting had replaced an earlier wooden
ceiling. It is now completely open, and the flat wooden floor of the
bell-chamber above it is coloured in blue and gold. From this floor
depends a superb corona of wrought iron, by Skidmore--a worthy companion
of the great choir-screen, and coloured in the same manner.
IX. The peculiar darkness of the _choir_ has already been mentioned. It
results mainly (as will be seen from the Plan) from the arrangement of
the transepts, which prevents the admission of light to the choir except
from its clerestory.
The choir and sacrarium, as at present formed, consist of only three
bays, eastward of the screen. (The Norman choir extended no doubt to the
western arch of the tower, if not into the first bay of the nave.) As
far as the top of the triforium, the choir is _Norman_: the clerestory
and vaulting are _Early English_, and date, apparently, from the middle
of the thirteenth century. No record of their construction has been
preserved.
The _main arches_ of the choir are of three orders, and spring from
massive composite piers, with broad, square bases. The capitals of the
semi-detached shafts are enriched with leafage and grotesque heads. The
_triforium_, in each bay, consists of one wide Norman arch
circumscribing two smaller, divided by a central shaft, and springing on
either side from two massive semicircular piers, with small capitals.
Both outer and inner arches spring from these piers. The capitals of the
central shafts have square abaci, and are enriched. The tympana of the
outer arches are covered with scallop, leaf, and billet-ornament. At the
base of the triforium runs a square stringcourse, enriched with minute
carving. The lozenge ornament prevails round the main arches of the
choir, as does the zigzag round those of the nave.
Broad square pilasters, with semi-detached shafts at their angles, fill
the spaces between the piers. They terminate at the spring of the
triforium arches in double triangular headings, with crocheted sides,
and finials of leafage. These headings are Early English, of the same
date as the clerestory and vaulting; and between each pair rises a group
of so-called vaulting-shafts, with capitals of leafage, terminating at
the base of the clerestory; and connected (under the actual base of the
clerestory) by a band of open flowers. The _clerestory_ consists of one
lofty pointed arch in each bay, divided by a central shaft; on either
side is a smaller trefoiled arch. The windows, of two lights, with a
quatrefoil in the heading, are placed at the back of the wall-passage,
and form in effect a double plane with the large inner arches. They are
filled on each side with indifferent stained glass. The choir _vaulting_
is plain quadripartite, with bosses of leafage at the intersections.
X. Before 1841, the east end of the choir was covered with an oaken
screen, erected by Bishop Bisse in 1717; and above it was a Decorated
window filled with a copy in stained glass of WEST’S picture of the Last
Supper. The removal of the screen disclosed the great Norman arch of
five orders, within which the reredos is now placed. Above this arch is
a small blind arcade; and instead of the Decorated window,
[Illustration: THE ALTAR-SCREEN.
PLATE II.
]
three lancets have been inserted at the back of the clerestory passage.
Of these, the central window has been filled with stained glass by
HARDMAN; too minute perhaps in design for the height at which it is
placed, but very good. The subjects in this window are the Saviour in
Majesty, the Resurrection, the Crucifixion. The subjects in the north
and south lancets will comprise the principal events of our Lord’s
Passion.
The _reredos_ [Plate II.] below was designed by Mr. Cottingham, jun., as
a memorial for JOSEPH BAILEY, Esq., M.P. for the county of Hereford, who
died in 1850. It is in oolite (Bath stone) and marble; and although too
high for its position, is a fine work. Between the five canopied
compartments rise small shafts, supporting angels, who carry the
instruments of the Passion. The pierced leafage at the back of the
canopies is very beautiful. The subjects in the panels are--the Agony in
the Garden, Bearing the Cross, the Crucifixion, with floating angels
above the Cross, the Resurrection, and the three Maries at the
Sepulchre.
At the back of the reredos rises a pier from which spring two pointed
arches, leaving a broad tympanum or spandrel, closing the upper part of
the Norman arch. This is a restoration of Mr. Cottingham’s. The pier
itself is ancient. The spandrel is covered with modern sculpture,
having, above, the Saviour in Majesty, with the Evangelists holding
scrolls; and below, a figure of Ethelbert, King of East Anglia, who was
murdered by Offa, King of Mercia, and is said to have been interred in
the first Saxon church on this spot. (See Pt. II.) Miracles were
reported as having occurred at his tomb, and the second church here was
dedicated to St. Ethelbert.
The very good brass of Bishop TRILLECK (died 1360) is placed on the
chancel floor. The graceful arrangement of the vestments--which do not
include the tunic--and the architectural design of the canopy deserve
special notice. The greater part of the inscription has been lost[35].
Against the easternmost pier on the south side of the choir is a small
figure on a bracket, which possibly represents St. Ethelbert. It was
found about the year 1700, buried at the entrance of the Lady-chapel,
(where it is said to have been concealed during the siege of 1645,) and
was replaced in what is believed to have been its original position. The
figure wears a coronet terminating in leaves. The strings of the long
mantle are crossed on the breast. Whatever the hands once held has been
destroyed. The figure is certainly not earlier than the first half of
the fourteenth century.
On the _north_ side of the choir, in the easternmost bay, is the effigy
of Bishop STANBERY, (died 1474,) whose chantry opens from the aisle
opposite; (§ XIV.) The Bishop wears the alb, stole, and chasuble, the
flowing ornament on which should be noticed. It should here be mentioned
that Wyatt, following the same destructive course as at Salisbury,
removed many monuments in the cathedral from their original positions;
thereby rendering even their identification a matter of some difficulty.
In the next bay is the effigy of a bishop, fully vested, holding the
model of a tower. This is assigned to Bishop GILES DE BRUCE, (died
1215); and Godwin (_De Præsulibus_) conjectured that the model indicated
this bishop as having been the builder of the central tower--a
conjecture which has been assumed as a certainty by every succeeding
writer. But whatever architectural work Bishop Giles may have done, the
tower, as was pointed out by Professor Willis, is nearly a century
later. His effigy is one of ten which were erected during the
Perpendicular period as memorials of earlier bishops, and which are now
scattered in different parts of the cathedral. (In the same manner, many
effigies of earlier bishops were sculptured at Wells (see that
Cathedral) in the first half of the thirteenth century, and are all of
Early English character.)
In the same bay is the monument of Bishop BENNETT, (died 1617). He wears
the rochet, and a close black cap, and rests his feet on a lion; an
unusual instance of the retention of an earlier form. The Bishop was
buried on this spot.
The _stalls_ of the choir range up to this bay. They are Decorated, and
very good. The small heads and ornaments of the shafts which support the
projecting canopies should especially be noticed. The misereres are
interesting, but of no special excellence. Two on the south side
represent a cook throwing a platter at an intruder, and a pair of
wrestlers with ropes about their necks. The whole of this ancient work
has been carefully cleaned, and restored where necessary, under the
direction of Mr. Scott. The new carving, which is very fine, and well
worthy of its companionship with fourteenth-century wood-work, is
entirely by Messrs. Ruddle and Thompson of Peterborough. Some of the new
misereres, and the elaborately carved ends or heads, sixteen in number,
deserve careful attention. The panel-work in front of the stalls is an
exact reproduction of that before the episcopal throne.
The floor of the whole choir has been laid with tiles, manufactured (as
are those throughout the church with the exception of the nave) by
Godwin of Lugwardine. The pavement of the sacrarium is especially rich
and elaborate.
The organ (by Renatus Harris, but remodelled and reconstructed by
Davison under the direction of Sir Frederick Ouseley) is to be placed
within the first archway on the south side of the choir.
XI. Through the north arch of the tower we pass into the _north
transept_, [Plate III.]; one of the finest and most interesting parts of
the church, which fortunately remained untouched until the cathedral was
placed under the care of Mr. G. G. Scott, by whom this transept has been
carefully restored. The date of its erection has not been recorded; but
we cannot be wrong in assigning it to the period between the death of
Bishop CANTILUPE (1282) and his translation in 1287. The Bishop was at
first buried in the Lady-chapel, but was
[Illustration: BAY OF THE NORTH TRANSEPT.
PLATE III.
]
removed to this transept in 1287. The miracles reported at his tomb had
already brought large sums to the Church; and the rebuilding of the
transept for the reception of his shrine must have been completed before
the removal of his body in 1287.
The Norman arches opening to the aisles of nave and choir resemble those
which correspond to them on the south side of the church. The transept
beyond them was, as we have seen, entirely rebuilt, and is one of the
most remarkable examples of the period remaining in England. The unusual
form of its arches, and its pure, lofty windows, are sufficiently
impressive now; but their effect must have been wonderfully increased
when the windows were filled with glass displaying the history and
miracles of the sainted Bishop, and when the shrine itself was standing
on its pedestal within the eastern aisle, rich with the gold and jewels
offered by the numerous pilgrims who knelt daily before it.
The _west_ side of the transept (which is of two bays beyond the aisle
passage) is entirely filled by two very lofty windows, of three lights
each. The heads of the narrow lights are sharply pointed; and the
tracery above is formed by three circles enclosing trefoils. These
windows are set back within triangular-headed arches. On the _north_
side is a double window of the same character, divided by a group of
banded shafts. The triple lights on either side of these shafts, and the
foiled circles above them, precisely resemble the windows on the west
side of the transept. The central tracery of the window is formed by a
foiled circle, with a larger circle, enclosing a sexfoil, above it. The
whole window is set back within a segmental pointed arch, with banded
shafts at the angles of the jambs. The _eastern aisle_ of the transept
is divided into two bays by a clustered pier, the shafts surrounding
which are alternately of sandstone and dark marble. Their capitals are
enriched with foliage, and small knots of foliage are placed between the
bases. The main arches are sharply pointed, and have many plain
mouldings, with one band of dog-tooth ornament, highly detached. The
_triforium_ above (which extends beyond the actual transept, over the
Norman arch opening to the choir-aisle) is especially striking. In each
bay are two sharply pointed arches, each subdivided into three lesser
arches, with foiled headings; and with three open quatrefoils as tracery
above. The main arch is surrounded by a row of dog-tooth. The large
spandrel spaces between the arches are entirely covered with a diaper of
leaf-ornament, in low relief. The _clerestory_ windows are octofoils,
set far back within pointed arches. On the exterior, the form of the
window openings is triangular, like those of the triforium at
Westminster and those in the clerestory of the nave at Lichfield. On the
interior, the sills of the windows slope forward with overlapping
courses of stone, to the stringcourse at the top of the triforium. The
sills of the great windows in the transept are formed in a similar
manner, with overlapping courses of stone.
[Illustration: PEDESTAL OF THE SHRINE OF BISHOP CANTILUPE.
PLATE IV.
]
The shafts at the angles of all the windows are ringed, and the
triangular arches, throughout the transept, are slightly stilted. Such
arches are by no means common. They occur, however, in the clerestory on
the south side of the nave in Worcester Cathedral, but of later date
than this transept, which was possibly imitated by the Worcester
architect.
This transept has been carefully and truly “restored,” under the
direction of Mr. G. G. Scott. The stone-work has been freed from
whitewash and cleaned; and the plain quadripartite vaulting has been
touched with colour, and the bosses gilt, with excellent effect. The
vaulting springs from clustered shafts, the corbels supporting which, on
the east side, are beautiful and singular, and resemble bunches of
reeds, terminating in a small open flower. The small heads below these
corbels, at the intersection of the main arches, should also be noticed.
The transept has been laid with red and green tiles in panels, the
divisions being marked in grey sandstone.
XII. The eastern aisle is lighted by three very beautiful windows, each
of three lights, with three quatrefoils in the tracery. They are set
back within wider arches, as is the case with the windows in the main
transept. In this aisle, in a line with the central pier, is the
pedestal of the _Cantilupe Shrine_. [Plate IV.] (For a sketch of the
life of St. Thomas Cantilupe, the last Englishman canonized before the
Reformation, see Pt. II.) Bishop Cantilupe died on his way to Rome, at
Civita Vecchia, Aug. 25, 1282. His remains were divided. A portion was
interred near Orvieto; the heart was brought to Ashridge in
Buckinghamshire; and the bones were brought to his own cathedral at
Hereford, where they were deposited in the Lady-chapel. The reputation
of Bishop Cantilupe had been great during his life. Numerous miracles
were recorded as having taken place at his tomb, which soon became one
of the most frequented places of pilgrimage in the west of England; and
in 1286 (April 6) his remains were translated to a more stately
resting-place in this transept, which had probably been rebuilt in his
honour. The King, Edward II., was present at the translation. Bishop
Cantilupe was not canonized until 1320[36]; but the pedestal of his
shrine, which alone now exists, is (with the exception of the western
end, which seems to be at least thirty years later) of the date of his
translation.
This is a long parallelogram, narrowing toward the lower end, and is
entirely of Purbeck marble. It has two divisions; the lower closed, like
an altar-tomb, the upper a flat canopy, supported on small open arches.
Upon this rested the actual shrine, containing the relics of the saint.
Cantilupe was Provincial Grand Master of the Knights Templars in
England; and round the lower division of the pedestal are fifteen
figures of Templars in various attitudes, placed in the recesses of a
foliated arcade. All are fully armed, in chain-mail, with surcoat,
shield, and sword. All are seated, and tread on various monsters, among
which are dragons, and swine muzzled. The spandrels in this arcade, and
the spandrels between the arches in the upper division, are filled with
leafage of the most beautiful and varied character. It is the leafage of
the first Decorated period, retaining some of the stiff arrangement of
the Early English, but directly copied from nature. In the lower
spandrels it is arranged in sprays; in the upper it is often laid in
rows of leaves, among which occur oak, maple, and trefoil. The whole of
this work will repay the most careful examination. (It should be
compared with the foliage of the capitals of the shafts surrounding the
central pier of the aisle, which is far more stiff and conventional.) On
the top of the lower division of the pedestal was a brass of the Bishop,
of which the matrix alone remains.
The position of the shrine in this transept may be compared with that of
St. Frideswide at Oxford, and with that of St. Richard de la Wych at
Chichester. All had an altar immediately adjoining the shrine, which was
dedicated to the saint, and at which the offerings of pilgrims were
made. In these cases, however, the usual position of a great shrine--at
the back of the high altar--was, for some special reason, departed from.
At Hereford, this position of highest honour was probably occupied by
the shrine of St. Ethelbert; and the shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe must
have taken an inferior place, had it been fixed near that. This was
avoided by the dedication of the entire transept to the sainted Bishop.
In the same manner, the south transept at Chichester seems to have been
occupied by the shrine of St. Richard de la Wych; in whose honour the
great south window was probably inserted.
On a bracket against the wall adjoining the shrine is a bust of Bishop
FIELD, (died 1636). On the floor is a slab with effigy of JOHN
D’ACQUABLANCA, Dean of Hereford, (died 1320). He was the nephew of
Bishop d’Acquablanca, whose monument (see _post_) is close by. Under the
north window of the aisle is a stone coffin, found under the centre of
the north arch of the tower, during the restoration of the piers. It may
be the coffin of Bishop JOHN DE BRETON, (died 1275).
Under the great north window of the transept is a richly canopied tomb
with effigy of Bishop THOMAS CHARLTON, (died 1369). This effigy was not
disturbed by Wyatt, and remains in its original position. West of this
monument is the effigy of Bishop WESTFALING, (died 1602). The canopy was
destroyed by Wyatt. This is the bishop who is said so rarely to have
smiled after his consecration to the episcopate; (see Pt. II.)
In the pavement adjoining the choir-aisle, a very good small brass has
been inserted for JOHN PHILIPS, (died 1708, aged 32,) whose family were
natives of Herefordshire, although the poet himself was born at Bampton
in Oxfordshire, of which place his father was rector. His principal
work, however, “Cider,” belongs essentially to Herefordshire. A monument
to Philips was placed in Westminster Abbey by Lord Chancellor Harcourt,
and bears an inscription written by Bishop Atterbury.
[Illustration: MONUMENT OF BISHOP D’AQUABLANCA.
(FROM THE NORTH TRANSEPT.) PLATE V.
]
XIII. The _north choir-aisle_ is entered through the original Norman
arch; which (together with that opening from the nave-aisle) was cleared
by Mr. Cottingham from the masonry with which it had been nearly closed,
in order to strengthen the tower piers. Between this aisle and the
eastern aisle of the transept is the very beautiful monument of Bishop
D’ACQUABLANCA, (1240-1268). [Plate V.] The effigy lies under a canopy
supported by light shafts of Purbeck marble. The gables of the canopy
are crowned with floriated crosses, the central cross bearing a figure
of the crucified Saviour. The monument may be compared with that of
Bishop Bridport at Salisbury, (died 1262,) which is, however, far richer
and more elaborate. The tomb of Bishop d’Acquablanca was originally
richly coloured; and an attempt at restoration was made by an amateur in
1861. It was soon, however, discontinued,--not unwisely, as the
commencement remains to prove.
The Norman piers of the choir and the monuments described in § X. should
be noticed from the aisle, the pavement of which has been laid in square
panels of red and green tiles, with a border of grey stone. In the north
wall of the aisle is a series of arched recesses, of Decorated
character, with the open-flower ornament in the mouldings, episcopal
heads at the crown of the arches, and heads of ecclesiastics at the
intersections. In the first of these recesses east of the transept, is
an effigy assigned to Bishop GEOFFRY DE CLIVE, (died 1120). This is one
of the series of Perpendicular effigies already noticed, (§ X.) Beyond
this recess a door opens to the turret staircase leading to the Archive
Room and Chapter Library, (see § XXIII.,) above the north transept. The
effigy in the next recess (also Perpendicular) is given to Bishop HUGH
DE MAPENORE, (died 1219). The window above is filled with stained glass,
by Clayton and Bell, as a memorial of JOHN HUNT, organist, died 1842,
and his nephew James, “who died of grief three days after his uncle;” as
appears from an inscription on a small brass plate at the side of the
window. Beyond the entrance to Bishop Stanbery’s chapel is an arch open
to the chapel itself, under which is a Perpendicular effigy assigned to
Bishop RICHARD, (called “de Capella,”) died 1127.
XIV. _Bishop Stanbery’s Chantry_ (1453-1474) [Plate VI.] is a good
example of rich late Perpendicular. It is 16 ft. by 8 ft.; with two
windows on the north side, (filled with stained glass, which forms part
of the Musgrave memorial; see _post_,) and on the south the entrance,
and the arch with effigy already mentioned. The west end is covered with
tracery and shields in panels; and the east has shields with emblems
above the place of the altar. The ceiling is richly groined. The
grotesque capitals at the angles of the chapel should be remarked; as
should the shields with emblems of St. Matthias, St. Thomas, and St.
Bartholomew, over the arch on the south side. Other shields bear the
arms of the see and of the deanery, with those assigned to St.
Ethelbert, and to Leofric of Mercia.
Bishop Stanbery’s monument (§ X.) is on the wall of the choir
immediately opposite his chantry. On the
[Illustration: BISHOP STANBERY’S CHAPEL.
PLATE VI.
]
panels toward the aisle are figures of saints, and angels bearing
shields. In the wall of the aisle above the chantry, which is only 11
ft. in height, is a Decorated window filled with stained glass as a
memorial of the late Dr. MUSGRAVE, Archbishop of York; who, as Bishop of
Hereford, was among the first to set on foot the restoration of his
cathedral. The glass, which is by WARRENTON, exhibits the principal
events in the life of St. Paul. The subjects are continued in the
windows of the chantry, which form part of the memorial.
XV. The _north-east transept_ opens immediately beyond Bishop Stanbery’s
chantry. The main character of this lesser, or eastern transept, is at
present early Decorated, (geometrical); but it retains traces of the
original Norman ground-plan. The Norman cathedral, like most great
churches in England of that period, seems to have terminated in a triple
apse, of which the arrangement may have resembled the eastern apses of
Norwich and Gloucester, (see those Cathedrals). Portions of the central
apse remain in the walls of the vestibule to the Lady-chapel; and parts
of the apses which opened from the choir-aisles have been retained in
the existing transept. These are all of transitional Norman character;
and are considerably later than the Norman choir or nave.
Extensive alterations had been made in this part of the Norman cathedral
before the great north transept was rebuilt in order to receive the
shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe. The Lady-chapel, dating from the early
part of the thirteenth century, was the first addition; and its
building must have followed very closely on the completion of the Norman
retro-choir with its apses, the side walls of which were retained in the
vestibule of the Lady-chapel. Considerably later, (at the beginning of
the fourteenth century), after the completion of the north transept, the
terminal apses of the choir-aisles were almost entirely removed, and the
existing transept constructed. It is much to be regretted that none of
these works have any recorded date.
A peculiar character is given to this transept by an octagonal pier,
which rises in the centre, and assists in carrying the vaulting. The
vaulting is quadripartite, with very good bosses of leafage. The windows
are early Decorated. In the west wall of the transept are some Norman
arches, which belonged to the original apse.
The transept has been restored under the direction of Mr. G. G. Scott.
The tiles of the pavement are laid in panels, in which red and yellow
are the prevailing colours. In one of the panels is a good modern brass
for members of the TERRY family.
Under the north-east window is a monument which has been assigned to
Bishop GODWIN, (died 1633); but which is in reality much earlier. Under
the adjoining window, west, is the canopied tomb of Bishop SWINFIELD,
(1283-1317). The episcopal effigy has long disappeared, and that which
is now seen on the tomb is the effigy of some unknown lay person, dug up
in the cloisters. The arched canopy has the ball-flower in its
mouldings; and at the back of the recess is a much
[Illustration: COFFIN SLAB IN THE NORTH-EAST TRANSEPT.
PLATE VII.
]
mutilated sculpture of the Crucifixion, surrounded by vine-leaves and
tendrils. The work resembles the leafage of the Cantilupe Shrine, and is
possibly by the same hand. In a recess decorated with the ball-flower
under the arch opening to the vestibule of the Lady-chapel, is the
effigy of an unknown lady, (fourteenth century,) dug up outside the
church during the restorations. Against the walls of the transept are
ranged some coffin slabs, with floriated and enriched crosses, found at
different times and in various parts of the cathedral. One of these
(_circa_ 1250?) is given in Plate VII.
XVI. From the transept we pass into the _ambulatory_, or _retro-choir_,
at the back of the altar. This is transitional Norman, and its two bays
are divided by a pointed arch, which springs from circular shafts, at
the back of the altar and at the entrance to the vestibule of the
Lady-chapel. The ribs of the quadripartite vaulting are enriched with
chevron and diamond mouldings of late character. The arches at the back
of the choir-screen were decorated (see § X.) by Mr. Cottingham. On the
base of the central shaft is an inscription recording the erection of
the screen as a memorial of the late JOSEPH BAILEY, Esq.; (see § X.)
The existing arrangement seems to indicate (although this has not been
directly proved) that the Norman ground-plan, like that of Norwich,
comprised an ambulatory or “procession-path,” passing round at the back
of the high altar, and giving access to the central and side apses,
which opened from it.
[Illustration: Window in vestibule of Lady-chapel.]
XVII. The walls of this central apse are retained in the _vestibule_ to
the Lady-chapel. They are pierced north and south with transitional
Norman window openings; pointed arches, with massive mouldings, one of
which, an enriched diamond, runs round the soffete, and is carried on
the capitals of triple side shafts. The foliage of the capitals is of
completely Early English character. These windows (the glass in which,
as is indicated by their rebated jambs, was fixed in wooden
[Illustration: EASTERN BAY OF LADY-CHAPEL.
PLATE VIII.
]
frames) were built up in the wall, until the restoration of this part of
the cathedral by Mr. Cottingham.
In the south wall of the vestibule is the very interesting monument,
with effigy, of Dean BEREW, or BEAURIEÚ, (died 1462). The head of the
effigy, delicately featured and full of expression, and the arrangement
of the robe, especially at the feet, are very striking, and should be
noticed. The feet rest on a boar; and in the hollow of the arch-moulding
are boars and rue leaves, forming a “rebus” of the Dean’s name. Over the
whole monument there are traces of painting, and at the back of the
recess the kneeling figure of an ecclesiastic is distinguishable;
possibly that of Dean Berew himself.
On the floor is the very fine _brass_ of Richard Delamare (1435) and his
wife Isabella. There is also here the _brass_ of a priest in cope,
_circa_ 1450.
XVIII. An ascent of five steps (rendered necessary by the height of the
crypt below; see § XXVI.) leads to the _Lady-chapel_, [Plate VIII.];
very rich Early English, and dating from the first half of the
thirteenth century, (_circ._ 1220). It is 45 ft. by 24, and consists of
three bays, in each of which, on either side, (except where the bay on
the south side is filled by the Audley Chantry,) are two large windows.
When Professor Willis made his report in 1841, the eastern gable of this
chapel (then used as the Chapter Library) was in a state of “ruinous
disintegration;” and one of the first works entrusted to Mr. Cottingham
was the rebuilding of this eastern end. The pavement of the
Lady-chapel, and other restorations, have happily been completed under
the direction of Mr. G. G. Scott.
At the east end are five narrow lancets, set back within arches resting
on clustered shafts, and much enriched with the dog-tooth ornament. The
wall above these windows is pierced with five foiled openings; of which
the three central are oval, the exterior on either side circular. The
windows have been filled with stained glass designed by Cottingham and
executed by GIBBS, as a memorial to the late Dean MEREWETHER,--to whom
the cathedral is so greatly indebted,--who is interred at the north-east
angle of the chapel. The subjects commence with the early life of the
Virgin, and proceed through that of our Lord, terminating with the
supper in the house of Mary and Martha. The glass is good, but suffers
from the want of white and neutral tints.
A black marble slab, with a brass plate by Hardman, has been placed over
the grave of Dean Merewether. The inscription bears record that “to the
restoration of this cathedral he devoted the unwearied energies of his
life till its close on the 4th of April, 1850.”
The very rich clustered shafts and arches of the side windows should be
especially noticed. The capitals of the shafts are of Early English
leafage; and there are small heads at the intersections and crowns of
the arches. A circle enclosing a quatrefoil pierces the wall above these
windows. The vaulting is plain quadripartite, and springs from shafts
which descend upon a base raised slightly above the pavement.
The modern pavement of the Lady-chapel is laid with red and green tiles,
in large square panels. The whole design is broad and good in outline;
and is somewhat richer at the altar end, which is raised on one step.
The aumbry and double piscina on the south side of the altar are
reproductions of the originals, which were in a state of extreme decay.
Of the two stained windows on the south side, the most eastern (of late
fourteenth-century character) was removed from St. Peter’s Church in
Hereford, and was given to the cathedral by the late R. B. Phillipps,
Esq. The window below is filled with Munich glass.
In the central bay on the north side of the chapel is a very fine
Perpendicular monumental recess, within which is laid the effigy (much
earlier than the recess) of a knight of the Bohun family. The recess
itself has an upper stage or canopy, with open tabernacle-work, in the
arches of which figures have been placed, none of which originally
belonged to it, with the exception of the two central ones, now
headless, representing the Saviour and the Blessed Virgin. The figures
on either side were found imbedded in a mass of mortar behind the oaken
choir-screen, on its removal by Mr. Cottingham. They represent St. John
the Baptist, St. Thomas Cantilupe, and St. Thomas of Canterbury,--the
latter distinguished by the pall and the patriarchal cross,--the fourth
figure is uncertain.
The effigy placed in this recess has generally been assigned to Humphrey
de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, _temp._ Edward III. He was not however
interred in this cathedral; and although the effigy is certainly of
that date, it probably represents some less distinguished member of that
great family. The features, uninjured, are fine. The chain-mail, the
fringed poleyns at the knees, the surcoat, and all the details, should
be noticed. The dog at the feet turns upward, licking his paw.
The monument, with effigy, in the most eastern bay on this side, is that
of JOANNA DE BOHUN, Countess of Hereford, (called Joanna de Kilpeck,
from her castle there,) (died 1327). It has been painted in accordance
with the remains of colour on its several portions; but with very
indifferent success. The effigy is a good example of costume. Male and
female heads project at the angles of the canopy; and the border of the
slab on which the effigy rests has small human heads and roses with
their leaves, alternately. The will of the Countess bequeaths a
considerable estate to the cathedral.
XIX. In the central bay on the south side is the _Audley Chapel or
Chantry_, [Plate IX.,] constructed by Bishop EDMUND AUDLEY, (1492-1502,)
before his translation to Salisbury in the latter year. The chantry here
was no doubt intended for the place of his own interment; but during his
episcopate at Salisbury (1502-1524) he built a second chantry in the
choir of that cathedral, (see Handbook for SALISBURY,) within which he
was buried.
The Audley Chapel at Hereford is of two stages, access to the upper
being afforded by a circular staircase at the south-west angle. The
lower story is separated
[Illustration: THE SCREEN OF BISHOP AUDLEY’S CHANTRY.
PLATE IX.
]
from the Lady-chapel by a lofty stone screen with pierced panels.
Figures of saints and of religious persons are represented on this
screen, which has been restored and painted. The iron-work on the door
opening to the staircase is excellent as an example, and should be
noticed. The lock bears the Bishop’s initials.
The chapel is five-sided, and is lighted by two windows. There is a
third window, opening through the screen into the Lady-chapel. The
vaulted ceiling shews the remains of rich colour; and at the east end,
over the place of the altar, are traces of a large painting with trees
and figures. The upper story has five windows, in which are some good
remains of the original glass. On the central boss of the groining is
the Virgin, crowned, and surrounded by an aureole of rays. The arms of
the Deanery, (Azure, five bends or,) and those of Bishop Audley, appear
on other parts of the ceiling, with a shield bearing the initials (R.
I.) of some unknown person. The top of the screen forms a parapet,
dividing this story from the Lady-chapel. There are no traces of an
altar here; and the upper story of this chantry probably served--like
those of the chantries of Abbots Farley and Hanley at Gloucester, (see
that Cathedral,) which are also attached to the Lady-chapel, and are
constructed on a similar plan--as an oratory.
XX. The _south-east transept_ resembles that opposite; but it was
perhaps altered from the Norman apse at a somewhat later date. Its
details are not so good as those of the north-east transept; and the
window tracery is of almost flamboyant character. Bases of the earlier
work remain in the walls.
Under the wall dividing the vestibule of the Lady-chapel from this
transept is the monument, with effigy, of Bishop LEWIS CHARLTON, (died
1369). Above it is that of Bishop COKE, (died 1646). In a square recess,
in the east wall, is the fine bust of a Mr. JAMES THOMAS, who is buried
near this place; and under it the brass of Sir RICHARD DELABERE, (1514,)
and two wives. In the recess, with the bust, are placed some carved
Norman capitals, of early character. Under the south wall of the
transept are monuments for Bishop LINDSELL, (died 1634,) and Dean
HARVEY, (died 1500); neither of any great interest. Some fragments of
brasses are attached to the walls of this transept, but are of little
importance. The north-east window has been filled with stained glass by
WARRENTON, at the sole expense of Lord Saye and Sele, as a memorial of
Bishop HUNTINGFORD, (1815-1834). The subjects are from the life of St.
Peter.
XXI. In the south wall of the _south choir-aisle_ are four arched
recesses, of the same date and character (Decorated) as those in the
aisle opposite. They contain four Perpendicular effigies; assigned
(beginning from the east) to Bishop WILLIAM DE VERE, (died 1199); Bishop
HUGH FOLIOT, (died 1234); Bishop ROBERT DE BETUN, (died 1148); and
Bishop ROBERT DE MELUN, (died 1167). On the floor is the fine brass of
Dean EDMUND FROWSETOURE, (died 1529,) in a richly diapered cope. Among
the figures in the canopy are those of St. Ethelbert and of St. Thomas
Cantilupe.
Between the two easternmost piers of the choir is the monument, with
effigy, of Bishop MAYEW, (1504-1516; see Pt. II.) The elaborate canopy
has been restored, so far as any authority remained for the details. The
panels in front of the monument are filled with figures of saints. The
effigy, fully vested, and wearing a richly jewelled mitre, should be
especially noticed. Under an arch opening to the choir, in the next bay,
is a Perpendicular effigy assigned to Bishop DE LOSINGA, (died 1096).
Above it is a fragment of good wooden screen-work, of Decorated
character.
A door in the westernmost bay of this aisle opens to two plain Norman
rooms, now used as vestries. In the Perpendicular period an “eastern
chamber” of two stories was added to this Norman building, and served as
the treasury of the cathedral.
XXII. The great _south transept_ retains much of its Norman work, but
was much altered during the Perpendicular period. The east wall is
entirely Norman, and is covered with five ranges of arcades, all of
which are blank except those at the levels of the triforium and
clerestory, which open to a wall-passage. The transept is only lighted
on this side by two Norman windows in the clerestory. A large Norman
arch, including two smaller, all much enriched, occupies the triforium
space above the arch opening to the choir-aisle; and perhaps indicates
that the Norman triforium
[Illustration: BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY.
PLATE X.
]
has been already mentioned, to the _Archive Room_ and _Chapter Library_,
above the great north transept. This room has been thoroughly restored
by Mr. G. G. Scott. The Library contains about 2,000 volumes, many of
great rarity and interest. Nearly all are chained to the shelves; and
the general appearance of the carefully guarded treasures is
sufficiently curious. [Plate X.] Among the most remarkable printed books
are--A series of Bibles, ranging from 1480 to 1690; Higden’s
_Polychronicon_, by Caxton, 1495; Caxton’s _Legenda Aurea_, 1483; and
Lyndewode _Super Constitutiones Provinciales_, 1475. Of the MSS., by far
the most interesting is an ancient _Antiphonarium_ containing the old
“Hereford Use.” This “sets forth not only the services of particular
days, the chants to be used and the lectures to be read, but contains a
treatise on music and an ample calendar, in which are noted the obits of
the benefactors and bishops of the church; and by which, with the aid of
the Dominical letter, we are enabled to assign to the volume the date of
1265[37]”. It was purchased at a book-stall in Drury-lane about the year
1820; and redeemed by the Dean and Chapter, who restored it to its
original and legitimate resting-place. Here also is preserved, carefully
protected by plate glass, the remarkable _Map of the World_, [Plate
XI.,] which is one of the most valuable relics of mediæval geography. It
was the work of a certain Richard of Haldingham and of Lafford,
(Holdingham and Sleaford in Lincolnshire,) who has commemorated himself
in the following verses:--
“Tuz ki cest estorie ont
Ou oyront, ou luront, ou veront,
Prient à Jhesu en deyté
De Richard de Haldingham e de Lafford eyt pité
Ki l’at fet e compassé
Ke joie en cel li seit doné.”
The latter part of the thirteenth century is the date which has usually
been assigned to it; but M. D’Avezac, President of the Geographical
Society of Paris, who has recently examined the map with much care,
arrives, from internal evidence, at the conclusion that it was designed
at the beginning of the year 1314[38]. The map itself (drawn on thick
vellum, and glued to a framework of oak) is founded on the mediæval
belief that all geographical knowledge resulted from the observations of
three philosophers, (here named Nichodoxus, Theodotus, and Policlitus,)
who were sent forth by Augustus Cæsar to survey the three divisions of
the world, when it was about to be taxed at the birth of our Lord. The
Emperor is accordingly figured giving his directions to the
philosophers. The world is represented as round, and surrounded by the
ocean. At the top of the map, which represents the east, is Paradise,
[Illustration: ANCIENT MAP.
PLATE XI.
]
with the Tree of Life, and Adam and Eve. Above is the Last Judgment,
with the Virgin interceding for mankind. Jerusalem appears in the centre
of the map; and near it, the crucifix is planted on “Mount Calvary.”
Babylon has its famous tower; Rome bears the inscription, “Roma caput
mundi tenet orbis frena rotundi;” and Troy is described as “Troja
civitas bellicosissima.” (These four cities were regarded as the most
important in the world: Troy, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,
was a favourite subject of romance.) The British Isles occupy a
considerable space; and Hereford, with its cathedral, is by no means
obscurely placed. A great part of the map is filled with inscriptions
taken from Solinus, Isidore of Seville, and others; and with drawings of
the monstrous animals and peoples which the mediæval cosmography
supposed to exist in different parts of the world. The monkey is
assigned to Norway; the scorpion to the banks of the Rhine; and the
“oroc” (aurochs) to Provence. Lot’s wife, the labyrinth of Crete, the
columns of Hercules, and Scylla and Charybdis, should also be noticed.
“The portrait of Abraham is seen in Chaldæa, and that of Moses on Mount
Sinai. Amid the deserts of Ethiopia St. Anthony is recognised, with his
hook-beaked satyrs and fauns. St. Augustine in his pontifical habit
marks the situation of his own Hippo[39].”
The history of this very remarkable map is uncertain. It was discovered,
probably about a century ago, under the floor of Bishop Audley’s
Chapel; and Dean Merewether suggested (but apparently without the
slightest authority) that it might have served originally as an
altar-piece[40].
In the church is preserved a very curious chair of the thirteenth or
fourteenth century, closely resembling those often represented in early
sculpture and painting. It is formed in great measure of little turned
balusters; and may be compared with a chair figured by M.
Viollet-le-Duc[41] from sculpture at Auxerre. The Hereford chair (which
at first sight looks like work of the seventeenth century, but is
undoubtedly early, and a most valuable remnant of antiquity) may perhaps
have served as the bishop’s throne, before the construction, in the
fourteenth century, of that now in use;--or it may have been the
bishop’s chair at the altar.
XXIV. A door at the eastern end of the south nave-aisle opens to the
_cloisters_, of which only two walks, the east and south, remain. The
west walk was pulled down in the reign of Edward VI. to make room for
the
[Illustration: THE CLOISTERS, WITH THE LADIES’ ARBOUR.
PLATE XII.
]
Grammar School, (taken down in 1836,) and a north walk never existed.
(Hereford Cathedral, it should be remembered, had no monastic
establishment attached to it; and this cloister, [Plate XII.] unlike
that at Gloucester, was little more than an ornamental walk, connected
with the Bishop’s Palace). The cloister is of Perpendicular date, with
window-openings which deserve notice. The south walk is more richly
groined than the east. At the south-east corner is a square turreted
tower, called the “Ladies’,” or “Ladye Arbour,” the original purpose of
which is not clear; nor has it been possible to trace the origin of the
name, which apparently has some reference to the Virgin.
Some good old iron-work on a door between the cloister and the
chapter-yard should be noticed. In the cloister are placed monuments
for--Dr. MATTHEWS, (with sculptured figures); Bishop HUNTINGFORD, (died
1832); and Bishop GREY, (died 1837).
Between the cloister and the Bishop’s Palace, a remarkable chapel, which
seems to have been early Norman, existed until it was pulled down by
Bishop EGERTON, (1724-1746). It had an upper and a lower story, in which
were altars dedicated respectively to St. Mary Magdalene and to St.
Catherine. One wall alone remains, and deserves notice.
From the east walk of the cloister a door opened to the vestibule of the
_chapter-house_. This was ruined by the Parliamentarian troops; and much
of its stone-work was used by Bishop BISSE, (died 1721,) and by his
successors until recently, for the repairs of the episcopal palace. The
foundations and fragments which remain shew that it was rich Decorated,
in shape a decagon, with a projecting buttress at each angle.
At the south-west angle of the lesser transept is an entrance to the
Vicars’ Cloister; (see § XXVII.)
XXV. The _exterior_ of the great _north transept_ should be especially
noticed. The remarkable windows shew to great advantage from the
outside, in connection with the massive buttresses, of which those at
the angles are turreted, with spiral cappings. The clerestory windows
are, as has already (§ XI.) been mentioned, triangular on the exterior,
and resemble those in the outer wall of the triforium in the nave of
Westminster. The upper window in the north wall opens from the Archive
Room, (§ XXIII.) The external sills of all these windows resemble those
of the interior, (§ XI.) They were walled up, but have been restored by
Mr. Scott from original portions found embedded in the walls, partly in
their places, and partly detached.
The date of the _central tower_, which rises above this transept, has
not been recorded, but it may safely be placed between 1300 and 1310. It
was probably undertaken immediately after the completion of the north
transept, and the cost of its erection, like that of the transept, was
no doubt defrayed from the sums which continued to be offered at the
shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe[42]. The tower (161 ft. high to the top
of the pinnacles) is of two stages above the roofs, with buttresses at
the angles. (The pinnacles which cap these buttresses are modern, and
date from 1830.) The arcades and window-openings, as well as the
buttresses, are covered with the ball-flower ornament, which is scarcely
anywhere found in such profusion as here, and in the south aisle of the
nave of Gloucester; (see that Cathedral).
The _Stanbery Chapel_ (§ XIV.) projects between the great and the
eastern transept. The graceful Decorated window of the choir aisle,
which rises above it, and the Early English arcades which cover the wall
of the choir between the clerestory windows, as well as the windows
themselves, (see § IX.,) should here be noticed.
XXVI. On the south side of the Lady-chapel a _porch_ opens to a
staircase leading to the _crypt_. The porch (which is finely recessed)
is, like the crypt, of the same date--Early English (see § XVIII.)--as
the Lady-chapel, under which it extends. The crypt extends under the
whole of the Lady-chapel; and is the solitary example in an English
cathedral of a crypt constructed after the end of the eleventh
century[43]. It is lighted by plain lancets, and consists of a nave and
aisles 50 ft. long, and divided by plain clustered shafts. The crypt was
repaired in 1497 by Andrew Jones, “Mercator hujus civitatis,” whose
altar-tomb,--covered with an incised slab of large dimensions and
elaborate decoration, representing the merchant and his wife--remains in
the centre. This crypt is called the “Golgotha”--from its having been
used as the charnel or _domus carnaria_--the place appropriated for the
decent reception of disinterred fragments of the bodies of the defunct,
and special services for the repose of their souls. Adjoining Worcester,
Norwich, and some other cathedrals, a chapel, separated from the
cathedral itself, was used for this purpose.
The _east end_ of the Lady-chapel was, it must be remembered, rebuilt by
Mr. Cottingham, (§ XVIII.) The gable above the five lancet windows is by
no means an exact reproduction of the original, and the work is not too
good. The Audley Chantry (§ XIX.) projects very picturesquely on the
south side of the Lady-chapel. The side pinnacles were reproduced by Mr.
Scott from old drawings; the finials are original, having been preserved
in the crypt.
The existing _west front_ of the cathedral is, as has already been said,
a composition of Wyatt’s, and is unworthy of notice. The total exterior
length of the church, including the buttresses, is 344 ft.
XXVII. On the south side of the Lady-chapel is the entrance to the
_College of Vicars Choral_, (incorporated in 1396,) a very picturesque
quadrangle, with an inner cloister. It is for the most part
Perpendicular, (_circa_ 1474). A long cloistral walk (109 ft.) leading
from the quadrangle of the college to the south-east transept of the
cathedral has the oaken beams of its roof very finely carved.
The _episcopal palace_ lies south between the cathedral and the river
Wye. It is almost entirely formed out of an ancient Norman hall with
pillars of timber, and is consequently of considerable interest. In the
Deanery is preserved a small reliquary, of Limoges work, dating from the
early part of the thirteenth century. On it is represented the martyrdom
of St. Thomas of Canterbury: on the lower part the murder, on the upper
part the entombment of the saint. It no doubt contained a relic of the
Archbishop. Similar reliquaries, with the same subjects, exist in the
possession of the Society of Antiquaries, and of Sir Philip Egerton.
HEREFORD CATHEDRAL.