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[Illustration: Peterborough Cathedral--West Front]
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A GUIDE TO PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL;
COMPRISING A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY
FROM ITS FOUNDATION TO THE PRESENT TIME,
WITH A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF ITS ARCHITECTURAL
PECULIARITIES AND RECENT IMPROVEMENTS;
COMPILED FROM THE WORKS OF GUNTON, BRITTON,
AND ORIGINAL & AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS.
BY GEORGE S. PHILLIPS.
[JANUARY SEARLE.]
A New Edition, Revised and Corrected.
PETERBOROUGH:
PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. CASTER, BOOKSELLER, MARKET PLACE.
1881.
PRINTED BY GEO. C. CASTER,
AT HIS PRINTING OFFICE, IN THE "KING'S LODGINGS,"
WITHIN THE MINSTER PRECINCTS, PETERBOROUGH.
1881.
A GUIDE TO PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL.
CHAPTER I.
_From the foundation of the monastery by Peada, A.D. 655, to its
destruction by fire in the reign of Henry the First;--embracing a
period of 461 years._
The history of our monastic establishments is but little regarded and
as little known. The obscurity in which all monastic institutions is
involved renders it difficult to give any certain and positive
information respecting the origin of the building to whose history
these pages are devoted; but it appears to have been founded at a very
early period--the churches of Canterbury, Rochester, London, Westminster,
York, and Winchester, being the only large sacred edifices that
preceded it. The date of the first building is stated to have been A.D.
655--fifty-eight years after the introduction of Christianity into
England by St. Augustine; and so large were the foundation stones, that
it required eight yoke of oxen to draw them. From this it may be
inferred that the structure was not, like many of the Anglo-Saxon
churches of this period--built entirely of wood; though it was probably
far inferior in size and style of architecture to the building which
succeeded it.
It was one of the kings of Mercia who laid the foundation of the
monastery of _Medeshamstede_[1] in 655; his name was Peada, the eldest
son of Penda, the fourth monarch of that kingdom. The facts are thus
related by the Saxon chronicler:--"From the beginning of the world had
now elapsed 5,850 winters, when Peada the son of Penda assumed the
government of the Mercians. In his time came together himself and
Osway, brother of King Oswald, and said they would rear a _minster_ to
the glory of Christ and honour of Saint Peter; and they did so, and
gave it the name of _Medeshamstede_, because there is a well there
called _Medeswell_. And they began the ground-wall and wrought thereon,
after which they committed the work to a monk, whose name was Saxulf.
Peada reigned no while, for he was betrayed by his own queen in
Eastertide, 658."
Wolfere was the youngest son of Penda, and when Peada died, King Osway
assumed the government of Mercia, and ruled very despotically for about
three years, when the nobles, incensed at his conduct, rebelled against
him, drove him from the kingdom, and chose Wolfere for their king. It
was in his reign that "_Medeshamstede_ waxed rich," for Wolfere not
only caused the monastery to be built, but he endowed it with a great
number of lands, and made it "not subject except to Rome alone;" and
the abbey, which was by this time completed, was dedicated with great
pomp and ceremony to "Christ and St. Peter," and hallowed in the name
of "Saint Peter and Saint Andrew."
Saxulf, who had superintended the building of the abbey, was the first
abbot whose name is mentioned in the monkish chronicles as its ruler.
He was remarkable for his learning, piety, and humility, and was
chiefly instrumental in bringing Christianity into the kingdom of
Mercia. Both Saxulf and Cuthbaldus who succeeded him were abbots of the
monastery during the rule of Wolfere, although there is little mention
made of either in the records which have been handed down to us.
Wolfere died in 683, and was succeeded by his brother Ethelred, who
contributed very largely to the monastery, and secured to it by his
interest extraordinary privileges. Those who could not afford to go to
Rome to offer up vows and get absolved from their sins were allowed
both indulgences at this monastery, and could likewise receive "the
apostolical benediction." Ethelred built a house for the abbot, which
is now the palace of the bishop, but, excepting for its antiquity, it
possesses no features of interest.
After a reign of thirty years, Ethelred exchanged the insignia of
royalty for the rough garments of a monk, and became abbot of Bardney,
in Lincolnshire, where he died, in the year, 716.
From the death of Cuthbaldus to the accession of Beonna in 775, there
is a blank in the history of the monastery. During his rule one or two
important concessions were made to the monks by King Offa.
The name of the next abbot was Celredus, but of him nothing particular
is recorded. He was succeeded by Hedda, in 833, during whose abbacy the
first destruction of the monastery by the Danes occurred, which founded
an important era in the history of this institution. A band of savage
Danes, headed by Earl Hubba, invaded the territory of the Mercians, and
after committing numerous depredations in the country, they plundered
the monastery of Croyland, and proceeded to attack _Medeshamstede_.
The monks of this abbey had, however, gained intelligence of their
intentions, and having closed the gates, resolved to act on the
defensive. Hubba and his desperadoes soon surrounded them, and demanded
that the gates should be opened; and when he was told that he should
not enter, he commenced to batter the walls. In the course of the
attack, one of the monks hurled a great stone from the top of the
building upon the besiegers, and Tulba, the brother of Hubba, was
killed by it. This so incensed the earl, that he vowed to put every
monk to death by his own hand; and having forced the gates, proceeded
to put his horrible threat into execution,--robbed the monastery of
everything that was valuable, and then set it on fire. It burned
fifteen days. All the portable valuables were then packed on waggons
and taken away. The plunder, however, is said to have been lost,
"either in the Nen or in the neighbouring marshes."[2] This was in 870.
In a short time a few monks who escaped at Croyland re-assembled at
their abbey there, and after electing Godric their abbot, proceeded to
_Medeshamstede_, and buried the monks of that monastery who had been
murdered by the Danish invaders in one vast tomb. Godric likewise had
their effigies cut out in stone (a representation of which is here
shown, the original being in the Lady Chapel),[3] and, to honour their
memory, he went every year to weep over the grave in which he had laid
his brethren.
From this time until the reign of Alfred the Great [872] the monastery
of _Medeshamstede_ was frequently invaded, and the lands which
belonged to it were seized by the conquerors. It was left for the
wisdom and courage of Alfred to restore that tranquility to England
which it had so long lost, and to give protection and security to his
subjects. The Danes who had committed so many depredations before his
accession to the throne were now beaten back and finally checked by the
powerful fleet which he built to protect the kingdom from invasion.
King Edgar, who succeeded Alfred, followed his example in this respect,
and kept up the strength of the fleet. By this means increased security
was given to England, and the people, comparatively happy in their
internal government, and freed from the fear of foreign interruption,
began to improve their public buildings and religious houses.
It was in 966 that the monastery of _Medeshamstede_ was rebuilt after
the old model, at the instigation of Athelwold, who was at that time
Bishop of Winchester. King Edgar assisted in the re-construction of the
monastery; and so important did he consider religion to be in the
amelioration of the morals of his subjects, that he is said to have
rebuilt upwards of forty religious establishments during his reign.
[Illustration: Ancient Monumental Stone in the Cathedral.]
After the abbey of _Medeshamstede_ was finished in 972, he ratified all
the former charters which it possessed, and gave it the name of Burgh.
The first abbot of the monastery, after its destruction, was called
Adulphus, formerly the king's chancellor; but having accidentally been
the cause of the death of his only son, he could no longer live happily
in the world, and he therefore endowed the abbey with all his wealth,
and was elected its first abbot.
The monastery of _Burgh_ was now in a more prosperous and wealthy
condition than ever; all the neighbouring country was subject to it,
and its possessions were so immense that its name was changed to
_Gildenburg_. Adulphus, wishing to increase the value of the estates of
the monastery and to encourage agriculture, had all the surrounding
forests cut down and the lands cultivated. He was afterwards made
Archbishop of York, [992,] and the eloquent Kenulfus succeeded him in
the reign of Ethelred. Kenulfus built a high wall round the monastery,
part of which is still in existence. He was translated to the see of
Winchester, in 1006, and was so celebrated for his virtue and learning,
that he gave a character to the monastery, and the monks were for a
long time afterwards considered the most enlightened and intelligent
men in the island.
Elsinus was the next abbot of whom we read in connection with the
monastery, and was remarkable for the number of relics which he had
collected. Gunton tells us that the arm of St. Oswald[4] was the most
famous, and Walter de Whittlesea informs us that King Stephen came to
_Peterburgh_ to witness the miracles which it is said to have
performed. During the abbacy of Elsinus, England was invaded by the
Danes under King Sweyn, in revenge of a massacre of his subjects by the
order of King Ethelred. They landed in the north, and, having gained
some advantages, proceeded southward to the fen country, which they
plundered and laid waste with fire and sword. Heavy fines were extorted
from the rich abbeys; that on Crowland amounting to £64,000 of the
present value of money. Elsinus died in 1055.
Arwinus was then elected abbot, but he resigned in 1067 to Leofric. He
was nephew to Earl Leofric, of Mercia, whose Countess, according to the
chroniclers, redeemed Coventry from toll by riding naked through the
streets of that town.
During the third year of this abbot, William the Conqueror invaded
England, and we are told that Leofric fought for some time in the
English army, but in consequence of ill health, was obliged "to return
to his monastery, where he died on the third of the kalends of
November, A.D. 1066." Braddo (or Brand) was the next successive abbot,
but died after a rule of three years.
Thorold of Fescamp, who for some service rendered to the conqueror, had
been appointed to an abbacy near Salisbury, was considered by William,
on account of his soldier-like qualities, to be a fit person to
transfer to the rebellious and disorderly neighbourhood of the Camp of
Refuge, and he was accordingly appointed Abbot of Peterborough, in
1069.
Between the death of Braddo and the arrival of his successor, the
second destruction of the monastery took place. A band of Danish
soldiers, headed by Hereward de Wake, nephew of Braddo, attacked the
monastery, and all the valuable treasures which it possessed were
either taken away or destroyed. They then set fire to the building. The
following is Gunton's account of the treasures which they captured;
and, as it puts us in possession of much curious information concerning
those times, we will give the extract entire:--"They took the golden
crown from the head of the crucifix, the cross with the precious
stones, and the footstool under; _duo aurea feretra_ (two golden or
gilded biers whereon they carried the saints' reliques, and other such
like things, in procession), and nine silver ones; and twelve crosses,
some of gold and some of silver. And, besides all this, they went up to
the tower and took away the great table which the monks had hidden
there, which was all of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and wont
to be before the altar, with abundance of books, and other precious
things, which were valuable, there being not the like in all England."
The monks were disconsolate at the loss of these valuable treasures,
and the abbot solicited William the King to interfere for them, in
order that they might be returned. It appears, however, that the
conqueror did not pay much attention to their request; and it is
probable that, as he had just after this depredation concluded a treaty
of peace with the Danish sovereign, he was unwilling to do anything
that should cause a breach of peace between them, especially as they
were such troublesome and dangerous enemies. The greater part of the
treasure was by some means once more restored to the monks,[5] and,
according to the Saxon chronicler, they commenced from this time to
build ramparts for their own protection, and for the security of the
monastery. Tout Hill[6] in the vineyard field was raised at this time,
and there is said to have been a subterraneous passage which ran thence
to Croyland and Thorney. This hill was originally called Mount Thorold.
After the arrival of Thorold at Peterborough, being accompanied by 160
well-armed Frenchmen, he proceeded to turn his attention to the Camp of
Refuge, situated near Ely; and, joining Ives of Taillebois in an
assault upon it, was repulsed by Hereward de Wake, and taken prisoner,
with many of the monks; nor was he liberated, according to Dean
Patrick, until he had paid three thousand marks. After his liberation,
he returned to the monastery, and made himself more odious to the monks
than before. He was depraved and dissolute, and, to satisfy his
licentious desires, he is said to have made free with the treasury. He
introduced two monks likewise into the monastery, who were foreigners,
and quite as unscrupulous as himself, in purloining the wealth of the
abbey. He was afterwards made a bishop in France, but owing to his
utter recklessness of conduct and morality, he was sent back to England
four days after: was again admitted abbot of the monastery of
_Peterburgh_, where he died in 1098, after an odious government of
twenty-eight years.
During the reign of Henry I., the son of the Conqueror, Ernulphus
became Abbot of _Peterburgh_. This event took place in the year 1107,
and he made several important improvements in the monastery; built a
new dormitory and refectory, and completed the chapter-house, which
had been left in an unfinished state for several years. He likewise
enriched the convent by making an arrangement with all who held in rent
the abbey lands to pay tithes to him, and, when they died, that they
should give the third part of their estates to be buried in the church.
Thus it was that the monastery continued to grow in wealth, and when
Ernulphus was made Bishop of Rochester, which happened in 1114, the
abbey was entitled to a tithe of 40,800 acres of land.
During the rule of his successor, John de Sais, the monastery was
burned down. The fire is said to have occurred accidentally, and such
was the violence of the flames, that they reached the village and
consumed most of the cottagers' houses. The additions which Ernulphus
had made to the abbey, however, are said to have escaped the general
ruin.
[1] The most probable etymology of this word is that which is
given by Britton in his History of Peterborough Cathedral,
viz.--"_Mede_ or _Mead_, a meadow; _ham_, a sheltered habitation;
and _sted, stead_, or _stad_, a bank, station, or place of rest."
[2] In cleaning out the river, a little below the bridge, in
June, 1820, a dagger was found, which is supposed to have
belonged to these Danes. It is in the possession of the present
Bishop.
[3] At a meeting of the Archæological Society at Peterborough, in
1861, Mr. Bloxam read a paper in which he denied the authenticity
of this monument, which had previously been regarded as one of
the oldest monumental stones extant. Mr. Bloxam regards it as a
Norman, and not a Saxon work, and some centuries later in date
than the massacre of the monks. He considers that the figures are
not martyred monks with their abbot, but Christ and his eleven
disciples. It has been further conjectured by Canon Westcott
that it is part of the shrine erected over the relics of St.
Kyneburgha, which were removed from Castor to Peterborough during
the Abbacy of Elsinus, A.D. 1005-1055. A fragment of sculpture in
the same style is built into the west wall of the South Transept.
[4] A Saxon King of Northumbria and the second Christian monarch
of that province. An interesting account of this prince, and of
the extraordinary miracles said to have been performed by his
remains after death, will be found in a larger edition of the
Guide to the Cathedral, by Thos. Craddock, Esq. Price 2.6 & 15.
[5] Britton says, on the authority of Gunton, that they sent the
secretary of the monastery over to Denmark, on purpose to obtain
it. It is, however, more probable that Hereward, knowing the
disposition of the Norman abbot would lead him to enrich himself
at the expense of the monastery, took this means of removing
temptation out of the way of Thorold, and subsequently restored
the treasure to the monastery, when there was no longer any
danger of its being appropriated by the abbot.
[6] Toot is an old Saxon word, signifying to stand out, or be
prominent.