THE INTERIOR
The very first glimpse of the nave, as one enters by the west door,
reveals the superb proportions of the interior. In spite of all
statistics of its size, the outward appearance of the building hardly
impresses the spectator with the fact that Winchester is the largest
cathedral in Northern Europe, and it is not until one is within the
walls that the great length of the cathedral begins to become real and
its majesty is properly appreciated. The total span, from end to end, of
556 feet, compared with the 537 feet of Ely, the 525 of York, the 524 of
Lincoln, and the 516 of Canterbury, would not alone produce the effect
of almost infinite vastness, and is certainly not realised either in a
distant prospect from the hills or in a nearer view from the cathedral
precincts. But when once the nave is entered, owing partly to the open
and comparatively low choir-screen, the magnificent vault of nearly 400
feet may easily be understood to have few rivals in the world. Certainly
neither of the two buildings in England which are practically equal in
size to Winchester Cathedral give the peculiarly overwhelming sense of
length produced here. The old epithet of "Royal" may be said to apply as
fitly to the cathedral as to the town, and it certainly is a worthy
shelter for the bones of half-forgotten dynasties, and as fine a
monument of an earlier England as Westminster is of later periods in the
development of the country.
Of course, as in all English cathedrals, a lack of colour and a sense of
coldness and emptiness modifies any unqualified admiration which one
might at first feel. But Winchester could well afford to admit far more
than the most captious critic could utter against it, and yet claim to
be the most stately nave that England can show. Despite the late
recasting, the proportions are Norman, and the very core of the pillars
is still the original Norman stonework. Notwithstanding the changes
wrought by Edingdon and Wykeham, all the more petty detail of the
Decorated period is lavished on a colossal structure planned with the
simple magnificence of those that "builded better than they knew."
Perhaps it is not quite fair to the later architects to attribute all
the excellence of the work to the earlier builders, for the graceful
columns of the nave's eleven bays which rise unbroken to where the
roof-groining springs from their capitals are made by Wykeham to fulfil
a new duty which entirely alters their whole aspect. The general effect
has been said to be as if a Norman architect had expressed himself in
the more refined idiom of the early fifteenth century. Yet the work of
Edingdon and Wykeham was ruthless in its way. The original Norman nave
of Walkelin consisted of the normal three storeys, of equal height in
this case--the main arches, triforium, and clerestory. At the present
day the main arches are fully half as high again as they were in the
Norman cathedral, while the base of the clerestory has been brought down
to meet them, so that the triforium appears to have vanished or rather
to exist merely as a balcony over each arch. As a matter of fact,
however, it was the old clerestory which was entirely removed and
replaced by the present upper storey. On p. 35 we see on the one hand
typical Norman work, of the character still existing at Romsey Abbey and
Christchurch Priory--to mention only the two large churches nearest to
Winchester. During the conversion of the nave the bases and capitals of
the grouped shafts of the main arches were removed, together with all
the masonry above them. This is not mere conjecture, for the Norman
shafts and capitals which still remain on the north side of the nave, in
the second bay from the crossing, where they were covered by the ancient
rood-screen, show that the pier-arches of the nave sprang from the same
height as those of the transepts; the Norman main arch of the triforium
still exists in every compartment over the vault of the side aisles to
prove that the triforium of the nave was practically on the same level
as that of the transepts, and the tops of the Norman shafts yet
remaining above the nave-vaulting are additional evidence that the nave
was to all intents and purposes uniform with the transepts in its
general arrangement. In the south aisle, moreover, there is to be seen
the lower extremity of a Norman shaft, once covered by some votive altar
or shrine which was removed during the destructive period of the
Reformation. "It may be readily noted," says the writer of a recent
article on Winchester Cathedral, "how the new ashlar was brought down to
the level of this vanished altar, and how Wykeham's vaulting-shaft has
been made to end in foliation where it once rose in receipt of prayers
and wax-candles vowed in return for mercies vouchsafed." In the seven
westerly piers of the south aisle, the Norman stonework has merely
received new mouldings; while flat Norman buttresses can be seen outside
between the clerestory windows, also on the south side.
[Illustration: ELEVATION OF TWO BAYS OF THE NAVE,
SHOWING ITS TRANSFORMATION.
From Willis's "Architectural History of Winchester Cathedral," 1846.]
On the division into two, in place of the usual three, storeys, it may,
perhaps, be of interest to quote some remarks of Willis in the
"Proceedings of the Archæological Institute." "The compartment of
Wykeham's nave," he says, "is divided into two parts vertically instead
of three; for although it has a triforium gallery, yet this is so
completely subordinated to the clerestory window that it cannot be held
as a separate division of the composition, as in the Norman work where
the triforium compartment is of all importance and similar in decoration
to the other two, although not exactly like them. In Wykeham's work, on
the contrary, we find above the lofty pier-arch what at first sight
appears to be a clerestory window divided at mid-height by a transom,
and recessed under a deeply-pointed archway. But it is above the transom
only that the real window is formed by glazing the spaces between the
monials. Below the transom these spaces are filled with panels, and two
narrow openings cut through the latter give access from the roof to a
kind of balcony which projects over the pier-arches. In each compartment
this balcony exists, but there is no free passage from one to the other.
This mode of uniting the triforium and clerestory by the employment of a
transom dividing the stone panels of the former from the glazed lights
of the latter is common enough at the period of Wykeham's work and
before it, but the balcony is unusual."
It is needless to add any further explanation, since the diagram fully
explains both the present state of the nave and the manner in which the
transformation from the original Norman design was brought about; but it
may be worth while to quote an architect's verdict on the general effect
of Wykeham's work in the nave. "If we cannot admire all the details,"
says this writer, "we can but bear tribute to the conception of the
whole. Its lofty arcades give no space for triforium, and the proportion
between the clerestory and the arcade is somewhat unsatisfactory. If we
except the vaulted roof, and the chantry of the great Wykeham himself,
and his predecessor Edingdon, this portion of the church may, with
reason, be considered simple in its character, and bears distinct
evidence of having been grafted on earlier work. The Norman columns
still remain in one or two places towards the east end of the nave
arcade, but with the exception of these and of the Norman masonry
existing in the piers on the south, and perhaps portions of the aisle
walls, all is transformed to Perpendicular detail" (_The Builder_,
October 1892).
[Illustration: THE NAVE, LOOKING EAST. _S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
Altogether there are, between the western doors and the piers supporting
the tower, twelve arches on each side, one of each series being included
in the choir. Hooks and brackets may be seen in the face of the piers at
about three-quarters of their height; these were formerly used for the
suspension of arras on occasions of great festivity.
It has been practically established that the sculpture at least of the
nave and its vault was not finished for nearly half-a-century after
Wykeham's death. We find Cardinal Beaufort's arms and bust, and his
device, a white hart chained, as well as Waynflete's lily, intermingled
with the arms and bust of Wykeham. Under the triforium gallery is a
cornice, in each compartment of which are to be found seven large
sculptured bosses, representing a cardinal's hat, a lily, roses, etc. Of
the compartments of the clerestory in the nave we have said that they
have the appearance of a very fine Perpendicular window. All, however,
except the upper part of the centre of these seeming windows is really
panel-work. The old Norman main arch of the triforium may be seen behind
this panelling, under the present clerestory windows.
Until recently the mass above pressed very heavily on the nave-vaulting,
but during the last and preceding years (1896-7) the strain has been
relieved by the insertion of new supplementary timbers above the
original Hempage Forest beams, which can still be seen by those who
wish. The cost of this work of repairing the roof and vault has been
about £9000, and so far has not at all exceeded the original estimate.
In August 1897 a large amount still remained to be subscribed. As seen
from below each division of the vault is "bounded by two
vaulting-shafts, which rise to the level of the clerestory window-sill
and send out from above the capital nine diverging ribs to the
ridge-rib, by which the whole vault is divided into a series of bisected
and interlacing lozenges, as the basis for all the groining" (Woodward).
[Illustration: WEST WINDOW, FROM NAVE. _Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
The general effect of the nave can be gathered from the illustrations,
which bring out well the appearance of height which is bound to impress
the spectator standing near the central western door. In the nave aisles
also a fine view may be obtained, the comparative narrowness
counteracting the lessened height. As one looks down the church towards
the west, it will be noticed that the western interior wall is
practically entirely filled by the great window, for not only does this
stretch across the whole width, but the mullions also are carried right
down to the floor-level, a double series of panels occupying the space
below the sill of the window. The glass in the window proper is, for the
most part, very old, and, as is pointed out elsewhere (see p. 94), is
arranged in patterns after the fashion of a kaleidoscope. This arises
from the fact that the fragments of which it is composed are entirely
disjointed, and probably incapable of being pieced together.
The monuments and objects of interest in the nave are numerous, but
chief perhaps are, on the north side, the Minstrels' Gallery, the old
grill-work, and the font; and, on the south side, the chantries of
Bishops Wykeham and Edingdon. But, first of all, though not on account
of pre-eminent merit, should be mentioned the bronze statues of James I.
and Charles I. to the north and south of the main west door, against the
interior wall. They were executed by Le Sueur, the artist who executed
the fine equestrian figure of Charles I. at Charing Cross. A note on the
sculptor's payment for these bronzes may be seen in the "Record of
Exchequer," from which it appears that he received £340 for the two,
with a further £40 for "carrying and erecting them" at Winchester.
In the north-west corner stands the #Minstrels' Gallery# or #Tribune#,
the work of Edingdon. It is supported by two flattened arches springing
from the pier shafts, and is panelled on its face and spandrels The
panelling is decorated with flowered cusps, and the central bosses bear
the arms of Wykeham. This gallery appears to have been intended for use
on State occasions; now, however, it is merely used as a room in which
the episcopal registers may be stored. In height it extends half-way up
the neighbouring piers.
[Illustration: IRON GRILL-WORK FROM S. SWITHUN'S SHRINE.
_From Mr Starkie Gardiner's "Iron-work" Vol I., by permission of the
Science and Art Department, South Kensington._]
Near this, at the western end of the north aisle, is a door made up of
four pieces of iron #Grill-work#, which originally stood at the top of
the steps leading up from the south transepts to the retro-choir. The
place where it used to be is still pointed out, and indeed marks are
visible in the piers to which it was secured. A paper read to the
Society of Arts by Mr J. Starkie Gardiner, describes the door as being,
from its style, "the oldest piece of grill-work in England. The design
is composed of sprays formed of two rolls of scrolls, welded to a
central stem, like a much-curled ostrich feather, with lesser scrolls in
the interstices and the major scrolls, each terminating in an open-work
trefoil, or quinquefoil. The large scrolls are 5½ in. in diameter and
rather stout, the grill possessing great resisting powers, though it
would not be hard to climb.... There is, unfortunately, no means of
fixing the date, since no other grill resembles it; but, from the
position indicated in the cathedral, it may well have been made as long
ago as the eleventh or twelfth century." It was originally intended to
keep the miscellaneous crowd of pilgrims to the shrine of S. Swithun
from penetrating farther into the church by way of the south transept.
They were obliged to enter and depart by the Norman doorway in the north
transept.
It will not be necessary to record all the monuments and the brasses
which so abundantly cover the walls, but those of the greatest interest
will be alluded to. In the fifth bay of the north aisle are two
memorials of very different dates, those of the "Two Brothers of
Avington" (1662), and of the novelist, Jane Austen, the youngest
daughter of the rector of Steventon in Hampshire. Her monumental brass
is affixed to the wall below the other, which records how the two
brothers were "both of Oxford, both of the Temple, both Officers to
Queen Elizabeth and our noble King James. Both Justices of the Peace,
both agree in arms, the one a Knight, the other a Captain."
In the next bay, opposite the Norman Font, is an inscription relating to
Mrs Montagu, the founder of the "Blue Stocking" Club. It is to this
effect:--"Here lies the body of Elizabeth Montagu, daughter of Matthew
Robinson, Esq., of West Layton, in the County of York, who, possessing
the united advantages of beauty, wit, judgment, reputation, and riches,
and employing her talents most uniformly for the benefit of mankind,
might be justly deemed an ornament to her sex and country. She died on
the 25th August, 1800, aged 81."
The #Norman Font#, which Milner called _crux antiquariorum_, is situated
on the north side of the nave between the fifth and sixth pillars from
the west front. It is one of a group of seven found in England; of which
four are in Hampshire, at East Meon, S. Michael's (Southampton), S. Mary
Bourne, and Winchester; two in Lincolnshire, in the cathedral and at
Thornton Curtis; and one at S. Peter's, Ipswich. Of four similar fonts
on the Continent, that at Zedelghem, near Bruges, is most like the
Winchester example, and also illustrates the same legend. The material
of which these fonts are made is a bluish-black calcareous marble, such
as is still worked at Tournai in Hainault. The font before us is a
nearly square block of marble supported on a solid central column
ornamented with horizontal mouldings, with four disengaged pillars of
lesser diameter, with "cable" mouldings, at each corner. The spandrels
of the top are decorated with carved symbolic subjects, leaves and
flowers on two sides, and on the other two doves drinking from vases out
of which issue crosses, typifying baptism, it is said. It is rather
curious that the artist has disregarded the usual symmetry, and filled
his spaces without reference to the corresponding ones. On the north and
east faces of the font are three circular medallions with symbolic doves
and salamanders. On the south and west are scenes from the life of S.
Nicholas of Myra, as was fully demonstrated by Milner; the north side
showing the saint dowering the three daughters of a poor nobleman, while
on the west he restores to life a drowned person, probably the king's
son in one of the stories of his life, and rescues from death by the axe
three young men who are about to be slain either by the executioner or
by a wicked innkeeper, for there are two versions. Some authorities
would find four scenes represented on the west side; but on what grounds
it is difficult to see. There only appear to be two figures of the
saint, and the two scenes are divided by what looks like a short
vertical bar indicating a difference of subject (see p. 117). The cult
of S. Nicholas of Myra grew rapidly in the twelfth century, being
popularised by the crusaders. In this century it is known that the
carved work at Tournai, whence it is probable that the black marble
came, was remarkable for its symbolism. The font has been thought to be
older, on account of its archaic figures, but, as the Dean of Winchester
pointed out in a paper read before the Archæological Association in
1893 (to which we are indebted for much of this account), the mitre
which S. Nicholas is represented as wearing was not recognised as part
of a bishop's official dress until the very end of the eleventh century;
in fact, the particular form of mitre depicted appears to have been late
twelfth century. The conclusion naturally arrived at is that the font is
of Belgian origin, carved at Tournai between 1150-1200, and its presence
at Winchester may well be due either to Henry of Blois or to Toclive.
[Illustration: THE NORMAN FONT--SOUTH AND WEST SIDES.
_Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
On the north side of the steps leading up to the choir is a brass tablet
on a pillar, recording the merits of the "renowned martialist," Colonel
Richard Boles, who fought on the king's side at Edgehill, and died
bravely in a small action at Alton, Southampton, in 1641, his party of
sixty being surprised by a large force of the rebels. "His gracious
sovereign hearing of his Death gave him high Commendation, in that
passionate expression,--Bring me a Moorning scarf, I have lost one of
the best Commanders in the Kingdome." Between the ninth and tenth
pillars on this side is the tomb of Bishop Morley, with an epitaph
written by himself at eighty years of age. By the next pillar is the
monument of Bishop Hoadley, with a good medallion-portrait of him on it.
On the south side of the nave we find two remarkable tombs, of which the
first is the #Chantry of William of Wykeham#, called by Timbs "one of
the best remaining specimens of a fourteenth century monument." It
stands, where Wykeham erected it, "in that part of the cross (formed by
the church) which corresponds to the Saviour's pierced side," and
occupies the space between the piers which enclose the fifth bay from
the west end. The site is said to have been previously occupied by an
altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Wykeham's patroness. He left
directions, moreover, that three monks should celebrate masses thrice
daily in his chantry, receiving for this one penny a day, while the boys
who were to sing there nightly were assigned 6s. 8d. a year. Needless to
say, his wishes are not now carried out. The stone-screen which
surrounds the chantry is of beautiful and elaborate workmanship, the
effect of which has been compared to lace, while above graceful shafts
support a canopy, of which the pinnacles rise to the level of the
triforium gallery. At the east end are traces of an altar and credence
table, and close by is a piscina. Above are two rows of canopied niches,
which, however they were originally occupied, have for long been
untenanted until quite recently. During the early part of 1897 the
pedestals have been filled with ten statue of modern workmanship.[2] A
row of five empty niches runs along the western wall. The vault of the
chantry is richly groined with lierne work; it is tinted a vivid blue on
the back-ground, and the bosses on the groins are gilt. The ironwork in
this chantry is also noticeable. The tomb within has fortunately
suffered but little from time, and, thanks to the courage of one of the
pupils in Wykeham's foundation at Winchester, Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes,
the Parliamentarians left both this monument and the college buildings
untouched. On the tomb itself lies the figure of Wykeham with his hands
folded across his breast, habited in Episcopal robes and mitre, his
crozier on his shoulder. Three small figures of monks praying kneel at
his feet, while his head is slightly raised up by supporting angels. A
little arcade runs all round the tomb, with a series of shields in the
spaces, containing his arms and motto "Manners Makyth Man" and the arms
of the see of Winchester. His epitaph, on a slip of red enamelled brass
in a chamfer round the edge of the tomb, has been thus translated:--
Here, overthrown by death, lies William, surnamed Wykeham.
He was Bishop of this Church, which he repaired.
He was unbounded in hospitality, as the rich and poor alike can prove.
He was also an able politician, and a counsellor of the State.
By the colleges which he founded his piety is made known;
The first of which is at Oxford and the second at Winchester.
You, who behold this tomb, cease not to pray
That, for such great merits, he may enjoy everlasting life.
[2] "One method of commemorating the Quincentenary of Winchester
College (1893) was the insertion of statues into the niches of
the Founder's Chantry in the Cathedral. The work was done by Mr
Frampton, A.R.A., under the direction of Mr Micklethwaite. The
subjects are the Virgin and Child, with Angels; William of
Wykeham, presenting a scholar of Winchester; and a Warden of New
College, presenting a scholar of that college (the artist worked
with a photograph of the present Warden before him); the Pastor
Bonus with SS. James and John; SS. Peter and Paul. The altar and
fittings were presented by Colonel Shaw Hellier; the cross being
inscribed with the chronogram;--nVnC gLorIa In eXCeLsIs Deo et In
terra paX hoMInIbVS bonae VoLVntatIs" (_The Church Times_, Aug.
20, 1897).
[Illustration: WILLIAM OF WYKEHAM'S CHANTRY.
From Britton's "Winchester."]
As one proceeds along the nave toward the east, the choir is reached by
two flights of four steps each with a landing between, over which
formerly there extended a rood-loft from pillar to pillar, bearing on it
Stigand's great cross. To the south of these choir steps and adjoining
the intermediate landing is the #Chantry of Bishop Edingdon#, the
earliest in date of the chapel-tombs at Winchester. The chantry is very
plain in comparison with the others in the cathedral, and apart from the
tomb there is only a slightly raised platform at the east end, without
an altar. A shaft of the large pillars runs down the centre of the east
and west interior walls. On the tomb lies the figure of the Bishop _in
pontificalibus_, his stole bearing the symbolic and much-disputed
"Fylfot" cross, which has been interpreted as a sign of submission.
Edingdon's curious Latin epitaph, given on page 107, is on a blue
enamelled strip of brass on the edge of the tomb.
Close to Edingdon's chantry is the #Nave Pulpit#, which is in itself a
good piece of Jacobean work, though not happily situated in the nave of
Winchester. It stood formerly in the chapel at New College, Oxford, and
did not appear at Winchester until 1884, when it was presented by
members of the Mayo family. If one stands facing east in the aisle to
the right of this pulpit, one of the most picturesque views in the
cathedral lies before one, through part of the south transept and up the
southern ambulatory of the retro-choir to the bright colours of
Langton's chapel window at the end. It will readily be noticed how out
of the perpendicular are the piers of this ambulatory as one approaches
the east end of the church. This seems to have arisen through a slight
subsidence of the ground here.
The original rood-screen exists no longer, and in its place we have but
a modern copy, by Sir Gilbert Scott, of the work in the Decorated choir
stall canopies. This oak #Choir Screen#, which is all that breaks the
view between west porch and reredos, has not met with much approval, and
the pallor of its wood does not contrast agreeably with the rich colour
of the old choir stalls. This, however, cannot with justice be made a
ground for complaint against the architect, who modelled his work as far
as possible on the original.
As one enters the #Choir#, which is raised above the level of the nave
by the two sets of four steps, the stalls above-mentioned will be found
to reach on either side from the eastern piers of the central tower to
the first piers of the nave. They are of carved oak and are possibly the
best existing examples of their date in England. The style is Early
Decorated, and Willis points out the similarity between their canopies
and gables and those of Edward Crouchback's chapel in Westminster Abbey.
The details are varied and graceful, with the design of each pair
coupled under a pointed arch with a cinquefoil in its head, which is
again surmounted by a high crocketted gable. The oak has turned a superb
hue with age, very different from the colour of the modern screen which
is banked by the reveals of the old bishop's throne. The _misereres_
below are much earlier in date than the canopies, but do not go quite so
far back as those at Exeter, which may be assigned to about 1230. The
desks and stools of the upper tier show the date 1540 and bear also the
initials of Henry VIII., Bishop Gardiner, and Dean Kingsmill. The pulpit
on the north side of the choir was given by Prior Silkstede, whose name
it bears, and is also of finely carved work. Above the choir stalls on
the northern side is the organ, which was repaired this year.
[Illustration: THE CHOIR, LOOKING EAST. _H.W. Salmon, Photo._]
Toward the east end of the choir stalls, in the centre of the pavement,
lies the much-disputed #Tomb of William Rufus#. It is a plain coped
tomb, constructed of Purbeck marble. Since it was known that William was
buried originally beneath the tower, this tomb was assumed to be his,
and in Cromwell's time it was violated, when, as Milner relates, there
was found therein, "besides the dust, some pieces of cloth embroidered
with gold, a large gold ring, and a small silver chalice." The very fact
of these discoveries, however, tend to prove that the grave was not that
of Rufus. It is now frequently held that it is that of Henry of Blois,
who is known to have been buried "with much honour before the high
altar"; Rudborne records that he was _sepultus in ecclesia sua coram
summo altari_. Yet others suppose that he still lies in the space
_before_ the altar. The ring found in Cromwell's time, set with a
sapphire which denotes a bishop, may be seen in the cathedral library.
When the contents of the tomb were last examined, on August 27, 1868,
the remains, though much disturbed by the previous violation, indicated
a man of about 5 feet 8 inches, and fragments of red cloth with gold
embroidery were to be seen. It was also gathered that the body had been
wrapped in lead, as Henry of Blois was said to have been.
The vaulting of the presbytery, which is of timber carved to imitate
stone, is remarkable for its very fine and brilliantly coloured bosses,
forming a quite unique collection of designs. Milner mentions as the
chief among these, "the arms and badges of the families of Lancaster and
Tudor, the arms of Castile, of Cardinal Beaufort, and even of the very
sees held successively by Bishop Fox. The part of the vaulting from the
altar to the east window bears none but pious ornaments: the several
instruments of the Saviour's Passion, including S. Peter's denial, and
the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, the faces of Pilate and his
wife, of the Jewish high priest, Judas kissing Jesus, Judas' money-bag,
the Veronica"--this is immediately above the place of the cross on the
reredos--"the Saviour's coat, with the Cross, crown of thorns, nails,
hammer, pillar, scourges, reed, sponge, lance, sword with the ear of
Malchus upon it, lanthorn, ladder, cock, dice, etc." Under the tower the
vaulting is of wood, dating from 1634. Before this year the
choir-lantern was visible from below, with its striking late Norman
stonework divided into two tiers. It has been proposed to re-open the
lantern, but this would necessitate the removal of the bells from the
tower, a matter of considerable expense. It would also be a pity to take
down the vaulting with its various devices, including the arms, etc., of
Charles I., his queen, and the Prince of Wales, a medallion of the two
former, the Scotch and Irish arms, and those of Archbishop Laud, Bishop
Curie, and Dean Young. The central emblem is that of the Trinity, with a
"chronogram" indicating the year 1634 thus:--sInt DoMUs hUjUs pII reges
nUtrItII regInae nUtrICes pIae. The larger letters, picked out in red,
serve as Roman figures which added together make up the required number.
[Illustration: THE CHOIR STALLS. _Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
From the commencement of the choir to the high altar are eleven steps,
making nineteen in all from the level of the nave. This elevation, of
course, much enhances the imposing effect of the altar and reredos as
seen from the lower plane. It is due to the existence of the Norman
crypt beneath, and can be paralleled both at Canterbury and at
Rochester. The raised platform includes the presbytery with its aisles
and the retro-choir, and extends under the central tower to the second
pillar beyond. The nave and transepts are thus on a lower level. Before
the altar are rails which date from the reign of Charles I., while the
Altar Books were presented to the cathedral by Charles II.
The great #Reredos#, which separates the presbytery from the feretory
and the eastern end of the church, is, to judge from its style, late
fifteenth-century work. It has been attributed to Cardinal Beaufort, and
to Bishop Fox and Prior Silkstede, but no inscription or armorial
details can be discovered to confirm either of these suppositions. It is
similar in character to the altar-screens of Christchurch Priory, Hants,
and S. Mary Overy (S. Saviour's, Southwark); but, less fortunate than
the former, it was despoiled of all the statues which once filled its
niches, while it has not "the exquisite grace of detail which marks the
choir of angels at Southwark." The reredos at S. Albans, in the same
style, though not so large, was erected between 1476 and 1484; and, as
at Winchester before 1899, shows a cross-shaped space where, according
to legend, a huge silver crucifix was placed. Now once more, as in the
sixteenth century, there is a figure on the great cross. It is curious
to note an attempt, during the rage for pseudo-classic architecture in
the last century, to beautify the reredos by placing sham funeral urns
in its niches. These were fortunately removed in 1820, and in recent
years they have been replaced by a series of statues intended to
reproduce as far as possible the original effect. In the _Builder_ for
October 10, 1892, a large reproduction was given of a very interesting
drawing by the late Mr J.W. Sedding, showing the whole screen completely
restored; but this scheme was unfortunately not used. A large
oil-painting, "The Raising of Lazarus," by Benjamin West, purchased in
1782 by Dean Ogle, till 1899 hung immediately over the altar. Before
1818 a huge wooden canopy in Jacobean style, freely enriched with gold,
covered all the central portion of the screen. This was due to Bishop
Curie.
The reredos is so large that it occupies the whole of the space between
the choir piers, and, being constructed of a very white stone, is the
prominent feature of the choir. The work is very elaborate, the whole
screen being arranged in three tiers with canopied niches containing
eighteen large statues, while smaller figures--kings, saints, angels,
etc.--occupy the splays between. The pinnacles are pierced and
crocketted, and there is a central projecting canopy over the place of
the original crucifix. On either side of the high altar is a door
leading to the feretory at the back of the reredos, and these have in
their four spandrels interesting groups of fifteenth-century sculpture,
representing various scenes in the life of the Virgin, the Annunciation,
and the Visitation of S. Elizabeth, still showing traces of colour. The
fact that these carvings have escaped destruction, just as the lower
tier at Christchurch escaped, is only to be explained on the assumption
that they were hidden behind some panelling since removed, for of all
images which provoked iconoclastic fury those representing the Virgin
were the most certain to be attacked. The whole is crowned by a triple
frieze of leaves, Tudor roses, and quatrefoils, at a height little short
of the corbels which support the arches of the roof.
[Illustration: THE ALTAR AND REREDOS. _H.W. Salmon, Photo._]
The eighteen larger statues were, and are now, since the restoration of
the reredos, arranged in the following order. In the uppermost tier, to
the left and right of the head of cross, were S. Peter and S. Paul, who
were the patron saints of the church. Two on either side of these were
the four Latin Doctors, SS. Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, and Ambrose.
"Below these, on the middle tier, we had two great local bishops, S.
Birinus, first occupant of the see, standing beside the figure of the
Virgin, and on the other side S. Swithun, the benevolent bishop,
patron-saint of the church: beyond them, over the two doors, were SS.
Benedict and Giles,[3] the one founder of the Order to which the Priory
belonged, the other the Hermit Saint, who always pitched his tabernacle
just outside the walls of medieval cities; he is here set in honour to
commemorate S. Giles' Hill, and especially S. Giles' Fair, from which
the Convent reaped great benefit" (Dean Kitchin: "Great Screen of
Winchester Cathedral"). Outermost on this tier stand the statues of the
two deacons, SS. Stephen and Lawrence. In the lowest tier, on either
side of the altar, stand SS. Hedda and Ethelwolf, two of the most famous
Anglo-Saxon bishops of the see of Winchester. Next these saints there is
the doorway on either side and beyond these doors are statues of King
Edward the Confessor, and S. Edmund the King. Between the figures of SS.
Swithun and Birinus, stand statues of the Virgin and S. John, while
above the arms of the Cross are the four Archangels, Uriel, Gabriel,
Michael, and Raphael. In all there are now fifty-six statues on the
screen, the smaller figures including famous kings, bishops, women, and
a representation of Izaak Walton.
[3] The charter of William Rufus which gave permission for S.
Giles' Fair still exists, and may be found, with a commentary by
Dean Kitchin, in the "Winchester Cathedral Records." The Fair was
granted for three days (August 31, September 1 and 2) on the
"eastern hill," known as S. Giles' Hill. The object of the Fair
"was evidently," says Dean Kitchin, "to help the Bishop in
completing his great Norman Church.... Parts of the proceeds of
the Fair were at a later time assigned to Hyde Abbey, to S.
Swithun's Priory, and to the Hospital of S. Mary Magdalen."
Above the altar it is said that there was once "a table of images of
silver and gilt garnished with stones." These images are conjectured to
have represented Christ and his disciples, possibly at the Last Supper;
but no traces remain of them. From 1782 till 1899 West's picture, "The
Raising of Lazarus," now in the South Transept, hung here. The place is
now more happily occupied by a representation of the Incarnation.
[Illustration: THE NORTH TRANSEPT. From Britton's "Winchester."]
The most recent feature of the screen is the great central figure of
Christ Crucified, the gift of Canon Valpy and the work of Messrs Farmer
and Brindley. The final restoration of the screen by the filling of the
space left vacant for three centuries was commemorated by a solemn
dedication service, held at the Cathedral on March 24, 1899.
On the reredos as a whole, one authority has said that "no description
could do justice to the beauty and effect of the whole work." But
another has declared that "a huge screen of this uncompromising
squareness of outline is a flagrantly artless device which in previous
periods (to the latter half of the fifteenth century) would have been
impossible." Milner again describes its "exquisite workmanship" as being
"as magnificent as this or any other nation can exhibit." Doctors most
certainly differ here.
It will perhaps be most convenient to deal at this point with the
#Transepts#, of which the western walls are almost level with the
choir-screen. Having been but little injured by the fall of the tower in
1107, they still remain to a great extent what they were when originally
built by Walkelin. We therefore get the massive and rugged early Norman
walls still divided into the three nearly equal storeys which in the
nave have given place to two. Where the fall of the central tower
necessitated a partial rebuilding, the difference between the Early and
the Late masonry is very evident. That of the transepts generally is
coarse and very thick, as is the case with all Early Norman stonework.
The new masonry, on the other hand, recalls what William of Malmesbury
says of the Later Norman masonry at Salisbury, when he speaks of "the
courses of stone so correctly laid that the joint deceives the eye, and
leads it to imagine that the whole wall is composed of a single block."
The juncture of the two works at Winchester can be easily traced. Of the
general style of the transepts, Willis says: "The architecture is of the
plainest description. The compartment of the triforium is very nearly of
the same height as that of the pier-arches, and the clerestory is also
nearly the same height.... Each pier-arch is formed of two orders or
courses of voussoirs, the edges of which are left square, wholly
undecorated by mouldings. This is the case with the pier-arches of Ely
transept, but in the arches of the triforium at Ely, and in every other
Norman part of that cathedral, the edges of the voussoirs are richly
moulded. In Winchester transept, on the contrary, the arches of the
triforium and clerestory are square-edged like those of the pier below
and hence arises the peculiarly simple and massive effect of this part
of the church." Between the tower-piers and the terminal walls of each
transept there are three piers, making four compartments, the farther
two of which from the nave and choir open into the terminal aisles. The
arches were all originally plain, semi-circular, and square-edged, and
are supported by shafts with the cushioned capitals so characteristic of
the ruder Norman style, and the bases are simple with a chamfer and
quarter-round, very different from the ornamental Late Norman bases,
such as may be seen at S. Cross, Winchester, for example. Where the
Later Norman work has taken the place of the original, we find stronger
piers. The vault above is groined, but there are no ribs. Nothing,
however, can now be seen of the vaulting above the level of the
side-walls, since a flat wooden ceiling, painted in "Early Tudor" style
was put up in 1818, by which, among other things, the rose-window in the
gable of the north transept was hidden, though in Britton's view, which
we give on page 59, we have the transept previous to the timbering. Each
transept has an eastern and a western aisle, while at the extreme ends
there are aisles rising to pier-arch level, consisting of two arches,
which a triple bearing-shaft supports in the centre. A kind of gallery
is formed at the terminations of the north and south transepts, over and
beyond which may be seen the triforium and clerestory windows. This can
best be appreciated by a reference to the illustration, Plate XV.
Possibly this platform or gallery was not originally so bare as it
appears at the present day, but there is no doubt that it was built in
order that processions might pass round on the triforium level.
It has been mentioned that when the tower was rebuilt the columns
nearest it in the transepts were strengthened. They now, indeed, present
a singularly massive outline to the eye, and contrast strongly even with
the remaining Norman pillars in the transepts. The arches also are
changed. All were once semi-circular, but the rebuilding necessitated a
change of the first and second from the actual tower-pier into the
stilted or "horse-shoe" form. They are doubly recessed (except those
supporting the end platform, which have but one soffit), and present
quite plain and unadorned square edges.
[Illustration: VIEW IN NORTH TRANSEPT. _Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
In each transept there is at the eastern angle a spiral staircase
leading up to the roof.
If we take first the #North Transept#, there will be found at the
southern end, against the side wall of the choir, and between the two
great tower-piers, the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, a small compartment
which contains some interesting and still distinct mural paintings on
the roof and walls, representing scenes of the Passion, etc. The most
striking is a large head and bust of Christ on the easternmost division
of the vaulting. One hand holds the Gospels, with the inscription _Salus
Populi Ego Sum_. On the wall beneath are the Descent from the Cross and
the Entombment. The Nativity and Annunciation also appear on the roof,
while on the walls are the Entry into Jerusalem, the Raising of Lazarus,
the Descent into Hell, and the Appearance to Mary Magdalene in the
Garden.
Two of the Norman piers on the eastern side of this transept have
received very elaborate canopies of the Decorated period, under which it
is probable that there were at one time altars. Some Early English work
may be seen in the heads carved on some of the larger shafts and the
caps of the subsidiary pillars, a noticeable figure being "a monk
crouched in a caryatidal attitude and holding a chess-board."
The modern entry to the crypts is in the south-east interior wall of
this transept, the old means of entrance, through the "Holy Hole,"
having been blocked up.
The large tomb in the north transept is that of Prebendary Iremonger. On
the western wall, at the end of the transept, are very faint traces of
mural paintings, representing S. Christopher carrying Christ, etc., and
it is probable the transepts were once thus decorated throughout.
The #South Transept# has received far more additions to its interior
decorations than has the north. In the back of the choir-wall is
recessed Sir Isaac Townsend's memorial, not a very noteworthy object.
Just under it there now stands the old oak settle which was once used by
the Norman monks. In the central space of the transept itself is a large
monument to Bishop Wilberforce, showing beneath a canopy a life-sized
figure, with mitre, cope, and staff, on a slab borne by six kneeling
angels. A Latin inscription records his birth on 1st September 1805, and
his death on 19th July 1873. The monument is the work of Sir Gilbert
Scott, and has met with some severe attacks. It certainly is out of
place in its Norman surroundings. The aisles of the south transept are
divided up into six chambers, of which the larger of the two westernmost
is used as a chapter-room, and does not betray its age by its present
appearance; the one next the body of the church, Milner's "ancient
sacristy," but now known as Henry of Blois' treasury, serves as a boys'
vestry. The Norman work over the door must not be overlooked. The
chamber to the extreme south is the entrance lobby to the south door,
which leads into the "slype" or passage running between the church and
the old chapter-house. Leading out of it is the ancient "calefactory,"
where the fire for the censers and thuribles was preserved. Panelled oak
screens enclose this room on both sides. Next it comes Silkstede's
chapel, the central of the three easterly divisions of the transept
aisles. The prior's rebus, in the form of a skein of silk, is evident
among the carvings, and his Christian name Thomas may be seen on the
cornice with the MA, the monogram of the Virgin, standing out
distinctly. The screen in this chapel is worthy of remark, and is
divided into four compartments, the upper part of each being open-work
and arched with pierced quatrefoils in the spandrels. In this chapel
traces of painting were discovered in 1848, beneath the whitewash on the
eastern wall, the subject apparently being Christ upon the water,
calling to him S. Peter, who, in an attitude of hesitation, holds the
prow of the boat. Fine canopy-work surmounts the whole. Originally there
were eight canopies enclosing figures, but little except the canopies
remain, the distemper-painting having almost vanished. On the floor of
the chapel may be found a black marble slab, the tomb of Isaak Walton,
with Bishop Ken's often-quoted inscription, which, however, it is
perhaps pardonable to quote again:--
"Alas! Hee's gone before,
Gone, to returne noe more;
Our panting hearts aspire
After their aged Sire,
Whose well-spent life did last
Full ninety years, and past.
But now he hath begun
That which will nere be done:
Crown'd with eternal Blisse,
We wish our souls with his."
[Illustration: DOORWAY FROM THE CLOSE INTO THE RETRO-CHOIR.
From a Drawing by H.P. Clifford.]
[Illustration: BISHOP WILBERFORCE'S TOMB IN SOUTH TRANSEPT.
_Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
[Illustration: SOUTH AISLE, FROM TRANSEPT. _S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
Next to Prior Silkstede's chapel comes the "Venerable" chapel, which
serves as a vestry for the minor canons of the cathedral. The screen of
this fills the whole archway, the six canopies extending beyond the
sweep of the arch. Down each side are untenanted niches, and the
openings of the tracery show some beautiful and elaborate iron-work,
dating from the Renaissance. A similar screen, though without canopies,
divides the Venerable Chapel from Silkstede's.
#The Library# is approached from an old wooden staircase in the south
aisle of this transept. It is a "long, low room, with oaken presses
curiously carved and ornamented with gilded knobs, after the fashion of
the latter half of the seventeenth century." It contains three or four
thousand books, most of which are the gift of Bishop Morley, and there
are many fine MSS.; but its chief treasure is a Vulgate of the twelfth
century, in three folio volumes on vellum. The gorgeously illuminated
manuscript is the best work extant of the Winchester school, and the
fact that it was never finished renders it only the more interesting,
since thereby the whole process from the first outline to the final
touch of colour is evident. A legend concerning Hugh of Avalon,
afterwards Bishop of Lincoln (associated with this book), is worthy of
mention. Henry II., who founded the Carthusian Monastery of Witham, in
Somerset, had appointed Hugh prior in 1175 or 1176, and finding that his
monks needed MSS. to copy, and in particular a complete copy of the
Bible, promised to give them one. To avoid expense, he borrowed this
superb Vulgate from Winchester and sent it to Witham. A chance visit
long afterwards of a Winchester monk revealed what had happened, and on
the matter becoming known to Hugh, he returned the volume without the
king's knowledge.[4] Among other important MSS. in the Library are an
eleventh century copy of Bede's "Ecclesiastical History"; a twelfth
century "Life of Edward the Confessor," by S. Aelred, Cistercian Abbot
of Riévaulx about 1160, containing a portrait of the king within one of
its initial letters; a copy of the "_Promptorium Parvulorum_"; a charter
of Æthelwulf, King of Wessex, dated 854 and bearing the signatures of
the king, his young son Alfred, and S. Swithun. There are also the
chapter-books for 1553-1600; the cathedral statutes, with the signatures
of Charles I. and Bishop Laud; the original charter of Henry VIII. to
the cathedral, on the dissolution of the priory; and many interesting
documents and printed books, some with the original chains which were
fastened to their covers. Here also are kept the great seal of Henry V.,
the pastoral staff from Bishop Fox's tomb, his ring, those of Bishops
Gardiner and Woodlock, and the one, set with a sapphire, which comes
from the tomb of "William Rufus"--probably, as we have said, belonging
to Henry of Blois. The library was built in 1668 A.D.
[4] It is now, however, on record that the book was bequeathed by
Bishop Nicholas of Ely in 1282.
We may now return to the body of the cathedral and pass to the
surroundings of the choir.
The #Feretory#, where the _feretra_ or shrines of the saints were
placed, lies behind the high altar and reredos, and the two doors in the
latter give access to it. At one time, before the erection of the
reredos, the feretory must have been visible from the choir. Behind the
doors is a raised platform, seven feet in breadth, extending right
across. The upper surface of this is now only three feet above the
ground level, but originally it must have been far higher. Four steps
give access to it. Before it is a hollow space with stumps of piers,
demonstrating the ancient presence of an arcade in front of the
platform. The feretory is without internal decoration, but the exterior
of the east wall is adorned with nine rich Decorated tabernacles, with
the yet legible names of saints and king who once occupied the eighteen
pedestals within them. This inscription is to be found here:--
_Corpora sanctorum sunt hic in pace sepulta,
Ex meritis quorum fulgent miracula multa_.
The floor beneath the platform is supported by a small vault, "the
entrance to which (to quote Willis) is by a low arch in the eastern face
of the wall under the range of tabernacles." This vault is that which
was designated as the _Sanctum Sanctorum_ or #Holy Hole#. The feretory
is used as a receptacle for the carved work found at various dates about
the cathedral, including portions of statuary once belonging to the
great screen. Here lies a really marvellous lid of a reliquary chest,
presented in 1309 by Sir William de Lilburn, with events in the life of
our Lord and various saints vividly portrayed in colours, and decorated
with the donor's armorial bearings. The "Holy Hole" has been used as a
receptacle for fragments of various kinds since the end of the fifteenth
century, before which it was visible from the choir, for no reredos
intercepted the view. Milner states that in 1789 the whole passage and
vault was so choked with rubbish that the attempt to enter it had to be
abandoned. A more recent observer records that there appears to be no
space for a crypt or receptacle for relics within the "Holy Hole," the
chest of bones, etc., being placed on the platform over the arcade. The
fragments now in the feretory are often very fine, but are most of them
sadly mutilated.
[Illustration: BACK OF FERETORY, WITH BISHOP GARDINER'S CHANTRY
_S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
The north and south sides of the feretory are flanked by the chantries
of Bishops Gardiner and Fox, into which it opens. #Gardiner's Chantry#,
in the Renaissance style, was much damaged by the Reformers, the head
being knocked off the figure lying in a long niche on the outside of the
chantry, and other indignities committed. Of the tomb nothing now
remains, but there is an altar with figures at the back, after Italian
models, representing, according to one tradition, Justice and Mercy,
while others say the Law and the Gospel. At the east end is a small
vestry used as a repository for fragments. The details and the mouldings
of Gardiner's chantry are of the Renaissance style, and Britton has
described the chapel as "bad Italian and bad English." This is true of
the eastern end of the compartment, but there are redeeming features
amid the curious mixture of styles. Below the floor-level of this
chantry may be seen the base of one of the Norman apse piers, the sole
remaining feature of the Norman east end except the crypt.
#Bishop Fox's Chantry# is a far finer piece of work and is certainly the
most elaborate chantry in the cathedral. It displays no fewer than
fifty-five richly-groined niches, all different in pattern; only two of
them are tenanted, and these by very recent figures, on either side of
the door. There is a great amount of wonderful undercutting to be seen
in the spandrels to the arches, and the upper part of the erection shows
open tracery with niches and canopies, under a cornice of running
foliage and Tudor flowers, surmounted by panelled pinnacles. Fox's
"pelican in her piety" alternates on the pinnacles with small octagonal
turrets. At one time, moreover, all the arches, etc., contained stained
glass, but this has now vanished. Within there is no tomb, but, as in
Gardiner's chantry, there is, in an arched recess at the side, the
ghastly carved figure of a corpse so frequently introduced in monuments
of the period. The altar is surmounted by a small reredos in a sunk
panel, now unoccupied, crowned by a band of angels bearing emblems of
the Passion. Over the altar is this inscription in Latin:--
_O sacrum convivium in quo Christus sumitur._
There is here, as was the case with Gardiner's chantry, a small room at
the eastern end. In this are chests in which relics were kept.
[Illustration: BISHOP FOX'S CHANTRY.]
The interior part of the choir aisles have received "Wykeham" windows,
four on each side, though from the exterior only three can be seen. The
westernmost on the north side has two lights partly looking into the
open, while two are unglazed and the top of one looks into the northern
transept. On the south side all are glazed, but only three get any light
from outside. These can be seen from the close at the junction of
transept and retro-choir. All these windows have blank panelling or
arcading below. It looks as if Wykeham or his successors meant to reduce
the width of the Norman transepts, so as to bring them into better
proportion with the eastern arm of the church.
[Illustration: DOOR OF FOX'S CHANTRY.]
Between the presbytery and the side aisles, extending from pier to pier,
are screens of pierced stonework, erected by Bishop Fox, whose motto
frequently occurs on them, together with his initials and Cardinal
Beaufort's. On the top of the screens are six painted chests (see p.
95), in which are collected the bones of saints and kings of the Saxon
period; the original collection being made by Henry of Blois. These
#Mortuary Chests# were desecrated by the Cromwellian ruffians when they
broke into the cathedral, and the bones were hurled through the stained
glass of the west and other windows. Afterwards they were collected once
more and replaced in the chests where they now lie. Among the relics are
the bones of Edred, Edmund, Canute, William Rufus, Emma, Bishops Wina,
Alwyn, Egbert, Cenwulf or Kenulf, Cynegils, and Ethelwulf, and there are
the old inscriptions to indicate whose remains were originally enclosed
within the boxes, though there is now no warrant that the bones within
correspond at all to the names without.
[Illustration: DETAIL OF PULPIT.]
Among those who have been buried in the presbytery aisles is Bishop de
Pontissara, of whom Rudborne says that he was buried _ex aquilonari
plaga majoris altaris_. Accordingly we find his monument on the north
side. Close by him, and still nearer the altar, was laid Hardicanute,
the last Danish king, who was brought hither from Lambeth for interment.
His death was attributed to "excessive drinking." In the southern aisle
are Richard, the Conqueror's younger son; Edward, eldest born of Alfred
the Great; and Bishop Nicholas de Ely's heart.
[Illustration: SOUTH AISLE OF RETRO-CHOIR, WITH BEAUFORT'S AND FOX'S
CHANTRIES. _S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
Eastward of the feretory the building is known by the name of the
#Retro-choir#, and presents a very old and pure example of Early English
work from the hands of Bishop de Lucy. The aisles are said to have been
used as a model in the building of Salisbury Cathedral. Similar
processional aisles may be seen also at Hereford on a minor scale. This
part of the cathedral is lower and consequently appears broader than the
more westerly portion. There is a considerable amount of wall-space,
only interrupted by the numerous imposing chantries erected on the
floor. The lower part of the walls is remarkable for some fine, though
simple, blank arcading, dating also from De Lucy's time; while light is
given by pairs of lancet windows, the rear arches being borne on groups
of detached shafts. Many of the original chased tiles of the pavement
remain to this day, and, in fact, there has been little interference
with De Lucy's work. Unfortunately, however, as has been remarked, much
of it has settled considerably, throwing the south-eastern angle
altogether out of the perpendicular, one vaulting-shaft having in this
manner been bent back and cracked in half. The effects of the subsidence
can easily be seen in the photograph of the south aisle of the
retro-choir looking toward the east.
As one passes beyond the feretory through the retro-choir, the #Chantry
of William Waynflete# stands to the north of the central alley. The
canopy is very elaborate and beautiful, and plentiful traces of the
original colour still can be seen, especially on the groining. On each
side are three flat-headed arches, those at the east end being closed,
while on each side of the piers adjoining the west end there are narrow
open arches. Corniced and battlemented screens fill these arches to
mid-height. The figure on the tomb is a modern restoration, very
elaborately clad in full pontificals, while the hands are clasped about
a heart, representing the _sursum corda_, or lifting up of the heart.
The chantry is kept in repair by Magdalen College, Oxford, which
Waynflete founded. Its situation, like that of the companion tomb of
Cardinal Beaufort, makes it very impressive. There is no altar now. At
the east end is a blank wall surmounted by three empty canopied niches,
while at the other are two open gratings.
In the corresponding position to the south is the #Chantry of Cardinal
Beaufort#, now kept in repair by the Dukes of Beaufort. In Britton's
time, as he tells us, there had fallen a "horse-load of the pinnacles in
the canopy of Cardinal Beaufort's chantry." Owing, however, to the
extreme elaboration, the effect is hardly impaired by this loss. The
plan of the tomb is two groups of four clustered piers at each end,
supporting a mass of canopies, niches, and pinnacles, which "bewilder
the sight and senses by their number and complexity," as Britton
quaintly says. The screen at the west end is closed, that at the east
end open. The vault displays some elaborate fan-tracery. The body of the
cardinal is presented in his scarlet official robes and the tasselled
and corded hat, and the serenity of his face suggests very little the
traditional portrait of him, as represented, for example, in
Shakespeare's "Henry V." His death-bed moments, it is well known, have
been much misrepresented. The inscription originally on his tomb has
been destroyed, but Godwin quotes one sentence of it thus:--_Tribularer
si nescirem misericordias tuas_.
Against the north wall, not far from Waynflete's chantry, is an unknown
tomb with part of an effigy, to the east of which is the grave of one
William Symonds, "Gentleman, of Winchester twice Maior and Alderman," as
his epitaph of 1616 relates. The last four lines of the inscription run
as follows:--
His Merrit doth Enherit Life and Fame,
For whilst this City stands Symonds his name
In alle men's harts shall never be forgotten,
For poores prayers rise when flesh lyes rotten.
Between the same chantry and the wall lies the tomb of Bishop de
Rupibus, while in the space between the chantries of Beaufort and
Waynflete lies the only ancient military effigy in the cathedral, a
genuine relic of the fourteenth century. It is commonly known as William
de Foix, and represents, in a slightly mutilated form, a knight in
surcoat and complete ringed armour of the thirteenth century. His legs
are crossed[5] and the feet rest on a crouching lion, while the head is
supported on two cushions which were formerly held up by angels. The
right hand grasps the sword hilt, and the pointed shield, one of the
earliest examples of a quartered shield, bears "quarterly, in the first
and fourth, the arms of Bearn, two cows passant, gorged with collars and
bells; in the second and third, three garbs; over all a cross." On the
front edge of the slab Mr F.J. Baigent discovered the name Petrus
Gavston or Gauston twice encised, but to this "scribbling" Mr Weston S.
Walford, who has a note on this tomb in the fifteenth volume of the
_Archeological Journal_, does not attach much importance, for it may
merely record the engraver's conjecture as to the person here buried.
The body of Edward II.'s favourite, Piers, was moved from Oxford to
King's Langley in Hertfordshire two years after his execution, and
buried there on January 2, 1314, in the presence of the king. It is not
known to have been moved since. It seems probable that the effigy here
is that of the father of the Piers known to us, a Sir Arnold de
Gavaston, a record of whose interment at Winchester in May 1302 we
possess, with the additional fact that Edward I. sent money and two
pieces of cloth of gold to the funeral. Such respect would naturally be
paid to the father of Edward II.'s foster-brother. Mr Walford suggests
that the garbs on the shield are a canting allusion to the name Gabaston
or Gavaston, for the spelling varies very much--Gaveston, Gaverston, and
Gaberston being also found. The date of the tomb Mr Walford places
between the death of Arnold in 1302 and the murder of his son in 1312.
The tomb itself is adorned with five Decorated arches with the Gavaston
arms on the shield, together with those of England, of France, and of
Castile and Leon.
[5] "Such figures as lie crosslegged are those who were in the
wars of the Holy Land, or vowed to go and were prevented" (Sir
William Dugdale).
[Illustration: CARDINAL BEAUFORT'S CHANTRY.
_S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
West of this are the tombs of Bishop Sumner and Prior Silkstede. The
latter's grave, according to Woodward, was found, when opened, to
contain the complete remains of a body robed in black serge, with the
"funeral boots" yet on the bones of the feet. The body seems to have
been removed hither from Silkstede's chapel in the south transept.
Next the western end of Beaufort's chantry is the tomb of William de
Basynge, prior of this church (_quondam Prior istius ecclesiæ_), as his
inscription states, promising 145 days' indulgence to whoever prays for
his soul three years. He died in 1295.
On the south wall facing the same chantry is a marble monument of the
Royalist, Sir John Clobery; and near this is a large slab in the floor,
in memory of Baptist Levinz, Bishop of Sodor and Man, and prebendary of
Winchester, who died in 1692.
On the end wall of the ambulatory, to the left of the entrance to the
Chapel of the Guardian Angels, is a fine monument, somewhat mutilated,
to Ethelmar or Aymer de Valence, half-brother of Henry III., who was so
unpopular a bishop at Winchester. Only his heart is in the cathedral,
having been conveyed hither from Paris, where his body was buried. The
facts are commemorated by the following inscription on the presbytery
wall:--
Corpus Ethelmari
Cuius Cor Nunc Tenet
Istud Saxum Parisiis
Morte Datur Tumulo
Obiit A.D. 1261.
When Winchester was attacked by the so-called religious zeal of the
Puritans, Ethelmar's heart was disturbed, as is recorded by a writer of
the period, who says that "when the steps of the altar were levelling
with the rest of the ground one of the workmen accidentally struck his
mattock on this stone and broke it; underneath which was an urn wherein
the heart of this Ethelmar was, being enclosed in a golden cup, which
thing ... being conveyed to the ears of the committee-men they took the
cup for their own use, and ordered him to bury the heart in the north
isle, which he accordingly did." The heart, he goes on to say, was "so
entire and uncorrupt" that it was "as fresh as if it had just been taken
from the body, and issued forth fresh drops of blood upon his hand. This
I had from the mouth of the workman himself, whom I believe." The slab
which once covered the heart shows, within the symbolic vesica, "in a
trefoil canopy the half-length figure of the Bishop, mitred and in his
episcopal robes, his uplifted hands holding a heart, his pastoral staff
represented as resting on his left arm." Below are his arms and the
inscription in Lombardic letters, + _Ethelmarus. Tibi Cor Meum Dne._
[Illustration: THE LADY CHAPEL. _Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
[Illustration: DETAIL OF LADY CHAPEL.]
The #Lady Chapel#, due in part to De Lucy and in part to Priors Hunton
and Silkstede, is of rectangular shape, the easternmost portions being
added about 1524. It should be noticed that in De Lucy's work the
central aisle is but little higher than the laterals, which still have
their eastern walls, whereas the actual material of the Lady Chapel east
wall was erected by Hunton. The north and south walls exhibit De Lucy's
Early English arcades and lancets, while they become Perpendicular at
the eastern end, and the east window is of the same period. This large
seven-light window shows "transom and tracery of a peculiar kind of
subordination, or rather inter-penetration of patterns, well worth a
careful study" (Willis). The stone work of the interior is quite plain,
but a large portion of the wall space is concealed by some richly-carved
wooden panelling added by Bishop Fox. Seats, desks, and screen are also
of fine workmanship. Where the walls are not hidden by wood-work are the
very faint remains of some curious old mural paintings of the miracles
of the Virgin, executed under the direction of Prior Silkstede in 1489.
These frescoes are decidedly archaic, but they are extremely
interesting. Starting from the south side the nineteen pictures
represent:--
1. Miracle of an image of the Virgin bending its finger to prevent a
young man taking off a ring which he had placed on the image that it
might not be lost or injured while he played at ball. By this the young
man was won to monastic life.
2. Protection and honour conferred by the Virgin on an ignorant priest,
who knew and could sing only one mass, which was in honour of her.
3. Prior Silkstede kneeling before Virgin, saying: "_Benedicta tu in
mulieribus_." Beneath is the following:--"Prior Silkstede also caused
these polished stones, O Mary, to be ornamented at his expense."
4. Jewish boy, after receiving the Eucharist, thrown into a furnace by
his father, but delivered from the flames by the Virgin.
5. Famous portrait of the Virgin, carried in procession by Pope Gregory
to allay a fearful pestilence. During the procession the destroying
angel is seen sheathing his sword.
6. A widow receives back her son who had been kidnapped, and thereupon
restores the silver image of the child Jesus, which she had taken from
the image of the Virgin on losing her son.
7. Virgin assisting woman taken ill on pilgrimage.
8. Virgin enables boys, with ease, to raise that which strong men could
not.
9. Nun brought to life to confess a sin not confessed before death.
10. Virgin saves a monk from drowning, and from two evil spirits, with
instruments of torture, one who had lived an immoral life.
11. Two Brabançons seized by devils and killed for throwing stones at an
image of the Virgin.
12. Deliverance at sea effected by the Virgin.
13. Mass of the Virgin celebrated by Christ himself, with saints and
angels, on an occasion when the priest was unable to do so.
14. S. John's (of Damascus) arm restored; thereby establishing his
innocence of having corresponded with unbelievers.
15. Virgin delivering from the gallows a thief who had always venerated
her.
16. Virgin commanding the burial of a clerk of irreligious life in
consecrated ground, because he had been her votary.
17. Virgin assisting a painter to paint the devil "as ugly as he knew
him to be," in spite of all the devil could do to prevent him from
completing it.
18. The Annunciation--over door, which formerly led to a particular
sacristy.
19. How, by praying to the Virgin, a robber-knight was delivered from
the clutches of the devil.
The altar is flanked on the north by a memorial of Bishop Brownlow
North, representing him kneeling in adoration. The vault above, though
not so elaborate as that of Langton's chapel on the right hand, is a
fine example of lierne work, and the shafts are noticeable for their
capitals and bases. Among the devices are T and the syllable HUN,
followed by the figure of a tun; and T and the syllable SILK, followed
by the figure of a horse; signifying Thomas Hunton and Thomas Silkstede
respectively.
[Illustration: BISHOP LANGTON'S CHAPEL. _S.B. Bolas & Co., Photo._]
[Illustration: DETAIL OF LANGTON'S CHAPEL.]
The southern window of the Lady Chapel has recently been filled with a
memorial window to the late Bishop Thorold, whose tomb lies in the
cathedral precincts just below the new window. In pre-Reformation times
this window, like those on the north and east, was glazed with fine
painted glass, of which a few fragments still remain in the tracery. The
remaining portions of the old work have been worked in with the new by
Mr C.E. Kempe, the designer and executor. The memorial glass presents
scenes in the life of Christ, while above appear S. Birinus, Pope
Honorius, S. Swithun, S. Alphege, and other saints. The dedication
ceremony took place on August 7, 1897, two years after the burial of
Bishop Thorold at Winchester.
Of the two chapels which flank the Lady Chapel, that to the north is the
#Chapel of the Guardian Angels#, once the chantry of Bishop Adam de
Orlton, of whom no memorial here exists, though he is buried in the
chapel. This compartment is sometimes called the Portland chapel, owing
to the fact that it contains on the south side the tomb of Richard
Weston, Earl of Portland, who was treasurer to Charles I. A recumbent
bronze statue by Le Sueur adorns the tomb, while in the wall above are
four tabernacles, three of which contain mutilated busts, probably
representing members of his family. A mural monument of Bishop Peter
Mews, who is also interred here, is marked by a crozier and mitre. On
the north side, too, there is in the wall an aumbry with a shelf, having
a curious square head within a trefoil. The early vaulting of this
chapel has, between the ribs, figures of seraphim, which are very fresh
in colour.
[Illustration: QUEEN MARY'S CHAIR. _Photochrom Co. Ltd., Photo._]
The corresponding chapel to the south is #Bishop Langton's Chantry#,
though the work is partly De Lucy's, including the walls and the early
vaulting shafts. The defaced front-screen and the oak-panelling all
round are very rich examples of late Gothic, and the stone vaulting has
been compared in point of elaboration with that in the chapel of Henry
VII. at Westminster. On the groining, at the junction of the ribs, is
carved Bishop Langton's rebus, consisting of the musical sign for a
"long" upon a tun, while his motto _Laus tibi Christe_ also occurs. It
is supposed that the magnificent carved vine on the upper part of the
oak-panelling which runs round the chapel originally formed the rebus of
Langton's see, the tun from which it sprang being now lost. The
woodwork, which is certainly one of the most striking things in the
cathedral, is unfortunately mutilated, as is also part of the heraldic
work on the entrance door. At the east end of the chapel above the
former altar there is a row of seven tabernacles, under which is a
cornice which was originally gilt and painted. The statues which once
occupied the tabernacles are no longer extant. The central tomb here is
that of Bishop Langton himself. Queen Mary's chair now stands in this
chapel; it is in a wonderful state of preservation for its age, and the
woodwork is still sound.
The entrance to the #Crypts# is in the north transept, as was noted
above. They are three in number, the main division stretching from the
eastern tower-piers to the first piers of the retro-choir. It consists
of a central room divided by a row of five columns in the middle, with
an apsidal eastern termination, and is flanked by two aisles with square
eastern ends. The well here is said to be considerably older than the
building above it. From this opens out a narrower crypt, which also has
five columns down the centre, while its apse reaches to the eastern end
of the retro-choir. These crypts cannot, as some have supposed (and the
tradition still survives), form part of the old Saxon church, since it
has been fairly established that the site of this was not that of the
present building. The plan of the chambers is in perfect accord, as
Willis says, with that of Norman churches in general. The main crypt
shows by its circular apse what was the form of the east end in the old
Norman church. The actual work is strikingly like that of the transepts,
the peculiar thin square abacus, combined with a round capital, being a
noteworthy point in both these portions of the building. The third
crypt, which is narrow like the second, is rectangular in shape, and its
vaulting rests on columns. It is Early English in architecture, and is
contemporary with De Lucy's work in the upper part of the church. In
1886 the crypts were to a great extent cleared out to their original
level, a vast quantity of rubbish being removed. Many fragments of early
work still remain, though in too mutilated a form to indicate where they
originally stood.
The #stained glass# at Winchester can, perhaps, best be treated
separately from the windows which it occupies. Most of the information
may be found summed up in a paper addressed to the Archæological
Association in September 1845, by Mr C. Winston. Two circles of Early
Decorated glass are to be seen in the west window, but they are merely
composed of coloured pieces arranged in geometrical patterns. The
general arrangement of the great window is, as has been already said,
kaleidoscopic, the fragments which compose it being too scattered to
admit of being put together again in their original form. The effect,
however, is striking, particularly at some distance from the west end.
There are remains of the original glass in the west windows of the
aisles and in the first window from the west in the south aisle, but the
Edingdon windows in the north aisle have lost their glass. The glass in
the above windows consists of the heads of canopies, though in the west
window some of the original figures are still to be seen. This is the
earliest Perpendicular glass in the cathedral, and may date from
Edingdon's time. Next in date is the glass in the other windows of the
nave aisles and clerestory windows, a little later than that in the west
window, and of the same character as that at New College, Oxford, in the
north, south, and west windows. Of this glass, apparently four figures
and part of their canopies have been removed to the first window from
the east in the choir clerestory. The heads of the three westerly
windows, to the north of the choir clerestory, showing canopy-work and
cherubim, come next in date, with eight canopied figures in the upper
tier of the two easterly windows on the south of this clerestory. The
latter seem to have come originally from some other window, being too
short for their present situation. Their date may be about the end of
the reign of Henry VI. The east window of the choir may be a little
earlier than 1525, and has introduced in it Bishop Fox's arms and motto,
_Est deo gracia_. This window has been much disturbed, the top central
light being filled with glass of Wykeham's period, while little of Fox's
glass seems to be in its original position. To Fox also may be
attributed part of the aisle windows north and south of the choir, and
some canopies in the side windows of the choir clerestory. Some late
glass, much mutilated, may be seen in the east window of the Lady
Chapel. Warner says of the two large windows, that "the great east
window is remarkable for the beauty of its painted glass, which contains
the portraits of saints, and of some bishops of this see; it is whole
and entire, the west window is magnificent, but much inferior to this."
[Illustration: ONE OF THE MORTUARY CHESTS IN THE CHOIR SCREEN
(see "Mortuary Chests" in Chapter III).
(From a Drawing by Reginald Blomfield in his "History of Renaissance
Architecture in England." Bell, 1897.)]