activity, but it is expended now rather in additions and embellishments
to existing buildings than in actual re-constructions. At Ripon, the
Cathedral was partially burnt by the Scots in 1319, and later in the
century the tower was struck by lightning. At S. Alban's, part of the
nave fell in 1323, as did the tower at Ely in 1322. In each of these
cases repairs were of course rendered needful. More important works were
the rebuilding of the nave and transepts at Canterbury at the end of the
century (1378-1410), the erection of the Zouche Chapel at York about
1350, the addition of both the central and the western towers to Wells,
the spires to Peterborough, and the towers also to Hereford.
The fifteenth century is specially marked by the growing popularity of
chantries and side chapels. We find them erected at this time at
Hereford and elsewhere; but little building on a large scale is done. In
several cases the vaulting of the roofs dates from this period, and a
good deal of internal carving in wood or stone was also done. Among the
latter we may note the high altar screen at S. Alban's, and the stalls
at Carlisle and Ripon. Of the former work, reference may be made to the
vaulting of part of the choir and transepts at Norwich.
The sixteenth century is not a pleasant one to contemplate in connection
with our ancient cathedrals. Ignorance and fanaticism were then
beginning to show themselves in their treatment of the miracles of art
bequeathed to the ages, and soon became more obvious than culture or
reverence. This century saw the nave of Bristol taken down, the spires
removed from the towers of Ripon, and other precautions against a
threatened collapse; but steps were not taken to repair the losses thus
caused. And in view of the nameless horrors perpetrated within the
hallowed walls of churches and cathedrals, first by the extreme
reformers, and in the next century by the Puritans, in the name of
religion, it is only wonderful that so much that is beautiful still
survives.
The one constructive work of the seventeenth century was, of course, the
building of the Cathedral of London, S. Paul's, in the place of that
"Old S. Paul's" which perished in the fire of 1666. This building shares
with Salisbury the credit of complete unity, but is unique among English
Cathedrals in being classical in style. However much more admirable the
Gothic style may be admitted to be for ecclesiastical purposes,
probably all will admit that the grandeur of St. Paul's grows upon one
the more familiar one becomes with it; and certainly no tower, or
collection of towers, could possibly dominate a vast city like London in
the way that Wren's splendid dome does.
The eighteenth century witnessed, among other things, the removal of
most of the spires which down to that time had crowned the towers of
many of the cathedrals. Such was the case with Hereford and Wakefield;
the same thing was attempted at Lincoln in 1727, but popular tumult
saved the spires; only, however, until 1807, when they were removed.
Of one work of construction the eighteenth century was also guilty; the
year 1704 gave birth to that abortion among English cathedrals known as
S. Peter's, Liverpool; with which, for nearly twenty years, the
population of one of the wealthiest cities in the empire has been
content! Something in the way of restoration was attempted in this
century, but it was for the most part done ignorantly, and no small part
of the restoration of the nineteenth century has consisted in undoing so
far as possible the work of the eighteenth.
The present century has seen the commencement, on noble lines, of the
Cathedral of Truro; and the beautifying of not a few of our old
minsters, which had been stript almost bare by the destroyers of past
times. Happily, the guardians of these treasures of art and devotion
have for the most part been conscious of the greatness of their trust,
and the fabrics have been dealt with reverently and with judgment.
Amongst others, Bristol, Chichester, St. Albans, and Peterborough have
required more or less extensive measures of re-building.
Ye Chappell of Oure Ladye.
By the Rev. J. H. Stamp.
The sacred buildings designated by this title were dedicated to the
service of God, in mediaeval times, in honour of the Mother of our Lord.
The veneration of S. Mary, the Blessed Virgin, had been growing up in
the Church from the fifth century, when the reality of the incarnation
of the Son of God was first called into question by men who professed
and called themselves Christians. The defence of the true doctrine
brought clearly into view the high dignity which God had conferred on
the humble maiden of Nazareth, and so reverence for her memory, as the
most blessed among women, grew into veneration for her person as the
Mother of God. The faithful of the Middle Ages were, therefore, not
content with simply retaining her name at the head of the list of
saints, but raised the human mother to a position which was almost, if
not quite, equal to that of her Divine Son. They conferred on her the
title of "Our Lady," and hailed her as "The Queen of Heaven," just as
they were accustomed to address the Saviour as "Our Lord" and worship
Him as "The King of Heaven." This title still survives in the terms
which are so familiar to us, namely, "Lady Day" and "Lady Chapel."
We see evidences of this growth of the _cultus_ of the Blessed Virgin in
the erection and elaborate ornamentation of Lady Chapels throughout
Christendom. It does not seem probable, however, that our pious
forefathers in the ancient Church of England intended to encourage
Mariolatry, by the introduction of these buildings into this country;
for it is a singular and significant fact that in Spain, where this
heretical and superstitious practice chiefly prevailed, Lady Chapels are
very rare, because the church itself has been made to serve the purpose.
English Churchmen, in their desire to honour the Mother of Christ, were
careful to avoid this evil example. The erection of smaller buildings,
and the setting apart, for the purpose, of one of the side aisles rather
than the sanctuary itself, tend to show that they did not assign to the
Blessed Virgin that _divine_ honour which was due only to her Son and
Lord. The usual position of the Lady Chapel, beyond the choir, has,
indeed, been considered as a proof that the honour paid to "Our Lady"
exceeded that which was rendered unto our Lord, since the altar
dedicated to her was set up beyond the High Altar in the most sacred
portion of the church, and, in that position, might be said to
overshadow it. But the usual situation of the Lady Chapel, at the east
end of the choir or presbytery, proves nothing of the kind. One
celebrated writer on the subject disclaims the idea in the following
words, "Poole principally objects to the position of the Lady Chapel at
the east end, 'above,' as he expresses it 'the High Altar.' Now we
believe the Lady Chapel to have occupied the place merely on grounds of
convenience, and not from any design--which is shocking to imagine--of
exalting the Blessed Virgin to any participation in the honours of the
Deity."[6]
[Footnote 6: Durandus Symbol. lxxxviii.]
It is true that the Lady Chapel was generally erected at the extreme
east end, or one of the aisles near the choir was used for the purpose,
because it was considered the most sacred part of the church next to the
sanctuary. It was erected at the east end of the Abbey Churches of
Westminster and S. Albans; in the Cathedral Churches of Winchester,
Salisbury, Chichester, Exeter, Gloucester, Worcester, Wells, Hereford,
Chester and Manchester; at Christ Church, Hants, where there is a
chantry above, called S. Michael's Loft, which once served as the
Chapter House of the Priory, but in modern times has been converted into
a schoolroom; and also at the parish church of S. Mary Redcliffe,
Bristol, where it is situated over a thoroughfare, after the example of
several churches in Exeter. But the ecclesiastics and architects of the
Middle Ages did not consider themselves bound, by a hard and fast rule,
to set up the Lady Chapel at the east end. If an available site could be
found beyond the Choir the Chapel was erected in that position,
otherwise, the north aisle of the Church, or a convenient site near the
Choir, was utilised for the purpose. The building has been erected on
the north or south side of the Choir or Nave, and even at the west end
when deemed expedient. It was erected on the _north_ side at the
Cathedrals of Canterbury, Oxford, Bristol, and Peterborough; at the
Abbeys of Glastonbury, Bury St. Edmunds, Walsingham, Thetford,
Wymondham, Belvoir, Llanthony, Hulme, and Croyland, where there was a
second Lady Chapel with a lofty screen, in the south transept.[7] It is
on the _south_ side at Kilkenny and at Elgin Cathedral. It stands in a
similar position over the Chapter House at Ripon Minster. Sometimes it
was placed above the chancel, as in Compton Church, Surrey; Compton
Martin, Somerset; and Darenth, Kent; or over the porch, as at Fordham,
Cambs. At Ely Cathedral it is connected with the extremity of the north
transept. At Wimborne Minster it stands in the south transept, whilst at
Rochester Cathedral and at Waltham Abbey, Essex, it was erected at the
west of the south transept. At Durham Cathedral an attempt was made to
build a Lady Chapel at the east end, but owing, it is said, to the
supernatural intervention of S. Cuthbert, whose relics were deposited in
the Choir, the building was erected instead at the west end, where it
stands under the name of the Galilee Chapel. The original Lady Chapel at
Canterbury also stood in this unusual position, until the days of
Archbishop Lanfranc, 1070-1089, when it was removed and the present
building set up at the east end. The _aisles_ were also frequently used
as "ye Chappell of oure Ladye," as at Haddenham, Cambs.
[Footnote 7: "Gough's History of Croyland. 1783."]
The practice of dedicating Chapels to the Blessed Virgin was introduced
into this country during the twelfth century, shortly after the monastic
orders had gained the supremacy over the parochial clergy. These
buildings were generally founded not only to satisfy the spirit of the
age, which demanded the veneration of the Mother of our Lord, but also
to afford the necessary accommodation at the east end for the increased
number of clergy. The founders, moreover, hoped to secure an
augmentation of the revenues, by the offerings of the faithful at the
shrines of the new Chapels, as appears to have been the case at
Walsingham, Norfolk; All Hallows, Barking; and S. Stephen's,
Westminster. The building, in many instances, became the depository of
the relics of a saint. The Galilee Chapel at Durham, dedicated to
S. Mary the Virgin in 1175, contains the bones of the Venerable Bede,
the earliest historian of the Church of England, who died at
Jarrow-on-Tyne, on the eve of Ascension Day, A.D. 735. These relics
were translated, in 1370, from the tomb of S. Cuthbert, and placed in
the Chapel, in a magnificent shrine of gold and silver. The Lady Chapel
at Oxford contains the shrine of S. Frideswide, the daughter of the
founder of the convent, and its first prioress, whose relics were
translated from the north choir aisle in 1289. This Chapel is now called
the Dormitory, as the remains of several deans and canons have been laid
to rest within its walls.
The Lady Chapel has frequently served as the mausoleum of saints,
princes, noblemen, and dignitaries of the Church. The stately and
magnificent edifice at Westminster, known as Henry the Seventh's Chapel,
was built for this purpose in 1502, by the first Tudor monarch, on the
site of the original Lady Chapel, erected by Henry III. in 1220. The
royal founder, his wife, and other royal personages now await the
resurrection in the tomb set up in this famous building. The Lady Chapel
at S. Mary's, Warwick, which is said to be the chief ornament of that
church, was also built as a tomb-house in 1443, by Richard Beauchamp,
Earl of Warwick. Their desire to rest in the chapel, dedicated to the
blessed Virgin, was closely associated with the idea which chiefly moved
our forefathers to erect these buildings. They had been taught to
believe in the invocation of saints, and were anxious to secure, for
themselves and their dear ones, the mediation and intercession of the
Mother of our Lord, whose influence with her Divine Son, they supposed,
was all prevailing. So they founded these chapels in her honour, and
solicited her good offices on their behalf by frequent services and
prostrations before her image, which occupied the place of honour above
"oure Ladye's Altar" crowned as the Queen of Heaven, and profusely
adorned with splendid jewels and exquisite embroidery. They believed,
moreover, that as she could succour the living, so she would prevail
with her Son on behalf of the dead. These sacred buildings were,
accordingly, used also as chantries, where masses were offered daily,
and the intervention of "oure Ladye S. Mary" was solicited to secure the
release of the souls of the faithful departed from the flames of
purgatory, through which, it was supposed, they must pass, to be
purified from all the defilements of their earthly course, and "made
meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." In frescoes on the
walls, and in paintings on the windows, the Virgin was represented,
interceding for the souls of the faithful as they came forth to
judgment.
After the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII., and the suppression
of chantries by Edward VI., many of these buildings shared the fate of
the conventual churches to which they were attached. In some places the
Lady Chapel was left to decay, and disappeared in the course of a few
years, like that at Norwich, which fell into a ruinous condition as
early as 1569. In other localities it was allowed to stand until the
turbulent days of the Commonwealth, as at Peterborough, where it was
taken down to supply materials for the reparation of the Cathedral,
which had been greatly injured by Cromwell's soldiers. In several places
it was appropriated to other uses, and even divested of its sacred
character. The elegant chapel at Ely, erected 1321-49, and said to have
been one of the most perfect buildings of that age, was assigned at the
Reformation to the parishioners of Holy Trinity to serve as their Parish
Church, and is now called Trinity Church. The splendid specimen at
S. Albans was separated from the presbytery by a public thoroughfare,
which was made through the antechapel, and a charter of Edward VI.
transferred the sacred building to the authorities of the ancient
Grammar School, and it was used as a schoolroom until the restoration in
1870. At S. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, the Lady Chapel has also been used
for scholastic purposes, and at Waltham Abbey it has accommodated not
only parochial schools but public meetings and petty sessions.
Among existing Lady Chapels, King Henry the Seventh's Chapel occupies
the first place for magnificence. The first Tudor monarch, in his
anxiety to make his peace with God before his death, and to commemorate
the union of the houses of York and Lancaster, determined to found a
chapel in honour of the blessed Virgin, "in whom," he declares in his
will, "hath ever been my most singulier trust and confidence, ... and by
whom I have hitherto in al myne adversities ever had my special comforte
and relief." He also made due provision for the celebration of masses
and the distribution of alms "perpetually, for ever, while the world
shall endure" for the welfare of his soul. The laying of the foundation
stone is recorded by the ancient chronicler as follows: "On the 24th
daie of January 1502/3 a quarter of an houre afore three of the clocke
at after noone of the same daie, the first stone of our Ladie Chapell,
within the monasterie of Westminster, was laid by the hands of John
Islip, Abbot of the same monasterie ... and diverse others."[8] After
its completion it was so universally admired, that Leland the antiquary
describes it as "_orbis miraculum_"--the wonder of the world. About
fifty years after its dedication the services, for which it was
specially designed by its royal founder, were brought to an end by the
Act of Parliament which suppressed the chantries throughout the kingdom,
and then followed three centuries of gross neglect which reduced it to
"an almost shapeless mass of ruins," as it was described in 1803. Four
years later, in 1807, Dean Vincent obtained a parliamentary grant for
the restoration of the building, and the necessary repairs were
completed in 1822. The Chapel still retains much of its ancient
splendour, and the elegant and elaborate ceiling is a marvel of
architectural skill. It has been used since the year 1725 for the
installation of the Knights of the Bath, and their banners are suspended
over the old carved _misereres_ or _misericordes_ of the monks.
[Footnote 8: Holinshed.]
"Ye Chappell of oure Ladye" at S. Alban's is also a most elegant
specimen of the buildings, dedicated to the blessed Virgin. The
foundations appear to have been laid by John de Hertford, abbot from
1235 to 1260. But at the election of Hugh de Eversdone, in 1308, the
walls had only reached the level of the underside of the window sills, a
height of ten feet above the ground. During his rule he laboured so
assiduously to complete the work, that in a short time he finished it.
The building, at its dedication, was so rich in detail that it is
described by ancient writers as "a magnificent sight." The work of Abbot
Hugh included the exquisite carvings in stone, which represent about
seventy different specimens of forms in nature. During its use as a
Grammar School, from 1553 to 1870, the interior suffered much injury
from the hands of the schoolboys, and was allowed to fall into a state
of ruin and decay. Shortly after the removal of the School in 1870, a
restoration was undertaken by the ladies of Hertfordshire, but their
good intentions were not carried into effect, through lack of the
necessary funds. Lord Grimthorp then generously came to the rescue, and
through his munificence the Chapel has been thoroughly and judiciously
restored. It now stands once more in all its glory, as a perfect gem of
architecture and one of the most elegant Lady Chapels in Christendom.
"Ye Chappell of oure Ladye" at Waltham Abbey is said to be one of the
richest specimens of mediaeval architecture in Essex. The building has
been greatly defaced since the suppression of chantries, but still bears
traces of its original glory. "The Lady Chapel," says the late Professor
Freeman, "must have been a most beautiful specimen of its style, but few
ancient structures have been more sedulously disfigured." It was erected
before A.D. 1292, as, during that year, Roger Levenoth, an inhabitant,
endowed the chantry, with a house and 100 acres of land in Roydon. The
Chapel was in a flourishing condition in the reign of Edward III., as we
find from the return made in obedience to the royal order, which was
issued to the master of the ceremonies of every guild and chantry in the
King's dominions. In the Court language of that period, which was
Norman French, Roger Harrof and John de Poley, the chantry priests, are
described as "meisters de la petit compaignie ordeigne al honor de Dieu
et ure Donne seyncte Marie en la Ville de Waltham seynte croice." The
architect selected, as the site of the building, the space formed by the
easternmost bay of the south aisle of the nave and the western side of
the south transept. This peculiar position indicates that it was not the
work of the monks, but that of the parishioners, who were allowed the
use of the nave as their parish church from the days of King Harold II.,
the founder. A well-known antiquarian writes: "It seems to have been
built by the parishioners, and not by the abbot and convent, and its
position is due to its occupying the only available spot, and where only
two walls wanted building. A similar case occurs at Rochester. Where the
Abbey built the Lady Chapel it was usually east of the transept--at the
east end if there was room, at the north side if otherwise."[9] The
parishioners could not erect their Lady Chapel at the east end, because
the choir or presbytery had been used as the monastic church from the
days of Henry II., who, to atone for the massacre of Thomas a Becket,
Archbishop of Canterbury, changed the secular foundation of Harold, and
introduced an abbot and monks of the Augustinian order. Another Lady
Chapel had probably been erected at the east end for the use of the
monks, in accordance with the custom of the age, but this shared the
destruction which befell the whole of the eastern portion of the church
after the dissolution of the monastery in 1540. The preservation of the
parish Lady Chapel is therefore due to its position at the west of the
presbytery. In a transcript by Peter le Neve, Norroy King at Arms, 1698,
it is stated that a chapel was dedicated at Waltham in the year 1188, by
William de Vere, Bishop of Hereford, "in honore Dei [et gloriosae
Virginis Mariae] et B. Martyris atque pontificis Thomae nomine."[10]
This has led to the conjecture that reference is made to the existing
building,[11] or to that which formerly stood at the east end.[12] But
the original Waltham manuscript shows that it does not refer to a Lady
Chapel at all, but to the Chapel of S. Thomas of Canterbury.[13]
[Footnote 9: W. H. St. John Hope, F.S.A.]
[Footnote 10: Harl. MS. 6974, fol. 106.]
[Footnote 11: Gentleman's Magazine, April, 1860, and May, 1864.]
[Footnote 12: The Builder, April 2, 1898.]
[Footnote 13: Harl. MS. 391, fol. 100.]
The masonry of the exterior of the two walls erected when the Chapel was
founded, consists of alternating bands of stone, squared bricks, and
flint, so that it produces a "poly-chromatic effect."[14] There are
three large buttresses of considerable projection, with pedimented
sets-off and slopes, one being situated at the south-west angle, and the
other two on the south of the building. Two smaller buttresses also
occupy a place on the south. Niches, with pedestals for images, are
still standing in the primary buttresses.
[Footnote 14: Professor Freeman.]