Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield Part 3

[Ill.u.s.tration: A BAY OF THE NAVE--INTERIOR.]

=The Nave.=--The view of the interior of the cathedral from the inside of the west door is, as we have said, extremely beautiful. This beauty is much enhanced by the general appearance of unity in the whole design. There seems to be no mixture of styles, and though a closer examination of the details of the interior shows that there is a very marked difference between the style in which the nave is built and that which was in vogue when the Lady Chapel and presbytery were erected; yet the whole, having been built at a time when the Early English style was giving place gradually to the Decorated, or, in the more eastern portion, when that later style was well established, the general effect of the cathedral, seen from this aspect, is one of unity. The exact date of the nave cannot be determined, and there is no direct evidence on which to base a theory; but it is very clear, from a comparison of its style with that of churches whose history is known, that it must have been commenced and carried to a speedy conclusion about the middle of the thirteenth century. Professor Willis gives the date as 1250, and other archaeologists at various dates between that and 1280. There is no doubt, at any rate, that it was built at the transitional period of the Early English style, and it would be described by some as belonging to the Early Decorated period, and by others as belonging to the geometrical period of the Decorated style. The nave, including the western front, consists of eight bays, having aisles on the north and south sides, with the same number of bays; but the s.p.a.ces underneath the two western towers are considerably larger than the other aisle bays, though not large enough to be looked upon as western transepts, as is possible in some churches where there is a similar arrangement. Many writers have complained of the insufficient height of the nave, and that the general effect is thereby spoilt, and to a very limited extent this may be true.

Probably the nave roof was at one time of much higher pitch; the course on the outside of the great tower suggests it, as also does the fact that the great west window runs into the roof. Probably the roof was lowered when the presbytery was built, and the whole roofing of the cathedral brought down to the same level.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A BAY OF THE CHOIR--INTERIOR.]

The piers are large, and consist of cl.u.s.tered shafts, lozenge-shaped in plan, set on much moulded bases, and having beautifully carved foliated capitals from which spring architrave mouldings of great variety.

From the base and up the centre of each pier runs a cl.u.s.ter of three fine columns to capitals, also foliated, at the top of the triforium; from these spring five vaulting ribs, three of which diverge to an ornamental central rib, and two to a small similarly decorated transverse rib. There are finely carved bosses at the intersection of all the various ribs. The top of each arch touches the string course, above which is the beautiful triforium. This consists of a row of double arches, each arch being sub-divided into two lights with geometrical tracery above.

The mouldings are highly decorated with dog-toothing, and the string course between the triforium and the clerestory, as well as the moulding enclosing the clerestory windows, has this same ornament, which is freely used and produces a very rich effect. The clerestory windows are spherical triangles enclosing three circles with quatrefoil cusps; the form of these windows is somewhat rare, but similar windows are to be seen at Westminster, Hereford, Carlisle, and York. The spandrels of most of the pier arches are ornamented with a large circle with five cusps, across which the vault shafts pa.s.s; this decoration will be seen again in the choir. A notable feature in these bays is the size of the triforium in proportion to the size of the pier arches and clerestory; this gives it unusual importance in the general scheme. At Lincoln, where there is a similar triforium, a very different effect is produced by its comparative smallness. The open tracery here is very much like that in Westminster Abbey. It will be seen that the dripstones of the arches and windows terminate in small sculptured heads: a usual arrangement at this period. It may be added that the beautiful capitals have scarcely been restored at all; so little damage had been done to them, that when the whitewash was removed during the recent restorations, they were found to have been hardly touched either by decay, Puritans, or previous restorers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE NAVE IN 1813.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE NAVE, LOOKING EAST.]

The roof of the nave was greatly damaged at the time of the Civil Wars--indeed, it has been said that the central spire, in its fall, completely smashed it in; but this is probably not the case, as the spire almost certainly fell on the other side of the tower. Still, it is not difficult, after reading an account of the siege, to understand that the roof would be much injured. About a century after its repair by Bishop Hacket, it was found that the great weight of the stone groining was forcing out the clerestory walls, already much weakened by rough usage, and, in consequence, Wyatt removed the stone work in several bays, and replaced it with lath and plaster work made to imitate the rest of the roofing. Sir Gilbert Scott was urged to restore the old stone vaulting, but he decided that without great structural alterations, princ.i.p.ally to the b.u.t.tresses, which he did not feel justified in making, this could not be done. The vaulting has been coloured so that the difference between the stone compartments--the most eastern and the two western ones--and the plaster compartments might not be noticed; it will easily be seen how much the clerestory walls have been thrust out. It is also interesting to note that at about the same time Wyatt restored the roof of the aisles to its old pitch. Originally, as now, the aisle roof ascended so as to reach to just below the clerestory windows. In Hollar's picture the upper portion of the triforium windows can be seen, so that they must have become practically a portion of the clerestory during this time. Investigation of the windows themselves proves that they have been glazed, and this confirms what otherwise, considering the great inexactness of the pictures of the period, could not be inferred with certainty. There is a view of the cathedral as late as 1781 showing this arrangement; but in Jackson's "History of Lichfield,"

1796, the aisle roof hides the whole of the triforium as at present.

The windows of the aisles agree well with the other windows of the nave, and have three lights with trefoiled circles in the head, while below the windows is an arcade resting on a bench, the arches of which are surmounted with pediments richly carved. There are six of these arches in each bay, and between the bays rise triple vaulting shafts with carved capitals of leaf.a.ge; from these spring three ribs running to a central rib on which are beautiful bosses like those in the nave.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE NAVE, LOOKING WEST.]

=The Great West Window.=--The tracery of this window has already been discussed in the description of the exterior. The present gla.s.s was placed there in 1869, to the memory of Canon Hutchinson, who, perhaps, of all was most eager for the restoration of the cathedral, and to whose untiring energy, it is said, is due the wholesale renovation of the interior by Sir Gilbert Scott. This window was the result of a public subscription, and is the work of Messrs Clayton & Bell. The six large figures represent St. Michael, St. Joseph, St. Mary, and the Three Magi, while underneath are small pictures of the Annunciation, the Angel warning Joseph, the Nativity, the Journey of the Magi, the Magi inquire of Herod, and the Flight into Egypt. As to the previous gla.s.s in this window, there seems to be no record of that which must have decorated it before the Civil Wars. In Shaw's "History of Staffordshire," there are long lists of the gla.s.s to be found in the cathedral; but it is difficult to decide which window is being described. After the Restoration, we have in a Bodleian MS. the following record:--"Oct. 6, 1671. Arms in the Great West Window, Arms of King Charles the Second, Crest and Supporters; Arms of James Duke of York, his brother, Crest and Supporters. And beneath them, _Serenissimus princeps Jacobus dux Ebor hanc fenestram. F.F._" Britton says it was afterwards filled with painted gla.s.s, the work of Brookes, by the legacy of Dr Addenbroke, who died dean of this cathedral in 1776.

Over the great west door in the inside of the cathedral was formerly inscribed:--

_Oswyus est Lichfield fundator, sed reparator_ _Offa fuit; regum fama perennis erit:_ _Rex Stepha.n.u.s, rex Heniricus primusque Richardus,_ _Rex et Johannis, plurima dona dabant._

_Pene haec millenos ecclesia floruit annos,_ _Duret ad extremum n.o.bilis usque diem,_ _Daque deus longum, ut floreat hae sacra aedes_ _Et celebret nomen plebs ibi sancta tuum._

_Fundata est ecclesia Merciencis_ _Quae nunc Lichfieldia dicitur_ _Facta Cathedralis_ _Anno Domini_ _DCLVII_

Dugdale, in his "Visitation of Staffordshire," gives us this inscription.

It has long since disappeared. Pennant mentions a curious or, as he calls it, "droll" epitaph on the floor near the west door, but there is no sign of it now:--"_William Roberts of Overbury, some time malster in this town (tells you) for the love I bore to choir service, I chose to be buried in this place._ He died Decr. 16th, 1768."

From a MS. quoted by Shaw we learn that before the Great War "on a fair marble gravestone, placed on the right-hand at the entrance into the choir, is this inscription on a bra.s.s plate:--

"_Here lyeth George Bullen lat dean of this church who made his own epitaph--viz._,

_Lo here in earth my body lyes,_ _Whose sinfull lyfe deserves the rod:_ _Yet I believe the same shall rise,_ _And praise the mercies of my G.o.d._ _As for my soule let none take thought,_ _It is with him that hath it bought;_ _For G.o.d on me doth mercy take_ _For nothing else but Jhesus sake._"

Bullen or Boleyn was dean during the greater part of the reign of Elizabeth, who offered him the bishopric of Worcester, which he refused. Elizabeth, it will be remembered, was the daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose kinsman the dean was.

=The Font= stands between the first and second pillars from the west door on the north side of the nave. It is quite modern, and is the gift of the Honourable Mrs Henry Howard, widow of the late dean. It is made of alabaster and Caen stone, and is supported on marble pillars. There are four sculptured panels in relief, representing--"The Entry into the Ark," "The Pa.s.sage of the Red Sea," "The Baptism of our Lord," and "The Resurrection." Between these there are niches containing figures of St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Chad, and St. Helen.

A curious old font was discovered in 1856 immediately under the place where the present altar stands. It was very simple in form, being about a yard and a half square and two feet thick, with a hemispherical cavity in it. It had been coloured bright red, and was much cracked, as though it had been subjected to intense heat. How it came where it was is not known. It may have been discarded as rubbish or hidden as a relic.

=The Pulpit= is in the nave, and is fixed to the north-western pier of the tower. Its design and execution were by Sir Gilbert Scott and Mr Skidmore respectively, who were also responsible for the choir screen. The pulpit is of wrought-iron, bra.s.s, copper, enamels, and marble. In the middle there is a bronze group representing St. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost. There are stairs on each side of the pulpit. The bra.s.s =Lectern= is also modern, and is in the usual form of an eagle. It was presented by the members of the Lichfield Theological College, and was executed by Mr Hardman of Birmingham. The =Litany Desk= is by Messrs Rattee & Kett of Cambridge, the well-known carvers; and the =Bishop's Chair=, which stands under the great tower, was presented by the clergy of Derbyshire when that county was transferred from this diocese to the new diocese of Southwell. The chair is not of striking beauty.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NORTH AISLE OF NAVE, LOOKING EAST.]

In the North Aisle of the Nave there are several monuments and some modern gla.s.s. The window in the north-west tower has recently been adorned with gla.s.s to the memory of Bishop Lonsdale, under whom the recent restoration commenced. The subject is "The Presentation of Christ in the Temple," and it is the work of Messrs Burlison & Grylls. Close to this is a tablet, originally placed in the north transept by order of Ann Seward, who had considerable fame as a poetess in the last century, to the memory of her father, Canon Seward, his wife and daughter Sarah. It also commemorates her own death. The lines are by Sir Walter Scott, but it is impossible to be enthusiastic over them. They end--

"_Honour'd beloved, and mourn'd here Seward lies;_ _Her worth, her warmth of heart, our sorrows say,--_ _Go seek her genius in her living lay._"

There is a representation of the poetess mourning her dead relatives, while her harp is hanging neglected on a tree. On the other side is a memorial tablet to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who was a native of Lichfield. In these days of anti-vaccination agitations it is interesting to read the inscription which runs:--

"_The Right Honourable Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who happily introduced from Turkey into this country the Salutary Art of inoculating the Smallpox. Convinced of its efficacy, she first tried it with success on her own children, and then recommended the practice of it to her fellow-citizens. Thus, by her example and advice, we have softened the Virulence and escaped the danger of this Malignant Disease. To perpetuate the memory of such benevolence, and to express the grat.i.tude for the benefit she hereby has received from this Alleviating Art, this Monument is erected by Henrietta Inge, Relict of Theodore William Inge, Esq., and Daughter of Sir John Wrotesley, Baronet. In the year of Our Lord, 1789._"

Close at hand is a tablet in memory of Mr Gilbert Walmesley, who was registrar of the diocese, and an early and close friend of Dr Johnson. Of him the latter wrote, in his life of Edmund Smith (one of the well-known "Lives of the Poets"), that pa.s.sage which contains the celebrated sentence about David Garrick so often quoted. Speaking of Gilbert Walmesley, he says that he is "not able to name a man of equal knowledge. His acquaintance with books was great; such was his amplitude of learning, and such his copiousness of communication, that it may be doubted whether a day now pa.s.ses in which I have not some advantage from his friendship. At this man's table I enjoyed many cheerful and instructive hours with companions such as are not often found; with one who has lengthened, and one who has gladdened life; with Dr James, whose skill in physic will be long remembered, and with David Garrick, whose death has eclipsed the gaiety of nations, and impoverished the public stock of harmless pleasure."

There are other monuments in this aisle, but they are scarcely of such general interest. Here are tablets in memory of Jane and Catherine Jervis and of Elizabeth and Arabella Buchanan. There is a stained gla.s.s window by Messrs Burlison & Grylls containing three large figures of Joshua, St. Michael, and the Centurion, with, underneath, pictures of the Angel appearing to Joshua, the Centurion at the Cross, and the Centurion coming to Our Lord; above, in the tracery of the window, are angels. This window was the gift of the officers of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment; on one side are their Peninsular, and on the other their Crimean colours, which the dean and chapter received from the regiment with much ceremony in 1886 and 1887 respectively. Beneath the window is a bra.s.s in memory of those members of the regiment who died in the Peninsula, first Burmah, Crimean, and Egyptian (1882) wars, and the Indian Mutiny. There are also bra.s.ses to Lieutenant-Colonels Sinclair and Eyre and the officers and men of this regiment who fell in the first Soudan war, and also bra.s.ses to Colonel Bromley Davenport and Sir Arthur Scott, Bart. Here, too, is a window in memory of Canon Madan, his wife and children: the subject being Faith, Hope, and Charity. In the window next the transept is some quite new gla.s.s in memory of Canon Curteis, the large figures representing Samuel, St. Paul, and Origen, while below are Samuel teaching the Sons of the Prophets, St. Paul saying farewell to the Elders at Miletus, and St. Catherine and the Philosophers of Alexandria.

The famous Dr Stukeley, writing about 1715, says: "As you walk down the north aisle, by a little doorway, formerly a chapel, where lay several figures now demolished, yet one remains, who was dean Yotton, his coat of arms at his head and Yot with a tun by it which shows his name." The only remaining sign of this chapel is the entrance, which can be plainly seen from the outside of the cathedral.

In the =South Aisle of the Nave=, at the west end, there is a monument to Dean Addison, the father of the great essayist and poet; he died in 1703. His memorial slab is now under the Jesus Tower, but formerly it was on the north of the west door. The gla.s.s in the window of the tower is in memory of Dean Howard, during whose time as dean so much of the work of restoration was done, and who so munificently aided the work. This gla.s.s, which is by Messrs Burlison & Grylls, represents St. Michael and the Dragon, and St. Chad. The other gla.s.s on this side is the window of the fifth bay, by Messrs Clayton & Bell, the subjects being Our Lord and Lazarus, Our Lord and Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene washing Our Lord's feet; in the next bay the gla.s.s, by Messrs Ward & Hughes, shows Faith, Hope, and Charity; in the seventh bay the gla.s.s is by Messrs Clayton & Bell, and has David and Goliath for its subject, and is in memory of the officers of the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment who fell in the Indian Mutiny. There is in the eighth bay a window by Hardman in memory of Helen, wife of Josiah Spode. Between the aisle and the nave there is a bra.s.s in the floor in memory of the late Earl of Lichfield, placed there in 1854. There are several other modern bra.s.ses and tablets.

In this aisle are two of the three semi-effigies to be seen in the cathedral. These show only the heads and the feet. Britton says: "They are said to represent two old canons of the church; and are evidently of ancient date, as they appear to have been placed in the present situation at the time of building or finishing the nave." One of these is in a better state of preservation than the other, and shows in the drapery the remains of colour.

=The Transepts= are earlier than the nave in style, having been built in the beginning of the thirteenth century: the south transept first, and then the north. It must have been for these transepts that Henry III., in 1235 and 1238, granted licences to the dean and chapter of Lichfield to dig stone from the royal forest of Hopwas for the new fabric of the church of Lichfield. Whether these ecclesiastics did more harm than the king liked in digging on the first occasion cannot be said, but on the second occasion they are permitted "fodere petram ad fabricam ecclesiae suae de Lichefeld in quarrera de Hopwas; ita tamen quod hoc fiat sine detrimento forestae nostrae"--that is to say, they were to do as little damage as possible.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARCADE, WITH SEMI-EFFIGY, IN SOUTH AISLE.]

The transepts have three bays each, with eastern aisles, the aisle belonging to the north transept being very much the larger. There can be no doubt that when the Norman transepts were standing there were no aisles; nor were any contemplated when the choir was built, for, as Professor Willis says: "The side walls of the choir are continued to the transepts, and had windows in the part looking into the present transept aisles. Probably when the choir was built Norman transepts were standing, and had each an apsidal chapel looking east in the usual manner."

The history of the roof is extremely interesting. We know that "in 1243 King Henry III. issued a commission to Walter Grey, Archbishop of York, to expedite the works at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, in which he orders a lofty wooden roof, like the roof of the new work at Lichfield, to appear like stone work, with good ceiling (_celatura?_) and painting. The transepts of Lichfield have now stone vaults, considerably later than the walls, and, therefore, may have had a wooden vault at first. The date would suit the transepts better than the choir, and it may be remarked that the early abacus of the vault shaft (at least, in the south transept) is surmounted by a second abacus in the Perpendicular style, which shows the later construction of the springing stones of the present stone vault." The low stone vaulting has destroyed the effect which the original windows in the north and south ends of the transepts must have produced. At the south end was probably a large five-light Early English window, surmounted by a rose window. The rose window still remains, but, being above the present groining, cannot be seen from inside the cathedral; the five lights are replaced by a nine-light obtuse-headed window, which seems much too large for the transept; and this effect is increased by the extreme whiteness and transparency of its gla.s.s. At the north end, the five-light window is surmounted with three small lights, but these last again are hidden in the roof.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DETAIL OF A SEMI-EFFIGY.]

The windows in the transepts have seen many changes, and are now mostly in the Perpendicular manner, the exceptions being in the west wall of the south transept, and the north window just referred to. Until 1892 this was a large Perpendicular window--which, though early, and prior to the Civil War, was a manifest intrusion on the s.p.a.ce originally occupied by an Early English window. The old design, which is not unlike that of the famous window at York, has again taken its place. Canon Lonsdale says that this change is "in every sense a restoration: for, on taking out the Perpendicular window, and removing such of the stone work as was defective on either side, the headings of the five Early English lights, which had unquestionably composed the original window, were discovered, hidden away by the later workmen. The cusps, or headings, of the lights, as they are now seen from the inside, are, with the exception of six stones, the very identical material which the Early English builders carved, and placed in that spot. Of these six missing stones, three have since been discovered during the work going on in the south transept."

There can be no doubt that some of the Perpendicular work in the cathedral is due to the general repair at the Restoration; but Professor Willis declares that many of the changes are earlier, and that they were perhaps effected in the time between Bishops Heyworth and Blythe, 1420 to 1503. The engravings of Hollar, already referred to, were published before 1660, and show Perpendicular windows in the gable of the south transept and in the clerestory; and though from these pictures nothing can be gleaned about the north transept, the character of the Perpendicular work was such that it also, as has just been stated, must have been prior to the Rebellion. It is possible, on the outside western face of the north transept, to trace the old lancet windows, which must have been arranged in groups of three, while the lower windows on the west side of the south transept are still in their old form, though on this side there are only two lancets to each bay. It may be mentioned here that underneath these last windows, on the outside, there is an arcading with simple pointed arches which does not appear on the other transept. Inside the arcading differs in the two transepts; in the south and older one the pointed arches are plain, while on the north they are cusped. This arcading is almost entirely new; what there was of it until recently was princ.i.p.ally of plaster.

From the ground plan of this cathedral published by Browne Willis in 1727, we see that the whole of the aisle of the north transept is described as "The Bishop's Consistory Court and St. Stephen's Chapel," while the aisle of the south transept is divided into two parts, the southern being called "The Dean's Consistory Court," the northern "The Vicar's Vestry." St.

Stephen's Chapel was in the inner bay of the aisle; and it has been suggested that "the chantry of St. Anne and the image of Jesus" was in the rood loft of the same transept.

In the =North Transept= are many memorial tablets, but it cannot be said that they are of general interest either from their beauty, age, or on account of the eminence of the persons commemorated. On the west side of the steps down from the north door is the curious monument to Dean Heywood, who died in 1492, and whose benefactions are mentioned in their proper places. The monument is sadly decayed, but there is a print of it in Shaw's "Staffordshire," taken, says Britton, from Dugdale's "Visitation." From this we know that the upper part is now missing; the lower part, which remains, shows the skeleton of the dean--his body after death--while above was his representation in full canonical costume. Similar monuments may be seen at St. John's College, Cambridge, in the chapel, and at Exeter and Lincoln Cathedrals. On the other side of the door is a large modern monument to Archdeacon Iles, who died in 1888: the figure is rec.u.mbent. Above the door is a marble tablet to Dean Woodhouse; he gave the gla.s.s--now in the Guildhall--which filled the Perpendicular window recently replaced by the present Early English window. The new gla.s.s, and indeed the new window, was given by Mr James Chadwick of Hints Hall, near Tamworth; it is known as the Jesse window, and gives the genealogy of our Lord according to St. Matthew. The figures beginning from the west side represent (1) Achaz, Asa, Abia; (2) Ezekias, Solomon, Roboam; (3) the Virgin Mary and Child, Salathiel, David, Jesse; (4) Josias, Josaphat, Joram; (5) Mana.s.ses, Joatham, Ozias; with angels in the four side lights. The inscription under the window says: "Hanccine fenestram Jacobus Chadwick de vico Hints reficiendam vitroque picto ornandam impensis suis curavit. A.D. MDCCCXCIII." Messrs Clayton & Bell are responsible for this window.

The whole of the aisle of this transept is taken up with the organ, in front of which a metal screen or gryll was placed in 1881 by the officers and men of the 80th Regiment, in memory of their comrades who fell in the Zulu War. The screen is ornamented with imitations of Zulu shields and a.s.segais. There are many tablets in this aisle, but they are entirely hidden by the organ.

=The Organ= was presented by Mr Spode of Hawkesyard Park, near Lichfield, in 1860, and was first used at the reopening in 1861; in 1884 it needed repair, and was then very much enlarged by Messrs Hill & Son, the well-known organ-builders of London, the expense being defrayed by voluntary subscriptions. It was dedicated, at the same time as the restored west front, in the presence of a vast concourse of people, on May 29th, 1884. The console of the organ is now behind the stalls in the first bay of the south aisle of the choir. It is interesting to learn from Canon Lonsdale that, when it was found necessary to build an engine-house in the close to supply motive power to the organ, in digging out the chamber, somewhat to the east of the steps leading to the north door, two or three cannon b.a.l.l.s and the remains of a sh.e.l.l were unearthed at a short distance from the surface.

The present organ is the successor to many other organs. The first of which there is any record was given to the cathedral by Dean Heywood, as is known from this entry in the _Cantaria S. Blasii_, in the cathedral library: "Magna organa in pulpito. Item cito post festum nativitatis Sancti Johannis Baptiste. Anno domini MCCCC. octogesimo secundo. ex providencia et sumptibus magistri Thome Heywode decani antedicti. conferuntur ecclesi cath lich organa nova magnae quant.i.tatis. et formae decentis. ad honorem sancti cedde et ornamentirm ecclesiae precij xxvi. Li. iij.s. iiij.d. totalitur de sumptibus et expensis predicti decani. Sma xxvj. Li. iij.s. iiij.d."

Dean Heywood also presented another organ, which was known as the Jesus organ; but it was much smaller presumably, as it cost rather less than half as much.

The next time there is mention of an organ is in 1634, when, in an account of their travels by three tourists, they say: "The organs and voices were deep and sweet, their anthems we were much delighted with, and of the voyces, 2 Trebles, 2 Counter-tenors, and 2 Bases, that equally on each side of the Quire most melodiously acted and performed their parts."

The organ here referred to, however "deep and sweet," was not considered good enough, for in 1636, according to a deed still preserved in the cathedral, the dean and chapter purchased an organ from Robert Dallam of Covent Garden, which, no doubt, "was the pair of organs valued at 200" destroyed by the Puritans. The organ that Hacket set up was obtained by the subscriptions of ladies; the bishop writes: "An Organ is bespoke at 600 price, to be call'd the Ladies Organ, because none but the honourable and most pious of that s.e.x shall contribute to that sum." The names of the chief subscribers were written on the organ: "Ill.u.s.trissima heroina Francisca ducissima Somersetensis.