Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Rochester Part 9

#John Thomas# was then bishop from 1774 until his death in 1793.

#Samuel Horsley#, born in 1733; a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1767, and one of its secretaries in 1773; Archdeacon of St. Alban's in 1782; resigned his membership of the Royal Society on account of the dispute, in 1783-4, with Sir Joseph Banks about its management; in 1785 he completed his edition of Newton's works; Prebendary of Gloucester, in 1787; Bishop of St. David's in 1788; translated to Rochester, with the deanery Westminster, in 1793, and thence to St. Asaph in 1802; died in 1806, showing his carelessness in money matters by letting a life policy for 5,000 lapse two days before his death; had engaged much in controversy with Priestley.

The Bishops of Rochester during this century have been #Thomas Dampier#, from 1802 to 1808, when he was translated to Ely; #Walter King#, from 1809 to 1827; #Hugh Percy#, appointed in 1827 but translated in the same year to Carlisle; #George Murray#, from 1827 to 1860; #Joseph Cotton Wigram#, from 1860 to 1867; #Thomas Legh Claughton#, from 1867 until his transfer to the new see of St. Alban's in 1877; #Anthony Wilson Thorold#, from 1877 until his translation to Winchester in 1891; #Dr. Randall Thomas Davidson#, who succeeded Dr. Thorold at Rochester, and again, on his death, at Winchester in 1895, and #Dr. Edward Stuart Talbot#, appointed in 1895, and still governing the diocese. These have all been worthy of their distinguished position and of their predecessors in the see.

CHISWICK PRESS:--CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.

TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

Bell's Cathedral Series.

EDITED BY GLEESON WHITE AND E. F. STRANGE.

_In specially designed cloth cover, crown 8vo, 1s. 6d. each._

Now Ready: CANTERBURY. SALISBURY.

CHESTER. ROCHESTER.

In Preparation: EXETER. LINCOLN. ST. ALBANS.

OXFORD. NORWICH. ST. PAUL'S.

DURHAM. WORCESTER. WELLS.

CARLISLE. HEREFORD. WINCHESTER.

RIPON. GLOUCESTER. BRISTOL.

ELY. LICHFIELD. YORK.

PETERBOROUGH. CHICHESTER.

#First Opinions of the Press.#

"For the purpose at which they aim they are admirably done, and there are few visitants to any of our n.o.ble shrines who will not enjoy their visit the better for being furnished with one of these delightful books, which can be slipped into the pocket and carried with ease, and is yet distinct and legible.... A volume such as that on Canterbury is exactly what we want, and on our next visit we hope to have it with us. It is thoroughly helpful, and the views of the fair city and its n.o.ble cathedral are beautiful. Both volumes, moreover, will serve more than a temporary purpose, and are trustworthy as well as delightful."--_Notes and Queries._

"We have so frequently in these columns urged the want of cheap well-ill.u.s.trated, and well-written handbooks to our cathedrals, to take the place of the out-of-date publications of local booksellers, that we are glad to hear that they have been taken in hand by Messrs. George Bell and Sons."--_St. James's Gazette._

"Visitors to the cathedral cities of England must often have felt the need of some work dealing with the history and antiquities of the city itself, and the architecture and a.s.sociations of the cathedral, more portable than the elaborate monographs which have been devoted to some of them, more scholarly and satisfying than the average local guide-book, and more copious than the section devoted to them in the general guide-book of the county or district. Such a legitimate need the 'Cathedral Series' now being issued by Messrs. George Bell and Sons under the editorship of Mr. Gleeson White and Mr. E. F. Strange seems well calculated to supply. The volumes, two of which relating to Canterbury and Salisbury have already been issued, are handy in size, moderate in price, well ill.u.s.trated, and written in a scholarly spirit.

The history of cathedral and city is intelligently set forth and accompanied by a descriptive survey of the building in all its detail.

The ill.u.s.trations are copious and well selected, and the series bids fair to become an indispensable companion to the cathedral tourist in England."--_Times._

"They are nicely produced in good type, on good paper, and contain numerous ill.u.s.trations, are well written, and very cheap. We should imagine architects and students of architecture will be sure to buy the series as they appear, for they contain in brief much valuable information."--_British Architect._

"Half the charm of this little book on Canterbury springs from the writer's recognition of the historical a.s.sociation of so majestic a building with the fortunes, destinies, and habits of the English people.... One admirable feature of the book is its artistic ill.u.s.trations. They are both lavish and satisfactory--even when regarded with critical eyes."--_Speaker._

"Every aspect of Salisbury is pa.s.sed in swift, picturesque survey in this charming little volume, and the ill.u.s.trations in this case also heighten perceptibly the romantic appeal of an unconventional but scholarly guide-book."--_Speaker._

"There is likely to be a large demand for these attractive handbooks."--_Globe._

"Bell's 'Cathedral Series,' so admirably edited by Mr. Gleeson White, is more than a description of the various English cathedrals. It will be a valuable historical record, and a work of much service also to the architect. We have received the small volumes devoted to Salisbury and Canterbury. The ill.u.s.trations are well selected, and in many cases not mere bald architectural drawings but reproductions of exquisite stone fancies, touched in their treatment by fancy and guided by art."--_Star._

"Each of them contains exactly that amount of information which the intelligent visitor, who is not a specialist, will wish to have. The disposition of the various parts is judiciously proportioned, and the style is very readable. The ill.u.s.trations supply a further important feature; they are both numerous and good. Taken altogether, therefore, the two 'Guides' very worthily inaugurate a series which cannot fail to be welcomed by all who are interested in the ecclesiastical buildings of England."--_Glasgow Herald._

"Those who, either for purposes of professional study or for a cultured recreation, find it expedient to 'do' the English cathedrals will welcome the beginning of Bell's 'Cathedral Series.' This set of books, edited generally by Mr. Gleeson White, is an attempt to consult, more closely and in greater detail than the usual guide-books do, the needs of visitors to the cathedral towns. To judge it by its first two volumes, those on Canterbury and Salisbury, the series cannot but prove markedly successful. In each book a business-like description is given of the fabric of the church to which the volume relates, and an interesting history of the relative diocese. The books are plentifully ill.u.s.trated, and are thus made attractive as well as instructive. They cannot but prove welcome to all cla.s.ses of readers interested either in English Church history or in ecclesiastical architecture."--_Scotsman._

"A set of little books which may be described as very useful, very pretty, and very cheap ... and alike in the letterpress, the ill.u.s.trations, and the remarkably choice binding, they are ideal guides."--_Liverpool Daily Post._

"They have nothing in common with the almost invariably wretched local guides save portability, and their only compet.i.tors in the quality and quant.i.ty of their contents are very expensive and mostly rare works, each of a size that suggests a packing-case rather than a coat-pocket.

The 'Cathedral Series' are important compilations concerning history, architecture, and biography, and quite popular enough for such as take any sincere interest in their subjects."--_Sketch._

LONDON: GEORGE BELL AND SONS.