Cathedral Cities of England Part 3

Lichfield

Licefelle.

("Doomsday Book.")

Lichfield, the ancient cathedral city of Staffordshire, has the best existing type of the fourteenth-century English church. It is memorable also as the birthplace of Dr. Johnson. Through the generosity of Alderman Gilbert the Corporation has purchased the house in which Dr.

Johnson was born, with his statue opposite it, and has opened it to the public, much in the same way as that of Shakespeare's at Stratford-on-Avon. Lichfield is about sixteen miles to the north of Birmingham, and lies in a fertile valley, on a small tributary of the Trent.

The Venerable Bede, in his accounts of this city, calls it Licidfeld, being supposed to mean "Field of the Dead." It appears that a large number of Christians, in the reign of Diocletian, was ma.s.sacred just in the neighbourhood, and thus originated the name Lichfeld, now altered to Lichfield. The termination "feld" was clearly introduced from over the water, for it still exists in the Low Countries, and bears the same meaning. As to what connection exists between "licid" and "dead," we cannot clearly understand.

In 669 Lichfield became an episcopal see, over which St. Chad was the first bishop. He left behind him a work, in the form of his Gospels. For a short time, namely, in the reign of Offa, it was raised to the dignity of an archbishopric, but the Primacy was restored to Canterbury in 803.

The See of Lichfield was, in 1075, transferred to Chester, and from there, a few years later, to Coventry. Eventually, in 1148, Lichfield recovered its see. In 1305 the town received a charter of incorporation, and has since returned members to Parliament. It was raised to the dignity of a city by Edward VI., 1549.

The original Norman Cathedral no longer exists. In its stead there is a beautiful structure of Early English style, dating either from the end of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century.

Mr. Collins gives us an excellent idea of the wonderful and elaborate architecture of the west front. It seems that the architect generally lavished his best powers on the west front, as if to arrest the attention of the worshipper prior to entry. The west front was, and is now, invariably the chief entrance to the church. There is no doubt that the entrance was here specially situated with a view of continuing the first great impression. There is nothing grander and more impressive in cathedral architecture than to view the gradual unfolding of the interior as the sight becomes more accustomed to the sudden transition of the outside glare of day to the subdued light inside.

Nothing can be more symbolical of religion in church structure than to observe the trend of architectural lines in perspective. If the eye follow the upward course of the central and side aisles, and the downward sweep of the caps of columns, arches and walls diminishing in true perspective lines, it will be seen that they converge to the holiest place of the sacred edifice--the altar, the point of sight for all.

This Cathedral received, like other mighty buildings, similar ill-treatment during the Civil Wars. It was converted into stables by the parliamentary troops, who created havoc amongst its rich sculptures.

In 1651 it was set on fire, and, by order of Parliament, was stripped of its lead, and left to neglect and decay.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LICHFIELD

THE WEST FRONT]

The damage was repaired by Bishop Hackett in 1671. The Restoration has not long been completed, various improvements having been made.

Under the superintendence of Mr. Wyatt, the choir was enlarged by the removal of the screen in front of the Lady Chapel. The transepts are richly ornamented, and contain certain portions of Norman architecture.

The windows are worked in beautiful tracery. The choir is in the Decorated style of English architecture.

St. Mary's Chapel is an elegant design by Bishop Langton. For the central window was painted "The Resurrection," by Eggington, from a design by Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first president of the Royal Academy.

In this same chapel there was the rich shrine to St. Chad, which was demolished at the Dissolution.

There is a great central tower of two hundred and eighty-five feet in height, besides two western spires one hundred and eighty-three feet.

The total length of the building from east to west is about four hundred feet. By the north aisle is the Chapter-house. It is a ten-sided building of great beauty, with a vaulted roof supported on a central cl.u.s.tered column.

The memory of Bishops Hackett, Langton, and Pattishul is kept alive by their monuments, which escaped the ravages of Cromwell's troops. A monument to Dr. Samuel Johnson, a bust of Garrick, and a mutilated statue of Captain Stanley, serve to remind us of their departure from this world. Chantrey is responsible for a monument to the memory of the infant children of Mrs. Robinson.

Oxford

Oxenford.

("Doomsday Book.")

The greatness of the city of Oxford, a contraction of Oxenford, as quaintly depicted on the armorial shield by an ill-drawn ox making tentative efforts to cross a ford represented by horizontal zigzag waves, consists in its magnificent colleges, not huddled together, but dotted in all directions. Some authorities derive the name from Ouseford, from the river Ouse, now the Isis, and that the wealthy abbey, erected on an island in this river, was named Ouseney, or Osney, from the same source.

Dida.n.u.s, an early Saxon prince, is credited with a monastic establishment, about the year 730, dedicated to St. Mary and All Saints, and founded for twelve sisters of n.o.ble birth. His daughter Frideswide was first abbess, and was after death canonised and buried in the abbey dedicated to St. Frideswide.

The origin of the city is attributed by some historians to the establishment of schools by Alfred the Great, whilst, on the other hand, it is demonstrated to have existed many years prior to this monarch's reign, as far back as 802, by an act of confirmation by Pope Martin II., which sets it forth as an ancient academy of learning. It has its market-place and other essentials, like every town; but take away the colleges, and with them sweep away all the traditions that have sprung up and const.i.tuted that university which brooks no rival excepting Cambridge, the city would no longer be a city, but, at the most, an overgrown village.

There is no doubt that the colleges were the gradual development of monastic inst.i.tutions. The hall of nowadays and the kitchens and b.u.t.tery-hatch are simply the survivals of the refectory of the mediaeval days. The compulsory morning attendance of students, on most days during term-time, to prayers in chapel, is again a survival of the matutinal devotions of the monks. In the early days of monasticism the inmates of the ecclesiastical buildings were the only recipients of learning and exponents of illuminated ma.n.u.scripts, in addition to the knowledge of some trade or other. A few, perhaps, of the laity, who were favourites and might possibly be admitted as novices, were permitted to partake of this knowledge, but being brought up in the convent their sympathy and grat.i.tude would be entirely with their benefactors. Nevertheless, as time went on and a thirst for knowledge of letters increased, this introduction of novices became the thin end of the wedge to the downfall of the monastic power, which was consummated by Henry VIII. in the year 1525.

On the site of the monastery of St. Frideswide Cardinal Wolsey founded a college, then named Cardinal College, but now known as Christ Church. On the disgrace of this famous prelate, Henry VIII. completed the establishment, under the name of Henry the Eighth's College. It is necessary to make this slight mention of the college, for no doubt its great accommodation influenced the removal of the episcopal see from Osney, and const.i.tuted the elevation of the Church of St. Frideswide into a cathedral. This removal necessitated the change of name to Christ Church, under which is comprised the sacred edifice and college. This has given rise to a unique position. The Cathedral is not only a cathedral of the city, but is a n.o.ble and immense chapel of the college, and the Dean occupies the singular position not only as the Dean of the church but also as the Dean of the college.

Spread out before the chief and only entrance of the church is Tom Quadrangle, with a paved walk extending all round, and raised a few steps above the circular carriage drive which encloses a lawn, with the pond famous for the ducking of students unpopular with their contemporaries.

There are evidences, at one time, of the existence of pillars supporting a roof, covering the whole extent of the broad-flagged pavement of this quadrangle. The princ.i.p.al entrance to this quadrangle is through Tom Tower, from which daily, about nine in the evening, the huge bell booms forth one hundred and one strokes, the signal for all colleges to close their portals, and the dealing out of pecuniary fines to all late-comers. The lower part of this tower, up to the two smaller towers, is Wolsey's, whilst the upper and incongruous half is the conception of Wren. In spite of this, it is a n.o.ble-looking structure, as can be seen by looking at the water-colour of Mr. Collins.

The Cathedral cannot strictly be termed imposing, as so little of it is visible externally. It is hemmed in on all sides by the college precincts, and jammed, as it were, into a corner, presents a rather undignified appearance, and not at all in accordance with the usual proud position of a cathedral. It shows to best advantage when viewed from the side of the river Thames, exhibiting, as it does, its beautiful spire. This spire, of Early English architecture, is one of the earliest in the kingdom, though forming no part of the original design. It is planted on the top of the central tower of the Cathedral, which is a cruciform Norman structure.

[Ill.u.s.tration: OXFORD

CHRISTCHURCH. INTERIOR OF THE NAVE]

The interior presents many interesting portions of singular beauty and design; the arches of the nave, which have been partly demolished, are in a double series, the tower springing from corbels on the piers. The remains of the nave, transepts and choir arches date from the twelfth century; and the Church of St. Frideswide, or, as it is now known, Christ Church. The beautifully groined roof of the choir is decorated with pendants, presenting a rich appearance.

The Latin Chapel has several windows in the Decorated style, whilst the Dean's Chapel possesses a monument in the same style, with beautiful canopied niches, and the shrine of St. Frideswide, most elaborately designed in the Late style of English architecture. During the Parliamentary war many windows were destroyed.

It is interesting to note the various vicissitudes of the city in history. It suffered terrible visitations from the Danes, who burnt it on three separate occasions. For refusing to submit to the Conqueror, in 1067, Oxford was taken by storm and given to Robert D'Oily. William Rufus held a council in the town under Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, with other bishops a.s.sisting, to defeat a conspiracy formed against him by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, in favour of Robert, Duke of Normandy.

Stephen a.s.sembled a council of the n.o.bility here, to whom he promised to abolish the tax called "Dane Gelt," and to restore the laws of Edward the Confessor. By way of digression it is interesting to note that the Flemings still use the word "geld" (money), which is a corruption of "gelt."

When Henry II. and Thomas a Becket fell out the monarch held a parliament at Oxford to undermine the Pope's authority, who had laid an interdict on the kingdom.

In 1167 he again summoned here another parliament, to part.i.tion Ireland among faithful subjects who had achieved the conquest of it. The citizens of Oxford contributed handsomely to the ransom of Richard I.

when detained prisoner in Austria. King John managed here in 1204, through the aid of a parliament, to raise liberal supplies. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, held here a synod for reforming ecclesiastical abuses. Parliament was again a.s.sembled in this ancient city by Henry III., in which he a.s.sumed the government, and revoked the grant of Magna Charta and the Charter of Forests, on the plea that he signed them when a minor. In 1319 Pondras, son of a tanner at Exeter, caused some commotion at Oxford, declaring that he was the rightful heir of Edward I., and had been stolen and exchanged for the reigning prince, Edward II. For the imposture he was executed at Northampton.

Later on a conspiracy was formed to a.s.sa.s.sinate Henry IV., at a tournament to be held here, and to restore the deposed monarch, Richard II., to the throne. It signally failed, and the Earls of Kent and Salisbury, Sir Thomas Blount, and others were executed near Oxford.

The next event of importance was the influence of Henry VIII., who raised Oxford to the dignity of a see, separating it from the Diocese of Lincoln. Wolsey also left his mark, as he invariably did wherever he went. During Henry VIII.'s reign Erasmus, a native of Holland, came to Oxford to aid the progress of learning.

He taught Greek, but the violence of the popish party drove him from thence, as the study of the ancient language was deemed a dangerous innovation. In 1555 Oxford witnessed the terrible death of Latimer and Ridley, condemned to be burned at the stake. Their Protestant tendencies had incurred Queen Mary's resentment, and a bra.s.s cross let into the centre of the road, near Balliol College, marks the site, and is a pathetic reminder of their martyrdom. Soon after Cranmer followed, recanting all belief in the Pope's supremacy, and in transubstantiation.

In the time of Henry VIII. Cranmer was instrumental in getting the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Commandments, and the Litany translated into English, for hitherto it had been customary to conduct the Church services in Latin.

In 1625 and 1665 king and Parliament hurriedly retreated from the plague in London to adjourn to Oxford. In the Parliamentary war Oxford played a prominent part, and in 1681 Charles II. dissolved Parliament at Westminster, only to a.s.semble a new one in the university city.

[Ill.u.s.tration: OXFORD

CHRISTCHURCH GATEWAY]

But the great events that go to the making of England's history have been contributed by men whose names are inscribed upon the books of the various colleges of Oxford. The Cathedral College, Christ Church, claims the three great English revivalists: Wycliffe; the chief of the Lollards; John Wesley, founder of Methodism; and Pusey.