Cathedral Cities of England Part 4

Samuel Wesley, the father of Samuel, John, and Charles, entered Exeter College as a "pauper scholaris," and was an eminent divine. His son Samuel, the intimate a.s.sociate of Pope, Swift, and Prior, wrote squibs against Sir Robert Walpole, the Whigs, and the Low Church divines, and was a member of Christ Church, as well as Charles. These three brothers compiled the "Book of Psalms and Hymns," Charles alone composed and published some four thousand hymns, besides leaving about two thousand in ma.n.u.script.

Pusey, born near Oxford in 1800, entered as a commoner and died as a canon of Christ Church, at the age of eighty-two.

The great scholar of Corpus Christi, John Keble, became member of that college at the age of fifteen, and when nineteen was elected Fellow of Oriel,--a very proud distinction, for Oriel was then the great centre of the most famous intellects in Oxford.

To this society belonged Copleston, Davison, Whately, and soon after Keble's election Arnold, Pusey, and Newman became members. Newman, whose tendencies were in turn Evangelical and Calvinistic, to become finally cardinal, matriculated at Trinity College. Amongst other famous members of Wolsey's foundation must be included the statesmen William Gladstone and the late Marquis of Salisbury.

Other distinguished inmates of this college are Anthony Ashley Cooper, the seventh earl of Shaftesbury, who interested himself in the practical welfare of the working cla.s.ses; and John Ruskin, author of "The Stones of Venice," whose father had at first conceived the ambition of seeing him become bishop; Cecil Rhodes, the Imperialist, whose health was so uncertain that at one time his doctor gave him only six months to live, acquired wealth in South Africa, and came home to be admitted to Oriel, Oxford.

The author of "Alice in Wonderland," under the _nom de plume_ of "Lewis Carroll," was also a student of Christ Church. As Charles Lutridge Dodgson he wrote many important works on mathematics.

These, with a host of other celebrated men of all the various colleges, have all shed l.u.s.tre upon their _alma mater_; and, as long as old traditions be revered and followed, Oxford need never fear a decline.

The beautiful buildings, collegiate and ecclesiastical, the wonderful university libraries, "The Bodleian" and "The Ashmolean," the sumptuous plate and silver of the colleges, are some of the great features of this cathedral city.

Such, in brief, is the history of this prominent seat of learning.

Peterborough

St. Petrius de Burgh.

("Doomsday Book.")

This ancient cathedral city of Peterborough is most curiously situated.

On first looking at the map it is extremely difficult to determine off-hand to which of the three counties, Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, or Cambridgeshire, it belongs. It is true part of the city lies in Huntingdonshire. Happily for Northamptonshire, the near proximity of the river Nene probably decided the worthy monks to select that site for the monastery. It was dedicated to St. Peter, whose saintly name was evidently borrowed to designate the name of the borough, and to displace the original appellation, which was Medeswelhamsted, or Medeshampsted, taken out of compliment to a whirlpool in the river Aufona, now the Nene. Though we are told that this monastery was founded, about 655, by a royal Christian convert, Paeda, the fifth king of Mercia, and finished by his brother, Wulfhere, in atonement for his crime in connection with the premature death of his sons for their Christian proclivities--though we are told this, nevertheless we are inclined to think that the worthy brethren were chiefly responsible for the selection of the site.

If we come to consider closely the locality of each monastic inst.i.tution, we generally stumble across a river, however small and humble it may appear. And why is this? Simply for the fish, which was carefully preserved and encouraged to multiply. Even to this day all monks, nuns, and strict followers of the Roman Catholic persuasion rigidly adhere to the observance of eating fish, instead of flesh, on every Friday and fast day, though nowadays it is not customary for them to catch fish in its natural element. In the good old days the holy friars had to depend princ.i.p.ally upon the yield of the river for Friday's requirements, if perchance the monastery was situated far inland. Travelling in mediaeval times was somewhat precarious and slow.

This monastery would be in all probability a wooden erection of Anglo-Saxon style. Philologists demonstrate that "getimbrian"--to construct of wood--was the Anglo-Saxon word for "build." If this argument holds good, it accounts not only for the scarcity of Old English lapidary remains, but also for their peculiar character. Till the arrival of masons in 672 from the continent, the buildings had been composed mostly of wood covered with thatch. Only towards the close of the tenth century, with a better knowledge of stone-work, did architects develop a definite style in England.

With the arrival of the Danes, about the middle of the ninth century, the town was sacked, the monks were ma.s.sacred, and the monastic buildings were burnt. For more than a century it remained in oblivion, till the combined efforts of Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, King Edgar, and his wealthy chancellor Adulph, produced a monastery, over which, in recognition of his pecuniary a.s.sistance, Adulph was made abbot. As usual, the Norman Conquest left its mark in the shape of a castle to protect the town, and to instil wholesome awe in the English.

It was early in the reign of Henry I. that a fire caused great injury to the town and monastery. Though deplorable, as it at first appeared, it nevertheless gave birth to the present Norman cathedral church, which Abbot Salisbury commenced to build in 1118, two years after the accident. At the same time the site of the town was transferred from the eastern side of the monastery to the present situation north of the Nene.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PETERBOROUGH

THE WEST FRONT]

Six years before the death of Henry VIII., to wit, in 1541, Peterborough was separated from the Diocese of Lincoln and was created into an episcopal see. The last abbot of Peterborough was appointed first bishop, with the abbot's house as the episcopal palace, and the monastery church as the cathedral. To this building, the Norman effort of Abbot Salisbury, was grafted the architecture of the Early English style. No pen can so adequately describe the magnificence of the west front of this cathedral as the brush of Mr. Collins. This artist has done full justice to his subject, which has evidently been a work of love to him. In his rendering he has both successfully caught the true spirit of the church's grandeur, and has managed to incorporate his distinct individuality. Mr. Collins has shown the same qualities with regard to the "market-place."

The three lofty and beautiful arches of this west front are Early English. Perhaps a jarring note to its fine composition is the small porch, over which there is a chapel to St. Thomas a Becket.

A square tower at the north-west angle and another similar one at the south-west angle of the nave enrich the general effect. The nave itself is Norman, and is separated from the aisles by finely cl.u.s.tered piers and arches of the same style, but lighter than usual in character.

The east end is circular, and there are several chapels of the English style subsequent to the Early English. They are elegantly designed with fan tracery, and the windows, since their original foundation, appear to have been enriched with tracery.

On the south side there is the shrine to St. Tibba, and close to it Mary Queen of Scots was buried. Her remains were afterwards exhumed and removed to Westminster.

The north side was graced with a tomb to Queen Catherine of Arragon.

Uneasy was her rest, for Cromwell's troops laid sacrilegious hands on the tomb. Her royal memory is now perpetuated by a commonplace marble slab.

Not content with this the Roundheads, as the parliamentary forces were called, defaced the Cathedral, looted its plate and ornaments, and pulled down part of the cloisters, the chapter house, and the episcopal palace. What remains of the cloisters exhibit specimens of Early Norman, down to the later periods of English architecture, and give some idea of their former grandeur.

Besides its beauties, this cathedral affords an excellent study of arches, ill.u.s.trating the subtleties of every transitional period in architecture, from Norman to perpendicular.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PETERBOROUGH

THE MARKET PLACE]

The choir, by John de Sez, is Early Norman. Martin of Bec took fifteen years, in the twelfth century, to realise the completion of the aisles of both transepts. The remaining portions of the transepts and the central tower were designed by William de Waterville, from 1155 to 1175.

Unfortunately, the insecurity of this tower caused it to be pulled down in 1883, and attempts were immediately made to subst.i.tute another.

The nave belongs to the latter part of the Norman period. To be correct, its date, 1177 to 1193, clearly indicates it should be included rather in the Transition period, which was then trending towards the Lancet of Early English.

This same Transition must also claim the western transepts by Abbot Andrew, 1193 to 1200.

The painted roof of wood, added by Abbot Benedict, 1177 to 1193, is a fair example of the fashion prevalent in Europe at that period. Another object of interest is the "decorated windows," which were placed throughout this church in the fourteenth century.

A distinctive feature is the existence of the "Close," exhibiting interesting remains of English architecture. To more thoroughly ensure the privacy of the cathedral, its precincts were enclosed, very much like a college at a university, either within a solid wall enclosure or generally surrounded by dwellings for the ecclesiastics. Though the cathedral might be in the densest quarter of the town, yet, on closing its gates, it secured complete severance from the city. The cathedral close at Salisbury is quite the best specimen extant in England.

_En pa.s.sant_ we would mention among the many eminent men that Peterborough is justly proud of, Benedict, who was abbot in 1180, and founded an hospital, which he dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, whose biographer and ardent admirer he was; and an eminent English historian in the fourteenth century, John, abbot of the monastery of Peterborough; Archdeacon Paley, a celebrated divine and moralist, who died in 1805; and Sir John Hill, a popular writer in the eighteenth century.

In conclusion, we cannot help drawing attention to the great general, statesman, and contemporary of the Duke of Marlborough, who was called after this city, and known in the reigns of Anne and George I. The t.i.tle of Earl of Peterborough was conferred by Charles I. on the family of Mordaunt, and worthily borne by the celebrated soldier-statesman.

St. Albans

St. Alba.n.u.s.

("Doomsday Book.")

Under the t.i.tle of "Oppidum," the stronghold of Ca.s.sivelaunus, St.

Albans is frequently mentioned by Caesar and Tacitus.

At the time of Caesar's first visit to England, which was in 46 B.C., the Britons led a wandering life, and it was only in war time that they gathered together and took refuge in towns. Tacitus and Caesar describe the Britons as people who had no cities, towns, or buildings of any durable materials. The sites of their towns were chosen with a view to turning to good account all the a.s.sistance that Nature could lend, such as woods, ditches, and bogs.

Though Caesar names no particular town, yet he describes his attack and occupation of the "Oppidum" over which Ca.s.sivelaunus was the chief. And from what is known of the progress and distance of Caesar from the Thames, there seems no doubt that "Verulamium," as it was then and afterwards called, is identical with that of the stronghold of the Britons. It was situated on the low ground on the banks of the river Ver. Caesar's occupation was brief. Until the conquest of Britain by Claudius in 43 A.D. it remained an important city in the hands of the Britons. Finally, in 420 A.D., the Romans quitted Britain. During their stay they had greatly opened up the country, constructing the famous high roads, one of which is the great North Road, called Watling Street, which stretches from London to York.

In the fifth century Verulamium, as we shall still continue to call St.

Albans for a while, was occupied by the Saxons. They changed the site of the Roman city from the low ground, on which now stands the Church of St. Michael, to the higher ground. At the same time they renamed it Watling-ceaster, after Watling Street, which pa.s.sed through it.

From the ruins of the ancient city of Verulamium arose in the tenth century the celebrated monastery in honour of St. Alban. To account for the erection of this building it is necessary to give a brief sketch of its patron saint.