YORK HISTORY CONTENTS:
Source=h:/!Genuki/RecordTranscriptions/ARY/YorkHistoryBaines.txt
A History of York
from Baine's Gazetteer (1823)
Part 6
YORK'S CATHEDRAL
The cathedral and its beginnings
York, the archiepiscopal see, like most other ancient cities,
is remarkable for the number of its sacred edifices, and in enumerating
and describing the churches of York, in which religious services
are still performed, the CATHEDRAL, that "Chief of houses,
as the rose of flowers," claims the precedency.
It has already been observed, that on the introduction of Christianity
into this kingdom, about the year 625, Edwin, King of Northumbria,
himself a convert from Paganism, elevated Paulinus, a Roman missionary,
to the dignity of first archbishop of York. The residence of this
King was York, but at so low an ebb was religion, that there was
not found a temple within his metropolis suitable for the performance
of the ceremony of baptism. A small oratory of wood, was in consequence
erected for the occasion, on the site of the present Cathedral,
which was dedicated, as is the present edifice, to St. Peter,
and on Easter Day, in the year 627. the King, with his two sons,
Osfrid and Edfrid, along with a number of the nobles, were solemnly
baptized in this primitive erection. The ceremony over, says Bede,
the prelate took care to acquaint the King, that since he had
become a Christian, he ought to build a house of prayer, more
suitable to the divinity he now adored; and by the bishop's direction,
he began to build a magnificent fabric of stone, in the midst
of which was inclosed the oratory already erected. Under the influence
of that zeal which inspired the Royal convert, the building proceeded
with great spirit; but scarcely were the walls ready to receive
the roof, when the King was slain in battle, and Paulinus was
obliged to quit the country. For some years the church lay neglected,
but in 632, Oswald, a successor of Edwin, undertook to complete
the building, which he had no sooner finished, than he was killed
by Penda, the Pagan king of Mercia, and the newly erected structure
was almost destroyed. In this ruinous condition it was found by
archbishop Wilfred, the munificent patron of Ripon, who, about
the year, 674, repaired the walls, fixed on the roof, and restored
it to its former grandeur. "And now, by the hand of providence,"
says Drake, "the church stood and flourished under the successive
beneficence of its spiritual governors, for near 400 years, during
which period it received the valuable donation of archbishop Egbert's
library; upon which Alcuin, the Gamaliel of his age, who had drank
freely at this spring, of erudition has bestowed so high an eulogium.
The cathedral, its fires and rebuildings
In the year 1069, as has been already seen, the native inhabitants,
aided by the Danes, in their attempt to throw off the yoke of
the conqueror, set fire to the suburbs, which spreading to the
city, communicated to the Cathedral, and involved them all in
one common ruin. William, on entering the city, seized upon the
revenues of the church; but he, soon after elevated Thomas, his
chaplain and treasurer, to the Archbishopric, and by him the Cathedral
was restored to its former splendour. In 1136, a casual fire again
burnt down this edifice, along with St. Mary's Abbey, and thirty-nine
parish churches. For four and thirty years the Cathedral lay in
ruins; but, in the year, 1171, during the episcopacy of Roger,
archbishop of this province, the choir with its vaults were re-built,
and the South part of the cross isle of the church, was added
in the time of Walter Grey, Roger's successor. In the early part
of the reign of Edward I. John le Romain, father of the Archbishop,
began and finished the North transepts, with a handsome steeple
in the midst; and John, his son, with his own hand, laid the foundation
of the nave, from the west and eastward, on the 7th of April,
1291, invoking the grace of the Holy Ghost. The materials for
this part of the cathedral were contributed by Robert de Vavasour,
from his quarry near Tadcaster; and by Robert de Percy, Lord of
Boulton, from his woods at that place. William de Melton was the
next founder, in 1320, and with the aid of indulgences of relaxation,
sold to "the charitable," he finished the west end with
the steeples, as it remains at this day. But the great benefactor
of the cathedral was archbishop John Thoresby; this prelate conceiving
that the choir, built by Roger, did not correspond with the west
end of the church lately erected, and that there was no place
in this church of York "where our Lady's mass, the glorious
mother of God, could decently be celebrated," himself contributed
one thousand eight hundred and ten pounds, towards building a
new choir, and consummating this fabric. All the machinery for
raising public contributions by the church was also put in motion:
indulgences of relaxation were granted to the liberal; letters
mandatory were addressed to the clergy, enjoining them, under
pain of the greater excommunication, to suffer their collectors
to gather the alms of the charitable, and the old hall and chambers
of the archbishop's manor of Shireburn were demolished to provide
stone and materials for the erection of the new choir, the first
stone of which was laid by the archbishop, on the 29th of July,
1361. The wages of workmen about this time were three-pence a
day to a master mason or carpenter, and three-half-pence to their
"knaves," as their journeymen were then called :(Ref:
Fleetwood's Chronicon Pretiosum.) A pound's worth of silver then
was a pound weight, which is equal to four pounds of our present
money, and one penny then would purchase as much corn as twentypence
now, bringing the artizan's wages to the rate of 2s. 6d. a day,
or 15s, a week. The contribution of the archbishop was of course
most munificent, and amounted to not less a sum in our money than
£36,000!
In addition to the means already mentioned for raising the
supplies, a bull apostolical was issued, by Pope Urban VI. and
a kind of income tax of five per cent. was imposed, on ecclesiastical
benefices, for three years, for the necessary repairs and re-edification.
By these means a vast sum was collected; which being augmented
by a munificent donation from Archdeacon Skirlaw, the choir was
finished, and the structure completed by the taking down of the
old lantern steeple, and the erection of a new one in its stead,
A. D. 1370. Thus within the space of less than 200 years, reckoning
from the period in which the south transept was begun by Walter
de Grey, the superb cathedral of York was completed in the forms
and dimensions in which it appears at this day, exhibiting a splendid
monument of the piety of former times, and an interesting combination
of Gothic architecture through five successive ages. Of all the
different parts of this magnificent structure the chapter house
is the only one of which the date is totally unknown. No records,
now extant, give any account of the time of its erection; but
from the style of architecture, Drake conjectures that it is to
be ascribed to Walter de Grey. The pavement of the cathedral is
of recent date; anciently it consisted of the gravestones of bishops
and other ecclesiastics, but in the year 1736, the old pavement
was removed, under the direction of the Earl of Burlington, when
several curious rings of ruby and saphire, set in gold, belonging
to those whose mortal remains had mixed with their parent dust,
were discovered, and are now shown in the vestry. The stone for
the new pavement was given by Sir Edward Gascoigne, of Parlington,
from his quarry at Huddlestone, and the marble was obtained by
sawing the old grave-stones into dies suitable for the purpose
of this mosaic work. The expence of the workmanship, which amounted
to £2500, was defrayed by a subscription raised for the
purpose, among the nobility, clergy, and gentry of the city and
county of York. The Archbishops of York, since the introduction
of christianity, in the time of the Heptarchy, to the present
period, amount to eighty three in number, and their names in numerical
order, with the dates when each of them entered upon the see,
is subjoined
ARCHBISHOPS OF YORK
FROM 625 TO 1822.
1 Paulinus 625
2 Cedda 664
3 Wilfred 666
4 Bosa 677
5 St John of Beverley 692
6 Wilfred II 718
7 Egber 731
8 Adelbert 767
9 Eanbald 780
10 Eanbald II 797
11 Wulsius 812
12 Wymondus 831
13 Wilferus 854
14 Adelbald 900
15 Rewardus 921
16 Wulstan 930
17 Oskitell 955
18 Athelwold 971
19 Oswald 971
20 Adulf 992
21 Wulstan II 1002
22 Afric Pullock 1023
23 Kinsius 1050
24 Aldred 1060
25 Thomas 1070
26 Gerard 1100
27 Thomas II 1109
28 Thurstan 1114
29 Henry Murdac 1140
30 St William 1153
31 Roger 1154
32 Geoffry Plantagenet 1190
33 Walter de Grey 1216
34 Sewal 1256
35 Godfrey de Ludham 1258
36 Walter Giffard 1265
37 W. Wickwane 1279
38 John le Romaine 1285
39 Henry de Newark 1298
40 Thomas Corbridge 1299
41 Wm. de Grenfield 1305
42 Wm. de Melton 1315
43 Wm. de la Zouch 1340
44 John Thoresby 1352
45 Alex. Neville 1374
46 Thos. Arundel 1388
47 Rbt. Waldby 1396
48 Rhd. Scroope 1398
49 Henry Bowet 1407
50 John Kempe 1426
51 Wm. Bothe 1452
52 Geo. Neville 1464
53 Lawren. Bothe 1476
54 Thos. de Rotherham 1480
55 Thos. Savage 1501
56 Chpr. Bainbridge 1508
57 Thos. Wolsey 1514
58 Edward Lee 1531
59 Rbt. Holgate 1544
60 Nich. Heath 1555
61 Thos. Young 1561
62 Edm. Grindal 1570
63 Edwin Sandys 1576
64 John Piers 1588
65 Mthw. Hutton 1594
66 Tob. Matthew 1606
67 Geo. Montaign 1628
68 Saml. Harsnet 1629
69 Rich. Neile 1631
70 John Williams 1641
71 Accep Frewen 1660
72 Rhd. Sterne 1664
73 John Dolben1683
74 Thos. Lamplugh 1688
75 John Sharp 1691
76 Sir. W. Davies 1713
77 Lancelot Blackburne 1724
78 Thos. Herring 1742
79 Mth. Hutton 1747
80 John Gilbert 1757
81 R. Drummond 1761
82 W. Markham 1777
83 Edw. Venables Vernon 1808
The Archbishop of York is Primate of England, and to him attaches
the honour of crowning the Queen. According to Dr. Heylin, the
archbishopric of York is the most ancient metropolitan See in
England, having been so constituted in the reign of King Lucius,
in the year 180. As has been already seen, this See was, on the
conversion of the Saxon Edwin, elevated to its former honour,
when Paulinus was made archbishop, and then each metropolitan
had twelve suffragan bishops; at present York only retains Durham,
Carlisle, Chester, and Sodor and Man, though formerly its archbishop
was metropolitan of Scotland. Warm and repeated contentions have
existed for ecclesiastical supremacy between this See and Canterbury,
which all terminated in this, that the Archbishop of York stiles
himself, "Primate of England;" and He of Canterbury,
"Primate of all England" and the former has still precedency
of all Dukes, who are not of the royal blood, and of all great
officers of state, the Lord Chancellor alone excepted. (Note:
Dugdale, Vol. 1. fol. p.290.) The yearly tenths of the Archbishop
of York, as returned in the survey made by the commissioners appointed
by the Crown, in the reign of Henry VIII. on the eve of the reformation,
were valued at £161, and the value of the living, as stated
in the King's books, of the same date, at £1610. In Northumberland,
the Archbishop of York has the power of a Palatine. The Right
Reverend Father in God, the Hon. Edward Venables Vernon, L.L.D.
is the present archbishop, and was translated to the archiepiscopal
See from the bishoprick of Carlisle, in 1808.
The Cathedral of York is one of the largest sacred structures
in England, as the following comparative table, copied from Hargrove's
History of York, will serve to demonstrate, and its magnificence
corresponds with its magnitude:-
Comparative Table
(dimensions in feet) | York | St. Pauls | Winchester | Canterbury | Ely | Lincoln | Westminster | Salisbury |
|---|
| Length from E to W | 524 | 500 | 554 | 514 | 517 | 498 | 489 | 452 |
| Length from west door to the choir | 264 | 306 | 247 | 214 | - | - | 130 | 246 |
| Length of the choir | 162 | 165 | 138 | - | 101 | - | 152 | 140 |
| Length of the space behind the altar | 69 | - | 93 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Length of the cross aisles from N. to S. | 222 | 248 | 208 | low. 124
up. 154 | 178 | 227 | 180 | 210 |
| Breadth of the body and side aisles | 109 | 107 | 86 | 74 | 73 | 83 | 96 | 76 |
Height of the two western
towers or steeples | 196 | 221 | n.w.133 | sw.130
nw100 | 270 | 270 | - | - |
| Height of the lantern tower | 235 | - | - | 235 | 113 | 288 | - | 400 |
In surveying the exterior of the Cathedral, one of the
first feelings that forces itself upon the mind of the visitor
is, regret that so stately an edifice should be inclosed within
so circumscribed an area. Advancing from the South by the
usual approach, the best situation for a general view of this
structure is between the foot road, or passage into the Minster
yard, and the Deanery, nearly opposite to the South transept.
Over the clock, which is above the spacious flight of stone steps,
is a large Gothic window of painted glass, and still higher, a
circular window of exquisite masonry and richly variegated glass,
in imitation of the Marygold flower, sometimes called St. Catharine's
wheel. The summit is crowned with neat and elegant turrets. In
this transept are seen a number of narrow and acutely pointed
arches, with slender pillars, crowned with plain or slightly ornamented
capitals. The windows are comparatively small, and their ornaments
exhibit a marked difference from those which are seen in other
parts of the building. Between this part and the western towers
arise six small pinnacles, originally intended for buttresses
to the tower part of the nave. In the niches are ancient statues,
supposed to represent Christ, the four Evangelists, and Archbishop
St. William. The South side of the choir presents an appearance
peculiarly striking: the massy columns finely decorated with a
variety of figures, and terminating in richly ornamented pinnacles,
the windows large and displaying a beautiful tracery, a small
transept of the tower with its superb light, and the screen work
before the three farthest windows of the upper tier, all concur
to render this part of the structure strikingly beautiful and
magnificent.
The Western or principal front, with its two towers
or steeples, excels those parts already described: human skill
could scarcely have produced any thing more complete in this style
of architecture. This front has been cloistered for statuary,
but many of the niches are divested of the valuable productions
with which they were formerly adorned. The top of each of the
towers is surmounted with eight pinnacles, and in the south tower
is a peal of ten bells, unequalled, it is said, by any in the
kingdom. At this front there are three entrances, the centre of
which is by massy folding doors. Over the principal door-way is
the figure of William de Melton, and on each side the figures
of Vavasour and Percy, the benefactors of the church. The expulsion
of Adam and Eve from Paradise is pourtrayed upon the arch in fine
tracery, and the liberality and taste of the present Archbishop,
and the Dean and Chapter, are contributing to repair the depredations
which time and fanatical zeal have inflicted upon the statuary
and the other ornaments.
The Eastern or choir end, begun by archbishop Thoresby,
is more modern than those parts already described, and displays
a more florid style of architecture, crowned with niches and airy
pinnacles. Over one of the finest windows in the world is seen
the statue of the venerable founder of the choir, mitred and robed,
sitting in his archiepiscopal chair, and holding in his left hand
a representation of the church, while his right seems to point
at the window. At the basis of the window are the heads of Christ
and his apostles, with that of a King, supposed to be Edward III.
In the niches of the buttresses again appear the statues of Vavasour
and Percy. The great tower, or lantern steeple, is supported in
the inside by four large and massy columns, forming four arches,
and is finished in a style very much superior, though not inappropriate
to that of the towers in the western front.
The Northern side of the Cathedral is not less superb
than its Southern front. The transept and nave present a spectacle
highly interesting to the eye of curiosity and taste. Here also
may be observed the exterior form and style of architecture of
the ChapterHouse, of which the wonderous buttresses and other
decorations seem to indicate the age of its completion to have
been nearly the same as that of the building of the choir; such
is their appearance by day. By moon-light, the effect here, as
on all large masses of architecture, is truly sublime; a kind
of optical delusion of the most impressive kind takes place, and
the towers and pinnacles of the Cathedral "acquire a degree
of lightness so superior to that which is shown under the meridian
sun, that they no longer appear of human construction" (Ref:
Dallaway)
The interior of the Cathedral corresponds in every particular
with the magnificence of the exterior. The cross aisle displays
a most superb specimen of the style of architecture which prevailed
in the latter part of the reign of Henry III. The circular arch,
which at that time, was not entirely laid aside, still appears
in the upper part, inclosing others of the pointed form. The pillars
that support the larger arches are of an angular shape, encompassed
by slender columns, a little detached; and the rich leafy capitals
of all the columns unite to form a foliated wreath round the head
of the pillar. The windows are long, narrow, and pointed, consisting
of one light, or divided into several by unramified mullion, and
variously decorated on the sides by slender free-stone, or marble
shafts. Between the upper arches appear the quatre-feuille and
cinque-feuille ornaments, afterwards transferred to the windows,
and there forming the first steps towards the beautiful tracery
which is displayed in the nave and choir. The windows in the South
end are arranged in three tiers; the uppermost, composed of two
concentric circles of small arches, is admired as a fine piece
of masonry, and has a noble appearance; the first window in the
second tier exhibits a representation of Archbishop St. William;
the second consists of two lights, one of which is decorated with
the portrait of St. Peter, and the other with that of St. Paul,
each with his proper insignia. In the next window appears Archbishop
Wilfred. The four figures of Abraham, Solomon, Moses, and Peter,
that occupy the windows on the lowermost tier, are of modern workmanship,
and form an honourable memorial of the skill and liberality of
Peckitt, a native artist. In the corner, on the left of the south
entrance, is a small door, which leads by 273 winding stone steps
to the top of the lantern steeple. Few persons in health and strength
visit the Cathedral, without at some time enjoying the prospect
which this eminence commands, from which the surrounding country,
lying stretched as on a map, presents the eye with a field of
observation at once rich, extensive and gratifying.
The North transept displays the same style of architecture
as the South. The windows are here disposed in two tiers; the
lowest of which consists of five noble lights, each about 50 feet
high, and 5 in breadth. These lights are designated by the name
of the "Five Sisters," from a tradition, not
very well supported, that five maiden sisters were at the expense
of their erection. The rich stained glass represents embroidery,
and there is a small border of stained glass round the edge. The
baptismal font of the Cathedral, formed of dark shell variegated
marble, stands in the western aisle.
Architecture perhaps never produced, nor can imagination easily
conceive a vista of greater magnificence and beauty, than that
which is seen at the western entrance of the Cathedral. The best
point of observation is under the central tower, or lantern steeple.
Here may at once be seen the statuary screen, the several painted
windows, and the lengthened aisles and lofty columns. The screen
which separates the nave from the choir, rising only just high
enough to form a support for the organ, does not intercept the
view of the eastern end of the church with its columns, its arches,
and its superb window. Tracery of the richest kind appears in
the windows, especially in that which occupies a large portion
of the western front, and when illuminated by the rays of the
declining sun, exhibits a grandeur surpassing the powers of description.
The figures of the first eight archbishops decorate the lowermost
compartments, and above are represented eight saints. The escutcheons
of Edward II. and the Saxon Prince, Ulphus, are placed under this
window; and the upper windows, though less sumptuously decorated,
are elegantly adorned with imagery and escutcheons. Under these
runs an open gallery, in which, exactly over the pointed arches,
formerly stood images of the tutelary saints of the several nations
of Christendom; but most of them have been displaced, except the
figure of St. George, and his combatant, the grim visaged dragon.
The screen which separates the nave from the service choir
is a curious and elaborate piece of workmanship, the history of
which is not precisely known. The style of decoration refers it
to the age of Henry VI. whose statue, tradition reports, once
filled the place next to his predecessor. After his death, it
is said, Henry, whose misfortunes the people commisserated, became
an object of adoration, and his statue was therefore ordered to
be removed; but it is more probable, that it was his successor,
Edward IV. who, being then the sun of the political firmament,
became the object of adoration, and that to him the homage
of courtly devotion was offered, by removing the statue of his
rival. For some ages the place remained unoccupied, but on the
visit of James I. to York, he was complimented by being placed
in the empty cell. Another conjecture is, that this screen originally
belonged to the Abbey of St. Mary, at the manor, and that King
James I. presented it to the Cathedral, in compliment to whom
the Dean and Chapter placed his statue in the niche which was
formerly occupied by the unfortunate Henry. In the course of the
judicious repairs which this screen has undergone, the statue
of James has been transferred to Ripon Minster, and a well executed
figure of Henry VI. by Mr. Michael Taylor, a sculptor of considerable
eminence in York, is placed in the station originally enjoyed
by that monarch.
The organ is now placed over the entrance into the choir, which
was its original situation. At the instance of Charles I. who
contributed £1000 for the erection of an organ, and for
other purposes, it was placed opposite the bishop's throne, to
afford a more complete view of the east window from the body of
the nave; but in the year of the revolution it was removed back
to its ancient situation, which it now occupies, and by its solemn
peals, swelling through the lofty arches, gives to the devout
mind some faint conception of the celestial choir.
In the architecture of the choir a variation from that of the
nave is perceptible. The roof displays more tracery; an elegant
kind of festoon work descends from the capitals of the pillars
from which the vaulting springs; through every part is seen a
great profusion of ornaments; and the whole exhibits a near approach
to the highly florid style which prevailed before the end of the
15th century. The ancient wood work of the choir yet remains.
It is carved with pinnacles of different heights, and pedestals,
whereon, probably, once were images of wood for greater decoration;
if so, they have disappeared. Behind these are galleries, and
regular pews; and under the front of them are the stalls for the
canons and other ecclesiastical officers, beginning with the Dean's
stall to the right, and the Precentor's to the left. The Cathedra,
or throne of the archbishop, is situated at the end of the prebendal
stalls, on the south side, and the pulpit is placed opposite.
On the left of the throne the Lord Mayor and Aldermen have their
seats, and the Judges of assize sit opposite them, near the pulpit.
In the middle of the area there is a small pillar of brass, supported
by four lions, on the top of which is an eagle of the same metal,
standing upon a globe, and which, with expanded wings, receives
the service Bible for the lessons.
The ascent from the nave through the choir to the high altar
is by a flight of fifteen steps. Here a stone screen of excellent
Gothic architecture, about forty-nine feet long by twenty-eight
feet high, presents itself. This screen was formerly obscured
by a wooden screen and gallery, which were swept away in the year
1726, by order of Dean Finch, by whose direction the screen, which
had before been covered with tapestry, was glazed with plate glass
protected by copper bars. Under the altar is a vault, commonly
called the Crypt, with an entrance from the north and south aisles
by iron grated doors. While exploring this ancient subterraneous
chantry we survey part of the old minster, and are carried back
to the time of King Edwin, the first royal Northumbrian convert
to Christianity. The windows of the choir shed their richly varied
light through the numerous figures of kings, prelates and saints.
Those of the small transepts are remarkable for their height and
elegance, reaching almost to the roof and divided into one hundred
and eight compartments, each of which depicts a portion of scripture
history. But the eastern window is the masterpiece, and perhaps
stands unrivalled for magnitude, beauty and magnificence. This
window is nearly the full breadth and height of the middle choir,
and is seventy-five feet high and thirty-five wide. The upper
part exhibits a piece of ample and beautiful tracery. Below are
one hundred and seventeen compartments occupied with representations
of the Supreme Being, of monarchs, priests and saints, and of
most of the principal events in the scripture records. The glazing
of this window was commenced in the year 1405, at the cost of
the dean and chapter, by John Thornton, of Coventry, who, in consideration
of his superior skill and application, was to receive the weekly
sum of four shillings, with the further payment of one hundred
shillings a year, for his labour, which was completed in less
than three years! To the south of this magnificent window is exhibited
in painted glass the annunciation; or, the meeting of Mary and
Elizabeth, from the design of Sebastian del Piombo, in figures
as large as life. This window was originally brought from the
church of St. Rouen, in Normandy, and was presented to the dean
and chapter of York, in the year 1804, by the Earl of Carlisle,
whose arms, garter, coronet and crest, fill up the compartments,
above and below, and perpetuate the remembrance of the noble donor's
munificence.
Periods of public services
The present religious services performed in the Cathedral,
are the morning prayers daily at seven o'clock, in the vestry,
in which the ecclesiastical courts are held. The cathedral service
is performed in the choir at ten o'clock in the forenoon, when
an anthem is sung, unless there be a sermon or litany. The evening
prayers are performed every day in the week, at three o'clock
in the afternoon in winter, and four o'clock in summer, in which
an anthem is performed. On Sunday the service commences at ten
o'clock in the morning, when a sermon is preached, and at four
in the afternoon, when an anthem is sung. On Wednesdays and Fridays
in Advent and Lent, and during the whole of Passion week, the
choral service and singing are intermitted both morning and evening.
Curiosities in the cathedral
The chapter-house is a magnificent structure. Its form is an
octagon of sixty-three feet in diameter, and, reckoning to the
centre knot in the roof, sixty-seven feet ten inches in height.
This vast space is not interrupted by a single pillar, the roof
being wholly supported by a single pin geometrically placed in
the centre. The stalls for the canons, forty-four in number, ranged
along the sides, are highly finished in stone, and curiously wrought
canopies are supported by small and elegant columns of Petworth
marble. Over these runs a narrow gallery which extends quite round
the building. The capitals of the columns have a great variety
of carved fancies upon them, with ludicrous, and not always chaste
conceits, of the witty artists of the thirteenth century. The
entrance from the north transept is in the form of a mason's square.
Every other side of the octagon is adorned with a window rich
in tracery and figured glass, rising from the part first above
the stalls, and reaching to the roof. Of this edifice, particularly
of the chapter-house, AEneus Sylvius, afterwards Pius II. said-
"It is famous all over the world for its magnificence and
workmanship, but especially for a fine lightsome chapel, with
shining walls and small thin-waisted pillars quite round;"
and an old monkish verse, with a free translation of which this
history of the Cathedral is introduced, bestows upon it this encomium:-
" Ut Rosa flos forum
" Sic est domus ista domorum."
The vestries, which are situated on the south side of the choir,
contain several curiosities, which are shown and explained by
the vergers; but the most important of these relies is a large
ancient horn, presented by Prince Ulphus, and bearing the following
inscription in capital letters
CORNU HOC, ULPHUS, IN OCCIDENTALI PARTE
DEIRAE PRINCEPS UNACUM OMNIBUS TERRIS
ET REDDITIBUS SUIS OLIM DONAVIT.
AMISSUM VEL ABREPTUM
HENERI. DOM. FAIRFAX DEMUM RESTITUIT,
DEC. ET CAPIT. DE NOVO ORNAVIT
A.D. MDCLXXV.
By this horn, which is made of an elephant's tooth curiously
carved, and was originally mounted with gold, the church of York
holds several lands of great value, a little to the eastward of
the city, which are called "Terrae Ulphi." About
the time of the reformation this antique vessel disappeared, till
soon after the restoration. A large and elegant bowl, originally
presented by Archbishop Scroope, in 1398, to the company of Cordwainers
of this city is preserved here. In the middle of the bowl is the
Cordwainers' arms, richly embossed--it is edged with silver double
gilt, and stands upon three silver feet; round the rim, in the
old English character, is the following inscription:-
Richarde Arche beschope Scrope
grant unto all those that drinkis of
this cope I Lti dayis to pardon.
Robert Hobson beschope mesm
grant in same forme aforesaide I
Lti dayis to pardon. Robert
Strensal.
On the dissolution of the Cordwainers Company, In the year
1808, this cup was presented by the fraternity to Mr. Sheriff
Hornby, of York, as a mark of their esteem, and he soon afterwards
generously presented it to the Cathedral to swell the number of
the curiosities. There is also shown here a state canopy of gold
tissue, given by the city in honour of James I. on his first visit
to York. Three silver chalices and several ancient rings found
in the graves of the archbishops are exhibited; together with
a wooden head found near the grave of Archbishop Rotherham, who,
having died of the plague, was interred here in effigy. There
is also a superb pastoral staff of silver, about seven feet long,
with the figure of the Virgin and the infant placed under the
crook. This staff was given by Catharine, of Portugal, queen dowager
of England, to her confessor when he was nominated to be catholic
archbishop of York, by James II. in 1689; and it is said, that
when he marched in procession to the minster, the Earl of Darnley
wrested it from him, and deposited it in the hands of the dean
or chapter, in whose possession it has ever since remained. An
antique chair, as old as the cathedral, and in which several of
the kings of England have been crowned, is still preserved here,
and placed within the altar rails, when the archbishop officiates,
for his use. These, with some less important relics, form the
curiosities at present exhibited in the vestries.
Adjoining to the council room is the ancient treasury, which,
before the reformation, contained wealth of inestimable value.
At that period all its wealth was seized and converted to secular
uses. The library was formerly in a room adjoining the western
side of the south transept, but it is now removed to a building
which was anciently a chapel belonging to the archiepiscopal palace,
situated at a small distance from the north west corner of the
cathedral, and having undergone a complete repair, under the judicious
direction of the very reverend the Dean, exhibits a fine specimen
of the early age of Anglo-Normanic architecture. The destruction
of the ancient library by repeated fires left this cathedral without
so important an appendage, till the early part of the seventeenth
century, when Mrs. Matthews, relict of the right reverend the
archbishop of that name, presented her husband's valuable collection
of books, consisting of upwards of three thousand volumes. To
these has since been added a small, but select collection, bequeathed
by the will of Mrs. Fothergill, relict of the Reverend Marmaduke
Fothergill, which, with several late purchases, gifts, and bequests,
form together a valuable library.
Persons of distinction interred here
The number of persons of rank and distinction, whose mortal
remains are deposited in this ancient temple, is very considerable.
The head of Edwin, the first christian king of Northumberland,
was interred in the cathedral at York, and his body in the monastery
at Whitby. History also records, amongst the persons interred
here, the names of Eadbert and Eanbald, kings of Northumberland;
Swein, king of Denmark; Tosti, brother of king Harold; William
de Hatfield, second son of Edward III. Thomas Mowbray; Duke of
Norfolk, and Sir J. Lamplugh, both beheaded for their loyalty
to the house of York; and a very large proportion of the archbishops,
who have presided over this See, from the introduction of Christianity
into this province to the present day. Amongst the monuments still
in existence to the memory of illustrious laymen, is chiefly to
be noticed that of Charles Howard, Earl of Carlisle, privy councillor
to Charles II. The sepulchral monument of the Earl of Stafford,
who died in 1695, and that of the honourable Thomas Watson Wentworth,
third son of Edward Lord Rockingham. Amongst those of modern days,
that which public esteem and affection have erected to the memory
of that distinguished friend of his country and of mankind, Sir
George Saville, claims the regard of all those who can appreciate
extensive benevolence and distinguished patriotism.
The clergy of the cathedral
Of the Clergy of the Cathedral of St. Peter, at York, at present,
the following forms a complete list:-
The Right Hon. and most Rev. Edward Venables Vernon, D.C.L.
Archbishop of York, Primate of England, &c. &c.
palace at Bishopthorpe.
The very Rev. George Markham, D.D. Dean of York.
CANONS RESIDENTIARY.
Archdeacon Markham, M.A. Wetwang.
Archdeacon Eyre, M.A. Apesthorpe.
Rev. Robert Croft, M.A. Stillington.
Rev. G. Desmeth Kelly, M.A. Ampleford.
PRECENTOR- The Hon, and Rev. E. Rice, D.D. Driffield.
CHANCELLOR OF THE CHURCH- Rev. H. F. Mills, M.A. Laughton.
SUBDEAN- Rev, Geo. Cuthbert, M.A.
SUCCENTOR OF THE CANONS- Rev. W. S. Willes, M.A.
ARCHDEACONS.
York- Rev. Robert Markham, M.A.
Nottingham- Rev. John Eyre, M.A.
East Riding- Rev. R. D. Waddilove, D.D.
Cleveland- Rev. F. Wrangham, M.A. F.R.S,
PREBENDARIES.
Wm. Abott, B.D. Fridaythorpe.
Robert Affleck, M.A. Tockerington.
Richard Carey, M.A. Knaresbrough.
Hon. A. H. Cathcart, M. A. Langtoft.
J. J. Coneybeare, M.A. Warthill.
E. A. H. Drummond, D.D. Husthwaite,
John Dolphin, M.A. Riccall.
John Ellis, B.A. Barnby Moor.
R. P. Goodenough, M.A. Fenton.
W. R. Hay, M. A. Dunnington.
Hon. T. A. Harris, M.A. Osbaldwick.
Lamplugh Hird, M.A. Botevant.
Henry Kitchingman, M.A. Bole.
Edward Otter, M.A. Ulleskelfe.
W. Preston, M. A. Bilton.
Hon. John Lumley Savile, M.A. South Newbald,
Samuel Smith, D.D. Grindall.
William V. Vernon, M.A. North Newbald.
Robert Darley Waddilove, D.D. Dean of Ripon, Wistow.
Henry Watkins, M. A. Givendale,
James Webber, B.D. Strensall.
W. S. Willes, M.A. Holme.
John Wingfield, D.D. Weighton.
T. B. Woodman, M.A. Bugthorpe.
COLLEGE OF VICARS.
Rev. Richard Forrest, Sub-Chanter.
Rev. James Richardson, M.A.
Rev. William Bulmer. M.A.
Rev. James Dallin, M.A.
Rev. Henry A. Beckwith, M.A.
ORGANIST- Mr. Matthew Camidge.
ASSISTANT-ORGANIST- John Camidge, Musical Doctor
1 Clerk of the Vestry, 8 singing men and
8 boys, 3 Vergers.
REGISTRAR- William Mills, Esq.
Officers of the Ecclesiastical Court.
CHANCELLOR AND COMMISSARY- Granville
Venables Vernon, Esq. M.A.
DEPUTY REGISTRAR- Joseph Buckle, Esq.
PROCTORS.
Mr. Wm. Mills. Mr. F. W. Storry.
Mr. Wm. Askwith.Mr. J. R. Mills.
Mr. Geo. Lawton.Mr. Thos. Dewse,
Mr. Thos. Wilson. Mr. J. R. Fryer,
APPARITORS- Messrs. Wm. & John Jackson.
The court is held in the cathedral. Office,
Minster yard, open from nine in the
morning to five in the evening.
Places of interest
Formerly the Archbishop had a palace close to the cathedral,
on the north side of that edifice, erected by archbishop Thomas
I. but it was dismantled by Archbishop Young, whose cupidity was
tempted to make this spoliation by the lead which covered its
roof.
The chapel of St. Sepulchre formerly stood not far from the
site of the archiepiscopal palace. This chapel was built and amply
endowed by Roger, Archbishop of York, and had, at the reformation,
a revenue amounting to £192. 16s. 6d. After the edifice
had ceased to answer the purpose originally intended part of it
was converted into a public house, and from an opening at the
end of a dungeon, with which the chapel was provided, the publican
named his house "The Hole in the Wall" In the year 1816
the public house became ruinous, and was taken down, when, on
removing the materials, the workmen came to a subterraneous prison,
some feet below the surface of the earth, which had no doubt been
used, in the dark ages of cruelty and superstition, as a dungeon,
for the purpose of immuring ecclesiastical delinquents. In the
following year a rude piece of Saxon sculpture, cut upon a stone,
which, it is conjectured, formed the base of the arch over the
doorway leading into this dungeon was found, which pourtrays a
man in the agonies of death, surrounded by demons, who are tormenting
his body, and seizing his departing spirit. This singular relic
is deposited in the Minster library.
Not far from the dungeon is the prison and the "Hall of
Pleas" for the Liberty of St. Peter. The prison, kept by
Thomas Harrison, is used for offenders within the liberty, and
there is a small court room in the upper story, where causes in
common law arising within this jurisdiction are tried. The Liberty
of St. Peter comprehends all those parts of the city and county
of York which belong to the church of St. Peter, and an enumeration
of which will be found in the population returns prefixed to this
volume. Henry John Dickens, Esq. barrister at law, is the steward,
and Christopher Newstead, gentleman. of York, is the Clerk of
the Peace and Under-Steward for this liberty, of which Mr. John
Brook is the Chief Bailiff, and Thomas Harrison the constable.
The jurisdiction is separate and exclusive, and it has its own
Magistrates, Steward, Bailiff, Coroners and Constables. Amongst
its privileges the inhabitants men, and tenants of this liberty
are exempt from the payment of all manner of tolls throughout
England, Ireland and Wales, on the production of a certificate,
which the under-steward is always ready to supply. Four general
quarter sessions are held for this liberty, at the sessions house,
in the Minster yard, on the Saturday in each week appointed by
statute for holding the general quarter sessions, to inquire into
"all manner of felonies, poisonings, inchantments, sorceries,
arts magic, trespasses, &c."
(Note:- The time appointed by statute for
holding the General Quarter Sessions in
England is-
Christmas-- in the 1st Week after Epiphany,
Easter- in the 1st week after the close of
Easter.
Midsummer- in the 1st whole week after St.
Thomas a Beckett.
Michaelmas- in the 1st whole week after the
11th of October.)
And a court is held in the hall every three weeks, where pleas
in actions of debt, trespass, replevin, &c. to any amount
whatever, arising within the liberty, are heard. There is also
a court leet and view of frank-pledge for the whole liberty, held
twice a year, namely, on Wednesday in Easter week, and the first
Wednesday after new Michaelmas day.
The Register Office, or the archbishop's Prerogative court,
as it is sometimes called, is held in an old building at the east
end of the cathedral, in which the registration of wills and the
granting of licenses for the general diocese of York take place.
The Dean and chapter have also a distinct office, in which secular
business is transacted for the inhabitants of the Liberty of St.
Peter's.
The Deanery house of this cathedral is situated in the Minster
yard, and was erected in the year 1090. At the reformation the
yearly tenths were valued at £30. 17s. 0d. and the living,
which is in the gift of the king, at £307. 10s. 4d. The
present dean is the Right Reverend George Markham, D.D. who was
created dean in 1802. The deanery has the rectories of Pocklington,
Pickering, and Kilham, of which the dean is patron and ordinary;
he likewise presents to Thornton, Ebberston, Ellerburne, Barnby
Moor, Givendale, and Hayton vicarages. He appoints also the residentiaries,
but must choose them out of the prebendaries, and the first prebendary
he sees after a vacancy, has a right to claim the residentiaryship.
The dean and the four residentiaries constitute the chapter; and
the value of a residendentiaryship is estimated, in Bacon's Liber
Regis, at £200. per annum.
There are yet considerable remains of an ancient building erected
here to the honour of St. William, Archbishop of York, called
"St. William's college," for the parsons and chantry
priest of the college to reside in, it being deemed contrary to
the honour and decency of the church for them to live in houses
of laymen and women, as heretofore. Belfrey's church is situated
in the Minster yard, but as it will be enumerated amongst the
churches where service is still performed, it is unnecessary to
dwell upon it here. Besides this church there were formerly two
other parish churches within the Cathedral close, namely, "St.
Mary ad Valvas," and "St. John del Pike." The first
of these edifices was removed in the year 1365, and the latter
in 1585.
The Beddern was a college of vicars choral, belonging to the
cathedral and the choral was first ordained in 1252. Though standing
in Goodramgate, and consequently not within the close of St. Peter's,
it is always classed with that district, on account of its original
connexion. The vicars choral were formerly 36, agreeing in number
with the prebendal stalls in the cathedral, and besides attending
to their duty in the choir, one officiated for each canon, receiving
for their services the annual sum of forty shillings each. The
chantries and obits, from which the vicars choral derived their
chief support, being dissolved, their number is greatly diminished,
and in the vicissitude of human events, the Beddern, once the
seat of imperial grandeur, and subsequently of ecclesiastical
pride, is now the abode of poverty, and a scene of dilapidation.
The Beddern chapel, which was founded in 1348, is no longer used
for the general services of the sanctuary, but is confined to
the christening of children and the churching of women. These
several appendages formerly surrounded the cathedral, and were
detached from the city by walls, closed in by four large pair
of gates, which were shut every night. These gates, of which there
are still some remains, were placed, the first to open into Petergate,
opposite Little Blake street; the second into Petergate, opposite
Stonegate; the third at the end of College street, opposite the
Beddern; and the fourth into Uggleford.- The circumference of
the Cathedral close, with its district, is nearly three quarters
of a mile, and when in its meridian glory, it formed a little
ecclesiastical world of its own.
Data transcribed from:
Baines Gazetteer 1823
Scan, OCR and html software by Colin Hinson.
Checking and correction by Richard Tetley.
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