A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



About 1237*' the monastic church and build- 

 ings, of which the ruins still survive, were begun 

 on artificially levelled ground near the river, 

 and were completed about 1277. The original 

 cruciform church'^ consisted of a quire (87 ft. 

 by 23 ft. 3 in.), with north and south aisles, 

 a low central tower surmounted by a spire 

 at the crossing, north and south transepts 

 (each 34 ft. by 22 ft. 6 in.), with a chapel 

 projecting eastward from the north transept 

 (27 ft. by 14 ft.), and nave (75 ft. 6 in. by 23 ft.), 

 with north and south aisles of four bays. 

 This church was possibly found to be unneces- 

 sarily large for the number of inmates, and the 

 cost of maintenance burdensome, or perhaps 

 it may have been damaged during one of the 

 Scottish raids ; in either event it was reduced 

 in size about 1364-7.*' This reduction was 

 effected by the removal of the chapel on the 

 eastern side of the north transept and of the 

 aisles of the quire and nave, the arcades being 

 walled up and windows inserted in the walling. 

 The south aisle of the nave, however, was trans- 

 formed into the north walk of the cloister, 

 while the original north walk was added to the 

 cloister garth. No further structural alteration 

 of importance seems to have been made before 

 the suppression of the house in 1536, when the 

 buildings were dismantled and allowed to fall 

 into ruin. The central tower, which terminated 

 just above the roof line of the church, and the 

 spire were standing in 1655, but had disappeared 

 by 1728. Much of the masonry, including the 

 eastern arch of the tower and the three east 

 lancets of the quire, have fallen since 1728.** 



The presbytery projected by one bay beyond 

 the east ends of the original aisles, and was 

 originally lighted from the east by three tall 

 lancets and by single lancets in the north and 

 south walls. The jamb shafts of these windows 

 have gone, but the stifl-leaved capitals, except 

 those of the south window, still remain. A two- 

 story building, which was erected in the 14th 

 century against the eastern part of the north 

 waU of the presbytery, blocked the lancet window 

 here. To compensate for the loss of light so 

 caused, the lancet in the south wall was replaced 

 by a 14th-century three-light window, now 

 without a head. In order to make room for this 

 window, two of the four sedilia which were 



*' The dates assigned to the different parts of the 

 buildings are largely based on a series of indulgences 

 which are printed in Priory of Finch ale, p. 169 et seq., 

 and deductions drawn from them by Mr. Peers in 

 Arch. Adiana, loc. cit. 



^ The total length of the church internally is 

 194 ft. 4 in., and the width across the transepts 99 ft. 



*' Arch. Aeliana, loc. cit. ; see entries in Priory of 

 FinchaU, pp. bdii-bncvii. 



** Cf. drawing in Dugdale, Mon. Angl. (ed. 1655), 

 vol. i, pt. i, p. 512, with drawing by S. and N. Buck. 



originally in the south wall were built up. 

 The two remaining retain their moulded arches 

 and stifl-leaved capitals. To the east of the 

 sedilia is a double piscina with moulded arches 

 and stiff-leaved capitals. Both the piscina 

 and sedilia seem unduly high, owing to the 

 present ground level being 2 ft. below the 

 original floor. On the north side is a square 

 aumbry with a groove for a shelf and a rebate 

 for doors. Apparently it is not in its original 

 position. The 13th-century blocked arcades 

 formerly opening into the aisles have moulded 

 arches and round pillars and half-round responds 

 with bell-shaped capitals, those of the eastern 

 responds and of the first pillar on the north 

 side being carved with foliage and fruit. The 

 arches of the north arcade are fairly complete, 

 but the two eastern arches on the south side 

 have disappeared, while the western is broken 

 at the crown. The infilling wall has, for- 

 tunately, protected the carved capitals and 

 other details. The geometrical ornament painted 

 in red, yellow and black is well preserved on 

 the west respond and west pillar on this side, 

 and gives evidence of a wall between the pillars 

 as a back to the quire stalls. Above the arcades 

 the walling has fallen. In each of the blocked 

 arches windows were inserted in 1364-7. 

 The western window on the north side is com- 

 plete with three trefoiled lights and reticulated 

 tracery. The tracery of the other windows 

 has disappeared. It is evident that when the 

 14th-century alterations were being made the 

 north wall was showing signs of weakness, 

 and was then strengthened by three deep 

 buttresses, only the western of which is now 

 perfect. 



Recent excavations show that the quire stalls 

 extended 26 ft. east of the crossing, and the 

 lectern stood 28 ft. eastward of the stalls. The 

 presbytery, which was 2 ft. 6 in. above the 

 quire, was reached by five steps, the top step 

 being 31 ft. from the east wall. The high altar, 

 dedicated in honour of St. John Baptist, stood 

 against a wooden screen 12 ft. 6 in. from the 

 east wall. 



The central tower was supported by four 

 great circular piers (8 ft. in diameter). The 

 north-west, which contains a newel stair to 

 the upper part of the tower, is broken away 

 at the top, but the others are complete with their 

 moulded capitals and bases, the bases of the west 

 piers being of slightly later date than those in 

 the east. The vault over the crossing and the 

 four crossing arches have fallen. The western 

 piers were originally intended to stand free, 

 but as the work progressed the responds of the 

 eastern arches of the nave arcade were set some 

 12 ft. westward of the tower piers and the inter- 

 vening space was filled by a solid wall. There 

 is no evidence of .n stone pulpitum, but chases 



150 



