WORCESTER. 



to the nionaftery of St. Mary, an edablifliment of the be- 

 ginning of the eighth century. The church of this monaf- 

 tcry being unfuitable to its novel application, another 

 cathec'ral was erefted and confecrated by St. Ofwald, th.e 

 bilhop, in 983. Being ruined by Hardicanute in 1041, the 

 foundation of a new cathedral was laid in 1084, by bi(hop 

 Wulftan II.; and in 1089 he finifhed it, together with the 

 monaftery, and called the fame Mona/lerium St. Maria in 

 Cryptis. The original plan of this church feems to have 

 been a fimple crofs, the entrance being at the weft end of 

 the prefent choir, which occupies the place of the ancient 

 nave. This ancient Ilrufture had probably a central or 

 principal tower ; as it is recorded that the new tower fell 

 down in 11 75, and two fmaller ones were deftroyed by a 

 ftorm in 1222. The antiquity of this part of the edifice is 

 particularly apparent from the crypt or undercroft, which 

 extends under the choir and its aifles. This is a curious 

 and interefting part of the fabric. Twice feverely injured by 

 fire, in 1 113 and in 1202, the cathedral was re-confecrated 

 in 1218, by bilhop Silvefter, in the prefence of Henry III. 

 and his court. Six years afterwards the foundation of an 

 additional work, the prefent nave, was laid by bifhop Wil- 

 liam de Sloys, in which is difplayed the fkill of the archi- 

 teft, in adapting the new parts to the former ftrufture. 

 The ftone-vaulting of the edifice was begun by biftiop 

 Cobham in 1327, and the whole was finifhed in 1357. The 

 beautiful central tower was conftrufted in 1374. Worcefter 

 cathedral is in the exterior extremely plain, and its attrac- 

 tions confift principally in the height, fpace, and the light- 

 nefs of its architefture, to which the lofty pinnacles, rifing 

 from every termination of the building, as well as from the 

 tower, not a little contribute. The external length, in- 

 cluding buttrefles, is 426 feet ; the internal, 394 : that of 

 the nave, from the front to the weft tranfept, 180 ; of the 

 choir, including the organ-loft, 120; of the Lady -chapel, 

 60; of the weft crofs or tranfept, 128; and of the eaft 

 tranfept, 120 feet. The nave is feparated from the aifles 

 by ten clullered columns on each fide, fupporting three 

 ranges of pointed arches ; an arrangement alfo carried on 

 through the choir. A ftone pulpit, originally placed near 

 the weft end of the nave, is now fixed at the north fide of 

 the choir. It is of an octagonal form, ornamented with 

 emblematic fculpture, and furmounted by a canopy. 



Worcefter cathedral has, like many otlier edifices of the 

 fame nature, been a great fufferer by the lapfe of time, and 

 by the various modes of repair adopted at different periods. 

 It now fcarcely contains one arris or moulding, as originally 

 conftrufted. Roman cornices now occupy the place of 

 battlements ; buttrefles are pannelled in various hetero- 

 geneous ways ; pinnacles have been reftored after the Gre- 

 cian fchool ; windows formed without ramifications or 

 cufps, and filled with modern ftained glafs, deftitute of 

 fiibjetl or defign ; Roman arches refting on entablatures, to 

 fupport or ftrengthen the tranfepts ; Roman fquares with 

 leaves, inftead of proper bafes to regular cluttered pillars. 

 Indeed this edifice affords a curious, but not a very pleafing, 

 difplay of heterogeneous parts and ftylee. 



Of the numerous monuments contained in the cathedral, 

 a few only can be noticed in this work. Between the 

 pulpit and the communion-table, in the midft of the choir, 

 is placed the altar-tomb of king John, who died in 1216. 

 On it is extended hi« effigy. The infcription, " Johannes 

 Rex Angliffi," is now almoft illegible. The figure, as 

 large as life, has in the right-hand a fceptre, and in the left 

 a fword, with its point in the mouth of a lion couchant at 

 the feet. On each fide, on a level with the pavement, are 

 fmall figures cf biftops Ofwald ^nd Wul!bn. It had long 



been imagined that this monument was merely an honorary 

 cenotaph, while the body of John really lay in the Lady- 

 chapel ; but by an inveftigatfon in 1797, the contrary was 

 afcertained. Removing the effigy and ftone on which it 

 refted, the interior of the monument was laid open. Be- 

 tween two brick walls, and under fome elm boards, lay a 

 ilone coffin containing the royal corpfe. The body had 

 evidently been deranged at fome former period ; but many 

 of the parts were very perfeft. Inftead of the crown, how- 

 ever, as ftiewn in the effigy, the head had been invefted 

 with the hood of a monk's cowl. The body had been en- 

 veloped in an embroidered robe, feemingly of crimfon 

 damafk. The coffin refted on the pavement of the choir, 

 and the original cover was the ftone on which the effigy is 

 fculptured. On the right-hand of the communion-table, 

 occupying one of the arcades between the choir and the 

 fouth aifle, ftands the celebrated monumental chapel or 

 chantry of Arthur, eldeft fon of Henry VII., and elder 

 brother of Henry VIII. This chapel, of an oblong form 

 is richly ornamented on the north, weft, and fouth fides, b 

 open fcreen-work ; the pillars adorned with a number o; 

 fmall ftatues, with (hields, rofes, and other figures em- 

 blematic of the houfes of York and Lancafter, whofe con- 

 tending claims to the Englifti throne were united in that 

 young prince, who died in 1502, in the 17th year of hi- 

 age. Againft the eaft end was placed an altar, behind 

 which was a wall ornamented with five figures ; in the centre 

 the Saviour, on the right-hand two kings in their robes, 

 and on the left another fimilar king, and a warrior in armour. 

 Over the ftatues are richly-wrought canopies. To preferve 

 thofe figures from deftruftion, they had been covered over 

 with plafter, probably in the reign of Elizabeth, and re- 

 mained thus unknown until November 1788, when the 

 plafter being removed, they were once more laid open to 

 view. The tomb of prince Arthur is of marble, with the 

 arms of England and France quartered, painted on the 

 fides ; round the edge of the cover is an infcription in 

 Englifli. 



Worcefter cathedral contains alfo the monument of the 

 celebrated judge Littleton, the father of Englifh law, a 

 juftice of the common pleas under Edward IV., who died 

 in 1 48 1. Of more modern fepulchral monuments it will be 

 fufiicient to mention thofe of bifhops Hough, Maddox, and 

 Johnfon, not only for the eminent names they commemorate, 

 but as diftinguiftied examples of modern fculpture. Attached 

 to the fouth fide of the nave of the church is the ancient 

 cloifter, a fquare of about 120 feet, on the eaft fide of 

 which is the chapter-houfe, a decagon of 58 feet in dia- 

 meter, and 45 in height, the roof of which is fupported by 

 a central column ; it now ferves as a library, as well as a 

 council-room, and contains a valuable coUedfion of books, 

 and of manufcripts, chiefly relating to the canon law. 

 Adjoining to the fouth fide of the cloifter is the ancient re- 

 fedtory of the monaftery attached to the cathedral, called 

 the college-hall, a lofty and fpacious room, 120 feet long 

 by 38 broad, now kept as the king's fcliool. Here are 

 alfo held the triennial mufical meetings of the three choirs 

 of Worcefter, Hereford, and Gloucefter, for the benefit of 

 the widows and orphans of the clergy of their refpeftive 

 counties. This fchool was founded by Henry VIII. for 

 forty fcholars, who are prepared for the univerfity, and in- 

 ftrufted in various branches of modern education. A little 

 to the eaftward of the chapter-houfe ftands the audit-hall, 

 anciently called the Gueilen-hall, built in 1320, for the 

 entertainment of ftrangers reforting to the monaftery and 

 cathedral. It is ftill the fcene of hofpitality during the 

 annual audits of the chapter of the cathedral. At the back 



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