YORK. 



is 9ii feet ; in the tranfept 103 feet ; and in the choir loi 

 feet. The elevation of the central tower or lantern is 213 

 feet ; that of the towers at the W. end 196 feet. The 

 great windows which occupy the principal part of tlie W. 

 and E. ends of the church are particularly beautiful. The 

 great E. window, efpecially, is of uncommon dimenfions 

 and richnefs. It was executed about 1405, at the expence 

 of the dean and chapter ; and the glafs painted, &c. by 

 John Thornton, of Coventry, glazier, who engaged to 

 finifh it in three years, and for which he was paid four {hil- 

 Lngs per week. Spacious, lofty, and light, the interior of 

 this cathedral has a moft impoGng effeft. For although the 

 choir be feparated from the body of the building by a fcreen 

 furmounted by the organ, ftill from the W. end the eye 

 ranges over all, quite to the great terminating window in the 

 E. The nave confifts of a double range of eight lofty 

 pointed arches, fupported by flender cluftered columns. A 

 Cmilar arrangement prevails in the choir ; but the tranfept 

 is of a different age, ftyle, and character, to all the other 

 parts of the church. 



Great labour has been bellowed in the carving of the 

 flails of the choir, which are of oak. The fcreen behind 

 the altar is flone, divided into eight pointed arches, the 

 upper parts of which are perforated and glazed. At the 

 entrance of the choir is a very elaborate fcreen of tabernacle 

 work, perhaps of the time of Henry VI. It is covered 

 with niches, canopies, pediments, pinnacles, &c. and con- 

 tains ftatues of fifteen Englifh monarchs ; i. e. eight on one 

 fide of the entrance, and feven on the other fide. The 

 whole has been of late years fuitably repaired. The central 

 tower, or lantern, as it is ufually called, is fupported by 

 four lofty arches refting on flrong mafCve cluftered piers. 



Among the monuments of prelates and other eminent per- 

 fons preferved within the cathedral of York, is diftinguifhed 

 that of archbifhop Walter Grey in the fouth tranfept. It ex- 

 hibits his effigy in his pontificals, covered by a magnificent 

 canopy, fupported by flender pillars. The whole was en- 

 clofed with a handfome railing by the late Dr. Markham. But 

 the moft elegant of all is the monument of archbifhop Bo wet, 

 appointed in 1423, of great height, and in the moil florid 

 flyle of the pointed architefture. A full-length ftatue, 

 with emblems and an infcription, commemorates the late fir 

 George Saville. Attached to the fouth fide of the choir 

 is a range of low building?, flyled the veftries ; in one of 

 which are preferved fundry emblems of the ancient metro- 

 politan dignity of York cathedral. Among thefe is a 

 famous antique horn, as it is termed, although formed out 

 of an elephant's tooth, by the poffefTion of which the 

 church holds lands of great value, faid to have been granted 

 by Ulphus, a Saxon prince of Deira. In the fame place is 

 preferved the filver paftoral ftaff, prefented by Catharine 

 of Portugal, dowagsr of Charles II.; to her confefTor, who 

 had been appointed popiih archbifhop by James II. in 1687. 

 Adjoining to the S.W. angle of the tranfept was a fmall 

 building, formerly ufed as a library. A Lbrary for the ufe 

 of the ecclefiaftics of the cathedral is believed to have been 

 founded by Egbert the archbifhop in 740, and his fuccefTor 

 Albert ; but the whole was confumed by fire in 1069. By 

 this misfortune no fmall lofs was fuftained by the lovers of 

 learning ; for according to certain writings of Alcuin, the 

 fecretary of Charlemagne, many valuable clafBc and other 

 works were contained m it. To fupply in feme meafure its 

 place, another library was collefted by archbifhop Thomas, 

 the Norman ; but that alfo was deftroyed by the flames 

 in 1 137. From this period, the cathedral is not known 

 to have been furnifhed with many books until the private 

 colledlion, confifling of upwards of 3000 volumes, of 



archbifhop Matthew, was bellowed on it by his relirt in 

 the beginning of the 17th century. By various fuhfe- 

 quent bequcfts, prefents, and purchafes, a large collection 

 of valuable books and manufcripts has been formed, and 

 placed in what was formerly the chapel of the archiepifco- 

 pal palace, on the north fide of the cathedral. This build- 

 ing has been lately repaired in a ftyle fuitable to that of the 

 church, and commodioufly adapted to its prefent deflina- 

 tion. Connefted by a fhort paffage or veftibule with the 

 N.E. angle of the tranfept of the cathedral is the chapter- 

 houfe, an oftagon room, 63 feet in diameter, and nearly 68 

 m height. This building differs from many others of the 

 fame kind, in having no central pillar to fupport the roof : 

 but the preffure of the arched roof upon the walls is efl'cc- 

 tually counterafted by buttreffes at each extenial angle. 

 From the fimilarity of the ftyle of building with that 

 of the nave of the cathedral, founded in 1291, the chap- 

 ter-houfe is fuppofed to have been erefted about that 

 time. The buildings belonging to the cathedral were 

 formerly feparated from the city by walls ; and fome 

 remains of the gates of communication may ftill be 

 difcovered. Of thofe buildings, the principal was the 

 archiepifcopal palace, fituated on the north of the church. 

 It was erefted by the firft Norman prelate appointed 

 in IC70 ; but after a lapfe of about 500 years, the 

 great hall was taken down by the Proteftant archbiftiop 

 Young, for the fake, it is faid, of the lead on the roof. 

 Since that time other parts of the palace have been leafed 

 out. In former times to the fee of York belonged various 

 places of refidence ; but now that of Bifhopthorpe alone is 

 occupied. This is agreeably fituated on the fide of th« 

 river Oufe, about three miles fouth-weft from the city. It 

 was purchafed and appropriated to the fee by archbifhop 

 Walter de Grey, in the early part of the 13th century; 

 fince whofe time it has undergone many important alter- 

 ations and improvements. The principal front and the vef- 

 tibule are in the pointed ftyle of architefture, and in the 

 interior are feveral fpacious and elegant apartments, befides 

 the chapel and library. In the minfter-yard ftill remain* 

 the refidence of tlie dean of the cathedral, a fpacious and 

 convenient edifice of refpedlable appearance. 



Of the parifh-churches in York, that of St. Margaret in 

 the fouth-eaft quarter of the city is remarkable for th« 

 porch attached to it, but which is of much higher antiquity 

 than any other part of the edifice. It was removed from 

 the church of St. Nicholas, formerly fituated without 

 Walmgate-bar, but ruined during the fiege of York in 

 1644. The arch of the porch is femicircular, and exhibits 

 alternately the figns of the zodiac and the emblems of the 

 months. The churches of St. Denys and St. Lawrence 

 have alfo an appearance of confiderable antiquity. Next 

 to the cathedra], the church of St. Michael-le-Belfrey is the 

 largeft and the moft regular in the city, fupported by light 

 pillars and pointed arches. The prefent building was 

 erefted on the removal of the former in 1535. The church 

 of AH Saints, on the pavement, is diftinguiflied by its open 

 oftangular turret, erefted on a fquare tower, in which, ac- 

 cording to tradition, a large lamp was fufpended in the 

 night, to guide travellers over the broad foreft of Galtres, 

 which extended on the north and eaft of the city. York 

 contains places of meeting for various clafles of difienter* 

 from the eftablifned church ; that for the Society of 

 Friends, lately erefted, is large and commodious. A 

 handfome chapel for the ufe of the Roman Catholics wi» 

 built in 1782. 



Of the numerous religious eftabhfhments formerly exilU- 

 ing in and near York many veftiges ftill remain. Of thcife, 



M 2 i!ic 



