By Harold Brakspear, F.S.A. 469 



and costly marble all limned and guilted with gold having four seates 

 or places convenient under the shrine for the pilgrims or laymen sittinge 

 on theire knees to leane and rest on in time of theire devout offeringes 



and fervent prayers At the west end of this shrine . . . 



was a little altar adioyned to it for masse to bee s d on onely uppon the 

 great and holy feast of St. Cuthbert ... at this feast and certaine 

 other festivall dayes in the time of divine service they were accustomed 

 to drawe upp the cover of St. Cuthbert's shrine [beinge of Wainescott 

 whereunto was fastned unto every corner of y e said Cover to a loope 

 of Iron a stronge Cord w ch Cord was all fest together over y e Midst over 

 y e Cover. And a strong rope was fest unto y e loopes or bindinge of y e 

 s d Cordes w ch runn upp and downe in a pulley under y° Vault w ch was 

 above over S' Cuthb : feretorie for y e drawinge upp of y e Cover of the s d 

 shrine and the s d rope was fastned to a loope of Iron in ye North piller 

 of ye ferretory : haveinge six silver bells fastned to ye s d rope, soe as 

 when y e cover of y e same was drawinge upp y e belles did make such a 

 good sound y' itt did stirr all y e peoples harts that was w th in y e Church to 

 repaire unto itt and to make ther praiers to God and holy St. Cuthbt : 

 and y' y e behoulders might see y e glorious ornam'ts thereof] : Also y« 

 Cover had att every corner two ringes made fast, w ch did run upp and 

 downe on fower staves of Iron when itt was in drawinge upp w ch staves 

 were fast to every corner of of y e Marble y l S' Cuthb : Coffin did lye 

 upon, w oh cover was all gilded over and of eyther side was painted fower 

 lively Images curious to ye beholders and on the East End was painted 

 the picture of o' Savio r sittinge on a Kainebowe to geive Judgm' very 

 lively to y e behoulders and on the West end of itt was y e picture of o r 

 Lady & o r Savio r on her knee and on the topp of y e Cover from end to 

 end was most fine Brattishing of carved worke cutt owte w th Dragons 

 and other beasts most artificially wrought and y e inside was Vernished 

 w lh a fyne sanguine colour that itt might be more p'spicuous to ye 

 beholders and at every corner of y e Cover was a locke to keepe itt close 

 but att suche times as was fitt to show itt." 1 



The ends of each aisle would contain altars, and the aisles them- 

 selves would be used for passages for the pilgrims going to and 

 from the shrine. The foundation of a wall, 7 ft. thick, was found 

 some 8 ft. south of the line of the aisle wall opposite the easternmost 

 bay, showing that the chapel was wider than the aisle, similar to 

 the corresponding feature at Exeter. 



As William Worcester includes the new bays in his total length 

 of the church, there can be little doubt that they were carried to 

 the full height of the presbytery, as at Ely. Two fourteenth- 

 century bosses now in the vestry, are said to have been found on 



1 The Rites of Durham (Surtees Society, 1902), 4. 



