131 
D U R 
body of St. Cuthbert was tranflated with much folemnity. 
The remainder of the life of this pious prelate was fpent 
in promoting the eredtion of the edilice, in which he 
fpent eighteen years; and, at his deceafe, left the we(i- 
ern tower to be finifhed by his fuccelfor, who alfo confe- 
crated it. Under the fucceeding prelates, benefadtions 
and riches continued to flow fo rapidly to St. Cuthbert’s 
flirine, that William de Carilepho, the fixth in fucceflion 
from Aldwin, thinking this church not magnificent 
enough for the remains of lb great a faint, and having 
brought over from Normandy the plan of a new church, 
he pulled down the old one, feventy-fix years after its firft 
eredtion ; and in its (lead began the prefent Itrudture ; the 
foundation (tones of which were laid by Malcolm king of 
Scotland, bifliop Carilepho, and Turgot the prior, on the 
11th of Auguft, 1093; and fo great was the progrefs 
made in this work, that his fuccelfor, Ralph Flambard, 
who died in 1128, lived lo fee the building carried nearly 
up to the roof. Other benefadtors to this fabric were, 
bifliop Hugh Pudfey, who began a new work at the eaft 
end, but, being by force means prevented from complet¬ 
ing it, lie eredted the Gallilee at the weft end, before the 
year 1194; which is fuppofed to have been either re¬ 
built, or at leaft confiderably altered, by cardinal Langley 
before 1438. Prior Melfonby, who was eledted in 1233, 
built the fteeple, then called the lantern, as high as the 
gallery ; and prior Hugh of Darlington, who was eledted 
in 1238, finiftied the work, by eredting the upper tower, 
in which the bells are now hung. The eaftern tranfept, 
generally called the nine altars, is fuppofed to have been 
finifhed by prior Horton, who acceded to the priory in 
1289, who alfo placed the roof on the choir. The body 
of the church was vaulted with ftone about 1242, by bi¬ 
fliop Farnliavn and prior Melfonby. Adjoining the fouth 
aide of the choir, is the veftry, built by Henry de Luceby 
about 1300. The whole length of this venerable pile, 
which is a more regular edifice than is generally to be 
found in ftrudhires of the like'age, excluliveof the Gal¬ 
lilee, is 411 feet ; the length of the nave is 200 feet, its 
width fcvei ty-four feet, cf which the centre aide is twen¬ 
ty-eight feet: at the weft end of the nave is a fliort crofs 
aide or tranfept, in length ninety feet, and eighteen feet 
wide from the centres of the columns; over the end. of 
which rifes the weft towers; and by a late mealtirement 
found to be 13s feet in height. The middle aide of the 
nave is fixty-nine feet 'and a half high : the great crofs 
aide, or middle tranfept, has an aide towards the eaft at 
both ends, and is 170 feet in length and fifty-feven in 
width, including the aide. The height of the middle 
tow'er is 214 feet; the choir is 120 feet long, and equal 
in width to the centre aide of the nave : the eaft tranfept, 
commonly called the nine altars, is 130 feet in length, 
and in width fifty-one feet: the Gallilee at the weft end 
is from eaft to weft fifty feet, from north to fouth eighty 
feet wide. The fit nation of this cathedral is extremely 
grand, the building ftretchiiig along the crown of an emi¬ 
nence, above eighty feet perpendicular from the furface 
of the river, which wadies its bale: on the weft, this 
church rifes on the points of recks, which (hew them- 
felves on the fummit of the mount, and almoft overhang 
the ftream ; from the palace-green the whole north front 
appears at once : on entering the great north door, the 
vilitor is (truck with an awful folemnity. In the infide 
is preferved much of the clumfy yet venerable magnifi¬ 
cence of the early Norman (tile: the pillars are valt cy¬ 
linders, twenty-three feet in circumference, feme adorned 
with crofs-cut furrows ; others lozenge-fliaped, with nar¬ 
row ribs or with fpiral; above are two rows of galleries, 
each with round arches or openings : a row of fmall pi- 
laftresrun round the lides of the church, with rounded 
arches interfedling each other: the windows are all ob- 
tuiely pointed. In 1778, upon a furvey of this church, 
it was found to be in great want of repair, when the dean 
and chapter immediately began the coftly work, which 
occupied almoft twenty years; and by which this noble 
II A M. 
fabric is now reftored to its priftine beauty and grandeur 
The whole expence of this magnificent undertaking, 
which coft above 25,000!. was paid out of the chapter 
trealury ; an adt of public magnificence refledling the 
higheft honour on that venerable and opulent body. 
Befides the cathedral, here are fix pari(h-churclies,wiz. 
St. Ofwald’s, fltuated at the head of Nevv Elvett-ftreet; 
St. Nicolas’s, fltuated at the lower end of the market¬ 
place ; the church.of St. Mary-le-Bovv, fltuated on the 
eaft fide of the Bailey ; St Margaret’s in Crofgate ; with 
St. Giles’s, and Little St. Mary’s. 
Durham caftle is generally allowed to have been built by 
William the Conqueror, who, in 1072, ordered aforfret's 
to be eredlCd here, at once to fecure the governor cf this 
provi nee from tu mu its and infurrepions, and alfo to protect 
the bifliop and his church. A part of this caftle was burnt, 
but was foon repaired by bifliop Pudfey, in 1153. Bifliop 
Tunftall, in 1530, built the gallery and chapel adjoining 
to it; he alfo erected the prefent gateway and tower, and 
flanked it with a ftrong wail on either fide ; he alfo built 
the conduit, and fupplied the caftle with water. The 
great tower of this caftle (lands upon a mount forty-four 
feet from the level of the palace-green, and is an odtagon 
of irregular Tides; the diameter, in the wideft part, is 
fixty-three feet four inches ; the narrowed, lixty-one feet. 
It contained four tier of apartments, excluftve of the 
vaults. Nothing now remains but the mount, vaults, 
and a part of the (hell ; the upper part, having become 
very ruinous, was ordered to be taken down by bifliop 
Thurlow in 1789. 
The firft charter of incorporation was granted Jan. 30, 
1565, by bi(!iop Pilkington, by which the city was incor¬ 
porated by the name of an alderman and burgeffes within 
the city of Durham and F'ramwell-gate. Under this the 
city was governed, till bifliop Matthews granted a new 
charter, dated 1602, whereby the burgeffes and inhabi¬ 
tants were conftituted a body politic and corporate, con¬ 
fiding of a mayor, twelve aldermen, and commonalty, 
with divers privileges. This charter was confirmed by 
James I. Feb. 15, 1606, and continued in force till 1684, 
when it was furrendered to bifliop Crew, who granted im¬ 
mediately a new charter of incorporation, dated March 7, 
1684, but fome informality having been uifeovered in the 
form of furrendering up the old charter, it was deemed 
illegal, and the corporation dill fubfifted under Mat¬ 
thews’s charter till 1766, when informations having been 
filed in the court of king’s-bench againft feveral of the 
aldermen as being non-re(idents, or not legally qualified 
at the time of their election, they were oufted from their 
offices. Some irregularities had alfo been committed, 
both on the election of the commoncouncil, on the 3d 
of Odlober, 1766, which affedled the title of the mayor 
to his office, to which he was eledted the day following, 
and from which he was ejedled by the judgment of the 
court of king’s bench foon after. From the above caufes, 
as well as the natural deaths of fome of the old aider- 
men, the number of aldermen was Co reduced as not to 
be able to conftitute a court; in confequence, the charter 
became vacated, and the city continued under the go¬ 
vernment of a bailiff till x 780, w hen a new charter, dated 
Odlober 2, was granted by bifliop Egerton, in which the 
defects of the old charters were remedied, and the powers 
and privileges of the corporation and citizens confirmed. 
Under this charter the city is now governed. The mem¬ 
bers of this corporation are, a mayor, recorder, twelve 
aldermen, a town-clerk, twenty-four common-councilmen, 
an indefinite number of freemen, and two ferjeants at 
mace. The common-council are chofen from the twelve 
incorporated companies. The number of houfes in Dur¬ 
ham are calculated at about two thou (and, and the num¬ 
ber of inhabitants nine thoufand. 
Many public charities dignify this city ; among others, 
bifliop Crew left by his will, dated June 24, 1720, one 
hundred pounds per annum for putting out poor boys ap¬ 
prentices. Dr. Hartwell, in 1724, left twenty pounds 
per 
