Chapter 6

Illustration: THE LADY CHAPEL.THE LADY CHAPEL.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo."Its symmetrical proportions, before completely spoilt; the remnants of its ancient painting, which were traceable beneath the whitewash; the fair disclosure of the monuments of Joanna de Kilpec, a benefactress to this very edifice, and Humphry de Bohun, her husband, both of exceeding interest; the discovery of two aumbries, both walled up, but one with the stones composing it reversed; the double piscina on the south side, the chapel of Bishop Audley; but especially two of the most beautiful specimens of transition arches which can be found in any edifice, bearing the Early English form, the shafts and capitals and the lancet-shaped arch above, but ornamented[pg 061]in their soffits with the Norman moulding, and the zig-zag decoration, corresponding with the remarkable union of the Norman intersecting arches on the exterior of the building, with its pointed characteristics. The appearance of the central column with a base in the Early English and its capital with the Norman ornament might be added: the stairs to the crypt, and the discovery of several most interesting relics in[pg 062]the adjoining vaults opened in reducing the floor to its original level."Illustration: SECTION THROUGH LADY CHAPEL AND CRYPT.SECTION THROUGH LADY CHAPEL AND CRYPT.Illustration: ARCH DISCOVERED AT ENTRANCE OF LADY CHAPEL.ARCH DISCOVERED AT ENTRANCE OF LADY CHAPEL.It was as a memorial to Dean Merewether, to whom the cathedral owes so much, that the stained glass designed by Cottingham was placed in the east windows in the narrow lancets that he loved so dearly. It represents scenes in the early life of the Virgin and the life of Christ; the last being the supper in the house of Mary and Martha. In the side windows the visitor should especially notice the rich clustered shafts and arches, the Early English capitals, and the ornamentation of the arches. Above these windows, corresponding to the openings above the east window, a quatrefoil opening enclosed by a circle pierces the wall. The quadripartite vaulting springs from slender shafts, which descend upon a slightly raised base.The double piscina and aumbry south of the altar are restorations necessitated by the dilapidated state of the originals.Monuments in the Lady Chapel.—Of great beauty and interest is the Perpendicular recess in the central bay on the north side of the Lady Chapel, in which is the recumbent[pg 063]effigy which tradition has assigned without evidence to Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, who died in the 46th year of the reign of Edward III., 1372. He was, however, buried in the north side of the Presbytery in Walden Abbey, Essex.The Rev. Francis Havergal considers this to be the monument of Peter, Baron de Grandisson, who died 1358. In any case, the knight was probably one of the Bohun family, and husband of the lady whose effigy lies under an arch in the wall adjoining. The costume is of the earlier part of the fourteenth century; full armour, and covered (a rare example) by a cyclass, a close linen shirt worn over the armour in Edward III.'s reign. This shirt is cut short in front and about 6 inches longer behind. The visitor should also notice the fringed poleyns at the knees.The upper story of the recess itself has open tabernacle-work, now containing a series of figures representing the crowning of the Virgin; on one side are figures of King Ethelbert and St. John the Baptist, and on the other St. Thomas à Becket (with double crozier) and Bishop Thomas de Cantilupe. Of these, however, only the two central carvings are in their original positions, the others having been discovered by Mr. Cottingham when the oak choir-screen was removed.In the easternmost bay on this side is the tomb of Joanna de Bohun, Countess of Hereford, 1327. To quote from Dean Merewether: "The effigy of the lady, there can be scarcely a doubt, represents 'Johanna de Bohun, Domina de Kilpec.' She was the sister and heiress of Alan Plonknett or Plugenet of Kilpec, in the county of Hereford, a name distinguished in the annals of his times; and of his possessions, his sister doing her homage, had livery 19 Edward II."In 1327 Johanna de Bohun gave to the Dean and Chapter of Hereford, the church of Lugwardyne, with the chapels of Llangarren, St. Waynards and Henthland, with all the small chapels belonging to them, which donation was confirmed by the king by the procurement and diligence of Thomas de Chandos, Archdeacon of Hereford; and the Bishop of Hereford further confirmed it to the Dean and Chapter by deed, dated Lugwas, 22nd July, 1331 (ex Regist. MS. Thomæ Chorleton, Epi.): And afterwards the Bishop, Dean and Chapter appropriated the revenues of it to the service peculiar[pg 064]to the Virgin Mary, 'because in other churches in England the Mother of God had better and more serious service, but in the Church of Hereford the Ladye's sustenance for her prieste was so thinne and small, that out of their respect they add this, by their deeds, dated in the Chapter at Hereford, April 10th, 1333.' (Harl. MS. 6726, fol. 109.)"Johanna de Bohoun died without issue, 1 Edward III., 1327, the donation of Lugwardyne being perhaps her dying bequest. On the 17th of October in that year, she constituted John de Badesshawe, her attorney, to give possession to the Dean and Chapter of an acre of land in Lugwardine, and the advowson of the church with the chapels pertaining to it. This instrument was dated at Bisseleye, and her seal was appended, of which a sketch is preserved by Taylor, in whose possession this document appears to have been in 1655, and a transcript of it will be found Harl. MS. 6868, f. 77 (see also 6726, f. 109, which last has been printed inShaw's Topographer, 1. 280)."In the tower is preserved the patent 1 Edward III., pro Ecclesia de Lugwarden cum capellis donandis a Johanna de Bohun ad inveniendum 8 capellanos et 2 diaconos approprianda (Tanner'sNotitia Monast.).Illustration: SEAL OF JOHANNA DE BOHUN.SEAL OF JOHANNA DE BOHUN."The circumstances above mentioned appear sufficiently to explain why the memorial of Johanna de Bohoun is found in the Lady Chapel, to which especially she had been a benefactress. They also explain the original ornaments of this tomb, the painting which was to be seen not many years since under the arch in which the effigy lies, now unfortunately concealed by a coat of plaster, of which sufficient has been removed to prove that Gough's description of the original state of the painting is correct. He says, 'The Virgin is represented sitting, crowned with a nimbus; a lady habited in a mantle and wimple kneeling on an embroidered cushion offers to her a church built in the form of a cross, with a central spire—and behind the lady kneel eleven or twelve religious, chanting à gorge deployée after the foremost, who holds up a book, on[pg 065]which are seen musical notes and "salve sca parens." Fleur-de-lys are painted about both within and without this arch, and on the spandrils two shields; on the left, a bend cotised between twelve Lioncels (Bohun); and on the right, Ermines, a bend indented, Gules.' This description was published 1786."By this painting there can be no doubt that the donation of the church of Lugwardine was represented; the eleven or twelve vociferous choristers were the eight chaplains and two deacons mentioned in the patent, who were set apart for the peculiar service of the Lady Chapel, and provided for from the pious bequest of Johanna de Bohoun. The two shields mentioned by Gough are still discernible, that on the dexter side bearing the arms of Bohun, Azure a bend, Argent between two cotises, and six lions rampant, or.—The other, Ermines, a bend indented, (or fusily) Gules, which were the bearings of Plugenet, derived perhaps originally from the earlier Barons of Kilpec, and still borne by the family of Pye in Herefordshire, whose descent is traced to the same source. In the list of obits observed in Hereford Cathedral, Johanna is called the Lady Kilpeck, and out of Lugwardine was paid yearly for her obit forty pence."The effigy of Joanna de Bohun is also valuable as a specimen of costume. Its curious decoration of human heads is also noteworthy.Over the grave of Dean Merewether, who is interred at the north-east angle of the chapel, is a black marble slab with a brass by Hardman bearing an inscription, which records that to the restoration of the cathedral "he devoted the unwearied energies of his life till its close on the 4th of April 1850."The next monument to notice is the effigy of Dean Berew or Beaurieu (died 1462) in the south wall of the vestibule. This is one of the best specimens of monumental sculpture in the cathedral. The face, which is well modelled, and the arrangement of the drapery at the feet, are especially noticeable. There are remains of colour over the whole monument. In the hollow of the arch-moulding are sixteen boars with rue leaves in their mouths, forming a "rebus" of the dean's name.To the west of this monument is the effigy of a priest, supposed to be Canon de la Barr, 1386.[pg 066]The Audley Chantry.—In the central bay on the south side of the wall is the Audley Chantry—a beautiful little chapel built by Bishop Edmund Audley (1492-1502), with an upper chamber to which access is obtained by a circular staircase at the south-west angle.After Bishop Audley's translation to Salisbury in 1502 he erected a similar chantry in that cathedral wherein he was buried, so that the object of the Hereford Chantry as the place for his interment was of course never fulfilled.The following is an extract taken from the calendar of an ancient missal:—"Secundum usum Herefordensem," which notes a number of "obiits" or commemorations of benefactors, chiefly between the times of Henry I. and Edward II. "X. Kal. Obitus Domini Edmundi Audeley, quondam Sarum Episcopi, qui dedit redditum XX. Solidorum distribuendorum Canonicis et Clericis in anniversario suo presentibus, quique capellam novam juxta Feretrum Sancti Thomae Confessoris e fundo construxit, et in eadem Cantariam perpetuam amortizavit, etc. Constituit necnon Feretrum argenteum in modum Ecclesiae fabricatum atque alia quam plurima huic Sacre Edi contulit beneficia."The lower chamber is shut off from the Lady Chapel by a screen of painted stone with open-work panelling in two stages. The chapel is a pentagon in plan, and has two windows, while a third opens into the Lady Chapel through the screen. The ceiling is vaulted, and bears evidences of having in former times been elaborately painted.There are five windows in the upper chamber, and the groined roof is distinctly good. The boss in the centre represents the Virgin crowned in glory. On other parts of the ceiling are the arms of Bishop Audley and those of the Deanery as well as a shield bearing the letters R.I. The upper part of the chantry, which is divided from the Lady Chapel by the top of the screen which serves as a kind of rail, may have been used as an oratory; but no remains of an altar have been found. On the door opening on the staircase is some good iron-work, and Bishop Audley's initials may be noticed on the lock.Standing by the door of this chapel the visitor has a lovely view westward, two pillars rising in the roof and across the[pg 067]top of the reredos, to the right the Norman arches of the north transept, and further on still the nave.The Lady Chapel was used for very many years as a library, and after 1862 as the church of the parish of St. John the Baptist, which surrounds the cathedral, and claimed to hold its service in some part of the building.The Cryptis entered from the south side of the Lady Chapel where a porch opens to a staircase leading down. The porch is deeply in-set, and like the crypt itself and the Lady Chapel, Early English. Professor Willis points out that Hereford is the only English cathedral whose crypt is later in date than the eleventh century; the well-known examples at Canterbury, Rochester, Worcester, Winchester, and Gloucester all belonging to earlier times. A flight of twenty steps leads down to the crypt, which is now light and dry, although previous to Dean Merewether's excavations it was utterly neglected and nearly choked up with rubbish. There is another approach to it from the interior of the church.Illustration: THE CRYPT.THE CRYPT.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.[pg 068]It is 50 feet in length, and consists of a nave and aisles marked out by undecorated columns. It runs beneath the whole extent of the Lady Chapel.This crypt having been used as a charnel-house is called the "Golgotha." In the centre is an altar tomb, upon which is a large and elaborately decorated alabaster slab, in a fair state of preservation. It bears an incised representation of Andrew Jones, a Hereford merchant, and his wife, with an inscription setting forth how he repaired the crypt in 1497. Scrolls proceeding from the mouths of the figures bear the following lines:—"Remember thy life may not ever endure,That thou dost thiself thereof art thou sewre.But and thou leve thi will to other menis cure,And thou have it after, it is but a venture."At the back of the reredos is a brass to Mr. Bailey, M.P. for the county, whose bust formerly stood here, but was removed to a more fitting position in the county hall.The Vicars' Cloisters.—The entrance to the college of Vicars Choral is from the south side of the Lady Chapel. Leading from the south-east transept of the cathedral to the quadrangle of the college is a long cloister walk.In the morning, when the sun shines upon the cloister, its richly carved roof may be best seen. The western wall, with the exception of a few mortuary tablets, is quite plain. The eastern wall is pierced with eight three-light windows, between which are the remains of small niches.Many old vicars are buried within this cloister. The roof is of oak, the wall-plates, purlins, and rafters are richly moulded and the tie-beams and principals are richly carved on both sides with various patterns and devices.The Rev. F. Havergal says:—"The late William Cooke acquired an immense amount of information relating to the college and the vicars in olden time. His biographical notices of them are most curious and amusing, giving a complete insight into the manners, traditions, and customs of the place." He goes on to quote from theLansdowne Manuscriptin the British Museum, 213, p. 333."Relation of a survey of twenty-six counties in 1634, by a captain, a lieutenant, and an ancient, all three of the military company in Norwich.[pg 069]"Next came wee into a brave and ancient priviledg'd Place, through the Lady Arbour Cloyster, close by the Chapter-house, called the Vicars Chorall or Colledge Cloyster, where twelve of the singing men, all in orders, most of them Masters in Arts, of a Gentile garbe, have their convenient several dwellings, and a fayre Hall, with richly painted windows, colledge like, wherein they constantly dyet together, and have their cooke, butler, and other officers, with a fayre library to themselves, consisting all of English books, wherein (after we had freely tasted of their chorall cordiall liquor) we spent our time till the Bell toll'd us away to Cathedral prayers. There we heard a most sweet Organ, and voyces of all parts, Tenor, Counter-Tenor, Treble, and Base; and amongst that orderly shewy crew of Queristers our landlord guide did act his part in a deep and sweet Diapason."The North-East Transept.—This transept shows ample evidence of the original Norman plan, although its present character is Early Decorated.Of the triple apse in which the Norman Cathedral probably terminated—an arrangement similar to the eastern apses of Gloucester and Norwich Cathedrals—portions remain in the walls of the vestibule to the Lady Chapel, and in this, the north-east transept, still remain parts of the apses which opened from the choir aisles. These are somewhat later than the nave and belong to the Transition period.After the completion of the great north transept for the reception of the shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe, the terminal apses of the choir aisles were almost entirely removed, and the present north-east transept erected.In the centre of this transept rises an octagonal pier which helps to carry the quadripartite vaulting. Some Norman arches in the west wall doubtless formed part of the original apse. The windows belong to the Early Decorated period. Sir G. G. Scott was responsible for the restoration of the transept.Monuments in the North-East Transept.—Under the north-west window is the canopied tomb of Bishop Swinfield. The effigy of the bishop has been lost, and in its place, which is now shown, is an unknown figure which was found buried in the cloisters. In the mouldings of the arched canopy the ball-flower ornament is again in evidence, and behind the tomb a carving of the crucifixion is still visible,[pg 070]though nearly obliterated by the chisel of the Puritans. The beautiful vine leaf carving at the sides has, however, been happily spared; it is similar to the leafage on the Cantilupe shrine.The altar-tomb of Dean Dawes, 1867, one of the most active of the modern restorers, is very beautiful. It is by Sir G. G. Scott, with effigy by Noble.Under the north-east window is an altar-tomb of an unknown bishop. It has been assigned to Bishop Godwen, 1633, but is probably much earlier.There is also an old stained glass window, restored by Warrington, with figures of SS. Catherine, Gregory, Michael, Thomas, and a modern one, by Heaton, to the Rev. J. Goss.In the north choir aisle, which is entered through the original Norman arch, is an exquisite little chapel known as Bishop Stanbury's Chantry. In style it is late Perpendicular (1470). The roof is a good specimen of fan-vaulting, and the walls are panelled with heraldic bearings. Its dimensions are 8 feet by 16 feet, and it is lighted by two windows on the north side, the entrance being on the south.At the east end are shields with emblems over the place of the altar, and the west is covered with shields in panels and tracery.The capitals of the shafts at the angles are formed by grotesques, and over the arch on the south side are shields with emblems of St. Matthias, St. Thomas, and St. Bartholomew. The Lancaster rose is prominent in the decoration, and there is much under-cutting in the carving.The stained windows, which form an interesting collection of arms and legends, are in memory of Archbishop Musgrave, once Bishop of Hereford, to whom there is also another window by Warrington in the wall of the aisle above the chantry, which is only 11 feet in height. The subjects are taken from the life of St. Paul.Monument to Bishop Raynaldus, 1115, one of the chief of the Norman builders of Hereford.In a Perpendicular recess on the left of the door opening to the turret staircase which leads to the archive room and chapter library is an effigy said to be of Bishop Hugh de Mapenore, 1219. Above is a stained glass window by Clayton and Bell, placed here as a memorial of John Hunt, organist,[pg 073]who died 1842, and his nephew. There is also a small brass plate at the side of the window, from which we learn that the nephew James died "of grief three days after his uncle."Illustration: VIEW BEHIND THE ALTAR, LOOKING NORTH. AFTER A DRAWING BY W. H. BARTLETT, 1830.VIEW BEHIND THE ALTAR, LOOKING NORTH. AFTER A DRAWING BY W. H. BARTLETT, 1830.In the middle bay on the north side of the choir is the monument of Bishop Bennett (1617), who was buried here. He wears a close black cap, and the rochet and his feet are resting on a lion. Across his tomb one gets a fine view of the Norman double arches of the triforium stage on the other side of the choir.In the north wall of the north choir aisle in the first of the series of arched recesses, of Decorated character, with floral ornament in the mouldings, is an effigy assigned to Bishop Geoffrey de Cliva (died 1120), and in the same bay of the choir as Bishop Bennett's tomb is the effigy of a bishop, fully vested, holding the model of a tower. It is assigned to Bishop Giles De Braose (died 1215), who was erroneously thought to have been the builder of the western tower (which fell in 1786). This effigy belongs to the Perpendicular period, when a number of memorials were erected to earlier bishops.In the calendar of the ancient missal "Secundum usum Herefordensem," previously quoted, occurs the following entry:—"XV. Kal. Decem. Obitus pie memorie Egidii de Breusa Herefordensis Episcopi, qui inter cetera bona decimas omnium molendinorum maneriorium suorum Herefordensi Ecclesie contulit, et per cartam quam a Domino Rege Johanne acquisivit omnes homines sui ab exactionibus vicecomitum liberantur."In the easternmost bay on the north of the choir is the effigy of Bishop Stanbury, provost of Eton and builder of the chantry already described. It is a fine alabaster effigy with accompanying figures. The bishop wears alb, stole, and chasuble.Beyond the entrance to Bishop Stanbury's Chantry is a Perpendicular effigy under an arch which is assigned to Bishop Richard de Capella (died 1127).On the chancel floor is a very good brass to Bishop Trilleck (died 1360).In the north-east transept are the following antiquarian remains:—Two altar-stones, nearly perfect, whereon are placed:—Six mutilated effigies of unknown lay persons, probably buried in or near the Magdalen Chapels, but dug up on the south side of the Bishop's Cloisters, A.D. 1820, and brought inside the cathedral A.D. 1862.[pg 074]Two matrices of brasses; also a small one on the wall.The wooden pulpit—very late Perpendicular work from which every canon on his appointment formerly had to preach forty sermons on forty different days in succession.We may also notice two rich pieces of iron-work from Sir A. Denton's tomb: the head of a knight or templar's effigy and several heraldic shields from monuments in the cathedral—especially seven in alabaster now placed against the east wall.Illustration: COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, EXTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, EXTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.The Choir, with its details of architecture and its individual accessories, is very beautiful, notwithstanding an unusual deficiency of light, caused by the position of the transepts, which practically intercept all light except that from the clerestory. It consists of three lofty Norman bays of three stages. The middle of the three stages has some exquisite dwarfed Norman arches with no triforium passages; but[pg 075]there is one in the upper stage, with slender and graceful Early English arches and stained glass at back. The vaulting is also Early English, and dates from about the middle of the thirteenth century.Illustration: COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, INTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, INTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.The principal arches of the choir are supported by massive piers with square bases. The shafts are semi-detached and bear capitals enriched with foliated and grotesque ornament. In each bay on the triforium level a wide Norman arch envelops two smaller arches, supported by semi-circular piers on each side.A richly carved square-string course runs along the base of the triforium.The east end of the choir was covered before 1841 by the "Grecian" screen, a wooden erection placed there by Bishop Bisse in 1717, and above it a Decorated window containing a stained glass representation of the Last Supper after the picture by Benjamin West. The improvement effected by the[pg 076]removal of this screen with its heterogeneous appendages was immense. The great Norman arch was once more exposed to view; and, in place of the Decorated window, we now have three lancets at the back of the clerestory passage.In describing the discoveries led up to by the removal of the old screen, Dean Merewether says: "By cautious examination of the parts walled up it was discovered that the capitals were all perfect, and that this exquisite and grand construction, the mutilation and concealment of which it is utterly impossible to account for, was in fact made up of five arches, the interior and smallest supported by the two semi-columns, and each of the others increasing in span as it approached the front upon square and circular shafts alternately, the faces of each arch being beautifully decorated with the choicest Norman ornaments. Of the four lateral arches, the two first had been not only hid by the oak panelling of the screen, but were also, like the two others, closed up with lath and plaster as the central arch; and when these incumbrances and desecrations were taken away it is impossible to describe adequately the glorious effect produced, rendered more solemn and impressive by the appearance of the ancient monuments of Bishops Reynelm, Mayew, Stanbury, and Benet, whose ashes rest beneath these massive arches, of which, together with the noble triforium above, before the Conquest, Athelstan had probably been the founder, and the former of those just mentioned, the completer and restorer after that era."The reredos is in Bath stone and marble, and was designed by Mr. Cottingham, junior, as a memorial to Mr. Joseph Bailey, 1850, who represented the county for several years in Parliament.The sculptor was Boulton, and the subject is our Lord's Passion, in five deep panels occupying canopied compartments divided by small shafts supporting angels, who carry the instruments of the Passion. The subjects in the separate panels are:—1. The Agony in the Garden; 2. Christ Bearing the Cross; 3. The Crucifixion; 4. The Resurrection; and 5. The Three Women at the Sepulchre.Illustration: EAST END OF THE CHOIR IN 1841.EAST END OF THE CHOIR IN 1841.Above the reredos a broad spandrel left by two pointed arches springing from a central pier fills the upper part of the Norman arch. The pier itself is old, but the upper part is a restoration of Mr. Cottingham's. The spandrel is covered with modern[pg 079]sculpture, as may be seen in the illustration. The subject is the Saviour in Majesty, the four evangelists holding scrolls; and below a figure of King Ethelbert.An older representation of King Ethelbert is the small effigy on a bracket against the easternmost pier south of the choir, close to the head of the tomb of Bishop Mayo, who had desired in his will to be buried by the image of King Ethelbert. It was dug up about the year 1700 at the entrance to the Lady Chapel, where it had doubtless been buried in a mutilated condition when the edict went forth for the destruction of shrines and images.Illustration: EARLY ENGLISH WINDOW MOULDING.EARLY ENGLISH WINDOW MOULDING.Originally there were other representations of St. Ethelbert: on the tombs of Bishops Cantilupe and Mayo, Dean Frowcester, Archdeacon Rudhale, Præcentor Porter; in colour on the walls of the chapter-house and the tomb of Joanna de Kilpec; in ancient glass, recently restored, in a window in the south aisle of the choir; and in a stone-carving over the door of the Bishop's Cloister, and the effigy formerly on the west front.Opposite the throne a slab of marble, from designs by Scott, marks the spot, as far as it is known, where Ethelbert was buried.The Choir-stallsare largely ancient, belonging to the Decorated period. They have good canopy work, and are otherwise excellent in detail. Some of themisereresare quaint, among them being found several examples of the curiously secular subjects chosen for this purpose by the wood-carvers of the period.In addition to the bishop's throne, which is of the fourteenth century, there is, on the north side of the sacrarium, a very old episcopal chair, concerning which a tradition remains that King Stephen sat in it when he visited Hereford. Be this as it may, the Hereford chair is undoubtedly of very great antiquity,[pg 080]and belongs to, or at least is similar to, the earliest kind of furniture used in this country. The dimensions of the chair are—height, 3 feet 9 inches; breadth, 33 inches; front to back, 22 inches. The entire chair is formed of 53 pieces, without including the seat of two boards and the two small circular heads in front.Traces of ancient colour—vermilion and gold—may still be seen in several of the narrow bands: a complete list of other painted work which has been recorded or still exists in the cathedral has been compiled by Mr C. E. Keyser.6The Cathedral Library.—The Archive Chamber, on the Library. This room, which has been restored by Sir G. G. Scott, is now approached by a winding stone staircase.In earlier times access was only obtainable either by a draw-bridge or some other movable appliance crossing the great north window. The Library (which Botfield7calls "a most excellent specimen of a genuine monastic library") contains about 2000 volumes, including many rare and interesting manuscripts, most of which are still chained to the shelves. Every chain is from 3 to 4 feet long, with a ring at each end and a swivel in the middle. The rings are strung on iron rods secured by metal-work at one end of the bookcase. There are in this chamber eighty capacious oak cupboards, which contain the whole of the deeds and documents belonging to the Dean and Chapter, the accumulation of eight centuries.Illustration: THE REREDOS.THE REREDOS.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.Among the most remarkable printed books are:—A series of Bibles, 1480 to 1690; Caxton'sLegenda Aurea, 1483; Higden'sPolychronicon, by Caxton, 1495; Lyndewode,Super Constitutiones Provinciales,1475; Nonius Marcellus,De proprietate sermonum, 1476, printed at Venice by Nicolas Jenson; and theNuremberg Chronicle, completed July 1493. Of the manuscripts, the most interesting is an ancientAntiphonarium, containing the old "Hereford Use." One of the documents attached to this volume states: "The Dean and Chapter of Hereford purchased this book of Mr William Hawes at the[pg 083]price of twelve guineas. It was bought by him some years since at a book-stall in Drury Lane, London, and attracted his notice from the quantity of music which appeared interspersed in it."The date of the writing is probably about 1270, the obit of Peter de Aquablanca being entered in the Kalendar in the hand of the original scribe and the following obit in another hand.The oldest of all the treasures preserved at Hereford Cathedral, being certainly one thousand years old at least, is a Latin version of the Four Gospels written in Anglo-Saxon characters.The Rev. F. Havergal thus describes it: "This MS. is written on stout vellum, and measures about 9 x 7 inches. It consists of 135 leaves. Three coloured titles remain, those to the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John. Two illuminated leaves are missing—those that would follow folio 1 and folio 59. With the exception of these two lacunæ, the MS. contains the whole of the Four Gospels.No exact date can be assigned, but several eminent authorities agree that it is the work of the eighth or ninth century.It does not exactly accord with any of the other well-known MS. of that period, having a peculiar character of its own.From the evidence of the materials it would appear to have been written in the country, probably in Mercia, and not at any of the great monasteries.The text of this MS. is ante-Hieronymian, and offers a valuable example of the Irish (or British) recension of the original African text. Thus it has a large proportion of readings in common with the Cambridge Gospels, St. Chad's Gospels, the Rushworth Gospels, and the Book of Deir.On the concluding leaves of this volume there is an entry of a deed in Anglo-Saxon made in the reign of Canute, of which the following is a translation:—"Note of a Shire-mote held at Ægelnoth's Stone in Herefordshire in the reign of King Cnut, at which were present the Bishop Athelstan, the Sheriff Bruning, and Ægelgeard of Frome, and Leofrine of Frome, and Godric of Stoke, and all the thanes in Herefordshire. At which assembly Edwine, son of Enneawne, complained against his mother concerning certain lands at Welintone and Cyrdesley. The bishop asked[pg 084]who should answer for the mother, which Thurcyl the White proffered to do if he knew the cause of accusation."Then they chose three thanes and sent to the mother to ask her what the cause of complaint was. Then she declared that she had no land that pertained in ought to her son, and was very angry with him, and calling Leoflœda, her relative, she, in presence of the thanes, bequeathed to her after her own death all her lands, money, clothes, and property, and desired them to inform the Shire-mote of her bequest, and desire them to witness it. They did so; after which Thurcyl the White (who was husband of Leoflœda) stood up, and requested the thanes to deliver free (or clean) to his wife all the lands that had been bequeathed to her, and they so did. And after this Thurcyl rode to St. Ethelbert's Minster, and by leave and witness of all the folk caused the transaction to be recorded in a book of the Gospels."An Ancient Chasse or Reliquaryis shown among the treasures of the cathedral, which was looked upon for a long time as a representation of the murder of St. Ethelbert, but this is only an example of the many traditional tales which modern study and research are compelled to discard. It undoubtedly represents the martyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury. On the lower part is the murder; on the upper, the entombment of the saint, very similar in style to the later Limoges work of the thirteenth century.The Rev. Francis Havergal gives a detailed description, which we have condensed to the following:—This reliquary consists of oak, perfectly sound, covered with copper plates overlaid with Limoges enamel. It is 8-1/4 inches high, 7 long and 3-1/2 broad. The back opens on hinges and fastens with a lock and key, and the upper part sloped so as to form an acutely-pointed roof; above this is a ridge-piece; the whole rests on four square feet. Front of Shrine:—Here are two compartments; the lower one shows on the right side an altar, of which the south end faces the spectator; it is supported on four legs and has an antependium. Upon the altar stands a plain cross on a pyramidal base, and in front of it a chalice covered with a paten. Before, or technically speaking, in the midst of the altar stands a bishop celebrating mass, having both hands extended towards the chalice, as if he were about to elevate it. He has curly hair and a beard and[pg 085]moustache. He wears a low mitre, a chasuble, fringed maniple, and an alb.In the top right-hand corner is a cloud from which issues a hand pointing towards the figure just described.Behind, to the left, stand three figures. The foremost has just thrust the point of a large double-edged sword, with a plain cross hilt, through the neck of the bishop from back to front.

Illustration: THE LADY CHAPEL.THE LADY CHAPEL.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

THE LADY CHAPEL.

Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

"Its symmetrical proportions, before completely spoilt; the remnants of its ancient painting, which were traceable beneath the whitewash; the fair disclosure of the monuments of Joanna de Kilpec, a benefactress to this very edifice, and Humphry de Bohun, her husband, both of exceeding interest; the discovery of two aumbries, both walled up, but one with the stones composing it reversed; the double piscina on the south side, the chapel of Bishop Audley; but especially two of the most beautiful specimens of transition arches which can be found in any edifice, bearing the Early English form, the shafts and capitals and the lancet-shaped arch above, but ornamented[pg 061]in their soffits with the Norman moulding, and the zig-zag decoration, corresponding with the remarkable union of the Norman intersecting arches on the exterior of the building, with its pointed characteristics. The appearance of the central column with a base in the Early English and its capital with the Norman ornament might be added: the stairs to the crypt, and the discovery of several most interesting relics in[pg 062]the adjoining vaults opened in reducing the floor to its original level."

Illustration: SECTION THROUGH LADY CHAPEL AND CRYPT.SECTION THROUGH LADY CHAPEL AND CRYPT.

SECTION THROUGH LADY CHAPEL AND CRYPT.

Illustration: ARCH DISCOVERED AT ENTRANCE OF LADY CHAPEL.ARCH DISCOVERED AT ENTRANCE OF LADY CHAPEL.

ARCH DISCOVERED AT ENTRANCE OF LADY CHAPEL.

It was as a memorial to Dean Merewether, to whom the cathedral owes so much, that the stained glass designed by Cottingham was placed in the east windows in the narrow lancets that he loved so dearly. It represents scenes in the early life of the Virgin and the life of Christ; the last being the supper in the house of Mary and Martha. In the side windows the visitor should especially notice the rich clustered shafts and arches, the Early English capitals, and the ornamentation of the arches. Above these windows, corresponding to the openings above the east window, a quatrefoil opening enclosed by a circle pierces the wall. The quadripartite vaulting springs from slender shafts, which descend upon a slightly raised base.

The double piscina and aumbry south of the altar are restorations necessitated by the dilapidated state of the originals.

Monuments in the Lady Chapel.—Of great beauty and interest is the Perpendicular recess in the central bay on the north side of the Lady Chapel, in which is the recumbent[pg 063]effigy which tradition has assigned without evidence to Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, who died in the 46th year of the reign of Edward III., 1372. He was, however, buried in the north side of the Presbytery in Walden Abbey, Essex.

The Rev. Francis Havergal considers this to be the monument of Peter, Baron de Grandisson, who died 1358. In any case, the knight was probably one of the Bohun family, and husband of the lady whose effigy lies under an arch in the wall adjoining. The costume is of the earlier part of the fourteenth century; full armour, and covered (a rare example) by a cyclass, a close linen shirt worn over the armour in Edward III.'s reign. This shirt is cut short in front and about 6 inches longer behind. The visitor should also notice the fringed poleyns at the knees.

The upper story of the recess itself has open tabernacle-work, now containing a series of figures representing the crowning of the Virgin; on one side are figures of King Ethelbert and St. John the Baptist, and on the other St. Thomas à Becket (with double crozier) and Bishop Thomas de Cantilupe. Of these, however, only the two central carvings are in their original positions, the others having been discovered by Mr. Cottingham when the oak choir-screen was removed.

In the easternmost bay on this side is the tomb of Joanna de Bohun, Countess of Hereford, 1327. To quote from Dean Merewether: "The effigy of the lady, there can be scarcely a doubt, represents 'Johanna de Bohun, Domina de Kilpec.' She was the sister and heiress of Alan Plonknett or Plugenet of Kilpec, in the county of Hereford, a name distinguished in the annals of his times; and of his possessions, his sister doing her homage, had livery 19 Edward II.

"In 1327 Johanna de Bohun gave to the Dean and Chapter of Hereford, the church of Lugwardyne, with the chapels of Llangarren, St. Waynards and Henthland, with all the small chapels belonging to them, which donation was confirmed by the king by the procurement and diligence of Thomas de Chandos, Archdeacon of Hereford; and the Bishop of Hereford further confirmed it to the Dean and Chapter by deed, dated Lugwas, 22nd July, 1331 (ex Regist. MS. Thomæ Chorleton, Epi.): And afterwards the Bishop, Dean and Chapter appropriated the revenues of it to the service peculiar[pg 064]to the Virgin Mary, 'because in other churches in England the Mother of God had better and more serious service, but in the Church of Hereford the Ladye's sustenance for her prieste was so thinne and small, that out of their respect they add this, by their deeds, dated in the Chapter at Hereford, April 10th, 1333.' (Harl. MS. 6726, fol. 109.)

"Johanna de Bohoun died without issue, 1 Edward III., 1327, the donation of Lugwardyne being perhaps her dying bequest. On the 17th of October in that year, she constituted John de Badesshawe, her attorney, to give possession to the Dean and Chapter of an acre of land in Lugwardine, and the advowson of the church with the chapels pertaining to it. This instrument was dated at Bisseleye, and her seal was appended, of which a sketch is preserved by Taylor, in whose possession this document appears to have been in 1655, and a transcript of it will be found Harl. MS. 6868, f. 77 (see also 6726, f. 109, which last has been printed inShaw's Topographer, 1. 280).

"In the tower is preserved the patent 1 Edward III., pro Ecclesia de Lugwarden cum capellis donandis a Johanna de Bohun ad inveniendum 8 capellanos et 2 diaconos approprianda (Tanner'sNotitia Monast.).

Illustration: SEAL OF JOHANNA DE BOHUN.SEAL OF JOHANNA DE BOHUN.

SEAL OF JOHANNA DE BOHUN.

"The circumstances above mentioned appear sufficiently to explain why the memorial of Johanna de Bohoun is found in the Lady Chapel, to which especially she had been a benefactress. They also explain the original ornaments of this tomb, the painting which was to be seen not many years since under the arch in which the effigy lies, now unfortunately concealed by a coat of plaster, of which sufficient has been removed to prove that Gough's description of the original state of the painting is correct. He says, 'The Virgin is represented sitting, crowned with a nimbus; a lady habited in a mantle and wimple kneeling on an embroidered cushion offers to her a church built in the form of a cross, with a central spire—and behind the lady kneel eleven or twelve religious, chanting à gorge deployée after the foremost, who holds up a book, on[pg 065]which are seen musical notes and "salve sca parens." Fleur-de-lys are painted about both within and without this arch, and on the spandrils two shields; on the left, a bend cotised between twelve Lioncels (Bohun); and on the right, Ermines, a bend indented, Gules.' This description was published 1786.

"By this painting there can be no doubt that the donation of the church of Lugwardine was represented; the eleven or twelve vociferous choristers were the eight chaplains and two deacons mentioned in the patent, who were set apart for the peculiar service of the Lady Chapel, and provided for from the pious bequest of Johanna de Bohoun. The two shields mentioned by Gough are still discernible, that on the dexter side bearing the arms of Bohun, Azure a bend, Argent between two cotises, and six lions rampant, or.—The other, Ermines, a bend indented, (or fusily) Gules, which were the bearings of Plugenet, derived perhaps originally from the earlier Barons of Kilpec, and still borne by the family of Pye in Herefordshire, whose descent is traced to the same source. In the list of obits observed in Hereford Cathedral, Johanna is called the Lady Kilpeck, and out of Lugwardine was paid yearly for her obit forty pence."

The effigy of Joanna de Bohun is also valuable as a specimen of costume. Its curious decoration of human heads is also noteworthy.

Over the grave of Dean Merewether, who is interred at the north-east angle of the chapel, is a black marble slab with a brass by Hardman bearing an inscription, which records that to the restoration of the cathedral "he devoted the unwearied energies of his life till its close on the 4th of April 1850."

The next monument to notice is the effigy of Dean Berew or Beaurieu (died 1462) in the south wall of the vestibule. This is one of the best specimens of monumental sculpture in the cathedral. The face, which is well modelled, and the arrangement of the drapery at the feet, are especially noticeable. There are remains of colour over the whole monument. In the hollow of the arch-moulding are sixteen boars with rue leaves in their mouths, forming a "rebus" of the dean's name.

To the west of this monument is the effigy of a priest, supposed to be Canon de la Barr, 1386.

The Audley Chantry.—In the central bay on the south side of the wall is the Audley Chantry—a beautiful little chapel built by Bishop Edmund Audley (1492-1502), with an upper chamber to which access is obtained by a circular staircase at the south-west angle.

After Bishop Audley's translation to Salisbury in 1502 he erected a similar chantry in that cathedral wherein he was buried, so that the object of the Hereford Chantry as the place for his interment was of course never fulfilled.

The following is an extract taken from the calendar of an ancient missal:—"Secundum usum Herefordensem," which notes a number of "obiits" or commemorations of benefactors, chiefly between the times of Henry I. and Edward II. "X. Kal. Obitus Domini Edmundi Audeley, quondam Sarum Episcopi, qui dedit redditum XX. Solidorum distribuendorum Canonicis et Clericis in anniversario suo presentibus, quique capellam novam juxta Feretrum Sancti Thomae Confessoris e fundo construxit, et in eadem Cantariam perpetuam amortizavit, etc. Constituit necnon Feretrum argenteum in modum Ecclesiae fabricatum atque alia quam plurima huic Sacre Edi contulit beneficia."

The lower chamber is shut off from the Lady Chapel by a screen of painted stone with open-work panelling in two stages. The chapel is a pentagon in plan, and has two windows, while a third opens into the Lady Chapel through the screen. The ceiling is vaulted, and bears evidences of having in former times been elaborately painted.

There are five windows in the upper chamber, and the groined roof is distinctly good. The boss in the centre represents the Virgin crowned in glory. On other parts of the ceiling are the arms of Bishop Audley and those of the Deanery as well as a shield bearing the letters R.I. The upper part of the chantry, which is divided from the Lady Chapel by the top of the screen which serves as a kind of rail, may have been used as an oratory; but no remains of an altar have been found. On the door opening on the staircase is some good iron-work, and Bishop Audley's initials may be noticed on the lock.

Standing by the door of this chapel the visitor has a lovely view westward, two pillars rising in the roof and across the[pg 067]top of the reredos, to the right the Norman arches of the north transept, and further on still the nave.

The Lady Chapel was used for very many years as a library, and after 1862 as the church of the parish of St. John the Baptist, which surrounds the cathedral, and claimed to hold its service in some part of the building.

The Cryptis entered from the south side of the Lady Chapel where a porch opens to a staircase leading down. The porch is deeply in-set, and like the crypt itself and the Lady Chapel, Early English. Professor Willis points out that Hereford is the only English cathedral whose crypt is later in date than the eleventh century; the well-known examples at Canterbury, Rochester, Worcester, Winchester, and Gloucester all belonging to earlier times. A flight of twenty steps leads down to the crypt, which is now light and dry, although previous to Dean Merewether's excavations it was utterly neglected and nearly choked up with rubbish. There is another approach to it from the interior of the church.

Illustration: THE CRYPT.THE CRYPT.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

THE CRYPT.

Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

It is 50 feet in length, and consists of a nave and aisles marked out by undecorated columns. It runs beneath the whole extent of the Lady Chapel.

This crypt having been used as a charnel-house is called the "Golgotha." In the centre is an altar tomb, upon which is a large and elaborately decorated alabaster slab, in a fair state of preservation. It bears an incised representation of Andrew Jones, a Hereford merchant, and his wife, with an inscription setting forth how he repaired the crypt in 1497. Scrolls proceeding from the mouths of the figures bear the following lines:—

"Remember thy life may not ever endure,That thou dost thiself thereof art thou sewre.

"Remember thy life may not ever endure,

That thou dost thiself thereof art thou sewre.

But and thou leve thi will to other menis cure,And thou have it after, it is but a venture."

But and thou leve thi will to other menis cure,

And thou have it after, it is but a venture."

At the back of the reredos is a brass to Mr. Bailey, M.P. for the county, whose bust formerly stood here, but was removed to a more fitting position in the county hall.

The Vicars' Cloisters.—The entrance to the college of Vicars Choral is from the south side of the Lady Chapel. Leading from the south-east transept of the cathedral to the quadrangle of the college is a long cloister walk.

In the morning, when the sun shines upon the cloister, its richly carved roof may be best seen. The western wall, with the exception of a few mortuary tablets, is quite plain. The eastern wall is pierced with eight three-light windows, between which are the remains of small niches.

Many old vicars are buried within this cloister. The roof is of oak, the wall-plates, purlins, and rafters are richly moulded and the tie-beams and principals are richly carved on both sides with various patterns and devices.

The Rev. F. Havergal says:—"The late William Cooke acquired an immense amount of information relating to the college and the vicars in olden time. His biographical notices of them are most curious and amusing, giving a complete insight into the manners, traditions, and customs of the place." He goes on to quote from theLansdowne Manuscriptin the British Museum, 213, p. 333.

"Relation of a survey of twenty-six counties in 1634, by a captain, a lieutenant, and an ancient, all three of the military company in Norwich.

"Next came wee into a brave and ancient priviledg'd Place, through the Lady Arbour Cloyster, close by the Chapter-house, called the Vicars Chorall or Colledge Cloyster, where twelve of the singing men, all in orders, most of them Masters in Arts, of a Gentile garbe, have their convenient several dwellings, and a fayre Hall, with richly painted windows, colledge like, wherein they constantly dyet together, and have their cooke, butler, and other officers, with a fayre library to themselves, consisting all of English books, wherein (after we had freely tasted of their chorall cordiall liquor) we spent our time till the Bell toll'd us away to Cathedral prayers. There we heard a most sweet Organ, and voyces of all parts, Tenor, Counter-Tenor, Treble, and Base; and amongst that orderly shewy crew of Queristers our landlord guide did act his part in a deep and sweet Diapason."

The North-East Transept.—This transept shows ample evidence of the original Norman plan, although its present character is Early Decorated.

Of the triple apse in which the Norman Cathedral probably terminated—an arrangement similar to the eastern apses of Gloucester and Norwich Cathedrals—portions remain in the walls of the vestibule to the Lady Chapel, and in this, the north-east transept, still remain parts of the apses which opened from the choir aisles. These are somewhat later than the nave and belong to the Transition period.

After the completion of the great north transept for the reception of the shrine of St. Thomas Cantilupe, the terminal apses of the choir aisles were almost entirely removed, and the present north-east transept erected.

In the centre of this transept rises an octagonal pier which helps to carry the quadripartite vaulting. Some Norman arches in the west wall doubtless formed part of the original apse. The windows belong to the Early Decorated period. Sir G. G. Scott was responsible for the restoration of the transept.

Monuments in the North-East Transept.—Under the north-west window is the canopied tomb of Bishop Swinfield. The effigy of the bishop has been lost, and in its place, which is now shown, is an unknown figure which was found buried in the cloisters. In the mouldings of the arched canopy the ball-flower ornament is again in evidence, and behind the tomb a carving of the crucifixion is still visible,[pg 070]though nearly obliterated by the chisel of the Puritans. The beautiful vine leaf carving at the sides has, however, been happily spared; it is similar to the leafage on the Cantilupe shrine.

The altar-tomb of Dean Dawes, 1867, one of the most active of the modern restorers, is very beautiful. It is by Sir G. G. Scott, with effigy by Noble.

Under the north-east window is an altar-tomb of an unknown bishop. It has been assigned to Bishop Godwen, 1633, but is probably much earlier.

There is also an old stained glass window, restored by Warrington, with figures of SS. Catherine, Gregory, Michael, Thomas, and a modern one, by Heaton, to the Rev. J. Goss.

In the north choir aisle, which is entered through the original Norman arch, is an exquisite little chapel known as Bishop Stanbury's Chantry. In style it is late Perpendicular (1470). The roof is a good specimen of fan-vaulting, and the walls are panelled with heraldic bearings. Its dimensions are 8 feet by 16 feet, and it is lighted by two windows on the north side, the entrance being on the south.

At the east end are shields with emblems over the place of the altar, and the west is covered with shields in panels and tracery.

The capitals of the shafts at the angles are formed by grotesques, and over the arch on the south side are shields with emblems of St. Matthias, St. Thomas, and St. Bartholomew. The Lancaster rose is prominent in the decoration, and there is much under-cutting in the carving.

The stained windows, which form an interesting collection of arms and legends, are in memory of Archbishop Musgrave, once Bishop of Hereford, to whom there is also another window by Warrington in the wall of the aisle above the chantry, which is only 11 feet in height. The subjects are taken from the life of St. Paul.

Monument to Bishop Raynaldus, 1115, one of the chief of the Norman builders of Hereford.

In a Perpendicular recess on the left of the door opening to the turret staircase which leads to the archive room and chapter library is an effigy said to be of Bishop Hugh de Mapenore, 1219. Above is a stained glass window by Clayton and Bell, placed here as a memorial of John Hunt, organist,[pg 073]who died 1842, and his nephew. There is also a small brass plate at the side of the window, from which we learn that the nephew James died "of grief three days after his uncle."

Illustration: VIEW BEHIND THE ALTAR, LOOKING NORTH. AFTER A DRAWING BY W. H. BARTLETT, 1830.VIEW BEHIND THE ALTAR, LOOKING NORTH. AFTER A DRAWING BY W. H. BARTLETT, 1830.

VIEW BEHIND THE ALTAR, LOOKING NORTH. AFTER A DRAWING BY W. H. BARTLETT, 1830.

In the middle bay on the north side of the choir is the monument of Bishop Bennett (1617), who was buried here. He wears a close black cap, and the rochet and his feet are resting on a lion. Across his tomb one gets a fine view of the Norman double arches of the triforium stage on the other side of the choir.

In the north wall of the north choir aisle in the first of the series of arched recesses, of Decorated character, with floral ornament in the mouldings, is an effigy assigned to Bishop Geoffrey de Cliva (died 1120), and in the same bay of the choir as Bishop Bennett's tomb is the effigy of a bishop, fully vested, holding the model of a tower. It is assigned to Bishop Giles De Braose (died 1215), who was erroneously thought to have been the builder of the western tower (which fell in 1786). This effigy belongs to the Perpendicular period, when a number of memorials were erected to earlier bishops.

In the calendar of the ancient missal "Secundum usum Herefordensem," previously quoted, occurs the following entry:—"XV. Kal. Decem. Obitus pie memorie Egidii de Breusa Herefordensis Episcopi, qui inter cetera bona decimas omnium molendinorum maneriorium suorum Herefordensi Ecclesie contulit, et per cartam quam a Domino Rege Johanne acquisivit omnes homines sui ab exactionibus vicecomitum liberantur."

In the easternmost bay on the north of the choir is the effigy of Bishop Stanbury, provost of Eton and builder of the chantry already described. It is a fine alabaster effigy with accompanying figures. The bishop wears alb, stole, and chasuble.

Beyond the entrance to Bishop Stanbury's Chantry is a Perpendicular effigy under an arch which is assigned to Bishop Richard de Capella (died 1127).

On the chancel floor is a very good brass to Bishop Trilleck (died 1360).

In the north-east transept are the following antiquarian remains:—Two altar-stones, nearly perfect, whereon are placed:—

Six mutilated effigies of unknown lay persons, probably buried in or near the Magdalen Chapels, but dug up on the south side of the Bishop's Cloisters, A.D. 1820, and brought inside the cathedral A.D. 1862.

Two matrices of brasses; also a small one on the wall.

The wooden pulpit—very late Perpendicular work from which every canon on his appointment formerly had to preach forty sermons on forty different days in succession.

We may also notice two rich pieces of iron-work from Sir A. Denton's tomb: the head of a knight or templar's effigy and several heraldic shields from monuments in the cathedral—especially seven in alabaster now placed against the east wall.

Illustration: COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, EXTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, EXTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.

COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, EXTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.

The Choir, with its details of architecture and its individual accessories, is very beautiful, notwithstanding an unusual deficiency of light, caused by the position of the transepts, which practically intercept all light except that from the clerestory. It consists of three lofty Norman bays of three stages. The middle of the three stages has some exquisite dwarfed Norman arches with no triforium passages; but[pg 075]there is one in the upper stage, with slender and graceful Early English arches and stained glass at back. The vaulting is also Early English, and dates from about the middle of the thirteenth century.

Illustration: COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, INTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, INTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.

COMPARTMENT OF CHOIR, INTERIOR, NORTH SIDE.

The principal arches of the choir are supported by massive piers with square bases. The shafts are semi-detached and bear capitals enriched with foliated and grotesque ornament. In each bay on the triforium level a wide Norman arch envelops two smaller arches, supported by semi-circular piers on each side.

A richly carved square-string course runs along the base of the triforium.

The east end of the choir was covered before 1841 by the "Grecian" screen, a wooden erection placed there by Bishop Bisse in 1717, and above it a Decorated window containing a stained glass representation of the Last Supper after the picture by Benjamin West. The improvement effected by the[pg 076]removal of this screen with its heterogeneous appendages was immense. The great Norman arch was once more exposed to view; and, in place of the Decorated window, we now have three lancets at the back of the clerestory passage.

In describing the discoveries led up to by the removal of the old screen, Dean Merewether says: "By cautious examination of the parts walled up it was discovered that the capitals were all perfect, and that this exquisite and grand construction, the mutilation and concealment of which it is utterly impossible to account for, was in fact made up of five arches, the interior and smallest supported by the two semi-columns, and each of the others increasing in span as it approached the front upon square and circular shafts alternately, the faces of each arch being beautifully decorated with the choicest Norman ornaments. Of the four lateral arches, the two first had been not only hid by the oak panelling of the screen, but were also, like the two others, closed up with lath and plaster as the central arch; and when these incumbrances and desecrations were taken away it is impossible to describe adequately the glorious effect produced, rendered more solemn and impressive by the appearance of the ancient monuments of Bishops Reynelm, Mayew, Stanbury, and Benet, whose ashes rest beneath these massive arches, of which, together with the noble triforium above, before the Conquest, Athelstan had probably been the founder, and the former of those just mentioned, the completer and restorer after that era."

The reredos is in Bath stone and marble, and was designed by Mr. Cottingham, junior, as a memorial to Mr. Joseph Bailey, 1850, who represented the county for several years in Parliament.

The sculptor was Boulton, and the subject is our Lord's Passion, in five deep panels occupying canopied compartments divided by small shafts supporting angels, who carry the instruments of the Passion. The subjects in the separate panels are:—1. The Agony in the Garden; 2. Christ Bearing the Cross; 3. The Crucifixion; 4. The Resurrection; and 5. The Three Women at the Sepulchre.

Illustration: EAST END OF THE CHOIR IN 1841.EAST END OF THE CHOIR IN 1841.

EAST END OF THE CHOIR IN 1841.

Above the reredos a broad spandrel left by two pointed arches springing from a central pier fills the upper part of the Norman arch. The pier itself is old, but the upper part is a restoration of Mr. Cottingham's. The spandrel is covered with modern[pg 079]sculpture, as may be seen in the illustration. The subject is the Saviour in Majesty, the four evangelists holding scrolls; and below a figure of King Ethelbert.

An older representation of King Ethelbert is the small effigy on a bracket against the easternmost pier south of the choir, close to the head of the tomb of Bishop Mayo, who had desired in his will to be buried by the image of King Ethelbert. It was dug up about the year 1700 at the entrance to the Lady Chapel, where it had doubtless been buried in a mutilated condition when the edict went forth for the destruction of shrines and images.

Illustration: EARLY ENGLISH WINDOW MOULDING.EARLY ENGLISH WINDOW MOULDING.

EARLY ENGLISH WINDOW MOULDING.

Originally there were other representations of St. Ethelbert: on the tombs of Bishops Cantilupe and Mayo, Dean Frowcester, Archdeacon Rudhale, Præcentor Porter; in colour on the walls of the chapter-house and the tomb of Joanna de Kilpec; in ancient glass, recently restored, in a window in the south aisle of the choir; and in a stone-carving over the door of the Bishop's Cloister, and the effigy formerly on the west front.

Opposite the throne a slab of marble, from designs by Scott, marks the spot, as far as it is known, where Ethelbert was buried.

The Choir-stallsare largely ancient, belonging to the Decorated period. They have good canopy work, and are otherwise excellent in detail. Some of themisereresare quaint, among them being found several examples of the curiously secular subjects chosen for this purpose by the wood-carvers of the period.

In addition to the bishop's throne, which is of the fourteenth century, there is, on the north side of the sacrarium, a very old episcopal chair, concerning which a tradition remains that King Stephen sat in it when he visited Hereford. Be this as it may, the Hereford chair is undoubtedly of very great antiquity,[pg 080]and belongs to, or at least is similar to, the earliest kind of furniture used in this country. The dimensions of the chair are—height, 3 feet 9 inches; breadth, 33 inches; front to back, 22 inches. The entire chair is formed of 53 pieces, without including the seat of two boards and the two small circular heads in front.

Traces of ancient colour—vermilion and gold—may still be seen in several of the narrow bands: a complete list of other painted work which has been recorded or still exists in the cathedral has been compiled by Mr C. E. Keyser.6

The Cathedral Library.—The Archive Chamber, on the Library. This room, which has been restored by Sir G. G. Scott, is now approached by a winding stone staircase.

In earlier times access was only obtainable either by a draw-bridge or some other movable appliance crossing the great north window. The Library (which Botfield7calls "a most excellent specimen of a genuine monastic library") contains about 2000 volumes, including many rare and interesting manuscripts, most of which are still chained to the shelves. Every chain is from 3 to 4 feet long, with a ring at each end and a swivel in the middle. The rings are strung on iron rods secured by metal-work at one end of the bookcase. There are in this chamber eighty capacious oak cupboards, which contain the whole of the deeds and documents belonging to the Dean and Chapter, the accumulation of eight centuries.

Illustration: THE REREDOS.THE REREDOS.Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

THE REREDOS.

Photochrom Co., Ld., Photo.

Among the most remarkable printed books are:—A series of Bibles, 1480 to 1690; Caxton'sLegenda Aurea, 1483; Higden'sPolychronicon, by Caxton, 1495; Lyndewode,Super Constitutiones Provinciales,1475; Nonius Marcellus,De proprietate sermonum, 1476, printed at Venice by Nicolas Jenson; and theNuremberg Chronicle, completed July 1493. Of the manuscripts, the most interesting is an ancientAntiphonarium, containing the old "Hereford Use." One of the documents attached to this volume states: "The Dean and Chapter of Hereford purchased this book of Mr William Hawes at the[pg 083]price of twelve guineas. It was bought by him some years since at a book-stall in Drury Lane, London, and attracted his notice from the quantity of music which appeared interspersed in it."

The date of the writing is probably about 1270, the obit of Peter de Aquablanca being entered in the Kalendar in the hand of the original scribe and the following obit in another hand.

The oldest of all the treasures preserved at Hereford Cathedral, being certainly one thousand years old at least, is a Latin version of the Four Gospels written in Anglo-Saxon characters.

The Rev. F. Havergal thus describes it: "This MS. is written on stout vellum, and measures about 9 x 7 inches. It consists of 135 leaves. Three coloured titles remain, those to the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John. Two illuminated leaves are missing—those that would follow folio 1 and folio 59. With the exception of these two lacunæ, the MS. contains the whole of the Four Gospels.

No exact date can be assigned, but several eminent authorities agree that it is the work of the eighth or ninth century.

It does not exactly accord with any of the other well-known MS. of that period, having a peculiar character of its own.

From the evidence of the materials it would appear to have been written in the country, probably in Mercia, and not at any of the great monasteries.

The text of this MS. is ante-Hieronymian, and offers a valuable example of the Irish (or British) recension of the original African text. Thus it has a large proportion of readings in common with the Cambridge Gospels, St. Chad's Gospels, the Rushworth Gospels, and the Book of Deir.

On the concluding leaves of this volume there is an entry of a deed in Anglo-Saxon made in the reign of Canute, of which the following is a translation:—

"Note of a Shire-mote held at Ægelnoth's Stone in Herefordshire in the reign of King Cnut, at which were present the Bishop Athelstan, the Sheriff Bruning, and Ægelgeard of Frome, and Leofrine of Frome, and Godric of Stoke, and all the thanes in Herefordshire. At which assembly Edwine, son of Enneawne, complained against his mother concerning certain lands at Welintone and Cyrdesley. The bishop asked[pg 084]who should answer for the mother, which Thurcyl the White proffered to do if he knew the cause of accusation.

"Then they chose three thanes and sent to the mother to ask her what the cause of complaint was. Then she declared that she had no land that pertained in ought to her son, and was very angry with him, and calling Leoflœda, her relative, she, in presence of the thanes, bequeathed to her after her own death all her lands, money, clothes, and property, and desired them to inform the Shire-mote of her bequest, and desire them to witness it. They did so; after which Thurcyl the White (who was husband of Leoflœda) stood up, and requested the thanes to deliver free (or clean) to his wife all the lands that had been bequeathed to her, and they so did. And after this Thurcyl rode to St. Ethelbert's Minster, and by leave and witness of all the folk caused the transaction to be recorded in a book of the Gospels."

An Ancient Chasse or Reliquaryis shown among the treasures of the cathedral, which was looked upon for a long time as a representation of the murder of St. Ethelbert, but this is only an example of the many traditional tales which modern study and research are compelled to discard. It undoubtedly represents the martyrdom of St. Thomas of Canterbury. On the lower part is the murder; on the upper, the entombment of the saint, very similar in style to the later Limoges work of the thirteenth century.

The Rev. Francis Havergal gives a detailed description, which we have condensed to the following:—

This reliquary consists of oak, perfectly sound, covered with copper plates overlaid with Limoges enamel. It is 8-1/4 inches high, 7 long and 3-1/2 broad. The back opens on hinges and fastens with a lock and key, and the upper part sloped so as to form an acutely-pointed roof; above this is a ridge-piece; the whole rests on four square feet. Front of Shrine:—Here are two compartments; the lower one shows on the right side an altar, of which the south end faces the spectator; it is supported on four legs and has an antependium. Upon the altar stands a plain cross on a pyramidal base, and in front of it a chalice covered with a paten. Before, or technically speaking, in the midst of the altar stands a bishop celebrating mass, having both hands extended towards the chalice, as if he were about to elevate it. He has curly hair and a beard and[pg 085]moustache. He wears a low mitre, a chasuble, fringed maniple, and an alb.

In the top right-hand corner is a cloud from which issues a hand pointing towards the figure just described.

Behind, to the left, stand three figures. The foremost has just thrust the point of a large double-edged sword, with a plain cross hilt, through the neck of the bishop from back to front.

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