A History of Chester Cathedral / with biographical notices of the Bishops and Deans

by John Hicklin

William Nicols, installed April 12th, 1644. His successor, after a vacancy of about 2 years, was Henry Bridgman, presented July 13th, 1660, he was consecrated Bishop of the Isle of Man, with leave to hold the Deanery, in commendam. He died in Chester, May 15th, 1682, and was buried in the Cathedral, without any memorial. Leycester says, “he hath beautified and repaired the Deans’ house in the Abbey court very much.”

He was succeeded by James Arderne in 1682; he died August 18th, 1691, and was buried in the choir of the Cathedral, with the following memorial on one of the pillars:—“Near this place lies the body of Dr. James Arderne, of this County, a while Dean of this Church, who though he bore more than a common affection to his private relations, yet gave the substance of his bequeathable estate to this Cathedral, which gift, his will was, should be mentioned, that clergymen may consider whether it be not a sort of sacrilege to sweep all away from the church and charity, into the possession of their lay kindred, who are not needy. Dat. Oct. 27th, 1688. This plain monument with the above inscription, upon this cheap stone, is according to the express words of Dean Arderne’s will.” His successor was Lawrence Fogg, in 1691. His first preferment was the Rectory of Hawarden, in Flintshire, from which he was ejected for non-conformity. Subsequently, conforming, he was presented to the vicarage of St. Oswald’s, by the Dean and Chapter, in 1672: he was buried in the chapel of the Cathedral, and a monument was erected to his memory. Walter Offley was installed in 1718. Thomas Allen in 1721. Thomas Brooke in 1733. William Smith in 1758. This learned divine was presented by the Earl of Derby to the Rectory of Trinity, Chester, in 1735. In 1753 he was nominated one of the Ministers of St. George’s Church, Liverpool, by the corporation. In 1766, he was instituted to the Rectory of Handley, Cheshire, by the Chapter of the Cathedral, and in the following year he resigned the Chaplainship of St. George’s Church, on which occasion the corporation of Liverpool presented him with 150 guineas, “for his eminent and good services in the said church.” He died January 8th, 1787, in the 76th year of his age, and was buried on the south side of the communion table in the cathedral. An elegant monument was erected to his memory by his widow, with an inscription, reciting his merits as a christian, a scholar, and a preacher.

Dr. Smith was worthily distinguished for his learning. He was an eminent scholar, a sound divine, and a good poet. His elegant translations of the Greek classics were held in great repute, and have been several times reprinted. He was succeeded by George Cotton, who was installed February 10th, 1787. Hugh Cholmondley was appointed in 1806.

In this worthy Dean the poor had a generous benefactor, while the active interest he took in every object which proposed the good of the city, rendered him beloved by all. He was most laborious in his attention to the duties of his office, and many important restorations were effected in the cathedral by him. He was succeeded by Robert Hodgson, D.D., in 1816. Dr. Vaughan was appointed as his successor in 1820, who was succeeded by Edward Coppleston, D.D., afterwards promoted to the Bishopric of Llandaff, who erected the screen which separates the church of St. Oswald, from the south side of the cathedral, at an expense of £600. Henry Philpotts, D.D., was appointed Dean in 1828, and on his promotion to the Bishopric of Exeter, in 1831, was succeeded by Dr. Davys, the well known author of “Village Conversations on the Liturgy,” “History of England for Children,” &c.

On his promotion to the See of Peterborough in 1839, the Rev. F. Anson, D.D., was appointed Dean of Chester, to whose unremitting zeal, directed by sound judgment and refined taste, we are indebted for the important improvements which have been effected in the cathedral since his appointment. Through his indefatigable energy, the noble edifice has been greatly beautified; and many essential alterations have been introduced in the choral service and architectural arrangements, which have added very much to its decoration and general effect.

During the siege of Chester by the republican army, the cathedral was very much damaged by those heroic but unscrupulous men. Notwithstanding that one of the articles of surrender was to the effect that “no church within the city, or evidence or writings, belonging to the same shall be defaced,” in the face of this solemn engagement, they wantonly defaced the cathedral choir, injured the organ, broke nearly all the painted glass, and removed the fonts from the churches. Although the parliamentary forces were cemented by their renowned leader, chiefly by religious enthusiasm, and all their extraordinary movements directed and sustained mainly by that feeling; it nevertheless did not restrain them from committing violent outrages on the churches of the land. Religious impulse banded them together, and impressed a singular unity on all their movements. The memorable counsel of Cromwell to his men will be remembered,—“put your trust in the Lord, and keep your powder dry;”—to them the counsel was opportune, and met with a deep response; but they respected but little the dictates of conscience and the christian associations of others, whose religious views and modes of worship differed from their own. Whatever judgment may be entertained respecting their political course, and the issues in which it resulted, we apprehend that the acts of violence they perpetrated on the sacred edifices which others frequented and revered, as the places of their holy service, cannot be justified on any principle.

In 1683 the cathedral was again wantonly damaged by a reckless mob, instigated by the ambitious Duke of Monmouth. The Cowper MSS. gives us the following detail of the disgraceful outrages which unhappily they succeeded in perpetrating.

“In the middle of August, James, Duke of Monmouth, came to Chester, greatly affecting popularity, and giving countenance to riotous assemblies and tumultuous mobs, whose violence was such as to pelt with stones the windows of several gentlemen’s houses in the city, and otherwise to damage the same. They likewise furiously forced the doors of the cathedral church and destroyed most of the painted glass, burst open the little vestries and cupboards, wherein were the surplices and hoods belonging to the clergy, which they rent to rags, and carried away; they beat to pieces the baptismal font, pulled down some monuments, attempted to demolish the organ, and committed other enormous outrages.”

It now remains for us to give a description of this venerable religious edifice. Although in its general external appearance, it may not present the prepossessing attractions which appertain to some other cathedral churches, it nevertheless has a history of peculiar interest; and in its architectural delineations is well worthy of the study of the ecclesiologist and the antiquary. From whatever side the cathedral is viewed, it presents the appearance of a massive pile, and exhibits a pleasing variety of styles in accordance with the taste of different ages; some parts decorated with elaborate workmanship, while others are perfectly simple and unadorned. The principal parts now standing are not, perhaps, older than the 14th and 15th century, when the richly ornamented style of Gothic architecture was at its zenith in this country. Its general character may be termed the perpendicular. It has been generally supposed that there are some remaining specimens of the Saxon, and Lysons favours the theory; but Mr. Asphitel, in an interesting and able lecture, delivered before the Archæological Society, stated that he could not, from the most minute research, discover any portions of the Saxon church. He considered it probable there might be some portions in the foundations, but none, in his opinion, were visible.

The west front is said to have been the work of Abbot Ripley, who was appointed to the abbacy in 1485. It is now in an unfinished state, and it would seem that there was an intention to form two western towers. The foundation of them was laid with much ceremony by Abbot Birchenshaw, in 1508, the Mayor being then present: but the project was most likely abandoned for want of funds. “Had the original design been executed,” says Winkle, “it would not have been very imposing. The effect of it, as it now appears, is much injured by a building which is connected with it, and shuts out one of the turrets which flank on either side the west wall of the nave. The original intention seems to have been the usual one, viz., a square tower on each side of the west end of the nave. The foundations of that on the north side still exist, the site of that on the south is now occupied by a building called the consistory court, once perhaps a chapel, in the west wall of which is a pointed window of four lights, with perpendicular tracery, and flowing crocketted canopy with rich finial; above the window is a belt of pannelled tracery, and on each side of it is a niche with overhanging canopies, adorned with pendants and pinnacles, and resting on good brackets. The statues are gone. The parapet of this building is quite plain. The west entrance is a singular and beautiful composition. The door itself is a Tudor arch, inclosed within a square head, the spandrils are filled with rich and elegant foliations, the hollow moulding along the top is deep and broad, and filled with a row of angels half-lengths; all this is deeply recessed within another Tudor arch, under another square head, with plain spandrils of ordinary panelling. On each side of the door are four niches, with their usual accompaniments of crocketted canopies, pinnacles, and pendants, and instead of brackets, the statues stood on pedestals with good bases and capitals. Above this entrance is the great west window of the nave, deeply and richly recessed; it is of eight lights, with elaborate tracery, of some breadth just below the spring of the arch, and above this some simple tracery of the kind most common to the latest age of the pointed style. The arch of the window is much depressed, and has above it a flowing crocketted canopy, the gable has no parapet, but is finished off with a simple coping. The flanking turrets before-mentioned are octagonal, and have belts of panelled tracery and embattled parapets.