described as things of beauty, though in point of tone the instrument is undoubtedly strong, yet sweet. It was built by Messrs. Willis in 1883, and is almost entirely new. Like the organ at Winchester, it used to occupy the north lantern arch, and was re-erected there in 1843 by Lincoln of London, but the present instrument stands on the rood-screen, care being, however, taken that it should obstruct as little of the view as possible. The tubular pneumatic system has been here adopted, and there are three manuals. A few points concerning the previous organs may be of interest, as it is not unusual to neglect this branch of archæology. According to tradition the present position of the organ is the original one. Browne Willis[18] says: “The Organ, before the Rebellion Stood in the Rood-Loft, under the West Arch, and fac’d the Altar; it is now removed to the North Arch: It is a new one, and those that are Judges, say, a pretty good one.” This amusing criticism gives further evidence to the notion that Browne Willis did not visit the church before—or at any rate very recently before—he wrote his interesting but somewhat unreliable little survey, which has now become very rare in any form. The items—“Et Sol Willō Warryn organizanti 40s” and “to ye mr of ye children for keeping of ye organs and teaching of ye quoristers, £10,” and others from the Liber Communis, imply the existence of an organ in 1490, 1492, 1557 and 1565. In the last year the magnificent sum of 6d. was spent on two stops “for ye great organs,” from which we may infer that our organs of to-day are far larger than in 1565. At any rate some small organ might easily have stood under the western arch of the tower, although this arch was then built up as it “fac’d the altar.”[19]
“Probably the tradition of the organ having stood there, led Browne Willis to suppose that the arch had been recently built up. However this may be, there are strong signs of its having occupied that position subsequently to the erection of the wall. The balustrade which surmounts the canopies of the stalls projects at this point, as if to give greater room for a small organ; and the door which pierces the wall, and is apparently coeval with it, is not set in the centre, where it would have interfered with the organ, but near the northern pier of the arch. This seems to have been the usual place of the organ in our churches, and to have been retained from the mere force of habit to the present time, when, from the greater size of our instruments, it is far less convenient.”[20]
A new organ was built in 1581—“ad usum divini servitii”—but was ruined in the great rebellion.[21] The ever-interesting Manby, however, gives another account, by which the organist, hearing some rebel discussing the demolition of the organ, and fearing that he might lose his position, dropped a stone from the loft and killed a Roundhead, an “aids-du-camp.” The organist fled and thus diverted attention from his instrument, having found a hiding place in the great bell by holding on to the clapper! This same bell the rebels stole, but their vessel was wrecked off Ramsey Sound, and the superstitious still say that the tolling of this bell presages a great storm!
It is clear there was an organ in 1691, as Precentor Ellis, in his answer to Bishop Watson’s Visitation Articles, says: “I answeare that we have an Organ, but out of order, for how long I doe not remember.”
Early in the eighteenth century Bernard Schmidt, the celebrated builder of that in St. Paul’s Cathedral, constructed an organ as the result of an order of the Chapter (1695), by which £10 was, for five years, to be set apart “out of the allowance to the Master of the Fabric”; and in 1698 each canon was ordered to advance £10 towards the new organ, for which the canons had expressed a great desire.
A very interesting communication from Archdeacon Davies to Archdeacon Yardley, of August 3, 1740, gives further particulars:
“What Particular time ye new Organ was set up here, I cannot be positive, but do believe, from ye accounts, it must be in the year 1704 or 1705. What Exact Sum̃ it stood ye Chapter In, I cannot for certain say, but am apt to think, from Various Items in various Years picked up about it, in their Accounts it could not be less, including all Charges, than £300, whatever More; and in a very little time after it was set up, they were at a Considerable Expense in repairing it again, after it had been damaged by a Storm, which uncovered ye very part of ye Roof of ye Church under which it lay, and exposed it to ye Rain and ye open Sky; and they were obliged to have an Organ Builder (down from London I think) at a great Expense to put things to rights again.
“Upon looking over some loose Papers in ye Chest at St. David’s, I have found these Receipts from Mr. Bernard Smith of London, Organ Builder (who made this Organ at St. David’s) for ye Summe of £290 paid to Him only upon that Account. So that when ye Charge of bringing it down, ye Necessary workmanship here, and other articles relating to it are put together, I dare say, before it could be compleatly set up, ye Expense was much nearer to £400 than £300.”[22]
This organ seems to have been used till that consisting of a choir organ and swell was put up by Lincoln in 1843 (as already noted), and the old case “of Norway oak”[23] was re-used. Six of the present stops are Father Smith’s originals.[24]
In the present restoration this organ was removed, and, to the very great discredit of all concerned, the splendid case with carvings if not actually by, certainly worthy of, Grinling Gibbons, was allowed to be broken up. A few of the best pieces were recently put together and a neat organ-screen constructed for the Church of St. Martin, Haverfordwest. A brief list of organists will be found on p. 95.