The Cathedral Church of Peterborough / A Description Of Its Fabric And A Brief History Of The Episcopal See

by W. D. Sweeting

The west wall has no trace of Norman work. The arcade by the ground consists of pointed arches, though the great doorway has a round arch; all have Early English mouldings. The great doors themselves are of the same date, as shown by the carved capital at the top. The west window, with its Perpendicular tracery, is set inside an Early English arch, which has two lofty lancets by the side; and in looking at it from the east it can hardly be detected that this arch is not the very framework of the window. The very lofty lancets on the east of the projecting parts of this transept, as well as the decoration of the arches in the triforium above the aisles, should be noticed.

The number of Altars in the church was considerable. They were of course all served by members of the foundation. but they had not separate endowments like chantries in a parish church. Nor does any one appear to have been associated with any company or guild. There were, besides the High Altar and that in the Lady Chapel, three in the new building, one in the little chapel between the choir and Lady Chapel, one in each choir aisle, two (SS. John and James) in the north transept, four (SS. Oswald, Benedict, and Kyneburga, and the Holy Trinity) in the south transept, two (the Ostrie Chapel and that of the Holy Spirit) in the building west of the south transept, one in the rood-loft, most likely four against pillars in the nave (a bracket on a pillar on the north side marks the position of one), and apparently one in the south part of the west transept. If this enumeration is correct there were not less than twenty-two. There seems also to have been an altar in the hearse over Queen Katherine's tomb; and, though no mention of them occurs, we should suppose there must have been one on each side of the entrance beneath the rood-loft.

Two altar-stones only have been found. One is marked on a plan made about 180 years ago as being laid down in the choir a little to the east of where the eagle lectern now stands. It was subsequently taken up, sawn into three pieces, and placed beneath the arch leading from the western transept to the south aisle. Some twenty-five years ago it was again removed from the pavement and is preserved elsewhere. The five crosses are large and deeply cut, and are in the form of cross-crosslets. The other has been taken up from the pavement in the eastern chapel. It is a very curious example, and one that might well escape notice. The stone is of the usual size, and uninscribed. It is much worn by constant treadings, and the five crosses are nearly obliterated, though quite distinctly to be seen. But instead of there being, as usual, one in each corner of the stone, or nearly so, all the five are towards the centre of the stone, within a space of about two square feet. There is also an extra cross on the front edge. This stone is now used for the altar in S. Oswald's Chapel, in the south transept, refitted in 1900.

Of Stained Glass the only ancient examples are some fragments that have been collected from different parts of the church, mostly as it seems from the cloister, and put together in two central windows in the apse. These are well worth observing with care. No scenes of course can be made out, but the faces, when examined closely, are found to be singularly good. Most of the pieces formed portions of a window or series of windows representing incidents in the life of S. Peter. This is apparent from the few words that can still be made out on the labels, which are all fragments of texts referring to that Saint. The large west window is in memory of soldiers of Northamptonshire who fell during the South African War, 1899-1902; the window has five lights in two tiers; in the upper are representations of King Peada, S. Paul, S. Peter, S. Andrew, and Bishop Ethelwold; in the lower, S. George, Joshua, S. Michael, Gideon, and S. Alban. Brass plates below give the roll of honour.

Five windows of the eastern chapel have now been refilled with-stained glass, one facing north to the late Dean Barlow, 1908; another behind the altar was given by Canon Argles (afterwards Dean) in memory of his father-in-law, Bishop Davys. In the south-east corner the east window is to the memory of Dean Butler, 1861, and the south one to Canon Alderson; the churches pictured are S. Mary's, Lutterworth, All Saints', Holdenby, and a view of the south-east of this cathedral. The next window is in memory of Canon Twells, author of several hymns, including "At even ere the sun was set." In S. Oswald's Chapel is a very beautiful window given in 1900. In the north choir aisle is a memorial window to Thomas Mills, Hon. Canon, 1856. In the south transept some in memory of Payne Edwards, LL.B., 1861; Sir Chapman Marshall, Kt., Alderman of London, whose son was Precentor here; and James Cattel, cathedral librarian, 1877. In the north transept are several given by Mr G.W. Johnson, two in memory of his father and mother, one to the Prince Consort, and some unconnected with any names; there are also two in memory of George John Gates, 1860, and John Hewitt Paley "juvenis desideratissimi," 1857.

The architecture of The Parvise, over the western porch, has been already described. It now contains the library, removed to this place from the new building by Dean Tarrant. The collection was begun by Dean Duport, who presented books himself, and obtained more from the Prebendaries and other persons; it was afterwards enriched with the whole of the valuable library of Bishop Kennett, and part of Dean Lockier's, and has since had many considerable additions. The manuscripts are not numerous, the chief being the very important book known as Swapham. The greater part of this has been printed by Sparkes. His publication includes Abbot John's Chronicle, The History of Burgh by Hugo Candidus with its continuation by Swapham, the Chronicle of Walter of Whittlesey, and two other works. There are also kept here some of the fabric rolls of the monastery. Bishop Kennett's library contained a most valuable collection of tracts and pamphlets published in the latter part of the seventeenth century. There are also some books of much earlier date, a few of great rarity. A memorandum written in the Book of Swapham above mentioned tells us that the Precentor, Humphrey Austin, had hidden it in 1642 in anticipation of coming troubles. But Cromwell's soldiers found it, and would probably have destroyed it; the Precentor, however, under pretence of enquiring after an old Latin bible, found out where it was, and redeemed it for the sum of ten shillings.

Monuments and Inscriptions.—We proceed to speak of these, treated as a single subject, instead of describing them at the various parts of the building where they are to be found.

At first sight it is thought that this cathedral is singularly deficient in monuments of interest. To a certain extent this is the case. There are no memorial chantries, such as add to the beauty of many of our noblest churches; no effigies of warriors or statesmen; no series of ancient tablets or inscriptions that illustrate the history of the neighbourhood; not a single brass. With few exceptions all the monuments and inscriptions that remain commemorate abbots or other members of the monastery, or, after the Reformation, bishops, and members of the cathedral foundation and their families. While of famous persons known to have been buried within the walls, such as Katherine of Arragon, Mary Queen of Scots, the Archbishops Elfricus and Kinsius of York, Sir Geoffrey de la Mare, Sir Robert de Thorpe, and others, no memorials worthy of their fame and importance are in existence. The wanton destruction during the civil war in great part explains this; but it is sad to remember that numbers of mediaeval inscriptions in the floor were hidden or destroyed during some well-meaning but ill-judged alterations in the eighteenth century.