Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Chichester (1901): A Short History & Description of Its Fabric with an Account of the Diocese and SeeCorlette, Hubert C. (Hubert Christian)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Chichester (1901): A Short History & Description of Its Fabric with an Account of the Diocese and See
Corlette, Hubert C. (Hubert Christian)
Chichester Cathedral
John had also two years before given Bakechild Church to the
"newly-dedicated" cathedral. Then Bishop Neville, or Ralph II.
(1224-1244), at his death in 1244, "Dedit cxxx. marcas ad fabricam
Ecclesiae et capellam suam integram cum multis ornamentis." Walcott
adds that "his executors, besides releasing a debt of £60 due to him
and spent on the bell tower, gave £140 to the fabric of the Church,
receiving some benefit in return." This cannot be interpreted as
referring to the isolated tower standing apart to the north of the
west front; for, as we shall see, this was not erected until at least
one hundred and fifty years later. In 1232 "the dean and chapter gave
of their substance. During five years they devoted to the glory and
beauty of the House of the Lord a twentieth part of the income of
every dignity and prebend"; [3] and then, again, ten years after the
period covered by this act of the chapter the bishops of some other
sees granted indulgences on behalf of the fabric of the church at
Chichester. Bishop Richard of Wych (1245-1253) "Dedit ad opus
Ecclesiae Circestrensis ecclesias de Stoghton et Alceston, et jus
patronatûs ecclesiae de Mundlesham, et pensionem xl. s. in eadem." [4]
To this he added a bequest of £40. He had revived in 1249 a statute of
his predecessor, Simon de Welles, and extended "the capitular
contribution to half the revenues of every prebend, whilst one moiety
of a prebend vacant by death went to the fabric and the rest to the
use of the canons." Other means were used to provide funds to continue
the work.
[3] Walcott, "Early Statutes," p. 15.
[4] Walcott, p. 15.
But apart from these many indications of activity, the fabric as it
stands to-day speaks very clearly of the amount of building that went
on between 1200 and 1300. But it was not till 1288-1305 that Bishop
Gilbert de S. Leophardo had added the two new bays of the lady-chapel
eastward.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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