Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Hereford: A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal SeeFisher, A. Hugh (Alfred Hugh)
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Hereford: A Description of Its Fabric and a Brief History of the Episcopal See
Fisher, A. Hugh (Alfred Hugh)
Hereford Cathedral
"Tuz ki cest estorie ont
Ou oyront, oy luront, ou veront,
Prient à Jhesu en deyté
De Richard de Haldingham e de Lafford eyt pité
Ki l’at fet e compassé
Ke joie en cel li seit doné."
Prebendary Havergal says: "It is believed to be one of the very oldest
maps in the world, if not the oldest, and it is full of the deepest
interest. It is founded on the cosmographical treatises of the time, which
generally commence by stating that Augustus Cæsar sent out three
philosophers, Nichodoxus, Theodotus, and Polictitus, to measure and survey
the world, and that all geographical knowledge was the result. In the
left-hand corner of the map the Emperor is delivering to the philosophers
written orders, confirmed by a handsome mediæval seal. The world is here
represented as round, surrounded by the ocean. At the top of the map is
represented Paradise, with its rivers and trees; also the eating of the
forbidden fruit and the expulsion of our first parents. Above is a
remarkable representation of the Day of Judgment, with the Virgin Mary
interceding for the faithful, who are seen rising from their graves and
being led within the walls of heaven.
"The map is chiefly filled with ideas taken from Herodotus, Solinus,
Isidore, Pliny, and other ancient historians. There are numerous figures
of towns, animals, birds, and fish, with grotesque customs, such as the
mediæval geographers believed to exist in different parts of the world;
Babylon with its famous tower; Rome, the capital of the world, bearing the
inscription—_’Roma, caput mundi, tenet orbis frena rotundi’_; and Troy as
’_civitas bellicosissima_.’ In Great Britain most of the cathedrals are
mentioned; but of Ireland the author seems to have known very little.
"Amongst the many points of interest are the columns of Hercules, the
Labyrinth of Crete, the pyramids in Egypt, the house of bondage, the
journeys of the Children of Israel, the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, with a
figure of Moses and his supposed place of burial, the Phœnician Jews
worshipping the molten image, Lot’s wife," etc.
*Bishop’s Cloisters.*—At the eastern end of the south nave aisle a door
opens to the cloisters connecting the cathedral with the episcopal palace.
In the cloister is placed a monument and inscription to Colonel John
Matthews of Belmont, near Hereford, who died 1826. The subject, "Grief
consoled by an Angel," is carved in Caen stone.
Other monuments are:—one to the Hon. Edward Grey, D.D., formerly Bishop of
Hereford, 1832 to 1837. He died July 1837, and is buried beneath the
bishop’s throne. A monument to Bishop George Isaac Huntingford, D.D., 1815
to 1832. He died in his eighty-fourth year, April 1832, and was buried at
Compton, near Winchester. Also a monument to Dr. Clarke Whitfield, an
organist of the cathedral.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account