Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal SeeClifton, A. B.
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal See
Clifton, A. B.
Lichfield Cathedral
_Lo here in earth my body lyes,_
_Whose sinfull lyfe deserves the rod:_
_Yet I believe the same shall rise,_
_And praise the mercies of my God._
_As for my soule let none take thought,_
_It is with him that hath it bought;_
_For God on me doth mercy take_
_For nothing else but Jhesus sake._"
Bullen or Boleyn was dean during the greater part of the reign of
Elizabeth, who offered him the bishopric of Worcester, which he
refused. Elizabeth, it will be remembered, was the daughter of Anne
Boleyn, whose kinsman the dean was.
=The Font= stands between the first and second pillars from the west
door on the north side of the nave. It is quite modern, and is the gift
of the Honourable Mrs Henry Howard, widow of the late dean. It is made
of alabaster and Caen stone, and is supported on marble pillars. There
are four sculptured panels in relief, representing--"The Entry into
the Ark," "The Passage of the Red Sea," "The Baptism of our Lord," and
"The Resurrection." Between these there are niches containing figures
of St. Mary, St. Peter, St. Chad, and St. Helen.
A curious old font was discovered in 1856 immediately under the place
where the present altar stands. It was very simple in form, being about
a yard and a half square and two feet thick, with a hemispherical cavity
in it. It had been coloured bright red, and was much cracked, as though
it had been subjected to intense heat. How it came where it was is not
known. It may have been discarded as rubbish or hidden as a relic.
=The Pulpit= is in the nave, and is fixed to the north-western pier of the
tower. Its design and execution were by Sir Gilbert Scott and Mr Skidmore
respectively, who were also responsible for the choir screen. The pulpit
is of wrought-iron, brass, copper, enamels, and marble. In the middle
there is a bronze group representing St. Peter preaching on the Day
of Pentecost. There are stairs on each side of the pulpit. The brass
=Lectern= is also modern, and is in the usual form of an eagle. It was
presented by the members of the Lichfield Theological College, and was
executed by Mr Hardman of Birmingham. The =Litany Desk= is by Messrs
Rattee & Kett of Cambridge, the well-known carvers; and the =Bishop's
Chair=, which stands under the great tower, was presented by the clergy
of Derbyshire when that county was transferred from this diocese to the
new diocese of Southwell. The chair is not of striking beauty.
[Illustration: NORTH AISLE OF NAVE, LOOKING EAST.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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