Highways and Byways in Cambridge and ElyConybeare, John William Edward
History
Highways and Byways in Cambridge and Ely
Conybeare, John William Edward
Cambridgeshire (England) -- Description and travel; Isle of Ely (England) -- Description and travel
King Edward the Third and his well-loved Queen Philippa came down to
see the work, already famous, that was being carried out at Ely. In
honour of her visit the Queen brought her robes of state, embroidered
with "squirrels," first worn at her thanksgiving for the birth of the
Black Prince. These robes she gave to the Prior John of Crauden, to be
made into three copes and other vestments for the clergy. Whether the
ancient cope still preserved at the Deanery can be identified as one
of these is doubtful. It is of rich myrtle-green velvet, worked in
gold thread, silk, and pearls, with plume-like flourishes that might
well suggest the term "squirrels." Along its straight edge there is
laid on a richly embroidered border, representing the Annunciation in
the centre and saints with their emblems on either side. The design of
the border indicates that it belongs to a date somewhat subsequent to
1330, the year when the Black Prince was born; but, seeing that it is
quite separate from the velvet, it must have been added later, and the
main portion of the vestment may actually be part of Queen Philippa's
gift.
But we must not suppose that the Ely builders were engaged during
these twenty-six years only on the Octagon Tower and the adjacent
restoration. Almost contemporary with the tower is Prior Crauden's
lovely chapel, built to the south of the Minster from the designs of
Alan of Walsingham, while at the same time, adjoining the
north-eastern transept, there arose the glorious Lady Chapel. The
foundation-stone of this wondrously elaborated edifice was laid in
1321, on Lady Day, by Alan of Walsingham himself; for it was he who,
as architect, designed the building, though the actual carrying out of
the work was committed to John of Wisbech, the Subsacrist of the
Abbey.
The funds were partly supplied by Bishop Montacute (whose premature
death prevented the full completion of the design); partly by "the
alms of the Faithful," or, as we should now say, by public
subscription, and partly from a find of treasure-trove which is thus
picturesquely described by the Abbey chronicler:
"Now when the aforesaid chapel was in beginning, this Brother
John had but little money in hand, or laid by, for the
prosecution of so great a work. He betook himself therefore to
prayer, and thereafter called his mates together, some being
monks, some, likewise, seculars. And them he besought to meet at
a certain hour, and help him in digging out a square trench which
might serve for the foundation of the whole fabric.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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