The Cathedral Church of Peterborough: A Description Of Its Fabric And A Brief History Of The Episcopal SeeSweeting, W. D. (Walter Debenham)
History
The Cathedral Church of Peterborough: A Description Of Its Fabric And A Brief History Of The Episcopal See
Sweeting, W. D. (Walter Debenham)
Peterborough Cathedral
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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