The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and ArchitectureDitchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
History
The Cathedrals of Great Britain: Their History and Architecture
Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
Cathedrals -- Great Britain; Church architecture -- Great Britain
There are two Royal tombs; in the centre of the choir is that of King
John, who died at Newark in 1216, whence his body was conveyed here
for burial. The effigy is the earliest of an English king in this
country. The Royal garments are the tunic reaching to the ankles, and
over this the dalmatic with wide sleeves and a girdle buckled in
front. On the feet are sandals with spurs; on the hands are jewelled
gloves, and there is part of a sceptre. The head has a crown, and the
face has moustache and beard. The figures on each side are SS. Oswald
and Wulstan. Recently the figure has unfortunately been covered with
gilt. The tomb on which the effigy rests is sixteenth-century work.
The other Royal tomb is that of Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry
VII., who died at Ludlow Castle in 1502. His death was fraught with
great consequence to English history. The tomb is a very fine example
of Late Perpendicular work, in which the Tudor emblems, the rose and
portcullis, are evident. The exterior consists of open tracery, niches
and panelled work, crowned with a battlement and pinnacles. Within
there is a flat groined roof, a rich mass of tabernacle work at the
east end with figures in niches, in the centre a plain altar tomb, and
at the west end a small figure of the mourning father, Henry VII.
The _South Choir Aisle_ is Early English similar to the choir, as is
the rest of this portion of the Cathedral, and therefore this need not
be again mentioned. The _Chapel of St. John_, restored by Earl
Beauchamp, is very fine. The glass is all modern. Passing into the
eastern transept we notice a piscina and aumbries and some remarkable
sculptures in the spandrels of the arcade which are reproductions of
ancient work. They are supposed to represent the present and future
life. The subjects are: Knights fighting with lions and centaurs (the
world and its temptations); St. Michael weighing souls, and the devil
pulling down the scale; demons torturing souls over flames
(purgatory); hell's mouth; a burial (of Adam?); expulsion from
Paradise; an angel leading soul to heaven; the Resurrection; angels
sounding a trumpet and bearing the Cross and Christ enthroned. Other
subjects are monks building, Annunciation, Nativity, Crucifixion, etc.
In this transept is the effigy of a knight in full armour of the
fourteenth century of ringed mail. The shield has Harcourt arms, and
below is the inscription--_Ici gist sur Guilliamme de Harcourt_. Guide
books usually point him out as a Crusader because he has his legs
crossed. As we have already stated, there is no special signification
in crossed-legged effigies. There is a tomb of Sir Gryffyth Ryce
(1523), "a noble knight," and his wife, daughter of Sir John St. John,
and near Prince Arthur's Chantry the tomb of Bishop Gifford (1302),
and Maude de Clifford, wife of Earl of Salisbury, beautifully
executed. It is a wonderful study of the dress of the period (1301).
Here is a fine statue of Mrs. Digby by Chantrey; this lady was maid of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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