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
Other objects of interest rather than those of history or architecture
usually attract the stranger to Manchester. The great centre of modern
industry, the city that brings the sea to its walls, that finds
employment for tens of thousands, where the pulse of life beats
fast--that is the Manchester we all know. But there is another
Manchester of quiet and sedate ways, which is not devoid of history,
which we will endeavour to read amidst the din and turmoil of this
hive of industry. It is difficult to imagine that the parish "was
originally a wild, unfrequented tract of woodland, inhabited merely by
the boar, the bull, and the wolf, and traversed only by the hunters of
the neighbouring country." Under Agricola, Manchester became a Roman
station. Camden tells of Roman inscriptions, and many other Roman
remains have been found. Edwin of Northumbria came here, and Paulinus
brought Christianity and thousands were baptised by him. Two Saxon
churches were built, St. Michael's and St. Mary's. Ina and his queen,
Ethelburga, sojourned here. The Danes ravaged it, and Edward the Elder
re-edified the town in 924. We find that Canute came here, and the
historian of the town derives Knot, or Knut, Mill from his name. The
Conqueror gave the manor to Roger de Poictiers, but it appears to have
been regranted to the Greslie family. It is unnecessary to follow the
history of the manor and barony. In 1235 Manchester is said to have
had a Deanery, and Peter de Greleigh (Greslie) held the Rectory in
1261. Hugh de Manchester, a favourite of Edward I., went on an
embassage to Philip of France to recover certain lands for his king.
Other distinguished rectors were William de Marchia (1284), afterwards
Bishop of Bath and Wells, and William de Langton, afterwards Bishop of
Lichfield, the builder of the beautiful Lady Chapel of that Cathedral;
Otto de Grandisson, Geoffrey de Stoke, afterwards Dean of St. Paul's,
London. In 1373 Thomas de la Warre was presented to the living, and he
obtained Royal licence in 1422 to found a collegiate church,
consisting of one warden, eight fellows, four clerks and six
choristers. The parishioners cheerfully agreed to build the new
church. John Huntingdon, the first warden, built the choir, and
several leading families, the Radcliffes, Stanleys, Traffords, Byrons
and Strangeways erected chantries. The college was founded at the same
time as the residence of the warden and fellows. The right of
sanctuary was granted to the collegiate church, the sanctuary men
bearing a cross on their hand. The college has a chequered career. In
the reign of Edward VI. it was dissolved and its possessions seized.
Under Mary it was re-established, together with the chantries in the
church. In the time of Elizabeth the college had prolonged disputes
with the town, the clergy were beaten by the populace, and one of them
stabbed, and the plate and ornaments stolen. In 1578 the charter was
renewed. A famous warden was Dr. Dee, who is well known as a dealer in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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