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
passing along passages, which have two niches in the wall, we arrive
at a cylindrically vaulted chamber (7 feet by 11 feet), and on the
north side is the famous "St. Wilfrid's Needle." Formerly the
superstition attached to it was that no unchaste woman could with
safety pass through it; now we are told that if a virgin "threads the
needle" she will be married within a year. This needle is only an
enlargement of one of the niches which were doubtless used for lights.
Recent excavations have been made here, which revealed the remains of
an altar, a passage round the chamber, and a quantity of bones which
were probably relics. It is conjectured that this was a relic chamber,
and was built under the church of Wilfrid. It is impossible to touch
upon all the interesting problems which this curious chamber suggests,
especially as affecting the position and form of Wilfrid's early Saxon
church.
The _Transepts_ retain, with the exception of the east wall of the
southern member, Archbishop Roger's Transitional work, when Norman
architecture was slowly developing into Early English. There is a
niche on the east side of each transept. A Perpendicular arch forms an
entrance to the _North Transept_ from the north aisle, and on the
north of this is a round-headed window. The triforium has two broad
arches in each bay with a central detached shaft, while the clerestory
has three arches, the centre round, the others pointed. In the north
wall there are three round-headed windows in the highest stage. The
mullions in the windows in the second stage are later insertions. On
the east is the Chantry of St. Andrew, the Markenfields' Chapel.
Outside the aisle is the effigy of Sir Thomas (1497), with that of his
lady, and another Sir Thomas lies in the chapel (notice the armour and
collar). This family lost its estates in the rising in the time of
Elizabeth. Also there is the monument of Sir Edward Blackett of Newby
(1718). The _South Transept_ resembles the north, except that its east
side is Perpendicular. The aisle is called the Mallorie Chapel, and
there is a tablet to the memory of Sir John Mallorie of Studley, who
defended Skipton Castle for Charles I. There are some ancient mural
paintings, which may be seen when going to the library.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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