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
"When they had thus defaced and spoilt the quire, they march up
next to the east end of the church, and there break and cut in
pieces, and afterwards burn the rails that were about the
communion table. The table itself was thrown down, the
table-cloth taken away, with two fair books in velvet covers;
the one a bible, the other a common-prayer book, with a silver
bason gilt, and a pair of silver candlesticks beside. But upon
request made to Colonel Hubbert, the books, bason and all else,
save the candlesticks, were restored again.
"Now behind the communion table there stood a curious piece of
stone-work, admired much by strangers and travellers: a stately
skreen it was, well wrought, painted and gilt, which rose up as
high almost as the roof of the church, in a row of three lofty
spires, with other lesser spires growing out of each of them.
This now had no imagery work upon it, or anything else that
might justly give offence, and yet because it bore the name of
the high altar, was pulled all down with ropes, lay'd low and
level with the ground.
"Over this place, in the roof of the church, in a large oval
yet to be seen, was the picture of Our Saviour seated on a
throne; one hand erected, and holding a globe in the other,
attended with the four evangelists and saints on each side,
with crowns in their hands, intended, I suppose, for a
representation of Our Saviour's coming to judgment. This was
defaced and spoilt by the discharge of muskets.
"Then they rob and rifle the tombs, and violate the monuments
of the dead. First then they demolish Queen Katherin's tomb:
they break down the rails that enclosed the place, and take
away the black velvet pall which covered the herse: overthrow
the herse itself, displace the gravestone that lay over her
body, and have left nothing now remaining of that tomb, but
only a monument of their own shame and villany. What did remain
[of the herse of Mary Queen of Scots] that is, her royal arms
and escutcheons which hung upon a pillar near the place where
she had been interr'd, were most rudely pulled down, defaced
and torn.
"In the north isle of the church there was a stately tomb in
memory of Bishop Dove, who had been thirty years bishop of the
place. He lay there in portraicture in his episcopal robes, on
a large bed under a fair table of black marble, with a library
of books about him. These men soon destroy'd all the tomb.
"The like they do to two other monuments standing in that isle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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