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
The south chapel (Early English) is the Chantry of Bishop Langton, who
died of the plague in 1500, just before he was translated to the
Archbishopric of Canterbury. The woodwork of the stalls is very
beautiful. The pikes of Cromwell's soldiers wrought havoc here, and we
notice that just above the height they could reach with their weapons
the woodwork is uninjured. Mediæval artists were fond of puns and
rebuses, and here we have Langton's name represented by a _long_ (or
musical) note with a _ton_, and a _vine_ and _ton_ for Winton or
Winchester. Winton is also represented by a dragon coming from a ton,
referring to Solomon's warning against the wine that is red which
biteth like a serpent, etc. An object of much interest is preserved
here--Queen Mary's chair upon which she sat when she was married to
Philip of Spain in the Lady Chapel. On that occasion there was much
feasting and rejoicing in Winchester, though the nation liked not the
Spanish marriage, and much ill came to England through that
ill-starred connection. De Lucy's tomb in the centre of the
retro-choir looks upon the noble work which he built for his beloved
Cathedral. On the north of the central aisle is the Chantry of
Waynflete, the founder of Magdalen College, Oxford; on the south that
of Cardinal Beaufort. Both were much injured by the soldiers. Between
these is the effigy of a knight in armour, Sir A. de Gavaston, the
father of the favourite of Edward II.
Notice the wall at the back of the feretory, with its beautiful
tabernacle work of Decorated period, under which images once stood.
The names of the worthies appear below. "The Holy Hole" formerly led
to the crypt but has now been closed. On the north side of this wall
is Bishop Gardiner's Chantry, who was the leader of the Roman Catholic
party at the Reformation and was styled the "Hammer of Heretics." He
took a leading part in the Marian persecutions. On the south side is
the Chantry of Bishop Fox (1500-1528), the founder of Corpus Christi
College, Oxford, who bore the pelican as a device.
The south wall of the south aisle of the presbytery is Late
Perpendicular work. Another instance of heart burial is recorded on
the wall opposite, that of Bishop Nicholas of Ely (1280), and an
inscription tells of the burial of Richard, son of William the
Conqueror, who was killed while hunting in the New Forest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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