The Architectural History Of The Cathedral Church Of Exeter
Description
This section is from the "The Architectural History Of Exeter Cathedral" book, by Philip Freeman, M.A.. Also see Amazon: The Architectural History Of Exeter Cathedral.
The Architectural History Of The Cathedral Church Of Exeter
I propose, in the following pages, to speak of the Architectural History of Exeter Cathedral; noticing by the way some of the characteristic features, or peculiar merits, of the structure.
What then, is the Architectural History and Chronology of the stately Fane, which, for more than 800 years, in one form and another, has, in the words of Ruskin, "lifted, from the midst of our populous city, grey cliffs of lonely stone into the midst of sailing birds, and silent air?"
Chronological Ground Plan Of Exeter Cathedral.
Dates Of Bishops, And Their Work, Known Or Conjectured
Bishop. | Date. | Work. | |
1. | Leofric | 1050-1072 | Saxon Cathedral. |
2. | Osbern | 1072-1103 | |
3. | W. Warelwast | 1107-1136 | Began Norman Cathedral (Towers, Choir with Apse and Nave). |
4. | Chichester | 1138-1155 | Building continued. |
5. | R. Warelwast | 1155-1160 | Buried in Old Choir. |
6. | Bartholomew | 1161-1184 | |
7. | John the Chanter | 1186-1191 | Building resumed. |
8. | Hen. Marshall | 1194-1206 | Completed Transition Norman Cathedral; longer Choir, Lady Chapel, and six other Chapels; North Porch, Cloister Doorway. |
9. | Simon of Apulia | 1214-1223 | Tomb in Lady Chapel. |
10. | Bruere | 1224-1244 | Chapter House,stalls in old Choir. |
11. | Blondy | 1245-1257 | |
12. | Bronescombe | 1257-1280 | Chapels of St. Gabriel, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. James restored. |
13. | Quivil | 1280-1291 | Designed Decorated Cathedral; Transformed Transepts, with Chapels, east bay of Nave, Lady Chapel, and adjacent Chapels, Retrochoir. |
14. | Bitton | 1292-1307 | Transformed entire Choir, with its Aisles. |
15. | Stapeldon | 1308-1326 | Transformed Choir Transepts ; built Organ screen, Sedilia, Bishop's throne, began Cloister. |
16. | Berkeley | 1326-1327 | |
17. | Grandisson | 1327-1369 | Transformed six west bays of Nave, vaulting, aisles, west window, north Cloister. |
18. | Brantyngham | 1370-1394 | East window, west front, Cloisters. |
19. | Stafford | 1395-1419 | Tomb canopies in Lady Chapel. |
20. | Ketterick | 1419 | |
21. | Lacey | 1420-1455 | Raised Chapter House ; glazed Nave windows. |
22. | Neville | 1458-1465 | East window of Chapter House. |
23. | Bothe | 1465-1478 | Roof of Ditto. |
24. | Courtenay | 1478-1486 | Upper part of Towers. |
25. | Fox | 1487-1491 | West front (northern entrance ?) |
26. | King | 1492-1495 | |
27. | Redmayn | 1496-1501 | |
28. | Arundell | 1502-1503 | |
29. | Oldham | 1504-1519 | Oldham and Speke Chapels ; 11 Chapel screens, screen round choir. |
30. | Veysey | 1519-1551 | Speke Chapel finished. |
Authorities
Date. | |
Original Charters in Cathedral Archives. | |
(1) Ethelred, Confirming Ealdred as Bishop of S. German's No. 2070 ....................... | 994 |
(2) Canute, Confirming. Privileges of S. German's, No 2071 ••• • • | 1018 |
(3) Edward Confessor, Conveying Holcombe Manor to hi Chaplain, Leofric ... | 1044 |
(4) Ditto, Founding See of Exeter, and installing Leofric Bishop, No. 2072 .. | 1050 |
Fabric Rolls, 108 in number ................ | 1279-1514 |
Deed of Gift (No. 668 in Muniments, Exeter Cathedral), b; Bishop Bruere, of site for Chapter House | 1225 |
Ditto by Bishop Bronescombe, of Buckerell Church, for Chaplains in S. Gabriel's Chapel ... | 1280 |
Registers of Bishops (Bronescombe's, etc.) ... | 1257-1520 |
Chronicon Breve Exon Ecclesiae, Cathedral Archives No. 3265 | c. 1400 |
Leland's Itinerary | c 1538 |
Hoker's (or Vowell's) History | c. 1540 |
Izacke, Richard and Samuel, Antiquities of Exeter | 1677-1724 |
Dean Lyttelton's Tract | 1732 |
Britton's History and Antiquities of Exeter Cathedral | 1826 |
Transactions of Exeter Architectural Society, vol. i. | 1853 |
Oliver, Lives of Bishops' of Exeter, and History of Exeter ... | 1861 |
Handbook of Exeter Cathedral (Murray). ... | |
Hewett's History and Description........... |
Chronological Summary
FIRST PERIOD. | |
Date. | |
Saxon Cathedral | 1050 |
SECOND PERIOD. | |
Norman and Transition Cathrdral:- Begun | 1112 |
Finished | c. 1200 |
Early English Chapter House | 1224-1244 |
Choir Stalls | 1224-1244 |
Retrochoir windows | 1230 |
Chapels of S. Mary Magdalene and S. Gabriel and S. James Restored | 1257-1280 |
Decorated Cathedral (by transformation of entire Norman-Transition Cathedral) | 1280-1370 |
Perpendicular Works, | . |
Chapter House (upper part), East Window, Western Screen; Speke and Oldham Chapels, Screens of Eleven Chapels, new Cloisters, etc. | 1380-1520 |
3 S. John the Baptists Chapel. 4chapel of the holy ghost.
5 North Porch.
6 8. Paul's Chapel.
7 Sylke's Chantry.
8 8. Andrew's Chapel.
9 Speke's or S. George's Chantry.
10 Bp. Oldham's Chantry.
11 8. James Chapel.
12 8. Mary Magdalene's Chapel. 13 8. Gabriels Chapel.
First Period - Saxon Cathedral 1050 - 1112
Now, that there was a Church here, the Church of the Monastery of St. Mary and St. Peter, in early Saxon days, we know. And further, when Leofric, the last Bishop of Devonshire, and of Exeter the first, was translated hither from Crediton sixteen years before the Norman Conquest (1050), that Monastic Church, restored and erected into a Cathedral, received him: for Edward the Confessor, and his Queen attended by a crowd of nobles and ecclesiastics, placed the Bishop on his throne in St. Peter's Church. Of this Saxon Cathedral it cannot be affirmed with certainty that any portion survives(1)
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