3 9002 06773 8394

I8.U

BEING AN ATTEMPT TO INDICATE TO THE STRANGER SOME
OF THE MOST PROMINENT
OBJECTS OP INTEREST
IN THAT PLACE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD ;
ILLUSTRATED BY
3&fstorital, JSiogtapSttal, attft awJftMtttral Notttea.
BY
THE REV. GEORGE ORNSBY,
Licentiate in Theology, of Univ : CoU .* Durham, and Curate of tVhicJcham,
in the Diocese of Durham*

Arte, situque loci munlta Dunelmia, salve,
Qua floret sauctae religionis apex.

JDurfjam :
GEORGE ANDREWS, SADDLER-8TREET.
LONDON : WHITTAKBK & CO.
MDCCCXLVI.

PREFACE.
A work like the present necessarily possesses no
claim to originality ; the judgment which may be
exercised in the art of compilation being almost
the only merit which can attach to it. The title-
page sufficiently explains its object, but the com
piler feels it incumbent on him to advert more
particularly to the sources from which has been
drawn all that can render his book really valuable.
The curious and interesting account of the " Rites
and Monuments of the Monastical and Cathedral
Church of Durham," published in 1672, by Davies
of Kidwelly, has been often consulted, with a
view to the illustration of the antient splendour of
the Cathedral, and its monastic establishment.
References will also be found to the valuable stores
of information contained in Mr. Raine's " St.
Cuthbert," and the " Brief Account of Durham
Cathedral, &c," by the same author, — a little
work of great interest. It was next to impossible
to avoid trespassing in some degree upon ground
already pre- occupied in the latter, and many coin
cidences may be found which the Compiler of the
following pages must hope that Mr. Raine will
pardon. The general object of the two works is
however distinct : one of the principal aims of the
present publication being to give a descriptive

iv. '
account of the architectural features of the Cathe
dral, — a branch of the subject which did not appear
to fall within the scope of Mr. Raine's design.*
Care has been taken to make this account as accu
rate as possible, and as specific as the limits of a
guide-book will allow, although the Architect by
profession will doubtless discover many deficiencies.
Much assistance towards this part of the subject has
been obtained from the " Architectural Illustrations
of Durham Cathedral," lately published by Mr. Bil
lings. For the numerous quotations which have
been made from the writings of Surtees, no apo
logy is offered. The little book now put forth
may fall into the hands of many who have not
the means of access to his costly volumes, and
those who are acquainted with them will not re
quire to be told that a selection from the many
beautiful sketches of historical incident, individual
character, and natural scenery, which adorn their
pages, must add to the value of any work in which
they are incorporated. The further aid of which
the Compiler has availed himself, the reader will
find acknowledged in the pages where it occurs.
With what success the compilation of this little
volume has been accomplished, it is for others to
judge. Whickham, "August 7th, 1846.

See Brief Account of Durham Cathedral, Sic, p. 36-

CONTENTS.

Introduction' ....
The Cathedral ....
The Choir ....
The Nine Altars ....
The Galilee
The Monuments 
The Cloister 
The Library ....
The Deanery, &c.
The Castle ....
The University 
The City and its Suburbs
The Church of St. Mary in the North Bailey
le-Bow ....
The Church of St. Mary in the South Bailey
The Banks ....
The Church of St. Oswald
The Church of St. Nicholas
The Church of St. Giles
The Chapel of St. Margaret
The Neighbourhood op the City
Neville's Cross ....
Beaurepaire. 
Brancepeth Church and Castle
The Priory of Finchale
Lumley Castle ....
Sherburn Hospital
Pittingtoii Church
Conclusion ....

or St. Mary^

Page. 1
10
42
54 81
91
118
126130

156 158
159 162I6r
169
175177
177181182
185190191
192
192

VI.

Appendix. I. Succession of Bishops, Priors and Deans of Durham
II. University Fees, paiticulars as to Bishop Hatfield's
Hall,&c 
III. List of Birds, Insects, and Plants found in the County
of Durham .... .... ....
IV. Bibliographical List relating to the County and City
of Durham .... ....
Index .... .... .... .... .,. .

217
221

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Outer Gate of the Castle
Sanctuary Knocker ....
St. Cuthbert's Cross ....
Monument of Dr. Britton
 Bp. Barrington
 Bp. Van Milldert
Abbey Gateway
Arms of the University .
County Courts
Kepyer ....
Arms of the See
Neville's Cross

 11

 18

 71

 105
.... 106
.... 115
.... 134
.... 152
 165
...
 173
.... 176
.... 180
murrain, &c.

When the rude Dane burn'd their pile
The Monks fled forth from Itoly Isle :
O'er northern mountain, marsh* and moor,
From sea to sea, from shore to shore,
Seven years Saint Cuthbert's corpse they bore.
*****
Chester-le-Street and Ripon saw
His holy corpse, ere Wardilaw
Hail'd him with joy and fear ;
And after many Wanderings past.
He chose his lordly seat at last,
Where his Cathedral huge and vast,
Looks down upon the Wear ;
There, deep in Durham's Gothic shade,
His relics are in secret laid. Marm ion, c. 2, 14.

The History of the City of Durham previous to
its assuming an Ecclesiastical character is in deep
obscurity, for until the time when it was made the
final resting place of the wonder-working and incor
ruptible body of St. Cuthbert, we have no record
of its existence, except as the site of a few rude
and scattered huts which were probably all by which
it could be designated as a place of human habita
tion in the midst of the deep woods by which it
was surrounded. The Church of Lindisfarne, over
which St. Cuthbert presided as her sixth Bishop,
was the place of his first sepulture, but it having
been plundered and burned by the Danes in one of
B

their early descents upon the coast, the fear of a
second spoliation Jed Bishop Eardulph and his
monks to abandon the place for ever, taking with
them the body of their patron Saint, which then
commenced its migrations. This took place at the
beginning of Alfred's reign, about the year 875.
Seven weary years did these holy men wander from
place to place, until, under the auspices of Guthred,
King of Northumberland, they took up their abode
at Cuneacestre, (Chester-le-Street,) where they
built a Cathedral, and received from Guthred the
gift of all the land between Wear and Tyfle for a
perpetual possession. Such was the commence
ment of the "privileges and immunities, which
eventually converted the patrimony of St. Cuthbert
into a County Palatine, and exalted its Bishops to
the High Estate of Temporal Princes, in few re
spects amenable to the laws of the land, or inferior
to the Kings under whom they lived."*
At Chester-le-Street, they remained for one hun
dred and thirteen years, at the end of which period
(Anno 995) a second flight from the Danes be
came necessary, and for a short time the Bishop
and his monks took refuge with their holy burthen
at Ripon. When peace was re-established, the
Sanctuary of St. Wilfrid was abandoned, and they
set out with the intention of returning to their for
saken Cathedral. However, on arriving at a place
which Symeon calls Wrdelau, and which has been
supposed to be Wardenlau, an eminence com
manding a full view of the vale of Wear, the ark
in which the body of the Saint was conveyed be
came obstinately fixed and immoveable. Exertions
and entreaties alike failed to move the obdurate
Saint, and although it was sufficiently manifest that
he had insuperable objections to return to his
* Raise's Saint Cuthbert, p. 48.

former abode, they remained in profound ignorance
whither he would please to be conveyed. In this
dilemma, recourse was had to fasting and praying
for three days, when Cuthbert was seen of Eadmer
(one of the monks) in a dream, and his intention
was communicated that they should bend their
way to Dunhelm. Hither then they directed their
course,, and here was the close of their weary wan
derings. They found on the summit of the pen
insula formed by the winding of the river Wear,
a small portion of level and cultivated ground,
where they erected a temporary tabernacle of boughs
for the reception of the body of the Saint, until a
church could be built for that purpose. The erec
tion of this church, called the White Church, was
speedily accomplished, the place was no longer soli
tary, and a city quickly reared its head around the
Sanctuary of St. Cuthbert. The White Church
was probably only a rude wooden building, for we
find that three years after this, St. Cuthbert was
removed thence to a new Church of stone,
which Aldhun, the Bishop, assisted by Uhtred,
Earl of Northumberland, and all the population
from Coquet to Tees, had during that time been
engaged in building. This, in its turn, was super
seded by the splendid structure which still survives,
an enduring monument of the zeal and piety of
our forefathers in raising temples to God worthy
of the honour which is due to His Name : for
though superstition unquestionably lavished much
riches at the shrine of the Saint, it were unjust
and ungenerous to their memory not to believe
that a desire to glorify God was present in the
hearts of many of those who assisted in rearing the
lofty pile which still presents, in its massy strength,
one of the noblest specimens of Norman Archi
tecture which England can afford.

" With massive arches broad and round,
That rose alternate, row and row
On ponderous columns, short and low.
Built ere the art was known,
By pointed aisle, and shafted stalk
The arcades of an alley 'd walk
To emulate in stone."*
We shall have occasion afterwards, in our ac
count of the Cathedral, to speak more particularly
of the time of its erection and the names of the
Prelates and Nobles who were especially concerned
in the building of its various parts.
To this period then we may refer the rise of the
city of Durham, and although there are no remains
about the Castle to which we can assign an earlier
date than the time of William the Conqueror, yet
it would appear to have had some fortifications
previously ; for, we find in the twentieth year of
Bishop Eadmund, (who was Aldhun's successor,)
that an incursion of the Scots was successfully re
pelled by the inhabitants, and the heads of severed
of their leaders exposed on poles in the Market
Place. Fearful as had been the miseries which Danish
invasions and the incursions of the Scots had
caused to the inhabitants of this district, the re
cords of the Durham Historians contain a not less
melancholy history of the ravages by fire and sword
inflicted by the Norman Conqueror ere the northern
provinces were reduced to subjection. After the
death of Harold, Egelwin, who was then Bishop,
acknowledged William as his liege lord ; but not
withstanding this, the Conqueror found it neces
sary to send Comyn, a Norman noble, to enforce
his authority. He took possession of Durham at
the head of 700 troops, and, in spite of the warn
ings he had received on entering the Bishopric
from Egelwin, disdained to offer any check to the
* MAH J] ION, c. 2, 10.

5
reckless licence of his Norman soldiery. But his
haughty confidence ended in dismay and death.
The next morning's dawn beheld the enemy at the
gates ; the soldiers, who were dispersed throughout
the town, fell an easy prey to their assailants ; the
house, in which Comyn took refuge, was set on fire,
and he himself perished miserably in the flames.
For this, William exacted a fearful retribution.
He put himself at the head of his army to avenge
the death of Comyn, and his march ' was traced
in characters of blood;' for, between York and
Durham, for sixty miles, every village was burned,
neither age nor sex was spared, and even the
sanctity of the cloister afforded no protection.
Famine also added its horrors, and the necks of
the people, subdued by misery, were at last bowed
beneath the Norman yoke. On the death of Egel
win, William conferred the See on Walcher, a
native of Lorrain, whom he subsequently created
Earl of Northumberland, and from this time we
may probably date the commencement of those
palatine privileges and that temporal jurisdiction
which form so peculiar a feature in the history of
Durham. The Church of Durham, as we have seen, had
long been in the enjoyment of large territorial pos
sessions, which continued to be increased by suc
cessive benefactions. It is, of course, far beyond
the limits of a work of this nature to give any thing
like a detailed account of the various donations
thus bestowed on the Church, or of the rise and
progress of that temporal jurisdiction which was
exercised in such plenitude of power by the Bis
hops, as Counts Palatine, when the See was in its
meridian splendour. To do this would involve a
history of the successive Bishops of the See, which,
of itself, would occupy more than the limits we

have prescribed to ourselves. Incidental notices
of the more eminent among the princely prelates
who have swayed the sceptre of the Palatinate will
occur, as we contemplate their tombs or admire
the various portions of the noble fabric which tes
tify their piety or munificence. It may be suf
ficient, therefore, to state briefly what are the
grounds for assuming that Walcher was the prelate
by whom such temporal jurisdiction was first exer
cised, what its privileges were when fully recognized
under the sway of his successors, their subsequent
curtailment, and their ultimate extinction.
It does not appear that any peculiar power, such
as we understand by a Palatine Jurisdiction, was
exercised by the Bishops of Durham, previously to
the Norman Conquest ; for, as Surtees observes,*
" the silence of the Monkish Historians, authori
ties certainly not unfavourable to the full extent of
the ecclesiastical claims, as to the acquisition or
assumption of such a franchise at that period, may
be fairly considered as conclusive against its exist
ence," and Walcher is the first Bishop, whom we
find by any authentic proof, exercising that
sovereignty which every successive Prelate, during
four centuries, continued to wield with unlimited
sway. It is not difficult to account for the policy
of the Conqueror in delegating such powers to the
hands of an ecclesiastic. Scotland was a restless
and dangerous enemy, nor were there wanting those
in the Northern Provinces of England, who ill-
brooked the yoke of a Norman Conqueror, and
who, in spite of the miseries they had sustained in
resistance to his authority, were still sufficiently
powerful to require the utmost vigilance on the part
of their Conqueror to preserve his dominion, and it
was a matter of absolute necessity that he should
* Sokteeb's History of Durham, vol. 1., p. xv.

have a vicegerent whose unlimited power should
be adequate to crush the first risings of rebellion.
To have vested such power in lay hands, would
have been dangerous in the extreme. Their am
bition would soon have led them to attempt
the establishment of a separate and independent
kingdom, and it is sufficiently apparent that the
appointment of an ecclesiastic lord, whether as re
garded the sanctity of his clerical character, or his
more disinterested attachment to the Crown, was
a course most likely to conduce to the peace of
the district over which he ruled. It was, however,
a fatal gift to its first possessor.*
The powers thenceforward exercised by the
Bishops, as Counts Palatine, may be best given in
the words of Surtees.f " The paramount seigno-
rial property in all lands, from which, according to
the principles of the feudal system, arose the pri
vileges of escheat, forfeiture, and wardship, and the
possession of mines, wastes, forests and chaces ;
the supreme jurisdiction, as well civil as military,
the former exercised by the establishment of
Courts of Law and Equity, the appointment of
officers, and the levying of taxes and subsidies ;
the latter by the power of array as well of ships as
soldiers, together with a jurisdiction, as well along
the coast as in the navigable and other waters, and
the royal privilege of the Mint, were all included
in this extensive franchise, of which the various
branches were either generally or individually
ratified by express confirmation or exception in
various successive Acts of Parliament, or other
matters of record of high and public authority."
Till the reign of Henry VIII. these privileges
continued in undiminished force and uninterrupted
* See Subtees, vol. 1., p. xvil.
f SUBTEES, VOl. 1., p. XVi.

8
possession. By an act, passed in the twenty-
seventh year of his reign, the first blow was struck
at the regalities, which, for centuries, had been
enjoyed by the Counts Palatine. By this act the
privileges of pardon and forfeiture, and the appoint
ment of the justices of the peace, were taken away
from the See ; and by the same act, all writs were
directed to run in the name of the King. The
last and final stroke, which for ever extinguished
the ancient honours of the Prince Bishops of Dur
ham, we ourselves have lived to see. On the
death of Bishop Van Mildert, an act was passed
whereby all temporal jurisdictions and privileges
were declared to be for ever severed from the
Bishopric of Durham. Bishop Van Mildert died
on the 21st February, 1836, and was buried before
the Altar in Durham Cathedral on the 1st March
following. His funeral was solemnized with be
fitting splendour, and the last Count Palatine
was followed to his grave by an immense concourse
of all ranks and degrees, actuated by the respect
and reverence so justly due to his many virtues,
and by a feeling, in the minds of many, akin to
that with which we regard the obsequies of the last
representative of an antient line ; for in him were
terminated a name and privileges which were
venerable with the hoar of centuries.
"Hark! the knell!
Durham, the uncrowned city, in meet grief
Prepares to celebrate within the shrine
The obsequies of her last Palatine;
And nature's gloom is felt as a relief.
* * * * * *
The blameless prelate in the antique gloom
Of the low western Galilee Is laid,
In the dark pageantry of death arrayed,
Nigh to the Venerable Beda's tomb:
And in the distant east beside the shrine
There is a grave, a little earth up-cast,
Wherein to-day a rich and solemn Past
Must be entombed with this old Palatine.

See how with drooping pall and nodding plume
In many a line along the misty nave
The sombre garments of the clergy wave,
Bearing the last Prince-Bishop to his tomb !
And, as the burden swayeth to and fro,
I see a glorious relic, most sublime,
A dread bequest from out the olden time,
Borne from the earth with ceremonial show.
To one old priest were Keys and Sceptre given,
Two rights combined, the human and divine,
Blended in one high office as a shrine
Where earth might into contact come with Heaven :
This homage of great times unto the Cross,
All this magnificent conception, here
Outstretched upon the Palatine's frail bier
Is borne away ; and will men feel no loss ?

The cloud of music hushed still loads the air ;
The herald breaks the wand, while he proclaims
The sainted Palatine's puissant names :
Yon kingless throne is now for ever bare !

F. W. Faber.

€#* (ffatfjetiral.

"And holy Durham's Minster fair
A crown of yellow rays did wear,
And we beheld with rapture there,
By sunset's powers
Transfigured in the radiant air
The two west towers."

F. W. Fabeb.

From whatever quarter the stranger approaches
the City of Durham, its appearance is sufficiently
striking. In our judgment however the view pre
sented to the traveller as he enters from the North
is perhaps the most imposing. The Cathedral
and Castle here form a combination not easily
equalled ; each rising, massive and lofty, from
among the dim woods which clothe to the river's
edge the rock on which they stand. And, were
we asked to fix a time when the scene could best
be ' visited aright,' it should be towards the close
of a summer's day, while a farewell gleam of even
ing light is yet lingering in the sky and gilding
the pinnacles of the western towers, its shadows,
at the same time, deepening into obscurity the
foundations of the old heavy pile, and giving depth
of effect to every coign and buttress of its massy
walls : all the incongruities which might offend the
eye in the broad glare of day being harmoniously
blended and lost under the mellowing hues of ap
proaching twilight. At such an hour, and for
such a scene, we would pause a moment, before
passing the ancient bridge which Bishop Flambard

11
built over the Wear, and which still forms the en-
trance from the North to the City of Durham.
Crossing this, and passing up the narrow street
called Silver Street, which leads to the Market
Place, we proceed towards the Cathedral.
On our way thither, not many years ago would
have been seen an old and venerable remnant of
the defences of the Castle, namely the outer gate

at the head of Sadler Street, built by Bishop
Langley in the year 1417. For some time it was
occupied as the County Prison, but now its arched
portal and machicolated turrets survive only in the
views of the Artist, and its site is occupied by the
News Room of the Town.
Passing onwards, we ascend Queen Street, and
enter the Place Green, a large and spacious square,

12
having on its south side the Cathedral, on its north
the Castle, and on the west the old Exchequer, a
square massive building, which comprises within
its walls the Palatine Court of Chancery, and
chambers for the accommodation of the several
Officers of the Palatinate Courts and the preser
vation of the records of the See. Its general cha
racter has been altered at different periods, but its
low-browed archway, and the shield of arms over
head, surmounted by the Bull of Westmoreland,
enable us to attribute its erection to the episco
pate of Bishop Nevill, about 1438. Adjoining
it is Bishop Cosin's library, the lecture rooms of
the University, and the registry of the Consistory
Court, which was built upon the site of the old
County Courts, in the year 1820. On the east
side of the square is a range of buildings, on
whose gables two mouldering shields, with in
scriptions, which are almost illegible, beneath them,
remain to testify that they were alms-houses found
ed by the munificence of Bishop Cosin on the
ruins of Cardinal Langley's song-school. They
are now inhabited by the Students of the Univer
sity, and their former occupants have been trans
ferred to a new dwelling, of appropriate character,
which has recently been erected at the head of
Queen Street. The rest of the buildings on this
side of the square, with one exception, have become
the property, and are occupied by the members of
the University.
To a more detailed account of the Castle, and
some of the other buildings which have been men
tioned, we shall hereafter return. The Cathedral
now demands our attention.
Separated from the square, on the south side,
by a low wall, which forms the boundary of the
grave yard, the Cathedral towers in stately magni-

13
ficence, presenting to the beholder the whole of
its northern elevation in one unbroken and impos
ing view. And although the hand of restoration
which, with more zeal than knowledge, was at work
some half a century ago, has failed to retain the
distinctive characteristics which belonged to some
of its parts, and has introduced some few architec
tural anomalies and incongruities, yet the general
effect of its grand and majestic outline it was im
possible to destroy. This still remains, though
Roman cement has been permitted to encase the
upper stage of the lanthorn tower, and the chisel has
mercilessly pared down the strings, and mouldings,
and buttresses, and sculptured capitals and figures,
which, in their bold projection, added richness to
the details of the building, and, in the Norman
character which belonged to most of them, gave
that harmony to its elevation which the commin
gling of tracery and ornaments belonging to different
periods must always of necessity destroy. Among
the most striking instances which suggest them
selves, are the alterations which were made in the
north front of the middle transept, where two
figures in roundels, over the great window, which
are said to have represented Priors Forcer and
Castell, have been supplanted by a figure of Bishop
Pudsey, taken from his episcopal seal, and a sitting
figure, which has been well said to be more .like a
Dutch Burgomaster than a Prior in his chair ; for
this is supposed to have been the sculptor's aim in
the carving in question. In the pediment above
these roundels a series of niches have superseded
the Norman strings which once formed its cha
racteristic ornament : the Norman character,
likewise, of the turrets of this part of the building
was materially injured by an injudicious admix
ture of work belonging to a much later period.

14
We must not forget to notice moreover the
carving of the Bun Cow, at the north west end of
the eastern transept, or chapel of the Nine Altars,
the traditionary circumstances connected with
which have so long been identified with the
name of Durham Abbey in the minds of all who
have been bred and born within the limits of ' the
Bishopric' For the benefit of others, however,
we may tell the story. St. Cuthbert, as we have
already told our readers, was long undetermined
as to the place of his final repose. At last, how
ever, it was " revealed to Eadmer, a virtuous man,
that he should be carried to Dunholme, where he
was to be received to a place of rest. His follow
ers were again in great distress, in not knowing
where Dunholme lay ; but as they proceeded, a
woman wanting her cow called aloud to her
companion to know if she had seen her ? who
answered, she was in Dunholme. This was an
happy and heavenly sound to the distressed
monks, who thereby had intelligence that their
journey's end was at hand, and the saint's body
near its resting place."* The walls of Bishop
Aldhun's Cathedral were, in consequence, adorned
with a sculpture of the two women and the cow ;
nor was the miracle suffered to fall into oblivion
by any lachesse on the part of those who reared
the pile which now occupies the site of Aldhun's
Church. A like carving was set up by Bishop
Flambard, but this, or perhaps rather the one
which was co-eval with the erection of the Nine
Altars, was destroyed at the time of the restoration
of which we have spoken, " and was, in conse
quence, replaced by the present good pointed cow
of the short horned breed, attended by the two
* Antiquities of the Abbey or Cathedral Church of Durham, Edited bv
Pat. Sanderson, p. 64. '

15
portly dames, arrayed in the costume of the late
reign, (Geo. III.) who are standing by her side."*
No record, however, of the legend we have related,
occurs in any of the early historians of Durham, and
it has therefore been presumed, with much proba
bility, that the sculpture was merely intended to
typify the rich possessions of the see "non
Divitis uber agri, Dunelmiceque opulentia deerit"
As Surtees says, " the sculpture may, after all,
as probably have given rise to the legend, as the
legend to the sculpture."
The great window at the North end of the
middle transept, which has been mentioned, oc
cupies the place of the original Norman one, and
was inserted by Prior Forcer, and restored, in
accordance with its original construction, by Prior
Castell, at the latter end of the fifteenth century.
All the other Norman windows of the aisles of the
nave and choir, with those of the clerestory, and
triforia, excepting the windows of the triforium of
the north aisle of the choir, and the narrow clere
story windows of the east side of the transept,
have been filled up with mullions and tracery,
belonging to different periods. Some faint marks,
which are more clearly indicated on the south side,
remain to show that the windows of the triforia
were, originally, dormer windows, each under its
separate gable. This must have added greatly to
the picturesque effect of the roof.
The western towers, like the rest of the exterior,
have materially changed their appearance since the
restorative process was begun. In Hutchinson's
time, a low battlement surrounded the top, but
this has been replaced by open parapet work and
pinnacles, with Italian mouldings. The towers
* Maine's St. Cuthbert, p. 55.

16
originally terminated in wooden spires of consider
able height, covered with lead, which are said to
have been removed about 1667.
The restoration of the great central tower was
not commenced until the completion of the repairs
of the north front and of the western towers, and
its original character was more carefully attended
to than that of any other portion of the building
which we have been considering. To this we
must always except the architect's unhappy pre
dilection for Roman cement, the colour of which
so ill accords with the stone work below, that, at
first sight, we are apt to regard the upper stage
of the tower as a completely modern addition.
There is no trace of the existence of any part of
the original Norman tower, which was, probably,
of no great elevation. The whole of the present
tower is in the perpendicular style, and there
appears to be some reason for attributing its erec
tion to the time of Prior Bell, (1464-1478).*
The graceful canopied niches which adorn the
sides and buttresses were each, of old time, occu
pied by the figure of a saint, or a bishop, but these
were taken down during its reparation, and, with
the exception of some at the east side, have never
been replaced. Many of them, however, have
been preserved, and are now ranged, a grim and
silent company, in St. Cuthbert's shrine.
The great entrance to the church was originally,
as was usual, at the western end ; but its magni
ficent Norman arch is no longer visible externally,
being concealed by the Galilee chapel, which was
built by Bishop Pudsey, against that extremity of
the Cathedral. In consequence of this the nor
thern door-way has long formed the principal
entrance to the church. Much tasteless alteration,
* See Billings's Architectural Illustrations of Durham Cathedral, p. 37.

17
and many incongruous additions, have destroyed
its character and peculiar associations. The door
way is deeply recessed, with a succession of nook
shafts, with Norman capitals, supporting concentric
arches with zig-zag and plain roll mouldings.
These remain, for the most part, uninjured, but
enriched (?) by an additional moulding, with crock
ets, terminating in a finial, of the decorated period.
The pediment, above the arch, is panelled in an
equally discordant style, nor is the effect at all
redeemed by its flanking turrets with their lofty
pinnacles. From the elevation given by Hutchin
son, (taken in 1780,) it would appear that at that
period, a pediment rose above the arch, somewhat
higher than the roof of the north aisle. Within
this was a pointed arch, and two small windows
giving light to chambers above the doorway. The
use of these chambers is associated with the antient
privilege of sanctuary. They were occupied by two
men, whose business it was to admit fugitives claim
ing sanctuary, at any hour of the day or night, and
to give notice of their admission by tolling the Gali
lee bell, " that whosoever heard it, might know that
some had taken sanctuary."* The sanctuary of St.
Cuthbert extended to the church and church-yard
and its circuit, and it is probable that some degree
of security was afforded to those who came within
even a certain distance of these limits. At Bever
ley the privilege extended for a mile every way
from the church, and this outward boundary was
indicated by stone crosses, in convenient situations.
The crosses which are known to have existed at
the extremity of some of the streets leading out of
Durham, were in all likelihood erected for the
same purpose. The basement stone of one of
them still remains, in a small planted enclosure
* Sanderson's Antiquities, &c.

18
on the right of the great south -road, a little way
beyond St. Oswald's church. Offenders seeking
refuge, gave notice by knocking at the north door,
of which we have spoken. The large knocker,
which still projects in bold and striking relief

from the door, is, doubtless, the same which was
used for that purpose, for its details are of a Nor
man character, and very similar in design to many
of the grotesque ornaments which occur in illu
minations of the period. After being admitted,
they were commanded to " keep themselves
within the sanctuary ; that is to say, within the
church and church-yard, and every one of them
to have a gown of black cloath/made with a
cross of yellow, called St. Cuthbert's cross, set

19
on the shoulder of his left arm, to the intent,
that every one might see there was such a privi-
ledge granted by God unto St. Cuthbert's shrine,
for all such offenders to flye unto for succour, and
safeguard of their lives, until such time as they
might obtain their Prince's pardon ; and that they
should lye within the church, or sanctuary, within
a grate, adjoyning to the Galilee door, on the south
side. And likewise they had meat, drink, bedding,
and other necessaries, for thirty-seven dayes, at
the charge of the house, such as were meet and
necessary for such offenders, till such time as the
Prior, and the convent could get them conveyed
out of the diocese."* The register of persons
claiming sanctuary at Durham, has recently been
published, by the Sdrtees' Society, and contains
many curious and interesting entries. The last
recorded claim for protection is dated September
10, 1524. The same volume also contains the
Sanctuarium Beverlacense, being a similar record
kept in the church of Beverley. The advantages
which places of sanctuary afforded in troubled
times, have been expressed by Hallam, in words
of so much truth and beauty, that we cannot re
frain from quoting them : — " Under a due ad
ministration of justice, this privilege would have
been simply and constantly mischievous ; as we
properly consider it to be, in those countries where
it still subsists. But in the rapine and tumult of
the middle ages, the right of sanctuary might as
often be a shield to innocence, as an impunity to
crime. We can hardly regret, in reflecting on the
desolating violence which prevailed, that there
should have been some green spots in the wilderness
where the feeble and the persecuted could find re
fuge. How must this right have enhanced the
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, p. 71, ed., 1672.

20
veneration for religious institutions ! How gladly
must the victims of internal warfare have turned
their eyes from the baronial castle, the dread and
scourge of the neighbourhood, to those venerable
walls, within which not even the clamour of arms
could be heard to disturb the chaunt of holy men,
and the sacred service of the altar."*
Through this ancient portal then, within whose
doors so many beating hearts must have sought re
fuge and repose, some laden with the consciousness
of crime, others trembling at the thought that inno
cence itself was no defence against false accusers,
unless the church interposed her sheltering arm, we
enter the Cathedral : — and ' nave and choir and
aisle unfold their awful perspective to the asto
nished eye.' And, assuredly, his feelings are not
to be envied who can take his stand at the western
end of the nave of this noble building, and con
template unmoved the lengthening array of massive
columns, with their high o'er-arching roof,
" Stretching in aisles majestical ;
In branchings of embowering length,
And avenues of pillar'd strength,"
and terminating in the more graceful lines of
the groining of the choir, and the magnificent
marigold or Catherine window of the chapel of
the Nine Altars. The effect, indeed, is somewhat
marred by the intervention of the choir screen
and organ, which, in their debased Italian style,
but ill accord with the stern simplicity and ma
jestic grandeur of the building. But where there
is so much to admire, and so much to elevate
the mind, in the air of deep solemnity and holy
calmness which seems to pervade the whole, it
were unwise to dwell, at such a moment, with a
captious and peevish spirit, upon the compara-
* State of Europe in the Middle Ages, chap, ix, part I.,
vol. ill, p. 351.

21
tively trifling incongruities which may present
themselves to the eye, how much soever their re
moval may be wished, when a more detailed and
particular survey is made. Rather let us exclaim,
in the words of one, who has written, wisely and
well, " They dreamt not of a perishable home,
Who thus could build. Be mine, in hours of fear,
Or grovelling thought, to seek a refuge here
Where bubbles burst, and folly's dancing foam
Melts, if it cross the threshold ; where the wreath
Of awe-struck wisdom droops."
The massiveness and grandeur, indeed, of this
magnificent example of Norman architecture, can
not fail to impress every beholder. Even Johnson
himself, although physical incapacity rendered him
less accessible to the charms of nature or of art,
appears to have been powerfully struck with the
appearance of this edifice. *' Rocky solidity and
indeterminate duration," are the characteristic
expressions he uses to portray the ideas it is calcu
lated to convey. But it is time to view things
more in detail.
The ground plan of the Church, properly so
called, is in the usual form of a Latin cross, com
prising the nave and aisles, the middle transept,
and the choir, the eastern extremity of which ori
ginally terminated in a circular apse. This is super
seded by the eastern transept, or Chapel of the
Nine Altars. There are aisles on each side of the
choir, and one on the eastern side of the middle
transept. The general dimensions of the building
are as follow : — Length of the whole from east to
west 413ft. 10in., and including the Galilee 502ft.,
length of the nave 205ft. 4in., width of the nave
and aisles 81ft. lin., middle transept 17lft. 9in.
in length by 33ft. 7in., length of the choir 127ft. by
32ft. 8in., eastern transept or Chapel of the Nine

22
Altars 129ft. 5in. in length by 34ft. 2in. The
projections of the western towers form what may
perhaps be called a western transept, extending
across that extremity of the nave. In the centre of
this is the arch of the great western doorway, which
continued to give access to the Church from the
Galilee, down to the time of Cardinal Langley, by
whom it was built up. The two doors which now
form the entrances to the Galilee at each end of
the aisles, are of his work, as is testified by the
shields of arms which fill up the spandrils of the
arches. The great window over the original door
way was inserted by Prior Forcer, between 1341
and 1374. The stained glass which once filled its
beautiful tracery is gone. One or two little frag
ments only remain. What must have been its
splendour, when the rays of the setting sun, as
they gleamed through it, were "dyed
In the soft chequerings of a sleepy light,"
when its beams illuminated " the whole story of
the Root of Jesse, in coloured glass, very lively
pictured and wrought in colours, with Mary and
Christ in her arms on the top of the said window,
in most curiously coloured glass."*
The interior of the great north doorway, by
which we entered the Church, still presents much
curious sculpture, adorning the whole of its arch
and columns, though, from the perishable nature
of the stone, a good deal of it is obliterated, es
pecially its lower portion. A more perfect exam
ple of similar decoration may be seen by directing
the eye to the opposite doorway, on the southern
side of the Nave. This, as well as the north door,
was the work of Bishop Pudsay, and is an inter-
* Davies's Rites and Monuments.

23
esting specimen of the best period of Norman
work. The capitals of the columns, which are
themselves richly ornamented, are adorned with
elaborately sculptured interlacing foliage, and those
grotesque intertwining animals which are the com
mon architectural ornaments of this period. The
label of the arch is decorated with a series of
roundels, at regular intervals, between each of
which is a row of leaves. The centre roundel is
occupied by a grotesque face, and the rest are al
ternately filled by a flower and an animal. The
iron work on the outside of this door ought not to
pass unnoticed. It is a perfect and excellent spe
cimen of that kind of decoration, and of the same
date as the doorway.
Attached to the pillar, nearest the font, which
faces us on entering, was a Holy water stone of
blue marble, but of this, as might be expected, no
traces remain.* It had "a beautiful screen of
wainscot," we are told, " finely painted with blue
and little gilt stars."f Fresh water was provided
every Sunday morning for the use of the towns
men. Another Holy water stone stood near the
south door for the use of the Prior and Convent.
Between this pillar and the corresponding one
on the southern side of the nave, is to be seen in
the pavement the Boundary Cross, of blue mar
ble, which indicated the limits, beyond which no
female foot might stray in the direction of the
sacred body of St. Cuthbert.
" Would ye the distant days recall
Of superstition's reign?
Go, search the storied pavement round
In Durham's massy fane.
* There are some few examples of Holy water stoups or stones still in exis
tence. The Church of Bywell St. Andrew in Northumberland, possesses
one. t Davibs's Rites and Monuments.

24
Where lifts the blessed font on high
Its rich embroidered cone,
Between the northern cloister- port:
And Holy water stone;
There still is traced the bounding line
Monastic rigour drew, —
Weak barrier now 'gainst female foot,—
A cross of marble blue."
The legendary history of the Saint attributes the
cause of this exclusion to a false accusation which
was brought against him of dishonour done to a
Pictish maiden, from which however he vindicated
himself by causing the earth to open, and swallow
her up in the presence of all the beholders.
Female curiosity, nevertheless, sometimes dared
to overpass the boundary assigned. An amusing
history is related by Reginald, a monk of Durham
and the writer of the life and miracles of St. Cuth
bert, concerning an attempt of this nature. David,
King of Scotland, (who died 1153) on his road
home from England with his fair bride Maud,
daughter and heiress of Waltheof, Earl of Hunting
don, tarried at Durham with his bridal train to
offer gifts and homage at the shrine of the holy
Cuthbert. The Queen and her attendants essayed
to enter the Church, but on being informed by the
monks of the Saint's misogyny, she prudently retir
ed and desired her maidens to follow her example.
Helisend, her chief tire-woman, however, was not
to be thus balked, but having possessed herself,
either by stealth, or by the influence of bright eyes
and a wheedling tongue, of the hood and cowl of a
monk, she proceeded in that disguise, to make
a survey of shrine, and altar, and embroidered
vestments and costly offerings, hitherto unseen by
female eye. Not long, however, was this per
mitted to go on. The Saint presently appeared
to the Sacrist, who was sitting writing in the clois
ter, and commanded him to set off without a mo-

25
ment's delay, and turn out the disturber of his
repose. Off went the Sacrist, and with a torrent
of objurgations (which for the sake of the poor
girl's ears we may hope were uttered in the lan
guage in which Reginald gives us the story) drove
her out of the " mansion of blessedness," as he
calls it, which she had so wantonly defiled. The
unlucky tire-woman, as might be expected, was
frightened out of her senses, and was made so sen
sible of the odiousness of her offence, that she
proved her penitence by taking the veil in the
Convent of Elstow, near Bedford, where', as we
have the satisfaction of learning, her tears and
contrition at last obtained the forgiveness of the
offended Saint. Two women from Newcastle,
also, " by instigation of the devil and attempt te
merarious," made an endeavour, arrayed in mas
culine attire, to gratify themselves with a sight of
St. Cuthbert's shrine. This happened about the
beginning of the 15th century. They were dis
covered however, and " dree'd their penance" for
it in the Churches of St. Nicholas and All Saints
in the garb in which they had hoped to escape
detection. "The real origin, however, of St.
Cuthbert's dislike to women," says Raine* *' was
the abominable conduct of the monks and nuns of
Coldingham. Their enormities had proceeded to
such an extent, that when their monastery was
destroyed by fire, a short time before Cuthbert was
consecrated, it was considered as a visitation from
Heaven, on account of their sinful lives. It was
on this account that females were prohibited from
sojourning in the Church of Lindisfame, and the
same rule was subsequently observed at Durham."
The font is a basin of white marble, on an ascent
of two steps. A lofty canopy of tabernacle work
* St. Cuthbert, p. 36.
D

26
in oak rises above it, supported by four pillars of
of the same material, with corinthian capitals.
The whole is of the mixed or debased style which
prevailed in the 17th century. The work has been
attributed to Dean Hunt, who died in 1638, but
it is more probably of the same date as the stall
work in the Choir, for it is scarcely likely that the
one which he erected would escape the fate of the
old wood work of the Choir, which was burnt by
the Scotch prisoners after the battle of Dunbar,
in 1650, and renewed by Bishop Cosin after the
Restoration. The appearance, moreover, of the
present font and its decorations, does not corres
pond with the account given of it in 1634, by a
person who visited Durham in that year : — " a
font not to be paraleled in our land, it is 8 square,
wth an iron grate rays'd 2 yardes every square, wtn
in is a fayre ascent of diverse steps, the cover
opens like a four quartered globe, the stone is of
branch'd marble, and the story is that of St. John
baptizing our blessed Savior, and ye foure Evange
lists curiously done, and richly painted, wth in the
globe all about so artificially wrought and carved
wth such variety of Joyners work as makes all the
beholders thereof to admire."*
From this point we have a full view of the nave,
which with its aisles, was carried up to the height
of the vaulting during the episcopate of Bishop
Flambard, who died in 1128. After his death the
see remained vacant for five years, during which
time the aisles were vaulted and the nave covered
with a roof of wood. There are five clustered

* Extracted from a MS. in the Lansdowne Collection in the British Mu
seum, entitled "aRelationof a short Survey of Twenty-six Counties, briefly
describing the Cities and their Scytuations, and the Corporate Townes and
Castles therein: observ'd in a Seven weekes Journey begun at the City of
Norwich, and from thence into the North,— on Monday, August 11th, 1634,
and ending at the same place. By a Captaine, a Lieutenant, and an Ancient ;
all three of the Military Company in Norwich."

27
piers on each side of the nave, including those
which support the western side of the lanthom
tower. The great triple columns of these piers
are carried up nearly as high as the arches of the
triforia, their clustered capitals and the Norman
brackets between them forming the points d'appui
for the springing of the vaulting. Alternating
with these, to the eastward of the Boundary
Cross, are round massive columnar piers. They
are all ornamented with deeply channeled furrows,
in various forms, longitudinal, zig-zag, and net
work. The capitals of the piers have no remark
able features . The mouldings of the arches have the
zig-zag ornament and square billet labels. Above
these arches, on each side, is the Triforium, consist
ing of a uniform range of semicircular arches, with
zig-zag mouldings, springing from low clustered
pillars, filled up by double open arches with plain
mouldings, divided by a single shaft. Over this is
the Clere-story, the windows of which, on the
north side, were filled up with mullions and tracery
when that front of the building was restored. A
passage runs along its whole length, having a series
of triple arches open to the nave. Their shafts are
all of equal height, but the middle divisions, as is
usual, are about twice the width of the sides, and
their arches considerably higher. The string course
of the triforium is flat, that of the clere-story has
the zig-zag ornament.
The nave, as we have already stated, was origi
nally covered with wood, a plan which was probably
adopted on account of the expence which attended
stone vaulting, which would undoubtedly have
formed its covering, if the Architect's intentions had
been carried into execution, as they were with the
aisles, the groining of which is co-eval with the con
struction of the building. The wooden roof re-

28
mained until the time of Prior Melsonby, between
1233 and 1244, and to his taste and skill we owe the
construction of the remarkable vaulting which now
forms the covering of the nave and south transept.
At the time he lived, the early English style of
architecture exclusively prevailed, and when, as was
often the case at this period, a groined roof was
super-added to Norman walls, all the details were
in the style of the time, of which indeed we
have an example in the choir of Durham itself.
In that portion of the building, however, which
we are now considering, although the arches are
pointed, we have the singularity of their details pre
senting a strictly Norman character ; the zig-zag
ornament prevailing throughout. This gives great
harmony of effect to the general view, and would
lead a casual observer to the conclusion that it
was all the work of one period, but if the attention
be directed to the vaulting of the aisles throughout
the Church, and of the north transept, which was
the work of the Norman architects, a considerable
difference will be observed to prevail, the mould
ings of their arches and groinings being uniformly
plain. A Norman arcade, with intersecting arches
runs round the whole of the inner walls of the
aisles and transepts, and the western end of the
nave. The portion of it which was removed when
Cardinal Langley opened his doorways into the
Galilee, was carefully devoted to the purpose of
filling up the great west door.
The floor of the Church is nearly about its ori
ginal level, and was laid down in its present regu
lar pattern, about the time when the restoration
of the northern exterior was commenced with.
To preserve the uniformity of the pavement many
of the monumental slabs were destroyed, and those
which were suffered still to exist were no longer

29
permitted to cover the remains of those whose
resting places they were intended to indicate, but
were dragged into corners with an irreverence and
carelessness which we may be permitted to de
plore. We shall hereafter contemplate in detail
the monuments, antient and modern, and the se
pulchral memorials which are worthy of notice.
Besides the holy-water stoup, with its " screen
of wainscot," which we have already noticed, the
north aisle contained an altar, between the two
piers on the left hand as we turn from the north
door in the direction of the Galilee, dedicated to
our Lady of Pittie," enclosed on each side with
wainscot, with the picture of our Lady supporting
our Saviour, on her knee, as he was taken from the
Cross."* The name is obviously taken from the
circumstances under which she was represented
in the painting. The mention of a Madonna della
Pieta will recall to the minds of many the repre
sentations by the old Italian Masters of the Blessed
Virgin weeping over the dead body of the crucified
Saviour. Another altar stood nearly opposite, called
St. Saviour's altar. The eastern extremity of this
aisle was enclosed with trellis work, which was
spiked with iron and carried up nearly as high as
the vaulting. It had folding doors, which were only
opened to admit the passage of the processions
which took place on the high festivals of the Church .
No remains of painted glass occur in any of the win
dows of this aisle. Their tracery was restored in
tolerable conformity with its original perpendicular,
character, about 1660, when the Cathedral was
repaired, by Dean Barwick.
In the south aisle, immediately opposite to our
Lady of Pittie's altar, and between the correspond
ing pillars, was an altar, which from its possessing
* Sanderson's Antiquities, &c.

30
a rood, or crucifix, representing our Saviour with
the crown of thorns, and his hands bound with
cords, was denominated the altar of the Bound
Rood. It was also enclosed on each side with
wainscot. Adjoining to the Galilee door, at this
end of the aisle, was the Grate, where offenders
lay, who had taken sanctuary, (see p. 18.) The
" Grate" was probably a sort of railed enclosure
at this end of the Church, within which were pallet
beds for their reception, during the time they were
allowed to remain in sanctuary. Great part of
this aisle was enclosed and occupied as a place of
sepulture by the great family of Neville of Raby,
and appears to have been known as the Neville
Porch or Chapel. A wall extended across its
eastern end, close to the cloister door, within
-which was an altar where mass was daily sung by a
chantry priest for the repose of the souls of its
founder and his family. Over this wall was a par
tition of wainscot. Its limits to the west were
defined by another wall, on the top of which was a
trellis work of iron, and a railing of the same mate
rial separated it from the Nave. The great altar-
tombs of the Nevilles which now stand between the
pillars of the nave, and the blue marble slab of
Bishop Neville, once richly adorned with brass,
originally occupied the centre of this enclosure.
The great perpendicular window which lights the
south eastern corner of what was the Neville chapel
was inserted by Prior Wessyngton. According to
his account roll, which is now in the Treasury, it
cost £30. Its compartments were filled with paint
ed glass, representing the figures of St. George and
the Dragon, St. Oswald, the Blessed Virgin, St.
Cuthbert in his episcopal robes, and St. Christopher
with his holy burden. The window next to it,
towards the east, over the cloister door, is of the

31
decorated period, and was probably inserted by
Prior Forcer. The rest of the windows of this
aisle are perpendicular, and, like the large one we
have mentioned, were all richly adorned with
stained glass, but Puritan hatred to " superstitious
pictures" has been here also, and the portraitures of
" Martyr, and King, and sainted Eremite"
no longer glimmer through their stone-work. A
few shields, in the upper compartments of the
windows, with their well-known bearing of a sal-
tire argent on its field gules, and the fragment of
a border, ensigned with a repetition of the Bulmer
f), still remain to associate the memories of the
proud Nevilles with the spot where they were ga
thered to their fathers.
Behind the wall at the eastern end of the Ne
ville Chapel was a small chamber, which was
occupied by the person whose duty it was to ring
the bells at midnight. The cloister door at this
end of the aisle opened into a sort of covered
porch, projecting into the Church, made of wain
scot, curiously painted with blue, and decorated
with gilt stars. There was a Holy-water stone at
this door also, which appears to have been pro
tected from dust or dirt by a rich and curiously
adorned and gilded canopy.
We are apt to associate so much of what is
grand and imposing with the solemnities and ac
companiments of the Romish worship, that we are
often tempted to regret that so little is left to us
of canopied screen, and rich painting and gilding,
and curious tabernacle work, which surrounded
and adorned their shrines and altars. And so
far as the Altar is concerned, we may surely be
allowed to mourn over the wanton and mischie
vous havoc which Puritanism made of the stately
garniture which forms no more than a fitting

32
adornment for the place where Holy Mysteries
are celebrated : but, as a mere matter of taste,
apart from the superstition which led to their
erection, we cannot regret the removal of the mul
titude of altars, with their screens and almeries,
which filled up (for we cannot regard them as em
bellishing) transept and aisle and nave. Many curi
ous specimens of antient art have doubtless perished
with them, but no one who has seen a foreign Ca
thedral, and has observed how they interfere with
the unity of the original design, will hesitate to
receive in exchange the lengthening perspective of
one of our * long drawn aisles,' undefiled and un-
clogged by these adventitious excrescences, and
displaying, from base to capital, all the beautiful
proportions of its clustered columns.
Let us now return to the Nave. In its original
state it was separated from the transept by a high
stone wall, extending from pillar to pillar at its
eastern extremity, on the west side of which was
an altar, called Jesus' Altar. On each side of the
altar were doors into the transept. The decora
tions of this altar appear to have been of a very
splendid character. It was enclosed, on each side,
with carved wood work richly painted and gilded,
and the partition wall itself was adorned with
sculptured representations of the history of our
Lord, and figures of the twelve Apostles. It was,
in fact, the Rood Screen of the Church, for, sur
mounting its carved parapet, " artificially wrought
in stone, with marvellous fine colours, and gilt,
with branches and flowers," stood the image of
the Redeemer on His Cross, with Mary on one
side and St. John on the other, attended by " two
glittering archangels." Some idea of the charac
ter of these partition walls with their ornamented
parapets, may be formed from the one still in

33
existence which separates the south aisle of the
Choir, from what is now the Virgers' Vestry.
We may form some notion too of the style of the
wood work about this and the other altars in the
church from the remains, of similar workmanship
and material, which are still to be seen in the
Galilee, on the spot where the altar of the Virgin
was placed in that building. Prior Castell, the
builder of the Abbey Gateway, now better known
by the name of the College Gates, was buried
in the middle of the nave, before Jesus' altar,
under a marble slab inlaid with brass. No traces
of this remain.
Castell was Prior at the death of King Henry
VII. His private register contains a poem upon
the death of that monarch, which in all probability
was his own composition. The opening stanza
may not be uninteresting as a specimen of the
poetry of the period.
" O wavering world all wrapped in wretchidness,
What avales thy pompes so gay and gloryous,
Thy pastymes, thy pleasors and all thy riches,
Syth of necessitie they be but transitoryous ;
Example but late, O to much pyteous !
The puyssaunt prince that yche man whilome dred,
Maugre thy myght by naturall lyne and cours,
Henry the Seventh, alas ! alas I lyeth dede."
We now enter the transept, and stand beneath
the great middle tower, or lanthorn. It is sup
ported by four large clustered Norman piers with
round arches. Nothing remains, as we have
already observed, of the original Norman super
structure, nor have we any account of the height
to which it was carried. As regards the existing
tower, there is some difficulty in reconciling the
statements which attribute the building of the
lower stage to Bishop Farnham (1241-1257), and
the belfry to Prior Derlyngton (1258-1274), with

34
its present appearance, which from the corbel
table upwards, belongs clearly to the perpendicular
period. There is no portion of the existing tower
which coincides with Bishop Farnham's period,
and the only conclusion to which we can come is,
that his work, and Prior Derlyngton's addition,
each had reference to the " Galilee Steeple," or
north-western tower. The Norman tower proba
bly remained, at all events, until after 1446, for
in that year we find a letter to the Bishop from
Prior William de Ebchester and the Convent,
giving a most woeful account of its ruinous condi
tion. It had suffered from fire about sixteen
years before, and had received some reparation,
which does not, however, appear to have been of
a very durable character ; for the Prior represents
the walls as being completely out of the perpen
dicular, and expresses great apprehension, lest,
in the event of its fall, which every high wind
makes them dread, the choir should be involved
in its ruin. In all likelihood, it was altogether
taken down not long after this, and the present
tower commenced. If not begun by Prior Bell,
as Mr. Billings supposes,* the work was at any
rate carried on by him, for in 1474 we find him
mentioning "the re-edification of our steeple,"
and complaining that lack of funds proved an ob
stacle to its completion.
A gallery, with an open parapet, pierced in
quatrefoils, is carried round the interior of the
lower stage of the lanthorn, at the height of 7-7
feet from the pavement. It rests upon corbels,
which are alternately ornamented with grotesquely
sculptured heads. Each side of the gallery has a
door, with an ogee canopy, crocketed and termi
nating in a finial, with a neck moulding. They
* Architectural Illustrations of Durham Cathedral, p. 37.

35
communicate respectively with the roofs of the
nave, transepts and choir. The string course at
the base of the panelling runs around the sides on
a level with the spring of the doorway arches.
Among its ornaments are a bell and a mermaid,
which in some measure seem to identify it as the
work of Prior Bell. He was afterwards Bishop of
Carlisle, and a mermaid is sculptured on the stalls
of Carlisle Cathedral, which were executed in his
time.* The panelling ascends as far as the base
of the great windows. Each panel is in two divi
sions, with plain arches, cinquefoiled, under a
crocketed canopy terminating in a finial. Between
the panels are slightly projecting buttresses, the
faces of which are also panelled. They have tri
angular crocketed heads and terminate in a pinna
cle, which is carried up to the height of the canopy.
Above the upper string course of the panelling,
which is ornamented with the square flower, and
the tudor rose, that favourite ornament of the
perpendicular period, runs a broad border of
squares, enclosing quatrefoils. Above this, on
each side, are two lofty windows, with a narrow
division between them. The windows are all of
two lights, divided by a transom. The transom
heads are cinquefoiled, under an ogee arch, and the
upper lights under a plain arch. The secondary
divisions above are trefoiled. Above the groined
roof of this stage of the tower is the belfry, which
contains a ring of eight bells. The ribs of the
groining have sculptured bosses at their intersec
tions, and the key hole is adorned with foliage.
The north transept is terminated by the great
window of the restoration of which, by Prior Cas
tell, we have already spoken, when contemplating
the exterior. It is of six lights, divided by a
* Architectural Illustrations of Durham Cathedral, p. 37-

36
transom, supported by additional mullions, with
cinquefoiled arches, of sufficient breadth to allow a
walk along it, which leads to the triforium. The
transom does not appear externally, which occasions
the mullions when viewed from the outside to
appear disproportionably long. The tracery of the
upper part has all the elegance of the decorated
period. When Prior Castell restored it, he added
to its beauty by the adornment of stained glass, in
which large figures of the four Doctors of the
church, St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory
and St. Jerome, formed the most conspicuous
features, and occasioned him to give it the name
of the window of the four Doctors. He intro
duced also a figure of himself, in the attitude of
supplication, at the feet of the Virgin.
Both north and south transepts, as we have
observed, have an aisle on their eastern side, from
which they are separated by a range of Norman
piers of precisely the same character as those we
have already described in the nave. The only
difference is that the space between each is consi
derably narrower, and their arches in consequence
assume more of the stilted form. The round
columns are all channelled with the spiral ornament,
except the one nearest the clock, which is zig
zagged. The triforia and clerestories are likewise of
the same period and character as those of the nave.
From the face of each pier projects a bracket,
which has originally supported either a statue or a
I amp, most probably the former ; for each aisle of the
transept contained three altars, and in all proba
bility, the image indicated the locality of the shrine
which was erected in honour of the saint whom it
figured. In the north transept aisle were the
altars of St. Benedict and St. Gregory, and at its
northern extremity the altar of St. Nicholas and

37
St. Giles. Before St. Benedict's altar was buried
Robert Berrington, the first Prior of Durham, to
whom was conceded the use of the mitre, pastoral
staff, ring and sandals. This privilege appears to
have been anxiously desired, for we find the Prior
and Convent making earnest supplication for it to
the Pope, and setting forth very gravely among
their reasons, that much people wondered that so
important a dignitary should lack these badges of
power and place. The request was acceded to by
a Bull of Pope Urban VI., dated July 21, 1379.
The right of the Prior to the privilege in question
was recognized in 1382 by the Archbishop of
York, who appears to have considered it a high
piece of presumption in the Prior that he celebrated
mass within his diocese with pontifical insignia, and
summoned him accordingly to appear and exhibit
the authority, if any, under which he ventured so
to invest himself. The production of the Pope's
Bull of course settled the matter. Further pon
tifical privileges, the power of conferring the
minor orders, and consecrating the holy vessels
and ecclesiastical ornaments, were granted to the
Prior of Durham and his successors in 1456, by
a Bull of Pope Calixtus III. Prior Forcer, whose
name we have already mentioned in connection
with the great west window of the nave, and the
original decorated window of the north transept,
was buried near St. Nicholas' and St. Giles' altar.
He was the first Prior buried within the church.
The Consistory Court, which occupied the enclosed
space of this aisle, has recently been transferred to
the place it originally occupied in the Galilee. Its
benches and screen work have been removed, and
the aisle thrown open. The windows were adorned
of old with the effigies of the saints in whose
honour the altars were dedicated of which we

38
have spoken. At the end of the south tran
sept is a large perpendicular window, called the
Te Deum window, which has been recently re
stored. The upper lights are filled with stained
glass, some of it re-instated on its restoration ; the
rest made up of fragments, which were formerly
in one of its lower divisions. This window must
once have exhibited a magnificent example of the
stained glass of the fifteenth century. The design
was carried throughout the whole extent of the
window and represented the nine orders of angels,
thrones, dominations, cherubim, &C, bearing
scrolls, on which were inscribed, in black letter,
the verses of the Te Deum. There was much
true feeling, whatever might be the execution of
the design, in thus symbolizing the agreement be
tween the noblest hymn in which man can sing
the praises of the Ever Blessed Trinity, and the
anthems of the hosts of Heaven.
Underneath stood the clock, an incongruous, but
not unpleasing combination of panel and pinnacle,
partly Italian in their detail, and partly an imita
tion of old tabernacle work. On the panels of the
door below, leading to the Chapter house, was
curiously depicted a view of the inside of the Cathe
dral. We remember the colouring under which
this was concealed being carefully taken off one
side of the door a few years ago, and the old paint
ing partially restored to sight, but it was again
hidden under a thick coat of its former covering.
The date of the clock was 1632. It is mentioned
by the travellers we have already quoted,* as " a
rare and riche clocke and diall, wth severall globes,
whereby to know the age of the moone, the day
of the moneth, the moneth of the year, &c."
* See p. 26.

39
In the course of the alterations which have
recently removed many of the inharmonious fea
tures introduced in the seventeenth century, the
wood-work of the clock has been taken away.
Its works and dial plate have been inserted within
the arch of a blank Norman window, under the
great Te Deum window, of which we have just
spoken. The aisle of the transept in which we now stand,
was until lately occupied by the Virgers' vestry, and
the small chapel, in which, within the memory of
persons yet alive, early morning prayers were
solemnized. This aisle has also been thrown open
to the transept, with much advantage, it must be
confessed, to the general effect of the building :
although the separation of these side chapels by
wooden parcloses or screens must have prevailed
from a remote period, and indeed when the cha
racter of these screens is good, the partial conceal
ment which they occasion, is by no means un-
pleasing either to the eye or the imagination. A
fragment of old screen work, painted and gilt,
which was in the early morning prayer Chapel, has
been removed to the Galilee, and may repay
inspection. The space which this chapel com
prises, originally contained two altars, that of St.
Faith and St. Thomas, and the altar of the Lady
of Bolton. The image attached to this altar, as
described in Sanderson, must have fairly come
under the head of those " superstitious pictures"
of which no one who values pure religion can
regret the removal. In the space adjoining was
the altar of the Lady of Houghall. Both these
altars, as their name implies, were in honour of
the Virgin, and derived their distinctive appellation
from the places which respectively furnished the
funds which maintained the priests who served

40
them. The windows of this aisle, with the excep
tion of the one at the south-east end, are of the
decorated period, and retain a few fragments of
stained glass in their tracery.
The screen which now separates the choir from
the body of the church, is of dark oak, divided
into compartments by pilasters of Italian charac
ter, assuming the form of caryatides, and adorned
with a profusion of carving, representing fruit and
flowers, in bold relief, displaying considerable skill
in the execution, and possessing much richness of
effect. It was erected in Bishop Cosin's time.
Whatever merit, however, it may possess, as far
as its own peculiar style is concerned, it is totally
out of place where it is. Nothing could have been
devised bearing less affinity to the character of the
building in which it is so conspicuously placed.
How different is the effect of the noble screen in
York Minster, with its ' niches of nicest work
manship,' and how full of regret is the thought
that before puritanical violence defiled her beauty,
Durham also could boast one of similar character,
adorned with the sculptured images of King, and
Queen, and saintly Bishop, in grateful commemo
ration of the piety and munificence which had
contributed to the erection or adornment of her
' rich Cathedral fane.' Their names and the
inscriptions which Prior Wessington caused to be
inscribed under their effigies, are preserved in
Sanderson's Antiquities, from which we have so
often quoted- Surmounting this screen the prin
cipal organ of the church, for there were three, oc
cupied the same station as the one which is now in
use. In front of it, facing the east, was " a lettern
of wood, like unto a pulpit," from which the " nine
lessons" were chaunted on the principal feast-
days. The present organ was built in 1684, by the

41
celebrated Father Smith, well known to musicians
as the maker of the one in the Temple Church.
Full justice is done to the rich and mellow tones
by which, in common with all Father Smith's in
struments, it is characterised, under the admirable
management of the present organist. One great
beauty of this organ is, that its size and strength,
though amply sufficient, are not so preponderating
as to overwhelm the voices of the choir. A
prevailing rage for displaying the powers of the
instrument has unfortunately caused our modern
organ builders to forget, in some cases, that the
capability of thundering out a crashing accompani
ment is very often subversive of that due subser
viency, which, for devotional purposes especially,
its tones ought to bear to the size of the building,
and above all to the strength of the vocal harmony.
Before we quit the subject of the organ, we may
not omit to draw attention to the manner in which
the choral service of the Church is here solemnized.
In few, if any, of the choirs of our Cathedral
churches, is the performance of the majestic har
monies and solemn services which are the heritage
of our Church surpassed, in fewer still is it equal
led, in devotional effect or scientific precision.

42

THE CHOIR.

" Our ancestors within this still domain
Their vigils kept ', where tapers day and night
On the dim Altar burned continually
In token that the house was evermore
Watching to God  " Wordsworth.
We now enter the Choir, and may well afford to
linger awhile, and contemplate the beauty which the
opening of its doors unfolds to us, before we proceed
to count the stones or criticise the details of that
which delights the eye as much by the harmony
of its proportions, as it affects the heart by its
associations. The great features of the building
to which we have hitherto directed our attention
have been altogether distinguished by the massive-
ness and solidity of their Norman character. In
the view which now presents itself to our eye, we
perceive these characteristics blending themselves
with the aspiring lines of that chaste and simple
phase of our christian architecture which we deno
minate the early English. Instead of the semi-
Norman character of the vaulting of the nave, that
which we are now contemplating has the graceful
sweep of the mouldings of its ribs and arches orna
mented with the deeply cut hollows and bold pro
jections which produce such striking effects of
light and shade, enriched moreover with the tooth
ornament, which is so peculiar a characteristic of
this style. Bosses, richly sculptured with figures
and foliage, adorn the intersections of the groin
ing, and a lofty pointed arch, springing from clus
tered columns, divides the choir from the Chapel
of the Nine Altars. Beneath this arch is the
Altar Screen, an elaborate and eminently graceful

43
specimen of later, or decorated English. Niche,
and canopy, and crocketed pinnacle, rise above each
other with airy lightness and elegance, producing
an effect which is almost magical. It forms the
termination of the Choir, but a division of fairy
net- work could scarcely less obstruct the view of
that which lies beyond, for the eye goes on to em
brace within its sphere of vision, the branching
roof of the eastern transept, and the lofty lancets
and glorious marigold window of its central com
partment, through which are poured such floods
of orient light. Highly as we may deem of the
stern grandeur of their style, there is no room for
regret that the apsidal ending of the choir by the
Norman architects, has been superseded by the
'glorious work of high intelligence' which now
terminates our view.
The piers and arches, on each side of the choir,
as far as its eastern compartment, exhibit essen
tially the same features as those of the nave. The
round columnar piers have the spiral ornament,
and all the arches have round or roll mouldings
on their faces and soffits. Above each of these
arches are two smaller ones, constructed beneath
a larger, and opening from the Triforium. They
are semi -circular, and are Norman in their detail,
as are also the shafts and capitals from which they
spring. Three semi-cylindrical shafts attached to
the wall, on each side, between each of the large
arches of the triforium, their bases resting on its
string-course, and their capitals under one abacus,
contribute their support to the ribs of the vault
ing. Similarly employed single shafts of the same
height and character are placed in each angle of
the triforium compartments. The capitals and
abaci of those towards the east have been subse
quently decorated with sculpture of an early

44
English character, at the period, doubtless, when
the choir received its vaulting. The clere-story
does not possess the arcade of triple arches which
distinguishes that of the nave and transept, hav
ing merely plain semi-circular-headed openings.
In the angles of each compartment of the clere
story are slender cylindrical shafts, with early
English foliaged capitals, resting on corbels of the
same design, a little lower than the string course,
and supporting face arches, which accommodate
themselves in their sweep to the embayments of
the roof.
The vaulting of the roof, as we have already
indicated, is of the early English period. It was
the work of Prior Hoton, about the year 1289.
It is quadripartite, supported by diagonal and trans
verse ribs. They are ornamented with the mould
ings peculiar to this style, the deep hollows of
which are filled up with the pyramidical four
leaved flower which is such a constantly recurring
decoration in the architecture of this period.
Bosses of various design adorn the intersections.
The one nearest the entrance represents a figure
with a basket of fruit, and one about the middle
of the choir, is elaborately sculptured with rich
foliage. With the eastern pier of the arch beyond the
Bishop's throne, the Norman character of the
building ceases, and all beyond, both arch and
column, in this compartment of the choir, is early
English in its composition and details. The
clustered columns supporting the arch which
divides the Choir from the Nine Altars are car
ried to about half the height of the Triforium.
The capitals are bell shaped, with gracefully curl
ing foliage beneath their upper mouldings. The
side arches of this compartment of the choir are

45
pointed, with deeply cut mouldings, the soffits
ornamented with the dog-tooth ornament. They
spring from clustered columns with capitals carved
with intertwining figures and foliage. The hood
mouldings are ornamented with various figures of
birds and animals and finish with corbel heads.
The arch on each side of the triforium is wide
and nearly semi-circular, with a hood moulding
similarly decorated and finishing in the same man
ner, within which are comprised three pointed
arches, richly adorned with the dog-tooth orna
ment, springing from low slender pillars with
sculptured capitals. The space above them, under
the larger arch, is ornamented with two foliated
circles sunk into the wall below each of which is
a round boss or corbel, richly foliaged. The string
course of this division of the triforium and of the
clere-story also, is adorned with sculptured figures
of various device. The arches and pillars of this
part of the clere-story partake of the same charac
ter as those of the triforium. The space which in
the original design was occupied by the great tri
ple columns of the clustered piers westernmost of
the altar, is filled by a double arcade, if we may
use the expression. The lower one is in five di
visions with trefoil headed arches. The upper
one has three members, with arches of the same
shape, but of more elaborate ornament. They
spring from long slender face-shafts, with foliaged
capitals, supported by variously sculptured cor
bels. These shafts are banded midway between
the bases and the capitals, and the arches they
support are surmounted by strait-sided triangular
canopies, whose sides are adorned with richly
sculptured foliage. Above this arcade the trans
verse rib of the groining springs from short clus
tered vaulting shafts supported by grotesque

46
corbels. That on the north side, representing
animals in the act of devouring each other, has
escaped mutilation, and is carved with great spirit
and freedom. Higher up, in the easternmost
angles of the clere-story are trefoil-headed niches
containing statues resting upon foliaged corbels
They are interesting, not only as being beautiful in
themselves, but as the only figures adorning the
interior which have escaped the rage of puritan
iconoclasts. Of the demolition that took place
under their hands we may form some idea from the
fact that one hundred and seven statues, some of
them of the size of life, once adorned the niches
of the Altar-screen.
This magnificent work is of the decorated period.
It was erected in 1380, and more than two-thirds
of the cost was defrayed by the Lord Neville of
Raby, whose shield appears in the spandrils of the
doorways. It is made of Caen stone, and if the
statues which once stood under its canopies at all
equalled in beauty and grace the architectural orna
ments which survive, we may well lament their
removal. In elegance of outline and richness of
detail it has few rivals. Its " fair images of ala
baster," were, as we learn from Sanderson, painted
and gilt, and its niches and pinnacled canopies
were doubtless enriched in like manner, thus form
ing an harmonious combination with the rich hues
of the ' storied windows' and the costly hangings
of " red velvet, with great flowers of gold, in em
broidered work," which adorned the Altar. " The
screen consists of ten detached piers, ornamented
on the west side with angular buttresses, and
square ones on the east. Between these, on each
side, are four small niches, above which the piers
terminate with lofty pinnacles. The basement
(otherwise solid) has two doorways to St. Cuth-

47
bert's shrine, in the second space from each end.
Above is a series of open niches, five principal
(octagonal) and four smaller (hexagonal). On the
west side, the front pillar of the niches was left
out for displaying the statues. The central niche,
wider than the others, had a statue of the Virgin,
and in those on each side were statues called ' the
picture of St. Cuthbert and the picture of St.
Oswald, all richly gilt' Above these niches is a
second series, the five principal being open as be
fore for statues, but the minor ones have all the
piers, being merely ornamented canopies, termi
nated with pinnacles. Surmounting the second
series of open niches is another range with the
piers complete, and lofty pinnacles terminating
the elevation."* The interiors of the canopies of
the niches are beautifully groined with numerous
small rib mouldings, and bosses at their intersec
tions, and all the subordinate details of crocket
and finial are worked out with elaborate richness
and singular beauty. Amid such a profusion of
ornaments it would be endless to attempt a minute
description. An indication of their existence will
be a sufficient guide to the intelligent beholder. Let
us not forget, however, to draw attention to the
beauty of the door-ways which lead to the shrine.
There are four Sedilia, on each side of the altar,
of the same period and character as the screen.
They were for the officiating priests to sit in dur
ing the chanting of the Gloria and Credo by the
choir. It is not common to find them on both
sides. The usual number was three, on the epistle
side of the altar, although we sometimes meet
with four seats in large churches. " The four
arches on the epistle side of the sanctuary of
* Architectural Illustrations of Durham Cathedral, p. 43.

48
Westminster Abbey, commonly called King Sebert's
tomb, are in fact the sedilia of that church."*
The High Altar, to which this screen or Reredos
formed so magnificent a background was garnished
as we may well believe, with extreme splendour.
Lamps of silver burned continually before it, whose
glimmering rays waxed stronger as the shades of
evening began to deepen. Rich hangings were
suspended on each side, varying in colour and in
the magnificence of their embroidery with the
several feast-days of the Church. A pix of pure
gold, for the reservation of the holy sacrament, hung
over the Altar, under a canopy of the same pre
cious material, surmounted by a " pelican all of sil
ver, very finely gilt, giving her blood to her young
ones, in token that Christ gave His blood for the
sins of the world."f Chalices of gold, adorned
with jewels, and censers and candlesticks of silver
gilt were among its splendid furniture. A book
of the Epistles and Gospels, which laid upon the
altar, " did serve for the Pax in the Mass." It is
described as being " a marvellous fair book, having
on the outside of the covering the picture of our
Saviour Christ, all of silver, of goldsmith's work,
all parcel gilt, very fine to behold."
Such was the antient splendour of the High
Altar of Durham Cathedral; and even after the
Reformation its adornments appear to have been
of no mean character. The travellers of whom
we have spoken as visiting Durham in 1634, de
scribe the Altar as being " of blacke branch 'd mar
ble, supported wth 6 fayre columnes of touchstone,
all built at the charge of Dr. Hunt, the Reverend
Deane : and to adorn it 2 double gilt candlestickes,
and a bason, 2 double gilt fayre flaggons, 2 chalices
* Dublin Review, No. xx., p. 333.
t Davies's Rites and Monuments.

49
wth covers likewise double gilt, all wch riche plate
were given to this Church by some religious
churchman's bounty." They mention also " a
High Altar cloth of crimson velvet to covr the
table ; another of purple velvet to hang above ;
and a third of crimson and purple, to lay beneath."
Sir William Brereton, also, in his " Notes of a
Journey," in 1635, mentions the "stately altar-
stone, all of fine marble, standing upon a frame
of marble pillars of the same marble of the font.
When the communion is here administered by
the bishop himself, here is laid upon this altar,
or rather communion table, a stately cloth of cloth
of gold; the bishop useth the new red embroidered
cope which is wrought full of stars, like one I
have seen worn in St. Dennis in Fraunce ; there
are here other two rich copes, all which are shaped
like unto long cloaks reaching down to the ground,
and which have round capes." The existing
Altar is made of marble, with six " pillars of the
same," but as it is not of " blacke branched mar
ble" it can scarcely be the one described by the
Norwich travellers. In all probability it was
erected by Bishop Cosin after the restoration.
The communion plate and candlesticks, and the
carved oaken faldstools which are within the altar-
rails were the gift of Bishop Cosin. The spirit,
indeed of, " a religious churchman's bounty," was
never more truly shewn than in the person of this
prelate. It was in no penurious temper of mind
that he set about to repair the desolation and
havoc which the hand of Puritanism had wrought,
as the church of Branspeth and the castles of
Durham and Aukland remain to testify. His
gift of books and plate to the chapels of those two
castles are stated in his will to have cost more
than £1000.

50
" Give all thou canst ; high Heaven rejects the lore
Of nicely-calculated less or more."
Next to the Altar screen, the most prominent
object of attention, is the Bishop's throne, on the
south side of the Choir. It was built by Bishop
Hatfield for the double purpose of an episcopal seat
and a canopy over the tomb which he prepared to
receive his remains. The altar tomb and its beau
tiful recumbent effigy are unseen from the choir,
being concealed by a wooden partition at the back
of the canons' ladies pew, which itself obstructs the
view of the lower part of the throne. It is a beauti
ful specimen of decorated work. The lower por
tion, or canopy of the tomb, projects into the choir,
and an ascent of steps, at its eastern extremity,
gives access to the Bishop's seat at the top, over
which is a large and richly ornamented canopy,
forming the centre of the screen-work which fills
up the space between the great Norman piers and
their semi-circular arch overhead. The arch of
the canopy of the tomb is segmental, the tracery
cusps of which were formerly terminated with
angels, as may be seen on the south side. In
the hollow mouldings of the arch is inserted
at intervals, the flat four leaved flower which
is a common ornament of the decorated style,
and which predominates as an enrichment of the
other parts of the work we are contemplating.
The interior of the canopy is richly groined with
numerous intersecting ribs and elaborately sculp
tured bosses. The front is adorned with trefoil-
headed ogee arched panels with crockets and
finials, between which are small buttresses, sculp
tured with alternate shields and flowers, with
triangular crocketed heads, terminating in pinna
cles. Within the arches of this panelling, which
is richly diapered, were brackets for the support

51
of statues. Some of the brackets are remaining.
The lower division of the screen work above, on
each side of the canopy of the Bishop's seat, is
square headed with decorated tracery. Above
this are open canopied niches, with crocketed
pinnacles and finials carried up to the height of
the Norman arch. The central niche, over the
Bishop's seat, as well as the others were originally
occupied by curiously sculptured figures. Bishop
Hatfield's coat of arms, azure a chevron or between
three lions rampant argent, is scattered, with
great profusion, among the decorations of the
throne. The rich painting and gilding with which
not only these shields, but all the tomb, with its
canopy and screen-work, once glowed, has been
partially brought to light, by the careful abrasion
of the many coats of whitewash under which they
were hidden. A further improvement might ob
viously be effected by taking away the carved oak
doorway, and balustrade, with its long red damask
frontal, and replacing the stone parapet which
doubtless stood in front of the throne, when in its
original state. Many excellent examples of open
stone parapets, pierced in trefoils or quatrefoils,
might be found. The arms on the doorway are
those of Lord Crewe. The throne is ascended by
fourteen steps. There is perhaps no church in
Christendom where a Bishop has ever obtained so
great an external elevation above his presbyters.
An English priest, of the Romish communion,
remarks, " the seat of the Bishop in the antient
and patriarchal churches of Rome is raised very
little above the clergy. The episcopal chair
continued however to rise till it acquired the
name, the elevation, and more than the usual
splendour of a throne. It appears to have
reached its acme, not in Rome, as the reader

52
may naturally imagine, but in the Cathedral of
Durham, where the lord Bishop sits enthroned in
far more than papal eminence, and looks down
upon the choir, the congregation, and the pulpit."*
To the tomb of Bishop Hatfield, properly so called,
with its recumbent figure, we shall hereafter
return. Nothing remains of the original tabernacle or
stall-work of the choir, which was all destroyed
during the Great Rebellion, neither have we any
very definite idea of the period to which we may
refer its erection. An item, indeed, occurs in
Prior Wessington's account roll (which extends
over a period from 1416 to 1446,) whereby it ap
pears that he expended £20. in the making of
desks in the choir, before the low stalls. In his
day this was no inconsiderable sum, and from the
examples which occur in many churches of the
stall work executed at that period, we may easily
imagine the rich effect of perpendicular panel-
work and elaborately carved poppy heads, with
which his munificence and taste would adorn the
desks at which the brethren knelt in prayer. The
whole of the present stall-work was put up after
the Restoration, and in all probability is an imita
tion of that which preceded it, for it has more
features in common with old tabernacle-work than
might have been expected, considering the time
of its execution. A great and striking improve
ment has recently been effected by the removal of
the high square pews which stood beyond the
stalls, on the north side of the choir, and the
substitution of low open seats, with poppy heads
of good design and execution. It is to be hoped
that ere long the same hand of taste will apply
itself on the southern side, unmask the base of
* Eustace's Classical Tour

53
Bishop Hatfield's tomb, and replace the square
projection before the altar rails, by seats of a more
ecclesiastical and less obtrusive character. A
wooden pulpit, which, though handsome of its
kind, was not exactly such as one would wish to
see in such a building, has recently been removed.
It was hexagonal, and its sides were inlaid with
figures of the four Evangelists, and St. Peter and
St. Paul, nearly the size of life, and some other
devices. Its place is occupied by a stone pulpit,
designed by Mr. Salvin, in praise of which it may
be sufficient to say that it is not unworthy to stand
by the side of Hatfield's tomb, to whose period
its character and decorations may be referred.
Nothing can be more beautiful than the sculptured
heads which form part of its ornamental detail.
An idea prevails, not uncommonly, that in mak
ing additions to, or restorations in a Norman
building, every thing ought to be made to assume
a like character, which, in our opinion, is by no
means requisite, or, indeed, always conducive to
the best general effect. We would ask the most
pertinacious adherents of Norman uniformity to
look at the altar screen, Bishop Hatfield's tomb,
and this pulpit, and see how harmoniously the
accessaries of a church, displaying the light and
graceful features of a later style, may be made
to contrast with the severer character of a Nor
man building.

54

THE NINE ALTARS.

There is every reason for supposing that an apse
terminated the eastern extremity of the church,
as finished by the Norman architects. Mr. Raine
supposes the choir and aisles each to have had
apsidal or semi-circular terminations,* but there
appears much plausibility in the reasons which
Mr. Billings alleges for his suggestion, that the
aisles were carried round the apsidal ending of
the choirt. According to the idea he entertains,
the end of the church was a semi-circle, extending
exactly to the wall of the nine altars, and its
centre was the place then, and now, occupied by
the body of St. Cuthbert. An attempt was made
by Bishop Pudsay to erect a lady-chapel at the
east end of the church, adjoining the feretory of
St. Cuthbert, which was frustrated (if credence
may be given to legendary lore), by the manifest
indications given by the saint of his aversion to the
proximity of female worshippers. Walls shrank
and columns tottered, the project was abandoned,
and the materials applied to the building of the
beautiful lady-chapel which still remains at the
west end of the church, more commonly known
by the name of the Galilee. A more obvious
reason might have been found, in some failure of
the foundations or sinking of the ground near that
part of the fabric, which appears subsequently to
have affected also the vaulting of the apse, for we
learn by an indulgence of the Bishop of Ely in
1235, that " above the sacred sepulchre of St.
Cuthbert, the vaulted roof of stone was so full of
* St. Cuthbert, p. 94.
t Architectural Illustrations, p. 35 and plate 5.

55
fissures and cracks, that its fall seemed to be
approaching." This would appear, therefore, to
have been the proximate cause of the erection of
the eastern transept, or chapel of the Nine Altars.
The indulgence goes on to promise remission of
thirty days of enjoined penance, to all who shall
contribute the pious bounty of their alms to the
proposed fabric, or who shall visit the place, for
the purpose of prayer, during the seven years next
ensuing. A long list of indulgences, of similar
purport, from other prelates is given in a manifesto
of Prior Melsonby, the great promoter of the
work, which appears to have been issued with a
view of exciting the people to a pious liberality.
The opening terms of his manifesto present a
pleasing contrast to those in which the indulgences
are commonly framed. The glories of the blessed
Cuthbert, by whose merits the sick obtain the bless
ing of health, the boast of his incorruptibility, and
the benefits of the suffrages of the saints, are sub
jects of constant recurrence in the preambles of
the indulgences. " The preliminary clauses of
Prior Melsonby's manifesto, on the contrary," as
Mr. Raine well observes, " appear to be drawn up
in the true spirit of christian solicitation, for a
pious purpose."*
The name by which the eastern transept, since
the time of its erection, has always been known,
takes its rise, (as indeed is sufficiently obvious),
from the number of altars which it originally con
tained. It is a most interesting specimen of early
English, not more to be admired for the majestic
effect of its clustering columns and vaulted roof,
than for the exquisite perfection of some of its
minor details. Yet, eminently beautiful as these
things are, it owes not its chief interest to them.
* St. Cuthbert, p. 100.

56
Within its precints still rest the remains of the
holy man over whose tomb once rose an o'er-
canopying shrine, more gorgeous perhaps, assu
redly not less so, than that of any saint whose
memory was ever cherished in these lands ; at
which gold and jewels were lavished with unsparing
hand, and before which pilgrims came to worship
in countless multitudes. The shrine, indeed, of
St. Cuthbert, is no longer " exalted with most
curious workmanship, of fine and costly green
marble, all limned and gilt with gold," but a more
enduring monument remains in this stately pile,
which it is impossible to deny owes its chief
grandeur to the reverence in which the name of
Cuthbert was held ; for, the more safe and hon
ourable keeping of the body of that sainted con
fessor is given as a reason, in the Bishop of Ely's
indulgence, for the erection of the " new building
at the eastern end of the church," to which we
are now directing the attention of our readers.
St. Cuthbert, most assuredly was no common
man. We may smile, indeed, or sigh, when we
read the absurd and puerile, nay, sometimes blas
phemous legends, which for ages were handed
down, and piously believed concerning him ; yet,
stripping him of the false halo with which a too
fond veneration invested him, enough of sober
truth remains to assure us, that he was a bright
and shining light in a dark and barbarous age, and,
without attaching, or wishing to attach, more
credit than is justly due to the particulars of his
life that have come down to us, we may well
believe that venerable must have been the sanctity
of that man whose very name exercised so power
ful an influence for centuries after his death, and
which popular tradition has, even yet, not ceased
to remember. Indeed, it is perhaps next to im-

57
possible for us, in the present day, so to divest
ourselves of the influence of the associations of
civilised life, utterly foreign to those which actua
ted our remote ancestors, as to be able to estimate
rightly the effect of the example and manner of
life of a true servant of God, in his humility, his
temperance, and devotedness to his holy calling,
upon a rude and fierce people, in whose ears the
clash of swords was as a sound of sweet music,
and who rushed to the battle field as to a scene
of joyous pastime. Wisely and thoughtfully has
he written who said,
" Such Priest, when service worthy of his care
Has called him forth to breathe the common air,
Might seem a saintly Image from its shrine
Descended : — happy are the eyes that meet
The apparition ; evil thoughts are stayed
At his approach, and low bowed necks intreat
A benediction from his voice or hand ;
Whence grace, through which the heart can understand
And vows, that bind the will, in silence made." Wordsworth.
But to return. The chapel of the nine altars
is in seven divisions, formed by lofty clustered
piers of stone, with slender detached shafts of
Frosterley marble, all united together under one
capital. The piers are banded, on a level with
the string course at the base of the lower stage of
windows, and again midway between that and the
capitals. The central division is of the same
width as the choir, and has three lancet windows
to the east, with slender attached clustered and
banded shafts, in front of the window jambs, and
supporting their arches, the architraves of which are
enriched with the tooth moulding, and terminate
in corbel heads. Single lancet windows of simi
lar character and decoration occupy the lower
stage of all the other compartments on the eastern
side. Corresponding windows, of a smaller size,

58
occupy the upper stage of the divisions, excepting
the central one, which is entirely filled by the
magnificent marigold or Catherine window, which
we have more than once mentioned as giving such
a character to the eastern termination of the
building. Its tracery was restored with tolerable
regard to the period to which it belonged, about
the year 1795. It consists of an outer circle of
twenty-four lights, and an inner one of twelve,
radiating from a foliated circle as their common
centre. The painted glass with which it was
originally filled by the liberality of Richard Pic
kering, Rector of Hemingburgh, between the year
1409 and 1413, has perished, and has been repla
ced by the fragments of that which once adorned
the other windows of this chapel. Previously to
the alterations in 1795 these windows were filled
with tracery of the perpendicular period, the work
of Prior Wessington, and were adorned with
painted glass, representing the legendary history
of the saints whose altars stood beneath them.
Wessington's tracery was not restored, and the
whole range of the eastern windows of the nine
altars now appear in their original early English
character. The perpendicular tracery of the win
dows at the south end, was sedulously re- copied
when that part of the building was restored in
1827. The great window of the north end was
called Joseph's window, from the history of that
patriarch being therein depicted. It is of early
decorated work, and is singularly interesting for
the beauty and simplicity of its geometrical tra
cery. We may remark further (to use Mr. Billings'
words), that " it is perfectly unique in the repe
tition internally of the great ribs of the tracery
supported on clustered columns, the latter being
connected with the mullions by through stones at

59
five different places, which add materially to the
strength of the Whole. There is an iron bar,
which appears to be original, acting as a tie, run
ning through this internal tracery, and resting
upon the capitals."
An arcade runs round the whole of the lower
part of the interior, consisting of a series of tre
foil-headed arches, supported by slender detached
single shafts of Frosterley marble. The hood
mouldings of the arches terminate in corbel-heads,
of various device, kings and bishops and cowled
monks ; most of them, unfortunately, sorely mu
tilated. The space above, between the arches
and the string course, at the base of the lower
windows, is occupied by a range of quatrefoils,
sunk into the wall, with bold projecting mould
ings. The altars have evidently been an integral
part of the original design, as may be seen by the
most cursory observation of the manner in which
the arcade is made to adapt itself to the places
which they occupied. Where the capitals of the
shafts of the arcade have escaped mutilation, no
thing can be more graceful or elegant than their
varied foliage, the stems rising from the neck
moulding, and curling over beneath the abacus,
the hollow moulding of which, in some, is deco
rated with the tooth-ornament. The capitals of
the clustered piers have, for the most part, escaped
mutilation, and are elaborately designed and ex-
quisitly finished. The capital of one of the piers
in the south aisle, at the entrance into the nine
altars, may be particularly pointed out. Beneath
its foliage is a row of winged animals intertwining
and devouring each other. Numberless examples
of this kind of decoration occur in the illuminated
manuscripts of this date. The hood mouldings
of the arches, generally, are adorned with the

60
tooth- ornament, and terminate in corbel-heads.
Some of those which remain uninjured, are beau
tiful specimens of sculpture. There is a purity of
expression and repose about some of the'se old
heads, which we sometimes look for in vain in the
works of artists of a period much more distinguish
ed, in common acceptation, for the cultivation of
the art. Let us point, for example, to the mitred
head at the termination, nearest the shrine, of the
hood moulding of the last arch of the north aisle,
leading into the nine altars.
The groining is of the same character as that of
the choir, which, indeed, is co-eval with it. It
has some peculiarities in the disposition of its
parts, which are obviously contrivances to get rid
of the effect of the inequality of some of the com
partments. The keyhole of the central compart
ment of the vaulting is sculptured with the figures
of the Evangelists ; that towards the south is also
encircled with figures, and the corresponding one
on the north is adorned with rich foliage.
The doorways at the north and south ends of
the chapel appear to have formed part of the
original design. The southern doorway is still in
use, but the other has been long closed. It is
said to have been made for the sole purpose of
avoiding the passage of Bishop Bee's body through
the church, when brought here for sepulture. He
was the first person buried within the walls of the
cathedral, and reverence for St. Cuthbert is as
signed as the reason for this procedure, but the
mouldings of its arch, which connect themselves
with those of the arcade, and its similarity to the
one opposite, afford no evidence of the truth of
this tradition. There is another closed doorway,
with a flat ogee arch, in that part of the south
aisle of the choir which comes within the precincts

61
of this Chapel. It has probably been a private
entrance from the Cemetery. In directing atten
tion to the staircases at the north and south ends
of the Nine Altars, we may remark upon the groin
ing of their entrances as affording an example of
the care which the Architects of the olden time
bestowed upon the construction and ornament even
of those parts of the building which were most un
likely to meet the view.
The arrangement of the Nine Altars, from which
this part of the fabric takes its distinctive name,
was as follows. The altar of St. Cuthbert and
Venerable Beda occupied the middle of the centre
compartment, under the great marigold window,
which contained also the Altar of St. Oswald and
St. Laurence on the south and that of St. Martin
on the north. On a line with these, towards the
south, the three other compartments or divisions
were respectively occupied by a single Altar ; the
one next the great central compartment being de
dicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury and St. Ca
therine, adjoining this, on the south, St. John
Baptist and St. Margaret's Altar, and at the extre
mity of the line the Altar of St. Andrew and St. Mary
Magdalene. The three corresponding compart
ments towards the north were similarly filled: the
middle one being occupied by the Altar of St. Aidan
and St. Helena, that on the south by the Altar of
St. Peter and St. Paul, and the northern division
by the Altar of St. Michael the Archangel. The
almeries in the wall, belonging to some of these
Altars, are still remaining. From the accoun
given in the Rites of Durham, their adornments
do not appear to have been inferior to those in the
other parts of the Church. "All the foresaid
Nine Altars had their several shrines, and covers
of wainscot overhead, in a very decent and comely
G

62
form ; having likewise betwixt every Altar a very
fair and large partition of wainscot, all varnished
over with fine branches and flowers, and other
imagery-work, most finely and artificially pictur'd
and gilt."*
Eastward of the Altar-screen, and of like width,
a quadrangular space projects into the Nine Altars,
at the height of about three yards from the level
of the latter. An open screen of oak, which
though of debased style, was not devoid of beauty,
enclosed it on three sides, but has recently been
removed. There are two doorways in the Altar-
screen which give access to it from the Choir. It
is also entered by a doorway at each end, from the
Nine Altars. In the midst of this space the Shrine
or Feretory of St. Cuthbert was exalted, and
within its precincts his body now reposes, the place
of his rest beingunmarked and undistinguished, save
by a nameless slab of plain blue marble, without a
single vestige of the splendour with which his
tomb was once encompassed. Some effort, in
deed, of the imagination is needed to realize the
fact that we are standing on a spot where so much
riches and magnificence were once concentrated in
his honour. Two deep furrows, worn in the hum
ble pavement by the feet of successive visitors,
alone silently indicate that some reverence for the
name of Cuthbert has survived the destruction of
his stately shrine.
The terms Feretory and Shrine were often used
indiscriminately, but, generally speaking, the for
mer appears to have been applied to the whole
of the quadrangular space of which we have been
speaking; the Shrine implying more particularly
the sumptuous repository, standing in its centre,
within which the body of the Saint was laid.
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, p. 4.

63
From the account which is given in the Rites
and Monuments, we may suppose this to have
been something like a sarcophagus of green mar
ble, richly adorned with gilding, which supported
a coffin, strongly bound with iron, containing
his sacred remains. Over this was a moveable
canopy of wood, provided with a lock at each
corner for the security of the relics which it
covered. It was beautified with carving, and
bright and lustrous with gold and colours. On
St. Cuthbert's day and some other festivals, or
when an offering was made at the shrine, this cover
was drawn up by ropes and pullies attached to it
for that purpose, and the sweet chiming of the silver
bells which hung round it, gave notice by their me
lody to the worshippers in the Choir that some
pilgrim was prostrate before it, or that some costly
jewel or holy relic had been presented by his hands.
Adjoining the shrine, towards the west, was a small
Altar, at which mass was annually sung on the
feast day of St. Cuthbert. At each end of the
Feretory, on the north and south, were almeries,
or closets of wood-work, fitted up with shelves for
the reception of the relics and offerings of various
kinds, which were first laid upon the shrine and
afterwards placed in these repositories by the hands
of the Feretrar or Shrine-keeper, to whose custody
they were intrusted. He had also the care of a
small chest affixed near the Altar, in which the
faithful deposited their money-offerings to the
Saint. In the list of the relics preserved in St. Cuth
bert's Feretory, we find some which must, even in
the middle of the " ages of faith," have required a
considerable share of credulity in those who be
lieved in their genuineness : e : g — the veil and hair
of St. Mary Magdalene, part of the rod of Moses,

64
the relics of St. Peter the Apostle, (to which Ca
tholic tradition has always assigned Rome as a
resting place) a piece of the tree under which the
three angels sat with Abraham, the milk of St.
Mary the Virgin, and many bones of the Holy
Innocents in vials of crystal and red bags of finest
linen. Others there were rather more likely per
haps to be genuine, being the teeth and bones of
Saints and Martyrs whose names must have been
familiar as household words in the ears of a north
countryman, and whose places of interment were
well known, such as St. Bartholomew the Hermit
of Fame, St. Oswald the king, St. Ceolwulf the
King, St. Columkill, St. Acca of Hexham, St.
Godric, St. William of York, and St. John of
Bridlington. Honourable mention is also made
of others, less known to fame, as St. Gengulphus
(whose tooth was good for the falling sickness) St.
Marius and St. Audephax. Amongst these apo
cryphal and, more or less, questionable relics,
however, we find some gifts recorded, which as
curious works of art we may regret have perished.
Their intrinsic value made them, of course, a wel
come prey to the cupidity of Henry VIII's Com
missioners. We may mention a few. An image
of the Blessed Virgin, of silver gilt. A cross of
gold, set with precious stones, with a pedestal of
silver gilt. A cup of silver gilt, the gift of the
Countess of Kent. The ivory sceptre of King
Oswald. An Agnus Dei in silver. An ivory
casket, ornamented with gold and silver, contain
ing the gloves of St. Cuthbert, the gift of Richard
de Birtley, Monk of Durham. Indeed not a shelf
in the almeries appears to have been without its

¦ relic Shrine of cost

With ivory and gems emboss'd,'

65
and caskets and tabernacles of silver gilt, each con
taining some precious relic.
Curious and interesting as these thingswouldnow
be, we may still more deplore the loss of the books
which were reposited under Master Feretrar's care.
We read of a copy of the Evangelists, ornamented
with gold, with a gilt crucifix and many evidences
and monuments ; of another copy, together with
the life of St. Cuthbert, ornamented on one of its
backs with a representation of the crucifixion sil
ver gilt, and on the other with images of ivory.
Several others are also mentioned, on the binding
and decoration of which the like care and cost
appear to have been bestowed, which indeed ap
pears quite sufficient to account for their destruc
tion, for it is a matter of history that, " when the
covers were somewhat rich, and would yield a lit
tle, they pulled them off, threw away the books,
or turned them to waste paper."*
At the east end of the Feretory the banner of
St. Cuthbert occupied a prominent position. It
appears to have been a square of white velvet,
bearing (in heraldic language) a cross gules, with a
broad border of crimson of the same rich material,
sumptuously embroidered with green silk and gold,
and enclosed within its folds, " that holy relic, the
corporax cloth, wherewith that holy man St. Cuth
bert covered the chalice when he said mass." The
presence of a banner thus sanctified was sup
posed to ensure victory to the host whom it
accompanied to the battle field, and accordingly
we find that the standard of St. Cuthbert was dis
played before the conquering warriors of Neville's
Cross and Flodden Field, to the discomfiture of
their Scottish foes, whose captured pennons were
carried with great solemnity to the Church of"
* Collier, vol. II., page 166.

66
Durham, and hung for many a year, in dusky and
drooping folds, over the tomb of the Saint under
whose auspices they had been taken. The proud
banner of the Lord Neville, with its
" Silver saltire upon martiall red,"*
also fitly waved over the Shrine to whose adorn
ments its owner had been so munificent a contri
butor. So stood the Shrine until the arrival of Henry
VIII's Commissioners in 1540, when chalice and
jewelled pyx and crucifix and image of gold and
silver, were swept into the Royal treasury, its or
naments defaced and dismantled, the coffin of the
Saint broken open, and his remains eventually
buried under the place of their former exaltation.
This fact, though sometime doubted, is now beyond
dispute. Among the many legends concerning St.
Cuthbert which charmed our "boyhood's marvell
ing hour," the one which threw an impenetrable
veil over the true place of his sepulture was an
especial favourite. The readers of Marmion will
readily recall the one to which we allude.
" There, deep in Durham's Gothic shade,
His relics are in secret laid ;
But none may know the place,
Save of his holiest servants three,
Deep sworn to solemn secrecy.
Who share that wondrous grace."
The charm of mystery, however, has been dispelled;
for, not to mention that there are accounts in
existence, in the possession of the Dean and Chap
ter, specifying each item of the expense of making
his grave in the place where his Shrine once
stood, all doubt was removed by the disinterment
of his remains, on the 17th May, 1827. Under
the blue marble stone, which we have mentioned
as occupying the centre of the Feretory, were
* Barons' Wars.

67
found three chests or coffins, one within another.
The outermost was undoubtedly one which was
made in 1542, subsequent to the demolition of the
Shrine, and after it was determined to inter him
beneath its site. Within another containing many
fragments of human bones, which in all probability
were relics which had been preserved in the Shrine,
appeared a third coffin, in great decay, and of most
remote antiquity. The appearances presented by
the broken pieces of its lid and sides coincided very
remarkably with the account given by an anony
mous writer, whose, relation has been printed in the
Acta Sanctorum, of the examination which took
place at the translation of St. Cuthbert in 1104,
and also with the description of the coffin by Re
ginald, a monk of Durham, who wrote about the
year 1165, and who derived his information from
his seniors in the Church. Both accounts go to
prove that this was the same coffin in which the
Saint had been deposited by the monks of Lindis-
farne in the year 698, and the careful observation
which was made on its discovery in 1827 corro
borated the truth of their testimony. Both
writers tell us that the lid of the coffin was rais-
able by means of two iron rings, one at the head
and the other at the feet. One of these rings
was found, of a shape differing from any of
those which were attached to the outer coffin,
and " the iron loop by which one of them was
held is still remaining in a portion of the lid."*
Reginald again minutely describes the make and
material of the coffin and its ornaments, which he
says consisted of very admirable engravings of
flowers and images, furrowed out in the wood.
An inspection of the fragments of the coffin, now
in the library of the Dean and Chapter, will abun-
• Rainb's St. Cuthbert, p. 188.

68
dantly prove the accuracy of Reginald's account.
Among the figures, more or less perfect, thus pre
served, are those of St. John, St. Peter, St. Mat
thew, St. Paul, the Virgin and Child, the head
and neck of an eagle in a nimbus, with several
others. If further proof were wanting of its ge
nuineness, it is afforded by the inscriptions carved
on its different parts, being the names of the seve
ral figures, the shape of the letters coinciding most
completely with that of the capitals in the copy of
the Gospels written for St. Cuthbert by Eadfrid,
afterwards eighth Bishop of Lindisfarne, which was
the companion of the monks in their travels when
compelled by the Danes to leave the island, and
which was miraculously recovered after having been
lost in the sea. This precious MS. is now in the
British Museum. The capital letters of a coeval
MS. in the possession of the Dean and Chapter
of Durham, containing the gospels of SS. John,
Luke, and Mark, are of precisely similar character.
Within the decaying and broken fragments of
this coffin were found the bones of the Saint, en
veloped in the perishing remains of what had
once been episcopal robes of no ordinary richness
and beauty. A winding sheet of fine linen ap
peared to have been the outermost covering,
agreeing with the account of Reginald, and his
description of the dalmatic and its decorations of
" interwoven figures, as well of birds as of small
animals," also coincides with the actual appearance
of the tattered pieces of silk and embroidery which
the earth-damps of centuries had failed entirely to
destroy. Eider ducks, (the favourites of St. Cuth-
hert) porpoises, rabbits, (which abound on Lindis
farne) were among the ornaments of the fragments
preserved. A piece of amber- coloured silk was
adorned with an equestrian figure, and others, of

69
purple crimson, were diapered with crosses and
other decorations. The account of the more in
teresting of the relics which were discovered, can
scarcely be given better than in the words of Mr.
Raine.* " 1. A coarse comb of ivory which cor
responds most minutely with the description of the
ivory comb found and left in the coffin in 1104.
This comb had been fabricated by Elfred the
sacrist, about the year 1022, for the purpose of
assisting in cutting the hair of the Saint, which
was reported to require that operation periodically ;
and as often as it was performed, a portion of the
hair which was removed was exhibited to the spec
tators glittering like gold, and miraculously tri
umphing over the fire to which it was applied.
Will it be believed that this pretended hair was in
very reality gold wire itself ; a quantity of which
was found in connection with the scull of the ske
leton during the investigation of which we are
writing? 2. A small tablet of wood covered with
silver, probably the silver Altar spoken of as con
tained in the coffin in 1 104. The thin covering of
silver was so much broken during its removal, that
a few letters only of an inscription upon its surface
could be preserved. The tablet of wood, upon
which the plating of silver had been laid, had ap
parently been previously used in its unornamented
state for the same purpose of an Altar, as it also
contained an inscription in the characters of the
seventh century, proving that it had been fabricated
in honour of St. Peter. 3. A small sacramental
burse of the size of an octavo book, made of fine
linen, and reduced by time to a dusky brown co
lour, as if it had been tanned. 4. A rich stole,
woven with flattened threads of pure gold, and
ornamented with inlet figures in tapestry work of
» Brief Account of Durham Cathedral, &c p. 60-

70
prophets, and apostles, and evangelists, with the
name of each in legible letters of silk, and an
inscription in similar characters, proving that it
had been made by command of iElfised, for the
pious Bishop Frithestan. 5. A maniple of the
same materials, similarly ornamented, and contain
ing a similar historical inscription. These splendid
specimens of antient art and munificence could
not be removed from the skeleton in an entire
state, but the greater part of both was saved ; and
thus a most valuable addition has been made to
our knowledge of the Saxon art of weaving and
embroidery. Frithestan, for whose use these robes
were made, was consecrated Bishop of Winchester
in 909 or 910, nearly a century before Durham
was pitched upon as the final resting place of Cuth
bert ; and at that period there were three iElflseds,
one the daughter of King Alfred, and the wife of
Ethelbert, Earl of Mercia, a princess of great wis
dom and resolution, and intimately connected with
the civil and military history of her times. Ano
ther, Alfred's daughter-in-law, the wife of Edward
the elder, his son and successor ; and the third,
his grand-daughter, a nun in the abbey of Win
chester; and in all probability, from her connec
tion with that place, the princess by whose com
mand these gorgeous habiliments were made. At
all events they were brought to Chester-le-Street,
then the seat of our northern see, in the year 934,
by King Athelstan, and offered to St. Cuthbert.
6. A girdle and two bracelets, woven with threads
of pure gold and scarlet silk ; the former flattened,
like those of the stole and maniple above described.
7. A maniple of gold and scarlet silk of the most
ingenious and ornamental texture, but from its
shape and character belonging to a period a full
century posterior to the year 1104 ; and, therefore,

71
placed within the coffin after that period. 8. A
cross of pure gold, as has been ascertained by in
vestigation, found upon the breast bone of the skele
ton, slung from its neck by a cord of silk and gold
thread, running through a bright loop of the latter
material, and set with fifty three stones, apparently
garnets. The cross, with the stones, weighs 15
dwts. 12 grs."

The marvellous tale of the incorruptibility of
the body inhumed with this splendid garniture,
piously believed for so many centuries, and re
peated by the writer of the Rites and Monuments,
in his account of the demolition of the Shrine in
1540, was proved by the discoveries of 1827, (as
indeed might have been expected) to have had no
foundation. The bones of the skeleton were found
in a perfectly dry state, and no trace whatever was
observed of the decomposition of a human body
having taken place since they had been deposited
in the very ancient coffin whose fragments we have
described. And what is more, there were palpa
ble evidences of deception. The sockets of the
eyes were filled with balls of a whitish composition,
evidently intended to give that prominent appear
ance under the face cloth which would have be
longed to reality. The cerement which covered

72
the face, was according to Reginald, so closely
attached that it appeared to have been glued, and
could not be removed. We must not omit to
mention that in the same coffin with the remains
of St. Cuthbert was discovered a human scull,
which was doubtless that of St. Oswald, King of
Northumberland, the only relic which was allowed to
remain by the side of the Saint on his translation
in 1104.* St. Cuthbert is invariably represented
on ancient seals, and in sculpture and painted
glass, as holding in his hand the head of King
Oswald. All the bones which had been exhumed,
were again buried the same evening, carefully de
posited in a new coffin. The fragments of the
innermost coffin, with the portions of the robes,
and other interesting relics which have been
described, are preserved in a glass case in the
MSS. closet of the Cathedral library. The stone
effigies of Saints and Bishops and other carv
ings which we mentioned above (p. 16) as having
found a resting place in St. Cuthbert's Shrine,
have been removed since our earliest pages were
in print, and are now deposited (we hope only
temporarily) in a vaulted chamber under the dor
mitory, on the west side of the cloisters. How
ever safe a repository this may be, many of them
are sufficiently curious to induce the wish that
they were in a place more accessible to those visi
tants who take an interest even in the smallest
" carving rare and quaint," which has once
adorned the fabric of a holy place. Among them
are figures of St. Cuthbert, with the head of Oswald
in his hand, St. Anthony, St. Christopher, St.
George and the Dragon, and the Archangel Michael
combating the old serpent. There is also the stone
coffin of Cospatric, Earl of March, and other cof-
» Raine's St. Cuthbert, p, 81.

73
fin lids, one sculptured with a long bow and a rose.
We may also mention some Norman corbels from
the antient Chapter house.
The Chapel of the Nine Altars is made use of
for morning prayer by the University of Durham.
The north aisle of the Choir possesses now no
peculiar object of interest. The eastern extremity
once presented a singular feature, namely the
dwelling place of an anchorite. A porch (a word,
by the way, of somewhat indefinite meaning) ex
tended itself across the aisle, and contained an
Altar, and a fair rood, " with most exquisite pic
tures of Mary and John." In all probability the
anchorite's dwelling was a small chamber over this;
for we read in the Rites and Monuments of " the
entrance to the anchoridge being up a fair pair of
stairs adjoining to the north door of St. Cuthbert's
Feretory." A long stone bench, on the north side
of the aisle, with the arms of Skirlaw, remains as
a memorial of that prelate. It was for the use of
his bedesmen, who thus sat opposite the " fair mar
ble stone sumptuously beset with many brazen
images" under which their founder was buried, and
offered their prayers for the repose of his soul.
Bishop Skirlaw was buried between the two piers
of the Choir opposite the Bishop's throne, but the
monument which covered his remains has disap
peared and the prayer of his bedesmen is heard no
longer. A closed doorway at the north western
end of this aisle led to the song school, formerly
the Sacristan's Exchequer. The entrance into the
aisle from the transept was occupied by another
porch, with its altar.
The windows of the south aisle have all been re -
stored within the last year, in accordance with the
character which they previously presented. They
were of the decorated period, and were chiefly the
H

74
work of Prior Forcer. This aisle possesses one
distinguished ornament in the tomb of Bishop
Hatfield, with its beautiful marble effigy, which has
fortunately in a great measure escaped mutilation.
The whole space above its canopy, up to the soffit
of the arch of the two piers between which it
stands, is filled by the back of the tabernacle work
behind the Bishop's throne. As we have already
said, however, we shall return and view the monu
ments seriatim. A small Altar enclosed with iron
railing stood beside the pier at the west end of
Bishop Hatfield's tomb, at which masses were said
for the repose of his soul. Nearly opposite, in the
south wall of the aisle, is a closed doorway of very
beautiful character, which formed the communi
cation with the great vestry of the church, built a
little before 1300. This vestry was in use till
1802, the period of its demolition. It originally
contained " a peculiar altar, where the Bishop or
his suffragans did use to say mass only at such
time as they were to consecrate priests, or to give
any holy orders."*
The most distinguishing feature of this aisle, in
the days of the Church's splendour, was the Black
Rood of Scotland, a large crucifix of silver, with
its attendant figures of the Blessed Virgin and St.
John wrought in the same rich material, and
crowned with gold. This appears to have been
considered a very precious relic, having been taken
at the battle of Neville's Cross, to which it had
been brought by David Bruce, from the Abbey of
Holyrood, as a talisman of victory. A reredos of
wood-work, richly adorned with " curious painting,"
sprinkled with golden stars, ascending nearly to
the height of the vaulting of the aisle, formed the
back ground of the Rood. This reredos extended
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, p. 33.

75
itself across the eastern end of the aisle, near to
the southern entrance into St. Cuthbert's Feretory.
Having thus completed our survey of the
Church properly so called, and before proceeding
to the Galilee, let us request our readers to re
enter the Choir for a few moments, while we peo
ple it in fancy with a few of the shadowy forms,
which once, as living and breathing realities, were
seen within its walls. Page after page of antient
chronicle and legend recur to the memory, and
when standing on the spot where the scenes took
place which they so graphically describe, the actors
in them seem to come forth before the mind's eye,
each in his habit as he lived, clothed with all the
vividness of life and truth. Thus, for instance,
we may take our stand in some quiet corner and
evoke the closing scene of Bishop Flambard's life.
The dying prelate, worn and wasted with sickness,
was borne at his own request into the Church, and
placed before the High Altar. With groans and
deep remorse he confessed before the assembled
monks the cupidity which had impelled him to
grasp their possessions, and the malevolence which
had excited him to violate their rightful privileges.
"I would have injured you," he confessed to them,
even more deeply than I have, had it been in
my power."* He then offered his ring upon the
altar, as a symbol of restitution, conscience having
thus asserted her supremacy at the last hour of
a life which had " exhibited a tissue of violence
and ambition, illumined only by a few splendid
traits of generosity and magnificence. "t There
is something very affecting in the deep contrition
which thus came to the very house of God, even
in the anguish of the dying hour. Again, let
* Symeon : Dunelm : Hist, continuatio, p. 260., Ed. Tho. Bedford, 1732.
f SURTEES, vol. 1., p. XX.

76
us fancy ourselves present at the solemnities of
Easter, while ' the House' was yet untouched by
the hand of the spoiler, and while the " Paschal"
candlestick with its seven branches "glistening
as the gold itself," stood in all its splendour before
the High Altar. Early on the morning of Easter
day came two of the oldest brethren, and took
out of the sepulchre " a marvellous beautiful
image of our Saviour, representing the Resur
rection, with a cross in His hand, in the breast
whereof was enclosed, in most bright chrystal, the
Holy Sacrament of the Altar." The image was
then brought to the High Altar, amid fragrant
clouds of incense and the sweet notes of the an
them of Christus Resurgens, chanted forth by the
rest of the brethren in full choir. A procession
was then formed, and it was carried round the
church with great solemnity, " four antient gen
tlemen belonging to the Prior," holding over it a
" rich canopy of purple velvet, the whole quire
waiting upon it with goodly torches and great store
of lights ; all singing, rejoicing and praying to
God most devoutly."*
Strange and unwonted as either of these scenes
would now appear to us, they were yet not out
of harmony with the place, but scenes stranger
still, singularly unbefitting its sacredness have
been acted within these walls. A wild scene
took place on the Sunday following the feast of
St. Bartholomew, in the year 1303. Bishop An
tony Bee had determined that a Prior of his own
choice should be at the head of the convent, but
having been balked in this by the election which
they made, he sent down a strong party of stal
wart foresters from the wild values of the Tyne and
Wear to compel submission, who, if antient chro-
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, pp. 23, 24.

nicies speak sooth, used most unceremonious
means for the enforcement of their Master's will.
They found the false Prior (as they regarded him)
and six and forty of his monks, in their stalls in
the choir, engaged in the celebration of Divine
offices. With grisly oaths and fierce threats they
demanded that he should give place to the Bishop's
nominee. To no clamour or intimidation, how
ever, would the Prior yield, but maintained with
calmness and dignity his right to the seat he oc
cupied. Whereupon they turned their siege into
a blockade, and kept the unfortunate Prior and
his six and forty monks confined to the choir for
three whole days, without any food saving six
loaves and sixteen herrings. Finding at last that
even the prospect of starvation was unavailing to
procure submission, they laid their sacrilegious
hands on the good father, plucked him from his
stall, and shut him up in the Common house.*
From hence they removed him to the Castle, and
at last, wearied out by their violence, and afraid of
his life, he yielded. It would appear from this
strange story that the relations in which the Bishop
and his Monks stood to each other, were by no
means at all times so pleasant or amicable as the
admiration of mediceval proprieties might lead
some to imagine.
Another scene rises up before us, of an affray on
the very steps of the Altar, between the retainers
of the Lord Neville and the Monks. An offer
ing of a stag was annually made on St. Cuthbert's
day in September, by the Nevilles of Raby, and
Ralph, Lord Neville (whose son also named Ralph,
was the first layman buried within the Cathedral)
* The Common house was on the west side of the Cloister. It was the
only apartment where the Monks had the indulgence of a fire, and appears
to nave been the place to which they resorted for conversation with each
other. It still remains, though curtailed in its dimensions by taking off' the
Song school and Minor Canon's vestry.

78
claimed that himself and as many as he might
bring with him, should be feasted by the Prior
upon the occasion. To this the Prior demurred,
as a thing that had never before been claimed as
of right, and as being a most expensive and onerous
burden, for the trains of the great nobility of that
day were numerous in the extreme. The result
was that the Prior declined to accept the stag when
laid before the shrine, by which they of the Ne
ville were so grievously offended that from words
they got to blows, and began to cuff the Monks
who were ministering at the Altar. The latter,
upon this occasion, were not contented to offer a
mere passive resistance, for they made such good
use of the large wax candles which they carried,
in belabouring their opponents, as to compel them
to retreat. The retainers of the Neville did not
however condescend to take back again the stag,
which, as they deemed, had been so uncourteously
refused. Much as our age is accused of lack of
reverence for holy things and holy places (and in
some respects not very unjustly) it may yet be well
doubted whether any thing at all approaching to
the irreverence of such a scene could be parallelled
at this day. The stag was an oblation by the
Nevilles of great antiquity, and appears to have
been brought into the church and presented with
winding of horns and all the ceremonial of the
" noble art of venerie." Allusion is made to this
custom in that " very oldest rhyme of the North,"
as it is called by Surtees, the lament for Robert
Neville, grandsire of Ralph Neville, whom we
have just mentioned :
SKHri, qiua sal tirtr iiomes ilatt,
$jal» ftoo tJ)i iias ?
j£ott is i)e iebt ano lies lain
front to ulatu tjatm as.

79'
Another tumultuous scene, in which the Ne
villes also bore a chief part, took place here in
1569, well known as the year in which a desperate,
but ineffectual struggle was made by the Earls of
Westmoreland and Northumberland for the re
storation of the antient faith, to which the Nor
thern provinces were, in general, very deeply
attached. A lively picture of the proceedings in
the Cathedral is contained in the depositions of
the clergy and others* who were called to give ac
count as to how they demeaned themselves, when
" two Altars were set up in the Cathedral at com
mandment of Mr. Cuthbert Nevill." One of the
altar-stones it appears was "hid in the centry-
garth, under much metal. Various persons helped
— rolling and lifting the stones into the church.
The priest of Brancepeth was the Overseer of all
their working, first and last till the Altars were
finished, one being the High-Altar — the other set
beside the clock." George Cliff, a prebendary,
acknowledges that he was present when mass was
sung by Robert Peirson (the Neville's chaplain) on
St. Andrew's day, but that he sat still in his stall
and did not sing at it nor look at the elevation.
Some of the " petty canons" however acknowledge
themselves to have been"faulters and favorers,"and
to have "helped to sing matins and masses, and to
have gone in procession twice or thrice, after the
cross, within the Cathedral." " The press of peo
ple" is described as being very great. Indeed it
is evident that the hearts of the population with
few exceptions, were with the insurgent nobles.
The feeling of attachment for the old religion,
" lay like lees at the bottom of men's hearts, and
if the vessel were ever so little stirred, came to the
top." * See Slr C Sharp's Memorials of the Rebellion of 1569, p. 252-

80
In contrast with these stirring scenes we may
picture the stately trains of Royalty passing up the
nave and entering to worship within the choir.
Jn 1617 King James I. visited Durham, and came
in state to the Cathedral ; and in 1633, his unfor
tunate son, our Royal Martyr, was received and
ushered into the Church with great solemnity.
At Elvet head, " he mounted his horse, and was
mett by Sir William Belasyse, High Sheriff, and the
gentlemen of the county, who gave all the Sheriff's
livery, two hundred men ; viz., — ash-coloured
cloth lined with red bays and plush capes, four
fingers broad, and two broad silver laces. As soon
as his Majesty lighted, he went first to the Abbey
Church, before he went to the Castle ; a canopy
of state was borne over him by eight Prebendarys
into the Church, where he staid service ; and a
speech was made to him by Dean Hunt. Then
his Majesty went to the Castle; and on Sun
day morning heard a sermon at the Abbey from
the Bishop, where none were admitted but his
Nobles, the Clergy, and Choir. After service he
dined at the Deanery, at the Bishop's charge ;
where his Majesty had a cope that cost 140/. be
longing to the Church, presented to him. Then
he attended evening prayer ; and after went to the
Castle, where he kept his Court during all the
time he was at Durham, and did touch divers for
the King's evil."
What a change a few years made. In 1650
the Cathedral Church of Durham was occupied by
the Scottish prisoners, taken by Cromwell, at the
battle of Dunbar, and its Royal visitor of 1633 had
laid his " grey discrowned head" on a bloody scaf
fold. " O heavy times, "begetting such events !"
The defacing of the monuments, and the de-

81
struction of the old tabernacle work of the Choir
and the stained windows is attributed, as we have
already observed, to the miserable prisoners who
were confined within these walls. In all probability,
however, their Puritan warders had full as much
to do with it.
With these brief and imperfect sketches of the
shadowy past, we conclude this part of our sub
ject. When reflecting upon some of them, it
were well to ask ourselves the question, whether
we be as thankful as we ought for the times of
peace and order in which it has pleased Provi
dence to cast our lot.

THE GALILEE.
Retracing our steps down the southern aisle, and
passing through Bishop Langley's doorway, at its
extremity, we enter the Galilee. We owe its
erection to Bishop Pudsay, who after his design of
building a Lady Chapel at the east end of the
Choir was frustrated,* transferred his labours to
the western extremity of the Church, where
he commenced and carried on to completion
the singularly interesting Chapel within which
we now stand. It was dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin, and intended more particularly as a place
of worship for the female sex, who, as is well
known, were not permitted to enter within the
precincts of St. Cuthbert's Church. The origin
* See ante, p. 54.

82
of its designation of Galilee, by which it has in
variably been distinguished, appears to be involved
in some obscurity, and different reasons have been
assigned for the use of the term. The author of
the Rites and Monuments tells us, " it is called
the Galilee, by reason (as some think) of the
translation of the same ; being once begun, and
afterwards removed ; whereupon it took the name
of Galilee : to which place such as repaired had
granted to them sundry pardons." It is probable
that these " sundry pardons" may refer to the per
mission which Cardinal Langley obtained from the
Pope for the erection of a font within its walls,
to which persons excommunicate, were allowed to
bring their children, in order that they might not
lack the benefit of Holy Baptism, and to the like
privilege which was accorded, as regards this place,
when the realm was under an Interdict. And
gratefully indeed must the boon have been then
received. We can happily form little idea of the
deep unhappiness which was felt under its inflic
tion. Gaufrid de Coldingham, a Monk of Dur
ham, gives a touching detail of the melancholy
changes it occasioned. " The Altars," he says,
" stood in the nakedness of desolation, being strip
ped of all their sacred garniture. The devout me
lody of the accustomed chants was hushed, and
the soothing chime of matin or vesper bell was no
longer heard. The holy solemnities of religion
were at an end, and every observance which the
piety of past ages had instituted in God's praise
and honour was no more. No kindly hand pre
sented to the lips of the dying the healing symbol
of his Redeemer's sacrifice, and even the last
offices of Christian burial were denied to his
poor remains."* Mr. Surtees suggests that the
» Hist. Dunelm: Scriptores III. p. 2S. (published by the Surtees Society.)

83
text " Ite in Galileam, nunciate fratibus meis
ut eant in Galileam : ibi me videbunt," as ap
plied to the consolation thus given to the miser
able, may have given rise to the name. There
was a custom, however, among the monks of
the Benedictine rule, to make a procession at cer
tain times round their church and cloister, and
to halt at certain stations, in memory of the Re
surrection and of the various times at which our
Lord afterwards appeared to His disciples. His
last appearance was on a mountain in Galilee, and
it is therefore not improbable that the place where
the procession made its final halt should have re
ceived that name.
The general effect on entering the Chapel is
striking in the extreme. A multiplicity of tall
slender columns with semi-circular arches, pro
fusely adorned with the zig-zag ornament, present
an interior bearing more resemblance to the light
ness and variety of the Saracenic than to the soli
dity and plainness which was so universal a cha
racteristic of the Norman style, even iu its transi
tion towards early English, of which this building
was an example. The number of its aisles gives
an apparent complexity to the arrangement which
adds much to its effect upon first entering, and
the bright hues of the antient frescoes which
still adorn one of the arched recesses of its eas
tern wall, remain to shew to us how admirably
colour was applied, as an accessary to form,
by the architects of the olden time. The labels
and mouldings of all the arches, shew manifest
traces of the same adornment, and the piers of
the central arch, which was originally the great
western doorway of the Church, were delicately
covered with a fair pattern of tracery and flowers,
of vermilion upon a ground of pure white, much
of which still remains.

84
In form the Chapel is a parallelogram, 76 feet
from north to south, and 47 from east to west.
It may be described as consisting of a nave with
double aisles on each side. The piers and arches
by which they are formed are uniform. In their
original state the piers were not clustered, but pre
sented two detached marble columns with early
English bases and capitals, the latter united under
one abacus, supporting Norman arches, enriched
both on their faces and soffits with the zig-zag
ornament. The repetition of these detached
columns must have produced an effect of most
singular lightness and elegance. We can form an
idea of the appearance they presented from those
against the western wall which have been suffered
to remain in their pristine condition. The shafts
of stone which transformed them into clustered
piers, were added by Cardinal Langley, who, hav
ing heightened all the walls, was probably afraid
lest the superincumbent weight should prove too
much to be supported by those slender columns.
Previous to Cardinal Langley's alterations, se
veral changes had been made in the fabric as left
by Pudsay. His north doorway indeed remains
with its Norman characteristics, but both the north
and south wall, if not entirely rebuilt at a later
period, at all events received windows of early de
corated character as did also the western extre
mities of the two outermost aisles on the north and
south. As left by its founder, it must have been
principally lighted from the west by Norman
windows. There are obvious traces also of lights
above the arches of the aisles next to the nave.
The present roof, and the three great perpendicular
western windows are all the work of Cardinal Lang-
ley. The early decorated southern windows have
been carefully restored within the last few years.

85
A stone bench extends itself under the windows,
on the north, west, and south sides. Below the
great west window of the nave stood " a fair iron
pulpit, with bars of iron for one to hold them by
going up the steps into the pulpit ; where one of
the monks preached every Holy-day and Sunday,
at one in the afternoon."* Underneath the same
window is a deep recess, with a low vaulted roof,
open to the Chapel. It is not very obvious to
what use it can have been applied. Another
apartment of similar character, with two small
lights looking to the river, is entered by a small
doorway at the end of the aisle which adjoins on the
north, and has in all probability been a Sacristy or
Revestry. The font which Cardinal Langley
erected for the kindly purpose we have already
mentioned, stood at the west end of the southern
most aisle.
Under the great arch at the east end of the nave
of the Chapel, which as we before stated was the
great western entrance to the Church, was the
chantry and altar of the Blessed Virgin. The
altar stone, of blue marble, with its five crosses,
yet remains. It is laid down level with the floor
of the chantry, which until very recently formed a
deep recess under the arch, which as our readers
may remember we mentioned as having been closed
up by Cardinal Langley. Tt has lately been opened
out, with little advantage, as it appears to us to the
general effect. Looking from the nave of the Ca
thedral into the Galilee, no adequate advantage is
gained as regards the view of the latter, the level
of its floor being so much lower ; and although
when standing in the Galilee, there is doubtless a
magnificent vista opened out, and a splendid per
spective of columns and arches, yet there is room
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, p. 80.
I

86
for more than a doubt, in our opinion, whether
this be not too dearly purchased at the expence of
the distinctness of the two buildings, and the loss
of that feeling of secluded and quiet solemnity
which the Galilee, as it was, was so calculated to
convey to the mind. The charm is broken. If
we may use the expression, the eye seems to take
in too much : for the close proximity of the gigan
tic proportions of the huge nave-piers and arches
of the Cathedral, destroys in the Galilee that unity
of effect and repose which it should be the chief
object of art to obtain. Though of very minor im
portance, we regret the consequent removal of the
screen-work of the Altar which had stood within
the recess since the days of Langley. It was the
only fragment which remained to shew the cha
racter of that which adorned all the altars, and
was curious on that account. It was the same
which is described in the Rites and Monuments
as being "finely adorned with curious wainscot
work above-head, at the back, and at either end of
the altar." Much of this wainscot-work remained,
but, as might be expected, the "most heavenly
pictures, so lively in colours, and gilt," which
adorned it in the days of its splendour, were all
defaced. Little remained to testify of its former
gorgeousness save a few sentences in honour of the
Blessed Virgin, in gilt letters, on a blue ground.
Cardinal Langley prepared a tomb for himself, in
front of the Altar. It is of blue marble, project
ing into the nave of the Chapel, and seven steps
of the same material, on either side of the tomb,
form the ascent to the altar. A small doorway in
the wall with which Langley closed up the arch
way formed the priest's entrance into the chantry
from the nave of the Cathedral. The inscription
over the arch, gjtttriauitt $t$Q'*Ht t$t. &0*

87
mine JBtm fca aetbo tuo tov intelligent
ut mtiirct populu' tun* et Siseemat inter
fiOtttl' et malum, has reference to the Consis
tory Court, which was held in the Galilee previous
to, and long after the Reformation. It is now
again held there, since the aisle of the transept
where its sittings afterwards took place has been
laid open to the rest of the Church.
Beneath the arched recess at the east end of the
adjoining aisle, which is adorned by the beautiful
specimens of fresco painting to which we have
alluded, stood the Altar of our Lady of Pitty.*
The arch of the recess is Norman, with the zig
zag ornament, and its soffit is beautifully painted
with a running pattern of leaves of a fanciful cha
racter. The colours are few, being principally
browns and yellows upon a bright ultramarine
ground, but the blending of the whole is most har
monious. The back of the recess has a represen
tation of drapery, and on the sides stand the stately
figures of Richard the Lion-hearted and the mu
nificent prelate to whom the Galilee owes its
erection. On the wall above the arch may be
dimly seen the traces of another fresco painting,
which has apparently filled the whole space of the
wall. It is too much obliterated to be able to
make out the design, but we learn from the Rites
and Monuments that this and the corresponding-
portion of the wall belonging to the southern aisle
were ornamented with " great pictures," repre
senting the scenes of our Saviour's Passion.
A similar recess occupies the eastern extremity
of the first aisle to the south. Under this stood
the Altar of the Venerable Beda, whose massy
tomb of blue marble still stands before it. Like
St. Cuthbert, he is buried under the place where
» See ante, p. 29.

88
his shrine was of old exalted. After Bishop Pud-
say finished the Galilee, he " caused a Feretory of
gold and silver to be made," in which were depo
sited the bones of the venerable saint. This was
placed upon a slab of blue marble, which was sup
ported by five pillars of the same material, about a
yard in height. It had " a fair cover of wainscot,
very curiously gilt, and appointed to draw up and
down over the shrine, when they pleas'd to shew
the sumptuousness thereof."* The marble slab
upon which the shrine of Beda rested had " three
holes in every corner, for irons to be fastened in,
to guide the covering when it was drawn up, or
let down.+" The very stone which is thus de
scribed may be seen between the third and fourth
piers, reckoning from the west, on the south side
of the nave of the Cathedral, where it forms part
of the pavement. In the year 1831 the tomb was
opened for the purpose of ascertaining the truth
of the tradition that the bones of the saint had
been interred in this place, after the demolition of
his shrine. About three feet below the surface
many of the bones of a human skeleton were found,
which had evidently been placed within a coffin, of
which some fragments remained, though in a state
of great decay. A detailed relation of the bones
which were found and of their state and appearance
may be found in Mr. Raine's Brief Account of
Durham Cathedral, &c, p. 80. Some abbey-
pieces and a ring which were found while making
the exhumation, were deposited in the Cathedral
Library. The bones were re-interred, and the old
epitaph, to which a well known legendary history
is attached, was engraven upon the marble which
covered them : —
* Davies's Rites and Monuments, p. 77.
t Ibid, p. 161.

89
HAC SUNT IN FOSSA
BED^E VENERABILIS OSSA.
The western windows of the Chapel, like almost
all the other windows of the Church glowed with
the bright hues of stained glass, long since shat
tered and broken. That which now fills some of
the upper lights of the windows has been recently
inserted, and is made up of fragments which had
been tossing about in some neglected corner. The
author of the Rites and Monuments gives a minute
description of the painted glass with which they
were once filled. The Adoration of the Magi, the
Annunciation, the Assumption of the Blessed Vir
gin, and many scenes in the life of Christ were
among the subjects which were delineated. There
were also many portraits of Kings and Bishops,
to whom reverence was due as benefactors of the
Church. Amongst these " Thomas Langley, Bis
hop," was conspicuous, " in fine coloured glass,
with his mitre on his head, and his crosier-staff in
his left hand, as he was accustomed to say mass ;
having his arms very excellently blazoned in fine
colour'd glass above his head."
The new order of things which arose after the
Reformation found no use for the Galilee as a place
of worship, but with extraordinary carelessness (to
use no harsher term) which has happily been su
perseded, in our time, by better feeling, it was de
voted to the most secular purposes, with the sole
exception of being occasionally used as a place of
burial. The north aisle was enclosed by a wall, as
the Register Office of the Consistory Court, and
the rest of the building was used as a depository
for all sorts of lumber. In the year 1828 the
Dean and Chapter swept away all its defilements,
and resolved to open it for Evening Service on the

90
Sundays during the summer months. From
Easter to Michaelmas in each succeeding year this
service has been continued. To the good taste of
the Chapter, or rather let us say to a much higher
motive, we owe it, that the disfigurement of pews
does not exist. Rows of plain open benches fill the
area, and are indiscriminately occupied by all ranks.
The most sturdy adherents of the pew-system (we
hope a decreasing number) would surely find their
prejudices shaken by attending an evening service
in the Galilee of Durham Cathedral. The effect
is certainly striking alike to the eye and the mind.
To the eye it is most beautiful, when entering on
some fine autumnal evening the last rays of the set
ting sun are gleaming through the large western
windows of the Chapel, and then, as the shades of
the evening deepen into gloom, a few lamps, which
before are almost unperceived, shed a " dim, reli
gious light" over the kneeling congregation. The
beautiful architecture of the building never, cer
tainly, assumes a more striking appearance ; here,
thrown out in bold and strong relief, there, in deep
shadow. But this, although well calculated to
excite feelings which if not those of devotion, are at
least akin to it, causes but a transient emotion, when
compared with the moral effect produced by the
sight of so large a congregation of worshippers,
both rich and poor, unmarked by the distinctions
which human pride has introduced into the very
Temple of Him in whose sight we are all equal.

91

THE MONUMENTS.

Quidnam sibi saxa cavata ?
Quid pulchra volunt monumenta ?
Res quod nisi creditur illis
Non mortua, sed data somno.
Prudentii Hymn. circ. exaequias defuncti.
For what do mean our beauteous monuments,
And carved stones, which seem their watch to keep
Over the dead, — but that in those still tents
The inmate is not perish'd, but asleep.
Translation by Rev. I. Williams.

We now proceed to point out a few of the more
remarkable monuments in the Church ; for to par
ticularize every tablet which the affection or respect
of relatives and friends has caused to be erected,
would be inconsistent with the object and limits
of a work like the present. They speak sufficiently
for themselves to those whose attention is arrested
by the names which they commemorate. We
shall merely mention some which are remarkable
for their antiquity or beauty, and some which call
forth our reverence for the memories of those who
sleep beneath them. Among this latter class there
is no tomb we can contemplate which more power
fully excites that feeling than the one which hal
lows that part of the fabric which we have last
been surveying. Our readers will of course anti
cipate the name of Beda. We have little to add
in the way of description, to what we have men
tioned with regard to the place of his rest. It is
an Altar-tomb of the plainest description : the top
being a large slab of blue marble, on which are
engraven the two lines we mentioned above, (p. 89.)
But Beda requires no costly tomb, no laboured
epitaph. In the seclusion of the monastic walls

92
of Jarrow he passed his life, and long and seques
tered though it was, it seems all too short for the
acquisition of his learning, and the execution of his
voluminous works. Unrelaxing indeed must have
been the diligence, and deep the thought of that
venerable man, by whom in so remote a place, in
an age of so much ignorance, and with helps and
opportunities in the way of books and learned in
tercourse so small and confined, so much was
accomplished. His Ecclesiastical History is the
work by which he is chiefly known, but this forms
a very small part of his writings. There is scarcely
a book of Holy Scripture on which he did not
write annotations, and Poetry and Natural History
are also found among the subjects of his treatises.
Neither is our wonder diminished, when we are
informed that of the many observances which his
monastic vows entailed, and which occupied no
small portion of the hours of each day, there was
not one which he did not religiously and constantly
practise. During his life he appears to have been
little known, at least any efforts which may have
been made to draw him from his cell were in vain.
" Whilst living," says Symeon Dunelmensis, " he
lay hidden in a far off nook of the world, but now
being dead, there is not a part of the world to
which his fame has not been carried by his works."
And he left no compeer behind him. " Upon his
death," says William of Malmesbury, " almost all
knowledge of history down to our present times,
went to the grave with him. For whilst one still
succeeded lazier than another, all spirit of study
and industry was quite extinct in the island."
" The lamp of learning trimmed by the hand of a
single monastic who never passed the limits of his
Northumbrian province, irradiated from the cell
of Jarrow the Saxon realm of England with a clear

93
and steady light ; and when Bede died, History
reversed her torch, and quenched it in deep
night."* " The saint, the scholar, from a circle freed,
Of toil stupendous in a hallowed seat
Of learning, where thou heard'st the billow beat
On a wild coast, rough monitors to feed
Perpetual industry ! sublime recluse !
The recreant soul that dares to shun the debt
Imposed on human kind, must first forget
Thy diligence, thy unrelaxing use
Of a long life ; and in the hour of death
The last dear service of thy passing breath."
We cannot resist the temptation of giving our rea
ders the account thus alluded to of the last hours
of this remarkable man, extracted from the simple
and touching relation of his pupil Cuthbert. " He
was much troubled with shortness of breath, yet
without pain, before the day of our Lord's resur
rection, that is, about a fortnight ; and thus he
afterwards passed his life, cheerful and rejoicing,
giving thanks to Almighty God every day and
night, nay, every hour, till the day of our Lord's
Ascension, and daily read lessons to us his disciples,
and whatever remained of the day, he spent in
singing psalms ; he also passed all the night awake,
in joy and thanksgiving, unless a short sleep pre
vented it ; in which case he no sooner awoke than
he presently repeated his wonted exercises, and
ceased not to give thanks to God with uplifted
hands. I declare with truth, that I have never
seen with my eyes, nor heard with my ears, any
man so earnest in giving thanks to the living God.
O truly happy man ! He chanted the sentence
of St. Paul the Apostle, It is dreadful to fall into
the hands of the living God, and much more out of
Holy Writ ; wherein also he admonished us to
think of our last hour, and to shake off the sleep
» SURTEES, vol. II. p. 69.

94
of the soul  He also sang Anti-
phons according to our custom and his own, one
of which is ' O glorious King, Lord of all Power,
who, triumphing this day, didst ascend above all
the Heavens ; do not forsake us orphans ; but
send down upon us the Spirit of Truth, which was
promised to us by the Father. Hallelujah !' And
when he came to that word, ' do not forsake us',
he burst into tears and wept much, and an hour
after he began to repeat what he had commenced,
and we, hearing it, mourned with him 
He often repeated ' That God scourgeth every son
whom He receiveth,' and much more out of Holy
Scripture ; as also this sentence from St. Ambrose,
' I have not lived so as to be ashamed to live
among you ; nor do I fear to die, because we have
a gracious God.' During these days he laboured
to compose two works well worthy to be remem
bered, besides the lessons we had from him, and
singing of Psalms ; viz. he translated the Gospel
of St. John as far as the words ' But what are these
among so many, &c.,'into our own tongue, for the
benefit of the Church ; and some collections out
of the Book of Notes of Bishop Isidorus, saying :
' I will not have my pupils read a falsehood, nor
labour therein without profit after my death.' When
the Tuesday before the Ascension of our Lord
came, he began to suffer still more in his breathing,
and a small swelling appeared in his feet ; but he
passed all that day and dictated cheerfully, and
now and then among other things, said, ' Go on
quickly, I know not how long I shall hold out,
and whether my Maker will not soon take me
away.' But to us he seemed very well to know
the time of his departure ; and so he spent the
night, awake, in thanksgiving; and when the
morning appeared, that is, Wednesday, he ordered

95
us to write with all speed what he had begun ; and
this done, we walked till the third hour with the
relics of saints, according to the custom of that day.
There was one of us with him, who said to him,
* most dear master, there is still one chapter want
ing : do you think it troublesome to be asked any
more questions ?' He answered, ' it is no trouble.
Take your pen, and make ready, and write fast.'
Which he did, but at the ninth hour he said to
me, ' I have some little articles of value in my
chest, such as pepper, napkins, and incense : run
quickly, and bring the priests of our monastery to
me, that I may distribute among them the gifts
which God has bestowed on me. The rich in this
world are bent on giving gold and silver and other
precious things. But I, in charity, will joyfully
give my brethren what God has given unto me'.
He spoke to every one of them, admonishing and
entreating them that they would carefully say
masses and prayers for him, which they readily
promised; but they all mourned and wept, espe
cially because he said, ' They should no more see his
face in this world.' They rejoiced for that he said.
' It is time that I return to Him who formed
me out of nothing : I have lived long ; my merciful
J udge well foresaw my life for me ; the time of my
dissolution draws nigh ; for I desire to die and to
be with Christ.' Having said much more, he
passed the day joyfully till the evening ; and the
boy, above-mentioned, said : ' Dear master, there
is yet one sentence not written.' He answered,
'write quickly.' Soon after, the boy said, 'The
sentence is now written.' He replied, ' It is well,
you have said the truth. It is ended. Receive
my head into your hands, for it is a great satisfac
tion to me to sit facing my holy place, where I was
wont to pray, that I may also sitting call upon my

96
Father.' And thus on the pavement of his little
cell, singing : ' Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Ghost,' when he had named
the Holy Ghost, he breathed his last, and so de
parted to the Kingdom of Heaven."*
The next which attracts attention in this part of
the building, Cardinal Langley's tomb, is part and
parcel of the raised floor of the Chantry which he
founded. The only portion which has received
any adornment is the head of the tomb on which
three shields of his arms (paly of six, argent and
vert, on the second pale a mullet of the first) are
carved in bold and strong relief, Cardinal Lang
ley became Bishop of Durham in 1406, and pre
sided over the see for the long period of thirty-one
years. " His age," says Surtees, " was spent in
honourable retirement within his diocese. His
public works were munificent and numerous. He
repaired the beautiful western Chapel of the Gali
lee, and he joined with the Prior and Convent in
completing the structure of the Cathedral Clois
ters. He built the whole of the old Gaol, with
its massy gateway, and he founded two Schools
on the Palace Green, the one for grammar, the
other for plain-song. At Howden he built the
western gateway leading to the Orchard, and a fair
lodge adjoining. He was a benefactor to the pub
lic libraries of Cambridge and Oxford, and to those
of Durham House in Oxford, St. Mary's of Lei
cester, and the College at Manchester."! He
was buried in the Galilee by his own desire, ex
pressed in his will.
Excepting the records of mortality engraven on
the floor, the Galilee has no other sepulchral me^
* From the life of Bede, prefixed to vol. 11. of a translation of his Histori
cal works by J. A. Giles, L. L. D. See also Symeon Dunelm. pp. 72, et seq.
ed Tho. Bedford, 1732. t Sorters, vol. i. p. lvi.

97
morial which deserves the name of a monument,
unless we may give that name to a wooden tablet,
with an inscription in gilt letters to the memory
of Dean Hunt. It was originally affixed to a pier
in the Choir of the Cathedral, near the Bishop's
throne. Several of the marble slabs which form
part of the pavement in this and other parts of
the Cathedral, present manifest indications of hav
ing been adorned with brasses, but in their exist
ing state no traces remain whereupon to found a
conjecture as to whom they cover. A quaint
epitaph remains upon a flat stone in the nave of
the Galilee, to the memory of Mr. John Brimley,
Organist of the Cathedral and Master of the Cho
risters from 1557 to 1576.
JOHN BRIMLE1S BODY HERE DOTH LY,
WHO PRAYSED GOD WITH HAND AND VOICE ;
BY MUSICKES HEAVENLY HARMONIE
DULL MYNDES HE MAID IN GOD REJOICE.
HIS SOUL INTO THE HEAVENS IS LYFT,
TO PRAYSE HIM STILL THAT GAVE THE GYFT.
Master Brimley it would appear, was one who was
called to account as to his demeanour during the
brief re-establishment of the mass in Durham
Cathedral, to which we have already adverted, (p.
79.) The report he gives of himself is, that " he
was twice at mass, when Robert Peirson, with
Homes, sung the same, within the Cathedral ; but
he sung not himself, but played at orgainesj and
did, divers times, help to sing psalmes at mattins
and even-song, and played on the organs ; and went
in procession, as others did, after the Cross. He
heard a piece of Holmes' sermon : he spoke much
in commendation of the pope ; he bad the people
kneel down to be reconciled — he kneeled also.
He received holy water, but no holy bread, ' to
K

98
his wytting.' Is sorry for the same. He did it
by compulsion."* Notwithstanding all this con
trition, the deposition of his friend the Curate of
St. Gilest would almost lead one to infer that good
Master Brimley had no very great horror of the pro
ceedings. Pleasant looks, at any rate, appear to
have passed between them on the occasion : "when
the sacring bell rung — he looked up to Mr. Brim
ley, then in the loft, over the quire door, and
smiled at him." However, his contrition was
accepted as genuine, and the old Master of the
Quiristers went down to his grave in peace.
We will now leave the Galilee and again pass
into the nave of the Cathedral, where the monu
ments of the Nevilles tell their tale of departed
greatness and puritan mutilation. Hard by the
southern door of the Galilee, however, our
attention is first of all attracted by a monument
against the western wall of the Cathedral, which
though of comparatively modern date, and of no
very striking character, most assuredly comes within
our sphere of notice. It is erected to the memory
of Sir George Wheler, who was buried in the
Galilee, and, at his own desire, as near as might
be to the remains of the Venerable Beda. He
was a traveller into the East at a time when such
tours were more an indication of energy and thirst
for knowledge than at present, and on his return in
1 682, he published a very interesting account of
his travels, with copious notices of antiquities and
observations upon the natural productions of the
countries which he visited. " It is written," says
Surtees, "in an easy, unaffected style, and in seve
ral passages breathes forth a spirit of genuine piety
and goodness." We cannot forbear quoting the
* Sir C Sharp's Memorials, &c p. 260.
t Ibid, p. 253.

99
passage which Surtees gives as an example. It
were well if foreign travel produced upon the
many who in our day indulge in it, the same spirit
of thankfulness which it seems to have fostered in
this happy-minded and excellent man. "And
now," says Mr. Wheler on his return to England,
" I thanked God that he had placed the lot of my
inheritance in a land that he had blessed and hedged
about for himself; where nothing is wanting to
supply the defects of frail nature ; but where Peace
and Plenty embrace each other ; where every
man's right, from the prince to the peasant, is se
cured to him by the protection of good and whole
some laws ; and more by a king who is the indul
gent father of his country, and not a tyrant ; and
lastly rendered me into the bosom of a Church,
that I had often heard, but now knew, to be the
most refined, pure, and orthodox Church in the
world, freed from slavery, error, and superstition,
and, without novelty or confusion, established in
purity of doctrine, decency, and order." On his
return from the east, he was knighted, and soon
after entered into Holy Orders. His family con
nections, which were of high rank, his marriage hav
ing allied him to Granville, Earl of Bath, son of the
brave and loyal Sir Bevil Granville, recommended
him in all probability to the notice of Lord Crewe,
from whom he received a stall in Durham Cathe
dral and the Rectory of Houghton-le-Spring. His
travels into Greece appear to have excited in him
a strong desire to establish such a friendly relation
with the Greek Church as might hereafter pave
the way to inter-communion between the members
of that Church and our own. Such at least, judg
ing from his kindly and charitable feelings, we
take to have been the object of his encouragement
of a proposed establishment of a college for Greek

100
Priests. Much quiet good sense and excellent
feeling is displayed in several letters which he
wrote on the subject of this college, and respecting
the course of study to be pursued by a Greek stu
dent named Dionysius.* Amongst other things,
he expresses a wish that his opinions as a Divine
may be formed " by reading rather than argumen
tation," by " letting him know the respect we have
always had for the Greek Church, and the little
difference there is between us in points of any
moment — none in fundamentals ; that we adhere
close to the Scriptures, and for the interpretation
of them to the Primitive Fathers and first Coun
cils." Mr. Surtees, with characteristic delicacy
of pen, thus concludes his biographical sketch of
Sir George Wheler. " Many interesting traits of
his character and disposition may be gathered from
his printed works (which afford the strongest in
ternal evidence of coming from the heart as well
as the head,) and from much of his correspondence,
which is still preserved in the family. His reli
gion, though austere in regard to himself, never
rendered him harsh or severe in his judgment of
others, and, however strict in his own observances,
he was neither an enemy to innocent recreations
nor to personal accomplishments, when consistent
with the purity of the Christian character ; and
though sincerely attached, both by judgment and
inclination, to the discipline and institutes of that
Church of which he was a member, his zeal and
charity embraced the whole Christian world. Nor
will it on the whole, perhaps, be more than justice
to conclude, that few ever more happily united
the dignified manners and sentiments of birth and
rank with the venerable simplicity and modesty of
the Christian pastor, than Sir George Wheler. "f
* For these letters see Surtees, vol. i. pp. 174-5.
\ Surtees, vol i., p. 172.

101
Passing up the Nave we come to the tomb of
John Lord Neville, and his wife Maude, daughter
of Henry, Lord Percy. It is an altar tomb,
the sides of which are filled with a series of cano
pied niches, each of which has been tenanted by
its separate figure of priest, or soldier, or holy nun,
many of which are still remaining, The canopies
of these niches are of very elaborate workmanship ;
the head of the canopy projecting in front, and
assuming the form of a square trefoiled arch, the
top being adorned with a small battlemented
moulding, and the sides with crockets. Internally
the head of the canopy is cuspated and its interior
groined with numerous small rib mouldings. The
first of the inner mouldings of the sides of the niche
is carried round under the head of the canopy, en
riched by the insertion at intervals of the four-leaved
flower ornament. The space between each niche is
divided into two stages, the square heads of which
are filled internally with a trefoil headed moulding.
In each of these stages is suspended a shield, al
ternately carved with the bearings of Neville and
Percy. The spaces between the uppermost of
these compartments and the entablature of the
tomb are each filled with two beautifully carved
leaves. The entablature itself (if we may apply
the term) has consisted of a succession of square
pannels running round the tomb, alternately filled
with small trefoil -headed arches and the four-
leaved flower ornament Between the basement
and the mouldings which run beneath the niches
and other compartments, is a repetition, at inter
vals of some width, of the square flat four-leaved
flower. Enough still remains to shew what the
beauty of this monument must have been when
fresh from the hands of the carver, but there is
scarcely a figure which remains uninjured in its

102
niche, or a cusp or crocket which is unmutilated,
and the alabaster effigies of the lordly Neville and
his high-born dame, which lay recumbent on the
top, are so shattered and broken as scarcely to re
tain their semblance to the human form. The
saltire of the Neville may be dimly traced on the
surcoat of his armour. Some faint vestiges of gold
and colours shew that the niches and ornaments
of the tomb had received this enrichment, an em
bellishment which was doubtless also extended to
the effigies. John, Lord Neville, to commemo
rate whom it was erected, " filled many offices of
the highest trust and honor. He was at different
periods Warden of the East Marches, Governor
of Bamburgh, High Admiral of England, Lieu
tenant of Acquitaine, and Seneschal of Bourdeaux.
To this warlike Baron is to be chiefly attributed
the building of the splendid pile of Raby, which
he had a licence to castellate in 1379. He had a
similar licence to make a castle of his manor-house
of Sheriff Hutton in 1382. In 1385 he attended
Richard II. on his expedition into Scotland. The
nobility of the North formed the rearward, and
Lord Neville's train consisted of two hundred
men-at-arms and three hundred archers. He died
at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1388."*
Close by this tomb, in the southern aisle, is the
monumental slab of Robert Neville, Bishop of
Durham. It is of blue marble, and the outline of
the brass which once adorned it is distinctly visi
ble, so that fancy may easily fill up the figure of the
Bishop in his pontifical garments, with his crosier,
the shields of his episcopal and paternal arms, and
the rich tabernacle work which gleamed over his
head. Bishop Neville was inthroned at Durham,
on the 1 1th April, 1438. He " was the fourth of
* Surtees, vol. iv. p. 151.

103
eight sons of Ralph, Earl of Westmoreland, by
Joan of Lancaster, sister of Henry IV. By his
maternal descent he was closely connected with
all the branches of Plantagenet, and nearly allied
in blood to the reigning sovereign ; and by the
issue of his father's first bed he claimed alliance
with all the ancient nobility and gentry of the
north. Bishop Neville does not seem to have par
ticipated in the haughty and ambitious spirit which
distinguished the younger race of Neville. His
character is unstained by violence or intrigue ; he
sought for no increase of privileges or possessions
at the expence of his vassals ; and the ample re
venues which the Church already held flowed freely
back through the country from which they were
derived. Of the private habits of a life apparently
passed in tranquility and retirement, nothing is
recorded ; but it may be collected from the Rolls of
the Episcopal Chancery that under Bishop Neville
the Palatine Establishment was liberal and splen
did. The great offices of his state and household
were filled by his kindred the Nevilles, and by the
Northern gentry, many of whom were honourably
retained in his service, or bound to him by acts of
individual generosity. To the heir of Emilden he
freely returned the whole of his estates, which had
escheated to the see in consequence of the forgery
and collusion of his ancestor ; and he restored their
ample possessions to the Grays of Northumber
land, in the person of his nephew Sir Ralph Gray,
representative of Sir Thomas Gray, who suffered
for treason under Henry V. In the month of
October, 1448, King Henry VI. visited the shrine
of St. Cuthbert, and was entertained for several
days by Bishop Neville in the Castle of Durham.
In letters still extant the pious and humble sove
reign expressed himself highly gratified by his

104
honourable reception, and by having witnessed the
devout and magnificent service of the Northern
Cathedrals."* Bishop Neville died on the 8th
July, 1457.
Advancing a pace or two eastwards, on the same
side of the nave, we come to another altar-tomb,
also sacred to a Neville. It commemorates the
first layman whose bones were permitted to rest
within the limits of the Cathedral. Ralph, Lord
Neville, the victor of Neville's Cross, was the per
son thus distinguished. As an acknowledgement
of his gallant services in that battle this privilege of
sepulture was in all probability accorded. His tomb
is now bare of every ornament, if we except the
bold projecting mouldings, which still remain to give
character and expression, like the branches of a
tree after its foliage has been scattered by the winds
of autumn. Its enrichments were probably not
very dissimilar to those of the monument of John,
Lord Neville, which we have described, for there
are evident indications of figures having been fas
tened to its sides. Whatever its adornments,
however, may have been, the hand of the spoiler
has most effectually defaced them. The shapeless
and broken fragments which rest on its upper
slab were once the effigies of the Lord Neville and
his wife Alice, daughter of Sir Hugh de Audley.
Ralph, Lord Neville, died in 1367. He left a son
John, Lord Neville, the " inheritor of the talents
and activity of a father," who, " during a long and
active life, appears as one of the most distinguished
of the English Barons."
Leaving these warlike barons to their repose, we
cross to the opposite side of the Nave, where an
altar-tomb of modern days presents itself to the
view. It was erected by his pupils to the memory
* Surtees, voL i., p. lvii.

105
of the Rev. James Britton, D. D., formerly Head
Master of the Grammar School of Durham. The
figure is in a half recumbent, meditative posture,
clad in clerical robes, the drapery of which is well
executed. There is great merit also in the chiselling
of the head and face. It is to be regretted that

there is so much poverty of effect in the tomb
upon which the figure rests. The want of suffi
cient projection in the mouldings of its basement
and upper part occasions the statue to appear too
large for its pedestal. A monument of this kind,
recumbent on its altar-tomb, is so much of an ad
vance in a right direction, as compared with the
Pagan erections of two preceding centuries, that
one feels loath to make a single depreciating ob
servation : yet how far short is it of the full deve-
lopement of the Christian idea of resting in sleep
after the labours of life are ended, which is ex
emplified in the calm and holy repose of the
monumental effigies of the olden time. The only
monument of modern days which we remember
to have seen, at all to be compared in this respect,
with the examples left us by the piety of past ages,
is the very beautiful one, by Westmacott, in
Westminster Abbey, to the memory of the Due
de Montpensier.

106
If, however, it be admissible to represent the
departed in any other attitude than that of " rest
ing from their labours," none can be so appropriate
or touching as that which has been chosen for the
object of the memorial which arrests the eye, on
turning into the southern transept.

The kneeling figure of Bishop Barrington, from
the admirable chisel of Chantry, must approve
itself to the taste and feelings of every beholder,
as well by the reverence and humility conveyed
in the attitude, as by the striking and venerable
expression of the countenance, which, in his case,
was no unfaithful index of the mind within. Noble
by birth, the honours of the Palatinate of Durham
were carried by him with becoming dignity, un
marked by pride or ostentation. Pious and cha
ritable, its high duties were performed with exact
ness and rectitude, and its princely revenues
dispensed with unsparing hand yet just discrimi
nation. Nor is it less to his praise that in the

107
disposal of the high preferments which are in the
gift of a Bishop of Durham, the laborious parish
priest, and the painful student were not unrewarded.
After a life prolonged beyond the ordinary limits
of human existence, Bishop Barrington descended
to the grave, leaving behind him a name second to
none of the many princely prelates who have oc
cupied the episcopal chair of the see of Durham.
Between two of the pillars of the North tran
sept stands a monument, by Rickman, in the style
of the decorated period of our Church architec
ture, commemorating the Rev. John Qarr, M.A.,
who for twenty-two years presided over the Gram
mar School of Durham, and who, but a few months
before his death, had been appointed Professor of
Mathematics in the then newly founded University
of Durham. Tt was raised as a token of deep re
spect and veneration by those who had had the
benefit of his instruction. Never, certainly, were
the relations of master and scholar characterized
by more kindly feelings oh the part of both, than
in the case of this learned and excellent man and
those who were under his charge. His elegant
and accurate scholarship, and profound mathema
tical knowledge, necessarily commanded their re
spect, while the sweetness of his disposition ob
tained their almost filial affection. That he was
not unskilled in the difficult art of imparting that
knowledge, which, for his own fame, his modesty
only too often concealed, the celebrity of many of
his scholars sufficiently evinces. It may be per
mitted to an old pupil thus to offer his tribute of
grateful remembrance.
Nearly adjoining Professor Carr's Monument,
at the south end of the north transept aisle, is a
large marble cenotaph, to the memory of Mr.
Woodifield, late Receiver to the Dean and Chap-

108
ter. The idea is taken from the sepulchral me
morials of classical antiquity. Respecting, as we
must do, the filial piety which has raised so costly
a tribute to a parent's memory, we may yet be
allowed an expression of regret that the Genius
loci should have been so little consulted in the se
lection of a design.
We must now proceed to the southern aisle of
the Choir, where the stately tomb of Bishop Hat
field claims our attention. Our readers will remem
ber the description of the canopy over it, which
forms the Episcopal throne, (see p. 50.) The altar-
tomb and effigy, as we remarked, is unseen from the
choir. The sides and arch of the canopy which
are seen from this southern aisle, are decorated in
precisely the same manner, and with equal rich
ness, as those which face the choir. The tomb is
lofty. Above the basement mouldings is a range
of square compartments, each of which contains a
quatrefoil enclosing a shield. Above is a corres
ponding number of tall shallow niches, of which
small projecting buttresses, whose upper stages
are surmounted by crocketed pinnacles, form
the divisions. The heads of the niches are ogee-
shaped with crockets on the outer moulding, and
richly cuspated within, terminating in delicately
chiselled finials, the neck-mouldings of which
are continued horizontally and form the lowest of
the cornice mouldings of the tomb. Below this,
shields are inserted at intervals between the heads
of the niches and the pinnacles of the small but
tresses. They also form part of the ornaments in
the concavity of the cornice moulding. The stone
work of the interior of the niches is partially dia
pered, in very slight relief. On this elevated tomb
is laid the effigy of the prelate, recumbent, with
hands uplifted, in that still and calm attitude,

109
which, in our judgement, is so singularly affecting
to the mind. The figure is of white marble, and
the minutest ornaments and embroidery of the
episcopal attire are carved with a delicacy of chisel
which is well worthy of examination. The jewel
led mitre, the ample folds of the chasuble, with
its richly worked border, the embroidered stole
and maniple, and the alb, wrought with the lions
of England and the Bishop's own paternal coat,
are all sculptured with infinite skill. The effect
was, doubtless, originally heightened by the addi
tion of gold and colours. Bishop Hatfield was
enthroned on Christmas Day, 1345. He " was
.descended from an honourable family, being the
second son of Sir Walter Hatfield, of Hatfield in
Holdernesse. He was educated amongst the se
cular clergy, but his orders, less strict than the
monastic rule, had not prevented his bearing arms
in France ; and the year after his consecration he
appeared at the siege of Calais with eighty archers.
To this martial propensity, rather than to any de
ficiency in scholastic learning, or in regular orders,
some insinuations as to his clerical incapacity may
probably be attributed. At the time of his pro
motion, Hatfield, besides some ecclesiastical pre
ferment, was tutor to Edward, Prince of Wales ;
and his spirit, sense, and loyalty, recommended
him to his sovereign as a fit depositary of the ex
traordinary powers which encircled the northern
mitre."* The principal event which took place
during Hatfield's pontificate was the battle of
Neville's Cross, and the Prince Bishop of Durham,
according to Froissart, was one of those who led
the van at that famous engagement. " After this
victory," continues Surtees, " he ruled the Church
and the Palatinate in profound tranquillity thirty-six
* Surtees, vol. i., p. xlviii.

110
years, appearing only once as a Commissioner on
the Scottish border, and engaging in no political
intrigue. The See of Durham lost nothing of its
dignity under his firm and vigorous administration.
Like his predecessor Bury he maintained a princely
hospitality, and dispensed a daily and extended
charity ; he was open, generous, and sincere ; to
his subjects just and beneficent; to his dependents
liberal and indulgent ; yet, when opposed, haughty
and untractable, impatient of controul, tenacious
of rank, and jealous to excess of any infringement
on the privileges of the Church. Chambre de
scribes him tall and unbending under the load of
years, grey-headed, of venerable aspect, and lofty
and commanding presence.  Bishop Hatfield
thoroughly repaired the Castle of Durham; he
added a strong tower to its former lines of defence,
and rebuilt the Bishop's Hall and the Constable's
Hall. He placed all the other residences belong
ing to the See in repair, and built Durham Place
in the Strand, (the site of which is now occupied
by the buildings of the Adelphi.) He became the
second founder of Durham House in Oxford, and
was a liberal benefactor to the Carmelite Friars
of North-Allerton. Bishop Hatfield died, after a
long illness, at his manor of Alford near London,
on the 8th May, being the vigil of St. John of
Beverley, 1381. His body attended by the Bishop
of Hereford and a numerous train was brought to
Durham, and interred in the tomb which he had
prepared during his life."
Close by the foot of Hatfield's tomb is a flat
marble slab whose fragmentary inscription, ....
passez pvr lame speaks of days gone by. It
rescues from forgetfulness the name of Emeric
de Lumley, Prior of Lythum, and afterwards of
Finchale, dependent cells upon the great monas
tery of Durham.

Ill
Pass we onwards into the Chapel of the Nine
Altars. The tomb of St. Cuthbert has already
sufficiently engaged our attention, when surveying
the place where his stately shrine was reared.
When looking towards the north end of the Cha
pel, the eye of the spectator is immediately
attracted by a colossal statue of white marble, but
before pausing to examine it, we must request our
readers first of all to contemplate the humble slab
which covers the remains of that powerful prelate,
who secured for himself the privilege, never before
granted, of being buried near the body of St. Cuth
bert, and whose name is still proverbial as a sort
of impersonation of Episcopal dignity and gran
deur at its most splendid epoch. Anthony Bee,
Bishop of Durham and Patriarch of Jerusalem,
lies under a slab of blue marble which forms part
of the pavement opposite to the spot once occu
pied by the altar of St. Aidan and St. Helena.
The piety of Lord Willoughby d'Eresby, renewed,
a few years ago, upon a small plate of the same
material, the inscription which was formerly en
graven on a brass which surrounded the ledge of the
marble : —
$w aul ntagnsnimuB antontttg f>it facet fonts
Jerusalem stwmtus |Jatria«f)a ftttt, qttoD opimns
&nnis btom's tegnabat aex et f plettta
JWille imentenfs ffl»v(sto motttut guoque tenia.
Bishop Bee was enthroned on Christmas Eve,
] 285. He was the son of Walter Bee, Baron of
Eresby in Lincolnshire. After presiding over the
See of Durham for twenty-eight years, he died at
Eltham on the 3rd of March, 1310. "The Pala
tine power reached its highest elevation under the
splendid Pontificate of Anthony Bee. Surrounded
by his officers of state, or marching at the head of

112
his troops, in peace or in war, he appeared as
the military chief of a powerful and independent
Franchise. The Court of Durham exhibited all
the appendages of Royalty ; nobles addressed the
Palatine Sovereign kneeling, and instead of menial
servants, knights waited in his presence-chamber,
and at his table, bareheaded and standing. Impa
tient of controul, whilst he asserted an oppressive
superiority over the Convent, and trampled on the
rights of his vassals, he jealously guarded his own
Palatine Franchise, and resisted the encroach
ments of the Crown when they trenched on the
privileges of the Aristocracy. When his pride or
his patriotism had provoked the displeasure of his
sovereign, he met the storm with firmness, and
had the fortune or the address to emerge from
disgrace and difficulty with added rank and influ
ence. His high birth gave him a natural claim to
power, and he possessed every popular and splen
did quality which could command obedience or
excite admiration. His courage and constancy
were shewn in the service of his Sovereign. His
liberality knew no bounds; and he regarded no
expense, however enormous, when placed in com
petition with any object of pleasure or magnificence.
Yet in the midst of apparent profusion he was too
prudent ever to feel the embarrassment of want.
Surrounded by habitual luxury, his personal tem
perance was as strict as it was singular : and his
chastity was exemplary in an age of general cor
ruption. Not less an enemy to sloth than to in
temperance, his leisure was devoted either to
splendid progresses from one manor to another,
or to the sports of the field ; and his activity and
temperance preserved his faculties of mind and
body vigorous under the approach of age and in
firmity. In the munificence of his public works

113
he rivalled the greatest of his predecessors. Within
the Bishopric of Durham he founded the Colleges
of Chester and Lanchester, erected towers at
Gainford and Coniscliff, and added to the buildings
of Alnwick and Barnard Castles. He gave Even-
wood Manor to the Convent, and appropriated the
Vicarage of Morpeth to the Chapel which he had
founded at Auckland. In his native county of
Lincoln he endowed Alvingham Priory, and built
a Castle at Somerton. In Kent he erected the
beautiful Manor House of Eltham, whose ruins
still speak the taste and magnificence of its founder.
Notwithstanding the vast expenses incurred in
these and other works, in his contests with the
Crown and with his vassals, in his foreign journeys,
and in the continued and excessive charges of his
household, he died wealthier than any of his pre
decessors, leaving immense treasures in the riches
of the age ; gallant horses, costly robes, rich fur
niture, plate and jewels."*
Hard by the lowly tomb of this princely pre
late, stands the monument of the last of his suc
cessors in whom were centered those Palatine
powers, which in the person of Bee were extended
to their utmost limit. When the Palatine sceptre
was swayed for the last time by a Bishop of Dur
ham, the progress of five centuries had wrought a
change, such as Bee, assuredly, little dreamed of.
The once fierce and active enmity of our Scottish
neighbours no longer needed the vigorous arm of
a martial bishop to repel their intrusion, for na
tional hostility had long given place to kindly
intercourse and mutual confidence; and a long
period of internal peace and tranquillity, together
with innumerable social changes, appeared to ren
der less necessary the continuance of any of those
* Surtees, vol I. p. xxxv.

114
peculiar jurisdictions, which in the more remote
corners of the kingdom, especially, and in the dis
turbed periods of our history, were of singular use
and benefit, both with respect to the adminis
tration of justice, and the regulation of various
other matters of a more domestic nature which
came under their cognizance. It were idle now
to enquire whether any adequate advantage has
been gained by depriving the Bishops of Durham
of the venerable appendage which for so many
centuries added dignity to their mitre. Bishop
Van Mildert's fame rests, however, upon a surer
ground than that of being handed down as the
last wearer of the coronet of the Counts Palatine.
He has higher and more lasting claims to the ve
neration of posterity. As a scholar he was a ripe
and good one, and as a theologian, a true son of the
Church of England, and a sound and able exponent
of those distinctive principles, based on primitive
antiquity, whereon she takes her stand, alike against
the errors of Rome and Geneva. His generosity
was unbounded, and was especially displayed in the
munificent aid which he rendered on the establish
ment of the University of Durham by the Dean
and Chapter, and also in the plans which he had
projected for the increase of all the smaller livings
in his diocese : plans which were in course of opera
tion when it pleased Providence to remove him
from the scene of his labours. These acts of his
charity were public and known, but his private
benefactions are believed to have been upon a scale
of beneficence even yet more extended. Certain
it is that he acted as the steward only of the large
possessions of his See, for it was manifest at his
death that to realize a fortune out of the revenues
of the Church had never formed one of his aspira
tions.

115
Bishop Van Mildert's monument was erected
by public subscription. It is a sitting figure, of
large dimensions, from the studio of Gibson, and

presents no unfaithful representation of the mild
and thoughtful countenance of that revered pre
late. The arches of that part of the arcade which de
corates the lower portion of the eastern wall of the
Nine Altars, are for the most part filled up with
mural tablets, with but little advantage, it must be
confessed to its architectural effect. They chiefly
commemorate some of the members of the Chapter
and their families, but have little claim to admiration
for any peculiar character or beauty, if we except
one, a bas-relief of chaste and elegant design, to
the memory of the infant daughter of Viscount
Chelsea. While upon the subject of the sepulchral me
morials within the Cathedral, we may fitly men
tion those which are worthy of notice in the grave-

116
yard outside. The cemetery or centry-garth, as
it is still corruptly called, which was the burying
place of the monks, was at the east end of the
Church and extended itself also towards the Chap
ter House on the south side of the Choir. It was
not however for their own exclusive sepulture.
" Divers gentlemen of good worship," we learn,
much affected burial beside the good fathers of the
monastery, that they might be " nigh unto that
holy man St. Cuthbert," but as the author we
have so often quoted somewhat touchingly tells
us, " their memories are now perished, and all
their monuments defaced and gone."* Dean
Whittingham appears to have had a chief hand in
the destruction, especially, of those which covered
the remains of priors or monks, and had any
"imagery- work, or chalice wrought on and engraven
upon them." So far indeed did his iconoclastic
spirit carry him that he is recorded to have broken
up the stones aud applied them to the building of
a wash-house. It is not improbable that his hand
of spoliation may have also extended in some de
gree to the north side of the Cathedral, the place
of the existing cemetery, for there are but few re
mains of any antiquity to be pointed out. A
female effigy, in Stanhope marble, near the great
north door, is the most perfect and interesting.
Popular tradition long told a stirring tale concern
ing this figure. It was said to represent one, who
inspired by the lust of gain, dared a fearful leap
from the top of the northern aisle. He alighted in
safety and received the purse of gold which had
tempted him to risk both life and limb. The
same glittering temptation induced a second at
tempt, in which he perished ; and he was said to
have been buried on the spot where he fell and
* Rites and Monuments-

117
represented in effigy with the wages of his folly in
his hand. In confirmation of the truth of the
legend appeal was always made to the figure in
question and to the purse which it manifestly held
in its hand. And a purse for long it was most
piously believed to be, till the legend was ruthlessly
demolished by Mr. Raine adducing many very
satisfactory arguments to prove that it is the monu
mental effigy of the Lady Eleanor, daughter of
John, Lord Neville of Raby, and wife of Sir Ralph
Lumley, whose hand is grasping not a purse, but
a ghve.* A knightly effigy, sorely mutilated and
broken, with an oblong shield, lies not far off, and
when we have mentioned a few coffin lids with
crosses upon each, foliated in different but not un
usual forms, there remains no memorial of sufficient
importance to demand a separate notice, except that
of Mickleton, the laborious local antiquary, whose
voluminous manuscript collections eventually fell
into the hands of Bishop Barrington, who placed
them in Cosin's Library. He died at Crook Hall,
in 1693. We perhaps ought also to mention that
of Dodsley, the author of the Economy of Human
Life, who is buried under an altar tomb in this
cemetery. His epitaph was written by Spence, the
author of the Polymetis, at whose prebendal house
he died in 1764.

* Brief Account of Durham Cathedral, p. 12S.

118

THE CLOISTER.
We now leave the Cathedral, by one of its south
ern doors, and pass into the Cloister, a large
quadrangular space, around which is a covered
walk. The long ranges of its windows with their
open tracery were restored about sixty years ago,
after the Gothic fashion of that day, and although
nothing can be worse, taken singly, than the way
in which the restoration was done, there are yet
few things more pleasing than the general effect of
the whole. The lengthening perspective of its
alleys as we successively turn each corner, the
light streaming through the open tracery of the
windows, with its alternate effects of sunshine
and shadow falling on the walls and pavement,
the pannelled roof over-head, with its " scocheons"
of varied device and hue, and the smooth green
turf of the square within, with the marble basin
in its centre, form a combination which in the
unbroken stillness of a summer's noon, or the holy
calm of evening, renders it no unmeet place as a
haunt for retired musing.
The building of the Cloister was commenced
about the year 1368, was carried on by Bishop
Skirlaw, whose executors presented £400. towards
its completion, and was eventually finished by
Cardinal Langley, about 1419. The north alley
of the Cloister was originally occupied by a range
of wainscotted closets, or " carrels," as they are
called by the author of the Rites and Monuments.
Each window lighted three of these closets, the
divisions of which were carried close up to the
mullions of the window, so that their respective
occupants were quite separated one from the other.

119
All the carrels were furnished with desks, and were
respectively assigned, as places of study, to the
senior monks, who resorted thither for that pur
pose between dinner time and even-song. Between
the carrels and the wall of the Church was a long
enclosed space, into which they all opened. This
was the library of the convent, to which all had
access, and was fitted up with almries, or closets of
wood-work, in which their books were deposited.
Some indications may yet be traced on the wall of
the almries having been fastened against it. The
catalogues of the Monastic Library of Durham
from antient MSS. were published by the Sur
tees Society in 1838, and are exceedingly inter
esting as affording accurate data, by means of which
we may come to a conclusion respecting the nature
of their studies and the extent of their learning.
The Norman portal which opens into the Church
at the east end of this alley, is peculiarly rich in
its decoration. It consists of a succession of re
ceding concentric arches, whose soffits and faces
are respectively enriched with beaded, twisted
panel, embattled and rose mouldings. The inner
most arch is sculptured with the diamond frette
moulding which is continued down the sides of
the doorway to the ground. The other arches rest
upon disengaged nook-shafts with sculptured capi
tals. In the western alley of the Cloister is the
Treasury of the Church, which is entered by a
small pointed doorway, near to the large round
headed door at its north west angle which gives
access to the Dormitory above. Tt remains in pre
cisely the same state as before the dissolution.
There is the iron grating behind which Master
Treasurer sat to receive the rents and payments
made to the House; and several huge chests, each
secured by more than one lock, and strongly

120
clamped with iron, testify to the value of the store
which they once contained. The valuable records
of the monastery, papal bulls, royal and episcopal
charters, dating from the most remote antiquity,
are still preserved here with the utmost care.
There are also quantities of charters belonging to
many of the more important families of the Bis
hopric, Lumleys, Eures, Conyers, Hiltons, Urn-
frevilles, Claxtons, and the like, which were doubt
less originally deposited in the Treasury of the
Prior and Convent for safer keeping than the
Castle or the Manor- House could always afford.
Mr. Surtees has given in his History a series of
engravings taken from the original impressions
affixed to the Charters here preserved, of the
Episcopal seals, and also many specimens, some
of exquisite design and character, of the seals
which are appended to the charters of the great
barons and chief gentry of the North. Among
the archives here reposited, are also the rolls of
expenses of the Convent, and of the dependent
cells of Finchale, Coldingham, Stamford, Lythum,
&c, duplicates of which were sent every year to
the great monastery of Durham, that like a wise
and careful parent, she might exercise a due super
vision over the outgoings and incomings of her chil
dren. These rolls are of great value, as throwing
light upon the domestic menage of monastic life,
and containing much curious information as to
prices of provisions, &c, besides often giving inci
dental information respecting historical and other
matters of general interest. The Surtees Society
has published the Rolls of Finchale and Colding
ham, as well as the Account Rolls of the Bursar
of the Priory of Durham from 1530 to 1534.
Close to the door of the Treasury was a seat for
the Master of the Novices, who sat opposite to

121
him, near the windows of the Cloister, in an en
closed space separated from the other part of. the
alley by wainscot-work, like the " carrels" of the
monks on the north side of the Cloister. Here
they received regular instruction, forenoon and
afternoon. This alley also contains the song-school, and
vestries for the minor canons and choristers, which,
as well as the Treasury, look into the garden be
longing to the fifth stall, formerly the monks'
bowling green. The school and vestries are all
part of a large vaulted hall which formerly occupied
all the space from the Treasury to the south-wes
tern corner of the Cloister, where its original door
way is still in use. This was the Common-House
of the monks, where they had freedom of conver
sation with each other, and was the only apartment
in the monastery (except those of the Prior and
great officers of the House) where the indulgence
of a fire was permitted. This is the place, as we
have already remarked, where some curious frag
ments of antient art have been deposited, which
previously found a resting place within the Shrine
of St. Cuthbert. It is a dark and gloomy looking
apartment, now, whatever it may have been, and
scarcely looks like a place for holding high festival,
yet it was the scene of " a solemn banquet" once,
at least, in the year : when the Master of the
House kept his 0 Sapiential and entertained his
brethren with deep flagons of foaming ale, cakes,
figs, and raisins.
Over the Common House and the Treasury is
the Dormitory. Its length has been curtailed by
successive additions which it has furnished to the
* The day of this feast, Dec. 16, is still designated in our Calendar by this
name. It is so called from the beginning of an anthem in the Romish
service, which was sung in honour of our Lord's Advent from that day till
.Christmas Eve. M

122
house belonging to the fifth stall. It originally ex
tended the whole length of that side of the Clois
ter, and bears date about 1404. Its exterior has
been subjected to restoration, but with due atten
tion to preserve the character of its perpendicular
windows. In the interior the cells of the monks were
ranged along the walls on each side. The privacy
of each was secured by the allotment of a separate
chamber closely wainscotted, whose sole furniture
was a bed and a book-desk.
From the south western angle of the Cloister a
magnificent view is obtained of the great tower of
the Cathedral. From this point two sides of the
tower are commanded, and it rises with a sort of
pyramidical grandeur from the midst of its tributary
aisles and transepts. The many windowed line of
the Cloister beneath, the time-worn and moulder
ing walls of the southern aisle of the Church, the
great perpendicular window of the Chapter-House,
and the bright hue of the newly restored gable of
the south transept with its Norman decorations,
all bear their part in a picture, from which many
a lover of the beautiful will be loath to withdraw
his eye. The character of the windows of the
southern aisle has already been adverted to (p.
30-1) : we need not therefore now describe them.
The general appearance of this part of the fabric
will give a sufficient idea of that which the nor
thern front presented, before it was subjected to
the paring process. Architectural restoration is
fortunately better understood now. The Norman
windows of the triforium and clerestory, here, as
well as on the north, have received mullions and
tracery of a subsequent date. The observer may
readily here perceive the indications of each win
dow of the triforium of this aisle having been under

123
its separate gable. Several small windows, little
larger than loop-holes, have been inserted in the
triforium, without any very obvious purpose. The
windows of that side of the transept facing the
Cloister, have all been restored strictly in accor
dance with their original Norman character.
The south alley of the Cloister was originally
occupied by the Frater-house, or Refectory of the
Monastery, built upon a Norman crypt, which is
still in existence. This apartment, which appears
to have been one of very stately character, adorned
with fresco painting, and carved wainscotting,
was used as the dining hall of the Convent on
days of high festival, when their hospitality was
dispensed to a large number of guests. At other
times they made use of one of smaller dimensions,
at the west end of the Refectory, called the loft,
still in existence and now used as the dining room
of the prebendal house attached to the fifth stall.
Both communicated with the great kitchen of the
Monastery, now the Deanery Kitchen.
The minor-canons, who appear for some time
after their foundation to have lived for the most
part a collegiate life, used the Refectory as a com
mon hall. During the time of the civil wars,
however, it seems to have fallen into decay, and
in all probability after the Restoration the changes
in the times and in social habits, rendered living
in community not so much in favour with them.
However this may be, no attempt was made to re-
edify their hall for its original purpose, but under
the auspices, and at the expense, of Dean Sudbury,
the Chapter Library (as it is usually called) arose
upon its ruins. We shall request our readers to
enter it with us after we have completed our sur
vey of the Cloister.
Passing along this southern walk of the Cloister

124
we are brought to the extremity of its eastern
alley. The windows of this walk are recorded to
have been filled with stained glass, representing
the life and miracles of St. Cuthbert. On this
side of the Cloister, no longer ago than the year
1799, stood the antient Norman Chapter House,
built by Bishop Galfrid Rufus (1 133-1 143.) Me
lancholy to relate, the desire of possessing a com
fortable room for the transaction of Chapter busi
ness had more weight in those days than all the
veneration due to antiquity or the sanctities of a
place which was hallowed by the sepulchral me
morials of prelates and priors of Durham for three
centuries after the conquest. These have all pe
rished. Nothing indeed remains to shew its
former character except a portion of the arcade
which surrounded the lower part of the interior,
and its rich Norman doorway, which have been
brought to light by stripping off the stoothing
with which they were enveloped. The doorway
which now gives access to the Chapter room is not
the original entrance. The great portal of the
Chapter-house, now closed up is a little nearer to the
Cloister entrance. The mouldings of its arch have
suffered under the chiselling and paring process
which was so much in favour some sixty years
ago. The windows on each side, which were ori
ginally open to the Cloister and unglazed (we
believe for some symbolical reason) are now walled
up. They are of the same date as the doorway,
indeed the only additions to its original Norman
character appear to have been the perpendicular
window which still exists over the great entrance,
and some decorated tracery in its eastern windows.
Between the Chapter House and the Church is a
room, which in days of old was called the Par
lour : and was a place where merchants were

125
allowed to produce their goods for the inspection
of the Bursar and other officers who made pro
vision for the House, and where the monks had
licence of speech with their kinsfolk and friends.
Above is the office of the Registrar of the Dean
and Chapter. This was formerly used as a Library,
having been built for that purpose by Prior Wes-
syngton in 1414, to which it continued to be ap
plied until the building of the present one by Dean
Sudbury. Wessyngton's perpendicular window
has recently been restored. The door near the
entrance to the Cloister forms a private access to
the Deanery.
The roof of the Cloister is of oak, panelled in
squares, divided by ribs with bosses at their
intersections, most of which have a shield in
their centre. The bearings of Bishop Skirlaw,
argent, six wands in true love, proper, occur at
frequent intervals, and amongst the others may be
noted the well known ensigns of many of the old
houses of the North : — Percy, Clifford, Umfreville,
Greystock, Scroop, Neville, Bowes, Tempest,
Surtees and others. One or two figures of angels
remain in the corners of the roof, supporting shields
with the arms of Skirlaw.
The large basin in the centre of the Cloister
quadrangle, is of Teesdale marble, the blocks of
which were procured for the purpose by permission
of the Abbot of Eggleston. It is octagonal, and
has shields carved on the sides. It once flowed
with a plentiful supply of pure and sparkling water,
for the ablutions of the monks. We learn from the
Rites and Monuments that it was enclosed within
a building of stone, lighted by seven windows, above
which was " a dove-coat, covered with lead. The
workmanship was both fine and costly." There
was also attached to it " a bell, to call the monks
at eleven o'clock, to come and wash before dinner."

126

THE LIBRARY.
" What a happiness is it that, without all offence of Necromancy, I may
here call up any of the antient worthies of Learning, whether humane
or divine, and confer with them of all my doubts ! That I can at plea
sure summon whole synods of Reverend Fathers and acute Doctors
from all the Coasts of the Earth, to give their well studied judgments
in all points of question which I propose ! Neither can I cast my eye
casually upon any of these silent masters, but I must learn somewhat.
It is a wantonness to complain of choice." Bishop Hall.
The Library of the Cathedral, which owes its
foundation in its present form, as we have already
stated, to Dean Sudbury, is a long and lofty room,
entered from the southern alley of the Cloister, by
a door of debased or semi-classic detail. It is
well lighted by a range of tall mullioned windows
on each side. The room is wainscotted with oak,
up to the level of the window sills, and cases for
the books of the same material and of like height,
are uniformly arranged against the walls, project
ing into the room from each side, and forming a
regular series of recesses, with desk and seats be
tween each case. It is of course far beyond our
limits even to attempt any thing like a conspectus of
the books contained here, which amount to about
8000 volumes. It is sufficient to state in general
terms that it is a Library not unworthy of the body
to whom it belongs, and from whose munificence its
stores are continually increasing. We should not
omit to mention the liberality with which the use
of its valuable contents is permitted to any resident
in the city whose character and position afford a war
rant for the security of the loan. For the infor
mation of strangers we may here observe that the
Library is open between the hours of twelve and
one, every Tuesday and Saturday. The Rev.

127
James Raine is the present Librarian. His name
is so well known to all who are conversant with
archaeological learning as to render any further
mention of it unnecessary from our pen.
The manuscripts are kept with great care in two
closets on each side of the lower end of the Library.
In that on the left hand are deposited the precious
stores, which, for the most part, have descended
from the Prior and Convent to their present suc
cessors. Amongst these are many splendid speci
mens of caligraphy, and the pages of many of them
are resplendent with the bright colours and gilding
which the monastic scribes of old so well knew
how to apply to the embellishment of their service-
books and copies of Holy Scripture. Pudsay's
bible, in four large volumes, is a magnificent ex
ample. Nothing can exceed the beauty of the
decorated initial letters, many of which are exceed.
ingly curious, on account of the several characters
which are portrayed, being all attired by the lim
ner in the garments worn at the time when the
illuminations were painted. Guards of fine linen
of coeval fabric are attached to some of the leaves,
to protect the painting from injury. For quaint
device as well as beauty of execution, we may in
stance the volume lettered A n. 3 : It is a copy of
part of the Psalter, with Augustine's commentary.
There is also a Bible in one thick volume, which
possesses illuminations in almost every page, of
singular minuteness and delicacy of pencilling.
Among the oldest MSS. are a copy of the Gospels
of SS. John, Luke, and Mark, which is said by
Bentley to have been certainly written before the
year 700 ; a Cassiodorus super Psalterium, (B. n.
30.) traditionally said to have been written by
Venerable Beda, which contains a very curious
illumination of David playing upon the harp, with

128
a most elaborate border; and an Anglo-Saxon
Ritual, which has recently been given to the world
by the Surtees Society. The latter contains some
interesting indications of the manner in which re
ligion was made to blend itself with almost every
action of the life of our Saxon fathers. The trees
of their orchards had a blessing invoked upon them
when planted, and thanks were rendered on the
gathering of the fruit which they yielded. In like
manner the nets of the hunter, the fisher, and the
fowler, and the bread which was eaten in the
household, were all hallowed for their several uses
by the voice of prayer. It contains also a curious
form of exorcism of vases found among the ruins
of Roman cities and encampments, a treasure trove
which in those days must have been by no means
uncommon. The fragments of the robes of >St.
Cuthbert, and the other relics which we mentioned
above (p. 68) are kept in this closet, within a glass
case. The closet on the opposite side is also appro
priated to the reception of MSS. which chiefly
consist of the voluminous collections of Dr. Hun
ter, Randall, and Allan, towards the illustration of
the history of the county. It also contains a large
collection of music, the legacy of a former preben
dary, and the coins collected by Sir George Wheler
in his travels in the east.
The Roman altars and tablets ranged around
the room are principally from the great stations of
Lanchester, Ebchester, and Corbridge, in the vi
cinity of which even now are often found similar
remains. A thin gold plate, with an inscription,
found at Lanchester, is preserved in the MSS.
closet we have just mentioned.
At the east end of the room is a full length por
trait of Dean Sudbury, the founder, and hanging

129
against the panels of the wainscotting beneath
are portraits of Bishops Chandler and Butler, be
tween which is a small and very ill-favoured
" portraicture" of Queen Marie. A door in the
wainscotting forms a private entrance to the Dea
nery. At the western extremity of the Library
are two other portraits ; one of Dr. Cowper, Dean
of Durham from 1746 to 1774 : the other repre
senting Sir George Wheler, clad in surplice and
hood, with mild and venerable countenance, and
white hair hanging down upon his shoulders.
In a closet, with glass doors, which faces the
entrance, are preserved the copes belonging to
the Church. They were used in the Cathedral of
Durham, in accordance with the xxiv Canon, at
the administration of the Holy Communion, within
the last seventy years. Bishop Warburton, who
held a prebendal stall here until his death in 1779.
was the first who laid them aside. His temper,
which was none of the best, was wont to get un
commonly ruffled by the high collar of the cope
getting between his neck and his full-bottomed wig.
At last, in a fit of more than ordinary irritation,
he threw aside the cope, and vowed he would
never wear it again. After this, they were gra
dually laid aside by the other prebendaries and at
last fell into total desuetude. They are very curi
ous specimens of the loom and the needle of for
mer days, some of them, in all probability, having
been in existence two centuries before the dissolu
tion. The one of crimson silk, on which is worked
David holding the head of Goliath, was presented
to the Church by Charles I.

130

THE DEANERY, &C
A passage, entered by a low archway, leads from
the Cloister to the College, or Cathedral close, a
large open space, around which are disposed the
prebendal houses belonging to the several stalls.
Nearly a fourth of this square is occupied by the
garden of the Deanery, projecting into it in front
of that building, which is on the left hand as we
emerge from the Cloister passage. The Deanery
was originally the lodging of the Lord Prior, and
still retains some of the architectural features be
longing to the time of its earlier occupants, espe
cially an early English crypt, under what was the
Prior's domestic chapel, but much alteration has
been made in later times in the arrangement and
disposition of the rooms, fitting them to the habits
of modern days. A beautiful old panelled roof of
carved oak remains in one of the bed rooms. The
receiving rooms are large and lofty, They were
fitted up in their present form by Dean Hall.
The garden of the Deanery extends behind over
what was originally a portion of the Cemetery.
This enlargement of its borders was made by Dean
Whittingham, who certainly never allowed any
feelings of reverence for sacred things or sacred
places to stand in the way of his proceedings. A
line of magnificent hollies extend their branches
far over the southern wall. Before we leave the
Deanery, it may interest some of our readers to
have an account of a few hours spent there in 1634
by the Captain of the Norwich Company, with his
Lieutenant and Ancient, from whose quaint and
amusing note-book we have already quoted.* They
• See p. 26.

131
had attended morning prayer at the Cathedral,
where they " were discover'd by that worthy, grave,
generous Deane (Dr. Hunt) and no sooner was
prayers done" the narrator continues, " but wee
were summoned by one of his gentile Ambassadors,
to take part of a Resident Dinner wth him, wch had
we not freely and cheerfully accepted off, wee had
lost our selves, & that noble entertainment, such
as was fit for neat palated courtiers, & not for
such dusty travelling Soldiers as wee were. The
first salute & welcome from this worthy Gentle
man was exprest with a double reflect upon us ;
first, as we were strangers, but more especially as we
were his Countrymen. It pleas'd him to leave all
his Guests, Doctors, Prebends, and Citizens of
both Sexes, & of both kinds spirituall and layitie,
& to condiscend to walke wth us in his Garden
about half an houre, till his Gent Usher, the har
binger of Dinner, came & told him his meat was
on the table : we wish'd the Cooke had not been
so hasty, or that he had layen longer in bed : for
his grave discourse was so mild, sweet, & eloquent,
as would make a man soe in a trance, as never to
be weary of hearing him. The same curteous
usuage wee had in his Garden, the same wee had
at his Board, which neither wanted good Dishes
nor Company, for there were of both choice, and
plenty. After halfe an houres sitting there came
a young Scholler, & read a Chapter, during wch
time all discourse ceas'd : no sooner was itt ended,
but the grave Master of the House begins a Cup
of Wine to all his Guests, wth a hearty welcome,
wch his gentile Servitors were careful to see every
man pledge, to wash down the fat Venison, sweet
Salmon, & other great cheere this large and sump
tuous Table was furnished with. Thus we spent
an houre to refresh our travelling Corps, w,h as

132
good meat and drinke, & from as good, as free, &
as generous a Gentleman as England affords.
Soone after Dinner wee bethought our selves of
our Journey, and so agreed to take our leave of
him, but his reply to our requests was to stay still
wth him a weeke longer ; our cheare and welcome
should be the same we had found : we mildly
press'd for his licence to depart, telling him how
we had resolv'd and order'd our Journey. A noble
Doctor standing by (in our behalfes wee thanke
him) told Mr. Deane that the greatest freedom
Strangers could have was to enjoy their Liberties :
well, said this grave Orator, since I can no longer
enjoy you, I shall wish & pray for a happy & pros
perous Journey to attend you, and soe I commit
you into the hands of my Jalor, his Gentleman
Usher, one of our Countrymen standing by."
And so they took leave of their hospitable host.
Time produces its changes in manners and forms
of social courtesy, but allowing for these mutations,
a " Residence Dinner" within the precincts of the
College still presents an appearance very similar in
many respects to that which it did two hundred
years ago. The host still presides in his canonical
habit of cassock and gown, and the " young schol
ler" still comes in at a certain time to read a por
tion of the Psalter, after which the Residentiary
addresses him with, Tu autem; to which he re
sponds, Domine miserere nostri : a remnant of the
old office of the Benedictio mensm in which it
cccurs. The " Poculum charitatis, or Love-cup,"
as Sir George Wheler calls it,* then makes its
round. It seems trifling perhaps to record these
things, but it may be that in the course of a few
years, even these faint relics of the customs of our
fathers may be known only by tradition.
» Protestant Monastery, p. 175.

133
The Deanery kitchen, formerly the great kitchen
of the monastery, is well worthy of a visit from
any one curious in architectural remains. It is a
large octagonal building and bears date 1368-1370,
and in the great features of its unique and curious
groining, is as perfect as the day it was finished.
The groining " consists of eight semicircular ribs,
each extending over three sides of the octagon,
the space left within their intersection being con
verted into a lantern.* If the yawning arch of its
huge fire-place were opened out, and the apparatus
for modern cookery removed, we should see the
monastic kitchen in its pristine state. Its plain
and massive exterior, groups not unpleasingly with
the long line of the Library, with its range of tall
windows, and the great pile of the Cathedral be
hind it.
The prebendal houses in this square, are all of
them of more or less modern date, and present
no external features of interest. They occupy the
place of buildings devoted to various purposes of
use and hospitality, in the days of monastic splen
dour. Along the west side was a noble Guest-
hall, as it was termed, with its suite of apartments
for the due reception of travellers of every degree,
who were entertained, according to their quality,
by their kind hosts, as long as their occasions led
them to stay in Durham, and no questions asked,
" so long as they continued of honest and good be
haviour." In the north-west angle of the square
was the Monk's Infirmary, and in the vaults below
a prison for the punishment of flagitious offenders.
The south side was taken up with garners and
store -houses, malt-kiln and orchards, of all which
no trace remains, excepting perhaps some crypts
and cellars under one or two of the prebendal
» Billings's Architectural Illustrations of Durham Cathedral, p. 50.
N

134
houses which occupy their site. Two or three
aged and branching sycamores, and a stone reser
voir for water, half covered with ivy, which stands
near the south-west angle of the square, are in
harmony with its quiet precincts. A noble view of
the south side of the Cathedral, with its subjacent
buildings, is obtained when standing by this reser
voir.

The great Gateway which still gives access from
the town to the Abbey precincts is a perfect and
interesting specimen of a class of buildings upon
which much care was generally bestowed. It is
of the perpendicular period, having been built by
Prior Castell, at the latter part of the 15th cen-

135
tury, but of plainer and more unadorned character
than many which are met with of that date. The
groining of the arch-way is good, and its bosses
sculptured with foliage, of which Prior Castell's
shield of arms forms an adornment. The window
above the arch facing the street retains its original
character, and has a canopied niche on each side,
in one of which a headless figure still remains.
The other is untenanted. The corresponding win
dow on the western side of the gateway also remains
unaltered. The small pointed windows on each
side of it are of modern insertion. The upper
chambers of the gateway are now used as the offices
of the Receiver and Treasurer of the Dean and
Chapter. They occupy the place of the Chapel of
St. Helen and the lodging of its priest, who sang
mass there every day for the benefit of the laity.
By the street into which this gateway gives en
trance we might now conduct our readers to the
Castle, of which, indeed, as its name implies, it
once formed one of the exterior defences. The
Bailey has of course been the line of the origi
nal Ballium of the Castle. We may take, how
ever, another path, which opens out a sight of
those beauties of wood and water for which Dur
ham is so deservedly famed. Nearly facing the
great Gateway, on the western side of the College
square, is a low archway, beneath one of the pre
bendal houses. To this we would beg the stranger
to direct his steps, and when he has traversed its
passage, let him linger awhile to enjoy the scene.
The river gleaming through the trees beneath his
feet, and the sound of its rushing waters, the op
posite bank with its steep declivity, clothed to its
summit with rich masses of wood, from which the
houses of South Street appear to emerge and then
follow the line of its ridge, the cottage by the mill-

136
dam, and the sloping gardens of the houses above,
— all form a picture from which no lover of the
fair scenes of nature can withhold his admiration.
He may then descend the bank for a few paces ;
and instead of proceeding downwards towards the
river, let him turn to the right and pursue the
path which will lead him beneath the huge but
tresses and massy walls which once supported the
the various monastic buildings which stood at the
north western angle of the square we have just
left. A little further on, in a straight line with
these piles of masonry, and indeed forming a con
tinuation of them, he will stand below the western
wall of the Galilee Chapel, with its vast buttresses,
rising from the rock, portions of which jut out
from the side of the bank. We may here point
out the remains of the original Norman work of
the fabric, string work, and arcades with interlac
ing arches, the perishable stone of whose mould
ings is sorely injured by the blasts of centuries.
After advancing onwards a few more paces, the
path divides : one branch diverging to the right,
the other pursuing a downward course towards the
brink of the river, at the point where it is crossed by
the old bridge of Framwellgate, which we have
already mentioned.* The former, however, is the
way by which we would lead our traveller. It
brings us out again upon the Place-Green, f and in
sight of the donjon keep of the Castle, rising proudly
from its grassy mound and circling terraces. To
the Castle, then, let us now direct our attention.

* See p. 10. t See p. 11.

137

Sfije (Eaatle.
The great keep of the Castle, pre-eminent on our
right hand as we approach the exterior gateway,
reminds us of a time when even the sanctity of the
ecclesiastical character, required oftentimes that
other than spiritual weapons should be raised in
its defence. At a period when security was a pri
mary consideration, the Bishops of Durham for the
most part resided within this fortress, (which at no
time yielded to the Scottish invaders) and their
other strong-hold of Bishop Middleham, which if
possible, was even more impregnable. " In after
times," to apply to both what Surtees says of the
latter, " it is no wonder that they were deserted
for the green glades of Auckland." The towers of
Bishop Middleham have for centuries been levelled
with the earth, and the Castle of Durham, although
additions and alterations were continually made by
one prelate after another, appears for a long series
of years to have been only used by them as a place
of occasional residence. Since the curtailment of
the privileges and revenue of the see, it is held in
trust by the Bishop for the University of Durham,
who have thus acquired a ' local habitation' whose
time-honoured and lofty walls must be associated,
in the minds of those who spend within them the
years of their academic life, with feelings which
no building of yesterday, however stately, could
excite in the mind. There are probably no por
tions of the present building older than the time of
William the Conqueror, who built a Castle here
in 1072 on the ruins of one which perished by fire
in 1069.
Of the outworks of the Castle nothing remains.

138
The name of the Street of the North and South
Bailey, indicates, as has been observed, that the
Ballia of the Castle were in that direction, but they
have been for centuries occupied as they are at
present by the houses of private individuals.
Their former connection with the Castle is shewn
by the fact that the houses in them were origi
nally held by "military tenants bound by their
tenure to defend the Castle." The great outer
gateway which gave entrance to the Ballia and
the Castle, perished, as has been mentioned in
one of our earlier pages, in the year 1818. The
present gateway of the Castle, occupied as as a
Porter's lodge, is approached from the north wes
tern angle of the Place Green. Its archway is
Norman, and its strong oaken door, with its little
wicket, and strong bars and strengthenings of iron,
if not coeval, is at all events of very considerable
antiquity. The tower of the gateway was built or
restored by Bishop Barrington, whose arms are
carved above the arch, but a more miserable spe
cimen of modern castellation could scarcely be
produced. Passing under its arch, we find our
selves in the court-yard of the Castle, which is an
irregular square. The great mass of the building
is on its north and west sides, flanked on the south
by the terraced mound of the keep, the admirable
restoration of which has been effected since the
Castle came into the hands of its academic pos
sessors. The architecture of different and most opposite
periods mingles itself in almost every portion
of the fabric which meets the eye, but the irregu
larity {produced by the additions and insertions
of these various epochs produces a highly pic
turesque effect, to which in the eye of an artist,
the rich warm tint of the. stone conduces not a

139
little. The whole of the western side, in the cen
tre of which is the chief entrance, was originally
taken up with Bishop Hatfield's great hall, which
in the noble proportions of its pristine state was
132 feet long, and 36 wide. In consequence of
the alterations made at the lower end by Bishop
Fox, the character of that part of its exterior under
went considerable changes. The decorated win
dows of Hatfield's period, two of which still look
into the court -yard from the upper end of the hall,
disappeared, and a number of square-headed mul-
lioned windows of different sizes were irregularly
inserted in the wall, to suit the various chambers
and staircases into which the lower part of the hall
was converted. The large oriel window has been
thrown out since the University have been in pos
session of the Castle. The great entrance with
its Ionic pillars and classical entablature, and other
Palladian features was an addition of Bishop Cosin,
whose shield of arms, with mitre and crest forms
its crowning ornaments. The quarterings which
are disposed in a large square panel let into the
wall overhead are of the same date. The altera
tion in the character of the buttresses of this part
of the building and the octagonal stone cupolas
with which they have been made to terminate may
also perhaps be attributed to the same prelate. The
north side of the building presents a very irregular
front to the court-yard, the angle which it forms
with Hatfield's hall on the west, being filled by a
projecting tower containing a staircase which gives
access from the hall to the gallery and other apart
ments. Between this and the clock turret, parallel
with the main building, but at a lower elevation,
is the long gallery built by Bishop Tunstall lighted
by three square headed windows, with mullions
and transoms, and a large bay window at its south-

140
eastern end, apparently at a later period, probably
by Bishop Cosin. The clock turret we have men
tioned affords communication from the court-yard
by a stone staircase to the east end of this gallery
and to the Chapel, which was also built by Tun-
stall, and as seen from the court-yard, appears to
stand at some elevation, being partly seated on the
mound which forms the basis of the keep, towards
which it branches off from the other part of the
building, with a low roof, and windows of de
based style, evidently bearing date about the time
of Cosin. The new building which appears
behind the chapel forms the connecting link be
tween the old part of the Castle and the restored
Keep. The doorway under the great bay window
of Tunstall's gallery gives access, through the old
Norman chapel of the Castle, which we shall pre
sently survey, and up some long flights of stairs,
to the apartments contained in this new addition
and also to those in the Keep. Bishop Tunstall's
arms are frequently repeated under a square headed
label on the walls of the various parts which he
added. The wall of the main building, with its long line
of battlement which rises behind Tunstall's gallery
and its flanking staircase towers, is the front of
the most ancient portion of the Castle, little as its
new facing of stone and its paltry windows would
lead to the supposition. This was the work of
Bishop Barrington, whose anxiety to improve and
restore the stately buildings attached to his See,
was but ill-seconded by the skill of the Architects
whom he employed.
Having thus indicated the prominent parts of
the fabric which attract the eye from the court
yard, let us proceed to notice its interior.
Bishop Cosin's portal, within which we find the

141
original pointed doorway with its characteristic
mouldings and ornaments, ushers us into a space
parted off by a screen from the lower end of the
great hall. On the left hand is the wall by which
Bishop Fox divided Hatfield's noble apartment,
and converted the space thus gained at its southern
end into various chambers and offices. There is
a carving in the wall of Fox's badge, a pelican in
her piety. Before passing through the doors of
the screen, we may point out the apartment, just
opposite to the entrance, where the buttery-hatch
is still existing, and applied to its ancient purpose.
It is of carved oak, black with age, ensigned with
the motto e«lt &0O g facta and the year 1499.
This place, as also the kitchen behind it, was like
wise the work of Bishop Fox.
Through the screen we enter the great hall,
which even now curtailed as it is of its fair propor
tions, is a noble room, conspicuous especially
for its magnificent height. It has a low pitched
open roof of oak, of plain character, to the beams
of which Bishop Barrington added some ornamen
tal spandrils, without very much advantage to the
general effect. The wainscotting and screen were
the work of Cosin, in the Italianized style of his
day. Hatfield's decorated windows still give light
to his stately hall, on the east and west, and it
once possessed the additional feature of a magni
ficent window at its northern extremity, before it
was reduced at that end also, by taking off the
room now known as the black parlour. Over
this is a room, formerly the drawing-room, now
used as one of the lecture rooms of the Univer
sity, which is lighted by the window we have
indicated. May we not anticipate a day when
these rooms will be again added to the hall ?
The painting of Charles I. at the head of the

142
room is traditionally said to be a memorial of that
monarch being entertained here by Bishop Mor
ton in 1633, but we fear this is but an uncertain
legend. The other portraits which now decorate
the wainscot, are those of the munificent founders
of the University, with Bishop Van Mildert at their
head, whose princely liberality and cordial co
operation with the Dean and Chapter in their
noble undertaking were but too soon lost.
The portrait of Van Mildert is a copy from that
by Sir Thomas Lawrence at Auckland Castle, taken
by his pupil Evans, who also painted most of the
Prebendaries whose portraits adorn these walls.
A few pieces of old armour intermingled with
spears and swords, and the banners once borne by
the troops who were embodied in Durham during
the alarms of French invasion, hang peacefully
from opposite ends of the hall. A minstrel-gallery
projects from the wall on each side, at its lower
end. We might easily fill many pages with the histories
of the stately entertainments given to Royal and
Noble personages by episcopal hospitality within
these walls. The saintly King Henry VI., the
princess Margaret of England, and our Royal
Martyr are among the many names which occur
in the long list of princely guests. But we must
forbear :
" What needs me tell their feast, and goodly guise,
In which was nothing riotous, nor vaine ?
What needs of dainty dishes to devise,
Of comely services, or courtly traine ?
My narrow leaves cannot in them containe.
The large discourse of royal princes' state."*
In later times the Bishops of Durham continued
to entertain here the Judges of Assize, on their
* Fairye Queen.

143
circuit, but their public receptions of the Gentry
of the county were for the most part at Auckland.
The last grand festival of importance held in the
antient hall of the Counts Palatine was in 1827,
when Bishop Van Mildert entertained the Duke
of Wellington, then on a visit at Wynyard, toge
ther with many of his old companions in arms,
and the nobility and chief gentry of the county.
Sir Walter Scott, who was one of the guests, gives a
picturesque description in his diary (Oct. 3, 1827)
of the scene in the old hall, and speaks much of
the dignified bearing and princely hospitality of
their venerable host. After these long years of
comparative disuse the acquisition of the Castle
by the University of Durham has caused the old
hall to assume somewhat of the cheerfulness of its
ancient character ; it being now used as the dining
hall of that body, a purpose to which it is most
admirably adapted, both its size and character as
similating with the best of the buildings erected
for that purpose in the two elder Universities.
By a door at its north end we enter the black
parlour, an apartment which, as we have indicated,
originally formed part of Hatfield's great room of
state. It is now used as a waiting and reading
room for the use of the senior members of the
University. There are two old paintings in it re
presenting the Castle and Cathedral, which give a
good idea of their appearance some two centuries
ago, notwithstanding the perfect independence of
perspective displayed by the artist. There are
also some pieces of antiquity ; — a headless effigy
in stone, of St. Cuthbert holding the head of Os
wald, one or two cuirasses, and a large oaken
chest, strongly bound with iron, which successive
generations of housekeepers of the Castle averred
to be the coffin which contained the incorruptible

144
body of St. Cuthbert. It is an ordinary antient
coffer for the safe-keeping of plate and costly robes
or other valuables. A door opens from this parlour
to the great black staircase, with its carved balus
trades, the work of Bishop Cosin, whose arms appear
over the door which gives entrance at the foot of the
staircase to Tunstall's long gallery. The character
of this gallery has been very much improved by
the good taste which has re-instated the old hang
ings of tapestry which Bishop Barrington removed.
The folding doors at each end with the open screen-
work of their upper part, are to be referred to the
time of Tunstall. The chief glory of the gallery
is the magnificent Norman arch, on the north side,
which for centuries was hidden under lath and
plaster. Bishop Barrington has the merit of re
storing it to light. It has evidently been a chief
entrance to the more antient part of the fabric
built by Pudsay, after the destruction of the greater
part of the original building by fire in 1069. Other
Norman remains exist in the story above, which
we shall hereafter point out. The doorway con
sists of three receding concentric arches, with
mouldings of singular richness. The outermost
has a series of octagonal panels deeply sunk in
the centre. The arch within this is billety and
the innermost one has the square panel moulding,
both of them ornamented with a profusion of small
beads. Rose and lozenge mouldings, continued
down the recesses between the shafts, form the
divisions between the central portion of the arch,
and its exterior and interior members. The zig
zag moulding round the outermost arch is modern.
Its original character has been the same as the
outer moulding down the sides of the doorway.
The door at the end of the gallery communicates
with the Chapel, also, as we have observed the

145
work of Tunstall. His arms are carved on the
jambs of the windows. There is no architectural
beauty about this little building, yet it has a quiet,
sombre air, well befitting its holy purpose. Suc
cessive prelates have more or less added to or
changed its fittings. The wainscotting appears
to be the work either of Cosin or Lord Crewe,
the latter of whom, as an inscription testifies,
erected the organ-gallery over the ante-chapel.
The original roof remains, but its plain open rafters
have been concealed by panelling, adorned with
bosses and shields, also, in all likelihood, the work
of one or other of those prelates. This panelling
extends no farther than the screen at the western
end. The roof beyond, over the ante-chapel,
is in its pristine state. The screen-work which
parts the latter from the Chapel, and some por
tions at least of the stalls belong to a much
earlier period than Tunstall. There is a curious
carving on one of the misereres, representing a
man driving a woman in a wheelbarrow. The
arms carved below the poppy heads on the sup
ports of the desks on each side of the entrance are
those of Bishop Ruthall. The inlaid panels which
have recently been inserted in the wainscotting of
the east end are portions of the wooden pulpit
which we mentioned (p. 53) to have been recently
superseded by the erection of a stone one in the
choir of the Cathedral.
Before ascending higher we may return through
the gallery and indicate some of the principal
apartments adjoining, and the objects of interest
which they contain. The first we enter is the
Common Room of the University, formerly the
dining room of the Castle. It is a lofty and well
proportioned room, possessing an old panelled roof
of oak, which if cleared of its ugly paint, and divested

146
of some very incongruous ornaments which affect to
be bosses, would give considerable character to the
room, in spite of the carpenter's gothic of its mantel
piece and windows. These it is hoped may one day
be altered into something more in unison with the
character of the building. Among the pictures
which hang from the walls are paintings of some
of the Apostles, which are not without merit, por
traits of George II. and his Queen Caroline, and a
figure in scarlet robes, said to be Judge Jefferies.
An original portrait of Jeremy Taylor, the gift of
Mr. Sutton of Elton to the University of Durham,
has recently been placed here. We may also draw
attention to an admirable likeness in miniature of
Bishop Van Mildert.
We may next direct attention to the apartment
now used as the Senate-room of the University,
whose walls are hung with

- tapestry

That princes bowres adorne with painted imagery :"
producing an effect antique and venerable, which
is assisted also by the rich carving of the chimney-
piece. This is a good specimen of those of the
Jacobean period, the carving and panelling being
carried up to the ceiling, and richly adorned with
shields of arms. These appear to identify it with
the time of Bishop James. The tapestry repre
sents the principal events in the history of Moses.
Time has unfortunately dimmed the brightness of
its colours, but the outline and grouping of the
figures shew that no mean artist had been employed
to draw the designs. A series of engravings of
the subjects of the tapestry, has been published in
outline from the drawings of M. Bouet of Dur
ham. The Warden's room and ante-room adjoin

147
this apartment. They contain some paintings of
considerable merit.
The great black staircase we have mentioned
gives access to the old drawing room of the Cas
tle, which we have already mentioned as having
formed part of Hatfield's hall, and to the sleeping
apartments which are reserved for the use of the
Judges on their Circuit. At the top of the stair
case some of the recent alterations have brought
to light a portion of what must have been long
the exterior wall, of the original building, the
mouldings of its N orman windows bearing all the
marks of exposure to the storms of many years.
The same alterations discovered also still more
interesting remains of the Castle of Pudsay's time,
in the shape of a long range of triple Norman
arches, with zig-zag mouldings evidently forming
the internal decoration of one side of what was
doubtless Pudsay's great room of state. The cen
tral arches are higher than those on each side, and
are supported by disengaged single shafts with
the ordinary Norman capital. Each has a win
dow in its deep embayment. The repetition of
these arches now forms one side of a long nar
row gallery, on the other side of which are stu
dents' apartments. If there could be an exami
nation of the corresponding wall on the north we
might arrive at more certain conclusions as to its
original state and designation. This gallery runs
east and west, and its windows externally are those
which range above that of Bishop Tunstall. It has
sometimes occurred to us as not improbable that
these arches and windows may have been the clere
story of Bishop Pudsay's hall, supposing the Norman
doorway in Tunstall's gallery to have been its en
trance, and that it possessed another tier of win
dows below, on each side of that magnificent arch.

148
However this may be, a climb up to the leads of the
roof may easily satisfy any one as to the original
form and dimensions of Pudsay's hall, for it is as
obviously marked out on the north, as Hatfield's is
on the west, and if the flooring of his hall was on
the same level as that of the present gallery, its
height must have ill tallied with the stately pro
portions of its length and breadth.
We may now descend, and survey perhaps the
most interesting portion of the Castle, assuredly the
most antient: — the Norman chapel. This very
curious specimen of the earliest Norman architec
ture may certainly be considered to belong to the
Castle built by William I. It consists of a Nave
and aisles and has originally been lighted by small
round-headed windows, the spaces of which may
be seen on the north and east. Those in the north
wall have recently been opened. The piers are
plain and round, of good proportions, and not dis
tinguished by that extreme massiveness which is
the almost universal characteristic of Norman
work. They appear more like an imitation of
Roman architecture, and the curved ornaments at
the angles of most of their capitals bear a manifest
resemblance to Ionic volutes. They are also curi
ously decorated with rude carvings of figuresand ani
mals. The groining is also remarkable. It consists
of flat ribs of regular masonry, filled in with a cross
vaulting of rubble work plastered. The space
which the altar has occupied is clearly indicated,
the slab having rested on two brackets in the
wall below what has been the east window. There
is an ascent at this end of two steps. The pave
ment of the chapel is undoubtedly co-eval. It is
laid in a regular pattern of herring bone work.
After many years of darkness, the recent altera
tions which have been made by the University

149
authorities have restored light to this ancient and
venerable chapel, so that its proportions and cha
racter may now be studied with perfect conveni
ence. From these old and silent walls which have
witnessed so many mutations, a long flight of steps
leads to a passage by which those who are desirous
of seeing the mode in which the interior of the
restored keep is adapted to the accommodation of
the Students of the University, may obtain access
thither. The old keep with its shattered and bro
ken outline, shaggy with ivy, was perhaps a more
picturesque object, but none can regret the purpose
to which it is now applied or do otherwise than
admire the skill displayed in the re-edification of
its massy walls. The keep, as it was, dated from
the time of Hatfield, having been built by him,
doubtless on the basis of the great tower of Wil
liam I.
We must not omit to point out the terraced
walks which encircle the mound at the foot of the
tower. They look down upon the antient city and
her branching suburbs, with the green fields and
wooded hills which surround her on every side.
Another terrace walk, communicating with those
of the mound, extends itself along the north front
of the Castle. This commands the old Castle
moat, and is level with the top of an old round
flanking tower, from which may be seen the re
mains of some of the exterior defences of the Castle
which connected it with the old gateway formerly
in existence at the entrance of the North Bailey.
The bearings of Lord Crewe and Bishop Butler on
the north wall of the Castle indicate the share of
each in destroying the original character of this
front.

150
We may now leave the Castle, and retrace our
steps to the Place Green, where Bishop Cosin's
Library claims our notice. On our right hand in
passing out of the Gate-house of the Court-yard
is the ' privy garden' of the Fellows of the Univer
sity, formerly that of the Bishop, from which by a
private door he had access to the Library. That
on the left, and the house beyond, is also now the
property of that body. We believe it to stand on
the site of the residence of the Bishop's Moneyer,
and the place of the Episcopal Mint ; for the coin
age of money was one of the many regal privileges
which belonged of old to the Counts Palatine of
Durham. ,
Bishop Cosin founded his Library for the use
of his successors and the clergy of the diocese, and
was peculiarly anxious respecting its completion,
and for the storing it with books, concerning which
he enters into the most minute particulars in his
correspondence with his secretary, Mr. Stapylton.
It is a large and lofty room, well lighted, and con
tains a very valuable collection of books, chiefly
Theological. The Bibliographical Decameron con
tains a copious account of its contents. It pos
sesses also some MSS. Among these is a Missale
Romanum, once the property of the Church of
Hutton Rudby, in Cleveland, as we learn from the
following quaint rhyme contained in the book
itself : — " Whoso owne me that dothe loke
I am the Chourche of Rudby's bowke."
In another book, called Tractatus XII. is bound
up a very miscellaneous collection of Tracts, to
wit, Flores Legum and Legenda Sanctorum side by
side with 10 Receits in Physic and Chirurgery En
glish, out of which we extract the following : —

151
" For the beytting of a wode [mad] hound take
the sed [seed] of Box and temper yt wyt water &
make a playster thereof & lay it to ye sore & yt
schal be hoi [whole]." There are also the works
of Laurentius, Prior of Durham, a Norman-French
poem, Danseys deCartaigne, John Lidgate's Story
of Thebes, and a copy of Chaucer, which might
furnish various readings for a new edition. The
MSS. were for the most part the bequest of George
Davenport, Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, who
died in 1677- An oaken gallery hangs from the
wall, on three sides of the room, erected by Bis
hop Van Mildert for the reception of the books of
the University Library, of which his own munifi
cent contributions formed the nucleus. It is con
tinually receiving fresh accessions to its stores.
The staircase turret on the outside of the building,
which gives access to this gallery, was also the
work of the same liberal benefactor. A grim por
trait of Bishop Cosin, in his convocation robes, is
suspended from the eastern wall of the gallery. A
new and handsome mantel-piece of stone has re
cently been added, over which is placed a bust of
Bishop Barrington. The public lectures of the
University and the meetings of Convocation take
place within these walls.

152

€l)e JJUmberattg.
The frequent mention we have made of the Uni
versity of Durham, whilst contemplating the build
ings now devoted to the use of its members,
renders it necessary that we should give a brief
sketch of the circumstances of its foundation, and
advert shortly to its state and prospects.
The idea of instituting a place of academic edu
cation in the North of England, could scarcely
perhaps be strictly called an original one, since it
is well known that an attempt was made by Oliver
Cromwell to found a college at Durham for that
purpose, and to endow it out of the sequestrated
property of the Dean and Chapter. This institu
tion, or rather project (for it scarcely got beyond
that,) naturally fell to the ground on the Restora
tion, when the members of the Chapter of Durham

153
were reinstated in all their former rights and pos
sessions. A century and a half passed over, during
which no revival of the project of a Northern
University appears ever to have been mooted. We
believe that we are only giving the meed of praise
where it is justly due, when we express our con
viction that it has been mainly owing to the con
stant recurrence of this idea in the mind of an
individual member of the Chapter, and to his per
severing efforts to foster it into life and action, that
the University of Durham now owes its existence
and celebrity. Many of our readers will not re
quire to be told that we allude to the Archdeacon
of Durham, who worthily presides over the Uni
versity as its first Warden. The cordial co-opera
tion of the Chapter was not wanting, and as we
have before had occasion to observe the most
heart-felt interest in the proposed plan was evinced
by Bishop Van Mildert, who rendered his aid in
the most munificent manner, in order that nothing
might be wanting which could promote the vigour
and activity of its initiatory proceedings.
The emanation indeed of such a plan from the
Dean and Chapter of Durham, was but a carrying
out of one of the objects of their foundation :
amongst which the promotion of learning is dis
tinctly particularized in their Charter.* At the
dissolution moreover they became possessed of the
endowments of Durham College in Oxford, founded
originally by Prior Hoton and the Convent of
Durham in 1 290, and enlarged by the benefactions
of Bishops Bury and Hatfield. So that the esta
blishment of another Durham College by the Dean
* Operam dedimus, quatenus humana prospicere potest infirmitas, ut im-
posterum ibidem sacrorum eloquiorum documenta et nostra? salutiferte
redemptionis sacramenta pure administrentur, bonorum morum disciplina
observetur juventus in Uteris liberalibus instituatur. Extract from the pre
amble of the Foundation Charter of the Cathedral Church of Durham, by l$ing
Henry Fill., 12<ft May, 1541.

154
and Chapter, in the North of England, was but to
divert into another and nearer channel the stream
which under the management of their predeces
sors had gone to fertilize a more distant field.
After the plan of the University had become
sufficiently matured under the careful deliberation
of the Bishop and Dean and Chapter, an Act was
obtained in the year 1832 enabling that body to
appropriate certain estates for the purpose of its
establishment, in connection with the Cathedral
of Durham, and vesting its government in the
Dean and Chapter of Durham, subject to the ju
risdiction of the Bishop for the time being as visi
tor. Under the powers given by this Act, the
University of Durham was opened for the admis
sion of Students in October 1833. Its internal
regulations and studies speedily became systemati
cally arranged under the careful supervision of the
Dean and Chapter, and on the 1st June, 1837,
a Royal Charter passed the Great Seal, by which
it was incorporated under the style and title of
" The Warden, Masters, and Scholars of the Uni
versity of Durham." The same Charter granted
the power of conferring degrees, and confirmed all
the rights and privileges already assured to it by
Act of Parliament, or incident to a University
established by Royal Charter.
Thus established, the University of Durham
offers the benefits of sound learning and religious
education ; in proof of which we need only say
that her system of teaching, her domestic discip
line, and her mode of ascertaining the proficiency
of her alumni have been most fitly borrowed from
the practice of " the elder Universities of this land,
those noble institutions from which piety and
learning and sound knowledge have been dispensed
through the land, and by which that peculiar and

155
characteristic feature of this country, the English
gentleman of middling station, has been for so long
a period formed."* The Theological training, in
particular, of this University, is such as cannot but
be attended with the happiest results, and assuredly
demands the gratitude of all who have partaken of
its benefits. Great care has been taken by the
authorities of the University, that the necessary
expenses of the Students should be on as low a
scale as is consistent with comfort; and every
effort is made to discourage all tendencies to ex
travagance. A table of the fees on admission and
the regular college expenses, together with some
other useful information respecting the regulations
of the University will be found in our appendix.
The progress of the University since it came
into full operation has been such as to afford the
happiest auguries for its future eminence. The
foundation of the Fellowships and Scholarships, also
which have taken place, must necessarily have an
advantageous effect, by affording an assurance that
the industry of the laborious Student will not be
unrewarded. The Dean of Durham is hereafter to be the
Warden of the University, ex officio, and canon ries
in the Cathedral have been annexed to the Pro
fessorships of Divinity and Greek, which are in the
gift of the Bishop of Durham. The Professorship
of Mathematics and the other offices of the Uni
versity are filled up by the Dean and Chapter.

* REV. HUGH JAMES ROSE.

156

€f)e CTitB a«U iU »uflur60.

A city whilom fyne and faire, none like her in this lande,
With lesse anoye or loss of lyfe ther foemen to withstande;
Such worthie walles on crested craggs thy Ranulph to thee raste
That they of men admired wer and Englonde throughe much prasde.
Few Cityes such in Brutus' land, wold God ther many were,
For pleasure, plentye, and defence, a camp or thoughtfull warr."
RI. CAVZXD. TO THE CITY OF DURESM.

THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY IN THE NORTH
BAILEY, OR ST. MARY-LE-BOW.
A small narrow lane called Dun Cow lane, leads
from the south-east corner of the Place Green into
the North Bailey, at a point nearly opposite the
Church of St. Mary-le-Bow, which occupies the
site of the oldest Church in Durham. It is said
indeed to stand on the same spot of ground on
which the White Church was erected for the re
ception of St. Cuthbert's body until the completion
of Aldhun's Cathedral, and tradition affirms that
from the " tabernacle of boughs" which then con
stituted the shrine of the Saint, the Church de
rived its distinctive appellation. "The name
however is evidently derived, like that of Bow
Church in London, from the bow or arch of the
old steeple, which was thrown quite across the
street, resting on a pillar on the opposite side."*
This, old steeple fell in 1637, and the Church lay
neglected and in ruins until 1685 when the pre
sent structure was erected. The tower was added
in 1702. The building presents of course no
architectural features worthy of remark. Windows
of perpendicular character have been latelv inserted
* Surtees, vol. iv. p. 38.

157
on the north and south with much advantage to
its appearance. It has no aisles, consisting merely
of a nave and chancel, which is parted inter
nally from the body of the Church by an open
screen-work of oak, of good character for the date,
which is so late as 1707. The chancel is regularly
stalled, and wainscotted with oak, but according
to a too general custom its area is choked up by
square pews. The episcopal and archidiaconal vi
sitations are by ancient custom held in this Church.
It is a Rectory, in the gift of the Archdeacon of
Northumberland. The eastern front of the Cathedral presents
an imposing appearance as seen from the street
near the door of this Church. The restoration
of this front was however unfortunately conduc
ted in the same manner as that on the north.
The paring process was the one to which it
was subjected, and it has lost in consequence
all the characteristic mouldings and ornaments
which belonged to it. We have sufficiently
adverted to the architecture of this part of
the fabric when considering the Nine Altars.
The open space between it and the street,
now covered with smooth green sward, form
ed part of the Cemetery or Centry garth of
the Monks. Fancy may picture it three cen
turies ago, shafted crosses rising here and there
and coped coffin lids of various device, scattered
over the green turf, and "quaint old effigies
in act of prayer." Fill up the scene by a
few figures in the long dark robes of the
Benedictine rule, praying for the repose of the
souls of those who sleep below, and the picture
is complete. It was the resort of the monks
for that purpose every day, after they left
the Refectory.

158
Passing the old grey archway of the College we
next come to the
CHURCH OF ST. MARY IN THE SOUTH BAILEY.
This small fabric stands half hidden from the street
by the boughs of the young trees which shade its
little cemetery. It is of high antiquity, but except
a little Norman window to the north and one to
the west all external marks have been obliterated
by modern reparation. Even the Norman arch
of the chancel has been hidden by a coat of stooth-
ing. The last few years however have restored its
early character to the exterior of the chancel, and
plans are in contemplation for the restoration, both
external and internal, of the whole Church. The
name of its rector* is a sufficient guarantee that it
will be a restoration worthy of the name. A car
ved reredos of dark oak gives a character to the
chancel. It is of late work, probably about the
end of the sixteenth century. Several painted win
dows of excellent design and character, by Wailes
of Newcastle, have lately been presented to this
Church. We may point out in the church-yard
an excellent copy from an old coped tomb. How
comes it that we so seldom see these antient me
morials made the objects of imitation ? There are
examples in endless variety, and their superiority
to the vulgar headstones which crowd our church
yards is too obvious to require a comment. The
Nevilles were the early patrons of this Church, and
they have been fitly commemorated in the stained
glass on the north side of the chancel. Since the
attainder of the last Earl of Westmoreland, after
the rising of 1569, the patronage has been vested
in the Crown. Among the entries in the books
of this parish occurs a curious one in 1663. "To
* The Rev. James Raine.

159
Nick Green, for setting up the the crucifixe, and
repayre of the windows, 8s." This doubtless refers
to the restoration of a cross over the altar ; a sig
nificant and sacred emblem which found little
favour in our churches during the previous reign
of Puritanism.
At the end of the street of the South Bailey,
about a stone's throw from the gate of this little
Church, is the Water Gate, or Porte du Bayle.
This postern gate commanded a ford over the
river, and " remained" says Surtees, " in its an
cient state, closed at night and used only as a foot
path and bridle road, till about fifty years ago the
Rev. Henry Egerton, having purchased the house
and gardens adjoining the gate, removed the old
postern, and promoted the building of the present
spacious arch, which affords a carriage road to the
New Bridge." The old city wall still skirts the
gardens of some of the houses at this end of the
Bailey. THE BANKS.
Such is the name, which, as though par excellence,
is given by the inhabitants of Durham to the beau
tiful walks which traverse the banks of the Wear,
and follow its windings round the peninsula which
is crowned by the Cathedral and Castle. We shall
pursue our way over the Prebends' Bridge and
through their woody recesses to the Church of St.
Oswald, pausing only to admire some fair scene
which opens out from them, or to indicate some
object of interest to which one or other of their
divergent pathways would conduct us.
Before crossing the Bridge, the path nearest the
river, on the right hand, leads to the University
Museum, formerly the Abbey Mill. It is open to
the public, and contains a valuable collection of

160
specimens in natural history, the nucleus of which
was formed by the liberality of the Rev. Thomas
Gisborne, Prebendary of Durham. The collection
of British Birds is nearly complete. It contains
some other objects of curiosity and is frequently
receiving augmentations from various sources.
Midway over the Prebends' Bridge our progress
is arrested by a view in which the Cathedral, the
Castle, and the river with its woody banks are
grouped together in a manner singularly striking
and majestic. Flambard's Bridge too, with its
beautiful arches crossing the downward course of
the stream, at the point where the farthest bas
tions of the old fortress seem almost part and par
cel of the cliff from which they rise, — bears its
part in a scene from the beauty of which even the
most fastidious can scarcely say there is any thing
to detract, and which few can pass without expres
sions of the most unqualified delight. The erec
tion of the Prebends' Bridge by the Dean and
Chapter was commenced in the year 1772, in place
of a horse bridge which crossed a little higher up
the stream and which was carried away in the
great flood of the year preceding.
The footpath on the right hand after crossing
the Bridge, climbs the bank opposite to the Ca
thedral, and leads to South Street, which com
mands a view of the western front of the Cathedral
unequalled in dignity and grandeur. A more ex
tended sight of the Castle, and its broken outline
of rampart and turretted wall, backed by its lofty
keep, is also gained. At the bottom of the sloping
fields behind South Street are manifest traces of
the Priors' fish-ponds. In a direction nearly
parallel with this street, but a little farther south,
stands the newly erected Grammar- School, a spa
cious and handsome building, built in the Tudor

161
Style, whose bell-turret, and gables, with its mul-
lioned windows have a picturesque and pleasing
effect. It has been lately reared at the expense
of the Dean and Chapter, in place of the old
Grammar-School in the Cathedral Church yard.
The master's residence adjoins it on the west. The
Grammar-School is in connection with the Cathe
dral establishment, provision being made by the
Statutes for the maintenance of an upper and
under master and eighteen scholars. On the rising
ground to the south-west is the Observatory, built
a few years ago for the reception of a valuable col
lection of astronomical instruments purchased by
public subscription. It is under the regulation of
the University authorities, by whom an Assistant
Observer is appointed, who has his residence at
the Observatory, and regularly fulfils the usual
duties of that office. Among the many beautiful
views which the neighbourhood of Durham affords,
there is scarcely perhaps one which for extent and
variety of objects can compare with that which is
commanded from the Observatory fields.
But to return to the point from which we
made this digression. By turning to the left of
the Bridge, at its western extremity, we are led
into a broad pathway, which follows the curve of
the river for nearly half a mile, until at length it
emerges in the Church yard of St. Oswald. This
beautiful walk is overhung with tall ash and elm
and spreading beech, sometimes concealing the
river from the view, and sometimes revealing
through their openings glimpses of the bridge over
which we have passed and the western towers of
the Cathedral rising in the back ground. The
opposite bank of the river is partly fringed with
wood and partly covered by the orchards and ter
raced gardens of the houses in the two Baileys,

162
and about midway, on the side that we are on, a
little rivulet "sends its slender streamlet," to
join the waters of the Wear," through a fine yawn
ing ravine of shelving rock, shaggy with moss and
lichens and twisted roots, and often in winter glit
tering like a fairy palace with the long fantastic
icicles formed by the frozen waters of the little tor
rent."* Through these * leafy bowers' we approach
the CHURCH OF ST. OSWALD.
A Church was originally founded here by Bishop
Carileph, before the year 1156, but there are no
architectural traces of it in any part of the present
edifice. It is the handsomest of the parochial
structures of Durham. The alterations, however,
which were rendered necessary a few years ago,
owing to the failure of its foundations in conse
quence of the workings of a colliery below, have
deprived it, both externally and internally, of much
of its ancient character. The tower is of the per
pendicular period, and its foundation being unin
jured, was subjected to no other alteration than
the insertion of a western window, copied from the
one which originally existed in the same place.
The side walls of the aisles, and part of the chan
cel were taken down and rebuilt, the original cha
racter of the windows being, however, attended to
in the restoration. The perpendicular windows of
the clere-story were restored at the same time, but
the elegant open-worked parapet which surmounted
them was unfortunately not permitted to remain.
The mischief however that was perpetrated inside
the Church was much greater. The beautiful
carved oak roof, which appeared from an inscription
on one of its bosses to have been the work of W.
* Surtees, vol. iv., p. 84.

163
Catten, Vicar of St. Oswald's in 1411, was almost
totally destroyed. The only portion remaining is in
the north aisle. The piers of the nave, of which
the two westernmost are octagonal, are light and
beautiful specimens of early English, at the period
of its transition from the Norman, the arches
being semi-circular. The chancel opens under a
wide pointed arch, springing from early English
piers and capitals of beautiful character. There
are some remains of old desks and stall- work of
oak in the chancel and one or two monumental
slabs, robbed of their brasses. The Church was
repewed at the time of the alterations we have in
dicated, and the nave entirely filled with seats.
The consequent absence of a central passage up
the Church is one of its most unsightly features.
The Church yard is on the brink of the steep
woody bank of the river, and commands a fine
view of the sunny gardens and houses of the Bailey
on the opposite side, clustered at the feet of the
* reverend Abbaye' which rises proudly behind
them. From the Church yard we pass into the old
Borough and Barony of Elvet, granted to the Prior
and Convent by Bishop Carileph. This suburb
now consists of the two streets of that name, Church
street and Hallgarth street. Into the former of
these two we enter from the Church yard, the lat
ter branching off to the right at the point of junction
between Church street and New Elvet, just before
descending the hill. Hallgarth-street takes its
name from the Prior's hall which stood there, the
ancient Aula de Elvet, of which the old barns and
garners are still remaining. At the foot of New
Elvet, and at right angles with it, is the spacious
street of Old Elvet, at the termination of which,
on the flat ground by the river side, is the Race

163
Course. A narrow lane at the end of this street,
Was formerly used as the road to a ford across the
river, opposite Old Durham. In the field on the
south of the lane is a pathway leading by a gen
tle ascent to the top of Maiden Castle, on the
summit of which is a level area, which has been
defended on the south-west by ditches and ram
parts, of which there are manifest indications.
Hutchinson supposes it to have been the site of
the early Saxon settlement of Durham. The side
towards the river presents an inaccessible front of
cliff or scar, about an hundred feet in height.
Another path through the field at the head of
Old Elvet leads through a wooded walk, round the
base of this cliff, close by the river. On the op
posite side, Pelaw Wood with its bosky banks, the
suburb of St. Giles climbing the hill beyond, with
its little Church on the summit of the ridge, and
the hanging gardens of Old Durham, with a fore
ground of rich meadows and hedge-row trees, form
a peaceful and quiet scene of no ordinary beauty.
" The view from the summit" of the Maiden Cas
tle itself, as Surtees well says, " is one of the noblest
in this romantic neighbourhood, commanding the
Castle, Town, and Cathedral, and further north
and east the rich wooded river valley, bounded by
gradual hills, scattered over with hamlets and farm
holds." A dark vision rises before us, Dii aver-
tant omen, of a railway skirting the base of this
romantic eminence, cutting up the fair level haughs,
and bringing all the horrors of a coal depot to the
end of the old quiet street which now possesses so
delightful an access to the fair scenes which we
have, most imperfectly, attempted to delineate.
At the head of Old Elvet are the County Courts
and Gaol. The front of the former, presenting an
elevation of Italian design, is towards the street.

165

Opposite to this building is the Roman Catho
lic Chapel. It is built in the perpendicular style,
and, as well as the County Courts, is the design
of Bonomi.
Many theories have been advanced respecting
the derivation of Elvet. Surtees supposes " that
Elvet and Helvoetsluys may have much the same
derivation ; viz. from helle in its milder sense, any
deep valley or low place ; and voet, from the Saxon
pofc, foot. Thus Elvet will imply, in strict unison
with the actual situation of Old Elvet, the foot, or
lowest part of the valley or descent."
The Bridge which connects this suburb with the
City, properly so called, and the Cathedral and
Castle, was built by Bishop Pudsay.* It forms
* A blacksmith's shop, at its lower end, occupies the site of the ancient
chapel of St. Andrew.

166
k gradual ascent from Elvet to the opposite bank,
and was widened some years ago. Any one who
has the curiosity to compare the masonry of Pud
say's arches with that of the later additions, may
do so by descending the steps at the head of the
bridge, and going under one of the dry arches at
that end. We may mention that from these steps
a pathway extends along the bank of the river
through Pelaw Wood to Old Durham, on the way
to which beautiful views are commanded, from
several points, of the City and Cathedral, and of
Maiden Castle wood and cliff.
From Elvet Bridge a short ascent leads to the
Market Place, which forms a square, of which the
Church of St. Nicholas occupies the north side.
Nearly in the centre of the square is The Pant, an
octagonal stone building, adorned by a statue of
Neptune, brandishing his trident. Excellent water
is supplied to the inhabitants of the City from this
fountain, conveyed by pipes from a reservoir be
hind the street of Framwellgate. An old Market
Cross, which once stood hard by, furnished the
materials for the open piazza in front of St. Ni
cholas' Church.
The Town Hall is on the north west side of the
square. It was built in 1754 upon the site of a
Guild hall which Bishop Tunstall presented to the
inhabitants. The meetings of the Corporation
and the City Elections take place within its walls.
In the Mayor's Chamber are portraits of King Wil
liam III., Lord Crewe and Dr. Hartwell, who was
a Prebendary of Durham and a benefactor to the
Charitable Funds of the Corporation. It also
contains a portrait of Thomas Greenwell, Esquire,
the highly respected and popular individual who
first filled the office of Mayor of Durham after the
re-modelling of the Corporation under the Act

167
passed a few years ago for the reform of Munici
pal Bodies.
In the north west angle of the square stands
what was once a palace of the great Earls of West
moreland. Its front to the Market place has been
entirely deprived of its ancient character, but by
descending into the Back Lane by a flight of steps
at this corner, an idea of its former state may yet
be obtained from the appearance now presented
by its river front. It appears to have been known
by the name of the New Place, and sometimes by
that of the Bull's Head, the well-known crest of
the Neville, which doubtless predominated in car
ved stone over the arched portal which would once
give access to it from the Market place.
The Market is held on Saturdays, and is well
supplied with every requisite commodity. The
increased and increasing number of Collieries in
the neighbourhood has added in proportion to the
number of persons who now frequent the market,
and has tended considerably to augment the num
ber of shops. Sundry attempts have been made
to introduce manufacture, but it has never struck
its roots very deep. Successive works have been
commenced and abandoned. The carpet manu
factory, belonging to the Messrs. Henderson, in
the Back lane, behind the Market place, is the
only exception. It has now for a number of
years been prosecuted with vigour and success.
THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS,
As we have observed is on the north side of the
Market place. The exterior has been completely
deprived of every characteristic feature, a remark
which applies also to the reparations which of late
years have been made in the tower, which is placed

168
at the west end of the southern aisle, and faces the
square of the market. The lower story of the
tower forms the principal entrance or porchway of
the church. The roof of this entrance is groined,
but its external doorway has lost all its original
mouldings and ornaments. That part of the church
yard which lays to the south, between the piazza
and the church has been desecrated by being ap
plied to the enlargement of the market, and part
of the chancel has also been sacrificed in order to
gain room to the street. The taking down of the
east end which was thus rendered necessary, has
been the means of effecting an obvious improve
ment in the external character of that extremity
of the chancel, which is so far well ; but the destruc
tion of any part of a church, for the mere con
venience of buyers and sellers, or the appropriation
on the same grounds of a church yard to other
than holy uses, must always grate somewhat pain
fully on the mind. The interior of the Church
possesses some very early portions. The arches
and piers of the north aisle of the chancel date
probably from the time of Bishop Flambard. The
chancel arch springs from corbels of good charac
ter, in the shape of human heads. The other parts
of the church are of later though varying date.
The fitting up of the interior is modern. All its
evidences of civic grandeur, the scutcheons of the
different Companies, which once depended from
its walls, and the Cordwainers' gallery have dis
appeared ; the loss of which need not have been
much regretted, had the daemon of innovation
but spared the venerable stone pulpit which stood
at the south east end of the nave. A curious entry
in the parish books indicates the use of incense in
the Church down to a late period. " 1683. For
frankincense at the Bishop's coming, 2s. 4d."

169
Charges occur more than once for " birkes and
rushes" for dressing the church. Among the in
stances which George Herbert enumerates of the
" special care which the Country Parson hath of
his Church," our readers may remember that " he
takes order that the Church be swept, and kept
clean without dust, or cobwebs, and at great festi
vals strewed, and stuck with boughs, and per
fumed with incense."
" The outward northern wall is of great height
and strength, supported by square buttresses, and
was very probably considered as a portion of the
defensive line of the City on the north, sweeping
exactly in line with the curtain wall of Neville's
Place and Claypath Gate."*
This gate stood at the foot of the street of that
name, near the east end of the Church. It was a
single arch of no great strength, and was removed
in 1791. Climbing the first ascent of the hill,
Claypath merges in St. Gilesgate, which pursues
its course to the summit of a second ascent.
Midway in the street of Claypath a lane branches
off the left which leads to the Sands, a piece of
waste ground on the margin of the northern reach
of the river. A little beyond the eastern extremity
of the Sands, is seen the old gateway of the Hos
pital of St. Giles of Kepyer, to which we shall pre
sently direct attention.
THE CHURCH OF ST. GILES
Is seated on the southern brow of the hill, looking
down upon the river, the City and the Cathedral.
No description can do justice to the prospect
which is commanded from the Church yard of St.
Giles. It is too extensive and varied to be ade
quately depicted either by the pen or by the pencil.
» Surtees, vol. iv. p. 48.

170
The Church is of early date, but restoration both
external and internal, has left scarcely any trace
of its original state, as far at least as the nave and
chancel are concerned, for the tower has not been
much meddled with. This is of perpendicular cha
racter, and in all probability was built in the year
1414, for in that year Cardinal Langley granted
an indulgence of forty days to all persons contri
buting to the repair of St. Giles' Church. Its
large western window is unfortunately blocked up
with masonry but the elegant outline of its mul
lions and tracery, which are visible, make one
regret that the rays of the setting sun should not
once more stream through it. One of the old Nor
man windows is preserved in the south wall of the
chancel. The church consists only of nave and
chancel, which are narrow, but of considerable
elevation. The font is a very large round basin,
perfectly plain, and of very early date. In the
chancel is a wooden effigy in complete armour, the
hands in the attitude of prayer, and the head resting
upon a helmet. It was repainted and gilt a few
years ago in careful accordance with the traces it
exhibited of former decoration of that nature. At
the feet are the words hodie michi. It is as
sumed to represent John Heath, the first of his
name who became possessed of Kepyer. He died
1590 and was buried in this chancel.
The parish books contain some curious entries.
Constant charges occur in the earlier books for
cleaning the " common armour," preparatory to
an array of the defensive troops of the Bishoprick
on Gilesgate Moor, a favourite place for that pur
pose. Its smooth expanse of green turf, dotted
with patches of whin and yellow broom, is still
remembered : — ill exchanged for the present ap
pearance of much of its surface, — meagre looking

171
fields, with stunted hedges, diversified only by the
smoke of a colliery and the cheerless aspect of the
long rows of the pitmen's houses. In 1683 we
find some items proving that even in the smallest
parochial churches of that day the distinctive cha
racter of the Litany was kept up by the use of a
Litany desk in the body of the church. " For the
Litany cloath and fringe 12s. 2d. Pd. to Thomas
Allenson for colouring the Litany desk, Is. 6d."
Another item in 1694 is curious as an indication
of the commencement of that sort of feeling to
wards the poor which has led at last to poverty
being treated in this land as though it were a
crime : — " Spent at ye summons of Mr. Dobson,
maior, for the returning the list of our poor at
the Bishop of Durham's request, who promised to
send moneys into the parish that the poor might
not come to his gates." Who can tell the share
which this, and similar manifestations of dislike to
the very appearance of Lazarus at the gate, may
not have had in producing the bitter feeling which
unquestionably now prevails amongst the lower
classes towards their more favoured brethren ?
The floor of the church seems to have been strewed
with rushes as late as 1702. " For birkes for the
church Is. For reshes Js."
The patronage of the Churches of St. Nicholas
and St. Giles is vested in the heir of the blood of
Heath, now represented by the Marchioness of
Londonderry. At the foot of the first hill as we descend again
towards the town is a turn to the right which leads
to the Railway Station, — the terminus of a line
branching off from the Great North of England
Railway at Belmont, about three miles eastward
of Durham. Such transient glimpses as the rapid
transit of a railway train affords, reveal to the tra-

172
veller on this short line several indications of the
romantic neighbourhood of the town he is ap
proaching, and the impressions made thereby will
certainly not be dispersed by the view from the
Station. The ruined walls of a Chapel close by the
station, are the remains of the Church of St. Mary
Magdalene, formerly attached to a Hospital built and
endowed by the Prior of Durham. The Master
ship was annexed to the office of Almoner of the
Convent, After the dissolution it continued to
be used as a parochial Church, but appears to have
fallen into decay before the Restoration. At all
events no service has been performed there since
that time, except an occasional interment in its
cemetery, of which the register of St. Giles con
tains the record. At the foot of the hill, which
slopes rapidly down to the river, are the remains
of the old Hospital of Kepyer. A path through
the fields, to which there is access near to the gate
of the Railway Station, conducts us to it. Sur
tees has painted its appearance and site so graphi
cally that we must present his picture of it to our
readers. " The remains of the Hospital stand low
and sequestered on the south bank of the Wear,
about a mile from the City, and half so much from
the street of Gilesgate. Of the monastic buildings
the gateway only is left, a massy pointed arch,
with a groined roof. The gateway is subdivided
internally into two compartments by means of a
middle arch, so as to ensure the protection of
three distinct gates. The key-stone of each groin
is highly ornamented with figures and foliage, and
each is pierced by a circular opening, through
which a lamp may have been let down or drawn
up from the tower ; the lights are pointed, and
two bold buttresses flank the gateway on each side.
A flat moulding of quatre foils runs horizontally

173
above the arch ; and higher still are two shields of
arms, one of which appears to be the coat of
Tynemouth Monastery. The roof of the tower or
superstructure is ridged and pointed. In latter
days the arch served as an entrance to the man
sion of the Heaths and Coles, the lay impropria
tors of Kepyer, of whose house and gardens por
tions still remain. The view is extremely bounded ;
but its very seclusion — the green meadows rising
swiftly on the left — the broad mill-dam with its
silvery sheet of foam, — and Frankland wood clos
ing the short distance across the river, give the
scene an air of deep and refreshing quiet." The
Hospital of St. Giles, of Kepyer, was founded by

Bishop Flambard in 1112 and endowed by him
with certain possessions " for the salary of the
Clerk officiating in the Church of St. Giles, and
the support of the poor who shall abide in the
Hospital." It subsequently received accessions to
to its property from Bishop Pudsay, who remo
delled the foundation, and ordained that it should

174
consist of a master and thirteen brethren. Many
benefactions afterwards accrued to the Hospital,
which flourished for successive centuries, until at
length it bowed its head to the storm which laid
prostrate so many of the stately Houses which
Piety and Munificence had founded. It was sur
rendered to the King's Commissioners 14 January
1545, and immediately passed into lay hands.
A walk through the deep meadows stretching
eastward of the Hospital and a ramble through
Kepyer Wood beyond, will well repay the lover of
quiet and secluded scenery, varied by rock, and
wood, and water.
We may now conveniently retrace our steps
into the City, passing along the waste ground called
the Sands and coming out by the lane which leads
into the street called Claypath, immediately oppo
site to the Blue Coat School. After repassing St.
Nicholas' Church and crossing the Market place,
the short descent of Silver Street brings us again
upon Framwellgate Bridge. The end of the
Bridge nearest the City was defended by a gate
way and tower, which was removed in 1760. This
venerable Bridge unites the City with its western
suburbs, comprising the Borough of Framwellgate,
and the streets of Crossgate and South Street. We
have before noticed the view from it of the Castle
and Cathedral — " mingling their towers in magni-
cent masses." Leaving the City behind us and
crossing the bridge, a street on the right hand,
called Milburngate, connects it with the steep as
cent of Framwellgate, which terminates on the
Newcastle road, to which it was once the only
access. A new road, in a line with the bridge,
was formed a few years ago, which cuts off the angle
formed by the street of Framwellgate, and gives
entrance to the town from the north by a very

175
gentle descent, in place of the steep declivity of
the ancient Borough. This New road has begun
to assume the aspect of a street, — houses springing
up continually on each side.
The street of Crossgate climbs a short but very
steep hill westward of the bridge. South Street
branches off from it on the left hand. We have
already directed attention to the much more agree
able access to it from the Banks at the end of the
Prebends' Bridge.
THE CHAPEL OF ST. MARGARET
Stands midway on the steep ascent of the hill of
Crossgate, from which it is entered by a long flight
of steps leading to the North Porch. Part of it
is of very early date, the piers and arches of the
north aisle being of early Norman work. Those
of the south aisle are also Norman. The capital
of one of the piers near the chancel on this side is
curiously carved.
An indulgence was granted by Bishop Bury to
all persons who contributed to the structure of the
south aisle, which contained the altar of St. Thomas
of Canterbury. The windows of this aisle have
been restored after Bury's pattern. The chancel
is entered under a plain semi-circular Norman arch.
The windows of the north aisle are all modern.
The tower is low and of late date. The interior
of the church is galleried and pued up to the very
altar rails, in the most approved style of the last
century. The small street of Allergate diverges to the
right, at the higher part of Crossgate. The Dur
ham Infirmary is in this street. Beyond this it
possesses no claim to notice except as affording
access to a deep hollow lane, winding its way up

176
the Red Hills, and containing a causewayed bridle
road, which in all probability was the riding way
of the monks to the Prior's summer retreat of
Beaurepaire. The steep footpath up the fields, on
the right of this lane, well repays the toil of as
cending, by the magnificent prospect which is
beheld from their summit.

177-

Cf)e neigfjDoutljootr of tlje <£itp.

Within the compass of a few miles round Dur
ham, are several places possessing more or less of
historical or architectural interest, to which the
attention of a stranger may be directed. Of some
of the objects most worthy of note, we now pro
pose giving brief sketches.
After leaving the street of Crossgate, and pur
suing the road to which it forms the entrance for
about half-a-mile up the hill, we come to the mu
tilated fragment of that which gives its most usual
appellation to a victory famous in the history of
our wars with our Scottish neighbours. On these
heights was fought the battle of

NEVILLE S CROSS

Sometimes, but not so commonly, called the bat
tle of Durham. In 1346 David of Scotland, taking
advantage of the absence of his Royal neighbour in
France, gathered together a numerous army, and
advanced into England by way of Lanercost and
Hexham, without encountering much resistance,
until he at length encamped at Beaurepaire, about
three miles west of Durham. Here he lay in fan
cied security, burning and ravaging the country
round that city. His movements however, had

178
not been unmarked by the northern nobility, who
assembled an army of 16,000 men, and advanced
to repulse him. The English made their ap
proaches with considerable caution, and after a
previous skirmish in which a strong party of the
Scots, under Douglas, were totally discomfited,
" the armies joined battle on the Red Hills, a piece
of broken and irregular ground rising swiftly from
the Wear. The Scots were formed in three divi
sions, under the King, the Earl of Moray with Sir
William Douglass, and the High Steward of Scot
land. The English distributed their force in four
bodies : Lord Percy led the first, Lord Neville the
second. Sir Thomas Rokeby, Sheriff of Yorkshire,
commanded the third, and a strong body of ca
valry under Edward Baliol formed the reserve.
On a little hillock in the depth of Shaw-wood,
called the Maiden's Bower, the Prior, with his at
tendants, knelt around the Holy Corporax cloth of
St. Cuthbert, which in obedience to a miraculous
vision, was elevated on the point of a spear, within
sight of both armies. The City of Durham lay in
dreadful suspense, a prize to the conqueror ; and
whilst the remaining brethren of the Convent
poured forth their hymns and prayers from the
highest towers of the Cathedral, their eyes wan
dered with anxious doubt over the field of ap
proaching combat. The Scots were severely galled
as they advanced, by the English archers : and
John Graham, impatient at seeing his men fall
without the means of resistance, requested of the
king a hundred lances to break the archers ; his
request was denied, and the troops were ordered
to keep the line of battle. Actuated at once by
courage and indignation, Graham threw himself
singly, or with a few attendants, amongst the
archers, dispersed them on every side, and fought

179
till his horse was struck by a broad arrow, and
himself wounded and bleeding was scarcely able to
regain the ranks of his countrymen with life. The
High Steward immediately led his division to the
charge, with broad swords and battle axes ; the
archers were driven back through the ranks of
Lord Percy's division, which they disordered in
their retreat, and the Scots pursuing their advan
tage, threw the whole of the body into confusion.
Victory hovered on the side of the invaders, but
the day was restored by the courage and decision
of Edward Baliol. With a powerful body of ca
valry he made an impetuous charge on the High
Steward's division, and drove them from the field.
King David was meanwhile engaged with equal
fortunes against Lord Neville ; and Baliol, suffer
ing the High Steward to retreat unmolested, threw
himself on the flank of the royal troops, which was
left uncovered by his flight. The disorder of the
Scots became irretrievable, and their third body,
under the Earl of Moray, were cut to pieces
amongst the enclosures, which prevented their
escape. After all was lost, a gallant body of nobles
threw themselves around their king, and fought with
the courage of despair till only eighty of their num
ber survived. . David, after receiving two arrow
wounds, and resisting several attempts to take him
captive, was compelled to surrender to John Cope-
land, a Northumbrian Esquire, two of whose teeth
he had first dashed out with his clenched steel
gauntlet. Besides the King, the Earls of Fife and
Menteith, and Sir William Douglas, were made pri
soners ; the Earls of Moray and Strathern, John
and Alan Steward, and a long list of Scottish
nobility were amongst the slain. Of the English
leaders Lord Hastings alone fell."*
* Surtees, vol. i., pp. 1. li.

180
Such was " the victory of the Red Hills, said to
have been perpetuated by the erection of Neville's
Cross, of which the mutilated remains still exist."

¦¦'¦ -MT^ - . II WawiHffisS^

In its present state it is simply an octagonal
block of stone with indications of something like
sculptured heads at the angles. The socket in
the centre now holds an old mile-stone, which as
Mr. Raine says " has long survived the informa
tion it was intended to convey." The base
ment of the old Cross of the Neville stands on
a little mound just beyond the turnpike gate,
doubtless its original site, at the junction of the
four cross roads. The gatekeeper's house, by an
allowable licence has been omitted in the drawing.
The idea which so generally prevails that it was
erected to commemorate the battle, would appear
to be ill-founded, since the historians of the day,
when recounting the incidents of the battle, men
tion the ' Neville's Cross' as a well-known land
mark. In all probability a new and more stately
cross having been erected shortly subsequent to

181
the battle, by the Lord Neville who took so gal
lant a share in that well-fought field, may have
given rise to the tradition. A minute account of
it is given in the " Rites and Monuments," from
which it appears to have been a very beautiful
structure, adorned with carving and imagery, the
figures of the four Evangelists at the sides, and our
Blessed Lord on His cross, at the top. It was
destroyed in 1589 by " some lewd, contemptuous
and wicked persons .... utterly and spightfully
contemning all antient ceremonies and monu
ments."* BEAUREPAIRE.
About two miles to the north-west of Neville's
Cross, lies Beaurepaire, or as it is popularly and
corruptly called, Bearpark. It is in the retire
ment of the vale of Browney, and is situated on a
knoll, now covered with copse wood and thorn,
from the midst of which rises a high pitched gable,
grey and solitary, with a large window, divided by
mullions and transom, the only remnant, exc'ept
extensive masses of masonry nearly level with the
turf, which is now left to mark the site of the place
of summer solace of the old Priors of Durham.
They must have looked out upon a fair scene.
The Browney winding below, with its rippling
stream — the broken ground of their park beyond,
with its green wood coverts, stretching away to
the wilder ground of the upland hill, and the little
church of Witton Gilbert breaking the solitude of
the valley to the west, — were doubtless gazed on
by many who could appreciate their charms. The
beautiful early English remains of the Chapel
which were standing but a very few years ago, have
* Davies's Rites and Monuments.

182
totally disappeared. The portion which is left is
supposed to have been the refectory. The House
of Beaurepaire was founded about 1250 by Prior
Bertram de Middleton, but received many subse
quent additions and enlargements. Prior Hugh
de Derlyngton enclosed the park, about 1260, which
was enlarged by licence from Bishop Kellawe in
1311. Considerable portions of the park wall are
still in existence, skirting the road from Durham
to Ushaw near Auton Style, and again stretching
towards the north west near Hill Top. Part of
the ground within this part of its limits still retains
much of its ancient character, some wild thicket
and masses of furze and broom. The Scots made
more than one successful foray upon its well-
stocked precincts. Great ravages were committed
by them before the battle of Neville's Cross.
After the dissolution, Beaurepaire became at
tached to the Deanery, and was much neglected,
although occasionally inhabited in the summer
down to Dean Hunt's time, who died in 1638.
The Great Rebellion completed its decay. The es
tate is now the property of the University of
Durham. BRANCEPETH CHURCH AND CASTLE.
The road by which we ascended the hill from
Durham to Neville's Cross, leads directly onward
to Brancepeth, at a distance from the city of about
five miles. It is interesting as the seat of that
powerful family of whom we have seen so many
traces in our survey of the Cathedral and the City,
and still more so on account of the very beautiful
Church which owes its erection to their piety.
The Castle has been almost entirely rebuilt, and is a
stately and imposing example of modern castella-

183
tion, the character of the venerable walls of the for
tress of the Neville having been duly attended to
both in the way of restoration and addition. The
Church flanks the Castle on the east, and has for
tunately escaped all modern improvements : — the
latest additions being made at the time when
Cosin, afterwards Bishop of Durham, held this
Rectory prior to the Rebellion. He added the
north porch, which is certainly an incongruity, and
the tabernacle work of the font, together with a
large tablet of oak, without any inscription, which
is affixed to the north wall of the chancel, are also
manifestly of his period. The latter was doubtless
intended by Cosin to receive his own monumental
inscription. It has been usual to attribute the beautiful
fittings of the chancel, and the pewing of the
Church to the liberality of Cosin ; but a careful
examination of the workmanship of each part has
led us to form a different opinion. The tabernacle
work of the chancel screen and the stall work of
the choir, are certainly not later than the early
part of Elizabeth's time, and the pews in the body
of the Church, together with the pulpit and read
ing desk, which are of more debased character, may
probably be referred to the beginning of the reign
of James I. At all events, a comparison of their
ornaments with the decorative character of the
font cover and the monumental tablet alluded to,
must lead to the conclusion that the latter are of
considerably later date. The roof of the chancel
is flat, beautifully panelled, with intersecting ribs
and richly carved bosses. Some of its minor or
naments appear to have been added by Cosin, but
its general features are those belonging to the same
period as the chancel screen, if not still earlier.
The altar is Cosin's work, and perhaps also some

184
of the panelling eastward of the stall work, and
portions of the ornamental work of the reredos.
At the entrance to the chancel is a large blue mar
ble slab, inlaid with a priestly effigy and emblems
of the four Evangelists in brass. Before the steps
of the altar are laid the monumental effigies of one
of the Lords Neville and his lady. They are carved
in oak, and were formerly recumbent on a high
altar tomb, the sides of which were richly sculp
tured with niches and imagery, of which a drawing
exists in the Heralds' College. The roof of the
nave is of good character, apparently of the latter
part of the 15th century. Its bosses have been
adorned with colour, and the shield of the Neville
occurs amongst it decorations. A letter, dated
1638, is extant, addressed to Cosin by his curate,
William Milbourne, who mentions that timber had
been " sawne for sieling the roofe of the middle
alley in the Church," but it is evident that this can
only refer to the boarding above the rafters, which
was probably in a state of decay, for the ribs and
spandrils, now existing, are undoubtedly the work of
a far earlier period. Over the chancel arch is pre
served a very curious portion of the antient rood-loft
of the Church, panelled in squares, each of which is
adorned with different and singularly complicated
tracery. The construction of each design, and its
strictly geometrical character, has been ably ana
lysed and illustrated in a work recently published
by Mr. Billings.* In the vestry, which has been
a chantry chapel, is a magnificently carved oak
chest, worthy of minute attention. The south
wall of the vestry is curiously panelled with oak.
The shield of arms of Prior Castell is introduced
amongst the tracery of one of its divisions. A
huge altar tomb, without any device or inscription,
» See the Geometric Tracery of Brancepeth Church, by R. W. Billings.

185
stands in the centre. The large clock face at the
western end of the nave, appears from the shield
which occurs amongst its ornaments to have been
the gift of one of the Calverleys, who lie interred
in the Chancel, and were Cosin's parishioners.
At the eastern end of the north aisle is the effigy
of a Neville, in stone, of large dimensions, —
" A warrior with his shield of pride,
Cleaving humbly to his side,
And hands in resignation prest,
Palm to palm, on his tranquil breast."
Some of the windows are decorated, but the gene
ral features of the Church belong to the perpen
dicular period. The little turret for the Sanctus
Bell, above the chancel arch, forms one of its
external features. It is not very usual to find
them remaining.
With this very imperfect notice we must take
leave of Brancepeth Church, assuring such of our
readers as have any love for the t» irgimv in our
parochial structures, that they will seldom find it
more exemplified than in the arrangement and
decoration of the Church which once called Cosin
rector. THE PRIORY OF FINCHALE.
At the distance of about three miles from Durham
are the ruins of Finchale Priory, which was one of
the dependent cells upon the great monastery of
Durham. The habitation of a hermit saint was
the humble commencement of a foundation which
eventually became possessed of very considerable
wealth in lands and tithes, fisheries and burgages.
A plot of ground in the deep solitude of this part
of the woody banks of the Wear was assigned by

186
Bishop Flambard to St. Godric, who after a life of
singular austerity died here in 1 1 70. The cell which
he tenanted was afterwards, under a grant of the
same Bishop, occupied by two of the monks from
Durham, to whom Bishop Pudsay confirmed the
grant of the Hermitage, and gave them in addition
a tract of land adjoining. Henry Pudsay, son
of the Bishop, entertained, it would appear, an
idea of establishing some of the brethren of the
Church of Gisborough upon the banks of the
Browney, at Bacstanford. The monks of Durham
however did not relish the settlement of a dif
ferent order so near them, and harassed them, as
Galfrid of Coldingham tells us, in a variety of
ways, until at length Pudsay was obliged to trans
fer his liberality from the Canons of Gisborough
to the monks of Durham, and the result was the
foundation of the Priory of Finchale close to the
spot which had been hallowed by the devotion of
the anchorite, the site of whose dwelling and the
lowly oratory which he erected, a little to the east
of the ruins of the Priory, is still known by the
name of Godric's garth. Of Godric's abode there
are even yet distinct traces. " There are remains
of old walls clothed with ivy, lines of masonry
covered with earth and turf, and a smooth green
sward, marking antient care and cultivation.
The little plot of ground, about a quarter of an
acre, is of a triangular shape, with the river on one
side, a brook on the other, and a ditch on the third.
A modern cottage, itself a ruin, stands in the
midst of it, amid more antient rudera."*
The remains of the Church of the monastic
establishment, and the perishing ruins of the vari
ous buildings and offices attached to it, occupy a
romantic and beautiful site. The road (at least
* The Pbiory op Finchale, one of the publications of the Surtees' Society.

187
if that be pursued which a traveller in a carriage
must take) is through uninteresting and some
what bleak enclosures, with dark clouds of smoke
rising from many a colliery on all sides : but the
first view of the grey ruins which is obtained on
descending the hill towards the river, is exceedingly
striking : — almost every accessary of the scene
adding to its beauty. The river rushes below over
its rocky bed, and the opposite bank is clothed
with oak and hazel down to the water's edge, va
ried here and there by the jutting out of steep crag
and rock. The ruins of the Priory stand on a
smooth green plot of ground sloping very gently
to the river, and the only disturbance to the per
fectly beautiful character of the scene is the farm
house and its out-buildings, which necessarily but
ill accord with their venerable neighbour.
The view presented to us, as we descend the
hill and approach the Priory, is that of the west
front of the Church, with the broken and shat
tered walls of some of the monastic offices to the
south. The western doorway is of good early
English work, and above it have been three tall
lancet windows. Entering by this door we find
ourselves in the nave of the Church, which has of
late years been cleared of rubbish down to the
original flooring. The arches of the nave which
have originally been open to the north and south
aisles, are closed up with masonry, in which are
decorated windows. The same remark applies to
the choir. The tower has been at the intersection
of the cross of the transept with the nave and
choir : supported by four large piers, from which
have sprung the arches of a groined roof, the key
stone of which, richly adorned with foliage, was
found under the rubbish below, and is now pre
served in the farm house adjoining. The north-

188
western pier has a winding staircase inside. The
superstructure of the tower appears from a view
in Dugdale's Monasticon, taken in 1655, to have
been a low spire. When the rubbish was cleared
away from the bases of these piers, there appeared
part of a wall which had separated the nave from
the transept. When first discovered it was covered
with a coat of plaister which had been frescoed, yel
low and seme of cinquefoils gules. The frame work
of a magnificent window in the east wall of the
south transept remains, but its tracery has vanished.
Below it, is supposed to have been the shrine and
altar of St. Godric, beneath which, in all probabi
lity, both he and the founder Henry Pudsay lie in
terred. The windows of the north transept are lan
cet shaped. The east end of the choir has totally
fallen. It has probably terminated in three lancet
windows. A tall pinnacle still remains crowning
the south-east angle. As in the nave, the spaces
between the side piers are filled up, and decorated
windows inserted. The capital of one of the north
piers is beautifully carved with oak leaves and
acorns. The double piscina, on the south side,
near the altar, is also worthy of notice.
The cloister forms a quadrangle, of which the
nave forms the north side. It has had a covered
walk all round. On the south side has been the
refectory, under the remains of which is a crypt,
whose low octagonal piers and groining are of early
English work. On the east is the entrance to the
Chapter house. A small doorway leads into a large
open space looking to the river, on the south side of
the choir. It has probably been the cemetery. To
the south and east of this are various portions of the
domestic buildings of the Priory, crumbling and bro
ken, and their interior for the most part so choked
with rubbish as to make it difficult to assign their

189
several uses to the chambers formed by their shat
tered walls. The remains of a square tower exist
which, by the help of the " Account Rolls" pub
lished by the Surtees Society, may be identified with
an erection called the Douglas Tower. From the
front of this, facing the river, projects the lower
part of what has been an oriel window, command
ing a fair scene of rushing water, and woody bank
and scar, — features which still survive. The high-
pitched gable of the east end of the choir, with its
triple lancets, flanked by lofty pinnacles, which
once closed the view to the west, are ill represented
by the fragment which remains. The apartment
lighted by this oriel window must have been one of
the principal chambers of the Prior's ' lodging.' His
chapel, of late perpendicular work, is a little fur
ther to the south. Besides this, there are crypts
and winding stairs and various remains which once
formed a part of the domestic buildings of the
monastic establishment. The site of the vivaria
or fish-ponds may be plainly traced to the south
east, as also the old orchard.
The ruins are becoming gradually cleared of
rubbish under the auspices of the possessor, the
Prebendary of the seventh stall, and several indivi
duals who are anxious for the improvement which
will thereby be effected. Much has already been
done within the last five or six years, and the con
nection of the various parts of the building will
become easily traceable as the works proceed.
There is scarcely a point of view from which the
remains of this old Priory do not present some
beautiful combination with the wild beauties of the
opposite bank, — the more rugged and harsher fea
tures of their desolation and ruin being hidden
from the eye by
"  Nature softening and concealing
And busy with her hand of healing."

190

LUMLEY CASTLE.

This antient building, notwithstanding much in
congruous modern alteration, still retains some of
its original features. It is about seven miles from
Durham, a little to the east of the great north road,
from which it presents an imposing appearance,
crowning a long sunny slope rising gradually from
the Wear. The Castle is quadrangular, with four
large square towers, from each angle of which rise
machicolated octangular turrets. The insertion of
modern windows and doorway, and the clock-turret
of like date which rises from the roof, have de
prived that part of it which faces the west and
south of all its antient character. The east front
and the court-yard are the only objects of much
architectural interest. In the latter, the string
course below the battlements, on the west side,
adorned with the flat four-leaved flower, identifies
the erection of this part of the building with the
decorated period. The windows in the court-yard
are manifestly of late date, their mullions and tran
soms belonging probably to the time of our first
James. Its most distinguishing feature is the long
line of escocheons carved above the archway by
which it is entered from the west, displaying the
intermarriages of the Lumleys from the time of
their Saxon progenitor Liulph, down to John, Lord
Lumley, who died in 1609. Two bold projecting
turrets flank this armorial entrance.
The east front is partly modernized as regards
the windows, but retains its magnificent gateway,
which is flanked by two bold bastions crowned
with machicolated turrets, between which, over the
arch of the doorway, are six shields of arms in
bold relief. High over-head is a segmental arch,
spanning the space between the bastions and

191
adorned with hanging tracery. The arrangement
of the shields of arms and the character of the
architectural decoration enable us to assign thi9
front of the Castle to the time of Rich. II., during
whose reign Ralph Lord Lumley had licence from
Bishop Skirlaw to rebuild and castellate his house
of Lumley.*
The west side of the Castle " commands a very
beautiful prospect. At the foot of the park, the
Wear, which is collected for the purpose of a sal
mon lock, forms a fine deep pool or basin, and
then rushes over the dam in two silver sheets.
Across the Wear, Chester and Chester Church
with its lofty spire, fill the fore-ground, and the
further landscape is scattered over with irregular
villages and farmholds, as far as the wild dusky
western heights."! SHERBURN HOSPITAL,
Is about two miles east of Durham. It was ori
ginally founded by Bishop Pudsay for the recep
tion of lepers, and was munificently endowed by
that magnificent prelate. It has long since been
remodelled, and is now an asylum for a certain
number of aged men, whose poverty or misfortunes
have rendered them eligible for its shelter during
their declining years. The last revision of its
statutes was made by Bishop Chandler. The chapel
is now the only object of note, since the demoli
tion of the antient residence of the Master. It
contains some interesting early English and Nor
man work. The exterior has been restored with
some attention to its original character.
* Surtees, vol. n., p. 154.
(¦ Ibid.

192

PITTINGTON CHURCH

About a mile and a half to the north east of the
Hospital possesses some Norman piers of great
interest to the architectural observer.

The County of Durham has many other paro
chial structures and remains of early domestic
architecture of much interest, which might be
pointed out to those who have leisure and oppor
tunity to visit them, as well as many beauties of
natural scenery which would scarcely be suspected
to exist by any one who sees only the less inter
esting features which are presented to those who
travel through it on the Great Northern line of
Railway. The Compiler, however, has already
somewhat exceeded the bounds he at first pro
posed to himself, and can only in conclusion ex
press his hope that what has been indicated in
the foregoing pages may not prove altogether
uninteresting to the stranger who may linger on
his route within the walls of its antient capital; or
to those for whom Durham and its romantic
neighbourhood may be invested with the many
charms of early associations.

193

&j)Den&tx.

SUCCESSION OF BISHOPS, PRIORS, AND DEANS
OF DURHAM.

Eisljcps.

990.
1020.
1041.1042.
1056.
1072.1080.1099.
1133.
1143.1154.1197.
1217. 1227.
1241.1249.1260.
1274.1283.1311.
1318.1333.
1345.
1382.
1388.
1406.1438.1457.

. Aldhun.

1476.

. Eadmund.

1483.

. Eadred.

1502.

. Egelric.

1507.

Egelwine.

1509.

Walcher.

1523.

William de Carileph.

1530.

Ralph Flambard.

1560.

Galfrid Rufus.

1577.

William de St. Barbara

. 1589.

Hugh Pudsay.

1595.

Philip de Pictavia.

1606.

Richard de Marisco.

1617.

Richard Poore.

1627.

Nicholas Farnham.

1628.

Walter de Kirkham.

1632.

Robert Stichill.

1660.

Robert de Insula.

1674.

Antony Bee.

1721.

Richard de Kellow.

1730.

Lewis Beaumont.

1750.

Richard Bury.

1752.

Thomas Hatfield.

1771.

John Fordham.

1787.

Walter Skirlawe.

1791.

Thomas Langley.

1826.

Robert Neville.

1836.

Lawrence Booth.

William Dudley.
John Sherwood.
William Sever.
Christopher Bainbridge.
Thomas Ruthall.
Thomas Wolsey.
Cuthbert Tunstall.
James Pilkington.
Richard Barnes.
Matthew Hutton.
Tobias Matthews.
William James.
Richard Neile.
George Mountaigne.
John Howson.
Thomas Morton.
John Cosin.
Nathaniel, Lord Crewe.
William Talbot.
Edward Chandler.
Joseph Butler.
Richard Trevor.
John Egerton.
Thomas Thurlow.
Shute Barrington.
William Van Mildert.
Edward Maltbt.

194

priors.

1083. Aldwin.
1087. Turgot.
1109. Algar.
1137. Roger.
1149. Lawrence.
1154. Absalom.
1158. Thomas.
1163. German.
1189. Bertram.
1209. William de Durham.
1214. Ralph.
1233. Thomas Melsonby.
1244. Bertram de Middleton.
1258. Hugh de Derlington.
1272. Richard de Claxton.
1285. Hugh de Derlington.
1289. Richard Hoton.
1307. William de Tanfield.
1313. Galfrid de Burdon.

1322. William de Cowton.
1341. John Forcer.
1374. Robert de Walworth,
alias de Berrington
1391. John de Hemmingburgh.
1416. John de Wessington.
1446. William de Ebchester.
1456. John de Burnby.
1464. Richard Bell.
1478. Robert Ebchester.
1484. John Auckland.
1494. Thomas Castell.
1524. Hugh Whitehead.
The Surrender of the Mo
nastery took place December
31, 1540, and the Foundation
Charter of the Dean and Chap
ter, bears date May 12, 1541.

Starts.
1541. Hugh Whitehead, last 1660.
Prior and first Dean. 1661.
1551. Robert Home. 1684.
1553. Thomas Watson. 1691.
1557. Thomas Robertson. 1699.
1559. Robert Home. 1728.
1560. Ralph Skinner. 1746.
1563. William Whittingham. 1774.
1579. Thomas Wilson. 1777.
1583. Tobias Matthews. 1788.
1596. William James. 1794.
1606. Adam Newton. 1824.
1620. Richard Hunt. 1827.
1639. Walter Balcanquall.
1645. William Fuller. 1840.

John Barwick.
John Sudbury.
Dennis Granville.
Thomas Comber.
John Montague.
Henry Bland.
Spencer Cowper.
Thomas Dampier.
William Digby.
John Hinchcliffe.
James, Earl Cornwallis.
Charles Henry Hall.
John Banks Jenkinson,
Bishop of St. David's
George Waddington.

195

II.

5

0

0

0 10

0

0

10

0

1

10

0

1

10

0

We extract from the University Calendar the chief items of a
Student's expenses in each term : —
" Tuition, including all fees to the Professors of
the University
University Chest
University Library
College Servants
Detriments and Gas Lights
The rent of College Rooms varies from £3. to £5. 5s. a term.
The charge for College Commons, comprising dinner and a meat
luncheon is 12s. 6d. a week.
A sum of £20. is paid, as caution-money, on admission, and re
paid when a Student quits the University ; an admission fee
of £2. is also paid to the University Chest.
Members of the high table pay to the College £1. annually, or a
composition of £5.
Resident Engineer Students pay for tuition £10. 10s. in each
term. This includes all fees to the Officers of the University,
and the expense of instruction in Chemistry, Mineralogy, &c.,
in Modern Languages, Surveying, Drawing, &c."

The Academical Year consists of three terms, of not less than
eight weeks each, called Michaelmas, Epiphany, and Easter
terms. The ordinary age of admission is from sixteen to twenty-
one. Members of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, or
Dublin, who have passed an examination for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Civil Law, and are able to pro
duce satisfactory testimonials of character, and any other persons
between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-six, producing the
like testimonials, and passing the requisite examination, are ad-
misssible as Students in Theology.
For further particulars as to Rules of discipline, &c, we refer
our readers to the University Calendar, published every year by
authority. The University of Durham is about to extend its usefulness
by the establishment of a new Hall, under the designation of
Bishop Hatfield's Hail, which will be open for the reception
of general Students in October, 1846. The Rev. David Mel
ville, M. A. has accepted the office of Principal. The object of

196
its establishment is to afford the benefits of sound education upon
strictly economical principles, with reference, especially, to
young men intended for Holy Orders ; and thus to supply a want
which is becoming daily more and more felt. In furtherance of
this end, additional facilities will be given to the admission of
Theological Students, the period of residence necessary for ob-
tianing a License in Theology will be abridged, and the necessary
expenditure of its inmates will be limited under the most careful
rules of economy. An exhibition has been already founded by
the Bishop of Durham, for the encouragement of Theological
Students, with a preference to a member of this Hall, and seve
ral donations have been received by the Warden of the Univer
sity for the same purpose.

HI.
LIST OF BIRDS FOUND IN THE COUNTY.*
AauiLA Chrysaetos, Golden Eagle, very rare.
HalIjEetus Albictlla, Sea Eagle, do.
Pandion Halleetus, Osprey, not uncommon.
Faloo Peregrinus, Peregrine Falcon, rare.
 Subbuteo, Hobby, do.
-3Lsalon, Merlin, not uncommon.

¦ Tinnunculus, Kestrel, common.

Astur Palumbarius, Goshawk, occasionally met with.
Accipiter Fringillarius, Sparrow Hawk, common.
Milvus Vulgaris, Kite, not common.
Buteo Vulgaris, Common Buzzard, not uncommon.
 Lagoptjs, Rough-Legged Buzzard, do.
Pernis Apiyorus, Honey Buzzard, occasionally met with in
September.
Circus Rufus, Marsh Harrier, rare.
 Cyaneus, Hen Harrier, not uncommon.
Bubo Maximus, Eagle Owl, very rare. Mr. Selby mentions .
an instance of one having been killed on the upland Moors
in the County of Durham some years ago.
Otus Vulgaris, Long-Eared Owl, common.
 Braohyotos, Short-Eared Owl, occasionally breeds on
the Moors in the County of Durham.
Strix Flammea, White Owl, common.
Syrnium Aluoo, Tawny Owl, do.
Lanius Excubitor, Cinereous Shrike, not uncommon in some
Winters.
——— Collurio, Red-Backed Shrike, an occasional Summer
visitant.
* For this List the Publisher is indebted to Mr. Wm, Proctor, of the
Durham University Museum.

197
Muscicapa Grisola, Spotted Flycatcher, a regular Summer
visitant.
— — — - — Luctuosa, Pied Flycatcher, an occasional Summer
visitant.
Cinclus Aquaticus, Dipper, common.
Turdus Viscivorus, Missel Thrush, do.
 Pilaris, Fieldfare, Winter visitant.
 Musicus, Song Thrush, common.
¦ Iliaous, Redwing, common in Winter.

¦ Merula, Blackbird, common.
• ToRauATUS, Ring Ouzel, not uncommon.

Oriolus Galbula, Golden Oriole, of very rare occurrence.
Accentor Modularis, Hedge Accentor, common.
Erythaca Rubecula, Redbreast, do.
Pblsnicura Ruticilla, Redstart, common Summer visitant.
 Tithys, Black Redstart, very rare ; a nest with
five eggs was taken near Crook Hall in the Summer of
1845.
Saxicola Rubetra, Whinchat, regular Summer visitant.
 Rubicola, Stonechat, not uncommon in some loca
lities.
 CEnanthe, Wheatear, common.
Salicaria Looustella, Grasshopper Warbler, a Summer vi
sitant, not uncommon.
 Phragmitis, Sedge Warbler, do. do.
Curruca Atricapllla, Blackcap Warbler, Summer visitant,
common.
 Hortensis, Greater Petty chaps,
.  1  Cinerea, Whitethroat,
 Garrula, Lesser Whitethroat,
Sylvia Sibilatrix, Wood Wren,
 Trochilus, Willow Wren,
 Hippolais, Chiff Chaff,
Regulus Cristatus, Golden-Crested Regulus, common.
Parus Major, Great Titmouse, do.
 Cjeruleus, Blue Titmouse, do.
 Cristatus, Crested Titmouse, very rare.
 Ater, Cole Titmouse, common.
 Palustris, Marsh Titmouse, do.
 CauDatus, Long-Tailed Titmouse, do.
Bombycilla Garrula, Waxen Chatterer, an occasional Winter
visitant.
Motacilla Yarrellii, Pied Wagtail, common.
 Boarula, Grey Wagtail, do.
 Flava, Yellow Wagtail, not uncommon.
Anthtjs Arboreus, Tree Pipit, Summer visitant, common.
 Pratensis, Meadow Pipit, common.
 Aquaticus, Rock Pipit, do.
Alauda Aryensis, Sky Lark, do.
Plectrophanes Nivalis, Snow Bunting, a regular Winter
visitant.

do.

do.

do

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

do.

198
Emberiza Miliaria, Common Bunting, common.
 Schxeniclus, Black-Headed Bunting, do.
 Citrinella, Yellow Bunting, do.
Fringilla Ccelebs, Chafiinch, do
 Montifringilla, Mountain Finch, Winter visitant.
Passer Moutanus, Tree Sparrow, common.
 Domesticus, House Sparrow, very common.
Coccothraustes Chloris, Greenfinch, common.
 Vulgaris, Hawfinch, occasional Winter vi
sitant.
Carduelis Elegans, Goldfinch, common.
 Spinus, Siskin, occasional Winter visitant.
Linota Canstabina, Common Linnet, common.
 Linaria, Lesser Redpole, do.
 Montium, Mountain Linnet, not uncommon.
Pyrrhula Vulgaris, Bullfinch, common.
Loxia Curvirostra, Crossbill, occasional Winter visitant.
Sturnus Vulgaris, Starling, common.
Pastor Roseus, Rose-Coloured Pastor, very rare, one shot at
Newton Hall, near Durham, October 14, 1830.
Corvus Corax, Raven, rare.
 Corone, Carrion Crow, common.
 Cornix, Hooded Crow, Winter visitant.
 Frugilegus, Rook, common.
 Monedula, Jackdaw, do.
Pica Caudata, Magpie, do.
Garrulus Glandarius, Jay, do.
Picus Viridis, Green Woodpecker, rare.
 Major, Great Spotted Woodpecker, rare, one killed in
Brancepeth Park in 1844.
Yunx ToRauiLLA, Wryneck, not uncommon in some Summers.
Certhia Familiaris, Creeper, common.
Troglodytes Vulgaris, Common Wren, do.
Upupa Epops, Hoopoe, one shot near Seaham about 1840, and
another killed at Aycliffe in the same year.
Sitta Europ-^a, Nuthatch, rare.
Cuculus Canorus, Cuckoo, Summer visitant, common.
Alcedo Ispida, King-Fisher, not uncommon.
HmuNDO Rustica, CHmney Swallow, 1,^ ^^

Urbica, Martin

• Riparia, Sand Martin, J

c

Cypselus Apus, Common Swift, Summer visitant, common.
Caprimulgus Europjeus, Nightjar, Summer visitant, not
uncommon.
Columba Palumbus, Ring Dove, common.
Phasianus Colchicus, Pheasant, plentiful in preserves.
Tetrao Tetrix, Black Grouse, occasionally killed on the Moors
in the west part of the County.
Lagopus Scoticus, Red Grouse, common on the Moors.
Perdix Cinerea, Common Partridge, common.

199
Coturnix Vulgaris, Common Quail, rather rare.
Charadrius Pluvialis, Golden Plover, not uncommon.
 Morojellus, Dotterel, occasional visitant.
 Hiaticula, Ringed Plover, not uncommon on the
coast, breeds at Seaton Snook.
Squatarola Cinerea, Grey Plover, occasional Winter visitant.
Vanellus Cristatus, Peewit, common.
Strepsilas Interpres, Turnstone, not uncommon on the coast
in Winter.
Calidris Arenaria, Sanderling, not uncommon on the coast
during Winter.
HiEMAiopus Ostralegus, Oyster Catcher, do.
Ardea Cinerea, Common Heron, not uncommon, breeds in
Ravensworth Woods.
Botaurus Stellaris, Common Bittern, rare, one killed at
Morden Car in 1840, another near Shincliffe a few years
previously.
Ibis Falcinellus, Glossy Ibis, there is one instance upon record
of this bird having been killed on the coast in this County.
Numenius Arquata, Curlew, not uncommon.
 Phjeopus, Whimbrel, not uncommon on the coast in
Winter.
Totanus Fuscus, Spotted Redshank, very rare ; the specimen
in the Durham University Museum was shot by Mr.
Goundry, near Blanchland, in August, 1842.
 Calidris, Common Redshank, not uncommon, breeds
in Salt Marshes, near Seaton Carew.
 Hypoleucos, Common Sandpiper, common.
-  Glottis, Greenshank, rare.
Recurvirostra Avocetta, Avocet, " Mr. Selby records one
that was killed at Hartley in Durham." Yarrell's Bri
tish Birds.
Limosa Melanura, Black-Tailed Godwit, not uncommon.
 Rufa, Bar-Tailed Godwit, rare.
Machetes Pugnax, Ruff, frequents the marshes on the coast
in Winter.
Scolopax Rusticola, Woodcock, common in Winter.
 Major, Great Snipe, rare.
 Galltnago, Common Snipe, common.
 Gallinula, Jack Snipe, common in Winter.
Tringa Subarguata, Pigmy Curlew, occasionally met with on
the coast during Winter.
 Canutus, Knott, do.
 Minuta, Little Stint, occasionally on the coast.
 Variabilis, Dunlin, not uncommon.
 Maritima, Purple Sandpiper, occurs on the coast in
some Winters.
Crex Pratensis, Landrail, common.
 Porzana, Spotted Crake, rather rare.
Rallus Aquaticus, Water Rail, not uncommon.

200
Gallinula Chloropus, Common Gallinule, common in all the
streams and ponds in the district.
Fulica Atra, Bald Coot, not uncommon.
Phalarophus Lobatus, Grey Phalarope, occasional Winter
visitant.
Anser Segetum, Bean Goose, occasionally during Winter.
 Albifrons, White-Fronted Goose, occasionally during
Winter. • Leucopsis, Bernicle Goose, met with in some Winters on

the coast.
¦ Torquatus, Brent Goose, do. do.

Cygnus Ferus. Whistling Swan, occasionally — in the Winter
of 1842 six specimens were killed in the County.
Cygnus Bewickii, Bewick's Swan, rare — one killednear Bear-
park a few years ago.
¦  Olor, Mute Swan, on most of the ornamental waters
in the County.
Tadorna Vulpanser, Common Sheldrake, not uncommon on
the coast and in marshes during Winter.
Anas Clypeata, Shoveler, occasionally in the Winter.
•  Strepera, Gadwall, do.
 Acuta, Pintail Duck, do.
 Boschas, Wild Duck, not uncommon.
 Querquedula, Garganey, occasionally found during
Winter.
¦  Crecca, Teal, rather common.
 Penelope, Wigeon, not uncommon in Winter.
Somateria Mollisima, Eider Duck, rather rare.
Oidemia Fusca, Velvet Scoter, rare.
 — Nigra, Black Scoter, occasionally.
Fuligula Ferina, Pochard, occasionally during Winter.
 Marila, Scaup Duck, common in Winter.
 Cristata, Tufted Duck, occasionally during Winter.
Clangula Vulgaris, Golden Eye Duck, not uncommon during
Winter.
Harelda Glacialis, Long-Tailed Duck, occasionally found on
the coast in Winter.
Mergus Albellus, Smew, rather rare — three specimens were
killed near Durham in the Winter of 1838.
. Serrator, Red-Breasted Merganser, not uncommon
in Winter. ¦ Merganser, Goosander, rather rare — met with only

in some Winters.
Podiceps Rubrioollis, Red-Necked Grebe, occasionally in
Winter.
.  Auritus, Eared Grebe, rare.
—— — — Minor, Little Grebe, not uncommon — breeds in
marshes near Seaton.
Colymbus Glacialis, Great Northern Diver, met with in some
Winters on the coast, rare.

201
Colymbus Arcticus, Black-Throated Diver, rare — a very fine
specimen was shot near Kepyer in February 1844.
 Septentrionalis, Red-Throated Diver, not uncom
mon on the coast.
Uria Troile, Common Guillemot, common on the coast.
 Grylle, Black Guillemot, met with on the coast rarely.
Mergulus Melanoleuoos, Little Auk, occasionally on the
coast — one picked up in an exhausted state near Houghall
in November, 1839.
Fratercula Arctica, Puffin, not uncommon on the coast.
Alca Torda, Razor Bill, do. do.
Phalacrocorax Carbo, Common Cormorant, not uncommon
on the coast.
 Cristatus-, Shag, do. do.
Sula Alba, Gannet, occasionally on the coast.
Sterna Boysii, Sandwich Tern, do. do.
 Dougallii, Roseate Tern, occasionally on the coast.
 Arctica, Arctic Tern, not uncommon on the coast.
 Minhta, Lesser Tern, rather rare.
 Fissipes, Black Tern, do.
Larus Ridibundus, Black-Headed Gull, occasionally.
 Tridactylus, Kittiwake Gull, not uncommon.
 Canus, Common Gull, common.
 Fuscus, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, not very uncommon.
 Argentatus, Herring Gull, do do.
 Marinus, Great Black-Backed Gull, rare.
 Glaucus, Glaucous Gull, occasionally met with.
Lestris Cataractes, Common Skua, seldom met with.
 Pomarinus, Pomerine Skua, met with in August and
September but rare.
Richabdsonii, Richardson's Skua, do. do.

Procellaria Glacialis, Fulmar Petrel, very rare.
Puppinus Major, Cinereous Shearwater, do.
Thalassidroma Leachii, Fork-Tailed Petrel, rare — a speci
men was shot near Houghton-le-Spring about 1840
 Pelagica, Storm Petrel, occasionally on the
coast after a storm.

202
LIST OF SOME OF THE INSECTS FOUND IN THE
COUNTY.
COLEOPTERA.
Cicindela campestris — abundant on dry sunny banks.
Dromius 4-maculatus.
 linearis.
Lamprias chlorocephalus — Woods about Durham. — Mr. T. J.
Bungey.
Clivina Fossor — common on pathways.
Cychrus rostratus — common at the roots of trees in Maiden
Castle Wood.
Carabus catenulatus.
 cancellatus.
 violaceus — on the sea banks near Black Hall Rocks.
 hortensis — not uncommon.
Loricera pilicornis.
Badister bipustulatus.
Anchomenus prasinus — common.
 albipes.
Platynus angusticollis — under stones near Kepyer.
Agonum parumpunctatum.
 mcestum.
 atratum — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 picipes.
Olistophus rotundatus.
Calathus piceus.
 melanocephalus.
 cisteloides.
Pcecilus cupreus.
Omaseus melanarius.
Steropus madidus.
Broscus cephalotes — abundant under stones, $c, at the mouth
of Castle Eden Dean.
Abax Striola — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Amara lata.
 similata.
 tibialis.
Harpalus ruficornis.
Bradytus apricarius — Castle Eden Dean.
Trechus coUaris.
Ocys currens — Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. Wm. Little.
Peryphus Leachii — Castle Eden Dean.
Lopha 4-guttata — Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. Wm. Little.
Tachypus celer.
 striatus.
Bembidium paludosus — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 1 flavipes.

203
Notiophilus biguttatus — abundant.
Elaphrus riparius — at " the Reeds," near Houghall.
Haliplus ruficollis — in a pond in Maiden Castle Wood.
Colymbetes fontinalis.
 fuliginosus.
 ater.
Dyticus marginalis.
 punctulatus — in a pond near Houghall. — Mr. T. J.
Bungey.
Acilius sulcatus.
Gyrinus natator.
Helophorus aquaticus.
Sphaeridium Scarabaeoides.
Necrophorus Humator.
 Sepultor — on a heath near Bearpark, %c.
Necrodes littoralis.
Oiceoptoma thoracica.
 rugosa.
 sinuata.
Silpha obscura.
 nigrita.
Phosphuga atrata.
Meligethes viridescens — Castle Eden Dean.
Byturus tomentosus.
Attagenus Pellio.
Byrrhus pilula.
 sericeus.
Hister cadaverinus.
 carbonarius.
 purpurascens.
Synodendron cylindricum — common in rotten wood.
Geotrupes stercorarius.
Aphodius fimetarius.
 terrestris.
 rufipes.
 depressus.
 merdarius.
Serica hmavea.— plentiful on the sand banks on the coast, near
Castle Eden.
Melolontha vulgaris.
Phyllopertha Horticola. ,
Adrastus limbatus.
Lepidotus holosericeus.
Melanotus fulvipes — in rotten wood.
Ctenicerus pectinicornis.
 cupreus.
Athous hsemorrhoidalis.
Eubria palustris— upon Samolus Valerandi in a ravine a little
to the north of Castle Eden Dean.— Rev. Wm Little.
Lampyris noctiluca— near Brancepeth.— Mr. T. J. Bungey.
On the Sea Banks near Castle Eden Dean.

204
Telephorus melanurus.
Malthinus biguttatus.
 melanocephalus — Castle Eden Dean.
Dasytes viridis — -Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Tillus elongatus.
Ptinus Fur — about houses.
Anobium striatum— Castle Eden Dean. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Cionus Scrophulariae — Castle Eden Dean.
 Blattariee.
Nedyus didymus.
 melanarius.
Anoplus plantaris.
Orchestes Fagi.
Tachyerges Salicis.
 Saliceti — on willows in the Pelaw Leases in Au
gust. — Rev- IVm. Little.
Balaninus Salicivorus.
Grypidius Equiseti.
Dorytomus Tortrix.
 melanophthalmus.
 toeniatus — Castle Eden Dean.
 majalis — Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. PPm. Little.

¦ validirostris — Castle Eden Dean,

Orthochaetes setiger — sandy places. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Hypera Rumicis.
 nigrirostris.

¦ fulvipes — Castle Eden Dean.

Hylobius Abietis.
Alophus triguttatus.
Barynotus Mercurialis.
Merionus obscurus.
 elevatus.
Leiophlaaus nubilus.
Otiorhynchus notatus.
 ovatus.
 atroapterous.
 ater.
•  ¦ nigrifrons.
Philopedon geminatus — Castle Eden Dean.
Strophosomus Coryli.
Sitona hispidula.
Phyllobius Pyri.
 Alneti.
- parvulus.

— argentatus.

Cleonus sulcirostris — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Apion haematodes,
Rhynchites cyaneopennis.
Apoderus Avellanae — on hazel in Castle Eden Dean.
Salpingus ruficollis — Maiden Castle Wood. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.

205
Salpingus planirostris.
Pogonochebus nebulosus— Castle Eden Dean.
Saperda scalaris — Langley Pastures on the Willow.
Clytus Arietis.
Rhagium Inquisitor.
 bifasciatum.
Toxotus meridianus — Castle Eden Dean on umbelliferous plants .
— Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Leptura elongata.
 laevis.
 ruficornis.
Crioceris cyanella.
Galeruca Tenaceti — near Horden. — Mr. T. J.
Near Auton Style, on Scabious.
Haltica Nemorum.
 ferruginea.
 rufipes.
Phsedon Betulae.
 aucta.
 Vitellinae.
 Polygoni.
Chrysomela pallida.
 10-punctata — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 Hyperici.
 Staphylaea.
 polita.
 varians.
Melasoma aenea — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Helodes Phellandrii — at " the Reeds," near Houghall.
 Beccabungae — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Cryptocephalus sericeus— upon Cistus on the sea banks near
Castle Eden.
 Lineola — on Hawthorn in Castle Eden Dean.
 labiatus — Castle Eden Dean — Rev. W. Little.
Cassida equestris.
 rubiginosa.
Chilocorus 4-verrucatus.
Coccinella 12-punctata.
 14-guttata — near Flass.
 7-punctata.
 • 22-punctata — Maiden Castle Wood. — M. T. J. Bun
gey-
 variabilis.
 dispar.
 13-punctata.
Blaps mortisago — in cellars, fyc.
Anaspis frontalis.
Ripiphorus paradoxus — on the sea coast. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Ischnomera lurida.
Pyrochroa rubens — in Castle Eden Dean.
T

206
Proscarabaeus violaceus.
 vulgaris.
Anthicus fuscus — hotbeds, §c.
Scydmaenus tarsatus ~) . , .. , _.,
_.  hirticollis C m hot'>eds on Gtlesgate Moor.— Rev.
 pusillus S Wm-Little-
Euplectus minutus do. do.
 Reichenbachii do. do.
Creophilus maxillosus.
Trichoderma murina.
Lesteva Caraboides.

NEUROPTERA AND HYMENOPTERA.

Panorpa communis.
Agrion Puella — at Shincliffe Grange pond, and other places.
Calepteryx Virgo — common about the Browney and other
streams near Durham.
/Eschna grandis.
Cordulegaster annulatus.
Libellula depressa.
 4-maculata — in Castle Eden Dean, occasionally.
Cimbex femorata — in a wood near Flass.
Trichiosoma Lucorum — in Maiden Castle Wood.
Sphecodes gibbus — Castle Eden Dean.
Chrysis ignita — sunny banks and walls.
 ? do.

LEPIDOTERA.

Colias Edusa — at the mouth of Castle Eden Dean. — Mr. T. J.
Bungey.
Pontia Brassicae.
 Chariclea.
 Rapae.
 Napi.
 Cardamines.
Melitaea Artemis — in fields near Flass, and near Castle Eden
Dean, end of May.
 Silene — in woods and pastures near Flass in the be
ginning of June.
Euphrosyne — in Harden and Castle Eden Deans, in

woods and fields near Brancepeth, in Stanley Pastures,
l$c., beginning of June.
Argynnis Aglaia — Castle Eden Dean, and infields near Flass,
beginning of July.

207
Argynnis Paphia — Castle Eden Dean, beginning of July.
Vanessa C. album — Castle Eden Dean and occasionally in
Pelaw Wood, May and September.
 Urticae.
 Io.
 Atalanta — near Horden, in Houghall Wood, and on
Gilesgate Moor. — Rev. Wm. Little. Castle Eden Dean.
Cynthia Cardui — near Horden. — Mr. T. J. Bungey. Pelaw
Leazes and near Whitesmocks.
Hipparchia Megaera.
 Semele — at the mouth of Castle Eden Dean and
near Cassop, beginning of July.
 Tithonus — Castle Eden and other Deans, beginning
of July.
 Janira.
 Blandina — Castle Eden Dean, beginning of August.
 Hyperanthus.
• Polydama — high marshy ground near Hoppyland,

Rev. E. Blenkinsopp.
¦ Pamphilus.

Lycaena Phlaeas.
Polyommatus Argiolus — woods and lanes near Durham. Cas
tle Eden Dean, May.
 Alsus — Castle Eden Dean. Ragpeth, near Flass.
 Alexis.
 Salmacis — in Castle Eden Dean, and on the sea
banks adjoining.
Thymele Tages — Castle Eden Dean. Common in grassy lanes
and pastures.
Pamphila Sylvanus — Castle Eden Dean.
Ino Statices — in a field near Flass. On the sea banks near
Castle Eden Dean, middle of June.
Anthrocera Filipendulae.
Smerinthus Populi.
Acheronlia Atropos.
Macroglossa Stellatarum.
Sesia Bombyliformis — near Flass, end of June.
Trochilium Craboniformis — in Rennie's lane.
jEgeria Tipuliformis — in Gardens upon Currant bushes.
Hepialus Humili.
 Velleda.
 Lupulina.
Cossus ligniperda— Elvet Banks, Durham, and in Brancepeth
Park.
Pygaera bucephala.
Episema Casruleocephala — near Shincliffe.
Cerura Vinula— Castle Eden Dean, and near Durham, begin
ning of May.

208
Leiocampa dictaeoides — in Rennie's lane, end of June.
Saturnia Pavonia-minor — on heaths in the neighbourhood of
Durham.
Lasiocampa Rubi.
 Roboris.
Trichiura Crata?gi.
Eriogaster Lanestris — at Horden, on the White Thorn. — Mr. T.
J. Bungey.
Odonestis potatoria.
Orgyia antiqua — Houghall and Maiden Castle Woods, Castle
Eden Dean, and at Bearpark.
Arctia Caja.
Nemeophila Plantaginis — in a field near Flass, in a lane and
on the sea banks near Castle Eden.
Phragmatobia fuliginosa — Castle Eden Dean, and near Durham.
Spilosoma Menthrasti.
 lubricepeda.
Callimorpha Jacobaeae — at Hartlepool. — Mr T. J. Bungey.
Near Washington, end of May.
Triphaena orbona.
 Pronuba.
 Innuba.
 Fimbria — Maiden Castle Wood. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Charaias Graminis — Castle Eden Dean, beginning of July.
Agrotis Exclamationis.
Graphiphora C. nigrum.
 ¦ plecta — on a heath near Bearpark, middle of June.
Mythimna grisea.
Naenia typica.
Xylophasia polyodon.
Hadena plebeia.
Heliophobus Popularis.
Mamestra Pisi.
 oleracea.
 Brassicae.
Apamea nictitans.
Scotophila porphyrea — on a heath near Bearpark, middle of
June.
Polia flavocincta.
 Chi.
Acronycta tridens.
 Rumicis.
Bryophila perla.
Calyptra Libatrix.
Ceropacha Or.
Xanthia, fulvago.
 citrago — Maiden Castle Wood. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Leucania pygmina.
Phlogophora meticulosa.
Plusia Iota — near Shincliffe Grange, end of June.

209
Plusia Gamma.
 chrysitis — hedges about Durham.
Anarta Myrtilli — on a heath near Bearpark, middle of June.
 Heliaca — infields near Flass, beginning of June.
Phytometra a^nea — sea banks near Castle Eden, beginning of
June.
Mormo maura.
Euclidia glyphica.
 Mi.
Bupalus Piniarius — Woods near Hoppyland. — Rev. Blenkin-
sopp. Ragpeth, near Flass.
Hibernia defoliaria.
Biston Betularius.
Crocalis elinguaria — near Durham. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Odontopera bidentata.
Geometra illunaria.
 juliaria,
Rumia Crataegata.
Ourapteryx Sambucaria.
Campaea margaritata.
Hipparchus Papilionarius— near Hoppyland. — Rev. E. Blen-
kinsopp.
Hemithea Cythisaria. ¦
Alois muraria.
Boarmia crepuscularia — Castle Eden Dean, May.
Halia Vauaria.
Cabera pusaria.
 exanthemata.
Phasiane pluinbaria.
Larentia bipunctaria.
Cidaria miaria.
Harpalyce fulvata.
 tristata.
Polyphasia amcenata — lanes about Durham. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Electra Pyraliata.
Amiatis performata.
Abraxas Ulmata.
 Grossulariata.
Melanippe hastata — at Hoppyland. — Rev. E. Blenkinsopp.
Euthalia elutata.
Chesias Spartiata — about broom in Houghall Wood and near
Bearpark.
Minoa Chaerophyllata.
Strenia Clathrata.
Pcecilophasia marginata.
Timandra imitaria.
Cilix compressa.
Pyrausta punicealis.
Hydrocampa Nymphaeata — among rushes in ponds near Dur
ham.

210
Botys Urticata.
Mesographe forficalis.
Margaritia olivalis.
Chloephora prasinana — on oaks in Houghall and Maiden Castle
Woods. — Mr, T. J. Bungey.
Pseudotomia dorsana.
Xanthosetia Zcegana — Pelaw Wood,
(Ecophora Oliviella — in gardens, middle of May.
Adela viridella — Maiden Castle and Houghall Woods.
Yponomeuta padella

LIST OF SOME OF THE LESS COMMON PLANTS
FOUND IN THE COUNTY.
Salicornia herbacea — in Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. E. Davison.
Ligustrum vulgare — in Castle Eden Dean, and in most of the
hedges and Deans on the coast.
Veronica scutellata — Framwellgate Car. In the water-course
field at the Ford, near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Near Castle Hill, Wolsingham. — Rev. Wm. Milburne.
In a wet heath near Bearpark.
—  montana — Maiden Castle and other woods. — Rev.
John Cundill. Butterby Gill. — Mr. Peele.
Pinguicula vulgaris — near Wolsingham. — Rev. Wm. Milburnc.
In wet places in Castle Eden Dean, and in marshy fields
and other places about Durham.
Lycopus Europaeus — near Newton Hall. — Mr. Peele.
Salvia verbenaca — near the Ford, Lanchester s — Rev. Wrr.
Greenwell. Coniscliffe. — Rev. John Cundill.
Valeriana dioica — Castle Eden Dean, and at " the Reeds" near
Houghall. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Fedia dentata — Infields near Bearpark.
Phleum arenarium — sea banks near Castle Eden Dean. — Mr.
T. J. Bungey.
Arundo Phragmites — in a marsh near Houghall, and locally
known as " the Reeds."
Melica uniflora — abundant in woods about Durham.
 nutans — Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Poa nemoralis — Wood at the High Force, Teesdale. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Avena alpina — near the High Force, Teesdale. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Triticum loliaceum — sea banks near the mouth of Castle Eden
Dean.
Scabiosa columbaria — Pelaw Wood, and on the sea banks near
Castle Eden Dean.
Galium uliginosum — Castle Eden Dean.
 boreale — banks of the Tees, both above and below High
Force. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.

211
Plantago media — on the coast near Easington.
 maritima — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Davison.
On the coast near Castle Eden Dean.
Parietaria officinalis — on the walls of the University Museum,
and of Durham Castle. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Alchemilla vulgaris.
Myosotis palustris — Castle Eden Dean.
 collina > waste places at Hartlepool. — Mr.
 versicolor \ Edward Davison.
Lithospermum officinale.
Cynoglossum officinale.
Symphytum officinale — in a lane near Shincliffe.
Primula elatior — in Shincliffe and other woods about Durham.
Rev. John Cundill.
 farinosa — Pespool and Mainsforth Car. — Rev. John
Cundill. Cassop Bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller. Very plen
tiful in Teesdale Forest, near Broomshields and Satley. —
Rev. Wm. Greenwell. In a lane near Haswell, in Castle
Eden Dean, and on the sea banks adjoining.
Hottonia palustris — Mainsforth Car. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
At " the Reeds" near Houghall.
Menyanthes nymphaeoides — old bed of the river at Butterby. —
Mr. Peele.
Lysimachia vulgaris — at " the Reeds" near Houghall. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Anagallis tenella — in a bog near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Convolvulus sepinm — in hedges about Durham.
 Soldanella — sea banks near South Shields.— Rev.
John Cundill.
Campanula latifolia — abundant on the banks of Tees above Dar
lington. — Rev. John Cundill. In Maiden Castle, Frank -
land, and Kepyer Woods, and in Castle Eden Dean.
 < — glomerata — on the banks of the Tees above Piers-
bridge. — Rev. John Cundill.
¦ hybrida — in a corn field near Lanchester. — Rev.

Wm. Greenwell.
Viola hirta — Pelaw and other woods.
 odorata — woods and lanes about Durham.
 palustris — in a field near Little High Wood. — Rev. John
Cundill. Near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell. Fram
wellgate Car.
Hyoscyamus niger — lane at the head of Old Elvet. — Mr. T. J.
Bungey. Coniscliffe. — Rev . John Cundill.
Atropa Belladonna — on the south bank of the Wear at Durham,
between the Prebends' and Elvet Bridge.
Erythraea Centaurium — plentiful in pastures on the coast.
Castle Eden Dean. In dry pastures near Bearpark and
elsewhere.
Samolus valerandi — in wet places in the Deans on the coast.

212
Lonicera Xylosteum — hedges on the Race Course, Durham. —
Rev. John Cundill. In Elvet Banks near the abutment
of the old bridge. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Euonymus Europaeus — Maiden Castle Wood. — Rev. John Cun
dill.
Ribes rubrum — Kepyer Wood. — Rev. John Cundill.
 Grossularia.
Glaux maritima — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Davison.
At the mouth of Castle Eden Dean.
Salsosa Kali — among loose sand on the shore at Hartlepool. —
Mr. Edward Davison. At the mouth of Castle Eden
Dean. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Gentiana verna — above the High Force in Teesdale.
 Amarella — near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
near Horden Hall.
 campestris — near Satley, and Lanchester. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Eryngium maritimum — on the sea shore between Castle Eden
Dean and Black Hall Rocks.
Caucalis daucoides — corn fields near Horden. — Mr. T. J.
Bungey.
Myrrhis odorata — on the banks of the Browney near Lanches
ter. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell. Kepyer Wood. — Rev. John
Cundill. On the north bank of the Wear above Finchale
Abbey.
CEnanthe crocata — Kepyer Wood.— Rev. John Cundill.
Apium graveolens  in Horden Dean. — Mr. T. J.
At Portrack near Stockton-on- Tees. — Rev. John Cundill.
Sambucus Ebulus — banks of the Wear above the Race Course. —
Rev. John Cundill.
Parnassia palustris — in bogs near Lanchester. In Castle
Eden Dean and on the adjacent sea banks in boggy places.
Statice Armeria — Hartlepool Moor. — Mr. Edward Davison.
Jarrow Slake. — Mr. T. E. Miller. Black Hall Rocks.
Drosera rotundifolia
Galanthus nivalis — in a thicket on the Priestbeck, near its con
fluence with the Durness, above Flass.
Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus — wood by the Browney below Wit-
ton Gilbert. At Butterby on the south bank of the Wear,
and at " the Reeds" near Houghall.
Allium vineale — Durham Peth, and in a field near the Nab
End. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Ornithogalum luteum — at Butterby and at Coniscliffe. — Rev.
John Cundill.
Convallaria majalis — Castle Eden Dean.
Tofieldia palustris — Widdy Bank, Teesdale.
Triglochin palustre — at the mouth of Castle Eden Dean.
 maritimum — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Davi
son.
Alisma plantago — at the mouth of Castle Eden Dean. At " the
Reeds" near Houghall.

213
Trientalis europaaa— in Muggleswick Park.— Rev. Wm. Green
well.
Epilobium angustifolium — on Falcon Clint, Teesdale.— Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Vaccinium Vitis-idoBa — at Carrstones near Wolsingham. — Rev.
Wm. Milburne. On a heath at the source of the Roman
Aquaduct beyond Lanchester — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
 — Oxycoccos — abundant in a plantation near Shull. —
Rev. Wm. Milburne. Framwellgate Car.
Daphne Laureola — in Castle Eden Dean, and in Pelaw Wood.
Acer campestre — hedges near Seaton Carew, and near Hart.
Polygonum Bistorta — near Butterby, and in a meadow near
Durham. — Mr. T. J. Bungey. Aycliffe. — Rev. John
Cundill.
 viviparum — wet ground in Teesdale above the High
Force.
Paris quadrifolia — in a wood near Mount Oswald. — Rev. John
Cundill. Cassop bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller. Bishopley
Craig near Frosterley, and Linkirk Cave near Stanhope.
— Rev. Wm. Milburne. Castle Eden Dean.
Arbutus Uva-ursi — on Falcon Clint, Teesdale. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Pyrola rotundifolia — in Castle Eden Dean, and on the sea
banks near its mouth.
 minor — in a quarry near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Chrysosplenium alternifolium — in Shincliffe, Houghall, Frank-
land, Butterby and Langley Woods.
Saxifraga aizoides — in Teesdale above the High Force. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
 granulata — Maiden Castle Wood, and Elvet Banks.
 tridactylites — upon the rocks above Gunner's Pool in
Castle Eden Dean.
¦ hypnoides— Falcon Clint, Teesdale.

Saponaria officinalis — near Middleton-one-Row.
Stellaria nemorum — plentiful in Elvet Banks, in Kepyer and
Maiden Castle Woods, and in other places around Dur
ham. — Rev. John Cundill.
Arenaria peploides — mouth of Castle Eden Dean.
 verna — on the banks of the Wear below Stanhope. —
Rev. Wm. Milburne. On the banks of the Tees above
High Force.
 .  marina — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Davison.
Sedum Telephium — in hedges near Lanchester. In a lane near
Shincliffe.
 villosum — above the High Force in Teesdale.
Spergula nodosa — near High Force, Teesdale. At Hurbuck
near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell. At the mouth
of Castle Eden Dean.
Lythrum Salicaria —near Dunstan. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
U

214
Reseda lutea — waste places near Hartlepool. — Mr. Edward
Davison.
Prunus Padus — at Butterby, and in Maiden Castle Wood. —
Rev. John Cundill.
Rosa spinosissima — Cassop Bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller. On the
sea banks near Easington, Castle Eden, Hartlepool, 8$c.
 villosa — Maiden Castle Wood. — -Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 tomentosa — Kepyer Wood. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
 arvensis — on the banks of the river above Finchale Abbey.
— Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Rubus caesius.
 saxatilis — Castle Eden Dean.
Fragaria elatior — near the High Force, Teesdale. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Potentilla fruticosa — on the rocky banks of the Tees near the
High Force.
Nymphsea alba — 7 in the old bed of the river at Butterby. —
Nuphar lutea — ) Mr. Peele.
Aquilegia vulgaris — banks of the Browney above Aldin Grange.
— Rev. John Cundill.
Thalictrum minus — Hart Warren. — Mr. Edward Davison.
On the sea banks near Castle Eden Dean.
Ranunculus Lingua — at " the Reeds" near Houghall.
 arvensis.
 sceleratus.
Trollius europaeus — Cassop Bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller. Rain-
ton Park. Duckett Nook near Merrington. — Mr. Peele.
Near Butterby. On the banks of the Durness between
Langley and Flass, and in the high part of Teesdale.
Helleborus viridis — Piersbridge. — Rev. John Cundill.
Nepeta cataria — on the ruins of Langley Old Hall. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Thymus Acynos — in Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. Wm. Little.
Bartsia alpina — above the High Force in Teesdale.
Lathraea Squamaria — in Shincliffe, Frankland, and Croxdale
Woods. — Rev. John Cundill. On the banks of the Wear
below Stanhope. — Rev. Wm. Milburne.
Linaria Cymbalaria — at Coniscliffe. — Rev. John Cundill.
Orobanche major — Kepyer Wood, and near Lanchester. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell.
Cochlearia officinalis — on the banks of the Tyne, Wear and
Tees, and on the sea banks at Sunderland, Castle Eden,
Cakile maritima — sea shore at Hartlepool. — Mr. Edward Da
vison. Sea shore near Castle Eden.
Cardimine amara — in u wood on the Browney above Aldin
Grange. Langley and Frankland Woods.
Hesperis matronalis — Kepyer Wood. Rev. Wm. Greenwell,
Cheiranthus fruticulosus — on walls about Durham.
Geranium sylvaticnm.

215
Geranium sanguineum— on the coast at Hartlepool and Seaton
Carew. In Castle Eden Dean, and on the banks of the
coast.
Fumaria capreolata — Maiden Castle Wood.
 ;  ; claviculata— in a hedge near Springwell Cottage.
Genista tinctoria — on the coast between Sunderland and Sea
ham. — Mr. T. J. Bungey. At the head of a glen near
Wolsingham, not far from the toll bar on the Newcastle
road. — Rev. Wm. Milburne.
 anglica.
Vicia sylvatica — in Pelaw, Maiden Castle, and Butterby
Woods. — Mr. T. E. Miller. In Castle Eden Dean.
 angustifolia — Framwellgate Car.
Astragalus glycyphyllos — in Pelaw Wood. — Rev. John Cundill.
On the sea banks near Horden. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 hypoglottis — in Pelaw Wood, and on the banks of the
coast at Castle Eden, Hartlepool and Seaton.
Hypericum montanum — Castle Eden Dean.
Tragopogon pratensis — near the Nab End, and in hedges near
Shincliffe.
Prenanthes muralis — Kepyer Wood. — Rev. John Cundill. Cas
tle Eden Dean.
Cnicus heterophyllus — hedge at Hollybush near Lanchester.—
Rev. Wm. Greenwell. In Castle Eden Dean, and near
St. John's, Weardale. Mr. T. E. Miller.
Carlina vulgaris — on the sea banks near Castle Eden Dean. —
Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Eupatorium cannabinum — at Butterby. In woods near Lang
ley, and in the Deans on the coast.
Artemisia maritima — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Davi
son. Near Carr House. — Rev. John Cundill.
Gnaphalium dioicum — Hart Warren.— Mr. Edward Davison.
Cassop Bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller.
 sylvaticum — Castle Eden Dean. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
Senecio aquaticus.
Aster Tripolium — banks of the Tees below Newport, Stockton-
on-Tees, and of Tees below Gateshead.. — Rev. John Cun
dill.
Inula dysenterica — Castle Eden and Horden Deans. — Mr. T.
J. Bungey.
Anthemis arvensis.
Orchis bifolia — near Lanchester. Fields near Gretham. — Rev.
John Cundill. Pastures north of Tunstall House, Wol
singham. — Rev. Wm. Milburne. Pastures near Haswell,
and in Castle Eden Dean.
 pyramidalis — near Hart. — Mr. Edward Davison. On
the sea banks near Castle Eden Dean. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.

— viridis — near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell. Near
Wolsingham. — Rev. Wm. Milburne. Castle Eden Dean.

216
Ophrys muscifera — Castle Eden Dean.
Listera cordata — on the moors at Bonner's allotment, and in a
quarry above Lanchester. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
 nidus-avis — Cassop Bank. — Mr. T. E. Miller. Castle
Eden Dean.
Epipaetis latifolia — Castle Eden Dean.
 • palustris — Cars near Mainsforth. — Rev. Wm. Green
well. Castle Eden Dean. — Mr. T. J. Bungey.
 ensifolia — Castle Eden Dean.
Gypripedium Calceolus — Castle Eden Dean.
Euphorbia exigua — corn fields near Lanchester. — Rev. Wm.
Greenwell.
Humulus Lupulus — hedges near Witton-le-Wear. Banks of
the river near Frankland. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
Tamus communis — Castle Eden and Harden Deans.
Taxus baccata — Castle Eden Dean.
Atriplex portulacoides — Hartlepool Slake. — Mr. Edward Da
vison.
Polypodium Dryopteris — Kepyer Wood. — Rev. John Cundill.
Aspidium Lonchitis — Widdy Bank, and Cauldron Snout, in
Teesdale. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
 Oreopteris — woods about Durham. — Rev. John Cun
dill.
 lobatum — Kepyer Wood.
 dilatatum — around Durham.
Cystea fragilis — Castle Eden Dean. — Rev. John Cundill.
Asplenium viride — Cauldron Snout Teesdale. — Rev. John Cun
dill. On rocks near Cowes Hill. — Rev. Wm. Greenwell.
•  marinum — Byer's Quarry near Whitburn.
Scolopendrium vulgare — in Frankland and Kepyer Woods. —
Rev. John Cundill. Near Butterby, in most of the woods
about Durham, and in Castle Eden Dean.
Botrychium Lunaria — near Satley and Broomshields. — Rev.
Wm. Greenwell. In a field near Langley. — Rev. John
Cundill. In Teesdale above the High Force.
Ophioglossum vulgatum — fields about Durham. — Rev. John
Cundill.
Equisetum hyemale — Kepyer Wood. — Rev. John Cundill.
 variegatum — above the High Force in Teesdale.

IV,
A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST,
RELATING TO THE
CITY AND COUNTY OF DURHAM,
CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.
The Legend of St. Cuthbert; with the Antiquities of the Church of Dur
ham, hy Robert Hegg, published by B. R., Esq. London 1663
The Antient Rites and Monuments of the Monastical, and Cathedral Church
of Durham, collected out of Ancient Manuscripts, about the time of the
Suppression, published by J. D. (Davies) of Kidwelly, Printed for W.
Hensman, at the King's Head in Westminster-Hall. Small 8vo. pp. 164.
London 1672
An Historical Account of the Cathedral and Collegiate Churches of York,
Rippon, Beverley, Durham and Carlisle, by Sir William Dugdale, folio.
London 1716
Simeon of Durham, Historla Ecclcsiae Dunelmensis, edidit T. Bedford, 8vo.
London 1732
Survey of the Cathedrals of York, Durham, Carlisle, &c., containing an
History of their Foundation, &c, by Browne Willis, Esq., 3 vols., Ato.
London 1742
The Antiquities of the Abbey or Cathedral Church of Durham. Also a par
ticular Description of the County Palatine of Durham, compiled from the
best Authorities and Original Manuscripts. Printed by J. White and T.
Saint, for P. Sanderson, at Mr. Pope's Head in Durham. l2mo. pp. 288.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1767
The Episcopal Coins of Durham, and the Monastic Coins of Reading, minted
during the reigns of Edward I. II. and III., appropriated to their respective
owners. Benjamin Bartlet, F. A. S. in Archaeology V. 335. 1779
Two Dissertations on the Mint and Coins of the Episcopal Palatines of Dur
ham, with plates. By the Rev. Mark Noble, F. A. S., 4(o. Birmingham 1780
Conjectures concerning some Undescribed Roman Roads, and other Anti
quities in the County of Durham. John Cade, Esq., in Archaeol. VII. 74.
H 1785
The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham; by Wil
liam Hutchinson, F. A. S-, 3 vols., Ato., plates. Newcastle 1785—1794
The Parochial History and Antiquities of Stockton-upon-Tees by the Rev.
John Brewster, Ato., plates. . Stockton 1796
Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Specimens of the Architecture and Orna
ments in the Cathedral Church of Durham, from designs by Carter. Im
perial folio. 1801
The Bishopric Garland, or the Durham Minstrel ; a choice Collection of
excellent Songs. The Yorkshire Garland, &c, &c, edited by Joseph
Ritson, Esq., Qvo. London 1810
The History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of Durham, by J. and
H. S. Storer, 8uo., plates. ^ London 1815
A History of Hartlepool, by Sir Cuthbert Sharp, Knight, F. S. A., 8uo.,
plates. Durham 1816
The Legend of St. Cuthbert, with the Antiquities of the Church of Durham,
by Robert Hegg, reprinted by J. B. Taylor, Ato. Sunderland 1816
Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Durham, by
Cooke, 18mo.

218
The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham ; compiled
from Original Records, preserved in public repositories and private collec
tions; and illustrated by engravings of Architectural and Monumental
Antiquities, Portraits of Eminent Persons, &c, &a, by Robert Surtees,
of Mainsforth, Esq., F. S. A., 4 vols., folio. London 1816—1840
The Fishing Costume and Local Scenery of Hartlepool in the County of
Durham, painted and engraved from Nature, by T. L. Busby, folio and
quarto. London 1819
An Historical and Descriptive View of the Parishes of Monkwearmouth,
Bishopwearmouth, and the Port and Borough of Sunderland, by George
Garbutt, Bvo. Sunderland 1819
Certaine Observations touching ye Estate of the Commonwealth, composed
principally for the benefit of the Gentry of the County of Durham, Ato.
Durham 1822
The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham, by William
Hutchinson, F. A. S., 3 vols., Ato., and 3 vols., Bvo. Reprinted at Durham 1823
Historical and Descriptive View of the City of Durham and its Environs. To
which is added a Reprint of Hegg*s Legend of St. Cuthbert from the Edi
tion of the late George Allan, Esq., F. S. A., 12mo. Durham 1824
Saint Cuthbert: with an Account of the State in which his Remains were
found upon the opening of his Tomb in Durham Cathedral in the year
1827, by the Rev. James Raine, M. A., Ato. Durham 1828
The History of North Durham, part I., by the Rev. James Raine, M. A.,
&lc, folio. London 1830
A History of the Worm of Lambton, by Sir Cuthbert Sharp, Knight, Ato. 1830
A List of the Knights and Burgesses who have represented the County and
City of Durham in Parliament, by Sir Cuthbert Sharp, Knight, 2nd Edi
tion, Ato. Sunderland 1831
A Brief Account of Durham Cathedral, with notices of the Castle, Univer
sity, City Churches, &c, 12mo. Newcastle 1833
The Bishoprick Garland, or a Collection of Legends, Songs, Ballads, &c,
belonging to the County of Durham, by Sir Cuthbert Sharp, Knight, 8vo.,
London 1834
An Historical, Topographical, and Descriptive View of the County Palatine
of Durham, &c, &c, by E. Mackenzie and M. Ross, 2 vols., Ato.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1834
Reginaldi Monachi Dunelmensis Libellus de Admirandis Beati Cuthberti
Virtutibus qua; novellis pat rata: sunt temporibus. Surtees Society 1835
Wills and Inventories, illustrative of the History, Manners, Language, Sta
tistics, &c, of the Northern Counties of England, from the eleventh cen
tury downwards, part 1, 8vo. Surtees Society 1835
The Charters of Endowment, Inventories, and Account Rolls, of the Priory
of Finchale, in the County of Durham, 8vo. Surtees Society 183?
Sanctuarium Dunelmense et Sanctuarium Beverlacense, 8vo.
Surtees Surtees 1837
A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in the Counties of
Lincoln, York, Durham, and Northumberland and Scotland, by the Rev.
T. F. Dibdin, D. D., plates, 2 vols., royal 8vo. London 1838
Miscellanea Biographical — Oswinus Rex Northumbrian, Cuthbertus Episcopus
Lindisfamensis, Eata Episcopus Haugustaldensis, 8vo. Surtees Society 1838
Historian Dunelmensis Scriptores tres, Gaufridus de Coldingham, Robertas
de Graystanes, et Willielmus de Chambre, 8vo. Surtees Society 1839
Chronicon Mirabile; or Extracts from Parish Registers, principally in the
North of England, 8vo., by Sir Cuthbert Sharp, Knight London 1841
Liber Vita; Ecclesiae Dunelmensis ; nee non obituaria duo ejusdem Ecclesiae,
8vo. Surtees Society 1841
The Local Historian's Table Book of remarkable occurrences, historical
facts, traditions, legendary and descriptive ballads, &c, &c, connected
with the Counties of Northumberland and Durham, by M. A. Richardson,
8 vols., 8vo. Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1841—1846
A Description or Briefe Declaration of all the Ancient Monuments, Rites,
and Customes belonginge or beinge within the Monastical Church of Dur
ham before the Suppression. Written in 1593, 8vo. Surtees Society 1842
Visits to Remarkable Places; Old Halls, Battle Fields, and Scenes illustra
tive of striking Passages in History and Poetry : chiefly in the Counties of
Durham and Northumberland, by William Howitt, 2nd series, Svo.
London 1842

219
The Tapestries in the Senate Chamber, at Durham Castle. Drawn in
outline by J. Bouet, and on stone by James Dickson, Imperial Ato. 1842.
Historical and Descriptive Account of the Cathedral Church of Durham, by
B. Winkles, plates, imp. 8vo. Durham 1842
Architectural Illustrations and Description of the Cathedral Church at Dur
ham, by Robert William Billings, Ato. London 1843
The Durham Household Book ; or the Accounts of the Bursar of the Mo
nastery of Durham, from Pentecost 1530 to Pentecost 1534, 8uo.
Surtees Society 1844
The Geometric Tracery of Brancepeth Church in the County of Durham,
illustrated by Robert William Billings, Ato. London 1845
Illustrations of the Architectural Antiquities of the County of Durham, by
Robert William Billings, Ato, Durham 184(5

The Natural History and Antiquities of Northumberland, and of so much of
the County of Durham as lies between the Rivers Tyne and Tweed, by
Rev. John Wallis, A. M., 2 vols., Ato. London I76jf
General View of the Agriculture of the County of Durham, by Joseph Gran
ger, Heugh, near Durham, drawn up for the Board of Agriculture, Ato.
London J 794
The Botanist's Guide through the Counties of Northumberland and Dur
ham, by N. J. Winch, F. L. S., John Thornhill and Richard Waugh, 2
vols., Qvo. Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1805
A Tour in Teesdale, Bvo. London 1806
General View of the Agriculture of the County of Durham, by John Bailey,
drawn up for the Board of Agriculture, 8uo- London 1810
Flora of Northumberland and Durham; N.J. Winch, from the Transac
tions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1831
An Account of the Mining Districts of Alston Moor, Weardale, and Tees
dale, in Cumberland and Durham ; comprising descriptive sketches of the
Scenery, Antiquities, Geology and Mining operations in the upper Dales
of the Rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees, by T. Sopwith, 12mo. Alnwick 1833
The New Botanist's Guide to the Localities of the rarer Plants of Britain,
on the plan of Turner and Dillwyn's Botanist's Guide, by Hewett Cottrell
Watson, Vol. 1, England and Wales. London 1835

INDEX.

Aisles, nave and choir, Norman win
dows of, 15.
"  north, altars contained in, 29 ;
windows of, ibid.
 south, altar in, 29; Neville
porch or chapel in, 30; tombs in,
ib. ; windows in, ib.
Aldhun, Bishop, builds a new church
of stone at Dunholm, 3.
Allergate, 175 ; lane leading out of,
to the Red Hills, 175, 176.
Alms-houses, founded by Bishop
Cosin, 12 ; now inhabited by Stu
dents of the University, ib. ; former
occupants of, transferred to a new
building in Queen-street, ib.
Altar, the High, its antient magni
ficence, 48; its adornments after
the Reformation, 48, 49; its pre
sent state and ornaments, 49.
 of Jesus, 32.
 of our Lady of Pittie, why so
called, 29; in the Galilee, 87.
 of St. Benedict and St- Gre
gory, 36.
 of St. Faith and St. Thomas.
39.
 of St. Nicholas and St. Giles, 36.
 of St. Saviour, 29.
— - of the Bound Rood, 30.
 of the Lady of Bolton, 39.
—  ¦ of the Lady of Houghall, ib.
•  • of the Venerable Beda, 87-
— ¦ ¦ Screen, description of, 46, 47-
Altars, the Nine, Chapel of, 54 ; cause
of its name, 55 ; its character, ib. ;
indulgences granted to the contri
butors of its erection, ib. ; architec
tural description of, 57—61. arrange
ment of the altars from which it
takes its name, 61 ; chief interest
attached to it, 55, 56; reason for
the erection of, 55 ; used for morn
ing prayer by the University of
Durham, 73.
Apse, once the termination of the
Cathedral, 54.

Bailey, the, origin of the name, 135,
 North, Church of St. Mary in,
156 ; description of, ib. 157-
 South, Church of St, Mary in,
158 ; projected restoration of, ib. ;
painted glass in, ib. ; painted glass
in, ib. ; coped tomb in its church
yard, ib. ; curious entry in parish
books of, 159.
Banks, the, description of, 159—161 ;
places to which they lead, ib.
Banner, St. Cuthbert's, description
of, 65.
 of the Lord Neville, 66.
Barrington, Bishop, monument of,
106; character of, ib., 107-
Beaurepaire, beautiful situation of,
181 ; remains of its buildings, ib.
182 ; when founded, ib. ; its decay,
ib.
Bee, Antony, Bishop of Durham,
Eroceedings in the Cathedral when
e wished to force a Prior of his
own choice on the Convent, 76,
77; tomb of, 111; his character
and munificent works, ib. 112, 113;
observations on the change of cir
cumstances, since he swayed the
Palatine sceptre, 113, 114.
Beda, the Venerable, Shrine of, 88 ;
opening of his tomb, ib. ; descrip
tion of his tomb, 91 ; character of,
92 ; account of his last hours, 93
—96.
Berrington, Prior, where buried, 37 ;
first Prior to whom the use of the
mitre and other pontifical insignia
was conceded, ib.
Birds found in the County, list of, 196.
Bishop Middleham, a fortress of the
Bishops of Durham, 137-
Boundary Cross, on pavement of the
nave, 23 ; its purpose, ib- ; story
from Reginald of an attempt tQ
pass it by Helisend, tire-woman to
the Queen of Scotland, 24, 25.

222

Bow, Church of St. Mary-le-, origin
of the name, 156.
Brancepeth Castle, interesting as the
seat of the Nevilles, 182; stately
character of, 183.
¦  Church, Cosin's additions
to, 183 ; description of its features
and character, 183—185; curious
geometrical tracery on the rood-
loft of, 184.
Bridge, the Prebend's, view from, 160 ;
when built, ib.
•  ¦ Elvet, 165; Framwellgate,
10, 174.
Brimley, Mr. John, Organist and
Master of the Choristers, his epi
taph, 97 J called to account for his
behaviour when the mai,s was re
established in 1569, ib. 98.
Britton, Rev. James, D. D., descrip
tion of his monument, 105.
Calverleys, the clock in Brancepeth
Church given by one of the, 185.
Carr, Rev. John, M. A., Professor of
Mathematics in the University of
Durham, monument of, 107 ; deep
respect entertained for him by his
pupils, if'.
Castell, Prior, where buried, 33 ; spe
cimen of his poetry, ib. ; built the
Abbey Gateway, 134.
Castle, outer gate of, built by Bishop
Langley, 11 ; used as County prison,
ib. ; site of it now occupied by the
News room, ib.
¦  1 the, strong-hold of the Bishops
of Durham, 137 > now held in trust
by the Bishop for the University,
ib. ; built by William the Conqueror,
ib. ; Its entrance gate, 138 ; descrip
tion of the Courtyard of, ib. ; great
hall of, 141 ; Bishop Fox's alter
ations in, ib. ; remains of Pudsay's ¦
architecture in, 147; antient Nor
man Chapel in, 148 ; north front of,
149.
Cathedral, the, description of its
northern elevation, 12, 13; effect
on entering, 20; form of its ground
plan, 121 ; general dimensions, ib. ;
General appearance of its South
ront, 122, 123; imposing appear
ance of its eastern end from the
North Bailey, 157.
Cemetery, the Monks', itsappearance
three centuries ago, 157.
Chancery, Palatine Court of, 12 ; its
character, ib. ; built by Bishop
Neville, ib.
Chapel, early morning prayer, where
situated, 39; now thrown open to
the south transept, ib.
 the Castle, description of, 144,
145.
 1 Norman, in the Castle, 148.
—— Roman Catholic, 165.
Chapter House, by whom built, 124 ;

when destroyed, ib.; portions re
maining, ib.
Charles I., received at Durham with
great solemnity, 80.
Chelsea, Viscount, beautiful bas-re
lief in memory of the infant daugh
ter of, 115.
Chester-le-Street, flight of the Bishop
and his monks from, 2.
Choir, screen of the, its character and
material, 40 ; when erected, ib. ;
contrasted with that of York Mins
ter, ib. ; description of that which
formerly existed in Durham Ca
thedra], ib.
 general effect of the, 42 ; ar
chitectural sketch of, 43—46.
 north aisle of, 73 ; the dwelling
place of an anchorite, ib.
— — south aisle of, ib. ; windows in,
ib. 74 ; distinguishing features of, ib.
Church, the White, erection of, 3.
Claypath, street called, 169; gate once
stood at the foot of, ib.
Clock, its character and ornaments
38 ; curious paintings on the panels
below, ib. ; its appearance described
by some travellers in 1634, ib. ; re
moval of its wood-work, 39.
Cloister, the, 118—125; its general
effect, 118 ; when built, ib. ; des
cription of Norman portal in, 119 ;
song school in, 121 ; Vestries of Mi
nor Canons and Choristers in, ib. ;
magnificent view of Cathedral from
south-western angle of, 122; des
cription of the roof of, 125.
marble basin in the centre of,

its use, 125, formerly enclosed
within a building of stone, ib.
north alley of, antient state

of the, 118, 119.
 1  south alley of, 123.
Common House, the Monks', 121.
Common Room, the University, 145 ,
old panelled roof of, ib. ; paintings
in, 146.
Comyn, death of, 5 ; avenged by
William the Conqueror, ib.
Consistory Court, recently removed
from the north transept aisle, 37;
now again held in the Galilee, 87-
Copes, belonging to the Church, pre
served in the Cathedral Library,
129 ; when used at Durham, ib. ;
story of Bishop Warburton's reason
for laying them aside, ib. ; their
antiquity, ib. ; one presented by
Charles I, ib.
Cosin, Bishop, alms-houses founded
by, 12; his gift of Communion
plate, &&, to the altar of Durham
Cathedral and to the Castles of
Durham and Auckland, 49.
County Courts, 164.
Crossgate, 175.
Cuneacestre, building of Cathedral
at, 2.

223

Cuthbert, St, final resting place of,
I ; place of his first sepulture, ib.',
patrimony of, 2.
*— .  . — , sanctity of the character
of, 56, 57 ; disinterment of, 66, 67 ;
description of the robes which en
veloped him, 68 — 71* buried in the
place where his Shrine was formerly
exalted, 62—66; banner of, 65; le
gend concerning the place of burial
of, 66 ; cross of, 71 ; tale of the in
corruptibility of, without foun
dation, ib. ; fragments of the robes
of, preserved in the Cathedral
Library, 128.
- ~-, Sanctuary of, 17 ; extent

of its privileges, ib. ; boundary of,
how marked, ib.
Deanery, description of, 130 ; account
of a day spent there in 1634, by the
Captain of the Norwich Company
and his friends, ib. 131, 132.
»--¦-- Kitchen of, description of, 133 ;
formerly that of the monastery, ib.
Dodsley, tomb of, 117-
Doorway, of the Cathedral, great
western, 16, 22 ; when built up, 22 ;
recent opening out of, 85 ; observa
tions on the effect thereby produ
ced, 85, 86; reference of the inscrip
tion over its arch, 87>
 .  1 northern, now the principal
entrance into the Cathedral, 16;
description of, 17; grotesque knock
er on, 18 ; sculpture of the interior
of, 22 ; by whom built, ib.
on the southern side of Nave,

description of, 22, 23.
Dormitory, where situate, 121 ; its
original extent, 122 ; when built,
ib. ; antient arrangement of, ib.
Douglas Tower, building so called at
Finchale Priory, 189.
Dun Cow, legend of, 14 ; carving of,
ib.i what intended to typify, 15.
Dunholm, monks close their wander
ings with St. Cuthbert's body at, 3.
Durham, Bibliographical list relating
to the City and County of, 217.
 City of, the resting place of
St. Cuthbert, 1 ; rise of, 4 ; taken
possession of by Comyn, ib. ; de
scription of its appearance on enter
ing from the north, 10.
 Bishops of, list of, 193.
Priors of, 194.
¦• Deans of, ib.

Eadmer, St. Cuthbert appears in a
dream to, 3.
Eardulph, Bishop, and his monks
wanderings of, 2.
Easter, solemnities observed at, by
the monks of Durham, 76.
Elvet, Borough and Barony of, 163;
Aula de, ib. ; Old and New, ib.;
¦ derivation of, 165.

Elvet Bridge, 165 ; by whom built, ib.
Feretory, St. Cuthbert's Shrine or, 62 ;
application of the term, ib. ; relics
preserved in, 63, 64.
Feretrar see Shrinekeeper
Finchale, Priory of, 185 — 189 ; origin
of, 185,186; circumstances relating
to its foundation 186 ; traces of St.
Godric's abode at, ib.; description,
of the situation of, ib. ; 186; archi
tectural character of the ruins of
187—189.
Flambard, Bishop, closing scene of
his life, 75.
Flambard's Bridge, 10-
Font, 25, account of its appearance
in 1634, 26.
Forcer, Prior, place of burial of, 37-
Framwellgate, 174.
 ¦ Bridge, t6.
<  1  1  Borough of, ib.
New Road, ib.; 1J5.

Fresco painting, traces of,, in the
Galilee, 87*
Galilee, the, entrances to, from the
aisles, 22 ; erection of, by Bishop
Pudsay, 81 ; to whom dedicated,
ib. ; a place of worship for females,
ib. ; origin of the name, 82, 83 ; ge
neral effect of, 83; architectural
description of, 84 ; Chantry of the
Virgin in, 85, 86 ; painted glass in
the windows of, 89; used for Sun
day evening service, 89, 90 ; Norman
character of the exterior of, 136.
north aisle of, once used as

the Register Office of the Consistory
Court, 89.
Gallery, Tunstall's, in the Castle,
144; Norman archway in, ib.; its
beautiful character, ib.
Gaol, 164.
Gateway, Abbey, 134 ; its period and
character, ib., 135; chambers above,
how used, 135.
Giles, Church of St. 169; description
of, 170 j view from churchyard of,
169 ; curious entries in the parish
books of, 170, 171.
Gilesgate Moor, late and present ap
pearance of, 170, VJl.
Godric, St. see Finchale.
Grammar School, the new, 160, 161 ;
its connection with the Cathedral,
161.
Guest Hall of the Monastery, 133.
Guthred, King of Northumberland,
gives land to Bishop Eardulph and
his monks, 2.
Hall, the Great, of the Castle, 141 ;
general appearance of, a'6. ; enter
tainments in, 142, 143 ; now the
dining Hall of the University,
143 ; portraits in, 142.
 the Town, 166; when built, ib. ;
Mayor's chamber and portraits in, ib.

224

Hall, Bishop Hatfield's a new foun
dation, so called, attached to the
University, 195.
Hallgarth Street, origin of its name,
163.
Hatfield, Bishop, description of his
monument, 108, 109 ; character of,
109, 110.
Holy Water Stones, 23, 31.
Hunt, Dean, tablet to the memory
of, 97.
Infirmary, the Durham, situation of
175.
Insects found in the County, list of
some' of the, 202.
Interdict, unhappy changes occa
sioned by, described by Gaufrid de
Cold i ngham, 82.
James I, visit of, to the Cathedral, 80.
Keep of the Castle, picturesque cha
racter of, previous to its restoration,
149.
Kepyer, Hospital of St. Giles at, 172;
description of its situation and ap
pearance, ib. 173, when founded,
173; its object, ib.; surrender of,
174. 1 wood, scenery in, 174.
Lady Chapel, why not erected at the
East end of the Cathedral, 54.
Langley, Cardinal, tomb of, 96 ; mu
nificence of his public works, ib.
Lindisfame, Church of, the place of
St. Cuthbert's first Sepulture, 1 ;
plundered and burnt by the Danes,
ib.
 1  ¦ abandonment of, by
Bishop Eardulph, 2.
Library, Cathedral, built by Dean
Sudbury on the site of the Refec
tory, 123; description of, 126 ; when
open, ib.% manuscripts in, 127;
Coins, Roman remains and pictures
in, 128, 129; Copes preserved in,
129.
- ¦  Bishop Cosin's, 150, 151.
——University, 151.
Lumley Castle/ its situation, 190;
architectural features of, ib. ; view
from, 191-
- Emeric de, fragment of his

tombstone, 110.

Maiden Castle, situation and appear
ance of, 164 ; view from, ib.
Manuscripts in the Cathedral Lib
rary, 127 ; beauty of their illumi
nations, ib. i notices of some of
them, ib. 128.
¦ in Bishop Cosin's Library,
150, 151.
Manufactory, Messrs.Henderson's, 167.
Margaret, Chapel of St., situation of,
175 ; architectural character of, ib.

Market Place, 166; statue of Nep
tune in, ib. ; old palace of the Earls
of Westmoreland in, 167-
 ¦ Cross, ib.
when held, 167.

Mary Magdalene, Church of St, 172;
situation of, ib. ; now in ruins, ib.
Mass, restoration of, in Durham
Cathedral in 1569, 79-
Mickleton, tomb of, 117-
Mildert, Bishop Van, death of, 8;
funeral of, ib. ; character of, 114 ;
monument of, 115.
Mint, supposed place of the Episco
pal, 150.
Monastic buildings, site of, now occu
pied by prebendal houses, 133.
Monumental remains in the grave
yard of the Cathedral, 115—117 ;
destruction of, in the cemetery of
the monks, by Dean Whittingham ,
1 16 ; legend respecting an effigy in
Stanhope maTble, ib.
Monuments defaced by the Scottish
prisoners, 80, 81.
in the Cathedral, 91—115.

Museum, University, 159, 160.
Nave of Cathedral, description of,
26—28, 32.
Neville, of Raby, Porch or Chapel of,
30; window in, ib. 31.
Lord, affray between his re

tainers and the monks of Durham,
77,78. -John, Lord, tomb of, 101,

102; high offices held by, 102;
Raby Castle built by, ib.
• Robert, Bishop of Durham,

monumental slab of, 102 ; character
of, 103. - Ralph, Lord, first layman

buried in the Cathedral, 104 ; tomb
of, ib. • Lord, monumental effigy of

a, at Brancepeth, 184 ; effigy in
stone of a, 185.
¦ Lady Eleanor, monumental

effigy of, in the grave yard of the
Cathedral, 117-
Neville's Cross, battle of, 177—179 ;
mutilated remains of, 180 ; former
appearance of, 181.
Nicholas, Church of St., 167; descrip
tion of, ib. 168; curious entries in
parish books of, 168, 169.
Novices, Master of the, place where
he gave instruction, 120, 121.
Observatory, 161.
Organ, in the Cathedral, when built,
40 ; beauty of its tones, 41.
Oswald, St., head of, found in St.
Cuthbert's coffin, 72.
Church of St, 162; alte

rations in, ib. ; destruction of its
carved oak roof, ib. 163; architect
tural character of, 163.

225

Palatine Coum , powers exercised by
the Bishons as, 7.
 r jurisdiction, reasons for its dele
gation to the hand of an Ecclistic,
6 ; as first exercised by Walcher, ib.
'  ' privileges, commencement
of, 5 ; continued till Henry VIII's
time, 7 ; first blow struck at, a;
when extinguished, ib.
Pant, the, 166.
Parlour, room called the, between the
Chapter House and the Church,
124 ; its uses, 125.
¦  ¦  Black, in the Castle, 143;
formerly part of Hatfield's great
hall, ib.
Pavement, of the Cathedral, 28.
Pelaw Wood, pathway through, to
Old Durham, 166.
Pews, in the Choir of the Cathedral,
temoval of, 52.
Pittington Church, Norman piers in,
192.
Place Green, 11 ; buildings surround
ing the, 12.
Plants found in the County, list of
some of the less common, 210.
Pontifical insignia, concession of, by
the Pope to the Priors of Durham,
37-
Pudsay, Bishop, gave the monks a
tract of land at Finchale, 186; the
founder of Sherburn Hospital, 191.
¦  Henry, founder of Finchale
Priory, 186.
Pulpit, wooden, in the Cathedral,
removal of, 53 ; replaced by one of
stone, ib.
Puritanism, havoc made by, 31.
Race Course, where situate, 163.
Raine, Rev. James, Librarian of the
Cathedral, 127.
Rebellion in 1569, Northern, proceed
ings in the Cathedral during, 79.
Red Hills, view from, 176.
Refectory, situation of, 123 ; its cha
racter, ib. ; used as a common hall
by the Minor Canons till the time
of the Civil Wars, ib. ; afterwards
fell into decay, ib.
Registrar, of the Dean and Chapter,
Office of, formerly the Library of
the Convent, 125.
Relics preserved in St. Cuthbert's
Feretory, 63, 64.
Reredos, in south aisle of Choir, 74.
Residence Dinner, account of, in 1634,
131,132; old customs prevailing at,
132
Ripon, Bishop and his monks take
refuge at, with the body of St
Cuthbert, 2.
Ritual, Anglo-Saxon, recently pub
lished by Surtees Society, 128 ; in
teresting nature of its contents, 16.
Rood Screen of the Cathedral, its si
tuation, 32.

Rood, Black, of Scotland, 74.
Sanctuary, offenders taking, bow dis
tinguished, 18 ; their treatment, 19 ;
advantages of places of, ib.
SanctusBell, turret for the, remain
ing on Brancepeth Church, 185.
Sands, the, 169, 174.
Senate Room of the University, ta
pestry in, 146; great chimney piece
in, u->.
Service, Cathedral, admirable manner
in which it is solemnized at Dur
ham, 41.
Sherburn Hospital, its situation, 191 ;
by whom founded, 16. ; primary ob
ject of, ib. ; chapel of, ib.
Shrine, St Cuthbert's, 62 ; its sump
tuous appearance, 63; despoiled by
Henry VIU's Commissioners, 66.
 < stone carvings and effigies once
kept in, 16, 72 ; vnow removed to a
vaulted chamber in the Cloister, 72.
 Keeper, 63 ; relics and books
deposited under his care, 6?— 65.
 of the Venerable Beda, 88.
Skirlaw, Bishop, stone bench in the
north aisle of the Choir, with his
arms, 73 ; place of his burial, ib.
South Street, 175 ; view from it of
the Cathedral and Castle, 160.
and the Banks and River,

beautiful view of, 135, 136.
Stag, Oblation of a, on St. Cuthbert's
day, by the Nevilles, 78 ; old rhyme
relative to, ib.
Stall work of the Choir of Cathedral,
52.
Station, Railway, 171.
Tabernacle work, destruction of
stained windows and, 81.
Te Deum, window in the Cathedral
so called, 38-
Terraced walks, round the mound of
the Keep, 149 ; view from, ib.
Throne, the Bishop's, built by Bishop
Hatfield, 50 ; its situation, ib. ;
description of, ib. 51 ; great eleva
tion of, 51.
Tower, of the Cathedral, great cen
tral, restoration of, 16; bad effect
of Roman cement covering its
upper stage, ib. ; style of, ib. ; ar
chitectural description of, 33—35.
Towers, western, 15 ; originally ter
minated in wooden spires, covered
with lead, 16.
Transept, of the Cathedral, 33, 35.
 ¦ middle, great window at
the north end of, 15 ; inserted by
Prior Forcer, ib. ; restored by Prior
Castell, ib.
- north, description of the

great window in, 35, 36.
- north and south, aisles on

the eastern side of, 36; altars in,
ib. 37.
 south, large perpendicular

X

226

window at the end of, 38 ; origin of
its name of the Te BeumTVindow,
ib. ; windows in the Aisle of, 40.
Treasury, of the Cathedral, 119;
archives contained in, 120.
Triforia, windows of, originally dor
mer windows, 15, 122.
Uhtred, Earl of Northumberland,
assisted Bishop Aldhur in building
his Church, 3.
University of Durham, 152, origin and
foundation of, 152—154 ; character
of the education given there, 154 :
its prospects of eminence, 155; par
ticulars relative to expenses of
Students at, &c. 195.
Vestry, great, of the Cathedral, 74.
Walcher, made Bishop of Durham,
by William the Conqueror, 5 ; first

Bishop who exercised Palatine
Jurisdiction, 6.
Wall, the old City, 159.
Wardenlau, body of St. Cuthbert
became immovably fixed at, 2.
Water Gate, or Parte du Bagle, 159.
Westmoreland, old palace of the Earls
of, in the Market Place, 167.
Wheler, Sir George, monument of,
98 ; character of, ib. 99, 100.
William, the Conqueror, avenges the
death of Comyn, 5; confers the see
of Durham on Walcher, ib.
Window, great western, when inser
ted, 22; filled with stained glass,
ib.
Windows, in the nortli aisle, 29 ; in
the south aisle, 30.
Women, exclusion of, from St. Cuth
bert's Church, 23—25.
Woodifield, Mr. cenotaph to the
memory of, 107.

DURHAM :
PRINTED BY GEORGE WALKER, JUN., SADDLER-STREET.

ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
P. 21. The measurements of the Cathedral are from Mr. Bil
ling's Architectural Illustrations of that building.
P. 25. The font here described has been recently removed, j»-
gether with its lofty canopy, from, the place it originally occu
pied, to the west end of the south aisle. It is replaced by
one of Norman design, the upper part of which is4square, the
north and south sides being decorated with roundels, sculptured
with scenes from the life of St. Cuthbert, taken from some of
the illuminations in a transcript of Bede's biography of the
Saint, written about the year 1200, in the possession of Sir
Henry Lawson, of Brough Hall. On the side facing the east
is a figure of St. Cuthbert, holding the head of King Oswald,
and on that facing the west, St. Cuthbert's Cross, with Nor
man foliage filling up the panelling of each. It is supported
by five short pillars, each adorned with varying decoration,
the design of which has been taken from different parts of the
Cathedral fabric.
P. 32, 33. The partition wall with its ornamented parapet here
mentioned, as separating the south aisle of the Choir, from the
Virgers' Vestry is now taken down, as also the wood-work in
the Galilee which is referred to.
P. 40. The windows of the south transept aisle are now restored
in their original Norman shape and the fragments of stained
glass have disappeared.
P. 52. The panelling at the back of the stalls on the south side
of the Choir has been removed within the last few weeks, and
additional ranges of seats made behind, an arrangement more
convenient in the way of accommodation, than pleasing as re
gards the effect produced by the change.
P. 56, line 1. For precints read precincts.
P. 59, 1. 30. For exquisitly read exquisitely.
P. 61, 1. 32. For accoun read account.
P. 83, 1. 1. For fratibus tenifratribus.
P. 126. The time of attendance at the Chapter Library is be
tween the hours of eleven and twelve,»in the forenoons of the
days mentioned.
P. 140, line 1. After apparently add inserted.