CHAPTER VI.

THE PRECINCTS.

Besides numerous remains of mediæval architecture to be found in the residences and private grounds of the cathedral clergy, there are some buildings of great interest to the south of the cathedral, the two most remarkable being the infirmary and Prior Crauden's chapel. Of the former no more than the piers and arches are to be seen, as the roof is gone, and the whole has been converted into residences. The latter is quite perfect.

The #Infirmary# is in the same relative position to the church as at Peterborough, at the south-east. The plan was that of an ordinary church, with nave, aisles, and chancel; but the chancel was the chapel, the aisles were the quarters of the inmates, and the nave was a common hall, or ambulatory. So complete was the resemblance to a church that the true purpose of this and other similar buildings elsewhere had been quite forgotten, and it was left to Professor Willis to discover that the remains were not those of a disused church. Bentham[1] has an engraving of the arches and clerestory, divested of all the domestic additions, which to a modern student of ecclesiastical architecture indicates at once a building of Norman date, which is described as an elevation "of the remains of the Old Conventual Church of Ely, built in the time of the Heptarchy, A.D. 673, and repaired in King Edgar's Reign, A.D. 970." In the plan given in the same plate an imaginary apse is marked out with dotted lines.[2] In the chapel is a groined roof, and this belongs to the latter part of the twelfth century; but the nave arches, where are some very good and unusual mouldings, have nothing of Transitional work, and in the absence of documentary evidence would be assigned to 1140 or 1150. The hall, situated to the north of what would, in a church, be called the north aisle of the nave, is the work of Walsingham.

#Prior Crauden's Chapel# is a most exquisite specimen of the Decorated period, designed by the same master mind that created the octagon and the lady-chapel. Crauden was prior from 1321 to 1341. Built as a private chapel, it was at one time converted into a dwelling, but is now restored to sacred uses as the chapel of the King's School. It is situated to the south of the deanery. It is of small dimensions, being only thirty-one feet long; and this is exactly double its breadth. The vaulted roof springs from clustered shafts in the walls; in the eastern half, on each side, are two tall windows of two lights, with most graceful tracery; at the east is a window of five lights, of equally beautiful tracery, filled with stained glass, of which the five lower figures are ancient and said to have been brought from Cologne. The west window has four lights. When Professor Willis was conducting some members of an architectural congress, in 1860,[3] over the monastic buildings, on arriving at this "beautiful little gem of architecture," in the course of his remarks "he pointed to the restorations that had taken place, and found that they were good ones, the actual mason's lines having been taken in some instances. In one or two cases where the work was destroyed the spaces had been filled up with plain block, purposely to show where the masonry had been knocked away." Some curious tiling is to be seen on the altar platform: there are figures of Adam and Eve and numerous unusual designs. On no account should this chapel be left unvisited.

The great gateway of the abbey, #Ely Porta#, remains in a nearly perfect condition. It was the place where the manor courts were held, and was in course of erection when Prior Bucton died in 1397. From his successor, in whose time it seems to have been completed, it is sometimes called Walpole's gate. At one time a portion was devoted to the brewery, and here the audit ale was brewed till so recently as Dean Goodwin's time.[4] It is now used partly as a house for the porter and partly for the school. The new buildings of the school, just opposite, are on the site of an ancient hostelry called the Green Man, which was "possibly the descendant of some mediæval lodging-house to which pilgrims resorted."[5]

Between Ely Porta and the cathedral are to be seen many fragmentary remains of the old monastery, some of Norman date, now forming parts of houses. Over the road to the west of these buildings there used to be a covered passage, called "The Gallery"--a name still retained by the street itself--leading from the bishop's palace to the cathedral. Access to this from the cathedral was in the western transept. The writer has not been able to hear of any engraving or drawing of this.

The remains of the refectory and of the Norman kitchen are in the deanery grounds. The guest-house is wholly absorbed in the deanery. There is a picturesque entrance into the close, on the north side, from High Street. The buildings on each side of it and the room above (now the muniment room) are quite ecclesiastical, though modernised and in part new. The eastern portion occupies the site of the sextry.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] "History," 1771, Plate IV.

[2] Another instance of imperfect acquaintance with church architecture is found in one plan of the cathedral (not in Bentham) in which the lady-chapel is called the chapter-house.

[3] At which the writer was present.

[4] "Ely Gossip," p. 5.

[5] _Ib._, p. 7.

INDEX.

Alban's, S., relics, 116, 118 Alcock, Bishop, 122; his chapel, 35, 90--pl., 94, 112 Allen, Bishop, 130; tomb, 90 Altar, often moved, 90 Andrewes, Bishop, 125 Apse, 19, 80 Arundel, Archbishop, 120

Barnet, Bishop, 26, 119; tomb, 95 Basevi, Mr., fatal accident, 64; brass 90 Belsham, Bishop, 117 Bishop, in abbot's stall, 29; his sword of state, 129 Bishopric constituted, 15, 110 Bourchier, Archbishop, 120-1 Brithnoth, Abbot, 12, 102 Brithnoth, Alderman, 93, 103 Browne, Bishop, 131 Buckeridge, Bishop, 126 Butts, Bishop, 128

Canute, King, 105 Catharine's, S., chapel, 21, 64-5--pl., 63 Cathedrals of old foundation, 113 Choir, 77--pl., 53, 55, 79, 98; aisles, 56--pl., 89, 122; screen, 76--pl., 76; compared with presbytery, 78 Cloister, 61 College of Secular Clergy, 12, 102 Compton, Bishop, 131 Cox, Bishop, 125 Cratendune, 8 Crauden, Prior, his chapel, 25, 131--pl., 131 Cromwell, Oliver, 29 Cross, S., church, 29, 49, 97

Dampier, Bishop, 128 De Burgh, Bishop, 116 De Fontibus, Bishop, 116 De L'Isle, Bishop, 25, 119 Dickson, Canon, 61 Dunstan, Archbishop, 11, 12

East End, 55 Edmund's, S., chapel, 75; representation of his martyrdom, 90 Edward, Confessor, educated at Ely, 105 Elsin, Abbot, 12, 13, 103 Ely Cathedral, built, 13; congregation ejected, 29; in seventeenth century, 30; in eighteenth century, 31--pl., 33 Ely, etymology, 4; above sea level, 42; population, 42 Ely, Isle of, 3, 9, 11, 13 Ely monastery, founded, 8; destroyed by Danes, 10, 101; reconstituted, 102; monks and nuns, 99; surrendered, 29; mitred prior, 25 Ely Porta, 133--pl., 133 Ermenilda, S., Abbess, 15, 100 Etheldreda, S., foundress, 3-9; translation, 15; scenes from career on corbels, 6, 72; churches dedicated to her, 7; her shrine, 16,20,21, 89--pl., 20, 91; S. Audrey's laces, 73 Ethelwold, Bishop, 11, 12 Eustace, Bishop, 17, 18, 66, 114

Felix, S., attempted seizure of his remains, 102 Felton, Bishop, 4, 126 Fitz-Alan, Archbishop, 120 Fleetwood, Bishop, 127 Fordham, Bishop, 120 Front, west, 17, 43

Galilee, 17-19, 44, 46--pl., 18, 41, 45 Gardner, Mr. J. D., gave the reredos, 83 Godfrey, administrator, 13, 108 Gooch, Bishop, 128 Goodrich, Bishop, 29, 124; brass, 96--pl., 124 Goodwin, Dean, restoration in his time, 35 Gray, Bishop, 26, 121 Greene, Bishop, 90, 127 Guest-hall, 25 Gunning, Bishop, 32, 126; tomb, 95

Hereward, 16 Hervey, Bishop, 114 Heton, Bishop, 125; tomb, 95 Hotham, Bishop, 29, 99, 118; tomb, 89

Infirmary, 24, 131--pl., 132

Keene, Bishop, 93, 128 Keeton, Bishop, 118 Kilkenny, Bishop, 116; tomb, 83 Kirkby, Bishop, 117

Labyrinth, 63 Lady-chapel, 20, 24, 28, 52, 84--pl., 53, 85, 86; bosses in roof, 28 Laney, Bishop, 126 Langham, Cardinal Archbishop, 119 Lantern, 36, 73--pl., 57 Leofric, Leofsin, Leofwin, Abbots, 105 Le Strange, Mr., painted ceiling, 67 Longchamp, Bishop, 114 Louth, Bishop, 117; tomb, 95 Luxemburg, Cardinal Archbishop, 120; tomb, 93

Mary's, S., Church, 17, 93 Mawson, Bishop, 32, 128 Merivale, Dean, restoration in his time, 38; tablet, 96 Mill, Canon, tomb, 90 Monks' door, 60 Montacute, Bishop, 119 Monuments, 87 Moore, Bishop, 127; tomb, 95 Morgan, Bishop, 120 Morton, Cardinal Archbishop, 121

Nave, 15-17, 49, 66--pl., 2, 62, 65; aisles, 69--pl., 69, 70; ceiling, 67-69--pl., 67 Nigel, Bishop, 114 Northwold, Bishop, 15, 19, 21, 116; tomb, 90

Octagon, 22-4, 36, 50, 71--pl., 23; cost, 29 Orford, Bishop, 117 Organ, 38; gallery, 32 Ovin, 5, 71, 73

Parry, Mr. Gambier, painted ceiling, 67 Patrick, Bishop, 127 Peacock, Dean, restoration in his time, 29; octagon restored as memorial, 37 Pherd, Bishop, 116 Powcher, Prior, 25, 27 Presbytery, 26, 76--pl., 55, 77, 91; bosses in roof, 80 Prior's door, 60--pl., 59

Redman, Bishop, 123; tomb, 88 Refectory, 20 Reredos, 83--pl., 84 Richard, last Abbot, 14, 15, 110 Riddell, Bishop, 15, 114 Robert of York, 114 Rood-loft, 32

Sacrist's Office, 24 Scott, Sir G. G., 35, 37, 63 Selwyn, Canon, 96; tomb, 95 S. Sexburga, Abbess, 100 Sextry-barn, 34 Simeon, Abbot, 13, 14 Sparke, Bishop, 90, 129 Sparke, Canon E. B., 96 Spire on west tower, 19, 27, 32, 49 Stained glass, 96 Stalls, 32, 34, 83--pl., 81 Stanley, Bishop, 123 Stubbs, Dean, 21, 25, 52, 72, 73, 80

Tabula Eliensis, 108 Theodwin, Abbot, 13, 108 Thirlby, Bishop, 125 Thurstan, Abbot, 107 Tower, central, 21; west, 14, 43, 47, 63--pl., 40, 48 Transepts, 19, 75; north, 29, 51--pl., 74; south, 60--pl., 75; west, 35, 64; galleries, 76 Triforium, 26, 57, 58, 83--pl., 80 Turner, Bishop, 127 Turton, Bishop, 131 Tyndall, Dean, brass, 96

Walpole, Bishop, 117 Walsingham, Alan de, 20, 22, 24-5; elected bishop, 25, 119; stone over his grave, 25, 88 Werburga, S., Abbess, 16, 100 West, Bishop, 124; his chapel, 28, 93--pl., 95, 123 White, Bishop, 126 Wilfrid, Archbishop, 6, 9 Wisbech, John de, 20 Withburga's, S., body purloined, 102 Woodford, Bishop, 93, 131; tomb, 88 96--pl., 129 Worcester, Earl of, tomb, 95 Wren, Bishop, 126 Wren, Sir C., 51 Wyatt's report, 32

Yorke, Bishop, 128

DIMENSIONS OF ELY CATHEDRAL.

Length (interior) 517 feet. " of nave 230 " Width of nave 78 " " " octagon 74 " Height of vault 72 " " " western tower 215 " Area 46,000 sq. feet.

1. S. Edmund's Chapel. 2. Bishop Alcock's Chapel. 3. Bishop West's Chapel. 4. Cardinal Luxemburg. 5. Bishop Allen. 6. Canon Mill. 7. Bishop Hotham. 8. Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester. 9. Bishop Barnet. 10. Bishop Louth. 11. Bishop Goodrich (brass). 12. Dean Tyndall (brass). 13. Bishop Heton. 14. Bishop Gunning. 15. Canon Selwyn. 16. Bishop Redman. 17. Bishop Kilkenny. 18. Shrine of S. Etheldreda. 19. Bishop Northwold. 20. Bishop Sparke.

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