Bells Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle | Page 2

Legendary Paintings 58 The Retro-choir 66 Monuments in the
South Choir Aisle 68 The Bells 70 The Monastic Buildings 73 The
Fratry 73 The Deanery 74
CHAPTER IV.
--History of the See 75
CHAPTER V.
--The Castle 89

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE The Cathedral from the South-West FrontispieceArms of the
Diocese Title PageThe Cathedral from the North-East 2 The Cathedral
and Precincts (from an Old Plan) 7 The Exterior from the North 13 The
North Door of Nave 15 The South Door 17 Elevation of East End 18
The East End 20 The Nave, South Side 24 Longitudinal Section 27
View across the Transepts in 1840 29 South Transept and St
Catherine's Chapel 31 One Bay of the Nave 33 Screen, St Catherine's
Chapel 35 The Choir, looking West 37 One Bay of the Choir 41 The
Choir, looking East, in 1840 43 The Choir and East Window 49
Miserere in the Stalls 50 North Aisle of the Choir 55 East End of the
Fratry and South Transept 63 The Crypt under the Fratry 65 The
Fratry 71 The Abbey Gateway 77 Redness Hall 83 Old Plan of the
Castle 90 The Castle 91
PLAN OF THE CATHEDRAL 93

[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL FROM THE NORTH-EAST. From an
original Drawing by R.W. Billings.]

CARLISLE CATHEDRAL
CHAPTER I
HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE HOLY AND
UNDIVIDED TRINITY
The details of the founding of the cathedral of Carlisle are very precise
and clear.
When William Rufus returned southwards after re-establishing the city
of Carlisle, he left as governor a rich Norman priest named Walter. He
began at once to build a church to be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
Mary, which was to have in connection with it a college of secular
canons. Walter did not, however, live to see the building finished, and
Henry I. took it upon himself to complete the good work. It is said that
his wife on one hand, and his chaplain on the other, urged him to do
this. By the beginning of the twelfth century (1123) he founded and
endowed a priory of regular Augustinian canons, making his chaplain
the first prior.
Ten years afterwards--1133--Henry founded the see of Carlisle, and the
priory church became the cathedral. At its endowment Henry laid on
the altar the famous "cornu eburneum," now lost. This horn was given,
instead of a written document, as proof of the grants of tithes. Its virtue
was tried in 1290 when the prior claimed some tithes on land in the
forest of Inglewood, but it was decided that the grant did not originally
cover the tithes in dispute. "The ceremony of investiture with a horn is
very ancient, and was in use before there were any written charters. We
read of Ulf, a Danish prince, who gave all his lands to the church of
York; and the form of endowment was this: he brought the horn out of
which he usually drank, and before the high altar kneeling devoutly

drank the wine, and by that ceremony enfeoffed the church with all his
lands and revenues." (Jefferson, "History of Carlisle," 171n.)
Aldulf (or Æthelwulf) was made the first bishop, and he placed
Augustinians in the monastery attached to the cathedral. These were
called "black" canons, their cassocks, cloaks, and hoods being of that
colour. A further difference between them and other monks was that
they let their beards grow and covered their heads with caps. As a
consequence of this order being introduced into the monastery the
Episcopal chapter was Augustinian, other English cathedral chapters
being generally Benedictine.
On some high ground between the west wall of the city, and the road to
the castle the cathedral was built. The site was nearly square in shape,
about five acres in extent, and was the highest part in Carlisle after
that on which the castle stood. This situation was very advantageous
owing to the presence of water near the surface, its frontage to the city
wall, and proximity to the river. A narrow piece of ground of about
half-an-acre, extending along the walls, and upon which the monastic
grounds abutted, was in after years given to the priory by its owner,
Robert de Eglesfield, who was chaplain to Philippa, wife of Henry III.
The church was set out, almost due east and west, diagonally across
the north-west part of the site, the west end being about 100 feet from
the boundary; and was finished about 1130. Its nave consisted of eight
bays, and was about 140 feet long.
There was a very fine west front with a handsome central doorway of
four orders. The western wall was more than 7 feet in thickness, and
had four flat pilaster buttresses nearly 7 feet broad, and 15 inches
deep.
The nave was provided with north