The New Guide to Peterborough Cathedral

The New Guide to Peterborough
Cathedral, by

George S. Phillips This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no
cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give
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Title: The New Guide to Peterborough Cathedral
Author: George S. Phillips
Release Date: April 3, 2007 [EBook #20967]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration: Peterborough Cathedral--West Front]
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

A GUIDE TO PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL;
COMPRISING A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY
FROM ITS FOUNDATION TO THE PRESENT TIME,
WITH A DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT OF ITS ARCHITECTURAL
PECULIARITIES AND RECENT IMPROVEMENTS;
COMPILED FROM THE WORKS OF GUNTON, BRITTON,
AND ORIGINAL & AUTHENTIC DOCUMENTS.

BY GEORGE S. PHILLIPS.
[JANUARY SEARLE.]

A New Edition, Revised and Corrected.
PETERBOROUGH: PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. CASTER,
BOOKSELLER, MARKET PLACE. 1881.
PRINTED BY GEO. C. CASTER, AT HIS PRINTING OFFICE, IN
THE "KING'S LODGINGS," WITHIN THE MINSTER PRECINCTS,
PETERBOROUGH. 1881.

A GUIDE TO PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL.
CHAPTER I.
From the foundation of the monastery by Peada, A.D. 655, to its
destruction by fire in the reign of Henry the First;--embracing a period
of 461 years.

The history of our monastic establishments is but little regarded and as
little known. The obscurity in which all monastic institutions is
involved renders it difficult to give any certain and positive information
respecting the origin of the building to whose history these pages are
devoted; but it appears to have been founded at a very early period--the
churches of Canterbury, Rochester, London, Westminster, York, and
Winchester, being the only large sacred edifices that preceded it. The
date of the first building is stated to have been A.D. 655--fifty-eight
years after the introduction of Christianity into England by St.
Augustine; and so large were the foundation stones, that it required
eight yoke of oxen to draw them. From this it may be inferred that the
structure was not, like many of the Anglo-Saxon churches of this
period--built entirely of wood; though it was probably far inferior in
size and style of architecture to the building which succeeded it.
It was one of the kings of Mercia who laid the foundation of the
monastery of Medeshamstede[1] in 655; his name was Peada, the eldest
son of Penda, the fourth monarch of that kingdom. The facts are thus
related by the Saxon chronicler:--"From the beginning of the world had
now elapsed 5,850 winters, when Peada the son of Penda assumed the
government of the Mercians. In his time came together himself and
Osway, brother of King Oswald, and said they would rear a minster to
the glory of Christ and honour of Saint Peter; and they did so, and gave
it the name of Medeshamstede, because there is a well there called
Medeswell. And they began the ground-wall and wrought thereon, after
which they committed the work to a monk, whose name was Saxulf.
Peada reigned no while, for he was betrayed by his own queen in
Eastertide, 658."
Wolfere was the youngest son of Penda, and when Peada died, King
Osway assumed the government of Mercia, and ruled very despotically
for about three years, when the nobles, incensed at his conduct, rebelled
against him, drove him from the kingdom, and chose Wolfere for their
king. It was in his reign that "Medeshamstede waxed rich," for Wolfere
not only caused the monastery to be built, but he endowed it with a
great number of lands, and made it "not subject except to Rome alone;"
and the abbey, which was by this time completed, was dedicated with

great pomp and ceremony to "Christ and St. Peter," and hallowed in the
name of "Saint Peter and Saint Andrew."
Saxulf, who had superintended the building of the abbey, was the first
abbot whose name is mentioned in the monkish chronicles as its ruler.
He was remarkable for his learning, piety, and humility, and was
chiefly instrumental in bringing Christianity into the kingdom of
Mercia. Both Saxulf and Cuthbaldus who succeeded him were abbots
of the monastery during the rule of Wolfere, although there is little
mention made of either in the records which have been handed down to
us.
Wolfere died in 683, and was succeeded by his brother Ethelred, who
contributed very largely to the monastery, and secured to it by his
interest extraordinary privileges. Those who could not afford to go to
Rome to offer up vows and get absolved from their sins were allowed
both indulgences at this monastery, and could likewise receive "the
apostolical benediction." Ethelred built a house for the abbot, which is