Exeter Cathedral

Coordinates: 50°43′21″N 03°31′47″W / 50.72250°N 3.52972°W / 50.72250; -3.52972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Exeter Cathedral
Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter
Canon Treasurer
Chris Palmer
Laity
Director of musicTimothy Noon

Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an

Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 1400 and has several notable features, including an early set of misericords, an astronomical clock and the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling
in the world.

History

The cathedral in 1830
Watercolour painting of A Sermon in Exeter Cathedral by Thomas Rowlandson from the Georgian Era
Inside the cathedral, showing the vaulted ceiling – the longest uninterrupted medieval vaulted ceiling in the world
Detail of the vaulted ceiling

The founding of the

Leofric
as his seat, but services were often held out of doors, close to the site of the present cathedral building.

In 1107 William Warelwast was appointed to the see, and this was the catalyst for the building of a new cathedral in the Norman style. Its official foundation was in 1133, during Warelwast's time, but it took many more years to complete.[3] Following the appointment of Walter Bronescombe as bishop in 1258, the building was already recognised as outmoded, and it was rebuilt in the Decorated Gothic style, following the example of Salisbury. However, much of the Norman building was kept, including the two massive square towers and part of the walls. It was constructed entirely of local stone, including Purbeck Marble. The new cathedral was complete by about 1400, apart from the addition of the chapter house and chantry chapels.

Like most English cathedrals,

Henrietta Anne of England was baptised here in 1644. In 1650 an independent church was meeting in the cathedral and this small church caused upset when the minister "excommunicated" Susanna Parr.[4]

During the Victorian era, some refurbishment was carried out by George Gilbert Scott. As a boy, the composer Matthew Locke was trained in the choir of Exeter Cathedral, under Edward Gibbons, the brother of Orlando Gibbons. His name can be found scribed into the stone organ screen.

King Athelstan and Edward the Confessor) and other precious documents from the library had been removed in anticipation of such an attack. The precious effigy of Walter Branscombe had been protected by sand bags.[6] Subsequent repairs and the clearance of the area around the western end of the building uncovered portions of earlier structures, including remains of the Roman
city and of the original Norman cathedral.

In July 2023,

The Methodist Recorder reported that the cathedral chapter signed a sharing agreement between it and Mint Methodist Exeter for shared use of the Lady Chapel.[citation needed
]

Architecture

Flag of Exeter Cathedral since 2014, flown from the North-Tower all year round
‘South Tower of Exeter Cathedral’, attributed to W. Davey, about 1800-1830

The Norman cathedral construction began in 1112, presumably at the east end and was consecrated in 1133, by which date the choir, transept and first two bays of the nave were probably complete. As detailed above, remains of the Norman building can be seen in the massive transept towers. By 1160 the nave and west front were complete, and a cloister and chapter house were added between 1180 and 1244.

During the 1270s, a new project began to replace the entire east end, starting with the east end chapels. This work is documented by a very extensive series of fabric rolls.

master mason
and stayed at Exeter until 1342.

By 1328 the church was complete to the first two bays of the nave, where a design change in the vaults is visible. During Master Thomas of Witney's time the east cloister walk was begun (1318–25) and the nave, west front and north cloister walk were probably completed (c.1328-42). That the present west front is on the same site as the Norman predecessor is indicated by the narrowing of the nave bays towards the west, squeezed to meet an existing feature.

The image screen across the west facade and the chantry chapel of Bishop Grandisson located within the west front were probably designed by William Joy, who succeeded Witney as master mason in 1342 but seems to have died in 1347, possibly from the Black Death. From 1377 to 1414 the east, south and west cloister walks were finished by Master Robert Lesyngham, who probably also designed the great East Window (1390–92).

The architecture of Exeter Cathedral at first appears remarkably harmonious with the continuous run of

tierceron vaults extending from west to east.[8] Although the bays are irregular in size, the plan is throughout based on a division into ninths. There is also a wonderful array of tracery designs in the clerestorey windows.[9] More detailed analysis nevertheless reveals a number of changes, including the decision to adopt a three-storey facade with a triforium more typical of cathedrals than the previous two-storey design. 3-D scanning of the vaults has also revealed numerous changes to the curvatures of the ribs.[8]

Notable features

Notable features of the interior include the misericords, the minstrels' gallery, the astronomical clock and the organ. Notable architectural features of the interior include the multiribbed ceiling and the compound piers in the nave arcade.[10]

The 18-metre-high (59 ft) bishop's throne in the choir was made from Devon oak between 1312 and 1316; the nearby choir stalls were made by George Gilbert Scott in the 1870s. The Great East Window contains much 14th-century glass, and there are over 400 ceiling bosses, one of which depicts the murder of Thomas Becket. The bosses can be seen at the peak of the vaulted ceiling, joining the ribs together.[11] Because there is no centre tower, Exeter Cathedral has the longest uninterrupted medieval vaulted ceiling in the world, at about 96 m (315 ft).[5]

  • The nave looking east toward the organ
    The nave looking east toward the organ
  • The choir looking east from the organ toward the Lady Chapel
    The choir looking east from the organ toward the Lady Chapel
  • The Great East Window
    The Great East Window
  • The West Window
    The West Window
  • Myles Coverdale
    Myles Coverdale

Misericords

One of the misericords, depicting a pipe and tabor player

The fifty misericords are the earliest complete set in the United Kingdom.[12] They date from two periods: 1220–1230 and 1250–1260. Amongst other things, they depict the earliest known wooden representation of an elephant in the UK. They have supporters.

Minstrels' gallery

The Minstrels' Gallery

The

recorder, tambourine, cymbals.[14]

Astronomical clock

The astronomical clock; the upper minute dial is post-medieval.

The

Exeter Cathedral Astronomical Clock is one of the group of famous 14th- to 16th-century astronomical clocks to be found in the west of England. Others are at Wells, Ottery St Mary, and Wimborne Minster
.

The main, lower, dial is the oldest part of the clock, dating from 1484.

24-hour analogue dial. The numbering consists of two sets of Roman numerals I to XII. The silver ball and inner dial shows both the age of the moon and its phase (using a rotating black shield to indicate the moon's phase). The upper dial, added in 1760, shows the minutes.[5]

The Latin phrase Pereunt et imputantur, a favourite motto for clocks and

sundials, was written by the Latin poet Martial. It is usually translated as "they perish and are reckoned to our account", referring to the hours that we spend, wisely or not. The original clockwork mechanism, much modified, repaired, and neglected until it was replaced in the early 20th century, can be seen on the floor below. The door below the clock has a round hole near its base. This was cut in the early 17th century to allow entry for the bishop's cat to deter vermin that were attracted to the animal fat used to lubricate the clock mechanism.[5]

Library

Lady Chapel, where the library was originally located
The Lady Chapel east window, inserted post-war replacing Victorian glass which was destroyed during WWII

Si quis illum inde abstulerit eterne subiaceat maledictioni. Fiat. Fiat.
(If any one removes this he shall be eternally cursed. So be it! So be it!)

Curse written by Leofric on some of the books in his library[15]

The library began during the episcopate of

Hrabanus Maurus's De Computo and Isidore of Seville
's De Natura Rerum may have belonged to Leofric also but the earliest record of it is in an inventory of 1327. The inventory was compiled by the Sub-Dean, William de Braileghe, and 230 titles were listed. Service books were not included and a note at the end mentions many other books in French, English and Latin which were then considered worthless.

In 1412–13 a new lectrinum was fitted out for the books by two carpenters working for 40 weeks. Those books in need of repair were repaired and some were fitted with chains. A catalogue of the cathedral's books made in 1506 shows that the library furnished some 90 years earlier had 11 desks for books and records over 530 titles, of which more than a third are service books.[17]

In 1566 the Dean and Chapter presented to Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, a manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon Gospels which had been given by Leofric;[18] in 1602, 81 manuscripts from the library were presented to Sir Thomas Bodley for the Bodleian Library at Oxford. In 1657 under the Commonwealth the cathedral was deprived of several of its ancillary buildings, including the reading room of 1412–13. Some books were lost but a large part of them were saved due to the efforts of Dr Robert Vilvaine, who had them transferred to St John's Hospital. At a later date he provided funds to convert the Lady chapel into a library, and the books were brought back.

By 1752 it is thought the collection had grown considerably to some 5,000 volumes, to a large extent by benefactions. In 1761 Charles Lyttelton, Dean of Exeter, describes it as having over 6,000 books and some good manuscripts. He describes the work which has been done to repair and list the contents of the manuscripts. At the same time the muniments and records had been cleaned and moved to a suitable muniment room.[17]

In 1820 the library was moved from the Lady Chapel to the chapter house. In the later 19th century two large collections were received by the cathedral, and it was necessary to construct a new building to accommodate the whole library. The collections of Edward Charles Harington and Frederic Charles Cook were together more than twice the size of the existing library, and John Loughborough Pearson was the architect of the new building on the site of the old cloister. During the 20th century the greater part of the library was transferred to rooms in the Bishop's Palace, while the remainder was kept in Pearson's cloister library.[17]

Today, there is a good collection of early medical books, part of which came in 1948 from the

De officiis (Mainz: Fust and Schoeffer, 1465–66).[17]

Bells

The South Tower where the 12 bells hang

Both of the cathedral's towers contain bells. The North Tower contains an 80-hundredweight (4.1-tonne) bourdon bell, called Peter. Peter used to swing but it is now only chimed.

The South Tower contains the second heaviest peal of 12 bells hung for change ringing in the world, with a tenor weighing 72 long cwt 2 qr 2 lb (8,122 lb or 3,684 kg).[19] They are second only to Liverpool Cathedral in weight.[20] There are also two semitone bells in addition to the peal of 12.[21]

Dean and Chapter

As of 5 December 2020:[22]

  • Dean of Exeter — Jonathan Greener (since 26 November 2017 installation)
  • Canon Treasurer — Mike Williams (SSM; residentiary canon since November 2016; acting dean, 14 July – 26 November 2017; Treasurer since March 2018)
  • Canon Precentor — James Mustard (since 25 March 2018 installation)
  • Canon Chancellor — Chris Palmer (since 5 August 2018 installation)[23]
  • Canon Steward — Cate Edmonds (SSM; (residentiary canon) since 22 October 2019 installation)[24]
Non-Canons[25]
  • Priest Vicar — David Gunn-Johnson (Archdeacon of Barnstaple 2004–2014; cathedral chaplain 2017–2018; Priest Vicar since June 2018)
  • Priest Vicar — Ian Morter (Canon Treasurer & Pastor 2010–2017; Priest Vicar since June 2018)
  • Priest Vicar — Julian Ould

Burials

A full listing of monuments and transcription of inscriptions in the cathedral is contained in:

Hewett, John William, Remarks on the Monumental Brasses and Certain Decorative Remains in the Cathedral Church of St Peter, Exeter, to which is Appended a Complete Monumentarium, published in Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society, Volume 3, Exeter, 1846–1849, pp. 90–138 [1]

Persons buried within the cathedral include the following:

  • Leofric (bishop), first Bishop of Exeter (1050–1072)
  • Robert Warelwast, Bishop of Exeter (1138–1155)
  • Bartholomew Iscanus
    , Bishop of Exeter (1161–1184)
  • John the Chanter, Bishop of Exeter (1186–1191)
  • Henry Marshal, Bishop of Exeter (1194–1206)
  • Simon of Apulia, Bishop of Exeter (1214–1223)
  • Walter Bronescombe
    , Bishop of Exeter (1258–1280)
  • Peter Quinel, Bishop of Exeter (1280–1291)
  • Henry de Bracton (c. 1210 – c. 1268), English ecclesiastic and jurist
  • Sir Henry de Raleigh (died 1301), knight
  • Walter de Stapledon
    , Bishop of Exeter (1308–1326)
  • Sir Richard de Stapledon (died 1326), knight, elder brother of Bishop Stapledon
  • James Berkeley (died 1327), Bishop of Exeter
  • John Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter (1327–1369)
  • Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon
    (1303–1377) and his wife Margaret de Bohun (died 1391)
  • Thomas de Brantingham, English lord treasurer and Bishop of Exeter (1370–1394)
  • Sir
    Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon
  • William Wilford (died 1413), Steward, Exeter Mich. 1396–7; receiver 1397–8; Member of the council of 12 1398–9, 1401–2, 1403–4, 1405–6, 1407–8, 1409–10, 1411–12; Mayor of Exeter 1400–1, 1402–3, 1404–5, 1406–7, 1408–9, 1410–11, 1412–13.
  • Edmund Stafford, Lord Privy Seal, Lord Chancellor, Baron Stafford and Bishop of Exeter (1395–1419)
  • Edmund Lacey, Bishop of Exeter (1420–1455), whose tomb had been a shrine, but which was walled over during the Reformation, fragments were uncovered during the Baedeker Blitz[26]
  • Bramford Speke
    , Devon (buried in the Speke Chantry)
  • Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter (1504–1519; buried in the Oldham Chantry)
  • William Alley, Bishop of Exeter (1560–1571)
  • William Bradbridge, Bishop of Exeter (1571–1578)
  • John Woolton, Bishop of Exeter (1579–1594)
  • Dr. William Cotton, Bishop of Exeter (1598–1621) buried in Exeter Cathedral. His monument with recumbent effigy survives.
  • Ofspring Blackall (1655–1716), Bishop of Exeter (1708–1716) buried on the southern side of the choir in an unmarked grave
  • John Ross (1719–1792), Bishop of Exeter (1778–1792) buried in the south aisle of the choir, the place being marked by a flat tombstone and the inscription 'J. R., D.D., 1792.'
  • Bryan Blundell (1757–1799), Major General in the Army and Lieutenant Colonel of the 45th Regiment of Foot
  • Sir Gawen Carew
  • Peter (Pierre) of Courtenay (1126–1183), youngest son of Louis VI of France and his second Queen consort Adélaide de Maurienne.
  • Sir Peter Carew (c. 1514 – 1575) is not buried in the cathedral, but is commemorated by a mural monument.
  • George Knight-Bruce, Bishop of Bloemfontein (1886- 1891) and first Bishop of Mashonaland (now Harare)(1891-1895) is commemorated by a memorial tablet.
  • Effigies of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon, and his wife Margaret de Bohun
    Effigies of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon, and his wife Margaret de Bohun
  • Rubbing from monumental brass of Sir Peter Courtenay, Exeter Cathedral, south aisle
    Rubbing from monumental brass of Sir Peter Courtenay, Exeter Cathedral, south aisle
  • Mural monument to Sir Peter Carew, south transept
    Mural monument to Sir Peter Carew, south transept
  • Wall tablet to Major-General Bryan Blundell Esq, north east chapel
    Wall tablet to Major-General Bryan Blundell Esq, north east chapel
  • Wall tablet commemorating George Knight-Bruce, first bishop of Mashonaland (now Harare)
    Wall tablet commemorating George Knight-Bruce, first bishop of Mashonaland (now Harare)

Legends

Prest's wife and the Stonemason from an 1887 edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs

One 19th-century author claimed that an 11th-century

King Æthelstan, the previous century, had brought together a great collection of holy relics at Exeter Cathedral; sending out emissaries at great expense to the continent to acquire them. Amongst these items were said to be a little of "the bush in which the Lord spoke to Moses", and a "bit of the candle which the angel of the Lord lit in Christ's tomb".[27]

According to the semi-legendary tale, the Protestant martyr Agnes Prest, during her brief time of liberty in Exeter before her execution in 1557, met a stonemason repairing the statues at the cathedral. She stated that there was no use repairing their noses, since "within a few days shall all lose their heads".[28] There is a memorial to her and another Protestant martyr, Thomas Benet, in the Livery Dole area of Exeter. The memorial was designed by Harry Hems and raised by public subscription in 1909.[29]

Wildlife

The tube web spider Segestria florentina, notable for its iridescent shiny green fangs, can be found within the outer walls. The walls are made of calcareous stone, which decays from acidic pollution, to form cracks and crevices which the spider and other invertebrates inhabit.[30]

Music

Choir

The College of Vicars’ Choral, Exeter, oil on canvas by an unknown artist

Exeter Cathedral Choir is composed of 38 Choristers (boys and girls) along with Choral Scholars and Lay Vicars. There is also a voluntary choir, the St Peter's singers, dating back to 1881.[31]

Organists

See also: List of musicians at English cathedrals

Recorded names of organists at Exeter go back to Matthew Godwin, 1586. Notable organists at Exeter Cathedral include Victorian composer

Thomas Armstrong. The current Director of Music, Timothy Noon, was appointed in 2016.[32]

Organ

The 17th-century organ case (enlarged in 1891)[33]

The Cathedral organ stands on the ornate medieval screen, preserving the old classical distinction between

diapason pipes.[33]

In January 2013 an extensive refurbishment began on the organ, undertaken by Harrison & Harrison. The work consisted of an overhaul and a re-design of the internal layout of the soundboards and ranks of the organ pipes.[35] In October 2014 the work was completed and the organ was reassembled, save for the final voicing and tuning of the new instrument.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ "TimeRef - Medieval and Middle Ages History Timelines - Exeter Cathedral Details". www.timeref.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Dove Details". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  3. ^ Erskine et al. (1988) p. 11.
  4. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/66714. Retrieved 29 August 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  5. ^ a b c d e The Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter. Printed leaflet distributed at the Cathedral. (2010)
  6. ^ S C Carpenter (1943) Exeter Cathedral 1942. London: SPCK p. 1-2
  7. ISSN 0022-0469
    .
  8. ^ a b "Exeter – Tracing the Past: Medieval Vaults". Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  9. ISBN 9780901286277
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0205790944
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0205790944
    .
  12. ^ "The Exeter Misericords". Exeter Cathedral. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  13. ^ Addleshaw (1921) p. 36
  14. ^ "Bagpipe Paintings: The Bagpiper of Exeter". prydein.com. Prydein, American Celtic-Rock. Archived from the original on 31 July 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016. [photos of the Minstrels Gallery]
  15. hdl:2027/coo.31924106523669
    .
  16. OL 14022288M{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  17. ^ a b c d Lloyd, L. J. (1967) The Library of Exeter Cathedral. Exeter: University of Exeter
  18. ^ Sayle, Charles (1916). Annals of Cambridge University Library, 1278-1900. Cambridge: University Library. p. 49 (footnote 3). Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  19. ^ "Doves Guide for Bellringers". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Dove's Guide Search". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Rings of 12". The Rings of 12. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  22. ^ Exeter Cathedral — Chapter Members (Accessed 5 December 2020)
  23. ^ "Appointment of Canon Chancellor". Exeter Cathedral. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Cathedral News issue 691" (PDF). Exeter Cathedral. November 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2020.
  25. ^ Exeter Cathedral — Cathedral Clergy Archived 16 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 7 January 2018)
  26. ^ Stephan, D.John (24 September 1955). "A Forgotten Shrine". The Tablet. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  27. ^ Jusserand, J. J. (1891) English Wayfaring Life in the Middle Ages. London: T. Fisher Unwin; p. 327.
  28. ^ John Foxe (1887 republication), Book of Martyrs, Frederick Warne and Co, London and New York, pp. 242–44
  29. ^ Cornforth, David. "Livery Dole Martyr's Memorial". Exeter Memories. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  30. ^ Wild Devon The Magazine of the Devon Wildlife Trust, pages 4 to 7 Winter 2009 edition
  31. ^ "Exeter Cathedral Choir leads around eight services each week". Exeter Cathedral. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Timothy Noon".[permanent dead link]
  33. ^ a b "The National Pipe Organ Register - NPOR". www.npor.org.uk.
  34. ^ "Exeter Cathedral". Harrison-organs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  35. ^ "Organ Restoration Begins". Exeter Cathedral Website. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  36. ^ "Cathedral organs". Exeter Cathedral website. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.

Sources

  • Addleshaw, Percy (1921). Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter (New and revised ed.). G. Bell & Sons, London. Online copy
  • here at Project Gutenberg
  • Erskine, Audrey; Hope, Vyvyan; Lloyd, John (1988). Exeter Cathedral - A Short History and Description. Dean and Chapter of Exeter Cathedral.
    ISBN 0-9503320-4-6
    .

Further reading

External links

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