Archaeological investigation under the presbytery floor revealed a rectangular chamber described as a chapel connected to the east end of the second cathedral. Interpretation of the many alterations to the rooms on the south side of the choir has indicated there was initially a rectangular room or chapel attached to the second cathedral. Dates for the two chapels are uncertain and the original purposes of the buildings can only be guessed.
Between 1856 and 1860, the
floors of the choir, side aisles and presbytery were lifted to build an
underfloor heating system. During the work foundations for the second cathedral
and an adjoining rectangular building were revealed.[1]
A drawing of these foundations shows a rectangular chamber abutted to the east
end of the second cathedral.[2]
No trace of a doorway or arch from the second cathedral to the chamber was
seen, the chamber simply abutted against an apse without any bonding. Willis,
publishing in 1861, concluded the rectangular chamber was built either in the
second half of the 12th-century or beginning of the 13th- century. It was a relatively
short-lived chapel at the east end of the second cathedral.
Plan of the rectangular chamber superimposed on the plan for the current cathedral. |
Rectangular chamber shown on the 1856 builder’s drawing. |
Dimensions of the rectangular chamber. |
Plinth at Fountains Abbey (1209) that Willlis said had a resemblance to the plinth around the chamber.
A
suite of rooms were built on the south side of the choir which today are known
as the consistory and sacristy (larger room) and duckit or verger’s office
(smaller room); see the post ‘Rooms south of the choir.’ Willis,1861, thought
originally there was one room and his drawing shows a long, single, rectangular
chamber. Rodwell in 1985[6]
and 1993[7]
thought the earliest building was either a smaller foundation only, which
changed its layout or it was a small, short-lived building later entirely
rebuilt.
Drawing by
Willis, 1861, showing a simple side chamber, dated c. 1200 or Early
English in style. Note the corners are without turrets (appear to be octagonal towers) and it is thought these were added when the upper storey was built in
the 13th-century.
The internal dimensions of
this early chapel, if it corresponded with the current consistory, are 7.4 m
(24 feet 4 inches) long, east to west, and 6.4 m (21 feet) wide. If this early
chapel extended as far as the south transept or opposite the first three bays
of the choir it would have been 12.2 m (40 feet) long internally. In 1992,
Rodwell[8]
found a ‘springing point’ on the foundation of the second cathedral which he
said was the beginning of an apsidal ambulatory foundation, but could not
substantiate this. Instead, was this the springing point to the west end of the
early chapel? If so, the internal length of the early chapel is now a little
shorter, c. 10.7 m (35 feet). It is also possible this very short
stretch of wall was part of the doorway between the chapel and the second
cathedral.
Springing point found in 1992 |
Consistory
vault. The end wall appears an infill and at one time the vault extended under
the duckit, then the treasury.
Significantly, the internal dimensions of both chapels are almost the same, that is in length,12 m (chapel 1) compared to 12.2 m (chapel 2 extending to the south transept) and both 6.4 m wide. Is this similarity in size coincidental or an indication of a common plan? The nature of their roofs is unknown, though chapel 1 foundation had two pier bases. Did chapel 2 originally extend to the length of the first three bays of the choir? Scott found three infilled arches on the inside of the consistory wall and they were examined by Rodwell.[9] He found they extended c. 11.2 m or just over 2 choir bays. If there was a doorway on the western end, then possibly the rectangular chamber was around 11–12 m long and the length of three bays.
(left) Chapel 1 on left at
the end of the foundation for the second cathedral. Chapel 2 is on the right
and is attached to the extended choir and east end. Was Chapel 2 completely
replaced with a larger building? (right) Chapel 1 and 2 on the current ground
plan of the cathedral.
There was a hint chapel 2 was
stand-alone in the diagrams of J. T. Irvine[10]
and A. B. Clifton (1900).[11]
There is a gap between the chapel and second cathedral choir wall and there is
an angled wall of the chapel away from the aisle wall.
Plans
of the chapel showing an angled corner as if the aisle wall was not present.
Conjecture
on an earlier date of construction for one of the chapels
If one of the chapels had
an earlier date, its purpose could have been to house reliquaries. It could
have held the relics of Chad at the time of the millennium and was constructed
in a context of great fearing of an impending end-time (the year 1000 or 1033).
Was a reliquary chapel built during or after the reign of Edgar?[12]
The return of St Chad’s gospel from the monastery of Llandeilo Fawr before or
during the time of Bishop Wynsige, 933–4 x 975, hints at renewed interest in
the cult of Chad.[13] Was the chapel used to hold some of the many,
around 300, relics and valuables listed in the 1345 Sacrist’s Roll?[14] Did it house the ancient font basin found on
the floor of the chapel.[15] Were the relics of Chad’s brother Cedd kept
at Lichfield by the 11th-century.[16]
All this chimes with Benedictine reform, increased possession of relics,
evocation of saints and new architectural undertakings,[17] Edgar, for a time King of the Mercians and
Northumbrians, was expected to accumulate relics on his travels,[18] and it might be significant between 957 and
959 Edgar had three close advisers including Bishop Cynesige of Lichfield, 946/9
x 963–4.[19] It fits with increased liturgical practice in
the 10th-century onwards of carrying holy relics on Rogation days.[20] Plus, mass pilgrimage around the years 1000
and 1033 with anticipation of an apocalypse.[21]
Was the chapel a pre-emptive response to ‘End Times’ which lost its relevance
by the late-12th century?
Conclusion
Acceptance of the second
cathedral foundation under the choir being Anglo-Saxon (not Norman or
Anglo-Norman) removes some queries from Rodwell’s interpretation of the rooms
south of the choir and gives a possible explanation.
Relic collection was vitally important from the mid-10th century and housing relics would have been required for a large collection (around 300 items were known by 1345 for Lichfield). Chapel 2 was built by the millennium. It was built alongside the south side of the choir of the second cathedral and had three arcades in an Anglo-Saxon style. The arcades are rounded, which supports an Anglo-Saxon style.[24] (Its dimensions do not support the Anglo-Saxon measuring rod unit of 15 feet). Chad’s relics were all-important and required their own shrine chapel; it must be recalled when in the nave they were in their own shrine tower. An undercroft would hold sacred bones. So, Chapel 1 was built abutted onto the apse of the second cathedral in the late-11th or early-12th century (Willis’s dates). A common plan of construction was used for the two chapels. When the east end of the cathedral was extended around the year 1200, chapel 1 was reduced to its foundation and Chad’s relics were housed for a second time in Chapel 2 which now needed enlargement. Chapel 2 was joined to the south transept with a treasury plus sacristy added on. Then a second storey was added with turrets, perhaps, using recycled stone from chapel 1.
Further consideration to connect the two chapels
Plinth moulding
was found close to chapel 1. It would be significant if the same shaped
moulding could be associated with chapel 2. Chapel 1 had the foundations to
two, central stone piers; it would be critical if similar piers were under the
floor of chapel 2. The thickness of the wall of chapel 1 was 3 feet 11 inches;
it would be interesting if the wall for chapel 2 could be measured.
Plinths found near chapel 1 (left) and stonework around chapel 2 (right). They are different, but not by much. |
[1] R. Willis, ‘On foundations
of early buildings recently discovered in Lichfield Cathedral’ The Archaeol.
J. (1861) 18, 1–24. Also, The Gentleman’s Magazine, March 1861, vol 210,
297.
[2] John Hamlet’s drawing, a plan of the apse and rectangular chamber, is held in the Staffordshire Record Office LD 289/16.
There are small differences with Willis’s published drawing (Willis 1861).
Willis’s notes are kept in Cambridge University Library, MS 5042, 67 folios,
with the title Architectural drawings and notes of Lichfield Cathedral 1861‑64.
Hamlet’s drawing has a few revisions with pen overlaying pencil.
[3] The length was determined by pushing a
measuring rod under the altar floor; it therefore, cannot be verified
precisely. It could not have been any longer because of the sanctuary wall. The
length is taken from Willis’s drawing.
[4] Willis noted a partial resemblance
of the upper moulding to that found in three Yorkshire abbeys.
[6] W. Rodwell, Archaeology at the
cathedral: a new study of St Chad’s Head Chapel. 48th annual report to the Friends
of the Cathedral, (1985).
[7] W. Rodwell, ‘The development of the
choir of Lichfield Cathedral: Romanesque and Early English.’
in J. Maddison (Ed.), XIII
Medieval archaeology and architecture at Lichfield. The British Archaeological
Association. (1993), 17–35.
[8] W. Rodwell, 'Revealing the history of the Cathedral.' Report held in the Cathedral
Library, (1992),
24--34.
[9] See note 7, Rodwell (1993), 25.
[10] R. Paul, ‘Lichfield Cathedral’ in The
Builder, (1891) 108–9.
[11] A. B. Clifton, The Cathedral church of Lichfield. Bell Series. (London: 1900), 106–7.
[12] This narrative fits with
finding a King Edgar silver penny near where Chad’s grave was located.
[13] C. P. Lewis, ‘Communities,
conflict and episcopal policy in the diocese of Lichfield, 1050—1150’, in P.
Dalton, C. Insley and L. J. Wilkinson (eds.) Cathedrals, communities and
conflict in the Anglo-Saxon world. (Woodbridge:
2011), 61–76.
[14] J. C. Cox and W. H. S. J.
Hope, ‘Sacrist's Roll of Lichfield Cathedral A.D. 1345’, Derbyshire
Archaeological Journal (1882), 4, 107–138.
[15] See note 1, Willis (1861),
8.
[16] J. Crook, English
Medieval Shrines (Woodbridge: 2011), 78.
[17] G. Baldwin Brown, The Arts
in Early England (Glasgow: 1903), 333.
[18] C. R. Dodwell, Anglo-Saxon
Art. A new perspective (Manchester: 1982), 196.
[19] C. P. Lewis, ‘Edgar,
Chester and the Kingdoms of Mercians, 957—959’, in D. Scragg (ed.) Edgar,
King of the English, 959--975 (Manchester: Manchester Centre for
Anglo-Saxon Studies: 2008), 104–123. Edgar also had a connection with St
Editha’s church at Tamworth; the moulding has not been found there.
[20] J. Blair, The church in
Anglo-Saxon society (Oxford: 2005), 176 n179.
[21] J. T. Palmer, The
Apocalypse in the early Middle Ages (Cambridge: 2014), 191, 220.
[22] See 4, 14.
[23] In a standoff between the pope and King
John known as the interdict John was
excommunicated and the bishops gradually left the country. John then
confiscated their estates. In 1210, he demanded money from all priests and
monks. By 1215, John reversed his confrontation and appeased his irate clergy
with judicious grants, return of land, and increased rights and benefices.
[24] Rounded arches could indicate
a Transitional time of architecture, 1145–90; Rodwell’s date period.
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