Summary. The extraordinary foundation under the choir and presbytery floor is an Early Medieval, basilica church that could have been constructed in the 8th-century by King Offa for his archbishop and a coronation of his son. Four possible archbasilica designs are presented. It must have been splendid.
Facts known
·
A basilica shaped foundation was found under the
floor of the choir in 1854.
Hamlet drawing with dimensions[1]
Hamlet drawing with his measurements superimposed on the layout of the current cathedral
· In August 1859, the architectural historian Robert Willis examined the remains, took measurements and published his findings in 1861.[2]
Willis’s 1861 drawing of the choir-apse foundation. The foundation was internally 15.9m (52ft 3in.) wide and 21.4m (70ft 1.5in.) long. Both the north and south walls measured 1.7m (5 ft 8.5 in.) wide which gave a total span for the choir-apse of 19.4m (63ft 8in.). The span of the apse was 26feet 1.5in. The west wall was 5feet 6in wide and the wall at the apse was 5feet wide. Willis measured the foundation height as c. 1.8m (6 ft). The first two western piers of the choir are still Early English. The third piers stand on the line of demarcation between the part retained and the part rebuilt, and consequently carry an Early English arch to the west and a Decorated arch to the east. These two piers have had their eastern halves rebuilt on the Decorated pattern of the remainder of the presbytery.
Another drawing, c. 1860, possibly by George Clark.[3]
· The foundation was described as consisting of buff‑cream, dense, concrete‑like mortar, that was extremely hard[4]. The rubble and mortar had been poured into a trench;[5] with upper levels faced with rough ashlar over a poured concrete core. It was devoid of any dressing and unlike post‑10th‑century Norman work. Willis described the outer face of the apse as rough masonry appearing to receive a coat of plaster.[6] Taylor had little doubt that most Anglo-Saxon churches were plastered inside and outside.[7]
· Willis considered the building must have had piers to support such a wide roof. He failed to find pier footings and concluded the piers must have been wooden. This would mean the roof was timber with some very long rafters. He thought there was an aisle around the inside of the apse which could have had either a small stone or timber roof.
· The apse, span of 26feet 1.5in, is monumental. It is a size which expresses and reinforces power in society. If 8th-century it is extraordinary and unique in England.
Graph showing variability in size of apses and the relatively large size
of the foundation apse.
·
Date from the architecture. Willis wrote, “The
wall has no architectural detail by which to fix its date.”[8]
The post, ‘Second cathedral is Early Medieval’ provides reasoned evidence for the
basilica apse being unparalleled among surviving British cathedral foundations,
and consistent with 8th–9th‑century Early Medieval churches.[9]
Features derived
· Date? Willis found ‘no architectural detail’ to fix a date of build for the foundation and concluded it was of ‘uncertain date’.[10] A date range would be indicated with a radiocarbon dating. The foundation lies only 30 cm below the choir aisle floor. Two mortar samples could be extracted easily and dated for approximately ~£2.5k. The post, ‘Second cathedral is Early Medieval’ gives reasons to think it is 8th-century.
· Length? Did this church-cathedral extend into the crossing and nave area? There are few cathedral foundations existing for the late 8th-century to give comparative measurement. However, in 2003 at the east end of the nave a very early wall on the inside of the nave columns indicated an earlier nave. Rodwell (2004) described it as a late Saxon or Norman nave wall foundation.[11] It could also have been part of the nave of Offa’s second cathedral. If so, it was narrower than the current nave, and it is more likely to be the base foundation for earlier pillars along a nave, rather than the boundary wall.
Stone wall (red) on inside of columns. It had very little masonry. It was a mortared construction using mixed rubble which has a similarity to the basilical foundation in the choir and presbytery.
· Wall? No walling was recorded in 1854–61, so its thickness must be inferred.[12] Early Medieval walls are typically 2 ft 6 in.–3 ft, but exceptional examples reach 3 ft 9 in.–3 ft 11 in. The best fit for Lichfield is 3 ft 11 in., matching the wall of the rectangular chamber abutting the apse. This suggests the foundation width is 1/3 short perch and the wall width is 1/4 short perch.[13] This proportionality is unlikely to be coincidental.
· Tower? Did it have an east end tower? It has been argued the church was similar in time and structure to Brixworth, Northamptonshire.[14] The west end of this church has undergone much change, but some detail is known, so Brixworth can be used as a model, but there is uncertainty. A tower could have been over the grave of Chad, replacing or rebuilding a shrine tower.
· Porticus and Transepts? Early 8th-century churches had small chambers on the side of the nave known as a porticus. For example, Brixworth, St Augustine at Canterbury, and at Bradwell-on-sea in Essex, thought to have been Cedd’s cathedral (Chad’s oldest brother). The chamber often held the tomb of a saint or king. A porticus at Lichfield could have held the remains of King Wulfhere, 658-75 and Coelred, 709-16. There is no evidence for transepts, as at Brixworth, or even towers over the transepts and their possible existence is speculative.
· Was the interior of the church partitioned so the clergy, choir, king and courtiers, nobility and others sat separately? The king and his family might have sat separately from others, perhaps in the presbytery/choir area, and the clergy would be in the apse. The altar could have been in the presbytery. Like at Brixworth three arches separated the secular from the sacred areas. The west wall of the foundation could have been a triple arch matching the east wall of the crossing in the current cathedral.
Ai rendition of the internal layout looking to the east end. The distance from the triple arch to the apex of the apse would be 70feet.
AI rendition of the nave looking west to the tower.
A cathedral in Lichfield with exemplary features for the
8th-century fits with King Offa now ruling three-quarters of ‘England’ (from
the River Ribble to the south coast) and becoming rich with exporting goods
through the ports of Chester and London and by introducing general taxation.
His Mercian kingdom is ascendent and a fine ecclesiastical centre is part of
this royal power.[15]
Offa was the first English king to hold a Council in 786 with papal legates
attending and approving how Offa was generously giving to the church. This bought
Pope Hadrian’s support for Offa’s request to have a third archbishopric, 787.[16]
Canterbury and York[17]
remained, but Lichfield became the centre for Archbishop Higbert’s (Hygeberht) archdiocese.[18]
AI rendition of King Offa from his
statue on the west front of the cathedral. He is holding an archbishop’s modern
mitre signifying his success at having an archbishop of Lichfield.
Higbert in 788 officiated at the coronation of Offa’s son and heir. This was the first coronation in England with a king being holy oil-anointed and probably the first ceremony with a religious element in the making of a king. It must have been opulent and unprecedented.[19] Maybe, Offa thought his kingship needed further confirmation[20] and this was a way of continuing his royal lineage.[21] Offa was grandstanding.
AI rendition of Archbishop Higbert anointing Ecgfrith with Offa looking on.
Speculation
on the archbasilica
It is assumed the walls were sandstone blocks, the roof was timber and architectural detail was Romanesque. Offa’s archbasilica could be shaped like any of the following:
1. Simple and based on the known foundation.
A simple archbasilica 22.9m (75feet) long and 19.4m (63feet 8in) wide showing its location.
2. Small nave and choir. Porticus on the sides. The stonework at the entrance of the vestibule has anomalies and this might be in part due to porticus foundations.
Simple church with porticus superimposed on the cathedral
3. Long separate nave and a west end tower. A tower could have been the safehold for valuables such as seen in the Staffordshire (Lichfield) Hoard. There is no firm evidence for church towers in England until the early tenth century, and none before c.800.[22] Thus, a tower if present, would not be much higher than the church.
Archbasilica with extended nave, and tower, and possible location.
4. Long nave and choir, tower and with transepts. Transepts first appear in Romanesque churches and Offa is seen as favouring Romanesque design and fashion; witness the ‘Lichfield Angel’.
Archbasilica with transepts and possible location.
[1] John Hamlet’s plan showed the position
of an old foundation is held in the Staffordshire Record Office LD 289/16. The
drawing has a few revisions with pen overlaying pencil. Willis’s notes are kept
in Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS 5042, with the title
‘Architectural drawings and notes of Lichfield Cathedral 1861 64’. Willis saw
only the south east part of the apse. The greatest amount of the foundation
wall was observed by Rawson and Hamlet in 1856 and 1860. Map reference for the
apse is SK1159 0978.
[2]
R. Willis, ‘On foundations of early buildings recently discovered in
Lichfield Cathedral’ The Archaeol. J. (1861) 18, 1–24. Willis visited
the Cathedral in 1849 to examine window tracery. In 1854, he was invited to
forward a drawing for the restoration of the choir area. Before publication
Willis gave a lecture reported in The Gentleman’s Magazine, March 1861, vol
210, 296‑300.
[3] LD 30-6-2-20 This precise drawing has
been attributed to George Clarke, but with dates added that are the same as
given by Robert Willis; it could be a collaboration between the two. It has
similar water-colouring as the 1856 drawing done by Hamlet.
[4] J. G. Lonsdale, Recollections of
work done in and upon Lichfield Cathedral from 1856—1894 (Lichfield 1895),
6,.’During the 1856 installation of heating ducts, men had to force a way
through concrete of ‘unusual hardness’.
[5] W. Rodwell, ‘An interim report on
archaeological excavations in the south quire aisle of Lichfield Cathedral’,
(Unpub. report held in Lichfield Cathedral Library 1992b),
[6] Willis (1861), 4. See note 2.
[7] H. M. Taylor, Anglo-Saxon architecture:
vol III (Cambridge 1978) 1063.
[8] Willis (1861), 16. See note 2
[9] It has also been found in smaller
churches, but often for one dimension, length or width, only.
[10] Ibid, 20. Willis (1861) wrote, “The
Norman cathedral of York was built about 1080, and that of Lichfield at an
uncertain date.”
[11] W. Rodwell, ‘Archaeological excavation
in the nave of Lichfield Cathedral’, (unpublished report held in
Lichfield Cathedral Library 2003) 1–17.
[12] Pre-Conquest walls are seldom as much
as 3 ft in thickness and are more often nearer 2 ft 6 in.; whereas Norman walls
are seldom less than 3 ft thick. However, there are exceptional Anglo-Saxon
walls...
[13] This correlation applies to the apse
foundation, but not the foundation under the choir which varies in width. The
south foundation is wider than the north foundation and is probably because the
ground slopes southwards.
[14] See the post, ‘Second cathedral is
Early Medieval.’
[15] Godfrey C. J. ‘The Archbishopric of
Lichfield.’ in Studies in Church History. (Cambridge:1964);1,145-153,
in an abstract wrote, “It must have been exceedingly galling to Offa, king of
Mercia from 757 to 796, greatest of eighth-century English rulers, one
comparable in terms of personal ascendancy with Charlemagne, that his midland
kingdom, though politically the master, was ecclesiastically the servant of
Kent.”
[16] Offa vowed to donate 365
mancuses each year to the papacy, to provide for poor people in Rome and
provide lights for St Peter’s church. The donation was in return for approval
of an archdiocese.
[17] In 735, the papacy elevated another
Anglo-Saxon bishopric to an archbishopric when Ecgbert became the first
Archbishop of York.
[18] F. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England’, (Oxford: 1989),
218, recorded the first attestation as archbishop occurs in C.S. 253, a
charter favouring Rochester Cathedral preserved in the reliable Textus
Roffensis.
[19] A large basilical shaped church would
have been appropriate for this grand occasion. The order of service is unknown.
The next order for a coronation is thought to have been written in the mid-9th
century and the second was for the coronation of Edward the Elder, reigned 899‑924,
in the year 900. These services were disregarded in 1066, but reimagined for
the coronation in 1953.
[20] Unlike predecessors, Offa’s ancestry
was not directly linked with earlier kings.
[21] See N. Brooks, The early history of the Church of Canterbury: Christ Church from 597 to 1066. (Leicester Uni. Press: 1984), 118–126.
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