HISTORY

FEATURES OF THE CATHEDRAL: Only medieval cathedral with 3 spires, fortifications and a moat. Pilgrimage centre from early times. Has a sculpted stone; the best kept Anglo-Saxon stonework in Europe. Has an early Gospels. Has an extraordinary foundation to the second cathedral probably built by King Offa. Once had the most sumptuous shrine in medieval England. Suffered 3 ferocious Civil War sieges resulting in its destruction.

Dates.

DATES. First Bishop of Mercia - 656. First Bishop of Lichfield and Cathedral - 669. Shrine Tower - 8th century. Second cathedral - date to be determined. Third Cathedral - early 13th-century to 14th century. Civil War destruction 1643-1646. Extensive rebuild - 1854-1897. Worship on this site started in 669, 1355 years ago.

Plan of Lichfield and linked posts.

 



Click on the statement in red and the post should appear.

1.    Christian Fields. Lichfield’s founding myth. Reasons why Lichfield (Licitfelda) had approval

2.    Site of early church. 7th-century Lichfield and the residents. 

3.    First siege at south east gate. First Civil War siege of the Close, March 1643.

4.    Second siege at north west tower. Second siege,7-21 April, 1643.

5.    Third siege at west gate. Third siege March 8 –July 16, 1646. Civil war damage and restoration.

6.    Market square. Dissidents in the market square.

7.    Franciscan Friary. Franciscan Friary.

8.    Town gates. Twelfth century Lichfield.  Pilgrimage defines the cathedral

9.    Site of early settlement. Was this an early settlement in Lichfield.

10. Grid layout of roads. Twelfth century Lichfield. There is no historical evidence for a Norman second cathedral. 

11. Piped water. Twelfth century Lichfield.

12. Tomtun. Tomtun early settlement.

13. Boundary or vallum.  Boundaries and walls. Early benefactors.

14. Plague. Plague on Lichfield.

15. Name of Lichfield. Wulfhere and Wilfrid, and later Bede, name Lichfield. Lichfield recasts its name.

16. Vikings. When the Vikings came.

17. St Chad’s well. Chad fantasy, folklore and maybe.

18. Causeway. Bishop Walter Langton.

19. St Michael's Hill  Three conjectures on the early church

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