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A Guide to Peterborough Cathedral Comprising a brief history of the monastery from its foundation to the present time By: George S. (George Searle) Phillips (1815-1889) |
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[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... Continue reading book >>
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