Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield Cathedral
Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Chad
The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral Shown within Staffordshire
52°41′08″N 1°49′50″W
Location	Lichfield, Staffordshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.lichfield-cathedral.org
Architecture
Style	Gothic
Years built	c. 1195–1340
Specifications
Length	113m
Nave width	21m
Width across transepts	50m
Height	76.8 m (central spire)
Number of towers	3
Number of spires	3
Spire height	76.8 m (crossing), 60.5 m (western)
Administration
Diocese	Lichfield (since 787-1075, c.1200-)
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill
Dean	The Very Revd Adrian John Dorber

Lichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires. The Diocese of Lichfield covers all of Staffordshire, much of Shropshire and part of the Black Country and West Midlands. The present bishop is the Right Reverend Jonathan Gledhill, the 98th Lord Bishop of Lichfield.

Overview

Ground Plan of the Cathedral

The cathedral is dedicated to St Chad and Saint Mary. Its internal length is 113 metres (370 feet), and the breadth of the nave is 21m (68'). The central spire is 77m (252') high and the western spires are about 58m (190').

The stone is sandstone and came from a quarry on the south side of Lichfield. The walls of the nave lean outwards slightly, due to the weight of stone used in the ceiling vaulting; some 200–300 tons of which was removed during renovation work to prevent the walls leaning further.

Lichfield suffered severe damage during the English Civil War in which all of the stained glass was destroyed. In spite of this the windows of the Lady Chapel contain some of the finest medieval Flemish painted glass in existence. Dating from the 1530s it came from the Abbey of Herkenrode in Belgium, in 1801, having been purchased by Brooke Boothby when that abbey was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. It was sold on to the cathedral for the same price. There are also some fine windows by Betton and Evans (1819), and many fine late 19th century windows, particularly those by Charles Eamer Kempe.

The Lichfield Gospels are the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the early part of Luke, written in Latin and dating from around 730. There were originally two volumes but one went missing around the time of the English Civil War. It is closely related in style to the Lindisfarne Gospels. The manuscript is on display in the Chapter House from Easter to Christmas.

The Close is one of the most complete in the country and includes a medieval courtyard which once housed the men of the choir. The three spires are often referred to as 'the Ladies of the Vale'.

History of the cathedral

Early history and elevation to Archbishopric

The Nave

When Chad was made Bishop of Mercia in 669 he moved his See from Repton to Lichfield, possibly because this was already a holy site, as the scene of martyrdoms during the Roman period. The first cathedral to be built on the present site was in 700AD when Bishop Hedda built a new church to house the bones of St Chad which had become a sacred shrine to many pilgrims when he died in 672. Offa, King of Mercia seemed to resent his own bishops paying allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury in Kent who, whilst under Offa's control, was not of his own kingdom of Mercia. Offa therefore created his own archbishopric in Lichfield, who presided over all the bishops from the Humber to the Thames. All this began in 786, with the consent of Pope Adrian. The Pope’s official representatives were received warmly by Offa and were present at the Council of Chelsea (787), often called `the contentious synod', where it was proposed that the Archbishopric of Canterbury be restricted in order to make way for Offa's new archbishop. It was vehemently opposed, but Offa and the papal representatives defeated Archbishop Jaenbert, installing Higbert as the new Archbishop of Lichfield. Pope Adrian sent Higbert the pallium, denoting his support for this move. In gratitude, Offa promised to send an annual shipment of gold to the pope for alms and supplying the lights in St. Peter's church in Rome. However, The Archbishopric of Lichfield only lasted for 16 years, ending soon after Offa's death, when it was restored to Archbishop Aethelheard of Canterbury.

Starting in 1085 and continuing through the twelfth century the original wooden Saxon church was replaced by a Norman cathedral made from stone, and this was in turn replaced by the present Gothic cathedral begun in 1195. It was completed by the building of the Lady Chapel in the 1330s. The Choir dates from 1200, the Transepts from 1220 to 1240 and the Nave was started in 1260. The octagonal Chapter House, which was completed in 1249 and is one of the most beautiful parts of the Cathedral with some charming stone carvings, houses an exhibition of the cathedral's greatest treasure, the Lichfield Gospels, an 8th century illuminated manuscript.

Devastation of the English Civil War

The Sleeping Children by Francis Chantrey (1817), portrays two young sisters, Ellen-Jane and Marianne, who died in tragic circumstances in 1812

There were three great sieges of Lichfield during the period 1643–1646 as the cathedral was surrounded by a ditch and defensive walls it made a natural fortress. The cathedral authorities with a certain following were for the king, but the townsfolk generally sided with the parliament, and this led to the fortification of the close in 1643. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, led an assault against it, but was killed by a deflected bullet from John Dyott (known as 'dumb' because he was a deaf mute) who along with his brother Richard Dyott had taken up a position on the battlements of the central cathedral spire on 2 March 1643. Brooke's deputy Sir John Gell, took over the siege. Although the Royalist garrison surrendered to Gell two days later, the close yielded and was retaken by Prince Rupert of the Rhine on 20 April of the same year. Rupert's engineers detonated the first mine to be used in England^{[citation needed]} to breach the defences. Unable to defend the breach, the parliamentarians surrendered to Rupert the following day. The cathedral suffered extensive damage: the central spire was demolished, the roofs ruined and all the stained glass smashed. Bishop Hacket began the restoration of the cathedral in the 1660s, aided by substantial funds donated by the restored monarch, but it was not until the 19th century that the damage caused by the Civil War was fully repaired. Up until the 19th century, on top of an ornamented gable, between the two spires, stood a colossal figure of Charles II, by Sir William Wilson. Today it stands just outside the south doors.

Victorian restoration

The Cathedral Close with its many fine buildings is one of the most unspoilt in England

Although the 18th century was a golden age for the City of Lichfield, it was a period of decay for the cathedral. The 15th-century library, on the north side of the nave, was pulled down and the books moved to their present location above the Chapter House. Most of the statues on the west front were removed and the stonework covered with Roman cement. At the end of the century James Wyatt organised some major structural work, removing the High Altar to make one worship area of Choir and Lady Chapel and adding a massive stone screen at the entrance to the Choir. Francis Eginton painted the east window and was commissioned by the chapter to do other work in the cathedral. The ornate west front was extensively renovated in the Victorian era by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The Lichfield Angel carving

It includes a remarkable number of ornate carved figures of kings, queens and saints, working with original materials where possible and creating fine new imitations and additions when the originals were not available. Wyatt's choir-screen had utilised medieval stone-work which Scott in turn used to create the clergy's seats in the sanctuary. The new metal screen by Francis Skidmore and John Birnie Philip to designs by Scott himself is a triumph of High Victorian art, as are the fine Minton tiles in the choir, inspired by the medieval ones found in the Choir foundations and still seen in the Library.

Lichfield Angel

In February 2003, an eighth century sculpted panel of the Archangel Gabriel was discovered under the nave of the cathedral. The 600mm tall panel is carved from limestone, and originally was part of a stone chest, which is thought to have contained the relics of St Chad. The panel was broken into three parts but was still otherwise intact and had traces of red pigment from the period. The pigments on the Lichfield Angel correspond closely to those of the Lichfield Gospels which have been dated to around 730AD. The Angel was first unveiled to the public in 2006, when visitor numbers to the cathedral trebled. After being taken to Birmingham for eighteen months for examination, it is now exhibited in the cathedral.

Dean and Chapter

Dean: The Very Revd Adrian John Dorber
Canon Precentor: The Revd Canon Wealands Bell
Canon Chancellor: The Revd Canon Dr Pete Wilcox
Canon Treasurer and Acting Custos: The Venerable Christopher Liley

Lay Chapter

Bryan Ramsell
Mithra Tonking
Margaret Harding
Peter Durrant

Organ

• Details of the main organ at the National Pipe Organ Register
• Details of the Lady Chapel organ at the National Pipe Organ Register

Choral Foundation

Directors of music

• 2010 Ben and Cathy Lamb

Organists

• 1618 Michael East
• 1638 Henry Hinde
• 1662 Mr Lamb (Snr)
• 1688 Mr Lamb (Jnr)
• 17?? George Lamb
• 1750 John Alcock
• 1766 William Brown
• 1807 Samuel Spofforth
• 1864 Thomas Bedsmore
• 1881 John Browning Lott
• 1925 Ambrose P. Porter
• 1959 Richard Greening
• 1978 Jonathan Rees-Williams
• 1992 Andrew Lumsden
• 2002 Philip Scriven
• 2010 Martyn Rawles

This post was restructured in September 2010.

Assistant organists

• Thomas Bedsmore 1849 - 1864 (organist from 1864)
• James C. Culwick 1865 - 1866
• William Grainger
• Montague Spinney
• Percival J. Illsley
• Clement Charlton Palmer 1890 - 1897 (later organist of Canterbury Cathedral)
• Herman Brearley ???? - 1895
• H. Rose 1902 - 1909
• Thomas Milton Sowell 1909 - 1911
• William Henry Harris 1911 - 1919
• Montague Herbert Spinney 1919 - 1924
• Edgar Morgan 1927 - 1947
• Frayling ???? - Aug 1950
• PW Read 1950 - June 1952
• Paul H Matthews Sep 1952 - Aug 1955
• Donald Cox 1955 - Mar 1959
• J W Sharwood May - Dec 1959
• Robert Green Jan 1960 - Dec 1967
• Peter Noyce 1968 - 1974
• Peter King 1975 - 1986 (afterwards organist of Bath Abbey)
• Mark Shepherd Sep 1986 - Aug 1994 (afterwards organist of the Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick)
• Robert Sharpe Sep 1994 - Aug 2002 (afterwards organist of Truro Cathedral and York Minster)
• Alexander Mason Sep 2002 - Aug 2007 (afterwards organist of St Davids Cathedral)
• Martyn Rawles (started Jan 2008) and Cathy Lamb (started Sep 2007)

This post was restructured in September 2010.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Priest Vicars Choral

• The Precentor's Vicar: The Revd John McHale
• The Dean's Vicar: The Revd Preb Paul Lockett
• The Chancellor's Vicar: The Revd Peter Holliday
• The Treasurer's Vicar: The Revd Paul Farthing

Lay Vicars Choral and Choristers

The Choir has 9 Lay Vicars Choral and up to 18 Choristers. A list of both is maintaned here: Lichfield Cathedral Choir Web Site See also the List of Organ Scholars at Lichfield Cathedral.

Burials

• Chad of Mercia, Bishop of the Northumbrians, later Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People, and Saint - originally buried in the Church of Saint Mary which became part of the cathedral
• Geoffrey de Muschamp, Bishop of Coventry (1198–1208)
• William de Cornhill, Bishop of Coventry (1214–1223)
• Alexander de Stavenby, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1224–1238)
• Hugh de Pateshull, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1239–1241)
• Roger Weseham, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1245–1256)
• Walter Langton, Lord High Treasurer of England and Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield (1296–1321)
• George Augustus Selwyn, Bishop of Lichfield (1868–1878), first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand (1841–1858) and Primate of New Zealand (1858–1868)

ralph bassett of drayton 4th earl of drayton died 10 th May 1390

Gallery

• 

  The cathedral from the south west, overlooking Minster Pool in the 1880s

• 

  Inside from the north transept in the 1880s

• 

  An illumination from The Lichfield Gospels

• 

  The outside of the West front is covered in statues of Norman and Saxon kings, disciples of Jesus and prophets of the Old Testament

• 

  Monument to Bishop Ryder by Sir Francis Chantrey

• 

  Monument to Charles II who contributed to the restoration of the cathedral following the English civil war

• 

  The High Altar

• 

  The Lichfield Gospels

• 

  The Rood Screen

• 

  View of the Cathedral from the North West

• 

  William the Conqueror, holding the Domesday Book.

• 

  Lichfield Cathedral by Wenceslaus Hollar.

See also

• Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
• Bishops of Lichfield
• English Gothic architecture
• Lichfield Cathedral School
• List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom
• List of Grade I listed buildings in Staffordshire
• List of the Bishops of the Diocese of Lichfield and its precursor offices
• Mercian Trail

External links

• Lichfield Cathedral Web Site
• Lichfield Cathedral Choir Web Site
• Lichfield Cathedral Chamber Choir Web Site
• Lichfield Cathedral Photography Gallery by Tom Allwood
• Lichfield Cathedral School Web Site
• A history of the choristers of Lichfield Cathedral
• Flickr images tagged Lichfield Cathedral
• Lichfield Angel Project