See, and Lord Chancellor of England, prevailed on Edward the Confessor to remove it to the latter town in the year 1049. The Monarch, in person, with Eadyga, his Queen, attended at the installation, and placed the Bishop in his new See; which at the same time he endowed with the lands and emoluments that had previously belonged to Crediton. The See being thus established, it seems probable that a suitable Cathedral was soon afterwards provided: but whether constructed by the enlargement and alteration of some existing edifice, or whether a separate and entire building was now raised, is uncertain, "It seems not unlikely," observes Sir Henry Englefield,* " that the first Cathedral was not more than about sixty feet in length, and occupied the site of the present chapel of St. Mary. That the chapel, in its present state, was not the Saxon church," is satisfactorily proved by an examination of its architecture.+ No particular alteration appears to have been made in the Cathedral before the time of William Warlewast, the third Bishop, who was a Norman, and had been chaplain to the Conqueror, and his two sons, William and Henry; the latter of whom inducted him to this See in 1107.

This Prelate was a liberal benefactor to his Cathedral; and it appears that he considerably enlarged it, and laid the foundation of the present choir: " And to him the towers yet remaining are probably to be ascribed, They are perfectly similar in style to the buildings of Gundulphus, his cotemporary; and much more resemble the magnificence of the Norman architects, than the simplicity of the English Saxons," The architecture of this country

was

* In an Account of Exeter Cathedral, with Plan, Elevation, Sections, &c. published by the Society of Antiquaries.

+ Mr. William Davey, of Exeter, who has inspected the present building with minute and discriminating attention, contends, that the ancient Cathedral did nag occupy the site of St. Mary's Chapel, but was on the same ground as the present choir, having its high altar where it still remains. The sanctuary was the most sacred spot; and it is extremely probable, that the religious architects of those times would rather extend their building in any direction, than remove the site of the host. Besides, Hooker only compares the size of the ancient Cathedral to the Lady's Chapel.

was considerably improved by the Normans; and our churches, in particular, seem to have called forth all their genius. "After the Norman Conquest, that style, called, by the monks, Opus Romanum,' because an imitation of the debased architecture of Italy, was still continued in England. The extent and dimensions of churches were greatly increased; the ornamental carvings of the circular arches, and the capitals of pillars and pilasters, became more frequent, and elaborately finished." Though Mr. Bentham, in his History of Ely Cathedral, has contended, that the churches of the Saxons were mostly built of timber, and of mean construction; yet this is satisfactorily disproved by better authorities, who admit, they were of small dimensions, but commonly built of stone. The proud Normans not only extended their cathedrals in length, breadth, and height, and enriched them with ornaments, but added side aisles and transepts, thereby making the ground-plan assume the form of the Calvary Cross, This was sometimes further enlarged by two transepts, as in the Cathedral at Salisbury, then imitating the shape of the Patriarchal Cross.

- The original Cathedral at Exeter was altered according to the former plan; and the two chapels, dedicated to St. Andrew and to St. James, constituting the transepts, diverged at right angles from the choir; the first on the north, and the second on the south side. In both of these are some round arches, the characteristics of the Norman style. Hence it appears that the first considerable Cathedral was planned under the direction and patronage of Bishop Warlewast: but how nearly he may have ap proached completion, is not ascertained. That he extended it westward of the tower, is inferred by a circular arch, which opens from the south aisle of the nave to the cloisters. This is ornamented on the inside and outside with columns, having capitals of the same character as some of those in the towers; and of others which are evidently of Norman architecture: whatever grandeur and consequence the Cathedral may have assumed under Bishop Warlewast,

Dallaway's Anecdotes of the Arts, p. 13,

Warlewast, was nearly annihilated during the siege of Exeter by King Stephen, in 1138, when it was plundered and burnt; and the choir is mentioned as having particularly suffered. Bishop Chichester, the successor of Warlewast, is said to have expended much money in the repairs of the fabric. These repairs were continued by Robert Warlewast, Bartholomew of Exeter, and John the Chantor; and were completed by Henry Marshall, who became Bishop in the year 1194."* Thus far we have endeavored to trace the history of the Cathedral from the foundation to the completion by Bishop Marshall, when "it certainly," says Mr. Davey, "extended somewhat westward of the towers," and beyond the door of the cloisters, as already inferred. From the death of Bishop Marshall, in 1206, to the accession of Quivil, in 1281, there was but little alteration or addition to the fabric: though Mr. Princet says that Bishop Blondy, who was appointed in 1245, was "a worthy benefactor to his church, contributing very liberally towards the building of the same." Walter Bronescombe, his successor, built a chapel on the south side of the east end, which was dedicated to St. Gabriel, and intended it to be his place of sepulture. Here he was interred, and his tomb remains. In this chapel he established two chaplains to pray for his soul, those of his benefactors, and all the faithful deceased; for which he appropriated the vicarage of Bokerel, in Devon.

Bishop Quivil succeeded Bronescombe in 1281; and to him we are principally indebted for the magnificence and magnitude of the present Cathedral. "The uniformity of the structure, as it at present stands, seems to prove, beyond a doubt, that the whole, as the uniform tradition of different writers has delivered down to us, was the fruit of one great design; and its singular elegance does as much honor to the taste, as its noble size does to the munificence of the founder." Hooker informs us, that Quivil" first began to enlarge and increase his church from the chancel downwards." In constructing the choir, he appears to have retained the

Sir H. Englefield.

In his Worthies of Devon.

Sir H. Englefield.

the old walls, which were altered and perforated with larger windows, to correspond with his whole plan. The two ponderous Norman towers were great obstacles to the completion of the building with exact symmetry: and the Prelate thought it more prudent to convert them into transepts, than to destroy them, and erect new cross aisles in their place: yet this was a daring attempt, and required great skill, as the architect was obliged to take away one side of each tower nearly half its height from the ground, and construct a large and mighty arch to support the remaining upper part. It now became necessary to have large windows in the towers, to light the newly-formed transept, and to correspond in style with those introduced into the upper part of the choir. One was accordingly inserted in the north, or St. Paul's Tower, and another in the south, or St. John's Tower, in 1286.

How far this Bishop proceeded with the choir can only be conjectured; but it seems probable that he completed the first five arches from the east. In these we discover some difference: for the pillars are smaller; and the galleries before the upper tier of windows do not communicate with one another, as in the other parts of the Cathedral.

"A building of the dimensions of this Cathedral could scarcely be erected in the life of one Bishop. We accordingly find that during the time of Quivil's successor, Button, great sums were in different years expended on the work; and the choir does not appear to have been finished till the year 1318, in the time of Bishop Stapledon, when 861. was expended on the altar-piece."+ This Bishop was inducted to the See with great pomp and splendor,

and

* In 1299 the sum of 170l. 6s. 2d. was laid out; and in 1306, a further sum of 1561. 195. 1d. for repairs, &c. These were great sums at that time, when "' a master carpenter, mason, or tyler, were paid 3d. by the day; other carpen ters, masons, and tylers, only 2d. per day; and their servants and boys 1d." Bishop Fleetwood's Chronicom.

+ Sir H. Englefield.

The enthronization of this Bishop was attended with great solemnity. When be came to the east gate of the city, he alighted from his horse, and walked in

and afterwards became a liberal benefactor to the Cathedral: for in 1310 the expences thereon amounted to 3831. 18s. Sd. And in 1318, another bill was 1761. 16s. 5d. In an authentic record, he is stated to have made (or completed) the choir, and adorned it with two new images of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Among many alterations and additions made during the life of this Prelate, was the glazing of several windows in the Cathedral with stained glass, &c. "The church," observes Lyttleton, " appears to have been new glazed, or at least great part, about the year 1317, (temp. Edward II.) and both the plain and colored glass brought from Roan in Normandy. Thus in the fabric roll in that year, DCXXXIX peciis de albo vitro empt, apud Rotomagens xvl. xiiiis, ixd. Item cc111 peciis de colorato xl. iis. iiiid. in batella ad carriandum dictum citrum de Seaton usque Exon xs. In the roll of 1323, twelve feet of colored or painted glass is charged at Ss. and eight feet of white or plain at 2s. 8d. By the latter it appears, then, that painted glass was 8d. per foot in Edward IId. time, and plain glass 4d."

It may be necessary to remark, that the Bishops were not the only contributors towards the erection and decoration of the Cathedral: for the several dignitaries of the church, the clergy of the diocese, and the different religious houses dependent thereon, were all required to participate in the expences. "From the be ginning of the fourteenth century to the middle of the fifteenth," Bishop Lyttleton asserts, "1001. per annum, at an average, was expended.

procession on black cloth, laid in the street for that purpose. On each side he was conducted by a gentleman of high rank; Sir Hugh Courtenay, who claimed to be steward of his feast, going before him. At Broad Gate he was received by the chapter and choir in their proper vestments. Te Deum was sung before him; and, after the usual ceremonies were performed in the church, a great and splendid entertainment was made at his palace, for such noblemen and gentle. men who chose to come. "It is incredible," says Hooker, "how many oxen, and tons of ale and wine, are said to have been spent in this kind of solemnity; even more than a year's revenue of the see would pay for.”

The following sums are charged on the rolls: "61. 7s. 4d. de dignitate Decani; 31. de dignitate Presentoris; 38 sol. de Cancellar. 64 sol. de The saurar." &c.