Rochester Cathedral

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Index of fabric records, 1540-1984

The Friends of Rochester Cathedral

An index of maintenance, repair, alteration, restoration, decoration, furnishing and survey of the fabric by Diana Holbrooke (1994).

In the Library of the Cathedral are six bound volumes of a computer print-out entitledm Rochester Cathedral 1540-1983; A record of maintenance, repair, alterations, decoration, furnishing and survey of the fabric collated and edited by Diana Holbrook RIBA, Grad. Dip. (Cons) AA, 1994.

This record is divided into three sections, I. Topics; II. Chronological; (and in a separate box) III. Illustrations

The initiative for this project came from the Surveyor, Martin Caroe, who ragically died so suddenly at the end of 1999. He was certain that within the Chapter's records, together with manuscript, printed and published reports, was wealth of material dealing with the building history of the Cathedral since the Reformation. The project received the whole-hearted support of the Fabric Committee (the forerunner of the present Fabric Advisory Committee). Diana Holbrook, financed in part by the Dean and Chapter and the Royal Institute of British Architects, undertook the research, of which the present volumes are the result. Divided into two parts, (a) chronological from the 16th century, (b) subjects: this is really a detailed index comprising the topics such as altars, clocks, sundials, windows, roofs, ironwork, lavatories, furnishings and so on.

Finally, there is a box containing various illustrations.

Because the date of a year until the mid-18th century was changed in March, it is a little uncertain occasionally which year is the date of the document. In January 1591/2, one 'Starky' was paid 13s. 6d. for 1,000 tiles, and a workman named Page received 43s. 8d. (£2. 3s. 8d.) for laying 3,000 'single' on the Chapter House, and for 1,000 single and 2 bundles of lathes. In the same year a considerable amount of work was undertaken, recorded as 'To Waller the Smith for nailes etc. about the Chapter House and 'vaute'. There is another payment to 'Mr. Starkey by the hands of William Meaker for 2000 Hernhill tiles: 22s. Item for carriage thereof from the wharf to the storehouse, 2s. Od. In addition, there is 'Item a lighter of sand containing 14 loads and for carriage of same from wharf to storehouse at 6d. load carriage and 12d. load of sand'. Still in the same year, 1591/2, 5 guineas (£5. 5s. Od.) was paid for making a new pulpit with wainscot, Edward Browne received 3s. 6d. for mending the 'great bell wheel', and at 2 shillings a day, Bunch and his labourer worked for two days to 'furnish the petitioners privy'. At the end of the century, the Dean and chapter must have undertaken quite an amount of restoration, as there is a bond in £400 bound by the Dean and Chapter to one William Wilson to repay £300 which he had lent towards the repair of the Chancel (DR/Emf/1, December 1591).

Fifty years later, the survey by the Commonwealth Parliament of 1649 (DR/ESp/1,2,3) gives detailed descriptions of rooms and the value of property in the Precinct, but the cathedral must have been in a poor state, for after the Restoration, estimates were received for general repairs. For instance, 'The roufe of both sides to ve east above the quire will cost £500'. £300 was required for the 'two cross rouffes above ye quire north and south'; £40 for 'the south side of the quire'; 'the body of ye church [the navel will cost £100; the steeple will cost £50; the guttering being generally defective will cost '£100'.

But that was, of course, not all that had to be done. £45 would have to be found for repairs to the steeple, gable ends, and the three bell steeple ('Gundulph's Tower, Eson tor the arches sleeve the Quite, regaiting the worth aide out, an for 'mending plastering and whitting of the whole church 636. Punters masons and plasterers involved included Ken take, Walter faridon, them Flight and John Nelles, It was reported on 4 holy 1664 IDKe/ABhi, that there is owing all carpenters, bricklayers, masons and others workoen persons employed in about the repayr of the Cathedral Chund in all to the sum of £600*,

Bishop Warner, who died in 1666, left money to the Cathedral, in 1647 survey was made by Captain Richard Rider and the mason scalpher vehus Marshall (who made the Bishop's monument, Warden of the Maams Company. Their report (DRe/Emi/7//127) made recommendations as to how the legacy could be spent. Among various items were ten shillings for the 'roshings and coverings of ye staircase, 130 for new copings of Portland stone on de 'north-east corner', a similiar sum for '150 footes of cooping' for the three to steeple, £276 for 12 tons of lead, casting and laying, on the roof of St, Mart Chapel.

Two other quite expensive estimates were For skirting of the walls with lead round the Church to keep the Rayns from getting in between the walls and the lead of the gutters of the platform, also the pipes of lead to bring the water from the platforms to the ground, £150, 0. Od', and 'For taking down the wall which stands upon ye north side of ye church, and that will be wanting and shoring up ye platform whilst it is adding. £90, Os. Od

In 1681and 1682, John Gable's (or Goodman Gamball) bill for 'work and stouff don at St Andra Coulthedral Church for paving of Isles and other places, was £13. 11s. 5d., and for paving the 'Lady's chappell', 14. 10s, Od, (DRc/FTv/230/139; DRc/FTb/18).

During the mid-18th century, the Dean and Chapter began the process that was to see practically the end of an historic portion of the Cathedral. In 1756, the architect Henry Keene, Surveyor to the Dean and Chapter Westminster, was commissioned to report on what is now known as 'Gundulph's Tower':

Between this 1?1 and the N. W. Cross stands the naked walls of a Tower, now known by the name of the Five Bell Tower; this being of no use it would be better removed, but that being attended with a pretty considerable expense, I would propose that in the Course of any of these, or future repairs when stone for Buttresses, walling or such like business is wanted, so much of this tower should be taken down as would serve those purposes; this would answer the two purposes of saving money in the purchase of carriage of new and the removal in time of this unnecessary and unsightly ruin.

lower): 5100 for the arches above the Quire; repairing the north aisle 240 and for mending plastering and whitting of the whole church 130. Plumbers, masons and plasterers involved included Ken Lake, Walter Earldon, Thomas Flight and John Nelles, It was reported on 4 July 1664 (DRc/ARb/2) that "There is owing . . . all carpenters, bricklayers, masons and others workmen and persons employed in about the repayr of the Cathedral Church . . , amounting in all to the sum of £600°.

Bishop Warner, who died in 1666, left money to the Cathedral. In 1667 a survey was made by Captain Richard Rider and the mason-sculptor Joshua Marshall (who made the Bishop's monument), Warden of the Masons' Company. Their report (DR/Emf/7//127) made recommendations as to how the legacy could be spent. Among various items were ten shillings for the 'roofings and coverings of ye staircase', £30 for new copings of Portland stone on the

'north-east corner', a similiar sum for '150 footes of cooping' for the three bell steeple, £276 for 12 tons of lead, casting and laying, on the roof of St. Mary's Chapel.

Two other quite expensive estimates were 'For skirting of the walls with lead round the Church to keep the Rayns from getting in between the walls and the lead of the gutters of the platform, also the pipes of lead to bringd the water from the platforms to the ground. £150. 0. Od.!, and 'For taking down the wall which stands upon ye north side of ye church, and that will be wanting and shoring up ye platform whilst it is adding. £90. Os. Od.'

In 1681 and 1682, John Gable's (or Goodman Gamball) bill for 'work and stouff don at St Andra Coulthedral Church for paving of Isles and other places; was £13. 11s. 5d., and for paving the 'Lady's chappell', £4. 10s. Od. (DR/FTv/230/139; DR/FTb/18).

During the mid-18th century, the Dean and Chapter began the process that was to see practically the end of an historic portion of the Cathedral. In 1756, the architect Henry Keene, Surveyor to the Dean and Chapter Westminster, was commissioned to report on what is now known as 'Gundulph's Tower':

Between this [?] and the N. W. Cross stands the naked walls of a Tower, now known by the name of the Five Bell Tower; this being of no use it would be better removed, but that being attended with a pretty considerable expense, I would propose that in the Course of any of these, or future repairs when stone for Buttresses, walling or such like business is wanted, so much of this tower should be taken down as would serve those purposes; this would answer the two purposes of saving money in the purchase of carriage of new and the removal in time of this unnecessary and unsightly ruin. So Gundulph's Tower' became a quarry.

the well-known organ builder, Bernard (or Father Smith was employed by the Dean and Chapter from about the time of the Restoration of the Monarchy. On 26 March 1668/9, the Chapter agreed to pay him £167 for the repair of the 'old organ and a New Chayer Organ' (DRc/Arb/2) and a few years later agreed to pay E8 for two years' 'sallary' (DR</FTb16, 5 November 1675). An undated bill atthe end of the 17th century reads, 'B. Smith for one furniture stopp in ye great organ and one flute stopp in ye Chayre Oran and for the cleaning of both £10

Also at the end of the 17th century, it appears that a child was living in the Cathedral's roof space, for there is a record of Mr. James Thurston his bill for Whitebreads Childs loft in the ceilings of ye Cathedral'. What is the story of this?

There are several references to bells and clocks. One of the most readable is: R. Shaw. Bill: for wack Doon: for takeng Down the Clock and a Cart to carry itt home and man to help me mendeng fly and new nutt: making 4 teetch for Crutch Well; new Warneng pin for Mane well; new Role and new Spring and Platte for the Watch part of the Clock; feeling up all the holes but 3 and spengeng them agane; a new peece to Navengeng Kees; .. a cart to bring itt; for setting itt up and a man to help me; new Kee for the weekett, £3. 18s. 4d.

Among the references to stained glass windows in the Survey is a letter from Major Vetch of the Royal Engineers, dated 22 March 1884. The major wrote 'with view to further development of Royal Engineers Memorial in Rochester Cathedral . . . may I ask whether the Chapter are disposed to reserve for the Corps all the windows of the S. Transept of the Nave? Should they be willing to do so I propose to ask you to suggest subjects ... and then to have the designs prepared by Clayton and Bell and deposited in the Royal Engineers Institution so that every facility may be given'. The Dean and Chapter agreed to tell Major Vetch that they gladly accepted his proposal, but warned him that they could not commit their successors

There are many documents relating to burials, graves and monuments. Of especial interest is the monument of Lee Warner, that was removed in order to reveal the memorial to Bishop Sheppey. It will be remembered that the architect Cottingham was dismayed about the restoration of the Sheppey monument.

There is a bill from H. Pitt Cobbett of May 1825 (DR/FTv/180) which is revealing - 'cleaning, matching and restoring Paint to Sculptured Figure of John de Shepey on the N. Side of Chancel: 14 days Ornament painted: to Bronze Lake, Vermillion, Japan and sundry other Colors, Varnish etc. £14. 2s. Od.!

During recent times the unexpected happened. In August 1975 'Three separate cracks were heard during Evensony up scattering the chairs. First fears the foundation of the whi put blew IME Was giving way; on Saturday it was decided to have all services in n but not use organ or bells. Architect and Structural Engineer they decided the building itself in no danger and 'extren to burst. For the record the tiles were manufactured of the 19th centun. William Godwin of Hereford

There is so much detail in the Survey that a selection can do no more than to whet one's appetite, but to conclude a few more extracts may be of interest. Ar present a new organ blower is being installed. A note by the Cled k or Works on

8 December 1874 (DRo/Em/77/2) is relevant, 'I think I mentioned to you the intention to excavate the W. end of the Crypt for a passage of air to reach the organ'. Work also has recently been undertaken on pinnacles of the north east transept. In 1871, the Dean and Chapter resolved that Mr. Scott be asked to alter his design so far as to the N. Gable of the E. Transept at its present pitch' It was also decided at that time that the tracery of the Presbytery windows be retained . . . land| 'Mr. Scott to furnish a plan for lighting the nave and choir with gas' (DRc/Ac/14, 27 June 1871). Still hanging in the Presbytery are two of Scott's gasoliers, rare survivors in any Cathedral, and very well worth preservation.

Finally, Diana Holbrook has provided a list of everyone whose name appears throughout the records from Starkey, the 16th century tiler, Thomas Walter, a labourer in 1674, Simon Lambe, a locksmith in 1679, down to the death in an accident of the Surveyor Emil Godfrey in 1982, and the appointment on 1 April 1983 of the late Surveyor Martin Caroe.

This comprehensive Survey seems to be the only one so far produced for any Cathedral, and it would be of interest to all historians and architects, as it is a record of almost everything that has been done to a medieval building for almost 500 years. I hope that the Dean and Chapter will find a publisher willing to undertake to make the Survey available to a wide public.

John Physick

I: Topics

Volume 1: A-F

Volume 2: G-P

Volume 3: R-Z

II: Chronological

1540-1799

1800-1899

1900-1983

III: Illustrations