In consequence of the frequent destruction of its records, the history of the cathedral-church of Carlisle is involved in great obscurity. It was originally the conventual church of the priory of St. Mary, which was commenced in the reign of William Rufus, and completed, A.D. 1101, by Henry I., when it was dedicated in honour of the blessed virgin. The priory had existed little more than thirty years, when the king erected Carlisle (which had previously been included in the diocese of Durham) into a distinct see. St. Mary's now became the cathedral-church of the new diocese, and continned, after this accession to its honours, for upwards of a century and a half, to flourish in its original splendour.

In the year 1292 a great portion of the edifice was destroyed by a fire which is said to have laid the city in ruins. The extent of the injury caused by this conflagration is unknown. The east limb, it is probable, was either entirely demolished, or so much defaced as to require to be rebuilt from the foundation, as was also the north transept: the south transept and the nave appear to have escaped with little or no damage, being evidently portions of the original Norman structure. In consequence of the unsettled state of the borders at this period, the cathedral remained long in a state of desolation; and although the canons and the citizens were grieved to see their sanctuary prostrate, and it pitied them to see the stones of her ruins, yet upwards of a century elapsed before it was completely restored, and again made a temple meet for the solemnities of divine service.

During the overflowings of that malignant church hatred which distinguished the fanatical period of the great rebellion, the cathedral of Carlisle suffered extensive mutilation and defacing, the effects of which remain to this day. The city was surrendered, in 1645, to the Scottish troops, under general Leslie; and, in violation of the articles of the surrender, one of which was "that no church be defaced," they pulled down a large portion of the nave, together with the chapter-house, dormitory, cloisters, prebendal-houses, and part of the deanery.

The original length of the cathedral was about 330 feet; and, although not so large nor so magnificent as many others, yet it possesses some architectural features and details which render it worthy of particular attention. It is constructed, as usual, in the form of a cross, consisting of a choir with aisles, a transept, and alas! a fragment of the nave -a form suggested by that of the instrument of torture on which the salvation of mankind was ef fected. The whole building is much decayed, and most of its lesser ornaments are either greatly mutilated or entirely destroyed.

The nave formerly extended a hundred and thirty-five feet from the cross; but ninety-six feet having been demolished during the great rebellion, only thirty-nine remain. These form two compartments of the original building, and are in the pure Norman style, of a simple and massive character. The main arches are semicircular, with plain architraves, springing from immense piers, whose height is only fourteen feet two inches, while their circumference is seventeen feet and a-half. Some of their capitals have the chevron and bell ornaments, but others of them are plain. A panelled ceiling of wood has been inserted immediately above the main arches, by which the whole of the upper part of the

building is concealed from the spectator below. The exterior is more enriched, the windows having small detached shafts inserted at their sides for the springing of the arches, which have the zigzag, billet, and other usual ornaments of this style.

The transept is a hundred and fourteen feet in length, and twenty-eight in breadth, and has no aisles. The south transept is in the same style as the nave: it consists of three stories, and has the chapel of St. Catherine on its east side, which is now used as a vestry by the choristers; its screens are ancient, and contain some curious tracery, with the initials of prior Gondibour. The north transept appears to have been erected in a hurried and in

correct manner.

The whole of the eastern limb is in a later style than the nave, though earlier than the tower, hav. ing been rebuilt between the years 1292 and 1402.

length; its height to the ceiling is seventy-two feet, The choir is a hundred and thirty-eight feet in and its breadth, together with the aisles, is seventytwo feet: being both broader and loftier than the nave. It consists of eight arches; those at the several extremitics are narrower than the rest, and the most easterly of them serve as a passage behind

the altar.

The whole design of the choir may be pronounced elegant; but that which contributes most to its ef fect is the great east window. This beautiful portion consists of an equilateral pointed arch, divided by slender mullions into nine lights, and has ele gant and delicately-arranged flowing tracery in its and is enriched with modern stained glass, which head. It belongs to the decorated English style, forms the borders of the several divisions. The coaccord with the pleasing shadows cast from the lours appear too fresh, and not sufficiently varied to head of the window, which is entirely filled with coloured glass of great antiquity, representing several scripture incidents: the ascension of our Lord is beautifully limned in the upper compart

ment.

This win

"The east front," says Rickman, “contains one of the finest, if not the finest, decorated windows its elegance of composition and delicacy of arrange in the kingdom. It is considerably decayed; but ment, the harmony of its parts, and the easy flow of its lines, rank it even higher than the celebrated west window of York cathedral, which it also exceeds in the number of divisions." dow, from the tablet on which it is set to the highest point of the mouldings, is fifty-eight feet in height, and its breadth is thirty-two feet six inches; it fills up the whole space be tween two uncommonly bold buttresses, which rise, at eleven stages, to the ridge of the roof, where they are terminated with fine crocketed pinnacles; they have niches with enriched cano pies, now much mutilated, and robbed of the statues which formerly occupied them. The whole of the accompaniments, including the shafts, mouldings, and buttresses, are exceedingly chaste and beautiful. The gable, which is not centrically placed, has crockets and crosses, now mostly broken off.

turret at its north-east angle; its height to the top The tower has an embattled parapet, with a small of the vane is about one hundred and thirty feet: this is the most recent part of the cathedral, and nave: it consists of four stories, was erected about three hundred years after the