|
Ely is a small city and there are just two churches to visit: the
Cathedral and the parish church, St Mary's. These two churches are near
each other and one can be seen from the other. Ely is
a very pleasant city and - quite remarkably - there is
free parking in the city centre; however this is more than offset by the
cost of visiting the cathedral. Both churches are a very small walk away
from the car park. The approach on the A142 (from Newmarket) can have
long traffic queues because of the level crossing near the City; however this should
change when the by-pass is completed.
<Ely Cathedral>
<St Mary's (Parish) Church>
<Cambrideshire - 1>
<Home (Index) Page> |

|

|
ELY
CATHEDRAL
Cathedral Church of the Holy
and Undivided Trinity |

|
Ely is a cathedral of the New Foundation: before
the Reformation it was a Benedictine Cathedral Priory.
O/S Ref: TL 541 802
. |
There is a substantial
admission charge (in 2018 it was £9.00 plus
extras) but no extra charge for photography,
except for the use of tripods and/or
video recorders
and that is modest.
This cost is quite unacceptable when a vast to nearby
Norwich Cathedral is free although here, quite rightly
in my view, a donation is politely requested and £5.00
is suggested but not insisted upon |
Chancel - North
Aisle Chancel
- South Aisle Cloisters
Nave-North Aisle
Retrochoir
Floor Monuments
|
Alan of Walsingham Alcock, Bp
(Chantry) Allen, Bp Barnet,
Bp
Basevi, George
(brass)
Bentham, Prebandary
Butts, Bp Caesar,
Dean, Crauden, Prior, de
Luda, Bp William Edger,
Richard St
Ethelreda's Shrine Fleetwood,
Bp Fleetwood, Canon
Glazebrook, Canon
Goodwin, Bp Goodrich, Bp
(brass) Greene Bp
Gunning, Bp Peter
Gunning, Peter
Gunning, Stuart Hodge-Mill, Dr Hotham,
Bp Heton, Bp Hugh of Northwold,
Bp Kilkenny, Bp
Laney, Bp
Luxembourg, Cardinal Mawson,
Mathew Moore, Bp
Nigellus, Bp Patrick,
Bp Pickering, William
Redman, Bp
Selwyn, Canon
Smith, Humphrey
Sparke, Bp
(brass) Steward,
Sir Mark Steward,
Sir Robert
Thorpe, Sir William (matrix)
Tyndall, Dean (brass) West,
Bp (Chantry)
Williams, Ms
Helenora
Woodford, Bp
(monument)
(Brass)
Woodham, Twyford
Worcester, John Tiptoft Earl of
|
|
 |

Dr Hodge-Mill (1853) copper effigy
(electro-plated) on tomb chest of alabaster and
mosaic; designed by
Sir G G Scott,
executed by Philip. He taught in India
and was later Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge;
the figures at his feet represent an Indian and
an English student.
|
|
|
 |

Far left bottom and above:
Bishop Redman (1506)
and left his tomb from the north chancel aisle |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
St Etheldreda's Shrine Remains
of capitals below a superstructure which is said to be either a
14th century new casing of the shrine or perhaps the canopy part
of Bishop's Hotham's monument . The ground stage of this has blank ogee
arches |
Mathew Mawson (1770) |
Bishop Laney (1675)
Black and
white marble. |
|
 |
|
 |

|


Left and above middle:
Bishop Alcock's Chantry (1501)
This was begun as early as 1488. The photographs show
from above: i. entrance to the chapel, with the original
wrought iron gates open. ii. Bishop Alcock's tomb.
Above centre:
Bishop Alcock's effigy. This is on the window sill and is
obstructed from view by the superstructure of the tomb. It
is in very poor condition
Above top and bottom:
Cardinal Luxembourg
(1443) As archbishop of Rouen in Normandy he
supported the Lancastrian regime in France. As the English
hold on its French conquests weakened, he was given the see
of Ely by Henry VI as reward for his services.
|

Above top: Bishop West's Chantry (1534)
This too was begun early -1525-33.
Again the chantry has wrought iron gates. Bishop West
opposed the divorce of Henry VIII from Kathryn of Aragon and
so fell from favour.
Above bottom: Record of the reburial of several
chests containing the bones of Anglo-Saxon bishops. See
below
There are two brasses to 19th century bishops set in the
floor
|
The Anglo-Saxon
bishops referred to above are: Wulstan (York), Osmund (Swedish),
Alwin (Elmham), Ælfgar (Elmham),
Ednorth (Dorchester-on-Thames) and Athelstan (Elmham). Also
Brithnorth, Earl of Essex. |
|
John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester was a
cultured man who held several positions of high office. In
contrast he appeared to be a brutal man also, having introduced
impalement into England; he was consequently nicknamed
'The Butcher of England'. A
Yorkist, he was unable to escape with Edward IV when Henry VI
was temporarily restored to the throne by Richard Neville, the
'Kingmaker'. He was captured by the Lancastrians and executed in
the Tower of London. It is said that he asked the executioner to
decapitate him with three blows of the axe in honour of the
Trinity.
He married first Cecily Neville, widow of Henry Beauchamp, Duke
of Warwick (son of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick) and sister
of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (The 'King
Maker') who is
buried with her first husband at Tewkesbury; second Elizabeth
Greyndour and third Elizabeth Hopton. The two Elizabeths
are the wives represented here. |
However,
Mathew Ward in The tomb of 'The Butcher'? The
Tiptoft monument in the presbytery of Ely cathedral
(Journal of the Church Monuments Society Vol. XXVII, 2012) has
argued that the monument is that of the Earl's father, John Lord
Tiptoft (c.1378-14430) and his two wives, Joyce and Philippa.
The monument has been heavily restored over the years so it is
impossible to date it with any accuracy. There is no inscription
or heraldry on the monument, other than a small shield on the
helm showing the Tiptoft arms. Earl John was buried in
Black Friars, London following his execution in the Tower and
while the Ely monument may have been designed as a cenotaph or
his body may have been translated to Ely there is no record of
this. Earl John was a Yorkist and would not have worn the
Lancastrian collar of S's seen on the monument as well as earlier
renderings. However his father, Lord John, was long associated
with the chapter of Ely and was a confirmed
Lancastrian. The coronet, indicating an earldom, may well have
been added at one the restorations.
There is however no way of knowing for certain to whom the tomb
belongs.
|

Canon
Selwyn
(1875)
- of Selwyn College and Selwyn Divinity School in
Cambridge. By T Nicholls (1879)
|
|
 |
 |
 |

 |

Top Row:
Bishop
Peter Gunning (1684). A semi-reclining
effigy, head propped up by his hand, which rests on a tomb
chest with no backing. His ledger stone is near the
monument; shown reads: 'Peter, Bishop of Ely'.
Bottom Left:
Bishop
Hotham (1337) tomb chest with arcades which
were once filled with statuettes, only one of which
survives. The effigy - now lost - was of alabaster. The
former canopy may now be part of St Ethelreda's shrine
(see above)
Bottom Right:
Bishop Barnett (1374) Plain
tomb chest with two tiers of quatrefoils; brass lost from
fragmented top.
|
 |

|

Far Left & Centre Bottom:
Sir Mark Steward (1603)
Above & Centre Top:
Sir Robert Steward
(1570)
The heraldry and pedigree on the
monuments of these two brothers are bogus and an ineffective
attempt to show their descent from the royal house of Stuart
|
|
Floor Monuments |
Brasses, brass
matrices, ledger stones etc. Others are shown in their correct
site
|
North Aisle |
South Aisle |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
George Basevi
(1845)
Architect who designed the FitzWilliam museum in Cambridge,
shown with the tools of his profession. He was killed in a fall
while inspecting the west tower of the cathedral |
Sir William
Thorpe (1393) |
Priest or monk 15th C |
A priest c. 1430 |
Bishop Thomas Goodrich
(1554) He followed Bishop West and assisted Henry VIII
in his divorce. He decreed in 1541 that images, relics, shrines
and table monuments were to be 'totally demolished and
obliterated' |
Dean Umphry Tyndall (1614) |
More Matrices in the South Aisles |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A monk 15th C |
A monk. 15th C |
A priest 15th C |
A monk 15th C |
Priest or monk 15th C |
The brass to Bishop Hotham consists of a
marginal inscription and two shields. Both this brass and that
to Prior Crauden are renewals deaigned by Pugin and engraved by
Hardman & Co of Birmingham in 1852 |
|
The Cloisters
|
The cloisters in Ely cathedral have mostly been destroyed: only
a corner remains, which is accessible from the church |

Above then left to right:
Twyford Woodham
(1772) surgeon & Barbara (1798) ;
William Pickering
& Richard Edger (1845) both killed in accident from
Norwich to Ely. Poem 'The Spiritual Railway' appears on the
slab; Humphrey Smith (1743), designed by
John Sanderson, carved by Charles Stanley.
In south porch leading to the cloister; Tomb arch but no
information.
|
 |
 |
 |
Outside |
These four monuments, dating
from the 18th century, are affixed to the outside west wall of
the Lady Chapel high up. The larger two, at least, look like
they may have been once inside the cathedral and have been
ejected at some time. I have not discovered any explanation for
this. |
 |
 |
 |
Left:
Joseph
Johnson (1729) aged 70 and his wife
Elizabeth (1604) aged 37. The incised
lettering can be made out even though any infill has been lost.
Above: John Ellbon (177-) Cathedral
organist.
Right: On the top cartouche I can only make out the date
1765. On the bottom oval tablet I can only make
out possibly William Groom (177-) |
|
 |
St Mary's |
St Mary's is the parish church of Ely. Park
in the free car park as for the cathedral. When I arrived,
without an appointment, the west and north doors were both
locked; however around the 'back' of the church there is a
corridor linking the parish office to the south door of the
church. This corridor had an unlocked door and access to the
parish office where the administrator kindly opened the door for
me. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Above from Left to Right:
1. John Harlock (1791) & Sarah (1788). 2. Solomon Smith (1873)
Forty
years Vicar of Ely & Minor Canon of the Cathedral.
3. Robert Rayner (1784), his
wife, Susanna (1791) and their daughter
Mary (1779). 4. Agnes Waddington (1846) Signed:
M W Johnson, New Road, London (difficult to make out)
Far Right ,Upper Tablet : Mrs
Margaret Waddington (1800) She was the daughter of the
Bishop of Ely and wife of Rev Thomas Waddington DD
(1815) Prebendary of Ely. Also three of their children:
Jemima, Mary and
Joseph Yorke. Also Anne (1830) second
wife of Rev Thomas Waddington. Between this an the lower
tablet are arms which appears to relate to then both. Lower
Tablet: John
Waddington (1796) and his wife, Susannah (1816) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Thomas Page (1813) and his
wife Sarah (1814) Also, Thomas
& William, children who died in infancy. |
Thomas Page (1797) and his
wife Ursula (1801); 'Likewise four of their
Children who died in their Infancy' |
Thomas Austin AM (1722) 'formerly
of Sid: Suſ: Coll: Camb.' Also his
daughter Sarah (n/d) and wife Mary
(1703) aged 19 (or is this date of Sarah) . Their son,
Thomas (1740) There is then a lengthy section
about Thomas the Younger, who seemed to pursue a life of leisure
and of a benefactor, after academic qualifications. On the base
is added Mrs Mary Austin (1747) 'Relict and
Mother of the above Mr Austin[s].' |
Sarah Martin (1795) and
daughter Rebecca (1798) age 6 |
Other Wall
Monuments |
The first two are almost identical and set
side by side; the third is set below. Black and white.
Anne Martin (1808) Wife of Robert Martin,
below. And three of their children who died in infancy.
Robert Martin (1834) Signed: Pearson, Ely
Robert Martin (1849) Probably the son of
the above. Numerals are Arabic whereas those on the above are
Roman.
Samuel Wells (1849) Barrister-at-Law; and his
wife Sarah Ann (1847)
Horace Easingwood (1960) Chorister for 64 years. All
black tablet
Jonathan Page (1840) Black and white tablet.
James Dench (1852) Black and white tablet.
Charles Theodore Harlock (1865) 'accidentally
drowned at Ely' White scroll on black background
Anne ___ of Rev John Griffith. Rev John
Griffith DD. Tablet partly obscured by a large chest
Aungier Gotobed (1804) 'a native of this town.'
White oval tablet
Jane Leach (183_) Tablet partly obscured by
the large chest
Emma Leach (1876) White tablet
William Layton (1821) and his wife Mary
(1864) Black and white. |
|
|
|
<Cambrideshire - 1>
<Home (index) page>
<Top of Page> |