127
The New Inn 129
Carving at New Inn Lane 130
Remains of Roman Wall 131

Plan of Cathedral (with Dimensions) 134, 135

[Illustration: The Tower. Gloucester from the East.
Edward J. Burrows 1894]

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

CHAPTER I

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

It is neither possible, nor desirable, within the limits of a book of
this size and scope, to go fully into the question, interesting though
it be, of the relative claims of Aldred and Serlo to the honour of the
first building of the Abbey of Gloucester. Professor Willis, in his
lecture addressed to the meeting of the Archaeological Institute, held at
Gloucester in 1860, after giving various reasons for believing that the
crypt dates back no further than 1089, when the foundation-stone was
laid by Abbot Serlo, goes on to state that he was "clearly of opinion
that when the foundations of the cathedral were laid, the crypt was
planned to receive the existing superstructure and no other."

Professor Freeman, in his lecture published in the "Records of
Gloucester Cathedral," says: "The first thing we do know for certain is,
that in the year 1089, thirty-one years only after the dedication of
Ealdred's church, Serlo, the first Norman Abbot, began the building of a
new church, which was itself dedicated in 1100."

From the record quoted by Mr W. H. Hart ("Chartulary," i. 3), the first
mention of the abbey is in 681, when it was founded by Osric, viceroy of
King Ethelred. It was dedicated to St. Peter, and Kyneburga (the sister
of Osric) was the first Abbess of a double foundation for monks and
nuns. She died in 710.

Osric himself was buried in his church in 729 (Hart, i. 5), and his
sister was buried near him, in front of the altar of St. Petronilla,
which was on the north side of the then existing church.

The second Abbess was also a lady of royal descent, and widow of
Wulphere, King of the Mercians. She died in 735, and with Eve or Eva, or
Gaffa, her successor, who died in 769, the monastery came to an end.

In 823 a new _regime_ began--viz. that of secular priests, introduced by
Beornwulf, King of Mercia, and the _Monasticon Anglicanum_ (Caley, i.
563) says that he found the monastery "_spoliatum et ruinosum_" and
therefore rebuilt it. He also changed its constitu