s, the Organists, Lay Clerks, and Choristers, were to
be subordinate. The chancel of Thomas a Becket's Chapel, already spoken
of, was then converted into a school-room, in which the Choristers, and
a certain number of other boys, were to receive a classical education
at the hands of one of the Minor Canons appointed, for his superior
learning, to the office of schoolmaster. Chambers governed 15 years in
his new office. There is some dispute amongst the historians of this
church about the time of his death, but it is generally agreed that the
tablet to his memory is dated wrong, and that he died in 1556. There
were two monuments erected to him, by his own orders, before his death;
and this circumstance may account for the error in the date upon the
tablets. One of the monuments was a beautifully executed statue of
himself, in white chalk, but it was destroyed in 1643. The bishop
adorned the doors of the church with carved images and hieroglyphics,
one of which at the west front represents a sinner tormented by devils,
though it is now much defaced.

From the death of Bishop Chambers to the accession of Richard Howland,
in 1584, nothing of importance occurred. It was during his rule that
the unhappy queen of Scots fell a victim to the vanity and jealousy of
Elizabeth, in the castle of Fotheringhay.[17]

"Although that unfortunate Queen had been executed on the 8th of
February, her body was not brought to Peterborough for burial till the
night of the thirtieth of July following, when it was conveyed by
torch-light from Fotheringhay Castle by Garter King at Arms, and other
Heralds, with a guard of horsemen, in a chariot made for the purpose,
covered with black cloth. The corpse was met at the entrance of the
cathedral by the bishop, Richard Howland, and Fletcher, the dean of the
cathedral, with others, who attended it in solemn procession to the
vault appointed for it, in which it was immediately deposited. The
vault was then covered, an opening merely being left through which the
Heralds might deposit their broken staves. No service was said at the
time, as it was agreed that it had better be done on the day fixed for
the solemnization of the funeral. On the day following, there came to
Peterborough all those persons of rank appointed to attend the funeral,
for whom a grand supper was prepared at the bishop's palace. On
Tuesday, the first of August, 1586, being the day fixed for the
funeral, they all marched in order to t