Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/433

 ANNUAL MEETING. '315 tlie Isle of Man ; the other hy the late Dk. Bromet, on the remains of an ancient chariot, of bronze, preserved in the Museum at Toulouse. At twelve o'clock a large assemblage congregated in the theatre, and Professor Willis gave an admirable lecture on the history of Oxford Cathedral, originally the Church of the Priory of St. Frideswide. lie com- menced by referring to a MS. in the Bodleian relating to the miracles of St. Frideswide, which records the translation of her relics to the new- work at the time when the Parliament was assembled in Oxford, in 1180 ; and relates the miraculous vision, eight years previously, when the light issuing from the relics of the saint was seen shining above the tower of the cathedral, proving that the tower was completed in 1172. He proceeded to show that the whole fabric is of this period, although of a somewhat unusual design, and that the popular notion of its being partly a Saxon building, enlarged and raised by the Normans, is without foundation. He illustrated this by various proofs ; the most conclusive of which was by opening an aperture in the roof of the aisle, and showing that behind the two light oi)enings, supposed to have been the Saxon clerestory, there is a single arch inclosing the two, according to the usual arrangement of a Norman triforium. These openings, moreover, had never been glazed, nor grooved to receive glass. The chapel on the north side of the choir, usually called the Lady Chapel, is of the early part of the thirteenth century, and was probably that into which the relies of St. Frideswide were again translated, in 1289. The rich piece of stone, and wood paneling, of the end of the fifteenth century, usually called the Shrine of St. Frideswide, be believed not to have been a shrine, but the watching chamber by the side of the shrine. The beautiful chapel adjoining to this, commonly called the Latin Chapel, he considered to belong to the early part of the fourteenth centui-y, and too early to have been the work of Lady Montacute, who died in 1355-, and whose tomb is placed between this and the chapel before mentioned. She founded a rich chantry in this church. The Chapter House he con- sidered a very beautiful work of the first half of the fifteenth century ; and expressed his great regret at its present state, it being divided into two chambers by a solid wall. He then proceeded to describe the alterations made by Wolsey, Avho intended to convert this church into the chapel of his new college, and to have built a large church also, which he actually com- menced. The vaulting of the choir is an admirable specimen of the work of that period, and very ingeniously incorporated into the Norman work. Wolsey also shortened the Nave, by about one half its length, — the original West end extended as far as the outer wall of the Canons' houses in the great quadrangle. The Professor's elequent discourse Avas most enthusiastically received. At its conclusion, the Principal of Brasenose (Dr. Harington) expressed the thanks of the meeting for this instructive dissertation, and their warm appreciation of Professor Willis' valuable services to the cause of archaeology, adverting also to his exertions in preparing the new edition of the " Glossary of Architecture." This was warmly seconded by the Noble President and by the Rev. W. Sewell, President of the Oxford Architectural Society. At two o'clock the audience attended the learned Professor in the cathedral, when he pointed out on the spot the peculiarities he had before described. He was accompanied by about three hundred persons in this interesting demonstration. At the Evening Meeting at the Town Hall a very interesting discourse