Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/521

* WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 441 WESTMINSTEB PALACE. WESTMINSTER ABBEY. One of the prin- cipal clmnliis, iuiil, ill n peculiar sense, the na- tional sanctuary, of Knyhincl. It was oritjinally the alilicy cliiircli of a iiioiLastory founilcd in the rei^n of linf,' Oll'ar of Mercia, and rcor^^anizi'd l>y Dnnstan in i)71. The lirst church is s.-iid to have hcen huilt hy iKing Schert of ICssex (dlO) on Thorney isle, in the Thames. Tiie foundation did not, however, achieve importance until the reign of Edward the Confessor, who had a pal- ace at Westminster, and in 1049-0.5 built a oiiurch on the present site, <lc(licated to Saint Peter, whence the present ollicial name of Westminster Al)bey, the (Collegiate ('liure)i of Saint I'eter. In the later thirteenth century Henry III. under- took the reconstruction of tlie ehurcli, which was consecrated in 12(19. and tlu' work was continued hy his successors, the nave not having been com- pleted until the fifteenth century. The chapel of Henry VII. was added in 1502-20 under Henry VIII., and the two west towers by Sir Christopher Wren and llawkesmore (1722-40), and the north transept was restored in 1890. The Abbey was heavily endowed and under the special protection of the Kings of England, whose palace was at 'estminster. It was disendowed during the Eeformation as a cathedral (1540-50), but re- stored liy t^tueen Mary, and received its present organization, under a dean and twelve canons, from Elizabeth, Westminster Abbej- is one of the largest and best examples of the early English style. More than any other, it shows the French influence, in its polygonal apse and chapels, the loftiness of the nave and heavy flying buttresses. Its proportions are grandiose. The total exterior length, including Henry VII. 's chapel, is 423 feet 6 inches; the breadth is 71 feet 9 inches, for nave and aisles, and 20.3 feet 2 inches across the tran- septs. The nave is the loftiest in England (101 feet 8 inches) ; the towers measure 225 feet 4 inches. The imposing efl'ect of the interior, with its beautiful stone and fine glass windows, is somewhat marred by restorations and the monu- ments. The Chapel of Henry VII.. forming the apsidal termination of the Abbey, is a very re- markable structure in the Perpendicular style (late Gothic), having a ceiling vaulted with fan tracery of the highest and most elegant char- acter imaginable. The beautiful oak choir .stalls are appropriated by the Knights of the Bath. each seat bearing the armorial bearings of the occupant, whose sword and banner hang over- head. Of all English churches none is so intimately connected with the national life and history. English kings since William the Conqueror have been crowned there, and there the ancient re- galia were kept till their destruction vuider the Conunonwealth. The coronation chair, contain- ing the ancient Stone of Scone, brought by Edward I. from Scotland, still stands in the Chapel of Edward the Confessor. In West- minster Abbey lie buried thirteen kings, includ- ing Edward the Confessor, and others from Henry III. to George II.. five sovereign queens, besides the consorts and descendants of kings. Among the most celebrated tombs are the Shrine of Edward the Confessor, erected by Henry III. in that saint's chapel, and the tombs of Henry VII. and his consort, Elizabeth of York, beauti- ful marble elligies, by the Florentine sculptor Torrigiano. The i)ractice of interring courtiers, statesmen, and soldiers in the Abbey began under Kichard II.. ami continues to be practiced. The two Pitts, Fox. Palmcrston, Warren Hastings, and (jlher modern statesmen too numerous to mention have been accorded this honor. In the Poets' Corner (South Transept) repose some of England's greatest poets. Chaucer. Spenser, Dry- den, Gray, and others, and near by rest the men of letters. There are places for tlieologians. actors, musicians, artists, and scientists. By nc means all of England's great nu^n have been offered or accepted the honor of interment in the Abbey; but for such special statues, busts, or tablets frequently are erected there. With a few excepti(ms, all these monnuHMits are disappoint- ing froni the artistic standpoint. On the east side of the Alil)ey is the Cliapter House, a beau- tiful octagonal (iothic liall. in which from 1282 till 1547 the House of Commons assembled. The .lerusalem Chamber, to the southwest of the .bbey, and so called because of its former decora- tions, is celebrated as the death-chamber of Henry IV. Westminster School, foiuulcd by • Jueen Elizabeth in lofiO from revenues of the Abbey, occupies tlu> ancient dormitory of tht Abbey as a schoolroom and its refectory as i dining-room. The latter contains some ancient ta]icstry and stained glass. l!im.lOii.piiy. The best and most complete of the numerous works on Westminster Abbey and its monuments are those of Xeale and Bray- ley (London. 1818), Dean Stanley ( ib., 1886'), and Loftie ( ib., 1890). For its' architectural features, consult the work of Gilbert Scott (ib., 1802). WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY. See Creeds .VND ( 'ONFKKSIO.NS. WESTMINSTER HALL. The great hall of the ancient Palace of Westminster, now used as a vestibule to the Houses of Parliament. The Hall, begun by William Rufus in 1097. was de- stroyed by fire in 1291. Its present form is due to Richard II.. who had the walls buttressed and the wooden roof added (1398). This ceiling, covering without colunuiar support a hall 290 feel long, 68 feet broad, and 92 feet high, is one of the most remarkable pieces of timber architecture in existence, both as to beauty and constructive skill. Xo other hall in England is as rich in historical associations. Here the King, sur- rounded by his chaplains, heard legal eases and administered Justice, A year after its completion its Iniilder. Richard II., was deposed in it, as was Edward II. before him: Charles I. received in it the death sentence, and a few years later Cromwell was installed here. Among the great men condemned here were Sir William Wallace, Sir .lohn Oldcastle. Sir Thomas Jlore. and the Earl of Strafford. Here the seven bishops who opposed .lames II. were acquitted, as was Warren Hastings. The hall was used for great public festivals, as during the coronation ceremonies, or when the Lord ilayor was sworn into office, for the last time in 1882. WESTMINSTER PALACE. The ancient palace by this name was built by Edward the Confessor. i)erhaps on the site of an earlier structure. It was improved and altered from