DURHAM CATHEDRAL

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

PRIORY OF ST CUTHBERTH, CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF CHRIST AND BLESSED MARY THE VIRGIN

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Originally the church of the Benedictine Priory, refounded in 1541 as a secular cathedral. Main body 1093-1130; Galilee chapel built in 1189. West tower tops, east bay and chapel of nine altars, 1242-1280. 1464-88 tower top stage. Restorations of late 18th, early and mid-19th century. The body of St Cuthbert was removed in 995 from Chester-le-Street to the `white church at Dunholme', which was built to receive the body. The church was served by secular clergy, possibly implying that it acted as a minster. In 1080, Bishop William found the clergy to be degenerate, and ousted them to pave the way for a new Benedictine foundation.
Dependencies: Farne Island, Finchale, Lindisfarne, Lytham, Monkwearmouth, Stamford, and Warkworth. It also owned the hospitals of St Mary Magdalene (Durham), and St Mary's and St Peter's Hospitals in Witton Gilbert.

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(NZ 273421) The Cathedral (C of E) (NAT)
(NZ 27404201) College Gate (NR) (1)

Durham Cathedral, built 1093, was the former priory church of the Benedictine Priory of St Cuthbert, founded 1083 and dissolved 1540. Plan. (2-4)

See pamphlet. (5)

Four cross-heads and associated fragments depicting the crucifixion were discovered during removal of the Chapter House in the late 19th century. The crosses form an Homogeneous group dating from late 10th or early 11th Century. In Durham University Library. (6)

College Gateway. Late 15th century. Gde 1. (7)

Iron spearhead with gilt and faceted socket found in Chapter House excavations 1874. It was lying near a male skeleton believed to belong to the pre-Conquest cemetery that existed here from 995-1080. In Cathedral Library. (8-9)

Cathedral Church of Christ and St Mary the Virgin. Originally the church of the Benedictine Priory, refounded in 1541 as a secular cathedral. Main body 1093-1130; Galilee chapel built in 1189. West tower tops, east bay and chapel of nine altars, 1242-c1280. 1464-88 tower top stage. Restorations of late 18th, early and mid-19th century. Grade 1. (10)

Full description of the ten Anglian stone fragments in the Monk's Dormitory. There are six cross, three grave markers, and an unidentified fragment, all of very late 10th- 11th century date. (11)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 25" 1961

( 2) edited by William Page 1907 The Victoria history of the county of Durham, volume two

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)86-103

( 3) edited by William Page 1928 The Victoria history of the county of Durham, volume three

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)93-136

( 4) by David Knowles and R Neville Hadcock 1971 Medieval religious houses in England and Wales

Page(s)53,64,424,472

( 5) General reference

The Cathedral Church of Durham 1957 (J Wild)

( 6) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

1974 (E Coatsworth) 3 Page(s)109-10

( 7) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

MHLG (Prov List) City of Durham July 1968 p7

( 8) The Antiquaries journal : journal of the Society of Antiquaries of London

1938 (T D Kendrick) 18 Page(s)242

( 9) edited by William Page 1905 The Victoria history of the county of Durham, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)215

(10) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DOE Listed Buildings City of Durham 10 Mar 1988 pp196-199

(11) by Rosemary Cramp 1984 Corpus of Anglo-Saxon stone sculpture, volume 1 : County Durham and Northumberland

Page(s)68-74

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