LICHFIELD, independent of all other claims, must always possess a peculiar title to attention and respect from every lover of literature. Who is there who does not associate with it the name of Johnson, admirable in every department of letters, as a lexicographer, as a writer of biography, as an essayist, and as a poet; and, what is far better than all, eminent for his sincere piety and love for religion?

The name of Lichfield has been supposed to be derived from "lie," a dead body, and consequently to have been intended to signify "the field of dead bodies." There is a tradition that a great body of Christians suffered martyrdom in this place, during the persecution of Diocletian-"whence the city retains the name of Lichfield, or the 'field of dead bodies,' and bears on its device, rather than arms, an escutcheon of landscape with many martyrs in it, in many ways massacred." Hence, it is evident that Christianity must have prevailed here at a very early period; and it is asserted by Thomas Chesterfield, author of the "Chronicle of the Church of Lichfield," that an episcopal see was established there, and a cathedral founded long previous to the Anglo-Saxon times. Taking up the history of the place, however, at the period of Anglo-Saxon domination, we find that Penda, king of Mercia, had delegated the government of the Middle Angles, who inhabited the modern Leicestershire, to his eldest son, Peda. This prince, in 653, having visited the court of Oswy, the Christian king of Northumberland, became desirous to obtain the hand of his daughter in marriage. Oswy would not consent until Peda had agreed to renounce idolatry and to receive

Christian baptism. Having done this, he married the daughter of Oswy, and shortly afterwards returned to his province, accompanied by four priests, who were to instruct his people in the principles of the Christian faith. About two years after this, Penda was defeated in battle by Oswy, and slain; and Peda was deputed by his victorious father-in-law to rule the Mercians, south of the Trent.

In 656, Peda founded the Anglo-Saxon Church of Mercia, and Dwina, one of the four priests who had accompanied him from Northumberland, was consecrated as the bishop of the Mercians, Middle Angles, and Lindisfarne. Several divisions took place in the Mercian diocese, and in 679 it was again divided into four bishoprics; viz., Lichfield, Leycestre or Leicester, Lindsey, and Worcester. Saxulf, who had held the whole diocese, retained the see of Lichfield. Hedda, after his death, succeeded to Lichfield, and, on the deprivation of Wilfrid, obtained that of Leicester also. These two dioceses continued united during his life and that of his successor, Aldwin: on the death of the latter, Heucta or Witta was appointed to Lichfield, and Gotho to Leicester. From this period, Lichfield remained without alteration, until, at a later period, Chester was separated from it.

Hedda erected the cathedral church of St. Peter at Lichfield, which was consecrated by him January 2, 700. The seat of the see was transferred to Chester, by Peter, who became bishop of Lichfield after the Norman Conquest, and he was buried there in 1085. His successor, Robert de Limesey, removed the seat of the see to Coventry. Roger de Clinton, who was consecrated in 1128, restored the see to Lichfield, and assumed the title of bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. The succeeding bishops, until the diocese of Chester was established, were sometimes called bishops of Lichfield, sometimes of Coventry, and often of Chester, as they had episcopal residences in each of these cities. The title of Coventry and Lichfield was the one most frequently borne, until the time of Bishop Hacket, who, after the restoration of Charles II., placed the name of Lichfield first, as a testimony to its approved loyalty. Bishop Clinton appears to have been a great benefactor both to the city and cathedral of Lichfield; the latter of which, he is said to have rebuilt. The Chronicle asserts, that "he raised the Church of Lichfield as well in fabric as in honour, increased the number of the prebends, fortified the castle of Lichfield, surrounded the town by a wall or vallum, and infeoffed knights." In 1235 Henry III. granted a license to dig stone in the forest of Hopwas, for the fabric of the Church of Lichfield; and, three years afterwards, another precept was issued to Hugh de Loges, keeper of the same forest, commanding him to allow the canons of Lichfield to dig more stone to carry on the works belonging to their church. From these documents, it would seem that some buildings were in progress at that time, but it does not exactly appear what were the parts of the church then constructed. Walter de Langton, who succeeded to the see in 1296, was the next person whom we find making any considerable additions to the cathedral. He surrounded the close with a high stone

wall, and placed "two beautiful gates" on the west and south sides of the close; he enclosed the relics of St. Chad in a splendid shrine, at an expense of two thousand pounds, and also raised part of the Lady Chapel at the east end of the cathedral, and built the vaulted roofs of the transept. The cathedral appears to have been brought to its final completion in the time of Bishop Heyworth, who was consecrated in 1420. Fuller, in his "Church History," says, "But now, in the time of the aforesaid William Heyworth, the cathedral of Lichfield was, in the vertical heights thereof, being (though not augmented in the essentials) beautified in the ornamentals thereof, Indeed, the west front thereof is a stately fabric, adorned with exquisite imagerie, which I suspect our age is so far from being able to imitate the workmanship, that it understandeth not the history thereof."

The cathedral suffered much during the great Rebellion. The conduct of the Parliamentary troops, indeed, in this place, seems to have exceeded its usual measure of wicked and sacrilegious violence. Consequently, the injury suffered by the cathedral was most excessive. It was calculated that two thousand cannon shot, and fifteen hundred hand grenades, had been discharged against it. The centre spire was battered down, the spires at the west end were nearly destroyed, the roof was beaten in, the whole of the outside was greatly injured, and the fine sculpture of the west front was defaced in the most barbarous and ruthless manner. When Bishop Hacket succeeded to the see in 1661, he found the cathedral in a most deplorable condition; and so great was his zeal to repair the injuries and destruction which it had sustained from the brutal violence of the rebels, that we are told by Dr. Plume, in his Life of the Bishop"The very morning after his arrival in Lichfield, he roused his servants by break of day, set his own coach horses with teams and hired labourers to remove the rubbish, and laid the first hand to the work he had meditated." By his large contributions, the benefactions of the dean and chapter, and the money arising from his assiduity in soliciting the aid of every gentleman in the diocess, and almost every stranger who visited the cathedral, he is said to have raised several thousand pounds. In eight years he restored the beauty of the cathedral, to the admiration of the country. The subscription for the repairs amounted to 9,0927. 1s. 7 d., in addition to a grant made by Charles II., of one hundred fair timber trees out of Needwood Forest. The bishop himself contributed no less a sum than 1,6837. 12s. The repairs being finished, and the choir being provided with new stalls, pulpit, and organ, Bishop Hacket reconsecrated the church with great and imposing solemnity, on December 24, 1,669. In the year after, he contracted for the purchase of six bells for the use of the cathedral; and with the first of these bells which was hung up during his last illness, a beautiful and affecting incident is connected, which is recorded in the following simple and natural manner by his biographer:-"He went out of his bedchamber into the next room to hear it, seemed well pleased with the sound, and blessed God, who had favoured him with life to

hear it; but at the same time observed, that it would be his own passing bell; and, retiring into his chamber, he never left it till he was carried to his grave."

A thorough and substantial repair of the cathedral was carried on under Mr. James Wyatt, and completed with many improvements, in 1795. Besides other restorations, two of the spires were partly rebuilt, the ends of the transepts were strengthened, and the external roofs of the aisles were raised. The Lady Chapel was also united to the choir by the taking away a screen which had been constructed by Bishop Hacket. After this was removed, the workmen found the beautiful screen, which, it was supposed, had formed the original partition when the Lady Chapel was finished. This exquisite piece of architectural decoration was restored by Mr. Wyatt, and appropriated to the new altar-piece and to the organ screen. The painted glass which is placed in some of the eastern windows, was formerly in the chapel of the abbey of Herckenrode, in the bishopric of Liege. These windows having been purchased by Sir Brooke Boothly for the small sum of two hundred pounds, were presented by him to the dean and chapter of Lichfield, who expended about eight hundred more in placing them in their present position, including the expenses attendant upon the importation, repair, and putting up.

The cathedral of Lichfield, although it cannot stand a comparison with those of Canterbury, York, Lincoln, Wells, or Durham, in point of grandeur or imposing aspect, nor in picturesque appearance and beauty with that of Salisbury, nevertheless possesses some features which are not common to all of these. Completely insulated from all other buildings, and placed in an open close, which is surrounded with handsome and detached houses with gardens and plantations belonging to them, its external appearance is singularly pleasing and interesting to the spectator. "An air of rural simplicity (Mr. Britton observes) pervades the precincts of the edifice, and impresses the mind with quiet, respectful, and religious sentiments. Another singularity in the edifice now under notice, is its general exterior form. At the west end are two towers surmounted by spires, and at the intersection of the nave with the transept is another tower, with a tower more lofty than those at the west end. Hence, every approach to the city is distinguished by the varied combination of these acute pyramids. From the east and west they are seen grouped in a cluster, whilst from the northern and southern sides, the two western towers seem attached; and the centre tower is shown as abruptly springing from the middle of the roof and rising much higher than the others." Though deprived of strongly marked beauties, yet it displays many pleasing and even interesting features. The architectural antiquary will find in it much to admire; for if the operations of time, of wantonness, and of bad restorations, have tended to deface and injure it, there is enough left to indicate its original and pristine design. The exterior, it is true, displays five or six different styles and characters of architecture; but these are not of very opposite or incongruous forms. All is in the pointed

style, and of quick succession as to dates and proportions. There is no part of the circular or Norman style, and none of the last period of the pointed. These remarks, however, do not apply to the centre spire, or modern restorations. The general character of the interior of the church is cleanness, cheerfulness, and elegance."

The church consists of a nave, with its aisles; a transept branching from the centre tower; an eastern tower to the transept; a choir, with aisles; a lady chapel; a vestry; an inner vestry or chapel; a vestibule to the chapter-house; and a chapter house. Among the most beautiful and remarkable portions of the interior, are the principal doorway in the west front, the doorway in the north transept, and the nave. The doorways are peculiarly rich and splendid in their style of execution—the first, indeed, may be regarded as one of the most beautiful designs in the country. It was originally profusely embellished with carved foliage and figures, running round the mouldings of the architrave and between the columns. These have been greatly injured, and their beauty much impaired by the ravages of time and violence. The doorway is divided into two openings by a clustered column in the middle, to which is attached a figure, said to personify the Virgin Mary. There are also two corresponding statues on each side of the door, standing on beautifully formed brackets, and surrounded by equally beautiful canopies. The doorway in the northern transept is almost equally beautiful. It consists of a deeply-recessed arch, divided into five principal and several smaller mouldings, the former of which are charged with sculpture. Two of these consist of foliage, scrolls, &c.; and the other three are enriched with compartments, enclosing bassorelievos of angels, saints, patriarchs, &c. Among them are two figures, supposed to represent St. Chad baptizing the Saxon prince Wulfere. On each side of the doorway are detached and clustered pillars, with capitals highly ornamented with what is called the dogtooth moulding. "The nave (Mr. Britton observes) is a beautiful and interesting part of the church. Its piers are solid and large, and consist of several attached and insulated shafts, with deep mouldings between: these are raised on bases of many mouldings, and are terminated at the top with richly-sculptured foliated capitals. From the latter spring the architectural mouldings of the arches, which are numerous and bold, and produce a fine effect. Between every two arches is a cluster of three demi-columns, rising from the base to the springing of the vaulting, and sustaining five ribs, which diverge to a central rib and a small transverse one: the two last are ornamented with foliage and bold rich bosses at the junction of the different ribs. The spandrils of the arches are adorned with trefoil panels. Above these arches is the triforium; each compartment consisting of a double arch, and each arch again divided into two others. The clustered columns, deep arches, rich capitals, and dogtooth moulding, combine to produce a peculiarly fine and elegant effect. The elaborately sculptured capitals of the lofty pilaster columns, the ornamented string course, and numerous ribs and mouldings, tend to render this portion of the church highly interesting and sumptuous, without being overcharged with minute detail."