Tour Manager Notes: Salisbury

Overview

Sorbidiodonum was an important crossroad in Roman Britain, which became a prosperous market town in Saxon England. The Saxons called it Saeres Byrig, meaning “Dry City Fortress,” referring to the original settlement on a hill about two miles outside the present city.

The Norman invasion in 1066 brought the twin instruments of conquest: the fortress that subdued bodies through force, and the cathedrals that subdued minds and souls through persuasion. At Old Sarum, the Normans built both.

Quarrels between the Bishops and the feudal Lords at Old Sarum had grown so intense that by the thirteenth century Bishop Poore decided to move the Cathedral. Legend says he chose the new site by firing an arrow and vowing to build wherever it landed. Even in the days of Robin Hood, shooting two miles would have been quite a feat, so the legend adds that the arrow struck a stag, which carried it the rest of the way before collapsing on the current site. A more plausible explanation is simply that the land already belonged to the Bishop.

The name Saeres Byrig moved as well, ironically, because the Cathedral on its present site has often flooded from the two rivers bordering the Close—hardly a “dry fortress.” In 1635 a church service was held on horseback so the congregation could stay dry.

In 1220 Bishop Poore and William Longspree, a half-brother of King John, laid the foundation stone. Within forty years the Cathedral was complete (except for the later spire). It is a jewel of the English Decorated style and remarkably pure, having been built quickly instead of showing the mixture of styles common in cathedrals constructed over longer periods.

By the early fourteenth century, the townsmen of Salisbury sought even more grandeur. Between 1330 and 1380 they constructed the spire, rising to 404 feet—five times the length of the nave. This added 6,500 tons to a building with foundations only a few feet deep, built on swampy ground. For protection, a tiny casket containing a fragment of the Virgin’s tunic was placed at the tip of the spire, where it remains today.

Around the Cathedral is the Close, enclosed by a protective wall made from stones of the dismantled castle at Old Sarum, with the permission of Edward III. The gates to the Close are still locked nightly. Former clergy houses are now schools or private residences.

At the King’s House (8), Richard III received the severed head of the Duke of Buckingham after his execution for treason in the market square. Richard’s death at Bosworth soon after placed the crown in the hands of the Tudor dynasty.

During the English Civil War, Cromwell came to the Close and used the Cathedral as a stable. Charles I’s forces stormed it in 1644 and captured the Roundheads hiding inside.

Charles II stayed in Salisbury during a London plague outbreak, assembling his court here to avoid contagion. James II also had a lucky escape in Salisbury when a severe nosebleed delayed him at the Bishop’s Palace, foiling a plot to assassinate him.

Salisbury appears frequently in English literature: to Trollope (who worked in the post office here) it was “Barchester”; to Hardy, “Melchester.” William Golding, a local schoolmaster, set The Spire here. Constable famously painted the Cathedral from behind the Bishop’s Palace.

Handel also has connections to Salisbury. His first concert in England was performed in the room above St. Anne’s Gate (11). Having left the court of the Elector of Hanover after a quarrel, he arrived in England—only to learn Parliament had named that same Elector as Queen Anne’s heir, soon to become George I. No wonder Handel was eager to impress with his Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Politically, Salisbury remained important. The old hill fortress at Old Sarum was a “rotten borough” until the 1832 Reform Act, returning a Member of Parliament despite only four eligible voters—sheep farmers. One of its MPs was Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. Another Prime Minister, Edward Heath (9), lived in Salisbury, and his private member’s bill is the reason there is no traffic in the Close today.

Salisbury Cathedral – Interior

Enter through the door to the right of the West Front and pay entrance fees. If the ticket office is closed, make a donation of the appropriate amount in the Cathedral donation box.

The Medieval Clock (1)

Built in 1386, it is believed to be the oldest working clock in the world. It has struck the hours for nearly six centuries—about 500 million ticks. It has no face, as it was originally housed in the bell tower and simply announced the hours by striking a bell.

Tomb of “Big Sir John Cheney” (2)

Cheney was unhorsed by Richard III during his desperate final charge at Bosworth—leaving the king horseless (“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!”). Excavations revealed Cheney was seven feet tall, confirming his nickname. Much of the graffiti on his tomb is centuries old—historic vandalism, not something to add to.

Stone of Thomas Lambert (3)

Located on the floor outside the Morning Chapel. It reads:

H.S.E. (Hic Sepulchus Est, “here lies buried”) The body of Tho the son of Tho Lambert Gent who was borne May ye 14 An Do 1683 and dyed Feb 19 the same year.

The inscription makes it appear he died three months before he was born! The confusion stems from Britain’s use of the Julian calendar until 1752, when the New Year began on March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation). When Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, eleven days were dropped in September 1752—causing public riots and lasting tax-calendar oddities.

The Whistler Prism (4)

In the Morning Chapel, this rotating prism was engraved by Laurence Whistler in memory of his artist brother Rex Whistler. It creates a striking three-dimensional effect and depicts the Cathedral itself.

Trinity Chapel (5)

The earliest part of the Cathedral to be completed. The East Window commemorating “Prisoners of Conscience” was installed in 1980 and designed by an artist from Chartres, the historic center of stained glass.

Under the crossing tower, note:

The floor marking commemorating Christopher Wren’s pendulum experiment measuring the lean of the spire.
The black Purbeck marble columns—lean your head against one and look up to see how they bend under 6,500 tons of weight.
The scissor-shaped strainer arches added to help distribute the weight.

Tomb of William Longspree (6)

Longspree laid the foundation stone in 1220. A half-brother of King John and a witness to Magna Carta, his tomb has a curious history. Returning from the Crusades in 1226, he was shipwrecked and presumed dead. His wife refused the advances of a suitor; when Longspree unexpectedly returned, she celebrated with a banquet—after which he died. Poisoning was suspected but unproven.

When the tomb was opened centuries later, a mouse was found inside the skull, having died of arsenic poisoning. Thus, William likely suffered the same fate.

The Shrine of St. Osmund (7)

Osmund was Chancellor to William the Conqueror and the first Bishop of Salisbury at the old site. His shrine became associated with healing miracles. When the new Cathedral was built, his shrine was moved here. Holes in the sides allowed pilgrims to reach in and place diseased limbs closer to the saint’s bones.

The Magna Carta is sometimes displayed in the Chapter House for a modest separate fee.