Medieval Apes and Monkeys

Today's Christchurch dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the early Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in documents in 900 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as Tweoxneam. The town was fortified to protect it from Viking raids. The Domesday Book counted the settlement as part of the Crown Estate. A monastery was also built here in Anglo-Saxon times. The construction of a new monastery, Christchurch Priory, began around 1094. Parts of the previous building were integrated into the monastery church, while the remaining buildings were demolished. The new lord of the manor, Baldwin de Redvers, handed the site over to a predecessor order of Augustinians around 1150, who replaced the existing 24 secular canons with monks. In around 1100, Christchurch Castle was built to the north-east of the monastery complex in the form of a motte and bailey. In 1148, it was besieged and captured by Walter de Pinkney during the Anarchy. Its fortifications were subsequently strengthened, around 1160 a constable's house was added on the banks of the Avon, and after 1300 a keep was built in place of the motte. The castle only played an insignificant role in military conflicts and was mainly used as a residence. After the English Civil War, the castle was demolished following a decision by the English Parliament in 1651. Christchurch was granted a number of individual privileges during the Middle Ages and thus developed into a minor town. An existing weekly market, held on Mondays, was first mentioned in 1150. The associated market rights were held by the monastery. In the 12th century, permission was granted to hold a fair on Trinity Thursday, and in 1257 another in autumn on the feast day of Saint Faith. Christchurch has had a mayor since at least 1486. Christchurch's economic situation was considered poor, with numerous reports emphasising the poverty and low importance of the town and its surroundings, which were sparsely populated and off the main transport routes. The town's harbour was only important for local fishing. The reason for this was its poor accessibility Christchurch Priory is a former priory church that has long been used solely as a parish church. The history of the Priory dates back to at least the middle of the 11th century. According to the Domesday Book of 1086, there was a priory here with 24 secular canons at the time of Edward the Confessor. The priory is located on the site of an earlier church dating back to 800 AD. In 1094, Ranulf Flambard, then Dean of Twynham (= Christchurch), began building a church. By 1150, there was a simple Norman church consisting of a nave, a central tower and a chancel extending eastwards from the crossing. At this time, an Augustinian priory was founded here. Large parts of this church (e.g. the nave and the north transept) have been preserved. When the founding family died out around 1300, the priory initially passed to the royal family, then from 1330 to William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury. The nave of the church was newly vaulted around 1350. The chancel dates from the 15th century, which connected the church with the Lady Chapel, which had already been built around 1400. The current bell tower was built between 1470 and 1480. After the dissolution of the English monasteries in 1539, the remaining monastery buildings were demolished. The floor plan of the 91 (!) metre long, three-aisled church with a transept corresponds to a Latin cross, the layout of the Norman nave is three-storey basilica with galleries; the flat-closing late Gothic choir, on the other hand, has only two storeys. Detail of a choir stall - a chained monkey.

Winchester, today a town with a population of about 40.000, played an important role in the history of England. In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Winchester was the capital of England and before that the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The Romans already knew the place under the name "Venta Belgarum". In the middle of the 9th century, St Swithin was Bishop of Winchester. At the end of the 9th century, the city also became part of a number of fortifications along the south coast of England, built by Alfred the Great. Winchester remained the capital of Wessex and later England until after the Norman Conquest, when the Normans chose London as their capital in 1066. Jews lived in Winchester from at least 1148, and in the 13th century the Jewish community was one of the most important in England. There were a series of blood libel claims against the Jewish community in the 1220s and 1230s, which likely was the cause of the hanging of the community's leader, Abraham Pinch, in front of the synagogue. Simon de Montfort ransacked the Jewish quarter in 1264, and in 1290 all Jews were expelled from England. A pre-Norman cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971 and was demolished in 1093. Edward the Confessor was crowned in the Old Minster in 1043. The cathedral in its present form was built between 1079 and 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, in particular Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave, an early English transept, Norman transepts and a tower. With a total length of 170 metres, it is probably the longest medieval cathedral in Europe. When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. William installed his friend and relative Walkelin as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later Walkelin began the construction of a huge Norman cathedral. The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. Then the demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave. The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop Godfrey de Luci started construction of a new Early English retrochoir, this resulted in the demolition of the Norman apse. In 1346, Bishop Edington had the Norman west front demolished and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave. Master mason William Wynford remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. A dog and a very musical monkey in the choir stalls

Winchester, today a town with a population of about 40.000, played an important role in the history of England. In the 10th and early 11th centuries, Winchester was the capital of England and before that the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The Romans already knew the place under the name "Venta Belgarum". In the middle of the 9th century, St Swithin was Bishop of Winchester. At the end of the 9th century, the city also became part of a number of fortifications along the south coast of England, built by Alfred the Great. Winchester remained the capital of Wessex and later England until after the Norman Conquest, when the Normans chose London as their capital in 1066. Jews lived in Winchester from at least 1148, and in the 13th century the Jewish community was one of the most important in England. There were a series of blood libel claims against the Jewish community in the 1220s and 1230s, which likely was the cause of the hanging of the community's leader, Abraham Pinch, in front of the synagogue. Simon de Montfort ransacked the Jewish quarter in 1264, and in 1290 all Jews were expelled from England. A pre-Norman cathedral was founded in 642 on a site immediately north of the present one. This building became known as the Old Minster. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971 and was demolished in 1093. Edward the Confessor was crowned in the Old Minster in 1043. The cathedral in its present form was built between 1079 and 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, in particular Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave, an early English transept, Norman transepts and a tower. With a total length of 170 metres, it is probably the longest medieval cathedral in Europe. When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. William installed his friend and relative Walkelin as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later Walkelin began the construction of a huge Norman cathedral. The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. Then the demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave. The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop Godfrey de Luci started construction of a new Early English retrochoir, this resulted in the demolition of the Norman apse. In 1346, Bishop Edington had the Norman west front demolished and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave. Master mason William Wynford remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. Another gifted monkey in the foliage

The earliest church on the site is believed to have been founded in 627 by Paulinus, the first Archbishop of York, when he visited the area while baptising believers. In 956 King Eadwig gave land in Southwell to Oskytel, Archbishop of York, on which a minster church was established. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded the Southwell manor. The Norman reconstruction of the church began in 1108, probably as a rebuilding of the Anglo-Saxon church. Many stones from this earlier Anglo-Saxon church were reused in the construction. Work on the nave began after 1120 and the church was completed by c.1150. Southwell is where Charles I surrendered to Scottish Presbyterian troops in 1646 during the English Civil War. The fighting saw the church seriously damaged and the nave is said to have been used as stabling. In 1711 the southwest spire was struck by lightning, and the resulting fire spread to the nave, crossing and tower destroying roofs, bells, clock and organ.  By 1720 repairs had been completed, now giving a flat panelled ceiling to the nave and transepts. In danger of collapse, the spires were removed in 1805 and re-erected in 1879–81 when the minster was extensively restored. The nave roof was replaced with a pitched roof and the quire was redesigned and refitted. The chapter house, started in 1288, is in an early decorated style, is octagonal, with no central pier. One of the many guardians

The first settlement to be established in the area was a Celtic town, which developed into the Roman city of Luguvalium in the 2nd century. Excavations undertaken in the 1970s dated the Roman timber fort constructed at the site of present Carlisle Castle to the winter of AD 73. It protected a strategic location on the Roman road to the north and overlooking the confluence of the Caldew and Eden rivers. By the time of the Norman Conquest of England, Carlisle was in the possession of the Scots. This changed in 1092, when William the Conqueror's son William Rufus invaded the region and incorporated Carlisle into England. The construction of Carlisle Castle began in 1093 on the site of the Roman fort. The conquest of Cumberland was the beginning of a war between Scotland and England which saw the region centred around Carlisle change hands a number of times. During the wars, the livelihood of the people on the borders was devastated by armies from both sides. Even when the countries were not at war, tension remained high. Groups named "Border Reivers" were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Carlisle Cathedral was founded in 1122 as a community of canons. Construction of the church was begun by Athelwold, who became the first prior. In 1133 the church was elevated to cathedral status and Athelwold became the first Bishop of Carlisle. The building was renovated in the 13th and 14th centuries, with impetus given by the presence of the court of Edward I in 1307. In the 15th and early 16th centuries the monastic buildings were renewed. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries from 1536 and the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII as the official church of the country, the monasteries were dissolved and Carlisle Cathedral was run by a secular chapter. During the English Civil War part of the nave of the cathedral was demolished by the Scottish Presbyterian army to use the stones to reinforce Carlisle Castle. Between 1853 and 1870 Carlisle Cathedral was restored. The church was built in the Anglo-Norman style, but little of it remains. In the 13th century, construction began on a new three-aisled church in the Gothic style, which also had a transept. A fire damaged the church in 1292 and much of the work had to be restarted. Around 1350, the 9-panel chancel window was installed, which is still one of the largest in England. On the capital - a monkey, a squirrel and an owl

York was already an important centre in Roman times, when it was known under the name of Eboracum. The Vikings, who took over the area later from the Angels , in turn adapted the name to Norse Jórvík. After the Anglian settlement York was first capital of Deira and later Northumbria, and by the early 7th century, York was an important royal centre for the Northumbrian kings. Following the Norman Conquest York was substantially damaged in response to regional revolt. Two castles were erected in the city on either side of the River Ouse. In time York became an important urban centre as the administrative centre of the county of Yorkshire, as the seat of an archbishop, and at times in the later 13th and 14th centuries as an alternative seat of royal government. It was an important trading centre. York prospered during much of the later medieval era; the later years of the 14th and the earlier years of the 15th centuries were characterised by particular prosperity. During the English Civil War, the city was regarded as a Royalist stronghold and was besieged and eventually captured by Parliamentary forces under Lord Fairfax in 1644. After the war, York retained its pre-eminence in the North, and, by 1660, was the third-largest city in England after London and Norwich. A bishop of York was summoned to the Council of Arles in 314, indicating the presence of a Christian community in York at this time. The present church had at least three predecessors. The first church, mentioned by Beda was a wooden structure built in 627 to provide a place to baptise Edwin, King of Northumbria. In 741 the existing cathedral was damaged or destroyed, possibly in a fire. The cathedral then passed through the hands of numerous invaders, along with the rest of the city, and its history is unclear until the 10th century. There were a number of Benedictine archbishops, who travelled to Westminster to crown William the Conqueror in 1066. In 1069, a revolt in support of Edgar Ætheling sparked a brutal crackdown. William the Conquerors troops devastated the town and the minster. Later that year, Danish invaders supporting the Ætheling, attacked the town, starting a fire and burning the cathedral to the ground. The first Norman archbishop, Thomas of Bayeux, who arrived in 1070, apparently organised repairs, but in 1075 another Danish force sailed up the river and sacked the minster. Construction of the Norman cathedral began in 1080 and was completed in 1100. Built in the Norman style, the new cathedral was 360 feet (111 m) long. When Walter de Grey was appointed archbishop in 1215, he ordered the construction of a Gothic structure to rival Canterbury. Construction began in 1220. The north and south transepts were the first new structures, completed in the 1250s. Both were built in the early Gothic style, but had noticeably different wall heights. A massive central tower with a wooden spire was also completed. Construction continued into the 15th century. The chapter house was started in the 1260s and was completed before 1296. The wide nave was built on Norman foundations from the 1280s. The external roof was completed in the 1330s, but the vaulting was not completed until 1360. Construction then moved on to the east wing and chapels. The Norman chancel was demolished in the 1390s. In 1407 the central tower collapsed. The pillars were then reinforced and a new tower was built in 1420. The western towers were added between 1433 and 1472. In 1472 the cathedral was declared finished and consecrated. The English Reformation led to the looting of much of the cathedral's treasures. Under Elizabeth I there was a concerted effort to remove all traces of Roman Catholicism from the cathedral; there was much destruction of tombs, windows and altars. In the English Civil War the city was besieged and fell to the forces of Cromwell in 1644, but it was prevented any further damage to the cathedral. On 9 July 1984 a blaze caused severe destruction to the south transept. Believed to have been started by a lightning strike, the roof burnt for three hours before it was made to collapse by the fire brigade to stop it spreading to other parts of the minster. It took over £2.25 million to repair the damage, and a rededication ceremony was held in October 1988. A monkey and a dog

York was already an important centre in Roman times, when it was known under the name of Eboracum. The Vikings, who took over the area later from the Angels , in turn adapted the name to Norse Jórvík. After the Anglian settlement York was first capital of Deira and later Northumbria, and by the early 7th century, York was an important royal centre for the Northumbrian kings. Following the Norman Conquest York was substantially damaged in response to regional revolt. Two castles were erected in the city on either side of the River Ouse. In time York became an important urban centre as the administrative centre of the county of Yorkshire, as the seat of an archbishop, and at times in the later 13th and 14th centuries as an alternative seat of royal government. It was an important trading centre. York prospered during much of the later medieval era; the later years of the 14th and the earlier years of the 15th centuries were characterised by particular prosperity. During the English Civil War, the city was regarded as a Royalist stronghold and was besieged and eventually captured by Parliamentary forces under Lord Fairfax in 1644. After the war, York retained its pre-eminence in the North, and, by 1660, was the third-largest city in England after London and Norwich. A bishop of York was summoned to the Council of Arles in 314, indicating the presence of a Christian community in York at this time. The present church had at least three predecessors. The first church, mentioned by Beda was a wooden structure built in 627 to provide a place to baptise Edwin, King of Northumbria. In 741 the existing cathedral was damaged or destroyed, possibly in a fire. The cathedral then passed through the hands of numerous invaders, along with the rest of the city, and its history is unclear until the 10th century. There were a number of Benedictine archbishops, who travelled to Westminster to crown William the Conqueror in 1066. In 1069, a revolt in support of Edgar Ætheling sparked a brutal crackdown. William the Conquerors troops devastated the town and the minster. Later that year, Danish invaders supporting the Ætheling, attacked the town, starting a fire and burning the cathedral to the ground. The first Norman archbishop, Thomas of Bayeux, who arrived in 1070, apparently organised repairs, but in 1075 another Danish force sailed up the river and sacked the minster. Construction of the Norman cathedral began in 1080 and was completed in 1100. Built in the Norman style, the new cathedral was 360 feet (111 m) long. When Walter de Grey was appointed archbishop in 1215, he ordered the construction of a Gothic structure to rival Canterbury. Construction began in 1220. The north and south transepts were the first new structures, completed in the 1250s. Both were built in the early Gothic style, but had noticeably different wall heights. A massive central tower with a wooden spire was also completed. Construction continued into the 15th century. The chapter house was started in the 1260s and was completed before 1296. The wide nave was built on Norman foundations from the 1280s. The external roof was completed in the 1330s, but the vaulting was not completed until 1360. Construction then moved on to the east wing and chapels. The Norman chancel was demolished in the 1390s. In 1407 the central tower collapsed. The pillars were then reinforced and a new tower was built in 1420. The western towers were added between 1433 and 1472. In 1472 the cathedral was declared finished and consecrated. The English Reformation led to the looting of much of the cathedral's treasures. Under Elizabeth I there was a concerted effort to remove all traces of Roman Catholicism from the cathedral; there was much destruction of tombs, windows and altars. In the English Civil War the city was besieged and fell to the forces of Cromwell in 1644, but it was prevented any further damage to the cathedral. On 9 July 1984 a blaze caused severe destruction to the south transept. Believed to have been started by a lightning strike, the roof burnt for three hours before it was made to collapse by the fire brigade to stop it spreading to other parts of the minster. It took over £2.25 million to repair the damage, and a rededication ceremony was held in October 1988. Another monkey

Today, Plasencia is a city with more than 40,000 inhabitants. The city was founded in 1186 by Alfonso VIII of Castile during the reconquest of the Moorish-occupied territories from the 10th century onwards and was elevated to the status of a bishop's see by Pope Clement III just three years later. However, the conflicts between Christians and the Almohads, who were dominant at the time, continued until 1212, when the city finally came under Christian rule after the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Plasencia Cathedral comprises two buildings: one known as the Old Cathedral, begun in the 13th century in the Romanesque style in transition to the Gothic. The remains of the original church include the naves, the western façade, the Gothic-style cloister and the chapter room crowned with a ribbed dome in the Byzantine tradition. The New Cathedral, begun in the 15th century, is in the Gothic style. It has high vaults supported by groups of columns. The Old Cathedral (Catedral vieja) currently houses the Cathedral Museum, while the New Cathedral (Catedral nueva) is the seat of the diocese of Plasencia Monkey and pig