A Church in translation-Salisbury Cathedral-Part 2

The first service at Salisbury Cathedral was held in 1225 CE, when Bishop Richard Poore deemed that enough of the church had been completed. The next year, in March, the Earl of Sarum, William Longspee — who had been present at the dedication of the foundation (he laid the fourth stone) — died. He is the first person to be buried in the cathedral.

The effigy of William Longspee, Earl of Sarum, at Salisbury Cathedral. Image Source: Wikimedia

Longspee was the illegitimate half-brother of two kings, Richard I and John. It was John who signed the Magna Carta on June 15th 1215, at Longspee’s urging, bringing some measure of peace between a disliked king and rebel barons. There were thirteen original copies of the Magna Carta, one of which — presumably because Longspee had been witness to the document — made its way first to the cathedral at Old Sarum, and then here, to Salisbury when the old cathedral was translated to this spot. It’s still at Salisbury Cathedral, displayed in the Chapter House.

The West Front of Salisbury Cathedral. Image Source: Indu Sundaresan

And…the work goes on…and on: Bishop Richard Poore was transferred to Durham in 1228, and left strict injunctions to his successor, Robert Bingham, to finish the work on the building. But, Bingham was a fairly lazy chap, spendy too, it would seem. When he died in 1246, the…