Carlisle Cathedral - History

History

Carlisle Cathedral was begun in 1122, during the reign of King Henry I, as an Augustinian Priory. Although many large churches of Augustinian foundation were built in England during this period, the Archbishop of Canterbury William de Corbeil, being a member of this order, Carlisle is one of only four Augustinian churches in England to become a Cathedral, most monastic cathedrals being Benedictine. The church was begun by Athelwold, an Englishman, who was to become the first prior. In 1133, the church was raised to the status of cathedral and Athelwold became the first Bishop of Carlisle (1133–55). The building was refurbished in the 13th and 14th centuries, receiving impetus from 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 by Henry VIII of the Church of England as the country's official church, Carlisle, along with the other monastic cathedrals, was run by a secular chapter like the cathedrals at Lincoln and York, which practice has continued to this day. During the time of the English Civil War, a portion of the nave of the cathedral was demolished by the Scottish Presbyterian Army in order to use the stone to reinforce Carlisle Castle. Between 1853-70 Carlisle Cathedral was restored by Ewan Christian. In the early 19th century, the cathedral became the subject for a geometric analysis by Robert William Billings.