Peterborough Cathedral’s history is very different from the other English cathedrals we have been looking at on this trip because it has only been a cathedral for about 500 years.
Let’s start at its beginning, which may have been during Roman times. The archeological evidence suggests that there was some sort of Roman building on the site, perhaps a temple. Solid documentation tells us there was a monastery founded by Paeda, son of Mercia’s King Penda, in 655. The Vikings destroyed the monastery in 870 and it was not refounded until 964. Danish mercenaries raided the monastery in 1070, so William the Conqueror sent in 60 knights to defend the abbey and its estates. An 1116 fire destroyed the abbey, so a new monastic church was built in the Norman style – the building that we see today. Peterborough Monastery served the region until the time of Henry VIII, and here its fate becomes quite intriguing.
A great monastery such as Peterborough was a place of tremendous wealth and power. These monasteries provided social services such as helping the poor, educating the young, and caring for the ill. But with money and power, the temptation of corruption became all too strong for some.
Robert Kirkton was installed as Peterborough’s abbot in 1497. Under his guidance, the “New Building” was installed in Peterborough’s east end, creating additional space for altars and pilgrims. Abbot Robert had few champions, though, due to some significant lapses in judgement. He neglected his monks’ education and they spent their time drinking, singing, and dancing after dark. His sacrist was charged with giving gifts of jewels taken from a saint’s shrine to local women. A 1518 inquiry found that Abbot Robert spent more on his Christmas entertainment than on alms for the poor or food for his monks.
Cardinal Wolsey appointed John Chambers to replace the corrupt Robert Kirkton in 1528. Besides being a reformer, Abbot John was a savvy politician and may be the reason Peterborough became a cathedral. He cultivated strategic friendships and provided hospitality to Cardinal Wolsey in 1530, when Wolsey was escaping the dark marital clouds of Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. Their marriage was annulled in 1533 and when Katherine died in 1536, she was buried in Peterborough Abbey’s church. Although not a yet cathedral, it was a great church and an important abbey, worthy of her burial.
Thomas Cromwell (not the same as Oliver Cromwell of later years when King Charles I was beheaded) served as Henry VIII’s Vice Regent. Starting in 1536, under King Henry’s direction, Cromwell implemented what is called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Starting with the smaller monasteries and priories, these religious communities were shut down and their land, wealth, and income reverted to the King. The dissolution continued with the larger monasteries, including Peterborough Abbey in 1539. Importantly, no longer was the Pope in Rome receiving funds from English monasteries.
After the dissolution, Henry created six new cathedrals, mostly promoting former abbey churches to this new status, while destroying and selling off the stones and timber of their other buildings. The question is – why did Henry do this, particularly at Peterborough? One explanation is that he wanted to be seen as showing respect to Queen Katherine’s final resting place – she would now spend eternity in a cathedral.
But there is another possibility. Ruling on the cusp of medieval times, Henry was a brutal king, but not a stupid man. Peterborough Abbey was within the diocese of Lincoln Cathedral, one of the largest, wealthiest, and therefore most powerful bishoprics in England. Henry did not relish sharing power with anyone. By creating a new Peterborough Cathedral, land and income were taken away from Lincoln and the power and wealth of Lincoln’s bishop was significantly weakened.
This is where the former Abbot John returns to our story. John spent the years between 1539 and 1541 becoming a priest (monks were not necessarily priests, but one needed to be a priest to become a bishop). He had cleverly not raised a big fuss during the dissolution of Peterborough monastery, so avoided alienating King Henry. Thus, John Chambers became the only abbot to survive the Dissolution of the Monasteries and become bishop in the same place.
