VIII, after the interment here of Queen Katharine of Aragon, that it
would become his greatness to erect a suitable monument of her in the
place where she was buried; and in reply the King said he would leave
her one of the goodliest monuments in Christendom, meaning that he would
spare the church for her sake. We conclude, however, from what we know
of the state of the fabric in the reign of Charles I, that although no
buildings may have been demolished, yet the church itself was falling
into disrepair. No doubt the diminished resources of the establishment,
as well as the numerous demands upon the stipends (never large) of the
members of the chapter, most of whom had duties and claims elsewhere
besides having families to support, materially reduced the amount that
could be annually devoted to the sustentation of the fabric. In the time
of the civil war much wanton destruction took place. Nearly everything
in the nature of ornamentation or embellishment was destroyed. A full
account of the mischief wrought has been preserved. Without particularly
naming such things as books, documents, vestments, and the movable
ornaments, we find the damage done to the fabric itself was terrible
indeed. The organs, "of which there were two pair," were broken down.
All the stalls of the choir, the altar rails, and the great brass
chandelier, were knocked to pieces. The altar of course did not escape.
Of the reredos, or altar-piece, and its destruction, Patrick writes as
follows: "Now behind the Communion Table, there stood a curious piece of
stone-work, admired much by strangers and travellers; a stately skreen
it was, well wrought, painted and gilt, which rose up as high almost as
the roof of the church in a row of three lofty spires, with other lesser
spires, growing out of each of them, as it is represented in the annexed
draught.[15] This had now no Imagery-work upon it, or anything else that
might justly give offence, and yet because it bore the name of the High
Altar, was pulled all down with ropes, lay'd low and level with the
ground." All the tombs were mutilated or hacked down. The hearse over