class="tocch">Elevation of the Bays of the Presbytery

77 The Choir, looking West 79 The Triforium of the Choir and Presbytery 80 The Choir Stalls: North Side 81 The Reredos 84 The Lady-Chapel 85 Doorway of the Lady-Chapel 86 The North Choir Aisle, looking West 89 The Presbytery and the supposed Shrine of S. Etheldreda 91 Bishop Alcock's Chapel 94 Bishop West's Chapel 95 The Choir, looking East 98 The Chapter Seal (from Bentham) 99 Bishop Alcock's Chantry from the Retro-Choir 112 The North Choir Aisle, looking East 122 Bishop West's Chapel 123 The Brass of Bishop Goodrich 124 Bishop Woodford's Tomb 129 Prior Crauden's Chapel 131 Plan of the Infirmary (from Bentham) 132 Ely Porta, The Great Gate Of The Monastery, 1817 133 Ground Plan Of Ely Cathedral At end.

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ELY CATHEDRAL.

CHAPTER I.

THE HISTORY OF THE BUILDING.

No mention has been found of Ely as a town before the time of the virgin queen S. Etheldreda. The district known as the Isle of Ely—which now includes the whole of the northern part of Cambridgeshire above the River Ouse, together with a few parishes east of that river that are in the county—is spoken of at the time of the marriage of the princess as if it were a district well known and perhaps of some importance, as it was assigned to her as a dowry. Some writers have held that the expression the Isle of Ely applied only to the rising ground on which the city now stands and to its immediate neighbourhood. If this were ever the case, the name was soon used for a larger district. In the "Liber Eliensis" the limits of the isle are given as seven miles in length by four in breadth, while the extent of the two hundreds belonging to Ely reaches from Tydd to Upware and from Bishop's Delf to Peterborough. We have many examples of large inland districts where a series of rivers has happened to isolate them being known as isles. The Isles of Athelney, Axholme, Purbeck, Thanet, are familiar instances. Perhaps the town is more likely to take its name from the district than the district from the town. It will be seen that in none of the examples just given is the name derived from a town. We have the authority of Bede for the statement that Ely (Elge) was a region containing about six hundred families, like an island (in similitudinem insulæ), and surrounded by marshes or waters.

When told that Ely means the "Island of Eels," many persons suppose this to be a fanciful etymology, and smile at the idea; but the best authorities are agreed that this is the true derivation of the name.