The Date of Beverley Minster and its Role in the Development of Northern Gothic in the Late 12th and Early 13th Centuries

2023/08/21 by Stuart A. Harrison, John Phillips · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Archaeology and Historical Studies #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Byzantine Studies and History

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/00681288.2023.2236458

openalex publication_date 2023/08/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26

Abstract

Drawing on close archaeological examination, a study of masons’ marks and especially new dendrochronological data, this article defends and develops Christopher Norton’s argument, published in 2009, that Gothic construction at Beverley Minster commenced soon after a well-documented fire in 1188. This dating was widely accepted until the 1860s, but since then there has been widespread consensus amongst scholars that Gothic construction at Beverley began no earlier than 1220. This radical re-dating disassociates Beverley with Lincoln Cathedral, and instead locates its design in relation to early Gothic construction at the abbeys of Fountains, Byland and Jervaulx, together with a wider group of ‘northern’ Gothic churches. New documentary and dendrochronological evidence also provide a more secure dating for Beverley’s 14th-century nave.

Discussions

• My pic of over the east arm high vault from the main crossing (comped from two exposures), and photo by John Phillips looking the other way which clearly shows the base of the eastern crossing lantern [bsky, 3 points, 1 comments]

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